It's a gorgeous garden, even if Hannibal can't stop to smell the roses, given that it's January and not south enough for anything to be in bloom in this garden. The fountain doesn't hiss or boil, but it does steam lightly in the chilly air.
He breathes in deeply, the cold cleansing to his sense of smell. It carries away the heaviness of rooms full of old objects and of people and the hundreds of places all those people had been that day and brought with them via scent.
Neph is carried to him on the breeze, though, and with it comes a sudden change in how Hannibal perceives this open but isolated space.
Fear, sharp and bitter and high as a scream, filtering just barely through on the wind. His head snaps back to look down the stone path leading down gently to carved stairs.
He almost doesn't hear the footsteps behind himself, but he can't miss Will's voice suddenly cutting through. "I was by the statue of the goddess with a lot of arms - which doesn't really help, but it had a lot more arms than the other ones? - I saw you go outside. You uh, you okay?" Which he says like he's wondering if the answer might be 'no', as if Hannibal has any negative reasons that might cause him to wander outside.
...Is that related to the way Will had asked Hannibal on the bus earlier if he wanted him to crack open the window? Hannibal doesn't have time to properly sink into suspicion about Will's knowledge or motives, though, because now that he can smell Neph he's listening in on the low buzz of distant voices and thinking he recognizes Neph's cadence.
And then her laugh cracks out through the cold air, sounding just like her scent - brittle and pitched high, a surprised shattering that leaves dangerous shards in its wake - and even Will cocks his head with a concerned pinch between his eyebrows.
"I was following Neph. I'm not sure why she left." Hannibal barely glances at Will, but he sees the way Will's confusion has the cautious air of worry hovering nearby.
"Did she know anyone else here?" They can both hear the voices, plural. They're both moving towards the sound, instinctively as silent as their shoes on stone let them.
"Not that I was aware of. It appears she must have found someone."
'It's funny how you've ruined things?!' Hannibal feels a little bit of himself shift, parts growing colder at the edges of his mind and deep in his chest. Level with him, Will's shoulders turn in and down, a protective slink in the way he moves. Neither of them need to discuss what they're overhearing, although Hannibal can only hear the parts that aren't snatched away on the greedy wind.
'You do not, ever, touch me.' In Neph's voice is unmistakable, an icy shard that matches Hannibal point for point, and his own shoulders straighten and go back, his steps slowing further. Will shadows him, based on an instinct Hannibal can only guess at but is grateful for in the moment, because it means he gets to lead them gradually to the edge of one of the pillars that overlooks the brief circular courtyard at the center of the garden.
The gurgling, half-audible threat from a male voice - distinguishable more by tone than by words - is the final straw for Hannibal, who can't imagine who Neph has that is bold enough to approach her in public but stupid enough not to kill her outright if that's their end goal. How does anyone blackmail someone as strong as she is? Does he not know?
Is it personal and not political, and he's just that stupid?
Hannibal looms from behind the pillar, takes in Neph standing righteous and angry in front of a bent-over male he's never seen before. She looks like one of the paintings behind them, but whatever beauty Hannibal sees in that power isn't enough to quiet his urge to wreck whatever's caused it to happen. "You must be incredibly stupid." Hatred, a low drag of ice across stone, crackles in his voice. "Coming to threaten her in public."
Hannibal doesn't turn, but he can see enough from the corner of his eye to know Will assesses the boy for only a few startled moments before his attention roots on Neph instead. Will presses up close to him, shoulders actually intentionally brushing, but Hannibal still only keeps his gaze on Neph and this newcomer who's threatening her. He gets the impression Will is letting him know where he is in space in case...they need to watch their backs, or otherwise coordinate movements.
Will stays absolutely silent, still hunched defensively forward, and there is a gathered panic in the way his breath is picking up. He's watching Neph as if waiting for a cue.
If Hannibal turned to look at him, he'd see the whites of his eyes and a lot of grim, frenzied determination. Quite frankly, Will looks more outwardly ready to fight than Hannibal does, at the moment.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2017-01-18 01:24 am (UTC)He breathes in deeply, the cold cleansing to his sense of smell. It carries away the heaviness of rooms full of old objects and of people and the hundreds of places all those people had been that day and brought with them via scent.
Neph is carried to him on the breeze, though, and with it comes a sudden change in how Hannibal perceives this open but isolated space.
Fear, sharp and bitter and high as a scream, filtering just barely through on the wind. His head snaps back to look down the stone path leading down gently to carved stairs.
He almost doesn't hear the footsteps behind himself, but he can't miss Will's voice suddenly cutting through. "I was by the statue of the goddess with a lot of arms - which doesn't really help, but it had a lot more arms than the other ones? - I saw you go outside. You uh, you okay?" Which he says like he's wondering if the answer might be 'no', as if Hannibal has any negative reasons that might cause him to wander outside.
...Is that related to the way Will had asked Hannibal on the bus earlier if he wanted him to crack open the window? Hannibal doesn't have time to properly sink into suspicion about Will's knowledge or motives, though, because now that he can smell Neph he's listening in on the low buzz of distant voices and thinking he recognizes Neph's cadence.
And then her laugh cracks out through the cold air, sounding just like her scent - brittle and pitched high, a surprised shattering that leaves dangerous shards in its wake - and even Will cocks his head with a concerned pinch between his eyebrows.
"I was following Neph. I'm not sure why she left." Hannibal barely glances at Will, but he sees the way Will's confusion has the cautious air of worry hovering nearby.
"Did she know anyone else here?" They can both hear the voices, plural. They're both moving towards the sound, instinctively as silent as their shoes on stone let them.
"Not that I was aware of. It appears she must have found someone."
'It's funny how you've ruined things?!' Hannibal feels a little bit of himself shift, parts growing colder at the edges of his mind and deep in his chest. Level with him, Will's shoulders turn in and down, a protective slink in the way he moves. Neither of them need to discuss what they're overhearing, although Hannibal can only hear the parts that aren't snatched away on the greedy wind.
'You do not, ever, touch me.' In Neph's voice is unmistakable, an icy shard that matches Hannibal point for point, and his own shoulders straighten and go back, his steps slowing further. Will shadows him, based on an instinct Hannibal can only guess at but is grateful for in the moment, because it means he gets to lead them gradually to the edge of one of the pillars that overlooks the brief circular courtyard at the center of the garden.
The gurgling, half-audible threat from a male voice - distinguishable more by tone than by words - is the final straw for Hannibal, who can't imagine who Neph has that is bold enough to approach her in public but stupid enough not to kill her outright if that's their end goal. How does anyone blackmail someone as strong as she is? Does he not know?
Is it personal and not political, and he's just that stupid?
Hannibal looms from behind the pillar, takes in Neph standing righteous and angry in front of a bent-over male he's never seen before. She looks like one of the paintings behind them, but whatever beauty Hannibal sees in that power isn't enough to quiet his urge to wreck whatever's caused it to happen. "You must be incredibly stupid." Hatred, a low drag of ice across stone, crackles in his voice. "Coming to threaten her in public."
Hannibal doesn't turn, but he can see enough from the corner of his eye to know Will assesses the boy for only a few startled moments before his attention roots on Neph instead. Will presses up close to him, shoulders actually intentionally brushing, but Hannibal still only keeps his gaze on Neph and this newcomer who's threatening her. He gets the impression Will is letting him know where he is in space in case...they need to watch their backs, or otherwise coordinate movements.
Will stays absolutely silent, still hunched defensively forward, and there is a gathered panic in the way his breath is picking up. He's watching Neph as if waiting for a cue.
If Hannibal turned to look at him, he'd see the whites of his eyes and a lot of grim, frenzied determination. Quite frankly, Will looks more outwardly ready to fight than Hannibal does, at the moment.