[ They're questions he's happy to answer, since he was quite honest about wanting a conversation partner. Hannibal loves people and loves talking to people, so he's enjoying this as much as she is. It's interesting to him in the way that drew him to psychiatry in the first place. There was the visceral thrill in surgery, but not knowing the people he was operating on had been less satisfying. So now, he combines them both. But no one here seemed to know of that, oddly enough, but that was a detail he was grateful for. ]

I certainly hope so. The problem with psychiatry compared to other practices is that it's imprecise. I can speak to my patients for years, every week without fail, yet still be uncertain as to whether our conversations help. But that's something of what drew me to it as compared to, say, surgery. I enjoy people.

[ His smile is soft, fond, and sincere. ]

But it's not why I've traveled, no. That's simply for pleasure. I had a practice in Baltimore for many years, but left it to pursue my other passions in Italy.