𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕕

13

I'm currently with Nik in the painting room.
Stefan walks in and examines the painting Klaus just did.

"Looks like a giant snowflake." Stefan says.

"I prefer to think of it as an expression of postmodernism. It's my donation to the Winter Wonderland charity event." Klaus explains.

Adrian, one of Klaus' hybrids, enters the room.

" You said it was urgent." Adrian greets Klaus.

"Yes, take this to the Mystic Grill immediately." Klaus orders.

" You want me to be a delivery guy?" Adrian questions.

Klaus walks forward and closes the space between him and Adrian. Oh god, the toxic masculinity is making me gag.

"What I want is for you to do whatever I say. Without the attitude." Klaus states.

Adrian rolls his eyes and walks over to the painting. He picks it up and starts to leave the room.

"And be careful with that. It's still wet." I call out in a joking way.

"Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, you know." Stefan says to Klaus.

"What is the point of my hybrids being sired to me if I can't maximize on the benefits of free labour? What are you doing here?" Klaus asks him.

"Elena is sired to Damon." Stefan says.

"I intuited as much." Klaus replies.

"Which means I need to find the cure now more than ever and yet here you are making postmodern snowflakes." Stefan says annoyed.

"I've delivered. I retrieved the Hunter's sword from Italy which we'll use to decipher the map hidden in the Hunter's mark. You two are the the ones who are supposed to deliver the Hunter and his mark." Klaus says to us.

"Well, Jeremy is the hunter, and he has to keep killing vampires to complete his mark, but we can't quite figure out how to keep him from killing us." Stefan explains.

"Sounds like quite the chore. Which is why I feel perfectly justified doing a little charity work." Klaus says.

"Hmm, or maybe you're lying about having found the sword." Stefan suggests.

"Why would I lie to you, Stefan?" Klaus asks.

Klaus walks past Stefan and towards a vault in the other room.

"We're in this together." Klaus says as he takes out his sword and shows Stefan and I.

"The hilt acts as a cipher which we'll use to decode the marks on Jeremy's tattoo when he's killed enough vampires to complete it." Klaus explains to us.

Klaus places the sword down on a table. He takes a seat on the couch and props his feet up on the same table. Stefan picks the sword up and examines it. I take a seat next to my brother.

"I heard you moved out of your house.  Bit of a martyr move, hm?" Klaus says.

" I'm not here to bond, Klaus." Stefan states as he places the sword back on the table.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think right now I'm the best friend you've got." Klaus states.

Stefan leaves and this leaves Nik and I.

"Have you spoken to Kol lately?" He asks me.

"Yes, I spoke to him last night." I reply.

"Are you two together again?" He asks.