hydrokinetics | So I guess that's a step in the right direction, clever composition in the honesty [W6, Wednesday]

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So I guess that's a step in the right direction, clever composition in the honesty [W6, Wednesday]

[It was time. It was time, Percy decided, to face the monster head-on, just as he always has.

Is it fair to think of Dr. Lecter as a monster? Perhaps not. But Percy's negotiated with people before, people who have wanted others dead. Everything Will's told him sat with him for days and seeped into his nightmares, visions of blood and gore and mutilated bodies, a fucked-up version of love that left him sick and gasping any time he woke up.

So Percy slept. Monday evening onward until Wednesday. It's only after breakfast, after a confirmation that others know and suspect, that he realizes he's wasting time.

…at least he takes the time to shower, to get changed out of his pajamas and into other clothes, prepare himself. The water doesn't re-energize him the way it usually does but it helps clear his head. He has to be calm and diplomatic when he speaks. Dr. Lecter, surely, knows he's coming for him.

It's why Wednesday afternoon finds him approaching the man's room, Mrs. O'Leary left in his own room and no one else aware he's even awake now. He stands out in the hall, breathing in deeply through his nose before firmly knocking on the door.

There's no turning back. Not now.]

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That he is.

[ Hannibal agrees with a soft laugh in his voice, though it's quite fond. It was one of those odd, funny things because even though Hannibal often despised the rude, his attention had been captured completely by someone who seemed to only know rudeness. But. As much as he would love to talk about Will, he let's the subject drop for now. Percy can return to it if he has questions, and Hannibal has a feeling he may. But because he has questions, it's also a subject that Hannibal wouldn't have any complaints in skirting around.

Though the references to ancient warfare on the level of mythology does get Hannibal's smile to stay. He's always a fan of including them in his own conversations, and so he can appreciate that Percy has the same preference, even if he doesn't fully know why. ]

So indeed. The structure of Rome would suit this better than the passion of Greece. I won't breathe even a hint of it, Percy. It could be confidentiality, but it doesn't need to be so formal. I agree that it's not something that they would take in perspective, if they are who I think.

[ He falls into a silence as he listens, taking in Percy's words again and thinking of how he's changed. He doesn't comment on the blood on Percy's hands, but he does feel a small sense of satisfaction even if he had no role in that whatsoever. He had seen the potential for it, and in what Hannibal enjoys seeing and bringing out in people, he enjoys the fact that it came to fruition. Hannibal almost thinks to speak to reassure Percy that these deaths hardly "matter" in a sense because they aren't permanent, but he reconsiders.

After all, as soon as Percy says "stocks," he can imagine the question that would come with it. He glances to the letters on the table thoughtfully, but his gaze returns to Percy by the time he asks that question. His head cants lightly, and though he could give a more neat, more justified answer, he doesn't.

Percy has earned his honesty, however uncomfortable it may be. ]

I was interested to see what would happen.

[ It's as simple as that, and Percy is unlucky in that he was the only one to catch Hannibal's interest so that he would do so. Every other instance of the stocks' use was far different. Far simpler. But Percy had unfortunately captured Hannibal's attention in a way not unlike Will had when they first met. ]

Through loss, we become more than what we were or we shatter. I wanted to see which it would be for you. Whether you would uphold your ideals of protecting all, of scorning the selfish, or whether they would collapse under the weight of grief. Will thought you would shatter. I think you have become more.

[ And he asks a simple question, though not an easy one: ]

Which do you think you are now, Percy?

[It's just one thing he likes about Will, but even Percy isn't obtuse enough to notice the change in conversation. They can speak of Will more at length later. For now, he realizes that his questions and comments will be given attention. That's enough for him. There's another smile that says Percy is well-aware Hannibal doesn't know this piece of him, the fact that Percy's led Greek armies and Roman armies into battle, how his fighting style works, how the two types of demigods behaved. It's his reality.]

But isn't passion what makes the whole thing move forward? If we were structured and organized, we wouldn't be getting closer to the truth. People want answers. That's why they push on and use it to drive them. [At least, that's how Percy works. He nods in agreement to Hannibal confirming he'll leave the confidentiality in place. But he also doesn't confirm names or anything of the sort.

It's when Hannibal explains about the stocks that his expression shifts to something…less. Less of a smile, less understanding, just a little irritation and anger. Even he and Annabeth were a game to someone. He doesn't like it. He knows better than to outright yell and he keeps his anger in-check, licking his lips and biting his cheek to think clearly. He notices the movement of Hannibal's eyes but he thinks nothing of it. This is about Annabeth. This is about him. This is, he thinks, more important than anything now. To understand.]

…really. [The tone is low, a threat that he could be more but he's keeping himself in check. Attacking Dr. Lecter isn't wise, and he's not even sure he particularly wants to. It's conflicting, given what he knows about Hannibal and Will and Hannibal and Chane and Hannibal in general. His hands curl into fists particularly tight around the pen.] Why. Why us? [Not even me. "Us." He and Annabeth are a unit. Together. He wasn't supposed to lose her, but now that he has this knowledge he knows there's nothing he could have done. This is Luke and the General all over again, luring Annabeth into holding the sky because he knew Percy would come after her. This is fighting the Titan Lord and screaming at him not to touch Annabeth. This is waking up without memories, with only a wolf to tell him his name, with only Annabeth's face in-mind to drive him onward and play right into Hera's hands. This is Tartarus all over again, Percy falling several stories into the darkest parts of the Underworld to follow her so she would never be alone.

But then…Hannibal explains why. His arms shake a little in their effort not to lash out, but he keeps his head bowed for a moment to calm again. Annabeth died because Dr. Lecter wanted to see what would happen. Because Hal suggested her death to Russell. Because Yuna moved the bear trap. Because, because, because. He considers those words for a long time silently…before his head snaps up.]

I'm still alive, aren't I? [It's nearly growled out, but again, he makes no moves to attack. He's furious…but restrained. He hates it. He hates this. It's also not quite an answer. Grief has driven Percy to this place, but the heroic mindset he's been raised with has carried him to justify his actions, to keep others safe, to bring him here to the lair of a monster so willingly.] Shattering means defeat, Dr. Lecter. I'm not going down that easily. Not without getting them back.

[ Hannibal watches that anger grow on Percy's face, and though his reaction isn't impassive, it's hardly anything it should be. He's been amiable, pleasant, and forthcoming enough in this conversation. Even knowing what Hannibal is, his manners still tend to soften him in how people view him. You can know what he is. But it is another thing entirely to know Hannibal, because that means you have to experience moments like this. It's only in this that people understand why Hannibal was exactly the kind of creature that no psychiatrist could classify.

After all, it wasn't killing that made the Devil dangerous.

Though his expression stays the same—polite and inquisitive—the corners of Hannibal's eyes shift up slightly in a tiny smile. He doesn't delight in Percy's anger, but he's glad to see it. It tells him without waiting for the answer to his own question that he was right. Percy has hardly shattered, at least so far as Hannibal would describe it. ]

It was not only you.

[ That's his first comment given quite simply, because Percy was hardly the only person he was playing this kind of game with. Someone had once called friendship with Hannibal blackmail elevated to the level of love. If he had heard it, he would agree completely. Percy was not alone in receiving Hannibal's attention here, though he had arguably suffered the most because of it.

Though even as Percy shakes from his anger, Hannibal leans forward. He's clearly not afraid, though Hannibal never is. His voice is calm, cool, but firm. It's not quite the tone of a psychiatrist, but there's an emotion in Hannibal's voice that's light, but difficult to place. It almost seems like pride. ]

Good. So long as you continue to struggle, you'll still persevere. This loss will not define or defeat you, will it?

[ It's a rhetorical question, because he continues after only a short pause. ]

—Though, if it provides anything further, I will say I had nothing to do with the fact she died. My place starts and ends at selection. I do not meddle any more than that.

[Annabeth has always been the one to help control Percy's anger. His tendency is to lash out and strike, fight without control, attack what needs to be attacked. It's impressive even to him that he doesn't lunge out of his seat to punch the doctor square in the face. Granted, it doesn't help that Hannibal remains calm. It pisses him off to no-end, but Percy knows his hands are tied. If he attacks, he'll die. If he dies, the others will react and it'll start the cycle all over again.

The smile is infuriating, but he keeps himself in check, keeping the others in mind.]

That's a first. [And yet…that's fair. Knowing it wasn't just him isn't that assuring, but it puts things into perspective. The fact that Hannibal leans forward doesn't bother him either. One might think he'd lean back, but he doesn't. He stays right where he is, eyes burning fiercely in a glare but…still listening. The tone doesn't escape him, but he doesn't know how to handle it.

So. He channels it into annoyance.]

Gee, thanks. That's exactly how I want to keep going. Struggling. [But there's a pause.] I have bigger wars I have to keep moving toward. This is just another battle I'm going to win. [With that, though, he rolls his eyes to the ceiling so he doesn't have to face him.]

But yeah, I heard. Hal gave Russell the opportunity, he took it. [A beat.] And I heard that Chane's the reason you found out it was Russell and why you put him in the stocks as well. Is there a pattern? Or whatever seems most interesting?

[ The sarcasm only gets Hannibal's smile to quirk a bit more in amusement, though it's short-lived. It only lasts as he sits back again, because leaning forward was only to emphasize his words. With his point made and Percy responding in a way that Hannibal seems to find acceptable, he relaxes again as easily as if this were a much less loaded conversation. Though for Hannibal, it is. ]

That is the point of view I had hoped you would take away.

[ Why, he doesn't elaborate, but there way not really be one. Or at least, not a satisfying one. His whims were reason enough. That may become clearer as Hannibal explains the rest of the stocks. ]

That's true for the most part. I told Chane of my role, and I allowed her to choose for me that week. She chose Russell to tie up loose ends. It was fitting, since I helped her dispose of every other piece of evidence. I already knew it was Russell that killed Annabeth. [ He inclines his head to Percy lightly. ] Will always knows. I have never known during a trial. But after, I know.

[ Though that's not the point here, and he doesn't even miss a beat before continuing. Even if that point would be frustrating, it's clearly not what Hannibal finds interesting. ]

It's neither a pattern or what interests me. Each case has been different from the last. Sometimes it was for interest. For others, it is because I took issue with them. [ He pauses, considering which one to pick, then nods. ] Jason, for example. His suggestion for the town's name was juvenile, but I could hardly object. The stocks were my way to express my frustration.

Edited 2017-02-24 00:36 (UTC)

Dr. Lecter, I'm a hero. [Flatly. So flatly. It's not even in the bright and sparkly way others here have called themselves a hero. It's bone-weary, tired and matter-of-fact. It's someone else's words weighing him down like a heavy crown.] I don't really get a choice in my point of view at this point. [He breathes deeply though, twirling the pen once more.]

You chose to trust Chane. Why is that? [A frown.] You helped her with…Lust? Or something else. [He bites his lip.] I knew Will was telling you everything from the moment you told me you knew about Ezio. But I promised Will I wouldn't tell anybody he knew these things.

[This time…he just stares for a moment.] You know they're people, right? My old counselors used to tell me to hold my breath and count to ten when I got frustrated. [A twitch of a smile. That, clearly, never worked for him.] And I'm gonna guess there's not a lot of regret behind what's happened to those people?

[ Hannibal's expression briefly shows a bit of doubt at Percy's statement, though he doesn't challenge him on it. It's just an odd thing to hear, because heroism, myth, and all of the ideals that Hannibal genuinely admires as a reality for Percy. They're only a fiction for Hannibal, and so for someone to call themselves a hero is still odd. He had accepted Yuna's proclamations without comment, though he had found them a bit presumptuous, but Percy's tired, world-weary tone gets him to at least believe it a bit more. Though he does think that the idea that Percy doesn't get a choice in it is a bit unfair.

He's not really inclined to speak about heroism, though. It's a subject that is a counterpoint to him, and so he answers the question instead. The answer itself is... Probably more simple than Percy would expect. ]

She asked for my help. [ A pause, and then: ] Will's, technically. But he volunteered my assistance. Because she asked, I knew I could trust her. If she chose to betray us, then it would have been unwise.

[ Even in those casual words, there's a sinister edge, because the implication is clear. Hannibal wouldn't have been satisfied with letting Chane take him down, even if she were to come with him. So they had kept each others' secrets, and Hannibal felt secure enough in that. ]

My poster is completely accurate, I find. "Complete and utter hedonism"— It's a succinct summation, and too succinct, in truth. And hedonism is living without regret. [ Hannibal pauses. It's a longer pause, and a thoughtful one, but again, he decides to give honesty. It's not quite what Percy was asking, since it's vague, but it's meant only to hint at an explanation. ] I have only regretted one thing in my life, Percy. I chose to abandon the concept of regret after. So, no, I do not regret it. I never will.

[It's nice that he doesn't argue. Percy likes when people just accept these things since after six weeks, maybe it doesn't matter so much. Instead, he finds himself latching onto Hannibal's facts and descriptions.]

Because if she chose to betray you, she would have betrayed herself. Revealing that you helped her would be showing her own hand and that itself wouldn't have been too smart. [Though, the tone suggests something further.] And if she had to ask for help, there's really no way she could have taken you and Will on alone. She's pretty strong though. She almost broke my wrist once.

[An exaggeration. But anyway.]

The posters are about half right half the time. I started rereading my own this week for obvious reasons. I can think of pretty much everything it lists, but I'm gonna be honest with you, I didn't know what hedonism was. [That sounds more like an Annabeth word. Though living without regret...] And whatever you regret must have been pretty bad to get rid of the whole idea. [He wants to ask. But he also wants to live? Tough choices.] ...I don't know what happens now. If they don't come after you, do you just keep waiting?

And that is why I offer my help to anyone that requests it. I have no problem providing it. But they will be bound by my secrets as much as they are bound by theirs.

[ The way he talks about it, it's clear this isn't the first time something like this has happened, though it's only happened once here. Truth be told, there was also far more freedom here in this respect. The threat of the secrets being discovered here actually didn't hold quite as much weight as it did at home for Hannibal. The threats here were concrete, but they were short-term. Betraying Hannibal's secrets normally would mean that even if you lived, your life would be ruined beyond repair.

His smile quirks as Percy confesses that he hadn't known what hedonism was, but... In truth, that suited Hannibal just fine. Even when people had asked, he hadn't really cared for how he had needed to allude to it being a particular part of hedonism to get people to stop asking. Even if he revelled in pleasure, that didn't exactly make it a topic for polite company. Though the smile falls, and again thoughtful, he offers: ]

—Perhaps I will tell you. If Will and I are able to go to Cuba, I will. We will never see each other again, after all.

[ There's a certainty in that, because if Hannibal and Will do return home, they'll cease to exist, in a way. They'll be reborn into a completely different life, because that's what it takes to run from what they've done. Hannibal truly never wants to see anyone he has known again if that happens. It includes everyone here. But the offer, though serious, goes without further elaboration. He looks to Percy again, drawn out of that pensive thought, and he nods. ]

That is my plan. The Sheriff did not ask me to kill this week, so I will not. I'll continue in my role, since I don't think it's wise for me to refuse. We will see. If you can broker a sort of peace- [ His smile quirks again wryly ] -a ceasefire of sorts? I will attend to discuss what's to be done.

I think that's fair enough. [A deal with the Devil...Percy's made some shady deals in his life and he's done some shady things. This is a little more than usual, but he can absolutely understand such a thing. Secrets are dangerous, but they're really good leverage. His own secrets are why he's here now. He and Hannibal have something in common, and though he doesn't believe they're for the same reasons, he still wonders if anyone will be able to separate the two.

He blinks in surprise because he hadn't been expecting that. He thinks better of saying that throwing yourself in the ocean isn't going to Cuba.] Only tell me what you think is necessary. Everything so far has been helpful. But...you're sure about that? That people will never see each other.

[He lets that thread go.] Hal didn't assign anybody to me this week either, but I'm not off the hook yet either. [He appears bright-eyed at the idea though.] If I can get our side to work with you and not outright attack, you mean. But wouldn't that also mean outing all of them to you?

[ He nods to the idea of sharing that truth, because even what he does say will be incredibly brief. No more than a sentence. It's a fact that Hannibal has shared with very few people, but each time, it's become a much shorter story. By now, he needs only to say just who the first person he ate was, and the rest can fall into place in peoples' minds. He's lost interest in saying any more than that. ]

No. I imagine that other people may see each other. There have been bonds forged here, even if they're forged in tragedy. I mean to say that none of you will ever see Will and I again if we can help it. Either we perish or we disappear in the world. We're a bit too infamous for anything else at this point.

[ Which explains that conflict at least neatly enough. Even without knowing what Will told Percy in full, the fact that Percy knows that they're not only murderers but serial killers should explain the distinction well enough. If they're every recognized, it would put them at risk. They deserve it, certainly, but Hannibal won't allow it to happen so easily. ]

It would, yes. That is the risk you take. [ He inclines his head lightly with a smile, since it refers back to the original point they had started on. ] But I take one just as much. We will hold each others' secrets. Though at this point, does it really matter? There are so few of us left that I imagine by next week it would be quite easy to guess who is who. It's almost so now.

[For now it doesn't seem important. Instead, he focuses on the here and now.]

...if you're wanted for being a serial killer and Will as an accomplice or whatever, I think I get it. I sometimes forget not everyone can breathe at the bottom of the ocean. But after that, wouldn't you start a new life? Rebirth. Maybe that's only in our version of the world.

[Percy, stop talking.] While it's a risk I think is worth it, I don't know how I'm going to convince everybody else to listen. There's only fourteen of us left, and with four of the roles left that's still half of us with titles. Wouldn't it depend on who, exactly, is left next week?

[ He nods again, though there is a touch of wryness creeping back into his smile. ]

Regardless, it will be new. So, yes. It will be our new life. And with any luck, it will be a quieter one.

[ It's not as if Hannibal will ever truly stop what he does, but... He is likely to slow down, at least. The idea of taking a few years' "break" isn't such a bad one. ]

That is unfortunately the challenge. I would offer my help, but- [ He shrugs ] Ultimately, that too is the problem. It does depend on who remains. Perhaps those that do will be more amenable to the idea. Or perhaps it will not matter. We can hardly know now, admittedly.

For your sake and everyone else's, I hope so. [Please stop killing people, just a thought. It's a nice dream.]

...so what are you saying, that by next week we'll have a better idea of who's willing to work with each other to figure things out? What if that's a week too late?

[ He will! For a few years!! ]

Then that is the way it will be. Rather unfortunately. But I imagine what will come to pass this week is already decided. I made my selection for who will end up in the stocks already, for example. Though I cannot be sure, I believe everything else has probably also been decided at this point.

[ He shrugs, then adds: ]

—Friday, perhaps. That would be a good time to begin.

[That's scary. But he won't ask Hannibal who he chose or why he thinks everything's set. Instead...he nods.]

Friday. On Friday, it's the beginning of the end, isn't it? Friday will be the start of a new trail to follow. Something like that?

Essentially. I believe we can set events into motion to end all of this starting then.

[ Because he knows, of course. Hannibal always seems to know, and that's something that people have always found more than a little unsettling about Hannibal Lecter. It's part of what made people wonder if he was more (or less, depending on your take) than human. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to find things out and hold onto them, only revealing what he knows when it amuses him to do so.

So, he will die this week. He knows it as a near-certainty, because he knows someone is coming to kill him, and the only way he would survive that encounter would be to kill them himself. He will try, of course. But he will not succeed. Yet even knowing that, he says this, because he also knows he'll be right.

Come Friday, it will be the beginning of the end. With or without him. ]

That covers the practical, I imagine. Was there anything else you wanted to ask me, Percy?

[He doesn't like how ominous it sounds. Percy feels that perhaps there's something greater he's missing here, another cosmic joke he's unaware of, but what else is new these days? The end would normally make him a little apprehensive, but not now. Not knowing the things he does, not hearing these things.

There's still time to hope, he thinks.]

...I don't think so. That's pretty much everything I wanted to ask and you've answered everything in the same way you always do. I appreciate it.

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So I guess that's a step in the right direction, clever composition in the honesty [W6, Wednesday]

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