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[joshosis]

josh's heart thrashes madly in his chest as lecter's thumb compresses against his throat. faced with such ease and confidence, all remaining wonder at how he's gotten away with it all instantly dissipates.

it ends just as quickly as it started: with the sudden release of pressure, josh slumps against the counter. his eyes remain on the doctor, watching, in disbelief, as he so casually moves away. as if nothing at all had ever happened.

the seconds pass at an agonizing pace. slowly, josh straightens up, the sizzle of meat hanging heavily between them. hannibal refuses, apparently, to speak. another form of torment.

it takes another moment for josh to straighten his shirt and fix his hair, scalp vaguely sore. he doesn't move from his spot, however, not wanting to give lecter any further reason to make a move. ❛ ..i--- ❜ briefly, he clears his throat, ❛ ..thanks.. for not.. ❜ his gaze trails towards the knife before darting away again.

❛ listen, i don't--- i don't really even know anything. ❜ he looks towards the meat, thoughts whirling away as he tries to picture what kind of cut it is, where it might have come from. ❛ i admire your work, really. i don't wanna get in the way of anything. ❜ it hasn't escaped josh that this still might be it. the end of the road. how patient is hannibal willing to be with him, anyway?

he hesitates visibly before inching closer, settling cautiously by his side. ❛ ..i wanted to ask if you'd keep teaching me. ❜ there's an intensity to josh's stare, a defiance of the fear he still experiences. ❛ i'm ready to learn more. ❜

[mieleimpuro]

❛ I admire your work. ❜

Hannibal freezes, only for a moment.

This conversation was inevitable, though Hannibal had hoped it would come much later. Josh was clever, but this time he'd been too clever, and too reckless, and Hannibal worries that it will cost him. Nothing to be done about that, it is for Josh to decide what happens next. There are only two ways for this to go.

❛ I wanted to ask if you'd keep teaching me. ❜

He'd hoped, of course. Josh had shown promise from the moment he'd stepped foot in Hannibal's office. He possessed a rare mind, always inquiring, always pushing the boundaries of those around him. Even those boundaries that demanded not to be pushed. Perhaps those especially.

Hannibal's mind races, weighing his options as Josh sidles up to him, still ready to move, to subdue his friend at a moment's notice.

❛ I'm ready to learn more. ❜

Josh you beautiful, beautiful boy. Hannibal allows himself a glance, eyes searching for any indication of just what Josh is angling for. Josh is starring at him, characteristic stubbornness painted across his features.

Hannibal looks away, but not before inclining his head in a quiet concession. "Dinner, I think, first." Hannibal's attention is on the cast iron pan again, but his face is arranged into a quiet smirk, his tone shifting almost imperceptibly. "After all, a feast such as this is such a rare thing. Shame to let it go to waste."

Hannibal gestures towards the fridge.

"There is a block of parmesan cheese in the refrigerator, please, if you wouldn't mind taking some shavings. We are having a beef carpaccio with our first course."

[mieleimpuro]

[ UNUSUAL ] - continued from x

Hannibal laughs as he takes his own seat across from Will. No matter how many times he has Will for dinner, the man never seemed to fully relax into the experience.

"The bread is actually a last minute addition to tonight's menu. It's a sourdough, but I added wild mushrooms, rosemary, and caramelized onions before the final rise. An ode to the forest, if you will. It felt appropriate, given the particular history of the main dish, and your proclivity for seeking solitude in nature."

Hannibal's warm smile shifts into a more mischievous glint. "As for eating it, that depends on how much you are willing to trust my foraging skills. After all, some species of mushroom are better suited to finding sustenance from flesh, rather than the other way around."

[mieleimpuro]

darker vibes continued from x

Hannibal smiles over his wine glass. "I suppose that depends on how you define good and bad, Frederick. After all, are our principles not entirely products of our own invention?"

Hannibal's eyes flash in the moonlight; he enjoys this new dynamic they've found themselves in. Much more interesting than the banal animosity they'd shared for so many years -- a dance between two minds long grown weary of those around them.

"A reflection of the values of society ... no?" Hannibal glances back to the room behind them, music and cigar smoke filtering out into the crisp Baltimore night. A shame, really, the stench of it is threating to completely overwhelm the fine Brunello in his glass.

[mieleimpuro]

Tag Nine People You'd Like to Get to Know Better!

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑(𝐒): blood red (fitting I know), stormy blue-grays, viridian green

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑(𝐒): bergamot, saffron, hatch green chile, chocolate

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂: it changes a lot but consistents are muse, counting crows, film/tv/video game scores, jazz. getting more into 70s/80s/90s rock lately. ... also, anything my roommate plays on their violin

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄(𝐒): some like it hot, the power of the dog, young frankenstein, the adventures of baron munchausen, alien, skyfall

𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: nbc hannibal, the haunting of bly manor

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: i've had "a formidable marinade" by mikelangelo and the black sea gentlemen stuck in my head for like a week straight since i first listened to it

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: just finished watching succession (finally)!!

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄: gonjiam: haunted asylum (2018)

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆: a natural history of hell by jeffrey ford

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆: it's always sunny in philadelphia

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍: catching up on all my threads and asks here oml -- i'm sorry i'm a snail

Tagged by: @will-iam-graham & @joshosis

i'm a new blog and don't follow that many people yet BUT i'm tagging: @frederickchill @musesofhororr @threecardtrick if you haven't already done this haha

[mieleimpuro]

Why cook kidneys? They don't smell nice...

On the contrary ... so much depends on where you source your meat.

[mieleimpuro]

Does Hannibal have an absolute favourite dish? Non-cannibalistic, please.

Ossobuco -- his mother came from a very old Italian family, and when Hannibal was a very young child, she would make this dish during the coldest week of winter. He rarely serves this dish to his guests, instead preferring to savor it only on nights he spends alone. He did, however, make it for Abigail and Will once.

[poohsources]

🐝  *  ―  𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

❛  last night, i had the craziest dream ...  ❜ ❛  have you ever had a recurring dream?  ❜ ❛  sometimes, my dreams feel more real than reality itself.  ❜ ❛  i wish i could still remember what i dreamt about last night.  ❜ ❛  only thing i remember is that it was a nice dream.  ❜ ❛  do you believe dreams have any deeper meaning?  ❜ ❛  i often wonder what it would be like to live inside my dreams.  ❜ ❛  do you wanna hear about my dream?  ❜ ❛  have you ever experienced lucid dreams where you could control the outcome?  ❜ ❛  i'm telling you, this is all playing out exactly like my dream.  ❜ ❛  what's the strangest dream you ever had?  ❜ ❛  you were part of my dream last night.  ❜ ❛  i think i had this dream before.  ❜ ❛  maybe if i close my eyes i can convince myself that this is only just a dream.  ❜ ❛  looks like you're lost in daydreams again.  ❜ ❛  i'm not sure what this dream was trying to tell me ...  ❜ ❛  can you tell me about your dream?  ❜ ❛  sometimes, i wish i could control my dreams just so i could make them all happy ones.  ❜ ❛  do you ever have dreams that feel so real they're almost like nightmares?  ❜ ❛  calm down. you're okay, you're safe. it was just a dream.  ❜ ❛  i want to help you, but you'll have to tell me what these dreams are about.  ❜ ❛  it felt so real ...  ❜ ❛  i thought you'd said those dreams had stopped.  ❜ ❛  do you have an idea what may cause these nightmares?  ❜ ❛  did you have another nightmare?  ❜ ❛  i just want them to stop ...  ❜ ❛  i wish i could dream of something beautiful or peaceful for a change.  ❜ ❛  can you just hold me tonight? i always sleep better with you here ...  ❜ ❛  do you want to tell me about it?  ❜ ❛  you don't have to stay here tonight. i'm gonna wake up in a few hours because of my nightmares anyway.  ❜ ❛  there has to be a reason for this recurring nightmare ...  ❜ ❛  you just go to sleep. i'll watch over you tonight.  ❜ ❛  this has to be my worst nightmare yet.  ❜

[joshosis]

a polite, impenetrable wall. josh can feel it drawn up around lecter, shielding him from prying eyes. he's struck by sudden curiosity--- the urge to poke and prod, find his skeletons. everyone has 'em.

❛ water would be great. ❜

as josh enters his office proper, his gaze is inevitably drawn to the high ceilings and wood paneling. art and books line the walls, but what most attracts his interest is the statue of a stag, its antlers dark and sharp. ❛ this is a beautiful office. ❜ he's certainly seen his fair share of them. ❛ you must travel a lot, huh? ❜ josh's lips curl with a knowing smile, ❛ all this art.. ❜

❛ you'd give my dad a run for his money. ❜ the sentiment is murmured like an afterthought, a moment of distraction as his mind inevitably wanders.

[mieleimpuro]

"I met your father some years ago at a gallery opening in Milan. He has fine taste, though I tend to prefer a more traditional palette." Hannibal quirks a half-smile, as if recalling a private amusement.

He studies Josh for a moment. "Please, make yourself comfortable," he says, gesturing to the various chairs, couches, and chaise lounges arranged around the room.

He walks over to the collection of crystal carafes and decanters set up on a tray at the edge of the room. "I am afraid that my last patient of the day called and cancelled rather last minute. I was hoping you might sit in on the session."

He turns back towards Josh, glass of water in hand.

"Still, perhaps we can use this time to get to know one another. Tell me, Mr. Washington. What brings you to my door?"

[mieleimpuro]

Reply: [ 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 ]

Despite his speed and the boy's scrambling underneath him, Hannibal's heart isn't even beating faster. Still, the next few moments will be crucial. Though he may have threated it good naturedly on more than one occasion when the boy was being particularly insufferable, Hannibal would prefer to not have to kill him. There was potential there that Hannibal intended to see through to the end.

Fingers tightening in Josh's curls, Hannibal considers his options. The simplest solution would be to wash his hands of the situation. The boy had a reputation for his wild side, it would not be difficult to stage an unfortunate accident.

But as Josh sputters under his grip, Hannibal notices the flash behind his eyes. Josh is smart, if reckless, and Hannibal can't help suspecting that they found themselves in this situation not so much by mistake, but because Josh had decided to put them there. Interesting.

He pushes Josh a little bit harder into the counter, one hand in his hair, the other coming up to ghost around Josh's throat. He presses his thumb into Josh's trachea, just for a moment, eyes never breaking contact. And then, just like that, he lets go.

Hannibal straightens the sleeves of his shirt, pushes his hair back into place, and turns back to the stove -- where tonight's main course is just about finished searing. After all, it would be a shame to waste such a fine cut of meat.

Glancing curiously at the reflection in the kitchen window, Hannibal waits to see what Josh will do next and, shifting his body slightly to the right, glances his fingertips over a wood cutting board loaded with freshly chopped herbs and, more importantly, a sharply curved herb knife.

[joshosis]

【 CHAPTER 1. 】 ⤷  @mieleimpuro

there’s something about lecter's place -- its innate sense of order, commanding as it is beautiful -- that gives josh pause. standing before the door, he is struck by a sense of entrapment, as though at any moment the doctor may burst out and pounce upon him. carve him open and investigate the innards of his head, like a cheap reincarnation of the version of dr. hill that occupied his mind so many years ago.

josh has to remind himself he isn't there for therapy. at most, you’ll file his papers and organize his office. nothing too exciting. but he's done his research on lecter. the man is european and far too accomplished, leaving josh somewhere between wariness and intrigue.

as the door swings open, josh washes away his remaining doubts with a sickeningly performative smile and an extended hand. ❛ doctor lecter— thanks so much for taking me on. it’s great to be here. ❜

[mieleimpuro]

Hannibal looks over the young man standing before him, letting the moment stretch out to just-before-discomfort before accepting the proffered handshake. He reshapes his polite smile into something warmer - "I assure you the pleasure is mine. Alana rarely speaks so highly of her students."

Hannibal had historically avoided taking on students, particularly those from the Academy -- too risky -- but he owed Alana a favor, and she seemed to think he would find the young Josh Washington intriguing. He usually found it best not to question Alana, she was far cleverer than she received credit for.

"Please, come in" Hannibal stepped back, his hand coming up to gently usher Josh through the door to the main room of his expansive office. "May I offer you anything to drink?"

[crownmemes]

Detective Sentences, Vol. 10

(Sentences from various sources for detectives and/or muses that like to solve mysteries. Adjust phrasing where needed)

"I'm sure if you can't find anything on me, nobody can."

"Even if we can find him, who's to say we can stop him?"

"The man who did this, he does this without conscience. Is that evil?"

"I specifically asked you not to participate in this case!"

"I see patterns. Can't help it, really; they leap out at me."

"You've seen one serial killer, you've seen them all."

"I obviously know how it looks, but I am telling you the truth."

"Stop. Does anything about this face say 'please analyse it'?"

"You are making critical assumptions without any facts!"

"Oh, I know you're guilty. I just don't know what you're guilty of."

"This isn't like any other case I've seen before."

"Maybe you'd better start paying a little less attention to the heart of the mystery, and a little more attention to the mystery of the heart. "

"Have you considered that something else might be going on here?"

"I believe the work you're requesting is illegal under international, federal, and state statutes."

"You've got that look like you're profiling me."

"You want to see me snap?"

"Is any of this true? You better pray I don't find out it is."

"I see what the killer sees. I put myself in his head; I become the thing we fear the most."

"It's less of a suggestion, more a suspension. You can have two weeks off with no pay."

"It's better I not be involved any further in this case."

"It's hard to have a fast-track career in law enforcement when everybody thinks you're nuts."

"They're trying to discredit you."

"You should just give up. This will all end really badly if you don't."

"Sometimes it's difficult to tell who is bad and who isn't."

"I'm the best at what I do, and you need what I do."

"You may want to leave the room. What I'm doing isn't exactly legal."

"He was a good man. He had a conscience. Sometimes, that's a problem in our line of work."

"You spent all of five minutes with them. How do you know that?"

"I have neither the authority nor the will to allow your continued inquiry into this matter."

"I've been told I look like a cop. Maybe you do too?"

"I can feel you thinking."

"Here you go; everything you've ever wanted to know about skinning people but were afraid to ask."

"The guy that we're after knows what it's like to have died and be dragged back."

"No one sees everything."

"I feel like I could save so many lives if I understood what he wants."

[rocktheholygrail]

Hannibal 2x08 - “Su-zakana”

[tethered-heartstrings]

[rocktheholygrail]

Hannibal 3x06 - “Dolce”