Negotiation

"What brings you here?" Marcel asked narrowing his eyes at Hope suspiciously.

"I came here to make a deal. I know you're on edge with the original family coming back and all, but you and I both know there's not much you can do if my dad decides he wants the city back."

Of course, Hope knew her dad wanted the city back, she was the one who told him to come, and she was the one who shifted his priorities. All of this was just to get Marcel and Klaus to peacefully resolve the situation and rule side by side like the family they were instead of fighting for years as they do in the future.

"What reason do you have for telling me all of this?" He tensed, increasing his vigilance, it didn't seem like he trusted her or his family in the slightest. Hope wondered what happened to him in the past to cause Marcel's large friction between the Mikaelsons, she only knew of what happened during the battles for the city, not before Mikael destroyed it. 

She sighed before opening her mouth "To be completely honest with you, I do want my dad to rule the city." Marcel stiffened in response. She wondered how her family was able to grow wearier and wearier of people beyond maximum weariness. 'I guess it's a talent that grew from our paranoia' She thought before continuing. 

"However, I don't think it's fair to just take it from you since we were the ones who left it, circumstances be damned." She took a sip of the wine in the glass that lay on the table.

"And what do you propose? If you know Klaus, you would know there's not much I can do if he wants the city back." Marcel sighed as he relaxed a bit, that's a good sign.

"That's where I come in, I get you and my dad together to discuss the terms of negotiation and maybe we can figure something out."

"Can I trust you?" Marcel leaned forward.

"I promise you, no harm will come to you." Hope extended her hand to Marcel who took it, and firmly shook it. 

"Alright, let's go." They got up from their chairs and promptly left the restaurant on route to the Mikaelsons Home.

As they were walking, Marcel decided to speak up and break the silence noticing that it was getting rather painful for both of them.

"So what brings your family to New Orleans after all this time?" 

"Well Mikael was killed and my dad and his siblings were finally able to relax without gazing behind them 24/7. And as usual, my dad was absorbed in his goal of causing others to suffer so that they fear him with nothing else to do. So I decided to bring him here and give him something to do in the hopes that he wouldn't make even more enemies than he already has. Also, from what I understand you're part of this family too Marcel, that's why I'm doing this for you."

"I wasn't expecting you to be so considerate, no offense" He smiled at her playfully sending a quip.

"Yeah well, my mother was one of a kind, she brought out the best in us," Hope said looking ahead with a sorrow-filled gaze.

"I'm sorry." Replied Marcel, gazing at her.

"Don't be." She softly spoke as they continued to walk in silence before finally reaching the house.

"We're here."

*SCENE BREAK*

"So! Marcel, Hope tells me you wish to create an understanding between us regarding the leadership of this city, now, being the man I am, I'm usually one to take what I want however... She suggested I hear you out so here I am." Ended Klaus waving his arms outwards in an attempt to signal Macrel to speak.

"My conditions are simple, I will give you the city as long as I can rule beside you and I still get to control some aspects within it."

"My, my, those are quite heavy terms, and yet... You seem to think we are equals and I assure you we are not. The one giving the conditions should be me as you have nothing to offer me." Klaus shrugged in indifference, as he looked at Hope and Elijah on his side before returning his gaze to Marcel, to which Marcel responded with a glare as he opened his mouth to speak before being interrupted by Hope.

"Actually Marcel has several things to offer, all of which are related to the stability of the city." She answered for him taking a step closer to her father.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Hope, brother, for we are not yet aware of everything Marcellus has done to create his empire here. And simply taking it could damage the very foundation it lay upon proving to be rather... counterproductive." Elijah added in, just in case Klaus wasn't getting the point yet.

"Well then don't stand on ceremony luv, do tell about these things he can offer.."

"Well firstly, the control over the witches, we don't know what spell they used to detect magic around the quarter, so if we take it from Marcel that's one vital aspect we'd have to look after."

"Well we have you for that don't we?"

"Yes I can do the same thing pretty easily but I don't have the spell they used to do it. If a witch does magic without a spell it's like painting without a canvas, pretty difficult." Truth be told if this was in the future and Hope wasn't hated by the ancestors she probably could detect when magic is used because she'd be a linked New Orleans witch. However, in the past, she technically wasn't born in new orleans, nor is she linked to the coven so she doesn't have access to a lot of that magic to link to the other quarter witches.

All of this considered she just tried to simplify it and explain it to her father in a way he should understand.

"Ahh, I see, that does indeed sound rather tedious." He nodded in understanding, while Elijah himself simply stood there awaiting the time he would need to mediate an argument, Hope didn't see that happening today though.

"Secondly the rule of the vampires, now I know you would probably just threaten them into working for you or being under your rule, but they wouldn't stop plotting behind your back, finding new ways to kill you, or simply just revolting. This would cause us to have to kill them all and completely defeat the purpose of everything just like with the hybrids."

This time Klaus did not respond with his usual arrogant tone, he sat there in deep thought. Truth be told, he had learned from that experience and now knew that forcing people to do things rather than asking can lead to the opposite effect.

"Then finally, general knowledge, Marcel knows what agreements and conditions the city has that allow for a peaceful environment, for all we know taking over the city could lead to a revolt from literally everyone by violating the understanding they came to. Before deciding to take it, think about all three of these things."

"Truly outstandingly spoken Hope, I also find Marcel's conditions rather reasonable as I myself was taking what Hope had mentioned into consideration. Now what will you do brother?"

This time, Klaus did not counter anyone's statement, he simply gazed at marcel and spoke 2 words. 

"I accept."