week three - post-trial

[sating]

[ As soon as their trial is dismissed, there's very little hesitation in who Hannibal heads to.

Naturally, he does give Will's hand a squeeze, a quick "I'll see you later," but with all the chaos of the day, there are other people he needs to see and tend to. In fact, so many that he almost wonders about who to go to first, but... His bias wins out. For each of the people he's taken a liking to so far, there was perhaps no one where that was as true as Xion. So, he goes to her. Follows her, if necessary, and when he speaks her name, his voice is full of sympathy and concern. ]

Xion—

[ But it's only her name. She'll let her drive the rest of this. ]

Comments

[ceded]

[ Xion looks up at him in silence for a long moment as she processes those words.

It's ... both similar to and different from what Harry said to her. She's starting to wonder if she should ask everyone. What kind of answers she'd get. ]

Dr. Lecter, I ... want to keep moving forward, but I want to do it with my friends beside me. I may not be able to keep them safe, but ... I want to try. I have to keep trying, [ she whispers. ]

[sating]

And I hope you do.

[ His response is immediate, and by contrast to her whisper, his voice is stronger and more certain. Hannibal is trying to encourage her through his words, and he's not very subtle about that, though he believe she would respond best to more straightforward things. Subtlety and leading may be harder when she's so "young." ]

I'm afraid that I can't promise that things will get better. Not immediately. Our situation doesn't lend itself to that. But even in the face of all of this, I hope you don't give up. I may not have known you long, but I feel that you're a strong person, Xion. So I believe you can have the very strength I've described.