JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR HEART | TO [2]

XLVI • 'TIL THE DAY I DIE

forty-six | jusqu'au jour de ma mort

Rousseau's Restaurant

Declan Corcoran, after getting informed of the unpleasant news that his own cousin, Peter, and good companion, Josh, have recently passed away, pours three shots of tequila at the bar, in which Sebastian and Marcel are seated side by side with each other to toast about their fallen companions. Peter Westphall passed once he refused to feed and drink human blood when he was in transition to become an undead being while Joshua Rosza was stabbed with the lethal venom, as a mixture of both Marcel's and Victoria's, in a sharp syringe during the battle with those nightwalkers. Both young men were collateral damages in the battle with their fallen enemies.

Although for the sake of ordinary people, like Declan at this moment on, it was claimed that Peter was struck with heart failure at the cemetery and Josh was stabbed as he was mugged by a few crooks and thieves in an alley. Although at times they do wonder; are these ordinary people that gullible? Certainly, they would want to dig more until they find the logic in these patterns. Hayley Kenner also passed away recently because her 'brakes failed' and now both Peter and Joshua passed as well in a time difference of hours. Therefore, they must have known how to add these up that this isn't just simply a coincidence. This is more of a pattern. Although what is it?

"Really makes you wish that you'd rather stay in Dublin, huh?" Sebastian casually mentioned as he picks up his own shot glass of the strong tequila.

For the chef's mother's birthday then back in his hometown in Ireland. He was there at the vibrant family celebration with mostly his family, and even friends. Even his own aunt came from Crystal Palace, UK, with her daughter and her very own son in-law, being both Marisa and Kol Mikaelson together, along with the late O'Connell twins' parents came by from New York City. Declan himself, however, came along with Peter, who was entirely alright and in good health when he was there with him. He didn't eat anything raw or unhealthy, he was usually in moderation once it comes to his own diet. Therefore, how could he be struck with heart failure all of a sudden? Odd.

A genuinely tired sigh leaves the young chef, "Yeah. Peter was the golden boy of the family. I always used to be jealous. And Josh'd kill me if he saw me pouring the good stuff like water. You had to earn a shot of this."

Marcel raises his own shot glass, "To Peter. He was a good man." They clink their shot glasses together and drink before he pours them all another one, "And to Josh. He fought the good fight." They clink their glasses and drink.

"Well, I wouldn't call getting stabbed in a mugging fighting the good fight."

A sigh leaves Marcel, "Yeah, well, you know, it all happened too fast." He was a true friend. Loyal. Protective. Caring. And now he's gone, only a memory. Fifteen years never felt so quick. From the first day they encountered each other, he had no idea that the guy would hold a significant part in his life.

"Hard to believe." Declan sets an old leather-bound journal down on the bar, "Given Josh being immortal and all and the fact that my cousin Peter was a witch. You know, I used to think I was going crazy just like my cousin and uncle did. But then I read my Uncle Kieran's journals. Turns out, it's less about them going off their nut. More about you two being vampires. Just like Josh." He watches tensely as the two vampires look away from him.

Vampires. Witches. It all makes sense now. It turns out, they aren't just stories for the tourists and the locals. They're true. Both Marcel and Sebastian are vampires, along with Josh, and his own cousins were witches. More specifically, the Westphalls. Therefore, does that make him a witch too? From what he's read so far, his own late cousin, Sean O'Connell, was hexed by a witch and his own late Uncle Kieran also shared the exact fate. Although then what actually happened to Camille? Kaleb? Peter, recently? Josh, however, clearly didn't only get stabbed during a mugging incident.