Hannibal's house, Thursday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal hummed along with the music as he carefully chose the right ingredients and cut of meat for his chosen recipe. Sparkle wanted to hurry back to the young girl he was looking after, so having everything ready would cut down on the preparation time. Not to mention, he just liked to be prepared.

Hm...perhaps the neck from that reprehensible clerk; it would make a good Stoverij. A bit more casual than his usual fare, but it was a simple enough recipe that Sparkle could do most of it, and he would probably appreciate the beer and fried potatoes.

Maybe some carrots and onions on the side, as well; Sparkle could bring some back for the girl along with the potatoes.



[OOC: Expecting one, open for phone calls or whatnot!]

Comments

[myownface]

If it wasn't for Hannibal's place, this would be exactly the sort of neighbourhood that Sparkle would either avoid, or wander into just to break into some of the fancier homes to make off with their silverware. As it stood, the cabbie had given him a skeptical look when Sparkle had given him the address, and Sparkle had just stared him down until he started driving. No questions. No small talk on the way. Just driving.

And hell, maybe before heading back to the island, he would light a few fires, but as it stood, he had dinner plans, and he wasn't going to be late for those.

He had his bag slung over his shoulder and a little smirk on his face when he rang the bell, though. No matter how out of place he was out here, he was right at home in the Doctor's kitchen.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal opened the door and smiled at him. "Good evening." He stood aside to let Sparkle in. "Any new insanities upon the island?" He held out his hand for Sparkle's jacket.

[myownface]

"Hey," Sparkle greeted, shrugging out of his jacket and passing it to him. "Yeah, word from the squirrels is that there's some sort of alternate universe thing running amok through the whole population. It's the first I've ever heard about it, though. I want to say the squirrels are being jerks and messing with us or something, but I guess it would kind of explain some of the other notes I read. A bunch of new people on the island. People forgetting their own siblings or being uncharacteristically cheerful."

He frowned a little.

"I haven't heard about it before today. I don't like that."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Hm." Hannibal thought about it as he hung up Sparkle's jacket and smoothed it down. "It might bear investigating. Still, you must admit that people being unusually cheerful is hardly a danger." He chuckled.

[myownface]

"Yeah, but Professor Hale?"

Sparkle hadn't had the pleasure of being in one of his classes, but he'd read enough notes about the man to know that his modus operandi involved a lot of skulking about.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Derek?" Hannibal raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, it certainly is out of character, anyway." He'd have to ask him about that in their next session.

He led the way to the kitchen. "I thought perhaps a type of stew, while the weather is still cold. And you may be pleased to know, this one is traditionally served with fries," he added with a smile.

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked at that, and then laughed as he followed Hannibal into the kitchen.

"Okay, I know I can do fries," he shared. "What's the stew?"

And who was the meat of the day?

[sharp_as_knives]

"It's called Stoverij. A Belgian specialty." Hannibal handed Sparkle an apron and tied on his own. "You can get it from street carts as well as from gourmet restaurants. Traditionally made with beef, generally chuck." He smirked. "I find neck or shoulder meat to be a very good substitute."

[myownface]

"And which of those is it going to be today?"

Sparkle took the apron and put it on, and then went to the sink to wash his hands. What he lacked in a formal education and a well-adjusted upbringing over the years, he made up for now in a willingness to learn and a need to please.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Neck," Hannibal answered. "I had it on hand. This will already take several hours to cook, and I know you want to get back to the island tonight. How is Amelia?"

[myownface]

"She's doing pretty good," Sparks replied, not even bothering to hide the fond little smile at the mention of her. "She got to see a ballet audition yesterday, and she's pretty sure she's going to be a ballerina when she grows up. Or a mathematician. Or a pilot. And I say, why the hell not go for broke and be all of the above?"

He flicked the excess water from his hands and leaned back against the counter with a little grin.

"She'll be the most kickass ballerina math pilot the world has ever seen."

[sharp_as_knives]

"She will indeed," Hannibal answered with a smile. "Mathematics and knowledge of motion and balance would both serve a pilot well, I would imagine." He waved at the yet-uncut potatoes. "There's plenty here to take some back for her. And I've some other vegetables as well. I don't imagine she'd enjoy the stew; it's made primarily with beer."

Which in his (albeit limited) experience children tended not to enjoy. Even when it wasn't made with people.

[myownface]

"Yeah, I don't think she'd be all that keen on beer," Sparkle allowed, nodding.

... And besides, he had a strict 'no feeding people to the little kid' rule. It was one thing when he and Hannibal ate it. They knew exactly what they were doing. Even understood the consequences of their crimes, if they were caught. He wasn't going to screw with Amelia that way. No way.

"I'll pick up some chicken or something to go with those on the way home, so she gets a well-rounded meal." A beat. "You know, I don't think the phrase 'well-rounded meal' has ever come out of my mouth before in my life?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal laughed. "Best get used to it. Especially if you plan on looking after a child." He thought for a moment and went over to the freezer. "I should have..." He moved a few things aside and took out a package. "Ah. Chicken." He took down a bowl and put the package in, then ran cold water into it. "We'll let that defrost until we're done, and it should be ready to cook."

[myownface]

Sparkle gave the chicken a little relieved looking-over. He could afford chicken, of course, but clothing and feeding and keeping both himself and Amelia in everything from winter clothes to toothpaste had proven to be pretty expensive as it was.

"Thanks," he said, nodding. "She'll enjoy that, I think."

Way more than people-in-beer.

"So," he ventured, reaching for one of the potatoes and passing it back and forth from hand to hand, "do you think I can do it? Take care of her the way she needs, I mean?"

[sharp_as_knives]

"I think there's very little you can't do if you set your mind to it," Hannibal answered. He pulled a chopping knife from the block and passed it to Sparkle. "Thick cuts," he instructed.

"Just be aware of your limitations, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Especially of Amelia herself; in my experience, children are better judges of their needs than they're often given credit for."

[myownface]

"She's been pretty good at telling me what she needs," Sparkle replied, nodding a little and smiling as he set to work, chopping the potatoes. "Even before I talked her out of that warehouse. And she's really... pragmatic? I guess she would have had to be, all things considered. I never really had her level head for things when I was a kid. I was just..."

He shrugged.

"Kind of lost and angry, mostly." And a lot of that hadn't changed. "Someone told me on the weekend that there was no way I could give Amelia what she needs. Sooner or later I'd screw up."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow as he began dicing the onions. "Someone we need to pay a visit to?"

[myownface]

"Maybe? She said she was a social worker," Sparkle sighed, eyes on the potatoes. The knives were sharp enough to do some pretty horrible things to his fingers if he wasn't paying attention. "I dunno. She heard about Amelia on the radio and came to talk to me at work. Said she could find... some place for her here, in Baltimore. But I promised Amelia I wouldn't do that to her, you know? Besides... little girl with glowing blue eyes. That'll go over great anywhere but Fandom, I'm sure."

Okay, so he was carefully, aggressively chopping potatoes.

"I think she wanted what she thinks was best for her... but I have a lot of reasons to not trust her, too."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Hm. Well, let's see what happens. It may be that she was only expressing concern. And if not, I'm certain social workers aren't terribly popular." They were bound to have all sorts of enemies.

[myownface]

"I know I have yet to meet one I've liked," Sparkle replied, glancing over his shoulder and smiling a little. He knew Hannibal would understand.

Who just went to a stranger's workplace to tell them that they couldn't possibly raise a kid? Who did that?

"If she gives me trouble again, though, I'll tell you."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Good." Hannibal smiled and squeezed his shoulder, then turned on the stove and started the onion caramelizing. He eyed the slices Sparkle was making - not as good as he would have, but quite respectable. "Very good. I'll finish these, if you'd like to start cubing the meat."

[myownface]

"Really?" Sparkle glanced at where the meat was sitting for a moment, considering it before giving a little nod of his head and setting the knife he was using down. Of course he'd paid attention to Hannibal's lessons on which knife to use when cutting what. This one was best for the potatoes. The proper knife for that particular meat was...

He picked it up and looked quietly at it for a moment before nodding and stepping up to the cutting board, laying the meat out so that he could begin to cube it. At this point, that was really all it was, wasn't it? There wasn't anything he could recognize to it, it was just... meat.

That was all that some people deserved to be.

"Like this, right?"

Against the grain, first, into strips. It hardly mattered, he supposed, since he'd be cutting the other way to get the meat into cubes.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal paused in cutting potatoes, glanced over, and nodded. "Just like that." He checked the onions while he was at it, then went back to the potatoes.

"You apply yourself, and you learn," he added as he continued. "You're good at that. There are undoubtedly some, such as Rilla, that have more experience with children, but I would trust you with a child before any number of your other peers." Not naming names. Isabelle.

[myownface]

"Well... I know where she's coming from. You know, she pulled a gun on me when I first met her? Kid's got guts. And survival instinct."

He smiled a little, fondly, as he cut the meat.

"She would've been okay by herself for a while, but once she found herself on the island, it was tough. Not as much to scavenge in a small town."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Mm." Hannibal nodded. "Harder to hide, too. She does sound quite resourceful, though."

[myownface]

"She knew what she was doing, you know? Found herself some shelter and everything. I found her before she could hit that desperate 'eating out of garbage cans' point, at least."

Sparkle had way too much experience with hitting that point. He wrinkled his nose a little as he cut and spoke.

"It wasn't until some guy scared the shit out of her in the park that she agreed to come in with me. She's pretty fiercely independent."

[sharp_as_knives]

"Well, neither of you will ever have to eat from garbage cans again, if I can help it," Hannibal promised. He squeezed Sparkle's shoulder again as he passed by to get a pot for the potatoes. "I should like to meet her, when you feel she is ready for it."

Because she was likely very wary of strange adults. Even of the non-serial-killing-cannibal variety.

[myownface]

"Could be a while," Sparkle admitted. "She thinks I'm being clingy these past few days, since the social worker visited me at work. She just doesn't trust most adults, I think, though I think she's better at accepting them when I vouch for them..."

He shrugged as he finished cutting the last of the meat, and then turned to face Hannibal again.

"Honestly, I almost think she'd be more wary because you're an adult from the mainland. I trust you, but the mainland is where all the homes for little kids like her are."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal waved that off. "That only shows she has good sense. She'll be ready when she's ready. Or perhaps when she's bored enough," he added with a chuckle. "Do you have books for her? Or you could take her a tablet."

[myownface]

"I don't really own any of my own, but the school has a library, and it has a section for little kid books, I'm pretty sure. I was thinking of taking her there and letting her figure out what she wants too read. I just... haven't really had a chance to, yet."

For reasons that mostly boiled down to how he hadn't bothered because up until that morning, he totally had books.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Ah, good." Hannibal nodded as he started the oil for the potatoes heating and stirred the onions. "I confess I never noticed there was a children's section."

He eyed the preparations so far. "When the onions are nearly done, we can start browning the meat."

[myownface]

"Well, I'm guessing it's a little below your reading level," Sparkle mused, and then glanced toward the onions, setting down the knife again. "It might even be a little below hers. She's a bright kid, you know? Rattles out math equations that trip me up like they were nothing."

In fairness, Sparkle had never been good with numbers. Or even a lot of words. Or education in general, until Fandom.

[sharp_as_knives]

"If she enjoys that sort of thing, I can give you a list of mathematics books she might enjoy." Hannibal opened the refrigerator. "Beer?"

Sparkle just needed the proper reinforcement and motivation. Hannibal put most of the blame on the state of public education.

[myownface]

Well, in defence of public education, Sparkle had spent most of his days skipping school, growing up.

"Yeah," he replied, and then added, belatedly, "please. And a list of math books would be pretty great, too. Maybe, um, start easy and work up? I don't actually know what level she's at, you know?"

It all looked like letters and numbers and weird table-shaped things to Sparkle.

[sharp_as_knives]

Details.

Hannibal got the beer and poured Sparkle a glass. "I can do that." He got himself a glass of wine while he was at it. "Once you know her level, I can suggest more of the same."