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Entry tags:

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Characters: Hannibal Lecter, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Tony Stark, Billy Costigan, Hayley Stark, Bruce Banner, Sharon Carter, and Evandau
Date: Early January
Location: Hannibal's Suite
Situation:
Warnings/Rating: Violence, discussion of the Emperor's murder as well as the September murders. General Hannibal cannibalism talk warning.

[He knew he'd been somewhat sloppy with the murder of the Emperor. He wasn't used to having to slip in and out so quickly, nor was he used to sneaking in to such an elaborate palace, with so little time to plan. He didn't regret doing it - the murder of such a powerful, influential being was well worth any price he'd have to pay - but he knew it was only a matter of time before someone put all the pieces together.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to try and delay it for as long as possible, though. There were many beings here more powerful than he could ever be, but most of them seemed the ethical sort that wouldn't act without reasonable proof. He could work with that.

He stood on the first floor of his suite, brushing off the dust that had accumulated on the bronze stag statue he had found a few months ago.]

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[ She has to think about that one. She hasn't heard of it for a long time. Not since... had that been India? India or Cambodia? ]

It's a form of hedonism, isn't it?

[ Holy... crap. He's saying he killed them because he wanted to? As much as she'd expected something like that, she hadn't thought he would admit to it so easily.

He's so much more disturbing than what she'd expected. ]

You could call it that, yes. The pursuit of pleasure - joy, happiness, love, whatever form that pleasure takes - is what we live for, no? Most people allow themselves to be restrained by the standards society has given to them, they deny themselves pleasure to follow someone else's rules. I set my own.

[Which would be: Do what you like, and be courteous to those who deserve it.]

I suppose some could live as I do without harming anyone, but I've developed a bit of a...taste for it. [Ha, yes, now is the time for puns.]

[ The emphasis placed on that one word makes her pause and look at him anew. ]

The knife.

[ Tony's reaction, Hayley's... If he'd done things to them while they were alive, it might explain how shaken they'd been (or maybe it had been their first time dying). ]

Did you kill them immediately, or did you... do something first? Did you develop a taste for that, as well?

[ With any luck, "taste" just means "liking." But she knows better than to believe the best about people. ]

If you mean torture, no, I'm not usually one for such brutality. Too much can spoil the flavor.

[Hi I'm Hannibal and I'm a cannibal it rhymes.]

Some of them like to put up a fight, and that can't be helped, but I try to get it done quickly.

[ Please no, please no, please no. ]

You have medical training, correct? You used it to keep them from suffering. That's... [ disgusting, but if she says that, he might shut down, and she wants answers. ] kind of you.

[ She can't put it off any longer. ]

I wouldn't say eating them after was kind, though.

[ Okay, Hannibal. Tell her she's wrong. Tell her that "taste" and "spoil the flavor" doesn't sound as ominous as she thinks it does. Tell her you just like the chase and the kill. ]

I don't see why not. There's no point in being wasteful.

[And it's delicious.]

[ She stares at him. Her stomach is threatening to make a statement of its own, and she takes a deep breath to try and get herself under control. ]

You ate them.

Was that not clear?

[And here he thought she was reacting rather well to it.]

'Hannibal the cannibal' - I'll get that out of the way, because I know it's a rather odd coincidence.

I felt I needed to verify it, yes.

[ The rhyme may be a coincidence, but in retrospect, she feels silly for not having seen it sooner. ]

As you can imagine, I have a few more questions before I escort you to the authorities here. [ She's careful to keep her tone polite. A part of her would like nothing more than to hurt him, but she wants to keep him talking. ]

I don't know if you'd feel it's too much like revealing your trick, but how did you manage to break into the Palace? The kedan are convinced it's so difficult only kedan can do it. I haven't tried, but I imagine it must have been impressive.

It was rather impressive. I suppose this'll sound a bit like boasting...

[Not that he minded.]

I've always had a strong memory. If we were to leave this room and I had paper and pencil, I could draw it exactly as it is. The Palace is only complex when one has difficulty remembering the various twists and turns. I have no such issue.

[It's been a while since Bruce has had to engage in the kind of lightning quick reasoning he needs here, but he's used to long periods of monotony being abruptly interrupted. And this particular incident, this crisis, he's ready for. He's been planning on and off for months, turning over in his head what he'd do if he had the chance, and now he has it.

Of course he can't have planned exactly; he couldn't anticipate these exact circumstances. But the moral decisions are made, the commitment is firm. Once Superman returns to take care of Lois (he'd never leave her injured and alone, even now) Bruce heads out to find Sharon, his vague plans rapidly turning more concrete. Now he has specifics; now he knows who's involved.

He has to make a quick stop at his lab to grab a few things, and then he's using all of his experience running to move quickly to where Sharon has the murderer. Hannibal Lecter. Bruce has a name now, not anyone he's met before, which is better. Less guilt.

He knocks on the door and announces,] It's me. Banner. [If he were her, he wouldn't open the door without knowing who it was.]

[ At the sound of the knock, she spends a couple seconds making certain that Lecter is secure. He's made no indication that he intends to run, but she has no intention of losing him if he's faking it.

She opens the door, her ears straining from any sounds coming from her bedroom. ]

Banner. This really isn't a good time.

I know that.

[He swallows his underlying impatience. Outwardly, he's a calm, sharp eyed figure, much more visibly alert than his usual patient caution.]

I've heard you have a... guest. I want to help.

[Beat of silence. That's probably not enough for her, so he adds preemptively, in a completely calculated move,] I make for a good deterrent. [Lecter wouldn't be going anywhere with Bruce as a guard, that's for certain. The Hulk is a trump card he doesn't often pull, but he has no reservations whatsoever about using it when he has to.]

[ She spends several seconds watching him. He seems calm. Under the circumstances, calmness is odd. He's one of the few people that Tony trusts, and if he knows she has Lecter here - Superman. Who else did he tell? - then she'd think he'd be more upset.

Or maybe it's resolve. Sharon doesn't work enough with Banner in her world to know the intricacies of his character. She knows better to take the Hulk on black ops missions, and that's it.

But as a deterrent?

Slowly, she nods before opening the door wider and pulling him inside. She locks the door and meets Banner's eyes. ]

I'm talking with him now. You can stand in the doorway. If he says anything - no matter what - don't freak out. Remember. I live here, and I don't have Tony's money to rebuild everything bigger and better.

[ That done, she leads the way back to her room, pointing at a spot just inside the door where she wants him to stand. She reasons that if Lecter tries to escape, Banner will have time to do... whatever he feels necessary to do from the doorway. She goes back to stand in front of Lecter. ]

Apologies for the interruption. I do have a couple more questions before Dr. Banner and I escort you to the police.

Did you have plans to kill anyone else? Would you have killed someone else if you felt it worthwhile?

[ She knows he would. But she wants to know. A part of her needs to know. Apprehending someone is one thing, but some people will want revenge. While Sharon can understand that, while she's even wanted it herself in the past, she's always felt that it was more important to prevent future loss of life. She just... wants to know that this wasn't all about revenge and holding someone accountable, though she'll never regret that part. ]

[For Bruce, calm is normal; it's when he's perceptively not calm that someone should start to worry. Right now, he has an iron grip on his emotions, and his mind is racing at lightning speed, setting plans and contingency plans and discarding the ineffective ones.

He does intend to be a deterrent. Much like a nuclear weapons program, the efficacy is in not setting the bomb off, in holding it as a threat. Of course, he doesn't expect Lecter to understand the seriousness of this threat, but Bruce will warn him once he has a chance to. That's all he can do.

He walks in after Sharon, nodding silently at her instructions, accepting them with all sobriety. Any slight irritation at her questioning his control is promptly stamped down. Now's not the time, and she doesn't really know him. But he's far, far from losing it.

No. This is for Banner, not the Hulk. Bruce hovers in the doorway and doesn't say a word, lets her question him as she wishes. It's not like he's not interested in the answers himself.]

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GUESS WHO FORGOT TO TRACK THIS THREAD GUYS

annnd I went on vacation, lol

No problem! So did my brain!

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