The Jewel of the New Orleans ⚜ The Originals

Chapter 2: Broken Promises

The trust between them was unreal. Ever since Klaus had come to town, Elijah having gone off somewhere to do something, he almost never left Marcel's side. It made it a pain to get any business handled with anyone who needed to be in direct contact with Marcel. Not that they normally did, since she handled most of the day-to-day operations though it was getting difficult when she added in all this 'miracle baby' side project.

But tonight was party night and Marcel was more than happy to give Klaus a little more information on how they did things, including how they kept the blood flowing, "The city of New Orleans... people of all stripes and flavors from all over the country come here to party on our streets. Some are just looking for fun... some are looking for something a little darker, more dangerous. So, we invite them into my home and we give it to them."

Colette passed Klaus one of the invites, taking over as they led him out to watch the party in the courtyard from above. "When they come, they get their hand stamped with the M so we know who we can and can't feed on as we have a rule. Locals are strictly off limits. At the stroke of midnight, it's time to feed."

As midnight hit, the sounds of revelry turned to screams of terror. Marcel looked down upon them like Apollo, smiling like he was the sun, the light of his people. And he was. Though his reign could be more comparable to Ares with the amount of bloodshed and hatred he inspired from others. "This is how I keep my guys happy: the occasional, all-you-can-eat buffet. My Nightwalkers love it. I've got 'em working hard, trying to earn one of these daylight rings. They deserve to blow off a little steam. My Daywalkers, the trusted few – they just like the party."

Klaus watches the scene below he in slight disdain. She couldn't blame him. But then again, she never was a fan of this part. "It's quite an operation. Tell me – what about the victims? Seems like a lot of graves to dig."

"Can't kill 'em all. Too many folks go missing, tourism drops. So, we heal them with a little vamp blood, erase their memory, send them on their way – no muss, no fuss," Marcel explained. "And Colette keeps up the partnerships with the local blood banks and hospitals so we can feed when it's slow."

"I'm impressed," Klaus told them.

"Nothing I didn't learn from you back in the day," Marcel complimented him right back.

"Marcel," Thierry called out to them, wearing a much more serious face than usual. Then again, all the Daywalkers were since Klaus had decided to stay in town. She couldn't blame them. All she could hope was that they didn't piss off anyone enough to get killed or get sent to the Garden.

Marcel greeted him. "'Sup, Thierry?"

His voice dropped to a whisper, a fruitless effort really, "Six of our guys were killed in a bar outside of the Quarter. Nightwalkers. No one saw who."

Colette laid an arm on Klaus as Thierry threw the Original a dark look, "Come on, Klaus. I'll walk you out unless of course, you want a drink."

"That won't be necessary. Thank you for showing me your operation."

"Of course," she replied. "Anything you need, just ask."

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Running the Quarter was like running a business. It was a never-ending pile of paperwork to do, calls to make, and people to organize and deal with. For someone with little business knowledge though she did quite well with helping Marcel as both an advisor and assistant role. Though she wondered if the assistant she had been taking on was what was making her lose her power over her advising position.