week three - friday afternoon

[sating]

[ Hannibal has had a busy day, to say the least.

Part of it, he expected, since after what he'd seen last night, he was rather curious to see just how Annabeth had turned out. And of course, the fact that Percy was immediately drawn there was just as much a part of why he'd chosen to investigate that place. It was no surprise that he was there. But seeing the despair turn to rage had been what he was hoping for. With Annabeth and Riku both murdered, Hannibal expected that both Percy and Xion would be extremely interesting to watch tomorrow and from now on.

Of course, what he hadn't predicted was being drawn into another surgery.

He wouldn't refuse, naturally. The irony of the moment pleased him, and he did enjoy surgery a great deal. It was quite the contrast to having such a heavy hand in the murders of two people to then save two. But really, that just quietly improved his mood all the more. By the time he's finished and Sei is let to rest, he's nothing less than starving. He'd had a grand idea of enjoying a particularly decadent brunch. He had given Will his portion for breakfast, and finally, after all of the bustle of the morning, he takes his own serving to cook up. It's simple and quick, since he'd imagined he might need that today. He was more right than he knew. But as he cooks, the smell of seared heart with blueberries, caramelized onions and grated horseradish is nothing less than mouth-watering.

But he'd rather not eat alone or even in public. Even if it looks like no more than steak, he would rather avoid the questions of why he has an appetite at all after such a gruesome day.

So naturally, he finds Will, wherever he may be. ]

Hello, Will.

[ He announces himself gently, and he approaches with a plate, fork, and knife in hand. ]

May I join you while I eat?

Comments

[sating]

It may have been a bit impulsive.

[ Hannibal at least agrees with Will that provoking Percy had come a bit early, but randomly picking people for the stocks was a bit boring. He always wanted a reason, and in the absence of no one truly deserving of their brush against death that would come from being put in the stocks, he had to find a different one. There was no rudeness or idiocy so great that he felt the need to punish them, and so instead, he thought to pursue something more interesting.

He looks to Will and Winston as they reorganize themselves on the couch, and Hannibal's smile is nothing short of fond despite the macabre topic. Those two moments may as well have been spoken by two different people for how Hannibal reacts to them. The casual discussion of his crimes contrasted against the warmth of his enjoyment of the domesticity was why Hannibal Lecter was such a chilling personality. At least, once you knew what he truly was. ]

But no, I did not. Technically speaking, even the stocks are clearly a gamble. I fully expected Jason to die, but they did not take the opportunity. Annabeth was unlucky that the other people who felt like murdering were more opportunistic.

[ Then it's back to his plate for another bite. ]

They will at least come together, I think. Their loss will unite them, and they will pursue the guilty party viciously. Grief and anger mix together, and in it, they may make a new friend.

[ Hannibal holds up his fork with a stab of heart on the end, looking at it pensively, but with a small smile. ]

Percy and I spoke of eliminating the selfish so that the whole could benefit. I wonder how he would feel about that now? Were he the survivor, would he look at the people dead at his feet and lift them back up again? Or would he only take Annabeth's hand and leave the rest? That's what I'm curious to see. In the meantime, I'm paying our way. With any luck, we may see Cuba yet.

[sweats]

[ And yet for Will, the dramatic shifts settle on him like a soothing balm. This is his normalcy, whole and complete as it can be for him. He feels loved and needed by Winston, warm and wanted by Hannibal, and his mind is stimulated and sated by the conversation. He should feel ill, most likely. Any rational human being would but Will has long ago tossed standard rationality to the side in order to... well, be. His work, his morals, his struggle against his mind, it was all so much and now here with Hannibal, he is fine.

He is fine to talk candidly and with a detached interest in the misery of two young teenagers. ]

Misery over Jason's passing wouldn't be as wide spread. The misery over Annabeth and Riku and both Percy and Xion's subsequent reactions will shake the town entirely. If Jason died, you wouldn't have found it nearly as amusing. There wouldn't be anything for you to work with, Hannibal.

[ He says it simply, with nothing more than an eerie intuition and a detached delivery. He's not bothered by any of this, which should be more of a surprise but he cut ties with that feeling effectively the moment the Dragon confronted him in his hotel room and asked to see Dr. Lecter.

That is when Will knew, there was no getting away from this. There was no future for him in the other direction. ]

Ah, but do you think Annabeth would let him live with that? She seemed good, firmer foundation than Percy. If he won, I don't think that would be an option for him. I don't think she would let it be.

[ Almost like Will, in a way. He doesn't know if he could ever actively do something like ... help Hannibal win this game. But what he can do is let Hannibal play to his heart's content with little interference from Will himself. Participation vs observation. It makes all the difference in the end. ]

I would hope you weren't about to forget Cuba so soon.