Gourmet suite at the Arms Hotel, Sunday

[sharp_as_knives]

This was the most crowded Hannibal could recall being in quite some time. There were several children in the master bedroom, one of whom was apparently his, her other father in another bed in his room (yes, thank you, Angela, but they were not a couple here, and you could stop looking at them like that), and Jono's friends on the pull-out couch in the living room.

On the bright side, it was a built-in audience for breakfast. So Hannibal was brewing some excellent coffee while he worked as quietly as possible at cinnamon polenta pancakes, sweet potato & pork belly hash, rosemary grapefruit, thick-cut bacon, and toast from some very good, dense bread he had.

And mimosas for the adults. He had a feeling they still might need a drink.


[OOC: open to those who stayed the night and anyone with a need to drop by!]

Comments

[sharp_as_knives]

"I'm not entirely certain." Did Hannibal look pained? Probably just a little. "It probably amuses her to hear you speak of us together so casually, since we aren't here. Although it's good to see you understand how such things work."

That was the important thing to focus on, right, Karla? Look how well-adjusted the boy was!

Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

Yeah, no. Karla was focusing on other bits of the conversation. Glancing around, she noted that no one else was nearby, but tossed up an aural shield anyway. She had a feeling that this was going to turn into the kind of family conversation that no one else needed to hear.

"I'm going to have to disagree with that assessment there, Hannibal," she said wryly, giving him a look. "I'm going to assume you read your patients better than your..."

Huh. What were they? Until about ten seconds ago, Karla would have said friends, but how much did she know about him, really?

No, he had come and helped the unicorns. No matter what else she ended up learning about him, he had come when she'd called and given his aid.

"...your friends," she finished firmly. "Tell me, Audric. What do you mean by 'special dinners'?"

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[wee-kannibal.livejournal.com]

"The special dinners we have as a family?" he answered cautiously, worried now.

\\Father, did I say the wrong thing?\\ he asked in Lithuanian. He was guessing his Mother didn't speak it yet, since she hadn't responded to him earlier. \\I'm sorry, Father, I didn't mean to.\\

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal sighed, but knelt down to Audric's level and wrapped an arm around him as he answered him in English. "I would have preferred you hadn't said that, yes. But you had no way of knowing. I cook for you and your mother back home?"

He was a good and caring father, wasn't he, Karla?

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[wee-kannibal.livejournal.com]

Audric tucked himself into his father's arms, peeping up at his mother from under long blond lashes. "Yes," he said softly. "Not all the time, of course. You don't always live with us, either. But you cook and you're teaching me to cook when I stay with you and we make lovely dinners and desserts for Mother."

He hung his head. "I'm sorry, Mother, I didn't mean to distress you."

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

Oh, her heart. She knelt down, too, and opened her arms to him. "Not distressed, darling, just confused. You're from many years--" and at least one universe "--in my future. So I don't know about most of the things you're talking about. Your father and I just met a few months ago, even. So this is all a little new to me."

And, y'know, kind of shocking. A bit.

"But there's no doubt in my mind that your parents love you very, very much and that you're very happy back home."

Where they were heavily implied to be eating people. That was a thing.

"I'm sorry if I made you think I was mad at you. I'm not. Just a little confused."

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[wee-kannibal.livejournal.com]

Audric hugged her tightly, nuzzling close. "Father, can you explain things?" he asked. "You'll do it better."

Because his parents could do anything.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

"I can," Hannibal said cautiously, one soothing hand on Audric as he watched Karla. "But it depends upon what your mother wants to know, and who she intends to tell."

He probably couldn't kill Karla and everyone that would support her, but he could disappear. It would, however, be terribly inconvenient. He would really rather not.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

Probably not. If for no other reason than both Warren and Jono were pretty much impossible to kill and if he tried (especially if he succeeded at killing her), it would go very, very poorly for him.

"So...what Audric is saying is true, then," she said quietly. "Not some kind of confusion or inside joke. And it's a long-standing habit of yours."

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

"Well, I haven't killed any of your courtiers yet," Hannibal temporized, "but if you have anybody in mind...?"

He was gambling that either the humor in his tone or the actual suggestion would get her thinking of other things than that initial shock.

And that Audric wouldn't suggest Kayla as an ingredient again.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

"Don't even tempt me," Karla muttered, practically by habit. Then she shook herself; it was distressingly easy to see how whatever had happened between them to make that okay had come about. How many times had she threatened to eat someone's heart? Hadn't she asked for someone to deliver her uncle's remains on a platter?

And it wasn't like murder was illegal in Kaeleer...

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "No killing off my courtiers without my express permission," she decided. "Well, or without really good reason." Then, looking right into his eyes, "You kill people."

It wasn't a question, though she was waiting for confirmation. And it carried no real sense of judgment. Besides the children, there was no one here whose hands were clean, except possibly Momoko.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

"Yes," Hannibal answered. He gave her a little bow. "None of your courtiers without express permission or a very good reason," he agreed.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

She tilted her head at him, muscles tensing ever so slightly. "You are very close to people I care about. You are trusted by people I care about. Is that trust misplaced?"

If the answer was yes and he answered honestly, Karla would let him vanish and never say a word against him. If it was yes and he lied to her now and then later proved to be false...

Well. That was for later, wasn't it?

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[wee-kannibal.livejournal.com]

"Mother!" Audric objected. "Why are you being so mean? You trust Father."

He tried to find a way to convince this younger version of his mother that there was no reason to be this way about things.

"You acknowledged paternity," he said slowly. "Doesn't that tell you that Father can be trusted?"

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal thought about it, sensing this was important to her. "These are people I have come to like and to value. I cannot, of course, promise anything about the future, but I have no plans to harm anyone here in any way. I don't kill indiscriminately." Honestly, that would be rude!

"I am trusting you as well," he added. You could make his life very difficult with just a few words now, Karla.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

Karla bit her lip, looking from this new child to the man she'd come to consider a friend and back. Audric made a valid point. There was a version of herself out there that knew exactly what he was capable of and still trusted him enough to give him full paternal rights to her son.

And again, looking around the room, the person with the most blood on her hands while still in her right mind was...Karla herself.

"You haven't given me any reason to distrust you," she admitted softly. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

He'd been allowed astride a unicorn when no one else had been!

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

Because he was awesome.

"Thank you." Hannibal nodded. "I shall do my best to continue." Remembering their conversation after helping the unicorns, he added, "Consider this merely another way in which I might be able to teach your courtiers some manners and usefulness. Should you ever wish it."

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

Karla, stop snickering. You're encouraging the cannibal.

"That should be far less tempting than it is," she said wryly. "I can only assume it was this kind of flattery that led to the munchkin over here."

Presumably in a universe that didn't have a Warren in it.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

"Presumably." Hannibal chuckled and smoothed Audric's hair. "Although the offer stands even in his absence." It was rare to find a sanctioned outlet for his art; it was an intriguing idea.

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

And this was where Karla smiled and explained that, yeah, she was joking and no, that was never going to happen because hello. Cannibalism. Kaeleer might not have any laws about murder but there were still limits, okay?

"...I'll think about it."

D'oh!

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal gave her another little bow. "In the meantime, may I interest you in some pancakes?"

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

She darted a curious look at him.

They weren't--?

Okay, no, not the pancakes. The bacon, though?

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

"Pork," Hannibal answered the unspoken question. "Although if you should feel adventurous...?"

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[glacial_queen]

"Is there, Father?" Audric asked, perking up and swiveling his head towards the kitchen.

Karla...wasn't entirely sure how to react to such an enthusiastic response from her son for human flesh.

Were there parenting books that covered this sort of thing?

Re: Inaudible to everyone else...

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal could probably write one! Child psychology wasn't his specialty, but he did have the training.

"Not here, I'm afraid," he answered Audric. "I wasn't expecting to cook for anyone with the palate for it. But I should have some sausages in my office."

Hey, at least he wasn't refusing vegetables!