𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖

She was either wildly naive or dangerously intelligent. But a woman that was both was somehow more dangerous than anything carrying the naivety yet knew her worth.

Rosalice opened her front door covered head to toe in paint. Her hair twisted in a bun being held up by none other than a paintbrush. On this particular morning right before the twins would wake up her and Elijah would paint together as a version of a date. What Rosalice had come to find out was that even though Elijah was clean and kept everything dry cleaned, paint was something he couldn't keep away from his white button up that he had come to not care about any longer the more he painted.

Raising an eyebrow at the mailman, she grabs a hold of the mail, staring at the single bloomed dahlia. Raising an eyebrow, "Dahlia's are in bloom this year."

They weren't Rosalice's favorite flowers, hers were surprisingly marigolds. Skimming through Elijah's mind, the Cullen woman goes to close the door but a hand grabs her wrists harshly, yanking her forward, "I intend to take what's mine."

Rosalice rolls her eyes, slamming her head against the mailman watching as he stumbled back. "Kindly fuck off Dahlia." Closing the door fully shut she drops her mail and goes through them settling herself back on the floor.

"Dahlia?" Elijah questions, glancing at his mate yet staring at his painting. Cursing himself that in a thousand years of him living that he had gotten well at painting. There was nothing he wasn't terrible at... there were a few but Rosalice would never find out.

"We should go ice skating next time." Elijah immediately frowns at the suggestion. "And your aunt paid a visit."

"What?!" Elijah shrieked quietly, eyes widened, standing up, ready to bolt towards the door. "Is she-"

"Mind controlling someone," Rosalice rips open a piece of mail that came from her twin sister, pulling out several photos the top of it revealing Reneesme holding up a quilt made out of their old camp shirts. On the back of it in Renee's handwriting it explained that she had one too. "I handled it."

"By doing what?"

"Headbutting them." She hands the photos to Elijah, "Calm down, we'll go to the compound and inform your brother about this incident."

[Time Skip]

Slumped in a chair, Rosalice listened intently to the conversation around her, practicing using her gifts watching as her hand disappeared and reappeared. Freya watched in her filled with such fascination. "Isn't that the point of a fortress?" Klaus paces the room, yelling at Hayley. "It does a better job of protecting you when you stay within its walls?"

Hayley hisses out, "Okay! We get it." She glares at Klaus for a moment before turning to the table at hand. "Now, let's just figure out what the hell we're gonna do."

Klaus shouts, "What I would like to do is take a strong leash–"

"Children, please," Elijah cuts off his brother. "Niklaus, your ire is justified. However, Hayley is quite right." Hayley shrugs, giving Klaus a smug look. "We need to find a new strategy. Freya, if you please?"

Freya continues to watch as Rosalice flickers in and out through visibility. "The spell you described Dahlia calls it kenning—using proxies to watch her enemies from afar." Glancing at her brothers, she states, "But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale."

Hayley sighs out in pure frustration, "Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy."

Rosalice adds, "And mailmans." All eyes settled on her, causing her to roll her eyes and turn fully invisible. 

Freya speaks up, "The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works." Gesturing towards the tray of tea, six tea cups filled with brown liquid. "This tonic will at least prevent  her from using any of us."

Rebekah and Freya both reach for a cup, sipping on it. When the original turned witch notices no one moving, she sighs out, "Well, come on! This should work like a charm."

Elijah sits down grasping a hold of two teacups, placing one in front of Rosalice. Hayley reaches over grabbing one as well. However Klaus remains unchanged, standing there watching as everyone succumbs to Freya's magic. "Bottoms up." Four of them drank the tea.

The second eldest one there grabs the untouched cup and offers it to his younger brother who only stares at it. Sighing in annoyance, "Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute."

Shrugging his shoulders, "I prefer biscuits with my tea."

That's the most British thing you've said. Rosalice spoke inside his mind.

Rolling his eyes, Elijah sets down the cup, muttering under his breath, "Of course." Turning to his mate, he then asks her, "Wish to contribute something too?"

Rosalice reappears, crossing her legs. "I don't like tea." She says with a soft smile. The Mikealson man places his hand on her thigh, squeezing it, giving her a stern look that tells her to drink it. But she refused, she didn't trust the woman that came all of a sudden. Rosalice would have rather been rocking in the same boat as Klaus during a harsh storm than trust Freya who she barely knew.

She had incidents like this that never ended well. Where she would obtain a new scar and another scarred story to tell. It even went as far as to her locking her room and becoming invisible when new vampires came over.

"Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by keening spells." Elijah rolls his eyes once again hearing his brother speak, sipping his tonic. "No, what we experienced was a test–Dahlia's watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later."

Hayley had come to speak up, "Well, if she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army."

Rosalice thought it over entirely, given everyone's thoughts about Dahlia, Dahlia was a powerful witch who takes what she wants and kills whoever stands in her way. To the Cullen woman it seemed like old news with new people in different species. She'd seen it in vampires and it never ended well for them. For a witch that can mind control the entire street in one go that scared her to some degree. Considering she was able to strip the Mikealson's of their weapon meant, designed to kill her. Dahlia knew everything about everyone and what they were planning to do to her. "She also knows where we are. And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her." Elijah said. "What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft." He thinks out loud.

Freya agrees, "That's a fine strategy." Rosalice blue eyes sliced into the witch. "I offer another–we can use Jackson to trace her magic back to its source. Find out exactly where she is."

Everyone's eyes land on Hayley who sighs out, "Fine. Do it."

Niklaus smiles, pleased, "Good. Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks." He urges everyone. "Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So, I'm going to find a way to murder that godforsaken witch." His smile turns wicked, evil. His own nature that he had come to master over the years.

[Time Skip]

Rosalice leans on the doorway, picking at her nails continuing to listen rather than watch. Her mind thinking of her older twin sister, she would need to leave soon but in the midst of this storm? Shaking her head, she was going, she made a promise to her sister.

Jackson laid on the table, Freya drawing an infinity symbol on his bare chest using a sage smudge-stick. Hayley watched worriedly as Rebekah relaxed herself in order to do the spell.

Freya explains, "By doing this, we should be able to trace Dahlia's signature all the way back to the source of her power. But, I'll need to dig deep." Looking up at Rebekah she raises her hands, "Rebekah, if I may channel you?" Rebekah nods in agreement, grasping her sister's hands.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Hayley looks down at her husband, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Jackson laughs nervously, "Piece of cake." He tried waving off. It didn't take an empath to feel his nerves. Nor did it take a mind reader.

Sighing she takes a couple of steps back allowing the girls to do their thing. Chants filling the room, "Inveniere potencia reparon malifica. Inveniere potencia reparon malificia."

As the two witches chant, Jackson's back arches groaning loudly, clearly in agony. Yet after a moment Rebekah drops Freya's hands, staring at her fearfully, looking betrayed.

"Rebekah, we need to continue," Freya says, gently.

"I..." Rebekah can't even let out words farther than that, gathering herself.

Hayley takes a step forward, placing a hand on Rebekah's shoulder, "What is it?"

Rebekah finally let the words out, "You. You're the reason Dahlia is able to cast such powerful spells." Freya's eyes widened, looking alarmed. Shaking her head in disagreement. "She's channeling you!"

"All this time, you've been helping her." Hayley growls out.

Freya takes a couple of steps to the right then to the left, beginning to pace. "I had no idea." She swears. "She must have found me." Turning to her sister, she takes a couple of steps towards her, "She wants to use you against me."

Hayley lunges, shoving the witch backwards. "Get away from my husband."

Rebekah hops in between the hybrid and witch. "Stop!" She orders Hayley before turning to Freya, the only one who knew the fundamentals of Dahlia's magic to some degree. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Rebekah says, "Freya, I want to trust you, I do." Rosalice slips through the doorway, leaning against the wall in the opposite room, still listening, "But, you said it yourself–you're bonded to Dahlia. I'm sorry, but it's better that you go. Please."

Freya frowns but nods, turning around she heads out of the room, rushing out of the compound. Stopping she sighs, looking over her shoulder, "I know you don't trust me,"

Rosalice shrugs, joining her side, "I don't." She said in a matter-of-factly tone. "But my grandpa would, and he trusts anyone," Rosalice shoves her hands into the hoodie of her pocket, she informs Freya, "There's a fancy small mansion in the middle of the bayou, far away from humans, werewolves, any species really. Stay however long you need to, until we manage to defeat your lunatic aunt."

Freya frowns, "You would tell me where your home is but won't trust me."

Rosalice hums out, "Like I said, My grandpa would trust you." Turning around she heads back to the room leaving Freya to listen to her words and take them in.