Dr Hannibal Lecter

It was only about to get louder in here with yet another knock on the door.

"Kiss kiss," Karla said, proving she had slightly better manners than her children and not just walking through the door. "Additional adults to handle the brood!"

Look, she could sense her children as well as multiple others. She could only assume additional help was needed. That would probably be true even if it were only her kids in there.

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"Additional adults are welcome," Hannibal declared. "Hello, Karla; I think some of these are yours?"

The loudest ones, mostly.

Edited Date: 2014-02-16 08:51 pm (UTC)

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"Let me guess, the loud ones?" Karla asked with a sigh, though she was mostly trying not to smile. "Funny how no one seems to remember they're Warren's children, too."

Gee, go figure.

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There was probably a reason for that, Karla. Which was only partially that Kayla was one of the youngest.

"The wings are rather notable," Hannibal said. "Pardon me." He turned back to the pancakes to plate them and hand Kathe the syrup.

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"Shall I attempt to child-wrangle?" she called after him. "Or just surround you with an aural shield for a little bit of blissful silence?"

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After a few minutes and a very...interesting introduction, Hannibal returned, a small, blond, jeweled boy in tow. "Karla, this is Audric."

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Oh. Oh. There was no denying whose child this was. Not with that Jewel and that name.

"A-Audric, is it?" she asked, needing a moment to swallow. Which was ridiculous, her father had been dead for over a decade now. But Audric was the first child she'd met who bore either of her parents' names and that left her feeling rather wobbly. "Hello, darling. Are you having a good time this morning?"

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Audric gave his father a look, suggesting just what he thought about that question, but dutifully nodded. "Your other children found me last night and recognized my psychic scent," he said, trying to keep his feelings about said other children from coloring his tone. "But now that I am here with you and father, I am even better."

He gave her a happy smile, because perturbed or not, she was his mother and he was happy to see her. //I missed you, Mother,// he murmured, giving her a hug.

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"Father?!" Karla blurted out, even as her arms circled the little boy. "You're saying your father is--?" She looked up at Hannibal for confirmation.

Because whut?

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"Apparently so," Hannibal answered. He looked down at Audric and smoothed a hand over his head. "This one is definitely mine." He chuckled. "Though I've no idea how it happened."

It was still less strange than Angela.

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"Father, it happened the very traditional way," Audric said, very solemnly. "You moved to Glacia and you and Mother get along very well, and one thing led to another led to her bed."

He was all very matter-of-fact about this. What was there to be coy about?

"You often say that the way to Mother's heart is through her stomach. And it's easier to get there when you're giving her someone else's heart first, usually in some kind of pie. But all of her remaining courtiers are much politer now."

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Karla snorted a 'children say the darnedest things' kind of laugh, one that trailed off abruptly when she realize that neither of them were laughing along with her.

"Wait, what?"

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And, for Audric's part, he had no idea why his mother was laughing at that. It bothered him to hear her. This was romantic!

In as much as his parents ever did romance.

"What's so funny?" he asked Hannibal. "Father, what does Mother find so amusing?"

Some kind of adult joke he didn't understand?

"Mother, why are you laughing? Our special dinners are our favorite!"

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"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!

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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'?"

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"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.\\

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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?

Edited Date: 2014-02-22 11:33 pm (UTC)

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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."

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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."

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

Because his parents could do anything.

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"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.

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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."

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"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.

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