Hannibal's house (where Jono isn't being lied to today), Friday

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal hadn't noticed anything different yet today himself. He'd heard the radio, which had made him cautious, but it wasn't as though he made a habit of lying to the cats, or even to Jono these days.

So, he was staying inside for the moment and working on new wedding preparations. It wasn't as though things could go bad that way, after all.



[OOC: Open post!]

Comments

[uncertain_dume]

"Sooner or later, I'll get the hang of it," Kanan decided. "If I stick around that long. We'll see."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I hope you will," Hannibal said. "There can never be enough interesting people on the island; I enjoy our talks."

[uncertain_dume]

"I'll enjoy them more when I'm not compelled to say every incriminating thing that comes to mind," Kanan replied, shrugging and taking another drink of coffee, mostly just because it was there. "But overall... yeah, so do I. The people here aren't going to make it easy to leave."

Which was exactly why he had to. That was how it worked.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I rather enjoy people speaking the truth, although there's a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from teasing it out on my own," Hannibal said.

[uncertain_dume]

"I try to tell the truth about most things," Kanan noted. "It makes things easier to keep straight than a pack of lies. The lies I do tell are the old ones. And I've been telling those for so long now, they might as well be true."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I prefer the truth as well," Hannibal said. "Although I of course have my own secrets, I do my best not to overtly lie." He chuckled. "It also makes days such as this somewhat easier."

[uncertain_dume]

"I'm actually a little jealous," Kanan admitted, looking into his coffee. "I think the only person on the island that I haven't outright lied to yet is Master Kenobi. But then, there wouldn't be much point in that anyway."

Since the man had been one of Caleb Dume's teachers, once, and all.

[sharp_as_knives]

"And now I know the truth as well," Hannibal pointed out. "Unless there is anything else you feel you would like to unburden yourself of," he added with a grin. "I won't insist, but I do love secrets."

[uncertain_dume]

"And I have plenty," Kanan replied, inclining his head a little, "but none that I'm exactly in any hurry to share."

He was grateful for the not insisting, at least. He'd hate to actually have to walk out of the room. Especially after all of that.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal chuckled. "You can hardly blame me for trying." He toasted Kanan with his own coffee. "I enjoy teaching here, but I still occasionally miss my time in a larger city, with more patients to confide in me."

He pursed his lips. "For as traumatic as this place is, and the places its residents come from, you would think more of them would be willing to engage in psychotherapy."

[uncertain_dume]

"I suppose so," Kanan mused, "but on the other hand, considering some of the residents, you can't exactly blame them for not wanting to be so forthcoming with a total stranger. People here have been given a lot of reasons to be afraid, Doctor Lecter. It's going to take a bit more than a little time in a strange place to make them comfortable enough to speak."

He raised and eyebrow and gestured to himself.

"Case in point."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "I've been here for years, but enough of the people come and go that most of them haven't been. And there has always been a bias against seeking therapy."

[uncertain_dume]

"I'm guessing it's a difficult hurdle to get one's mind around?" Kanan gave Hannibal a wry smile. "I wouldn't have been opposed to seeking it out in another lifetime, maybe. The Jedi do place a fair bit of importance of the health of the spirit and the mind as well as the body."

And then he took another drink of coffee. Because he wasn't about to start talking about Master Billaba's own state of mind when she'd taken him on as her Padawan. Not if he could help it.

[sharp_as_knives]

"Well," Hannibal said, "I excel at casual conversations as a form of analysis, as well as the more formal sort. And I'm always willing to talk, and to ply you with good food and drink. Casually or with a goal in mind."

[uncertain_dume]

Well, that got a raised eyebrow. Consider Kanan curious, now.

"And what sort of goal would you have in mind if you were to ply me with good food and drink?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "The goal of making you more comfortable with yourself, and better able to realize your potential. I loathe the thought of anybody feeling ill at ease with themselves."

[uncertain_dume]

"Fair enough," Kanan replied, giving Hannibal a wry smile. And he could have left it at that, but of course he felt compelled to add, "I have to apologize. I know you're better than that, but it's a knee-jerk reaction to assume the worst of people, especially if those people might already know too much. I have trust issues to the point where I lie about every facet of myself right down to my name, it's going to take some work before I can hear about somebody's 'goals' and not immediately become suspicious."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. And definitely filed that remark aside for later. "No apology necessary, although it's appreciated for the sake of politeness. It's good to be cautious. I myself plan for every contingency I can conceive of, and do my best to learn everything and assume nothing, the better to think on my feet."

He shrugged. "Given your history and your need for secrecy, I would worry for you if you weren't suspicious."

He pointedly didn't ask about his name.

[uncertain_dume]

Good move, Hannibal. Asking for it now probably would have ended poorly.

"After every other precaution I've taken," Kanan snorted. "Yeah, not being suspicious after all of the rest of it would prove some kind of critical error in my common sense."

[sharp_as_knives]

"You might be surprised how many otherwise sensible and cautious people are far too trusting," Hannibal said, just managing to keep from saying he rather counted on that.

[uncertain_dume]

"Not all that surprised," Kanan pointed out. "The most sensible and cautious people I've ever known were all betrayed and murdered by people we trusted the most."

So. You know.

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal leaned forward with a serious but calm look. "Do you mind telling me what happened? You've mentioned parts of it before, but not the entire story."

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan's mouth fell open a little, and he pulled in a breath before making a reach for the cognac. Not the coffee. The cognac. He needed to top up his mug.

"The details as I experienced them? Or the... whole... bigger picture?"

Either way, he was going to need this drink.

[sharp_as_knives]

"I imagine the two are well intertwined," Hannibal answered. "You don't need to say anything; I'll be somewhat disappointed if you don't, but I will understand. However, I would like to know, and perhaps it will help you to tell someone while you can."

[uncertain_dume]

"Of course they're intertwined," Kanan muttered, downing the contents of his glass. Maybe he'd talk. If he did, he wasn't going to be talking sober. "I don't just talk about this, though. I haven't talked about what happened that day with anyone. It's ugly. It was war, and then it was slaughter."