Post-Parents' Weekend destresser, Monday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal and Jono had both sent out e-mail to everyone they knew on the island, as well as posted in the school's boards, and everybody was invited. After this weekend, some of them seemed like they would need it.

Hannibal had a very well-stocked bar and wine cellar, there were darts and billiards and a card table downstairs as well as a media room, a music room and library on the first floor, outside decks on both if you didn't mind the flamingos, and of course, food.

Pork tenderloin crostini with cranberry pepper jelly
Pumpkin carrot soup shooters with coconut cream
Prosciutto, mango, and parmesan salad
Sweet potato ravioli with lemon sage brown butter
Mini beef wellingtons
Beef tenderloin with garlic and merlot jam
Chocolate and peanut ganache tartelettes
Chocolate orange mousse, spiced fruit brioche and yoghurt sorbet
Raspberry sorbet



[Open post! Everybody invited.]

Comments

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

"Why not?" It wouldn't be Hannibal's choice, but if that was what she wanted, why not? He brought over the chocolate, milk, and vanilla and got out a small saucepan and a whisk. He handed Alluka the whisk with a bow before pouring just the right amount of milk into the pan. "Now, you keep an eye on it while I put the rest away."

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka giggled as he handed her the whisk.

As he turned to put the rest of the things away, the giggles stopped abruptly and her bunny fell to the ground as Alluka was shuttled off to the back of her mind, to nap, and someone else looked out through her huge blue eyes.

To those sensitive to it, Nanika's presence appeared like an anvil falling; heavy and unstoppable.

Nanika extended her hands towards Hannibal (the whisk clattered to the floor). "Give me a hair off of your head."

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal wasn't sensitive to such things, but the sudden change of personality was difficult to miss. He set the things in the cabinet and came back to her, taking in the sight of Nanika with interest.

And, mindful of Jono's concerns, simply raised an eyebrow at her. "Shall I hand you one, or would you rather take it yourself?" he asked.

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

And Nanika simply kept on holding out her hands and repeated:

"Give me a hair off of your head."

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Honestly, couldn't he even clarify? Well, she had said 'give' so. Hannibal reached up, plucked a single hair from behind one ear, and held it out to her. "Will this do?"

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Clarifying was for the weak! Also for those able to be side-tracked.

Nanika's expression (which had begun to grow stormy) lightened as she took the hair and inspected it. Then she closed her hand around it and when she held out her hand again, it was gone.

"Give me your left sock."

What was she going to do with a sock? Nanika wasn't telling. But she wanted it.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave her a look of pained exasperation. Honestly, his socks were more expensive than most people's. And still much less expensive than his life, so he knelt to untie his shoe and give it to her.

As he was folding it over, a very worried Jono appeared in the doorway. Hannibal glanced at him mildly, then sent him a mental sigh of please not panicking the rest of their guests? He folded it once again, making a tidy little bundle to set in Nanika's hand. "There you go." He kept his eyes on her, still hoping for some sort of acknowledgement or personality behind the demands. "Do you like it?"

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

The only emotion Nanika showed was a certain calmness to her demeanor as her request was fulfilled. She barely looked at the sock as she took it.

Alluka's blue eyes were steady and relentless and with someone alien behind them as Nanika refused to answer his questions and simply said:

"Give me the jar full of peach marshmallows."

Alluka, it should be noted, didn't even know there were peach marshmallows. But Nanika did. Somewhere in the middle of her request, the socks had disappeared. They hadn't disappeared with a poof or between one blink and the next, but had simply... gone elsewhere while she'd spoken.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal wouldn't even mind that request, if he thought she were going to eat them. It seemed a terrible waste not to enjoy the food. Still, he sighed but gave her the jar. "Careful; it's heavy," he cautioned, more out of hope for a reaction than anything.

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Her reaction was no reaction, though Nanika didn't look bothered by the weight of it as she took the jar in her arms. She cradled it close to her and didn't seem to notice when it went the way that the hair and the sock had done and simply vanished.

Hope you didn't need that jar back, Hannibal.

Nanika tilted her head up at him as her eyes and mouth turned to empty, black pits and her aura intensified.

And she waited.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal had other jars.

He stood and looked back at Nanika curiously. "May I ask you questions, before I make my request?" Would she respond now, perhaps?

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka didn't really tend to respond during wishes or requests, unless something wasn't going her way.

Or unless someone tried wishing her away.

She simply tilted her head slightly at him, her black pits for eyes fixed on his face, and waited.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal sighed and reached to take her hands if she didn't mind.

"What I would very much like, Nanika, is to spend some time with you and learn about you. For you to talk with me and tell me about yourself, no further requests involved. To get to know you as I've been getting to know Alluka. Will you do that? Can you do that?"

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

She let him.

It wasn't like holding her hands was going to do anything to stop her, if she didn't like it.

Nanika's head remained tilted.

"When?" she asked, her voice somehow younger and older than Alluka's at the same time. "When, when, when?"

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

"Whenever you like," Hannibal answered, pleased to have gotten even this much of a reaction. "As often as you like, if Alluka doesn't mind."

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Nanika blinked at him, a frown drawing her eyebrows closer to each other.

"When?" she asked insistently. "When, when, when?"

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal made a moue of frustration, then shrugged. "Why not now? Stay here for a while and talk to me, and I'll make you hot chocolate if you like, and Alluka's later."

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Nanika considered him for a long moment.

Then she said, simply, but with the sort of finality that could end a world:

"Okay."

There. Wish granted.

She shook her head and peered around curiously. Her eyes and mouth were still black pits of emptiness.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled at her. "Do you like hot chocolate, Nanika?"

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Nanika studied him curiously and then leaned over to peer at the marshmallows, much the same way that Alluka had done. She left Alluka's bunny on the ground though and the whisk too.

Neither of them interested her.

She pointed to one of the marshmallow jars and looked at him.

She wanted that one with her hot chocolate!

... Nanika was not much of a talker, generally speaking.

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

"That one it is." Hannibal smiled and brought the marshmallows closer so she could try them if she wanted. Then he leaned down to (finally) pick up the whisk. Instead of washing it, he set it in the sink and took another out, then held it out to Nanika. "Would you like to help? Or would you rather I do it?"

Re: Arrive!

[furnaceface]

Jono, finally, was starting to relax a little, wending his way into the kitchen from where he'd been anxiously standing in the doorway.

This... wasn't so bad, so far as wishes went. Hot chocolate with a little girl, however powerful she happened to be. Time spent getting to know that other child, the one that hid behind Alluka's smiling face more often than not.

Jono didn't speak, not just yet, but he did pause to give Hannibal a glance that was somewhere between curiousness and approval before stooping over to pick up Alluka's rabbit from the floor.

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka would appreciate that a lot, Jono.

Nanika went up on tiptoes to peer into the jar before carefully selecting a marshmallow and examined it from all sides before solemnly sticking the whole thing in her mouth.

She took another and reached out for the whisk Hannibal offered her.

She'd help!

Re: Arrive!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal handed it to her and started the milk heating. "When this is warm, I'll start adding the chocolate. You stir."

Re: Arrive!

[that_oldsaying]

She took the whisk and watched what he did intently as she chewed on her marshmallows.

When she was done that, she looked between him and the pot.