Hannibal's House: After-BDE Trauma Party

[sharp_as_knives]

Yet another island oddity had come and gone, and yet again it seemed to have taken a mental and physical toll on several people Hannibal rather liked. So tonight he was cooking comfort foods and low-snobbery (but still gourmet) snacks, tea, and hot chocolate, and his bar was very well stocked.

He'd talked to the other researchers and sent messages to his friends welcoming them to join him if they wanted (except for Jono's, which had been more of a politely worded demand for his presence), but the lights in the house were on and the door was open, if anyone else felt they needed company.

Or just to sit in the corner and cry. Hannibal wouldn't judge. He might take notes, though.

There was food:
Mini grilled-cheese sandwiches (artisan cheese, home-baked bread, probably some with moddable! things like capers or veggies or ham)
Tiny meat pies
Roasted potatoes with salt and rosemary
French fries which tried for greasy and didn't quite have the heart to make it, sorry Jono!
Tiny pies of moddable fruit
Ice cream of several flavors (lavender and honey! vanilla bean! dark chocolate! moddable!)
Chocolate truffles of various moddable! flavors
Other assorted moddable, go to town! things

And drink - if it's a high-end liquor, it's here. Also home-brewed people beer and good wine, both dry and sweet.

[OOC: Open post is open! NM; just put it all here, no OCD.]

Comments

[furnaceface]

Jono's presence had been... well, politely demanded. And while what he really wanted to do was crawl under a rock somewhere, never to be seen or heard from again, he knew that the reason he'd been invited was to keep exactly that from happening.

He did, at least, make a cursory pit-stop in his own room to grab some fresh bandages and to feed the cat before making his way to Hannibal's. He hadn't so much as wrapped his face, granted. The bandages were still in one hand as he stopped at Hannibal's door and numbly rang the bell. But at least he'd had the presence of mind to do that much?

God, he was tired.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled as he let Jono in. "Thank you for coming." He led the way to the living room and gestured at Jono's bandages. "You needn't worry about those if you'd rather not. Or if you'd like a hand, I am a trained professional."

[furnaceface]

//I...// Jono looked down at the wrappings in his hand, as though realizing that they were there for the first time. He closed his eyes and gave his head a shake, trying to free it of the gauzy numbness that he'd been wandering through since he'd left the carnival. //Should. If other people are going to be here.//

Look, he knew how these 'after trauma' invitations went. There would at least be a few. He held up the bandages, still staring at them as though he wasn't quite certain what they were for.

//'M not up for unwittingly frightening anyone.//

[sharp_as_knives]

"The people here will all be from the island; I doubt they'd be frightened." Unless you'd killed any of them this weekend with fire, Jono? That might be an issue. He pushed Jono gently down onto the couch. "But you must do what makes you feel most comfortable."

[furnaceface]

//Attacked Raven yesterday,// Jono recounted, a little hollowly, as he took a seat. //Didn't kill her, but, still, I...//

He seemed to do that a lot, when he wasn't in control of his own head.

//Probably should get it out of sight.//

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. He tugged at the bandages. "Let's get you presentable, then."

[furnaceface]

//Okay...// He opened his hand, letting Hannibal take the wrappings from him. It was really something of a miracle that he'd managed that much, considering the direction his weekend had gone. //Thank you, mate. I'm afraid I'm not really th'most entertaining houseguest at th'moment.//

You know. For whatever reason.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Guests are not supposed to entertain the host," Hannibal answered as he started wrapping the bandages around Jono firmly but carefully, "but the other way around. Perhaps when I'm done, you'd like to share a beer with me, or a brandy? And I've even made greasy fries."

He had not. He'd tried. He couldn't quite bring himself to make them properly pub-greasy, but they were significantly greasier than his usual.

[furnaceface]

Jono almost countered that he really didn't have an appetite, but stopped himself upon remembering that of course he didn't. It was hard to work one up when you didn't have a digestive system.

So he nodded a little, lifting his arms up a bit to make the bandaging process easier.

//At this point, I'll take whatever alcohol falls closest to hand. And we'll see about those fries, mate... Thank you.//

[voiceoverdue]

A bit later on, Cecil showed up; when Jono hadn't been at his own place, he'd tried here, since he knew he and Dr. Lecter were...friends.

He smiled in relief when he found him, looking...well, no worse than usual, really, except for tired. He flopped on the couch next to him, almost as tired himself. "Hi."

[furnaceface]

Jono gave Cecil a little nod in greeting. 'Tired' seemed to sum it up rather well. It was a good weekend for 'tired.'

//Hello, mate.// A beat. //You too?//

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil sighed and nodded. "I was adult again. But I didn't even get to enjoy it; I just kept trying to get other people into the carnival. I was awful!"

[furnaceface]

//I was whole again,// Jono offered. //But I was more interested in lighting people on fire than doing any of the usual things I tend to do when I find myself with a face.//

Fun things, like eating or singing or snogging, for example.

//We were all awful.//

[voiceoverdue]

"We were!" Cecil pouted and curled up a bit. "It's not fair to give us good things and make us not enjoy them. And I know, life's not fair, I mean - Desert Bluffs exists - but still."

[furnaceface]

Sometimes Cecil really made Jonothon wonder if the English they were both speaking was actually the same language at all.

//This was an added level in unfairness,// he offered. //I would've far rather spent my time not actively trying to kill my friends.//

[voiceoverdue]

"Yeah, me too." Did Jono mind another hug? Because he was probably getting one. "Though I guess I was more luring them to their death. Do you want a drink? 'Cause I do." He was horrible at saying nothing, but very good at drinking to forget!

[furnaceface]

//I'll take as many drinks as you're willing to share with me,// Jono replied, honestly. And gratefully. //Today's an excellent day for drinking, mate. Thank you.//

[glacial_queen]

There were plenty of people here who could catch Karla up on just what the fuck had happened over the weekend. She wasn't even going to make Jono try--not yet, anyway. Instead, she'd delicately make her way over to him and wait until she had his attention before saying,

"Three...two..."

Make your wishes known, Jono.

[furnaceface]

As thankful as he'd been that Hannibal hadn't up and called Karla, Jono was still relieved to hear that familiar old countdown. He glanced up at her and nodded, even opening his arms a little.

This weekend had sucked. He could use another hug.

[glacial_queen]

Karla practically dove onto him, curling up right on Jono's lap and wrapping her arms around him, stringing up a one-way link so he could feel her love and concern. She still didn't know what had happened, but until he felt like sharing, she wasn't going to do anything that could make him feel like he was being forced to share more than he wished.

"So," she said, burying her face in his shoulder. No, she wasn't in the least concerned about his flames, but she respected his hangups. "How much beer will I be chewing tonight?"

Between her and Hannibal, Jono was going to get plastered fast.

[furnaceface]

Her, Hannibal, and Cecil, in fact. And it was a good day to respect those hangups. Jono had lit Raven on fire yesterday, after all.

//All of it,// he mumbled, clinging tight. //You'll be chewing all of the beer.//

At least he was honest?

[glacial_queen]

"I also brought a few gravediggers," Karla promised. "I didn't know what was going on, so I thought it was best to be prepared."

Which meant vanishing copious amounts of alcohol, along with weaponry and Healing supplies.

[furnaceface]

Jono gave her one more little squeeze, and then nodded and leaned back slightly to look at her with eyes that still betrayed just how much he ached inside.

He was doing an excellent job tamping down the worst of it, otherwise.

//Gravediggers are about the size of it,// he admitted, softly. //Lost myself again for a few days, there.//

Not in the typical island way, no. That much was probably clear.

[glacial_queen]

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked. "Or go somewhere and scream for a little while?"

She figured he'd understand that she didn't mean a literal scream.

[furnaceface]

His screams tended to trigger nosebleeds. And migraines that lasted for weeks.

//Not sure,// he admitted. //There was a... bloody hell, this sounds stupid. A carnival. Didn't feel right, right from the start. Went in anyway.//

Like an idiot.