Who are they?
The lord Tristan and his sister the lady Aurora.
Lucien, what are you really doing in my city?
The life of every vampire is linked back
to the original who begat the line.
Kill an original, wipe out an entire line.
If you want to know what I do
about the dangers you now face,
there is something that you must see.
If you have a warning to deliver, luv,
best get on with it.
If this prophesy is fulfilled,
you will all fall-- One by friend,
one by foe, and one by family.
I'm Aya.
I was instructed not to leave
without making you an offer.
Let us help you return New Orleans
to what it should be with you as its king.
Who's us?
We are called the Strix.
Let her go, Elijah.
Tristan.
Marcellus, you would do well to be selective
about the company you keep in future.
By all means, help yourself to the good...stuff.
You want to dress me up in nice clothes,
all you had to do was ask.
I'll keep that in mind in the future, Mr. Gerard.
Thought you were someone else.
Perhaps my associate Aya.
Clearly, she made quite an impression.
She is an exquisite beauty,
and, in fairness, the violence was my idea.
Had you simply come willingly,
none of that would have been necessary.
So this is your version of asking me something nicely.
It's an invitation.
I believe Aya told you a bit about the Strix--
Who we are, what we're capable of.
Every few years, we gather to celebrate
our status as the most elite creatures
in the world, and in the rare instance
we feel we've identified someone worthy
of our attention, we open our doors.
What makes you so sure I'm interested in you?
You haven't hung up the phone yet.
I understand you fostered quite
a community here in New Orleans.
We can offer you a global network--
Resources, access, power.
You're a born leader, Marcel.
Why stop at just one city?
Maybe I'm happy with what I've got.
Somehow I doubt that,
but if I've failed to pique your interest,
by all means, disregard this call.
If, on the other hand, you feel you'd
be a worthy addition to our ranks,
join us tonight and don't be late.
Something the matter, Elijah?
There something that you want to talk about,
like the Strix?
"I do hope that you can come, old chum,"
signed, Tristan.
Iwas Picking up hope
when some random vampire dropped it off.
You care to fill me in?
This isn't your concern.
Oh, but it is,
so why don't you cut the protective macho crap
and tell me what's really going on?
I'm part of this family, too, Elijah.
I thought you, of all people, would act like it.
So what do you want to know?
What are you doing here?
I live here.
Yes, obviously.
I just hadn't realized you were back
from wherever it is you go to when you leave.
Perhaps I was thrown off by the lack of strange
gentleman callers perusing the contents
of my refrigerator this morning.
Your concern for my whereabouts
is touching.
I simply want to know who is here at any given moment.
I hardly think that's too much to ask.
Well, as long as we're taking attendance...
Oh, good. It's my not-so-loving elder brother
and my former one-night stand.
What a nice, normal family gathering.
Charming.
Elijah was just catching me up
on how you have no clue which one of you long-lost buddies
you can trust and which one is trying to kill you.
Well, clearly what the situation needs
is more opinions.
I assume you told her about the bloody prophesy.
I was just getting to that.
Now would be good.
Well, it appears my old mate Lucien
has acquired a genuine seer,
and in an effort to prove his good intentions,
he got her to show us some rather dire visions
of future doom.
It's grim stuff, really,
not for the faint of heart.
Whose doom are we talking about?
Because if it's yours, then I think
we're all ok with that.
Ha ha ha!
Well sadly, we're all on the chopping block
but chin up.
This witch claims her visions
are constantly evolving,
so you may just get your wish.
Well, I want to meet this psychic witch...
Tonight.
Na zdorovie!
Ah, come here, you.
There's my old friend...
Nik.
Hard at work ensuring my safety, I see.
By all means, come join us.
Business before pleasure.
Ah. Well, excuse me, ladies.
Ah, so you've noticed gregory,
former navy seal.
I turned him personally to head my security team.
Yes. I've noticed a lot of new faces
at my favorite haunt.
It's strictly for your protection.
Your resources are extensive.
Ha ha ha!
And you don't even know the half of it.
Mm.
You see, Nik, I have spent
several lifetimes building a company
devoted to shattering the very limits
of what is possible.
I have some of the most brilliant minds
in the world developing technologies
that you couldn't imagine.
With Alexis as your crowning achievement,
no doubt. Well...
The single cure
to the most terrifying threat
of all-- The unknown--
Ha ha! Speaking of which,
perhaps we should go pay your seer
another visit, see if anything
has snapped into focus in regards
to that mysterious threat against us
if, that is, you're prepared
to share your resources.
Of course.
Her visions are our greatest chance for survival.
I only regret I didn't suggest it myself.
Alexis?
Alexis.
Perhaps you should place
your special lady friend on a shorter leash.
You don't understand.
Alexis doesn't go outside
unless she has to.
She's too sensitive.
If she's gone,
then someone took her.
I don't want your excuses.
I simply want her found.
Do you understand?
All the kings horses and all the kings men
couldn't find one prognosticating witch.
Ah, well. Takes one to find one, ialways say.
What is it now, Niklaus?
Really, Freya?
Is that the way you greet the brother
you've spent your entire life trying to find?
Oh, I'm sorry. Are you not calling for a favor?
You're absolutely right, luv.
We need your help.
A dear, dear friend of mine has gone missing,
and we must find her.
Our lives depend on it.
And, I take it, I was the only one willing to answer your call.
Well, you're certainly the loveliest.
Niklaus, please tell your creepy friend
that just because he's good-looking
doesn't mean I won't turn him inside out
and hang what remains from a pole.
Freya, please.
I am asking as your brother for your help.
Fine. Text me the address.
Come on, Rebekah. You got to have something.
May i?
Thanks.
I'd wear my own clothes, but...
I don't usually lean towards formal wear.
I take it your husband is fine
with tonight's little adventure.
Yeah. Jackson's cool.
He knows that I can handle myself.
That's not what I meant.
I know.
So...
What, exactly, am I walking into tonight?
Only the most dangerous and influential
congregation of vampires the world has ever known.
Marcel, welcome.
I admire your confidence.
Please, allow me to make some introductions.
Is that...
One of our more famous faces.
We count amongst our society
celebrated actors, artists, politicians.
Of course, most of us prefer to live a life
outside the public eye.
That doesn't make our talents any less impressive.
Why are they all staring at you?
Kind of a big deal around here.
They're all part of your sire line.
Most of them, tragically, yes.
You see, Hayley, I wanted to assemble minds
curious about the world and eager to improve it
along with time and circumstance to do so.
My desire was to create an elite brotherhood
devoted to a new, better civilization.
It was naive.
Eventually, I was forced to abandon them
once I realized I'd cultivated a legion
of egomaniacal sociopaths.
It's quite like your city's own beloved masquerade.
Beneath the disguise, the poor become rich,
and the rich, well,
they can do anything they please.
We're the top of the food chain--
Th e smartest, the strongest--
And we take what we want.
And now you want me.
Tristan has been a collector
of extraordinary talent for the better part
of a millennium.
He chooses the best of the best
and then helps them evolve.
Tristan wants to help me reach my full potential.
Is that right?
You're clever, bold, a talented strategist,
and, should you join us, you'd be the very first
member sired not from Elijah,
but from Klaus.
Marcel, we think you could help us bridge
the gap between sire lines
and finally put this war to bed,
that is, if you are, in fact,
everything we hope you to be.
Please do come in.
This place smells like dried blood
and bad cologne.
That's just my natural musk.
I find the ladies love it.
If you're quite finished, here.
This is hers.
Your brother must have told Tristan
about the prophecy.
If that sadistic bastard so much as touches
a hair on her head--
Yes, the witches hair lsn't what has me worried.
Frankly, your girl seems a bit wanton
when it comes to handing out visions.
Alexis would not share her gifts with him.
That doesn't mean he wouldn't torture it out of her.
Ah, the davilla estate. Brilliant. Isn't that where--
Our old friend Tristan lured Elijah
just the other night.
It seems your fears are warranted.
Granted, we are the two most cunning, powerful,
and handsome vampires of all time...
Granted.
But that still leaves us a bit outnumbered.
How do you propose we fight our way
into an entire secret society of ancient vampires?
Oh, luckily, I have a plan.
Marcel, I'd like you to meet
my mentor mohinder.
He taught me everything I know about combat.
Oh, if that's the case, then I am impressed.
Intense guy.
As part of his discipline,
he drinks only the blood of vampires
he's vanquished in combat.
He can go weeks without feeding,
yet suffer no effects of hunger,
such is his control over body and mind.
So where is this Tristan guy?
I want to meet him for myself.
Elijah, what's wrong?
What are they doing here?
What the hell is Marcel doing here?
I should have known. What?
This isn't a party. It's an initiation.
Distinguished friends, welcome.
It's so rare that we're able to come together like this
to revel for one night in the company of true equals.
Now I'd like to take a moment to welcome
a very special guest-- Mr. Marcel Gerard.
Thank you. I'm honored. Thank you.
Of course, before we tell Marcel
all of our secrets, there's one small piece
of business to which we must first attend.
We must determine his worth.
That's funny.
I seem to recall you being the one
knocking on my door.
You'll notice, mr. Gerard,
that over the course of the evening,
someone has managed to take something
quite dear to you-- Your daylight ring.
What the hell is going on?
The test is quite simple.
First, you need to deduce the identity of the thief.
Then you are simply to take back what is yours...
Although I doubt the prize will be easily relinquished.
After all, despite our refinement,
we're still a rather violent bunch.
In victory, you become one of us.
In failure, you meet your death.
You have a few hours until dawn.
I wish you the best of luck.
These vampires are ancient.
How is Marcel supposed to beat one of them?
With guile, courage, perhaps a bit of trickery.
Admittedly, it's a long shot,
but then sometimes the new candidates surprise us.
Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Tristan de Martel,
and you must be the famous Hayley Marshall kenner,
alpha to the crescent wolves.
The pleasure's all mine, I see.
Elijah, when I sent your invitation,
I didn't dare think you'd come.
Tell me, as our founder and patriarch,
what do you make of our latest candidate?
Well, let me see. Marcel...he's arrogant.
He's stubborn, prone to self-aggrandizement.
He should fit in perfectly.
If he survives.
I take it Mr. Gerard is a friend of yours.
We're friends,
and even if we weren't, I don't much like bullies.
A bully?
My dear, you barely know me.
Allow me to remedy that
and, in so doing, I can explain our methods.
Please, just one dance
if it's not an intrusion.
Why, of course.
I'm glad you came, Hayley.
Like it or not, when one refers
to the Mikaelsons,
they're referring to you, as well.
Tonight will allow you to make up your own mind
about our organization.
And you think by killing my friend,
you're gonna make the best impression?
I think tonight you'll bear witness
to the truth.
At the very least, you cannot call us liars.
I could have warned you.
Look. I didn't tell you I was cqming tonight because--
I wouldn't have allowed it.
Yeah. There's that word--"allowed."
You know, I thought I'd earned the right
to be considered an equal,
but that's not the way it works in your family,
so it's time I consider my options.
If nothing else, the Strix aren't
interested in me as a sidekick.
These options, as you describe them,
are a death sentence.
I suppose I shall have to intervene.
It is a shame.
I expect it shall ruin my tuxedo.
I have had this suit for over a hundred years.
It's proven far more reliable
than you, Marcellus.
Relax, all right? I got this under control.
Do you? I hope so.
That is a nice Jacket.
Is this how you people get your kicks,
killing each other for sport?
Take your hand off me,
or I will tear your arm from its socket.
What I built in this city might seem small to you,
but at least my guys have rules.
We don't kill each other, simple code,
begins with loyalty, something you clearly
don't give a damn about.
Uh! Death is inevitable,
even for those such as we.
Acknowledging that makes even the longest of lives
all the more intoxicating.
Mm...
A fine effort, Marcel,
but I don't have your daylight ring.
I do hope you're able to find it, though,
in what little time remains.
There are few novelties left in the world,
especially to us.
A creature such as you is certainly among them.
And what kind of a creature might that be?
A hybrid, of course,
the only one among us whose life doesn't depend
on the survival of the original family.
You, Hayley Marshall kenner, are one of a kind
and a true beauty, at that.
Greetings!
What a beloved occasion.
My, god, it's a room full of Elijahs.
I had that exact same nightmare once.
Go and grab us a drink, luv.
Feel free to fetch one for yourself.
One for me, please, and one for her
and her and her and her.
Tristan? Tristan!
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
Unless, of course, you're afraid.
I know you don't know me, but this evening,
I'm going to be your knight in hot-pink armor.
I don't need a knight.
You see, things have become clearer.
Possible outcomes have been stripped away,
and a more definitive picture
of what is to come has emerged.
I watched them fall.
I watched them burn,
every soul they've ever turned.
Lucien is doomed.
I watched his sire be destroyed,
and I know exactly how it's done.
Ok. I don't know what you think you saw,
but we're in a little bit of a rush here,
so this isn't a request.
We're going now.
And how, exactly,
do you plan to force me to go?
I was thinking of a blinding spell,
the kind that starts as a pin prick
just behind the eyes and then spreads
with such intensity, you'd rather tear them out
than endure another second of pain.
You could try it,
but the aphasia spell I already cast
in anticipation
might make it difficult.
Whatever spell you choose,
I will be one step ahead.
Since the moment you walked in,
I've seen a thousand ends
to this little confrontation,
none of them very favorable for you.
You're a Mikaelson.
The family blood you sought to find
shall be what lays you low in kind.
Poor girl.
You searched a thousand years for family,
and in finding them,
they will be your undoing.
Either you're right or you're wrong,
although you do make one good point.
I am a Mikaelson.
I'm sorry. Please excuse me.
You should, uh, move along.
You're not welcome here.
Oh, oh, ok. We're-- We're not welcome here--
Ha ha ha!--
Or maybe you should move along
before I make you cry in front of all your little friends.
Ha ha!
My concern is for your companions.
They appear out of sorts without a shiny pole to ride upon.
Oh, he's suggesting that you're exotic dancers,
which, to him, is an insult
if not somewhat hypocritical,
but don't take it personally, luv.
He finds all work demeaning.
The only dignified way to accumulate wealth
is by birth.
Boop!
Isn't that right, Tristan, hmm?
Niklaus. What is it?
Oh.
You're hammered,
which should come as very little surprise
to anyone here, but it does
hamper the festivities somewhat, so could I
recommend that you...
Find the nearest exit and--
Just-- yes,
And could you take your playthings with you, too?
You know, I used to find it insulting
that I was barred from your special, little club,
but now I realize I lack the flexibility
to become a member.
I could never get my head far enough
up my own ass.
Ahh...
Cheap.
Come on. Let's go.
This party's dead, anyway.
Ha ha ha!
If you'd please come with us, Mr. Gerard...
Mr. Gerard, it's time.
You're pushing up the clock.
I have another hour.
Is the most common of failings.
Either you have an answer or you don't.
Aya.
Aya took my ring.
I'm impressed.
Intense guy.
I'm sorry, but I don't have your--
Hold up. I said you took it.
I didn't say you still have it.
See, after you lifted it off me...
You gave it to my man mohinder over there.
What are they doing here?
Well done.
Of course, as you know,
that was only half the challenge.
Let's see how he does.
There's no shame in dying
at the hands of one's superior.
There's not much glory in it, either.
You fought with honor.
Embrace the nobility of this end.
I will if you will,
or do you still not know?
You must have tasted it in my blood.
Oh, now you're starting to feel it, aren't you,
that burning sensation in your gut--
Wolf's venom,
a going-away gift from me.
I may not have beaten you, but you lost all the same.
I suggest you make your peace.
We're both dead men walking.
A desperate ploy, a lie!
You know, I used to find it insulting
that I was barred from your special, little club,
but now I realize...
I don't know why they want you dead,
but clearly they do.
Why else tell me all about his little feeding habits
or give me a taste of his technique when you came
into my gym the other day?
All I had to do was be observant,
but I'm done picking up your bread crumbs.
You want him dead, you're gonna have to do it yourself.
As far as I can see, the only thing he's done to deserve it
is picking his friends poorly.
Uh... Uh...
You chose well.
Now, I assure you, he did deserve it.
He's been plotting unspeakable crimes
against his sworn brothers and sisters.
Of course, you couldn't have known.
Beating such a worthy opponent is proof
of your strength and courage,
but your restraint, your refusal to kill
without cause demonstrates a rare integrity.
You see, Marcel Gerard, this was the test.
Welcome to the Strix...
Provided, of course,
you survive your own gambit.
I bet they were all so impressed,
weren't they, hmm, your new mates,
positively taken by your boldness,
your cunning wit, and your steely resolve,
and you just assumed that I would be
willing-- Eager, even--
To drain the blood from my veins in the aftermath.
We cannot tell friend from foe,
and what are you doing?
You're pledging a fraternity
run by those conspiring against us.
My interest in the Strix is because of you.
I don't get to choose sides.
Whoever comes for you comes for me.
That's all I need to know.
She's awake.
Yes. Whoever comes for me
may very well come for you...
But they may also come through you, Marcellus.
Remember that.
I'm sorry.
I hoped I was wrong, Lucien--I really did--
But I saw it.
I saw him die.
Did you see the weapon?
What is it?
To understand, it must be seen.
Something's wrong.
It's poison.
No. No. No. No.
No. No. No.
No!
No.
So...
When do I learn the secret handshake?
Wait. Do you guys know who killed jfk?
Patience. All in time.
What would you have done
if I didn't figure it out?
Compelled someone to clean up your burning husk,
never thought of you again.
Of course it was Lucien.
I have to give him credit.
It's quite the stroke of genius.
The entirety of his claims against me
rest on these visions.
His promise that they'd become more specific
was necessary but impractical.
Details can be verified, cross-examined, debunked.
The longer his allegations remain vague,
the less credible they become,
so removing them entirely
was actually the only move left to make.
Your words are no more compelling than his.
I want proof.
I finally got her to sleep.
I'll have to explain this family to hope someday.
I think about that sometimes.
What do you think?
I wouldn't lie to her.
I'll never lie to her...
But you know what I'll start with?
"Always and forever."
I'm sorry. I--
I should've told you what was happening.
You made him, right, Tristan?
Think it would be more accurate to say
that we made each other, but, yes,
I turned him.
What was your impression
of Tristan de Martel?
I don't know.
He seemed...
Incomplete.
He has a sister-- Aurora.
To be perfectly frank with you,
I'm surprised that he's without her.
His devotion to her is absolutely pathological.
It's dangerous.
Loyalty doesn't make people dangerous, Elijah.