Hannibal

[poison_isley]

She should have probably gotten a dog. It'd make her look less suspicious as she wandered through these gardens, admiring plants and perking things up on the dreary February day. The white house with all the glass wasn't really her taste, but somehow they had some healthy pampas planted at the edge of the estate and she couldn't believe how it was thriving.

The green woman in the tight black jeans and a black motorcycle jacket reached up to touch the feathery fronds and smiled.

The smile fell the second she heard the door of the house open. She shot a look at the man and it took her a beat longer than normal to decide if he was a threat or not. Hand on the ornamental grass, the whole plant began to twitch and grow.

Comments

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal shrugged imperceptibly. "Not everyone would agree. Some people favour quiet moments of self-reflection."

[poison_isley]

"Some people are well adjusted," she countered.

[anamusebouche]

"And you're not?" Hannibal asked, lightly.

[poison_isley]

"You...are very good. Look at you, therapizing me a little bit there," she smiled. That was a little sneaky and she could appreciate that.

[anamusebouche]

"I did say I was curious about you," Hannibal offered. He did not apologize; there was nothing to apologize for.

[poison_isley]

"Fair enough," she nodded. "I'm a fun case study. You should take notes."

She actually took a a bit of pride in that.

[anamusebouche]

"Were you born this way?" Hannibal asked, hoping she might tell what happened to her in her own words.

[poison_isley]

"No. No, I've only been like this for a few years. We were doing research and I was exposed."

A nice way to say 'dosed'. He'd paid for what he did.

"And the changes are permanent. So, you know, love the skin you're in, I guess. "

[anamusebouche]

"It's beautiful skin," Hannibal said. There were scientific 'accidents' that lead to far more gruesome results. "And you don't seem to mind the perks of the power."

[poison_isley]

"The power is pretty cool," she smiled. "Most people only see it as dangerous, though. You're in the minority."

[anamusebouche]

"Power isn't dangerous," Hannibal offered. "It's what we choose to do with it. The hand that wields the sword."

[poison_isley]

"If you ask me, there's nothing wrong with the power plants I take apart and the chemical factories I destroy. If this is my sword- nice dick metaphor there, bee-tee-dub- then I think I have a pretty righteous hand. I know people don't agree with my methods, but you can't tell me I don't single out some of the most evil people in this world," she said. If he wanted to play therapy, she could play therapy. It'd give him something to do for the week.

[anamusebouche]

"What evil master minds were present at the Botanical Gardens when the roof came shatterimg down?" Hannibal asked. Clearly he'd read about her.

[poison_isley]

"Are you asking a certified psychopath for receipts?" Ivy laughed warmly.

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal smiled along easily. "Merely curious as to what qualifies as evil in your book."

What he was curious about was her code, her morality. Clearly she had some sense of morality, albeit of an unconventional sort. He could understand that; he had quite unconventional ethics himself.

[poison_isley]

"Humanity, mostly," she said. "Most of them can't help but be parasites. That's the way the world has been designed. There's a few who are super guilty, but no one's really innocent."

She paused briefly.

"But I've cut way down on the murder. It really bothers someone I care about."

[anamusebouche]

"A friend?" Hannibal asked, truly curious now. He couldn't help thinking of his own situation. Would he stop murdering if Alcuin asked him to?

[poison_isley]

"Yeah. He's like a brother. What I always imagined a brother would be like, I mean. And he's. Different. Like me, but not like me," she explained. "And death bugs him, so I do my best to not be, you know, fatal."

[anamusebouche]

"It's dangerous to hang your moral compass on one person," Hannibal observed.

[poison_isley]

Ivy laughed softly.

"Not killing people when I'm around Klaus doesn't disrupt my moral compass at all," she said. "If they need to die? I can wait a little."

Honestly, she was just more aware of collateral damage. Which was a good thing, she was pretty sure.

[anamusebouche]

"Klaus must be a very special person," Hannibal observed with a kind smile. "Would you like some more tea?"

[poison_isley]

"He's the best," she smiled softly as she pushed her cup toward the pot. "...Please."

[anamusebouche]

Hannibal poured her a second cup of tea. "How fortunate that you should have found him here."

[poison_isley]

"It really is," she nodded. "He's great. Like...people react a lot of ways when they meet me. He wasn't like anyone else."

[anamusebouche]

"Oh?" Hannibal asked, and wondered if she would share more.