Hannibal's house (where Jono probably despairs of the flower arrangements), Wednesday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal had spent most of the day on the phone with florists and the cake shop, the hotel and banquet hall, and a few of the guests, arranging some last-minute things. And brushing the cat, because biology waited for no weddings, and he had to keep the shedding down.

Now, he was reading and listening to Bach, sipping some very good tea.

It was a good day.


[OOC: Open post!]

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal grinned. "Now I put the bird in it, and it sits." Which he set about doing.

"Meanwhile, I can start on the rest of it. Vegetables and noodles, fried." He wasn't going to quite get all the vegetables in there, but a few, at least.

[uncertain_dume]

Well, any number of fresh vegetables was a step up on what Kanan had been eating while left to his own devices, really. He was trying to eat a decent mix of whatever, but thanks to Eliot's class, he was more or less living on a diet of frozen veggies, instant ramen, and eggs.

"Sounds great," he replied, nodding. "If I knew coming over here to ask about caf meant you'd be going all-out like this, I would've come by much sooner."

Well, this wasn't really all-out for Hannibal, for one. And for another, Kanan had only considered Hannibal as a possibility for the great hunt for caf after the weekend.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "I enjoy having friends for dinner. This is nothing."

He examined his vegetable bin. "Carrots, celery, and bok choy, I think." He took them out and sliced bits off for Kanan to taste while he cut the rest.

[uncertain_dume]

The carrots weren't terribly new either, though the celery and the bok choy were an interesting experience. Kanan sampled all three, nodding thoughtfully as he chewed. Okay, he could see how those tastes would work with the ones that Hannibal had presented in the sauce.

"Got some nice crunch, there," he observed.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "They will give it some texture. And the noodles..." He found them and set them on the counter. "...we will fry."

[uncertain_dume]

"Huh. Different from the ones Eliot had us working with," Kanan observed, nodding at the noodles. "Homemade?"

Or just not instant ramen?

[sharp_as_knives]

Both, thank you.

"Yes." Hannibal pulled a few noodles out. "These are called vermicelli - long, very thin noodles. The word literally means 'little worms'."

[uncertain_dume]

"Even back home, people sometimes say that noodles look a bit like anemic grassworms," Kanan mused. "I'm starting to get the feeling that most of what I have to get used to is fairly superficial."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I imagine it is," Hannibal agreed. "Living here for a time, I've discovered that there is a constancy to the motives, behaviors, and needs of all beings. I find it both reassuring and an occasional source of frustration."

[uncertain_dume]

"Frustration? Oh?" Kanan looked at Hannibal curiously. "Hoping to buck some familiar patterns, were you?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave him a wry smile. "There are rude and unpleasant people everywhere."

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan let out a little huff of a laugh at that.

"Where there are people, there's unpleasantness," he noted. "Here too, huh?"

See? See? He'd been right to keep his identity under wraps after getting here, no matter what Obi-Wan said.

[sharp_as_knives]

"A regrettable fact of life," Hannibal said. "Even here, there are people who are willing to make the lives of others difficult."

[uncertain_dume]

"That's a shame to hear," Kanan sighed, shaking his head. "You'd think if we're all going to be stuck here... But I suppose you can't have people with backgrounds as different as everyone here has, and expect there not to be some conflict of interest going on."

He had an Imperial in his class, for example.

[sharp_as_knives]

And Hannibal had friends who didn't want to be eaten! It was a trial.

"Not all of us are stuck here," Hannibal pointed out. "But yes, there are always some people who are cruel, cantankerous, or simply inflexible."

[uncertain_dume]

"Cantankerous, I can handle," Kanan mused. "I don't have much patience for cruelty, though. And inflexibility... really depends on what they're being inflexible about, I've found."

Like not eating people.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Points of view, fallibility." Hannibal shrugged. "The things that people are usually inflexible about." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Would you like to try some teas while you're here, or are you dedicated to the coffee?"

[uncertain_dume]

"I predict the coffee and I becoming excellent friends," Kanan chuckled. "Tea is a bit too Alderaanian for my tastes, but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to trying what Earth has to offer, either."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smirked. "I also have some very good spirits, if you'd prefer. And the alcohol content is labeled."

If Kanan got drunk, at least he'd only have himself to blame.

[uncertain_dume]

"A label, huh?" Kanan shook his head a little, grinning at that. "There's something I should start asking about before I go anywhere. I don't suppose you have any that mixes well with the caf? ... Coffee?"

He was exploring his options, here.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Several," Hannibal said. He led the way into the salon and over to the liquor cabinet. "Irish whiskey is a somewhat traditional option. There are also creamier liqueurs, or ones with stronger flavors. Sambuca or amaretto - licorice or almond flavored - works well."

[uncertain_dume]

It took Kanan a few moments of negotiating with Beethoven before he was on his way into the salon behind Hannibal, the old gray cat draped over one shoulder and seeming perfectly okay with that arrangement.

"I'm not entirely sure what either of those last two are," he admitted, thoughtfully. "Which would you recommend?"

That seemed easier.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I would recommend trying a sip of each before making your decision," Hannibal said. He got down two shot glasses and poured just a little of each. "Let me know what you think."

[uncertain_dume]

"Sure," Kanan replied, reaching for the one closest. "And thanks. This one is the...?"

The alcohol-looking one. Helpful, right?

[sharp_as_knives]

"Sambuca," Hannibal said. "Anise-flavored."