robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

Entry tags:

game: end

[ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

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[ With permission granted, Hannibal takes a seat across from her as easily as he always had. He unbuttons the suit jacket he's wearing as a smooth, habitual gesture and takes a seat comfortably. He's relaxed and at ease, which is a contrast against her own tension. ]

Not help, no. I wanted to thank you, actually.

[ He inclines his head towards her with a light smile. ]

I appreciated your letter, Milla.

[that]

[was certainly not what she was expecting, and it shows in the way her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. normally, people don't tend to appreciate letters that end in. well. death threats]

. . . is that so?

[she gains a hold of herself as quickly as possible, forcing her expression back into neutrality]

May I ask why? It wasn't exactly meant to be a letter one would appreciate.

[ Most people are not Hannibal Lecter, which is something Milla will probably increasingly realize as she talks to him honestly... Her surprise doesn't phase him, and he just ends up smiling slightly. ]

Is that such a surprise? You took time and effort to write the letter, and you responded to my own in earnest. I could only be grateful for it.

[ Though he knows why she's surprised, so he doesn't wait for her response. ]

You're not the first to threaten my life, Milla. You will not be the last. So that part doesn't particularly bother me, if that's why you are surprised at my candor.

. . . you truly are good at reading people, aren't you?

[not that she was a particular difficult person to read, per se, but still. it does make her feel even warier, considering she knows it's this skill that helps him manipulate people as he does]

[she may be physically safe, but she needs to navigate this conversation carefully]

I felt your letter to me deserved a response, that's all. You took the time to write to me, so I returned the favor in kind. There is nothing more or less to it.

Of course. I would not be a very good psychiatrist if I wasn't.

[ It's a wry comment, because they both know that's not the real use or danger in such a skill. It was what lead to circumstances like this where Hannibal had been so trusted, so easily slipped under everyone's radar until in truth, he got a bit bored. Got intentionally sloppy, hoping that people would pick up the hints he had left behind like a trail of breadcrumbs. Though that was his short-term amusement and his game to be played.

It's not really why he's curious to talk to her about what her letter had said. ]

Though you'll have to forgive me for not quite believing that the intent stopped at only a response to my own letter. After all, not many people wrote back. [ Though he doesn't sound too disappointed by that. For most of them, his letter had been something of a true farewell. It was more a notification that he was no longer interested. ] You were kind to Will. You sought understanding where others did not. I respect that greatly.

[ He cants his head slightly, almost curious, but he smiles. ]

So if you would like to ask questions, I will answer. That is what I would like to offer you in return.

[ah. . . so this is what he wanted. there's more hesitation on her end, but ultimately, she doesn't want to pass up this chance to learn more. Milla would never pass up a chance to learn]

It is my duty to protect humans and spirits alike. In order to protect the former, I must understand them. All facets of them.

[it's the same explanation she gave Will, when she spoke to him the night before he was killed]

. . . so I suppose I'd like to take you up on your offer. And I'd like to begin with the obvious: why?

Why do you choose to use your influence and power the way that you do?

[ He recognizes the repeated words, because naturally, Hannibal had been watching everything to do with Will before he joined him here on the train. In part, that was out of his obsession, but just as much, it was the quite genuine, if odd love that Hannibal had for him. They had spent years apart, but now, even days apart felt terrible. By watching, he was able to stay as close as he could, and it's ultimately part of why Hannibal had come to speak to Milla. Her curiosity and her want to understand were something he respected, because all Hannibal wanted was understanding, in a way.

Though even so, that doesn't mean he would make it come easily. He'll only guide the way towards it to see if people can put together the pieces. So he nods as she gives her explanation, but the smile makes his smile quirk slightly. ]

Yet the obvious question is the difficult one to answer, at least to any way that would satisfy your want to understand. It's very simple: it amuses me. [ Though after a pause, he adds: ] Though I do not use them only for that. I am— Was, now, a respected psychiatrist. I helped many patients with no other motive beyond my work. But on occassion, there are some that are more interesting. That is more what you have seen here.

[being told it's for "amusement" is, quite possibly, the most unsatisfying answer Milla could receive. but it isn't enough to deter her just yet]

What changed? Did you simply grow bored of helping? Or. . . [she pauses for a moment to gather her words] Were you driven by the curiosity you had in your more interesting patients?

Nothing changed, Milla.

[ There's an almost quizzical tone in his voice, as if he were surprised that she thought anything had changed. Perhaps his example wasn't clear, though then again, he may be expecting too much. He always does, and he's always disappointed. There simply aren't many people that can understand him, which he always finds to be a shame. ]

It was never a change. Both were always a possibility. It is why I will save someone who lost a limb with all of my effort just as I will strangle the life out of another. They are not mutually exclusive things, at least not for me. What sparks one versus the other, however, I could not narrow down to any one thing.

[ He shrugs lightly ]

Though I don't imagine you'll like that answer either. It is only whimsy.

[nothing changed. she takes a moment to process this, rearrange her thinking. her eyes slip shut and she nods]

I see.

From the moment a coin is minted, it has two sides. Sometimes it lands on heads, and sometimes it lands on tails. But both of those are parts of the coin, and both of them are a possibility.

[. . . she thinks she's beginning to see. if it truly is whimsy, then that makes him far more dangerous than she initially suspected]

I suppose, truthfully, I had hoped for something more. But I can understand that much. [another pause, and she opens her eyes again] Did this game we participated in satisfy your whimsy?

[ The analogy of the coin gets his lips to turn up slightly, and he nods a bit more deeply than just an idle gesture. It makes it clear that it's a comparison he finds satisfactory and accurate enough, though Milla's assessment is also quite correct. Hannibal's whimsy is dangerous on a scale that people have had difficulty truly categorizing. He's a master at what he does, and he leaves a wake of blood and destruction with it, but what that thing is—It's not neatly summarized by a single word. Having the two faces of the coin makes it nearly impossible. ]

If it's something more, it does tend to make a bit more sense. I have often come to meet people who indulge in killing others as I do. They would perhaps be more understandable. But I have never met another truly like me.

[ It would sound arrogant in a different tone, but Hannibal says it quite simply. He's not bragging about the fact so much as stating it for additional context. ]

But yes, it did. [ There's a pause, and deciding to be honest, he adds: ] For a time, at least. I will grow bored eventually. But I could not tell you what that may look like. I do not know, myself.

[bored. . . hmph. she gives her head a small shake. she might understand, but there is absolutely no part of her that can condone. these dark parts of humanity. . . those who would use their influence and power to harm and manipulate others to harm. . .]

[she really would have killed him, if he were on her world. it would have been, in her eyes, a necessity]

[but he isn't, and so all she can do is indulge in conversation instead]

Then I hope, for the sake of those who might ignorantly flock to you in the future, that you don't grow bored too quickly.

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[ DEPARTURE ]

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