𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 - the time for control

━━━━━━━

𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍 from her snuggled position next to Ophelia, going back to her drawing of Elijah and continued to scribble away with a piece of charcoal. Elijah had taken a seat next to Ophelia, the pair chatting quietly as his finger's fiddled with the violin.

"When did your powers manifest? I hear it can be something you're born with." The original questioned, his voice filled with genuine intrigue. He had never had the opportunity to talk to or meet a siphon and he considered himself a man who enjoyed learning. He wanted to know everything about siphons, about her.

"I was a teenager; it was actually my sixteenth birthday," Ophelia muttered before taking the violin from his large hands. She was certain she could tell the originals small details of herself, her powers.

Her ability to use magic was something she didn't mind talking about, in fact, she took pride in it. It was exhilarating to steal another being's power and use it against them. "I took something from my mother's hand and, well, took more than she bargained."

He chuckled lightly as she spoke, his eyes trained on her small hands as she tweaked the broken violin, "I see. And-"

"-A question for a question." Ophelia turned her head to face him, their eyes bore into one another's before she slyly smiled and drew her eyes back down to the instrument, "I do nothing for free."

"What do you wish to know?"

"How many siblings do you have in total?" She had heard small stories passed around by the witches as she grew up, each spoke of the large family that had started the legacy of the vampires.

Elijah wasn't quite sure what question she would have asked, though he believed it would have been something along the lines of 'What is your family doing here.' or 'What do you want with Davina?', but hearing the siphon ask about his family, each of the members, certainly wasn't anticipated.

He cleared his throat, "From oldest to youngest; there was Finn, myself, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah and then there was Henrik."

Ophelia's thirst for knowledge almost begged her to ask about the 'was' in his sentence, either members of his family were dead or they had left. But, ever true to her word, she nodded in response as she handed him back the violin as her small hands completed the task that his large ones could not.

The suited original ran his tongue over his teeth as he decided on his next question. His dark oak-colored eyes were focused on the instrument as he finished the final readjustments, "What is your view on witches? You mentioned earlier that witches do everything for their own gain, and yet witches are your family. Did you mean the witches of New Orleans?"

"No," Ophelia spoke simply, no emotion in her voice as she turned. Her seemingly dead eyes were haunting to the original; even with her stoic face he could see something in her eyes, but now, they were empty. "I meant all witches."

Her tone was harsh, almost like a hiss from a vengeful viper, and laced with poison all the same. Elijah could see the fire inside of her eyes; coating the wooden color that almost matched his own, if only they were a shade darker. He could see that it was a sore subject and so, for the time being, he simply nodded. It was her turn to ask a question but he could see that she wasn't at all trying to think of one, and so, he fiddled with the violin one last time before holding up.

He examined the sleek and beautiful craftsmanship and lightly smiled at a job well done, "You may return this now to its rightful owner. It's restored."

Davina turns around, her eyes blinking as she finally removed them from the canvas. Upon seeing the delicate instrument in the originals hand, she smiles sadly, her eyes welling once again "I don't even know if I'll see him again."

Ophelia's head snapped up, her attention directly on Davina as the room began to violently shake. The siphon jumped to her feet and brought the young girl close, her arms wrapping around her. The moment Ophelia's hand made contact with Davina's arm it glowed a magnificent crimson and slowly, as the copious amounts of magic flowed from the witch to the siphon, they sunk to the floor. Davina had her eyes shut in slight pain; Ophelia couldn't quite control the part of the siphoning that inflicted pain.

A siphon could steal magic without inflicting even a lick of pain, or they could make it feel as though they were pulling veins from a body. Ophelia never had trouble inflicting the pain, and making it hurt as much as she could, but keeping it light and soft... she struggled.

The rumbling slowly stilled and Elijah looked down at the pair in awe. He had no idea that the young witch could shake an entire church without even trying to; as for Ophelia, well taking in that much magic had clearly done a number on her. Her tanned skin had gone pale and her forehead was coated with sweat as she panted.

Taking magic from Davina was always a difficult thing to do, after all, she had far too much magic swirling inside of her, and Ophelia had only really begun to use her abilities when she emerged from the prison world. She was still getting used to her own power herself, she hadn't quite built up a tolerance.

Davina managed to pull herself to her feet, her eyes dull as she stared down at the siphon. Guilt built up inside of her at the sight of the woman, but before she could say anything, Elijah stepped forward. He crouched down and his annoyingly handsome features showed genuine concern.

Ophelia slowly opened her eyes as her breathing returned to its regular pattern, her eyes locked on to the hand that was stretched out, offering her help and without much thought, Ophelia rose her hand, the pastel paint on her nails was chipped and it bothered her more than it should have in that situation, but nevertheless, her small and scarred hand latched onto Elijah's and the man carefully hauled her to her feet with ease and grace.

Ophelia however, was the opposite of grace as her head spun with dizziness; her body still trying to devour the magic she had taken in. Her hands latched onto the originals suit covered wrists as she waited for the spell to pass and Elijah didn't move a single beat. He stayed still and silent as he waited for the woman to make her move.

The moment her head was clear, the brunette sighed and retracted her hands. His eyes followed her as she stood straight and cleared her throat, a small nod of thanks directed towards the original. Elijah's lips twitched upwards at the minuscule smile that graced the siphon's face as she nodded at him.

Elijah scanned her for just a moment longer and subconsciously fixed his slightly rumpled sleeves. When the young woman started to regain her color, just moments after, he allowed his gaze to move to Davina as he slowly began to enact his plan, "Davina, this power that you contain, drawn from your fallen friends- it's too much for you. You need control, which requires study and practice. I don't believe it wise to rely on Ophelia, I doubt even a siphon is built to maintain and absorb such energy."

Elijah took a step backward, even just the simplistic of actions radiated power and made him seem so... elegant in a way, "Now, my mother was a very powerful witch. She left behind her grimoires; a legacy of books filled with spells. These books contain all of the tools that you might need to control your magic. If you free me from here, I can share them with you. However, if you leave now with Marcel, we'll never see each other again, and I cannot find you, and I can't help you."

Ophelia listened to his words as she settled herself back down on the plush and comfortable bed. His eyes were calculating and each of his sentences sounded rehearsed. It filled her with mild suspicion, the way that he was so eager to give over such old and presumably powerful grimoires that once belonged to their mother. He definitely had an ulterior motive and as long as it didn't hurt Davina, well, she supposed it would be fine.

"The witches manipulated me. You know how that ended." Davina spoke, as if she had read the siphon's mind.

"This is not manipulation. This is one thing in exchange for another. I'm offering you a deal."

"Lia?" The young witch questioned as she moved her sea-green eyes towards the older brunette. Her color had fully returned and if anything, she looked energized; clearly her body accepted the magic. "What should I do?"

The siphon paused for a moment, mildly surprised that Davina would ask for advice on making a deal with the suited original. Ophelia leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin resting on her intertwined hands, "Davina, this is your life, your body, and your power. I'll never make that kind of decision for you, that's something you need to do; the witches forced you into doing their bidding, now it's time for you to take control."

Elijah listened to the woman, her words sounded almost as intelligent and as wise as he forced his own to be. She spoke as if she knew what being in a position that held no control felt like, he was certain she was speaking from experience. The way she had worded her sentence was almost entrancing, for a woman with an attitude such as hers, he hadn't expected the intensity of making sure that Davina's choice was her own. It was something he commended; especially after years of having his own choices controlled by his little brother.

Davina beamed. Her teeth on full show as her lips stretched out. She just couldn't understand how the siphon acted around her, she had seen her around Marcel and it was like seeing two different people. Around Davina, it was 'older sister mode' and around Marcel, it was 'confident, bitchy, I-hate-everyone mode'. It made the harvest girl feel special... loved even. Why couldn't her parents have shown her such kindness? Before her glossed lips could open to give Elijah an answer, each head snapped towards the door as the sound of footsteps approached.

Within the blink of an eye, Elijah disappeared and hid himself back inside the coffin. The gust of air that he left behind him blew Ophelia's slightly messy hair into her eyes and she huffed as she flicked it out of her face with an overly dramatic gesture.

The door flew open and as usual, Marcel strutted his way in, his body almost swaying with each step. He flashed a grin at Ophelia before giving a warmer look to the young witch, "Okay, now's our shot. You ready to blow this joint?"

"Can't wait." She smiled in response.

Marcel scooped up Davina's suitcase, a quick glance flying towards Ophelia as if asking if she was going to join them. Ophelia shook her head as she stood with a huff, "I've left a lot of my own stuff here, gonna grab everything before spiders decide to lay eggs inside my clothes and I'm forced to burn down a church..."

"Father K wouldn't be happy about that... anyway, we'll leave Elijah behind as a parting gift. Might buy me a little forgiveness for pulling one over on his siblings. Let's go." Marcel spoke to the Harvest girl.

Davina flashed a final smile towards Ophelia before allowing herself to be led out of the room, the young witch spared a glance over her shoulder, directed towards the coffin before disappearing through the door.

Ophelia blinked as the lid to the coffin flew open, revealing Elijah. Her lips and brows quirked at the sight, "That's mildly creepy." she spoke as she padded her way over, bare feet barely making noise on the wooden floor. Elijah smiled in amusement as the young woman approached the coffin, a small hand reaching out to grasp the lid.

She looked down at him, "Hypothetically, would you be mad if I closed this?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't." He chuckled.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she dragged a finger over the lid of the regal coffin, "Fine." before she could move, the church shook once again and the corner of Ophelia's lip tugged upwards.

The siphon grinned down at Elijah, "Seems Davina is quite the little actress... can't let her show me up," her grin turned teasing, not even a hint of apology on her face as she winked and grasped the coffin lid, slowly closing it, "Sorry."

Ophelia settled her face, and perfectly acted out her part of the worried little siphon, "Marcel?" she called out and within seconds Marcel zipped into the room with an 'unconscious' Davina in his arms. The vampire carefully lowered the young girl onto the bed, covering her frame in a blanket as he sighed. "What happened?"

"She just-she said there was something dangerous."

"Well, she wasn't wrong. The city is filled with vampires, witches out to get her... and now, courtesy of your dear friend, originals are popping up."

"I get it, Lia." Marcel sighed as he dragged a hand down his seemingly tired face, "Can you stay with her?"

"Of course. But I'm still packing up my things; I wasn't lying when I said I'd burn the church if there were spiders, I don't care if it sends me to hell."

"You've already got a one-way ticket."

"Thank you, Marcel." the siphon grinned sarcastically, her face dropping almost instantaneously as she shooed the vampire, "Now get out."

"I'm going." He surrendered as he chuckled. The dark-skinned vampire spared a final glance at the young witch, worry etching at his face before he closed the door behind him and made his exit.

Ophelia followed after him, though she came to a stop once she reached the coffin. She turned with a small and amused smile as Davina called out for the original. "Nice acting, D." Ophelia pulled the lid of the coffin open, greeted with Elijah's slightly amused face. "Comfy?"

She was growing rather bold with her teasing but seeing the usually calm and collected original shake his head and smile at her comments made her day, it was amusing to the siphon that she could break a small portion of the façade that he had so carefully built.

Elijah stared at the woman; lips parted just slightly as the corner of his lip tugged upwards. His hand curled around the edge of the coffin as he used it to pushed himself up. Ophelia stepped back just once as he stepped out of the coffin, their faces rather close as Elijah spoke, "Not particularly."

An amused breath left her nose as her lips stretched just slightly. The siphon shrugged as she moved away and back towards the bed where Davina had been watching them as she giggled to herself. The little witch found the interaction between the two hilarious; a twenty-two-year-old siphon teasing a one-thousand-year-old vampire and getting away with it, it sounded absurd.

Elijah shook his head lightly as he watched the siphon walk away, she certainly had a personality. His attention moved towards Davina; "I'm pleased you stayed."

Davina offered him a small smile, "You'll keep your promise about your mother's spellbook?"

"I will. You know, difficulties aside, I value my family above everything." honesty was clear in his tone, it always was, but right then, as he spoke about his family it shined through. His eyes were full of a certain fondness as he spoke of his family and Ophelia could only imagine just how close they were. Kai was her other half and they had been together for twenty-two years... Elijah and his family had been by one another's side for over a thousand, well, excluding their daggered time-outs. "I am sorry that yours failed you."

"Your brother Klaus handed you to Marcel in a box, yet you still don't give up on him?"

Elijah shrugged lightly, a small smile appeared on his lips, "Well, I've given up on giving up. It's an affliction. I will fight for my family until my last breath."

Ophelia studied his face as he spoke, she never quite thought she would relate to one of the originals; she too would have fought for Kai through thick and thin, even if he could be the biggest brat, even if he did lose his temper... it was then that Ophelia realized that herself and kai's relationship was very much akin to Elijah's and Klaus'.

"And I'll fight the witches until mine," Davina spoke, determination apparent in her words as bravery burned in her eyes.

Ophelia lifted a hand and rested it atop Davina's, "As will I." she and the witch shared a small smile, they understood one another. The witches had robbed Davina of her childhood, of her hope, and Ophelia had been robbed of happiness, love, and family. They would fight. The siphon slowly rose to her feet and made her way towards the attic door before looking over her shoulder to Elijah, "I'll walk you out."

"Lia? Can you- can you stay here tonight?" Davina spoke, hesitance and sheepishness in her voice.

"Of course, I won't be long."

Elijah followed after the shoe-less siphon, the pair wordlessly padded their way down the stairs and made their way into the nave of the church, "Your deal with Davina, awfully generous..." Ophelia began, "What are you getting her to do for you?"

Elijah paused in his steps, the clicking of his ever-formal shoes stilling. Unbeknownst to him, his lips tugged upwards; the woman before him was an enigma, a siphon, such a rare creature, she was impossibly brave and borderline reckless, impeccably blunt and sarcastic and yet she showed such devout care for Davina and her intelligence shone through.

"I won't harm Davina; I can assure you of that," Elijah spoke as the woman turned to face him.

"Honestly? I don't care what you and your band of old people do," Ophelia spoke, her lips quirking as Elijah let out a small chuckle, "As long as Davina isn't harmed, I really don't care. Take over the city, run Marcel out, kill the witches. Whatever. But Davina deserves a life."

"And what about you? You are a trusted ally of Marcel, are you not? Yet you don't care if we take the city?"

"I've already told your brother that I pick the winning side. If Marcel no longer holds the power to keep the witches down and Davina safe, then I'll find someone who can."

"You've met Niklaus?"

"I have. I've met Rebekah and I've also met Hayley. Rebekah called for my help to rescue Hayley, so I helped. I've told your family I'll do whatever I can to help, especially with Hayley." Upon seeing Elijah quirk a brow she continued, "That baby will have a target on its back. The child of Klaus Mikaelson? It'll inherit his enemies; it'll be used as a pawn against him..."

She let out a deep sigh, "That isn't fair. It'll be in danger just because of who its father is, something it can't control. I know how it feels to be hated for something you can't control. So, when I say that I'll do whatever I can to help protect that baby, I mean it."

Elijah found himself blinking in surprise. He hadn't expected that Rebekah or even Niklaus would have let her in on their little family secret, but clearly her intelligent words and reason had won over his siblings too. The fierceness that coated her tone as she spoke of the child... he couldn't help but admire it and her, she was willing to protect and offer her abilities to keep a baby safe.

Not only that, but she had also allowed him to have a small peek into her own childhood. He knew that siphons were seen as abominations to witches, every time a witch had ever spoken of them their words were laced in a harsh poison as if wishing their words alone would abolish them. She was very much a private person, that much he could see. She used sarcasm and blunt words as a façade so that nobody would look further. She played the part well, but the way she acted around Davina and the way she spoke of protecting the unborn child; those were the cracks in her façade.

"Thank you." He uttered, much to her confusion, "For protecting Hayley in my absence. I promised that I would keep her safe, and it seems you've done my job better than me."

"Well, I'm not one to brag." Ophelia shrugged with a smirk, "But like I said, I'll help with whatever I can."

The pair continued walking towards the large doors of the church. The cold air that flowed through from the night made her shiver, goosebumps erupting on the bare skin of her arms and calves. Elijah took a step outside; a deep breath being inhaled. He had spent a fair amount of time stuck inside a coffin, so she couldn't exactly blame him.

The suited original turned his head away from the star-filled sky, his impossibly dark eyes met with hers and a charming smile appeared on his face as he held out a hand, silently, Ophelia eyed him before placing her own in his. Elijah, ever the gentleman, brought her petit hand to his lips and pressed a short kiss to her vanilla-scented skin, "Good night, Ophelia."

The siphon rolled her eyes, a small scoff of amusement flowing from her lips, "Yeah, goodnight Romeo."

"I suppose that's better than Hamlet."

"Well, he did turn into a dick."

Elijah openly chuckled at her blunt words and nodded his head, "Yes, he did."

She sighed as her body finally caved from the hectic day. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes blinked a few times to try and brush the fatigue away, "Give Hayley my best."

"I will. Goodnight."

And with that, he sped away in a blur that her tired eyes could barely capture. Silently her hand clasped the door of the church and pushed it shut. With a deep sigh, she padded along the cold flooring of the church and made her way to the attic, very much ready to shed the ruined dress, change into some sweats, and sleep until Davina decided to pester her once again.

━━━━━━━

29-08-2020