22 Phoenix Place, Thursday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal parked at the causeway and walked to his house. It wasn't raining on the island, but his clothes had been thoroughly soaked, and the trip from his house hadn't let them dry much. His hair hung wetly on his forehead. His nose and the cuts on his face had stopped bleeding, leaving tracks and scabs over his face where they hadn't been washed clean in the rain. Under his jacket, his shirt clung to him with blood as much as water. His ribs ached where he'd hit the floor.

He'd all but forgotten that Jono and Karla would be waiting to taste-test for the party, until he saw the lights on and stopped on the lawn, the ridiculous flamingos sleeping around him.

Karla	Inside Hannibal's living room, Karla and Jono were fighting over the snacks that Hannibal had left to make sure she didn't get hungry while they waited for him to arrive home. Or perhaps as an incentive to keep Karla out of his kitchen. "You can't have these," she repeated, glowering at Jono and hunching slightly over the plate. "Hanni made them for me."
Jono	Yes. Fighting over them. //... For the fifth time, luv, I don't actually want them. I'm not certain what I would do with them. Wear them as a hat? Play tiddlywinks?// They looked fantastic, yes, but he had a few technical difficulties to surmount before he was really a threat to the... fancy cracker things.
Karla	"Mine." She bared her teeth at him. "I'm not going to share and you can't make me." Was 'unnatural possessiveness' a common pregnancy symptom? Or was Karla just special that way?
Jono	Jono was pretty certain that this was less a symptom of 'being pregnant,' and more a symptom of 'being Karla.' //Well, good. I didn't want them anyway. Canapés make me break out in hives.// No, they didn't. Jonothon was not actually allergic to finger food. //More for you, I suppose.//
Hannibal	Hannibal took a few deep breaths as he headed for the door. He ran a hand over his face, then turned the knob and stepped in.
Jono	Jonothon hadn't been terribly concerned at the person approaching the house. After all, he could tell without really paying attention that it was Hannibal, before the doorknob even turned. But there was something... off about him otherwise, and the door was open before he could even really piece together just what. Jono was on his feet the instant his eyes saw red, Karla's growling and hunkering over the hors d'oeuvres forgotten completely. //Gordon Bennett! What happened to you, man?//
Karla	Jono only brought out the really stupid Britishisms when he was at a loss for words otherwise. For him to yell 'Gordon Bennett,' the most stupid of all of them, something must truly be amiss. Turning around in her chair and seeing all the blood had Karla leaping to her feet, knocking the plate of hors d'oeuvres to the ground. She was a lot more ungainly than she used to be. "Hannibal!" She reached for a clean napkin, cursing her inability to call things in anymore. "You need to sit down and let me treat you. Is there an invasion?"
Hannibal	Hannibal held up a hand to forestall them both. "No invasion. Nothing you need worry yourselves about. Please, continue to make yourselves at home." He tried vainly to straighten his hair and jacket. "I should get cleaned up."
Karla	"You should sit down and let another Healer look at you is what you should do," Karla snapped. "Jono, I'm going to need some warm water and a rag. Hannibal, where do you keep your first aid kit?" Her jaw was set in a stubborn tilt, but her eyes were worried. That was a lot of blood on his shirt there. The question was—how much of it was his.
Jono	Jono looked between Karla and Hannibal, a little at a loss, before just nodding helplessly and looking toward the... bathroom? The bathroom would have water, though Jonothon was dubious that Hannibal had such a thing as a rag in his entire house. ... Perhaps that shirt he'd borrowed from Jonothon that one time. That was fairly rag-like. And he wouldn't even know where to start looking for the first-aid kit. Also the bathroom? //I hope the other person is in worse shape than you are,// he offered. Judging by the relative lack of physical pain he could sense compared to all of the blood he could see, he already knew that was the case.
Hannibal	In answer to Jono, Hannibal thinned his lips in something that was almost a smile and didn't come anywhere near his eyes. Almost none of the blood on his shirt was his. As anyone who tried to patch him up would discover. He sighed. "Upstairs," he answered Karla. "You can look me over once I've washed." Was that a good enough compromise?
Karla	It was as close to what she wanted as she was going to get. "I suppose," she said, pursing her lips. DISAPPROVINGLY, HANNIBAL. THEY WERE PURSED WITH DISAPPROVAL. "Should we call—" Abruptly, she closed her mouth. She could think of many reasons that Hannibal would be covered in blood and yet not want the police around. Or to discuss it in front of Jono. "Never mind. Just go wash." She would just be here, picking up her scattered crackers off the floor and worrying. That was just fine.
Hannibal	Hannibal nodded in thanks. Then paused to recollect his manners. It was harder at the moment than usual. "You can look over my kit, see if you need anything else." He waved toward the stairs before leading the way. His ribs protested a bit, and he was tired in a way that was only partially physical. He left the door to his room open as he headed into the bathroom. He set the first aid kit on the bed and went back in to strip off. The coat might just be salvageable if it dried well, but the rest of the clothes were a loss, he noted distractedly.
Karla	"Why don't you stay here," Karla 'suggested' to Jono. It was framed as a suggestion—that counted, right? "I don't like the way he's carrying himself. He could have internal bruising." No serious injuries or bleeding internally, even without Craft Karla could tell that much. But he was moving like a man in pain to his core. She followed Hannibal up the stairs, pausing in the doorway to his room. "If you don't mind, I'd like to come in and check out your kit," she called, tapping on the frame. Yes, it was open in invitation, but Kaeleeran habits died hard.
Hannibal	Hannibal frowned faintly, having thought the invitation was implicit. He nodded. "Please. Let me know if you need anything that isn't in it." He spoke just a touch more slowly than usual, having to consciously ground himself in the moment.
Karla	Yes, but that was the problem. The invitation was implicit. Karla was like a vampire. She needed an explicit invitation to enter a male's bedroom. Karla entered immediately, crossing over to the bed and looking through the kit. "Care to talk while you wash up?" she asked. "It might save you a bit of prodding later."
Hannibal	Hannibal draped his coat over the counter and kicked off his shoes, starting on his shirt. If she was going to doctor him, there was no point in being shy. "Most of this blood isn't mine," he said. "Nothing more than minor cuts and bruises. Perhaps some bruised or cracked ribs."
Karla	"You're walking like you bruised a few," Karla said. "You're not moving with your usual grace." And ha! Coyness would just get him a dirty look and a tartly delivered comment inquiring after his opinion about her professionalism. "Who were you fighting? I'm guessing someone you know? It looks like they managed to get past your guard and a stranger would have left a lot more bruises behind if he'd broken through."
Hannibal	There was a time for flirting; over a medical kit wasn't generally it. Hannibal trusted Karla knew that as well as he did. "A friend," Hannibal agreed. He turned the shower on to heat as he finished undressing.
Karla	Yeah. Making sure Hannibal had a compression bandage so she could tape up his ribs if she had to didn't put Karla in a terribly flirtatious mood, oddly enough. "You don't have a whole lot of those," she said, keeping her voice neutral. "At least, not that you'd be so open to. I assume not someone on the island?"
Hannibal	"No," Hannibal agreed. "His name is Jack Crawford; he works for the FBI." He stepped into the shower, welcoming the hot water.
Karla	Karla hissed through her teeth. She didn't know much about the FBI, just that they were super-police and Hannibal worked for them. "I'm guessing this was more than a wage dispute," she said, readying a needle and thread in case any of Hannibal's cuts were deep enough to require stitching. "Did he, uhh..." She hesitated, aware Jono was downstairs and wary of saying too much. "Do you need a place to lie low for a little while? In case he comes with friends to finish the discussion that led to your current state?"
Hannibal	Hannibal smiled. A real smile, despite everything. "I appreciate your discretion." He scrubbed his hand and face carefully as the water washed the sweat from his hair and skin. "He has no way of knowing where I am. But I will not be returning to Baltimore." His thoughts turned to Will, and he clenched his jaw and fists for a moment, before forcing himself to relax again. "Not for quite some time, at the least."
Karla	So did Karla's, though not the same way Hannibal's did. "Is he going to go after your friend?" she asked quietly. "Will this Jack guy be able to follow him here? If he's known to be close to you, they might watch his movements for a bit. You should probably send him a message." Karla was working under the impression that Hannibal's friend had more in common with Hannibal than he did. Did Hallmark carry 'Sorry your murder-marriage didn't work out' cards?
Hannibal	If they didn't, they should rectify that. "He will not be joining me here," Hannibal answered a little shortly. "And he is well aware of what happened." Also possibly still bleeding on Hannibal's floor.
Karla	Karla would inform them of their oversight posthaste. "I...see." Which likely meant that Will? Bill? Wally? had helped instigate whatever it was that had happened. And if that was the case, this house probably wasn't as safe as Hannibal believed. Even if it were, it wouldn't do Hannibal any good sitting here in solitude and brooding about what had happened--and what hadn't. She set aside the sewing kit and stood. "I'm going to send Jono to the Portalocity office in town. Tell him to buy a third ticket and to move our departure up." Surprise, Hannibal! Karla was taking over!
Hannibal	Hannibal frowned as he finished washing and reached for a towel. "Karla?"
Karla	"Hmm?" Karla asked, halfway through the door to the hallway. "What?" Hannibal, if you had a problem with Karla deciding to run your life, you should have thought of that months ago, before you became her friend.
Hannibal	The perils of befriending a queen. Hannibal patted his face dry and pulled on a robe, coming into the doorway to the bedroom to look at her. "What are you doing?"
Karla	The perils of befriending Karla, more like. "I'm going to tell Jono to go make changes to our Portalocity arrangements," Karla explained patiently. "That will also give us time to talk. You should probably get dressed and pack." Was that clear enough? "Nice robe, by the way."
Hannibal	"Thank you," Hannibal answered automatically. "You want me to go with you?"
Karla	Karla was starting to worry that Hannibal had suffered a concussion in the attack. He wasn't usually so slow on the uptake. "Of course," she said. "I'm not entirely convinced that the house is as safe as you say, and even if it is, the last thing you need is to sit here by yourself and brood. Or be harassed by radio squirrels and anyone else who hears about this and decides to come knocking on your door." Also, taking him away from Baltimore and the island might keep him from doing anything...ill-advised. "So pack a few days worth of clothing and toiletries and the like. You're coming home with us."
Hannibal	Hey, he was a bit distracted! "It is safe," Hannibal insisted. Still, he couldn't deny the other part of what she said. Or that perhaps surrounded by children wasn't the best place for him just now. Reluctantly, he nodded. "I will pack."

[OOC: Preplayed with the lovely furnaceface and glacial_queen; continued in comments. The fact Jono and Karla were there and Hannibal came back a bit worse for wear is public; anything else is NFB, please!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"But he didn't," Karla guessed. "At least, not in time."

She wrinkled her nose. No offense, Hannibal, but Karla was not impressed with this Will of yours. Double-dealing and betrayal were bad enough, but to have handled it all so shoddily was just unforgivable. "You couldn't convince Jack that Will was lying?"

[sharp_as_knives]

"I did once," Hannibal admitted. "But it meant Will was locked in a hospital." He gave her a self-deprecating smile. "And I simply couldn't leave him there. I gave them the evidence to free him. Having doubted him once, Jack was disinclined to do so a second time."

You could hit him for his great life choices now, Karla.