Eisa was pleased when Klaus arrived.
"Dearest brethren," he said, finally starting the meeting as he walked in, accompanied by Thierry. "Your attention, please. No doubt, you're all surprised to see Thierry Vanchure, who's supposed to be rotting in the Garden for the crime of killing one of our own, and I personally decided to issue him with a pardon. I hope you'll all welcome home Thierry."
The vampires began to clap, and Eisa watched as Diego and Thierry embraced. "You're in a good mood," Marcel observed. "You should visit Mystic Falls more often."
"What did he do in Mystic Falls?" asked Hayley curiously. "He looks so happy."
"Slept with Caroline," said Eisa with a shrug.
"What the—? How do you know that?"
"He told me."
"Now," Klaus continued, addressing the vampires once more. "As you all know, the witch Davina is no longer with us. Without Davina, we can no longer monitor the activity of our witch neighbors. However, since their Harvest failed, their magic will soon be gone forever. Until then, I say we keep them on their toes. Diego, I wonder if you might lead a rousting in the cauldron."
Diego smiled and nodded, moving off to the side for other vampires to join him. Eisa narrowed her eyes, seeing as Klaus and Marcel moved away to have a conversation of their own. Her eyes found Elijah, who was downstairs appearing pensive. She cleared her throat, tapping her nails on the railing, and his gaze flickered up to her. The siblings nodded at each other, then both looked to where Rebekah was exiting the Compound.
"I'll see you, Hayley," said Eisa, patting the wolf's shoulder. "My brother and I need to have a chat with our sister."
The wolf half-smiled. "Stay safe, will you? I need an encore to what you did earlier."
Eisa winked before speeding down to walk alongside Elijah, the two of them following after Rebekah, who heard them because of the click in Eisa's heels.
"Haven't you something better to do?" asked Rebekah in annoyance. "I would think you'd be all over Nik now that he's feigning competence."
"You may doubt him," said Elijah as he and Eisa moved to be on either side of their younger sister, "but today, I saw Niklaus demonstrate mercy towards an enemy. Tell me that's not progress."
Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Please, Elijah. Who do you think convinced Klaus to let Thierry out?"
"Oh, dear lord," said Eisa, scrunching up her nose. "Why would you do that? Don't tell me you've chosen to sleep with Thierry now."
"Obviously not, Eisa. Despite Klaus' reprieve, Thierry despises him. I like that about him. I also like that he used to date a witch, so he knows about French Quarter covens. Maybe he can lead me to whoever stole off with the Harvest magic."
"Not a bad idea," said Eisa. "Considering my spies have still found nothing."
"Sisters," said Elijah gently, "we are all devastated by the outcome of this ritual. However—"
"That's just it," cut in Rebekah. "There was no outcome. We all know that power like that doesn't just vanish. I say someone stole it. I'd like to know who, and then I'd like to make an ally out of them."
"Hold on," said Eisa. "An ally? You do realize that whoever stole that power is likely the culprit behind my kidnapping, yes? To what end—?"
"I'm tired of being threatened and controlled by our tyrant brother. If you want to stop a bully, you need the power to stand up to them."
"Or maybe," suggested Eisa, "you could leave him instead of clinging to his side constantly. He's occupied with other things now, he won't stop you. Unless, of course, you feel the need to comport yourself this way because you want what he has."
Rebekah shrugged, and Elijah let out a huff. "I expect such behavior from Niklaus. It's so very disappointing when it comes from you, Rebekah. Do you not see that, in his way, he's making an effort here? He's invited us back into our family home. He yearns for our family to be reunited."
"Yes," said the blonde, "he's in a brilliant mood now, but for how long? It's his trick, Elijah. He lulls you into a false sense of camaraderie and kinship, and then he turns on you like a snake. I fall for it every time and wind up with a dagger in my chest for my trouble. No more."
"I believe that he is approaching some semblance of peace here. Leadership may, in fact, be a good thing for him. Now, sister, please, I ask you, if you cannot support him, then at least do nothing to provoke him."
"You said it yourself, it's a semblance." Rebekah looped her arm around Eisa's. "I shall make my decision fully when we know more. Come with me, will you, Sister? There's something I mean to investigate, and I'd like a chance for us to chat alone."
Eisa was suspicious, because Rebekah was smirking as she led her away from Elijah. "What's this about, Bex?"
"You and Hayley are making progress and you didn't tell me, you evil cow."
"Did you just call me a—?"
"It's an expression, Eisa, don't concern yourself with it. I want all the gossip, and you neglect giving it to me! What sort of sister are you?"
"The kind that likes her private matters to stay private."
"You two kissed, didn't you? That ought to be public knowledge?"
Eisa frowned. "We didn't kiss."
"Then what was all that about 'a small taste—'"
"You eavesdropping little bitch! You always stick your nose in matters that don't concern you."
"I can't help it, my sister is finding love again for the first time since she was with a woman that I never even got to meet! She's more special than Lexi and Aya, isn't she? You're more gentle with her than you ever were with them."
"I am not finding love. I'm trying to fight it, actually."
"Why must you be this way, Eisa? Can't you accept affection for once instead of restricting yourself for our sake? We're not children anymore, you're perfectly free to—"
"You still act like children quite often. Case in point, you thinking to ally with whoever stole the Harvest magic just for the sake of subduing our brother. Nik is going to become a father, and I cannot afford to let my guard down until he's adjusted properly to parenting."
"Hayley adores you. She was crying when you were gone, she was fighting for a chance to leave the Compound and search for you. You bring her more comfort than any of us. She's your type, too. You love the stubborn ones."
"Could we perchance have this conversation once the baby is born? I don't wish to do anything major with her while our niece is in her tum. It feels quite wrong."
"Oh, fine, but you better keep me updated if anything happens! I want to see you happy, Sister. Hayley makes you happy, even if you won't admit it."
Eisa and Rebekah made their way back to the Compound, and the elder sister watched as her younger sister moved off to the side, Thierry following a bit after. Rolling her eyes, Eisa went upstairs, finding Hayley in her room.
"At this rate," said the Original, "you might as well just live here."
"I can't help it," said Hayley, looking through the books on Eisa's shelf. "Your room is so beautifully arranged. "You have more artwork in here than Klaus has in the rest of the house. Plants, even though you're a vampire, and they usually don't have plants. These little sculpture things to hold jewelry and makeup items... the clothing rack. Not to mention your bed is super comfy."
"You can have it, if you'd like," said Eisa with a shrug. "I honestly don't see a difference in any of the beds here. I could take the one that used to be Kol's."
"Oh, no, I won't take your bed. Just..." she bit her lip, and Eisa sighed.
"I won't sleep next to you," the Original said, watching Hayley looked almost crestfallen to hear this. "No cuddling. Neither of us will be able to hold back."
"You made me feel things earlier today," admitted the wolf. "The hormones are bad enough, and that it just... phew, spiked everything. I want to know more. About... you. In bed, specifically."
"Well, then, ask your questions."
"Are you always... um... in charge?"
"Always."
Hayley's breath hitched. "Alright. Do you always do... the work?"
"Sometimes, I let my partners do their bit. But I like being the one doing it all."
"Do you still talk... while doing it?"
"Yes."
"Do you like to be called anything... specific?"
"My name, is all. I don't prefer the other titles that people use."
"Do you call your partners anything specific?"
"I try out a few things, see what they're into."
Hayley's face was quite red, and it was getting worse, seeing how unbothered Eisa was by all this. "Why are you so chill about answering these questions?"
"I like seeing you flustered," said Eisa, as if it was obvious. Her eyes scanned up Hayley's figure, but her face remained expressionless. "It lets me know what I should expect, if we ever sleep together."
"Alright," said Hayley, pressing her legs together. "I think I got enough information. It helps more than you realize."
"You're actually turned on by this, aren't you?"
Hayley gulped. "Maybe."
"So... you really are into me."
"Did you ever doubt me?"
"A bit. It's fun, seeing you all agitated like this. I'll have to thank the hormones individually. And to answer your question from earlier, I'm 'chill' with it because I think it's good to give you something to wonder about. You've just figured out your sexuality, and there's nothing wrong with a few fantasies to see how you feel about something that you intend to do in the future. Oh, and also, again, revenge for being a little brat and questioning me every time I go do my business outside the house."
Hayley's heart did a cartwheel, and Eisa raised a brow. "You like being referred to as a brat. How interesting."
"I never said that," Hayley said quickly.
"No, you didn't. But your body told me. I suppose this has been informative for the both of us."
Eisa wasn't sure why she was letting herself enjoy this. Perhaps Rebekah's words were sinking in. There was no major need to restrict herself.
And yet, she knew this was the furthest she could let herself go. She could not forgive herself if she went ahead with something that could hurt the baby, a baby which wasn't even hers. Besides, she had just earned Klaus's favor, and she did not wish to lose it by moving in on the mother of his child while said child was still in utero.
"Why must this family be so bloody complicated?" she muttered to herself when she left the room, having received a text from Rebekah to meet her downstairs.
"Thierry's got something to show us," she announced. "We're to meet him at the docks."
"And I must come, why?" asked Eisa.
"Because it could be related to our search. Thierry says it's quite important."
In warehouse 57, they found what the fuss was about.
"Used to run things down here for Marcel," said Thierry, opening the door for them. "Thought you'd like to see what I found before Klaus did."
"Not a day out of the Garden, and he's already proving himself useful," commented Rebekah with a smirk, leaning onto her sister.
Thierry shrugged. "We made a deal, and if it screws things for your brother, I'm all for it. Though, to be honest, this stuff makes my skin crawl. I've never seen anything like this."
On the ground, a circle of salt and animal bones was surrounded with candles. Within it, unsettling runes drawn in chalk— a set up for a ritual that Eisa could not even recognize.
"I have," muttered Rebekah, appearing worried. "A long time ago. Someone is copycatting a very dangerous witch. They draw their power from sacrifice."
"Who are we talking about?" asked Eisa, confused. "I've never seen this before."
"You were daggered at the time, Eisa. It was just before 1919, after—"
"Oh, that's right, after you ratted Kol and I out, and—"
"I apologized to you for that!"
"You never apologized to Kol, did you?"
That shut her up, and Thierry put his hands on his hips. "Back to the topic at hand, I just wonder, why this was left here for us to find."
"Someone could be leading us down a false trail," said Eisa.
"Or," said Rebekah, growing tense. "They wanted us to find it, and they lured us into a trap."
They turned as a man in a shining white suit walked up to them. "Mademoiselles Mikaelson," he said, greeting both sisters.
"That's not possible," said Rebekah in a horrified squeak.
"Sure it is, chére," replied the man. "It's magic."
With a growl, Rebekah sped to him, but the man caught her by the throat, beginning to chant. Eisa lunged forward, but with his other hand, the witch sent both her and Thierry flying into the far wall, their bodies crashing into a stack of wooden crates.
Eisa watched, terrified, as Rebekah's skin began to turn grey. The man was etching a symbol on her forehead with a strange knife. She turned to Thierry to gesture for them to coordinate an attack, but he was gone, and she was left to lunge at the mystery witch alone, just as he dropped Rebekah's body into the salt circle they'd found.
With speed unlike anything he should have had, he moved out of the way, and swept his hand up, lifting Eisa into the air to slam her into the ceiling before bringing her body crashing into the ground so hard, the concrete burst open, and she let out a pained moan, unable to get up right away.
"Not possible," she croaked, struggling to get up.
"What's not possible?" he asked casually, strolling over to her. "For my magic to be this strong?"
He kicked her in the face as she managed to put her hands on the ground, and she coughed out blood. He coiled his wrist, and she started to choke on it, unable to get up and spit it out properly.
"I could continue," he mentioned. "Weaken you, until you're able to be subdued for the sacrifice, as well. You are stronger than your sister, I can sense it. It would take more of my concentration, even whilst I channel her. But your mind is already being tampered with, and I fear that if I were to use you, it would undo the spell that was conveniently placed on you, to keep you from uncovering our plan."
Eisa cried out as he slammed his shoe into her stomach, making more blood burst out. He shoved her onto her side, allowing her to get the blood out of her mouth. "Do you feel it?" he asked, crouching down beside her. "I am inhibiting your healing."
She tried to swipe her hand out to knock him down and weaken his magical hold on her, but he lifted her, dragging her off to the side before tossing her down again. With another flick, her arms were broken, and she howled out in discomfort, now unable to pick herself back up.
"The power that flows through me is not something you can stand against," he noted. "Tell me, would you take your sister's place, if I gave you the choice?"
Eisa spluttered out more blood, trying to stay she would, but it seemed the man didn't actually care for her answer. "Unfortunately, using you as a sacrifice would prove... less beneficial," he stated. "I've heard much about you in my time within the Ancestral Well, Eisa Mikaelson. You are tainted. Impure. You seduce and you kill and you promote lust and sin. Therefore, you will be used to make your brother pay for his sins."
"Stop," she panted. "I don't... I don't know..."
He yanked her up by her hair, sneering in her face. "You don't know? Your brother killed my sons, and now, he expects to become a father? In this past week, I have learned that you covet the mother of his child. I will kill you slowly and painfully. Her mourning will cause her to lose that child and then, when Klaus Mikaelson is broken, I will strike, and I will ensure his suffering never ends."
He tossed her back down, kicking her in the face and making her wail again. "You are the worst kind of vampire. Filthy. With you, nature cannot be balanced. You kill and you feed on the blood of the innocent, and all the while, you sleep with women. It is wrong. For witches in the French Quarter, it is the worst crime you could possibly commit."
She screamed as he waved his hand, making one of the broken bits of the crate lodge into her abdomen. "The Ancestors despise you, Eisa Mikaelson. In 1914, you corrupted perfectly good witches, leaving them to do your bidding. They died and were shunned, made to disappear, because they supported you. You convinced them to bed you, and you ruined them. Perfectly good witches who had potential. Ruined for their future husbands, ruined in their Coven's eyes."
Eisa didn't have the strength to call him a 'homophobic piece of shit' but she certainly would have liked to.
"I can feel you have weakened significantly," said the man, leaning down and brushing his hand over her forehead. "And yet, the spell Celeste placed on you has not broken. This bodes well. You will remain here. When I have returned with your brother... it will be your time to die."
Eisa wasn't sure how long she laid there, twitching and unable to move. Her body wasn't healing, and it wasn't dying, either. She was stuck in her pain, stuck on the floor, his words ringing in her head.
"Oh my god!" Hayley ran to her the instant she and Elijah arrived in the warehouse. She bolted toward Eisa, collapsing at her side and turning her onto her front, ripping the wood out of her stomach. She offered Eisa her wrist, but she was too weak to bite in, and Elijah had to stumble over, biting into Hayley's wrist in order to get Eisa to drink.
"She's not healing," said the Original, biting into his own wrist and coaxing the blood down her throat. Eisa relaxed, her wounds starting to close.
As soon as Elijah and Hayley freed Rebekah, they scooped Eisa up, with Hayley being instructed to drive her back to the Compound while Elijah and Rebekah took care of some business.
"This is why I worry about you all the damn time," said Hayley, once she'd had a few vampires help her carry Eisa to her room. "Here, drink more of my blood."
The Original didn't hesitate, gulping it down and squeezing her eyes shut, her throat still burning a bit. "The Harvest," she panted. "That guy... supposed to be dead. Magic... hijacked."
"Don't try and solve the mystery right now, please?"
Instead, Eisa just started to cry.
"Oh, shit," said Hayley, not having expected this. She quickly moved to sit on the bed, pulling Eisa into her arms. "Hey, talk to me, don't shut down. What happened?"
Eisa gripped her arm, sending her into the memory instead. Hayley immediately became angry, and she stroked the Original's hair, kissing her forehead. "Don't listen to what he said," she told her. "He was just being cruel and stupid. There is nothing wrong with you. No one gets to tell you what's right and wrong when they're doing shit like this for no reason."
"Do you see?" whimpered Eisa, trying to stop herself from crying. "Do you see why I'm trying to protect you? This— this always happens. Something always comes back to hurt us, something always gets brought up. Being with me is going to get you killed, Hayley."
"Oh," said the wolf quietly, only now realizing what Eisa meant each time she said that. "You're not just worried that being a Mikaelson will put me in harm's way. You're worried that... that any homophobic enemies will target me if I become your girlfriend."
"I have had enough torment to last me ten lifetimes," said Eisa miserably. "I hate it. I hate it. I just want to love without being beaten for it. Mikael hated me for what I am. Time and time again, I suffer, merely because I prefer to fall for women than men. When will it end?"
"It's gonna be okay," promised Hayley. "It will end, one day. One day, everyone will be free to love whoever they wish, and they won't be hurt for it. You're making progress, Eisa. You're killing homophobes left and right and protecting people who would otherwise be unable to defend themselves from them. We're gonna get rid of this guy, I swear it. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he never lays a hand on you again."
"Hayley," said Eisa, clutching her arm. "I need you to get me to Francis's apartment. I need him to try the damn spell again. I have to remember. I have to."
"Eisa, are you sure you should be going anywhere?"
"If I don't solve this, Hayley, I won't be able to rest. The guy that took me down is stronger than I could have ever imagined. I need to gain the upper hand."
"Okay," sighed the wolf. "Text me the address, and I'll drive you."
They arrived at Francis's apartment half an hour later. The poor warlock was already getting ready for bed, and he yawned when he opened the door, though he quickly covered his mouth at the sight of Hayley.
"She's not very strong right now," said Hayley, holding Eisa's hand as Francis stood behind her, hands hovering on either side of her head. "I don't know if she can..."
"I'm gonna be fine," Eisa tried to say, half-smiling at her.
Within seconds, she was gritting her teeth hard, trying to contain the sounds of discomfort as Francis tried to dive into her mind again.
"Come on, Eisa, let me in," he said, furrowing his brows.
"I'm trying!" she hissed, squeezing Hayley's hand as tightly as she could without breaking it. "Stupid spell — it fucking burns!"
"Like I said, I really think you should call Isela or one of your other witches to help with this."
"Wait." Hayley stood up. "Channel me. It would give you the power to—?"
"No," snapped Eisa. "Francis, don't—"
"But it would help to—"
"No!" Eisa stood up, her face beaded with sweat. "No, you will not channel her. It could hurt her, it could hurt the baby. No. Just— fuck. We'll give this another try tomorrow. I can't..." she sank back into the chair, holding her head. "I can't even muster another go."
"Hey." Hayley knelt in front of her, taking her hands. "You're frustrated and hurt. It's okay to take a break. How about we go back home, alright?"
Eisa nodded, and Hayley helped her back to the car, and all the way to her own bed. The wolf laid her down facing the window, bringing the covers up to keep her warm, even if the vampire wouldn't have registered the cold anyway.
"It's okay," whispered Hayley, climbing into the bed with her and wrapping her arm around Eisa, spooning her. "I'm here. You're safe. He can't hurt you. Tomorrow, you'll feel better, and you'll be able to break through that spell, okay?"
Only once Hayley was fast asleep, did Eisa turn around, thinking of a reply as she brushed her hand over Hayley's face. "You make it so hard not to love you."