Nikolai Vankov

“You know only what you think.” Kas was not trying to play smart but he was beyond any explanation that Niko would believe. “You think that I? I am a traitor to you?” Kas would fully commit to it, he’d be what Niko saw him to be, knowing it would only benefit the truth. “The choice I made was to lead Niklaus to you.” Even were it indirectly, what was any different to this than Kas had already done? If Niko could not believe him to be a friend, but a traitor then why could he not this? Why would this be so difficult to believe than anything else he had said before now? “I had come to warn you..” Kas had been foolish to do so knowing had he not, had he turned in another direction, Niko may have had a chance even were it slim. “I would have told you to run but he had me killed. By then It was too late. I could do nothing.”

“Prekrati! Molja!” He exclaimed as Niko grabbed hold onto his collar. Being claimed as a traitor was something Kas would not hear. He did not want to continue this fight. “Stop this! Stop this madness!” Kas said as he attempted to deescalate what may only become more volatile if they were to continue. “Why must it always come to this? When you know of the truth. You know that I am, have always been your friend.  What more must I say?” It almost seemed impossible to convince, but, anyone with willingness for mercy had some reasoning, Kas could only continue to try reach that. “Am I wrong to have only wanted to protect you? To protect Katerina? To protect your daughter? It was your family and Katerina’s who cast her out not I! I have not been your enemy only your ally. As much as you can not see, I lived knowing the day you discovered the truth, it would lead only to more suffering. I only ever wanted the good that you could not see, the good that you could have had…” For an ending that was not the one that they had faced. An ending which was not held without regret. “And in that I failed you because maybe it is the truth.” Kas must give into the fear of knowing his own actions may have lead Niko to his death. That he, stood here now, looking at his friend, knowing he was more terrible that he could have ever thought someone. “Maybe despite what I believe, I instead walked you into the path of slaughter. That on warning you, I only brought death to your doorstep. That I was the one to lead to your destruction and what was not good for you, was only I.” 

“I made peace with who I am. Undoubtedly.” Kas knew himself to be flawed, just as anyone, yet, had no desire to pick apart and find the devil in the details. Not in himself. He had done wrongs for the right reasons. For the better good. The only one other proven to find doubt in that or anything in Kas’s own certainty was Niko. The undertone in the remark from Niko was enough for that calmness to be easily spooked. Only when this was unearthed did it make sense that he, someone so understanding of the mind, did so, not knowing his own. It was only from Niko, could he see that made him react in a way to no one else. “Tell me. What ridiculous illusion did you craft to come to that conclusion? Do you still play with those cards like a child?” 

Kas took a stumble at the force of the punch when he turned to greet his friend. “That I deserve, no less.” Kas nodded in agreement knowing it was not unwarranted. “It is good to see you, Nikolai.” A step back was taken with the brash comment knowing it may not be so well received. The cold shoulder was expected but not knowing where they stood made the situation a little unpredictable and Kas did not want to spark more into Niko than he already had just by standing here.

“A human was, but he ended up making himself into a vampire when he was healed with blood. He was a friend of my nieces, so they’re all dealing with it. But besides that, I think everyone survived,” Bonnie answered honestly. “Though mentally, I was a bit drained after having a lovely little therapy session with a werewolf and a doppelganger.”

“Not always. You can also make things. Something handmade can mean a lot to someone else,” she pointed out. “It’s not all about gifts. It’s about family and friends and love too. It just tends to get lost in the shuffle of everything else.” Bonnie could understand how someone new to it all just saw it being about money. “Oh yeah, you didn’t hear? At that Halloween party, a bunch of people got magically stuck in a maze. People saw things, were forced to say things, and there was even someone turned into a vampire.”

“Well, a hybrid with a daughter. Apparently the whole werewolf thing made it possible for him to have a daughter. A tribrid with vampire, werewolf, and witch blood. It’s all a magical loophole thing,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Well, from what I heard, there were a bunch of people who tried to kill Hope and her mom before she was even born, then they had to pretend like she was dead for a while to protect her from her psycho grandmother. Then apparently a psycho great aunt wanted to kidnap her, her parents fought a lot of bad guys, and then there was this old Hollow thing that created werewolves and possessed their daughter and all the Originals took part of it in themselves to protect her, but then Klaus couldn’t be around her for years because of it. But they eventually figured out all that, though she lost her mother, her father, and Elijah Mikaelson in the process. And now that the dead are rising, she finally gets her parents back. Talked about some fucked up family dynamics.”

“Neither have I. This is cool” He wasn’t sure he would like to go to a party like this again, it was too big and many people. Perhaps a good way to meet new people “Niko, got it. I’m Ethan. Have you always loved tarot cards?” He asked, looked away when Niko asked him about his head, he hadn’t thought much of it “It’s alright” He looked over at him “But there’s still things I don’t understand. Maybe it’s for the best”

“ seriously? “ just by the tone of her voice, one could tell davina was genuinely shocked. she was truly hoping niko was simply joking around, so that is why she picked up her previous joking tone and continued. “ captain obvious is someone who states the obvious, so unless he has been living under a rock for the past thousand of year then yes. he should. “  

“Not a threat, more of a promise of misery and grief that will last centuries.” Her experience wasn’t a rare occurrence, as she had watched from the other side as her family systematically ruined the lives of countless others, her own son earning the title of the great evil. How dramatic. Grabbing one of the treats and lifting it from the table, she nods once to his question. “No offense taken, and I’m quite familiar.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised. Elena’s life has had a lot of tragedy, even before she found out she was a doppelganger,” she admitted, shaking her head. Her friend shared a lot of the same grief she had at times. “Yes, of course. I mean, apparently he founded New Orleans way back in the day with his siblings, but more than that, his daughter is here. She goes to the Salvatore School my friend Caroline created. He changed a lot after she was born. He’s not a total dick any more. Just a partial one,” she explained with a roll of her eyes.

“The one and only.” Klaus said, hearing the man as he had walked by. “Welcome to the party.”