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

[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."