New Beginnings (2) [Klaroline]

What's a mob to a king?

Caroline ran her fingers through her own blonde hair as she stepped out of the taxi that had dropped her off in the French Quarter. She had been there five years earlier and without much thought she found the hotel, where she had lived the last time.

"Caroline, dear!" Marie exclaimed as soon as she saw the blonde vampire stand in front of the wooden counter. The small lobby looked like it did five years earlier and the same could almost said for Marie, who only sounded like she had aged.

"Marie." Caroline said with a bright smile and allowed the old lady to take Caroline's hand in hers for a moment. There was something about the way Marie looked at her that made her feel like they had known each other for ages even though it only had been about a week.

"How long has it been?" Marie asked as she let go of Caroline's hand dug out the key for room 3B from the drawer.

"Five years. How's everything?" Caroline replied and took the key that Marie offered her. The old lady sent her an unreadable look and Caroline had to stop herself from finding out what it meant herself by taking a peep inside Marie's mind.

"And you still look as beautiful as the first time we met." Marie said and Caroline couldn't help but feeling flattered. She had been complimented on her looks the last five years, but it wasn't always her own face or body. "But I suppose you would like to know how everyone is doing?"

Caroline stared at Marie for a long moment, unable to understand why Marie had chosen to emphasize the word 'everyone' and more or less change her question. Caroline had hardly made any friends the last time she was there and she didn't remember telling Marie much about them.

"I guess. How is Marcel?" she then asked in an attempt to please her host. She had met the king of New Orleans and he had flirted shamelessly with her. She hadn't exactly enjoyed it, but for some reason she couldn't remember why she had gone along with it. And then there was the blonde bartender Caroline had made her acquaintances with, but she doubted that Camille even remembered her.

"Marcel is dead." Marie informed her with a confused look on her face. Was Caroline missing something or was Marie just being weird?

"Oh. How?" the blonde asked, not feeling particularly sorry about the news. He had actually been kind of a dick. Why was it that she had hung out with him again?

"Klaus Mikaelson killed him almost five years ago. Not long after you left, dear." Caroline was informed and received another strange look. By pure reflex, she ran a hand over her hair, thinking that a loose strand of hair might be the reason for Marie's staring. "You haven't talked to him all these years?"

"Well, it's kind of hard considering he is dead." Caroline joked, laughing with uncertainty. She had some special skills, but talking to the dead was not one of them. Marie opened her mouth to speak, but then seemed to change her mind and sent Caroline a small smile instead.

"By the way, you wouldn't know where to find Klaus Mikaelson without really finding him?" Caroline then asked, breaking the weird silence that had fallen between them.

She had a small plan in mind that needed to be executed before she faced the original hybrid. Caroline would spend an evening spying on him, while he was busy picking up women or something like that. Caroline had to find out what to expect before entering the lion's den.

Does he even pick up women or do they just come to him? Every female vampire in this town is probably on their hands and knees to get just a little attention from him. How special they must feel, being one out of hundreds...

"Well, he still lives in his old house." Marie suggested, obviously confused by Caroline's question.

"Yeah, but is there some place where he goes to drink or something?" Caroline inquired again, first then realizing that an old lady maybe wasn't the right person to ask.