Blood In The Flames (Elijah Mikaelson)

Papa Tunde

 1919

Elijah and I sit at a table in the conference room where we usually have our meetings with the other species. Two men in suits enter the room and join us, along with a police officer, and sit at the table.

Elijah greets them. "Gentlemen, make yourselves at home. Mayor O'Connell appears to be running late, but there's much to discuss, so I shall begin."

Niklaus walks down the stairs to join us and annoyance fills my soul. "One moment, please, brother. You know how much I enjoy these illicit, little gatherings." The men started to look worried and Elijah and I quickly assure them.

I smile softly. "Do not be troubled. Despite Niklaus's reputation-"

Elijah jumps in. "I can assure you, we've invited you here to broker in peace. You have our word." Niklaus sends them a wicked grin as I glare at him.

He better control himself or so help me I will melt what brain he has left in that big head of his!

"And, lucky for you, my brother and Elizabeth always keeps their word. You two are from the Guerrera crime family, a brutish pack of thieves and killers. And that's nothing compared to what you become on a full moon, is it?"

Elijah uses Nik's statement as a starting point. "Yes, yes, yes. Of course, a bite from your kind is not lethal to an Original. Conflict between us would not end well for you at all. Let's state our proposal here. My brother and I control the ports of the city, but with Prohibition soon to be the law of the land, there'll be a certain uptick in the kind of federal presence we prefer to avoid. Therefore, I'd like to suggest a system whereby-- under our supervision, of course-- the Guerrera family can traffic alcohol into the city of New Orleans for a profit. We would still be in charge, but our rule would remain a secret." 

Suddenly, a black man, and twin black boys walk into the room.
"This all sounds very good, but tell me, how will it benefit the witches?" 

Elijah looks at him confused. "I am sorry. This is a private meeting."

The man chuckles. "Yes, for kings of the city." He eyes me and quickly adds in. "And Queens. But I, too, am a king, and I have rules."

Niklaus smirks. "I'm impressed. You're either quite ambitious or quite mad. What's your name, mate?"

The man bows. "I am Alphonse Bellatunde Delgado-- Papa Tunde to my followers-- and I come to ask that the witches be granted fair tribute for allowing your existence in our city."

Elijah places his hand in his hip and I get up. "Are you suggesting that you speak for the French Quarter witches?"

Papa Tunde nods. "I do now, and I expect our future negotiations to go very smoothly."

I smile and walk closer. "And they will, for I am the head for dealing with witch business. Being a witch myself, I always make sure they have fair compensation."

He smiles and nods to me. "Excellent, but as a guarantee, I brought a gift. I await our next gathering." 

His twins place a medium-sized leather case onto their table before they leave with Papa Tunde. Everyone gathers around and watches as Nik lifts the lid on the case. Inside is a the severed head of Mayor O'Connell, whose forehead has a magical symbol carved into it. I screamed in surprise and jumped into Elijah's arms.

We look at Niklaus, who just scoffs "Well, I suppose we'll need a new mayor."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcellus is supposed to return home today, so we threw a party for him. I was talking with Elijah and Niklaus when I see my Little Gerard in his military uniform talking with Rebekah. Nik sees him too and calls out to Marcellus, gesturing to him to join us for a drink. "There he is. Our war hero, triumphantly returned. Oh, good to have you back, Marcellus. Welcome home."