"If Marcel and Astrid find out a witch lured more Originals back into town, my people will be slaughtered" the witch Sabine panicked. Elijah's eyes flared the second he heard that second name.
"Astrid is here?"
His voice however, turned into words breathed as he heard mocking howls echo throughout the French Quarter streets and used his vampiric speed to pull Sabine up to a nearby balcony, prioritising the mortal woman's safety over a Mikaelson family reunion.
He had been alive a millennia. What was five more minutes?
It was nearing the end of the night in the Quarter, the locals and the tourists retiring inside. Jane Anne Deveraux had been found hiding in cargo before it set down the Mississippi. Astrid had this energy about her that night that haunted even her men, there was something.. original in her step.
"Well well well!, what have we here?" Astrid let out a laugh as she sauntered down Dauphine Street with her son at her side, "I gotta tell you Soph, this street corner isn't proving to be the luckiest for your family tonight"
Her voice struck Elijah. That sweet, succulent tone that used to be oh so innocent. That faithful night in 1919. Watching as his sister in law hang limp with a stake through her stomach, his best friend - who he thought had been slain by his father - stood proud mere feet away from him, and not that far from her missing King. He watched almost in denial.
"Not half an hour ago, Astrid and I had to teach your sister here a little lesson." Marcel tilted his head to one side, that signature grin of his that always sent the witches running sick plastered against his face like words on a gravestone and Astrid let out a hearty laugh.
Hidden from behind the balcony, Elijah let out a little breath of defeat. Something in him prayed that Astrid had not fallen as far as Niklaus but clearly his faith was misplaced. He heard it in the way she spoke, that viperlike attitude that once complimented NIklaus's so sweetly.
"We're putting her to rest" Sophie's voice sounded broken, the loss of her elder sister clearly running deep as she sat hunched over the corpse, "Leave us alone". Astrid's eyes fixed onto Sophie's and she saw an opportunity. Her husband had an interest in the Deveraux sisters.
Astrid did not like that.
"We never said you could move the body." Astrid proclaimed, her tongue dripping with condescension as she put on a mocking pout, "Matter of fact, I left her here for a reason: send a message. I was not aware our rules were flimsy things to flout at will, were you Marcel?" Astrid looked over her shoulder to Marcel as she stood over Sophie dressed all in black like some symbol of death. "I have to agree with you, Astrid. And yet a little birdy informed me that Jane-Anne was cooking up something magically delicious"
The two were enjoying this, Elijah realised rather quickly and it made even him feel sick. Astrid enjoyed this idea that she could strike fear into the witches, like finally she had some semblance of control over something. The suited vampire found himself questioning as he listened in with his hand over Sabine's so she did not do anything stupid - already psychoanalysing his darling sister in law. She'd been tugged along by the democracy of the Mikaelsons since she was only a werewolf.
Is this what had become of her?
"Oh yeah. While I have you, a little Original trivia. What is Astrid's last name?"
Marcel asked and Astrid looked back to him, the cogs in her brain turning over until she processed what he was asking. Sophie's eyes narrowed at Marcel's question before she answered quietly, her voice coming out a croak.
"Mikaelson"
"And who, pray tell, is she.. Astrid give me the right word here?"
You sly bastard, she thought to herself. "Associated" She said to him as she turned on her heel to look to him, a little snarl on her lip that almost said don't you dare say married.
"Associated" Marcel repeated with a bark of a laugh before he looked back to Sophie, "Who is she associated with?"
Sophie simply looked confused till she processed what her enemies had realised, standing up and going to defend herself. The witch went to open her mouth only for Astrid to cut her off, "He just happened to show up out of the blue asking for, of all people, Jane-Anne. Any idea why?" Her mass of curly black hair shielded her features as she spoke to the witch, the hybrid's eyes locked on Marcel as the two had a silent conversation between themselves - as if they were debating the worth of this witch's life.
There was simply no need to speak the man's name. Once King of the city turned into an inhuman myth that sent most of the factions running. The moon always hit Astrid just right, it seemed. Anyone who ever crossed the woman and survived always told stories of the 'Mother of the Quarter' being friends with the moon, how it worked in her favour.
"I don't know. Witches don't get involved in vampire business." Sophie's voice shook violently and Astrid cracked her neck before she turned back to face the tearful woman, "Hmm." She pursed her lips in a smile, "That would be pretty foolish, that's for sure." She took a few steps forward and stepped over Jane to tower over Sophie, "I'll tell you what.. go back to the restaurant, cook up some of that famous gumbo and keep those tourists happy" she hummed in the witch's ear before pulling back some and looking to Marcel, "Take the body", she muttered coldly.
"What!? Astrid No!"
"He's gonna hold onto your sister's body just in case you remember why my husband is here"
Elijah heard that. She called Klaus her husband, shock horror. If there was anything she took from her in-laws, it was her ability to stick to her vows.
"Marcel please! Her body won't be at peace!" The young witch tried pleading with him to no avail as he had already begun walking away, her sister over his shoulder. "Not our problem!" He called back over to her but Astrid stayed put, picking up a familiar scent. Sophie didn't realise so she began talking. "You know I expected it from Marcel but I always thought you better, Astrid". This stopped the distracted Hybrid in her tracks as she raised an eyebrow. Sophie jolted as she showed the witch her hybrid nature, four fangs growing out of human gums as bright yellow eyes shot daggers into her skull.
"Don't be fooled love, I'm the devil's right hand"
Her accent dripped honey as she took a moment to multitask and smelt the suit before she smelt the man, her face turned back to her human state.
She would not dare entertain her brother in law and his inability to face his issues.
"Goodnight Sophie"
So instead, she left the weeping witch in the middle of the street, inconsolable.
...
Astrid walked the streets alone. When blessed with immortality, one wouldn't find themselves having to be too concerned with facing their past. But the issue here is that Astrid is one thousand years old. Having grown up and spent the first nine hundred years of her 'blessing' with the Mikaelsons, she knew all too well about the saying 'what goes around comes back around'.
She had tied her hair up in a bun, strands still hanging around her face as she wrapped her leather jacket around her. Astrid had a special connection with the French Quarter. When the sun went down and the town became alive, so did she. 'Civilian' by Wye Oak hummed through her headphones so she relied on her scent, smelling one that was all too familiar, "Are you going to say something to me, Elijah? Or are you planning on being my shadow for the rest of the night?", She spun around on her heels to make eye contact with him.
"Astrid", Elijah Mikaelson was unreadable, "You're supposed to be dead." He took two steps forward, but dared not step forward any further, "And I am sure you do not need me to be your shadow, our Marcellus seems to do a good enough job."
"Well technically, I've been dead for a while now" She took out an earphones as her lips pursed, shielding a wild range of emotions as she leant against the pillar. Elijah heard her gulp with his vampiric hearing, interrupted by a crack of knuckles. That was a sentiment at least - at least she still fiddled with her hands whenever she was nervous.
"Where have you been Astrid?"
Elijah's question cut through the air and raised Astrid's heart rate. She sniffed, her dark eyebrows furrowing at the same time as she replied, "I've been here 'Lijah, rebuilding the city. The city that you ran from with your siblings.", Astrid went on the defensive straight away which was no surprise to Elijah, her self preservation was something she had in common with his brother.
A moment of silence fell between the two. Astrid's family and the Mikaelsons had known eachother since Finn was a baby, and although it was Niklaus who had stolen her heart - Elijah was the overprotective big brother sort and he couldn't decide how he felt knowing that Astrid had pretty much denied him in that moment.
"As much as this moment has been lovely, I have places I need to be." Astrid cut the moment short, the tension making bile rise in her throat as she stood from the pillar, "Do send Rebekah my regards, she's the only Mikaelson I'd wanna be within five metres in right now"
"Astrid-"
"Goodnight Elijah" And with that, she had disappeared.
Again.
Elijah stood strained, having an impulse to dial his sister and so he did. After filling in his baby sister about all things "treacherous and Klaus-like" he casually finished with "Oh and not only does Marcel breathe air but our sister in law does too."
This made Rebekah nearly slip in her bath and question him. "Astrid's in New Orleans?! What the bloody hell is she doing there?'"
"What she is doing isn't my biggest concern right now, sister"
"Wait.. Nik doesn't know?"