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The Mikaelson estate hums with an unsettling energy. A New Orleans jazz band plays softly in the background, their music quite an alternative to the tension simmering between the family members gathered around the mahogany table. The air is thick with the scent of roasted garlic, cayenne, and something a bit more… savory – a recent betrayal, perhaps.
“Pass the jambalaya, Rebekah,” Elijah requests, his voice calm and smooth.
Ever the picture of elegant defiance, Bekah snatches the bowl, a smirk on her lips. “You know, I’m starting to think you enjoy this whole ‘family dinner’ routine,” she says, her eyes glinting with amusement.
Klaus, perched at the head of the table, looks up from his crab legs, a predatory glint in his eye. “We are a family, Rebekah, even if we are a dysfunctional one.” He glances at his brother Elijah, who's meticulously picking at his crawfish etouffee. “Don’t you agree, Lijah?”
“Indeed,” Elijah responds with a velvet caress. He meets Klaus’s gaze with a knowing smile. “We are, in our own twisted way, quite fond of one another. It’s our particular brand of family affection.”
The eldest sibling, Finn, sits opposite Klaus, a frown etched across his face. “This is all too… amicable.”
“Well, it is a rare occasion,” Kol sneers, his eyes glittering with malice. “It's only been a few weeks since our last bloodbath.” He chuckles quite the dark and chilling sound.
Marcel, perched beside Rebekah, looks at Kol with disdain. “Try controlling yourself, Kol, for once.”
Kol’s eyes narrow, a challenge in his gaze. “You're getting bold, Gerard. Be careful. It’s not always about how you feel, Marcellus. It's about what Klaus wants."
The air crackles with tension. The sound of a distant scream cuts through the soft jazz melody. Klaus laughs with a low, dark rumble that sends a shiver down some of his siblings' spines.
“Seems someone’s getting a taste of their own medicine,” he sighs. “Now, back to our… dinner conversation.”
A few moments later, a man, pale and trembling, stumbles into the outdoor dining room, his eyes wild with fear.
"Please," he whimpers, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to betray you.”
Klaus's eyes fill with a cold amusement as he rises from his seat. “Oh, you’ll have a chance to apologize to all of us soon enough,” he purrs, dripping with a chilling sweetness.
Before the man can react, Klaus is upon him, his fangs sinking into the man's neck. The air fills with the scent of blood, a sweet, metallic fragrance that intensifies the already unsettling atmosphere.
Finn takes a sip of his wine with a sneer twisting his lips, “The audacity of some humans never ceases to amaze me.”
Kol is already at Klaus's side with a hungry glint in his eyes. Klaus shoves the betrayer toward his younger brother, who licks his lips and digs into the flesh of the man's shoulder. Kol notices Bekah's vigilant stare, and he grins menacingly at her.
"Jealous, Bex?"
She scoffs, "I’ve got my sights set on something much tastier, perhaps a certain vampire who keeps refusing to see how good I am for him."
Marcel glares at her, his jaw set in a hard line. “Just wait, Rebekah,” he mutters, his voice low and fierce. “One day you'll see.”
Elijah calmly rises from his seat, a small silver dagger clutched in his hand.
“It’s best to take care of any loose ends, wouldn't you agree, Neeklaus?” Elijah asks in a silky smooth voice.
He glances at Kol, then Finn, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. The air crackles with anticipation between the two men. Klaus's eyes twinkle with cruel amusement, and he nods to his lover in silent agreement. In a flash, Elijah plunges the dagger into Kol’s chest. When Finn turns, Klaus performs the same ritual, his movements precise and efficient. Both brothers fall limp, their bodies still and cold. Elijah and Klaus then return to the table and pick up their forks.
“Oh, you are so dramatic,” Rebekah complains, rolling her eyes. “Sending them off on a family vacation.”
As the music continues to play softly in the background, the Mikaelson family returns to their feast, their conversation resuming as if nothing has happened. After all, it's just another family dinner.