certainly, there is something to be said in the way hannibal attracts specific types of individuals. the high - profile, certainly; ones who lavish themselves in extravagance. but beyond that, and perhaps more ardently, those with a suffocating smoke. their own, or another's, seeping between cracked ribs. ones who are not quite as they seem -- riddled with secrets, impulses, darkness. certain brain synapsis cannot be helped. they are drawn to him. occasionally, in some way, he may even be returned. lilly constantine is one of those few who pique his interest, beyond the outskirts of his human veil.
while he could not have anticipated seeing her at his door step this night -- panicked, soaked to the bone and with bare feet, he is equally surprised, and not. they worked well together, in the past; and it seemed as though they melded just as easily now, even if the context is not the same as it was.
❝ you will not wait outside, miss constantine. i could never allow such cruelty. ❞ he steps aside, allow her ample room to move into his home with an encouraging hand hovering at the small of her back. the door closes, sealing off the cold and once more securing the warmth radiating from the fireplace. the den is just a few paces away from the door, and it is there that he guides her -- and offers the chair that is typically his. ❝ please, sit. i will be back in a moment. ❞
under normal circumstances, he would worry over the dirt and debris being tracked into his home. but this is no such thing; and, beyond that, he has always enjoyed lilly's company -- even when they discussed more professional things. he leaves her only briefly to procure a thick, thermal blanket from his linen closest, and drabs it over her shoulders when he returns. it could not erase the panic, the uncertainly of whatever transpired, but she would no longer be at risk for freezing, if nothing else.
sitting opposite her in another plush chair, he fixes her with an expression that clearly bears concern. beneath that, however, is something that threatens to burn even brighter : curiosity. there were so many questions -- things unanswered from years ago. and new queries to ask. ❝ i can alert the police to your missing car, but i must insist you stay here. when and where did you last recall having your car? earlier today, perhaps? ❞