You're so cold as you sit there alone,

selling your bright ideas and paying someone to answer your phone

Hannibal closed the door behind him. The sun was shining weakly from behind clouds as the birds chirped and the few leaves that had already abandoned their tree rustled against the ground. Most of the streets lanterns had already been cut of their electricity supply. The sight of a truck being unloaded met his eyes. He glanced at his clock. 6 AM. They were rather early to be doing such heavy work. The house opposite of his had recently been sold after it's previous owner had been moved to a nursing home. He'd expected it would be sold rather quickly since it was in one of the more desired neighborhoods . Not to mention that the house itself was a diamond in the rough.

Still he didn't expect that anyone would be moving in already. The truck was speedily being unloaded by the work of in total 5 people. Two boys and three girls. The sound of soft laughter reaches his ear as the tallest of the girls laughs at something another girl says. The laughter softened till it was inaudible as she herself once again disappeared into the house. The boys who were helping shared black hair. One was of Asian origin while the other seemed to hold more typically Greek traits. They accepted the boxes from the other two girls. One high blond the other a ginger. For a moment he was reminded of Miss Lounds.

They all seemed rather young though. Their clothes didn't seem to be of high quality either. He wondered how any of them might have been able to pay for the house. As both of the boys walked through the door of the house the tall girl came out again. She had ash blond hair. The darker kind. Just like the others she was young. Probably about 25 years-old. In fact she seemed to be the youngest of the group. He was studying her posture when suddenly her eyes flicked up to meet his. She smiled at him. Polite then,He decided. He nodded back before leaving towards his car. He had an appointment with his butcher.

Hannibal frowned when he heard the bell ringing. It had been 2 weeks since he had seen the group of five unloading the truck. By now he had figured out that it was the tall girl who had moved into the house and that the rest of them were just friends who had helped her with the unloading and unpacking. He had seen her several times when coming home or leaving for work. The girl seemed to own a rather irregular sleeping pattern. Sometimes the lights in the house across of him continued burning throughout the entire night.

At other times she seemed to rise together with the sun sitting together with what he knew to be a street cat on her front steps. She would feed it some scraps and sometimes if the cat was in a good enough mood it would allow her to pull it into her lap where she would stroke and caress it into sleep. Personally he thought it was a miracle since when he had tried to pick it up to bring it to the shelter it had scratched his whole arm open. He had meant to visit his newest neighbor but whenever he thought he had time something popped up. Most of the time Jack Crawford. He closed his files on the new patient that had his first appointment yesterday. He wondered who it could be. He hadn't invited anyone nor had anyone called. Maybe it was Will he thought as he moved through the foyer to open the door. That thought pleased him. He opened the door,cradling the door knob carefully. It wasn't Will.

His new neighbor smiled up at him. The gold in her hair glowed as the sun rays hit it. He hadn't noticed before because of the distance but the girl was quite beautiful. Full dark pink lips were parted in smile for him. She had a small nose and almond shaped dark green eyes hidden beneath thick lashes. Her hips were broad and the curves in her upper body were while not large also not small. He supposed this was a hourglass figure. It had been a large time since he had seen anyone that fit the bill. But she did. Her stance while lax was also perfect. Her shoulders weren't slouched over like people seemed to be doing more and more lately. Her legs were overstretched though. He knew that some would find it unnatural and even unnerving if they were to look at it but he knew it was simply hyper mobility. Her height which had seemed rather great next to the girls seemed to be in fact only around 5'8" (173 cm). Taller than average but still relatively short compared to his own height of 6'0" (183 cm). In her hands she was holding what seemed to be a box of pralines. He didn't know the brand but he vaguely recognized the language that was written on it as dutch and french. From Belgium then? They were known for high-quality pralines.

"Hello,I hope I'm not disturbing?" He simply shook his head. She smiled at the motion,Her eyes flicking to the side for a moment before focusing on him again. He wondered if she was aware of the motion. "I'm your new neighbor. You might have seen me already. I actually moved in two weeks ago already but I wanted to finish unpacking before I had the chance of accidentally calling the wrath of my new neighbors upon myself. I had my aunt send over some pralines for you. I hope you'll like them." She finished,handing him the chocolates. He noticed that she hadn't mentioned her name. He wondered if it was intentional or if she had simply forgotten. A light barely audible accent had laced her voice."Thank you." He said smiling politely. He eyed the pralines for a moment before looking up again. The girl had her hand in her hair ruffling through it with a grin. "I tried to make a cake and cookies. And I succeeded. But my friends ended up eating them all. They even ate my birthday cake once." The look on her face was an appropriate mix of fondness and annoyance. In a few seconds she schooled it back into a small polite smile.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked feeling friendly. Her careful face fell at his proposal. Immediately he felt the need to assure her. "You don't have to if you don't want to." She smiled at him. It seemed more honest than the carefully maintained smiles that she had sent him earlier. "No,I was just surprised." For a moment she seemed to hesitate before she continued.

"The others that I paid a visit didn't take quite as kindly to me as you." He made an understanding noise with his throat. And truly he did understand. Most of the clothes she wore weren't of very high quality. A white old and too big sweater hung of her frame,skinny jeans wrapped tight around her legs. Her feet were stuffed away in what he recognized to be a pair of worn out doc martens. Not to mention the paint splatters all over the sweater. The only thing that suggested she wasn't poor as dirt was the golden statement necklace hanging around her neck. In a neighborhood were only the rich were able to afford a house it wasn't a surprise that with such appearance most people here would look down on her. For a moment he pondered the possibility of introducing her as his friend the next time. He could already imagine the look on their face as they realized that they had been disrespectful to someone who was a friend of Hannibal Lecter. He stepped aside allowing her entrance to his house. She smiled at him and entered.

Hannibal smiled as the low laughter reached his ear. The girl who's name he now knew was Roxane Nollete ("It's pronounced in the french way. So please don't mispronounce. I always get annoyed when people do.") was surprisingly pleasant company.

When he had told her that he worked as a psychiatrist for a living she had showed great interest. Shortly after she had informed him that she had considered studying psychology but due to complications she had changed her mind and decided to continue with her art. And thus he learned that she was an artist and that the high selling prices were what had made capable of buying the house opposite's of his. She had informed him that the house had a great amount of natural light making it more pleasant to paint in. At that information they had promptly dived into a discussion of art history. They both had been surprised at each others knowledge.

It hadn't escaped his notice however that the emotion she showed on her face were under iron tight control. Not to mention that sometimes she could say things which were slightly unsympathetic. Though that was kind of the kettle calling the pot black. He really didn't have a lot of room to talk about being unsympathetic as the Chesapeake Ripper. After their discussion about art history they had both been surprised to discover it had already passed 6 in the evening. Upon hearing that Roxane was planning on ordering some Chinese Hannibal had insisted she'd stay for dinner. Even if it were just left-overs from the day before.

Lifting the fork held in her hand carefully Roxane tasted the mysterious dish. She hummed in delight around her fork at the explosion on her taste buds. "This is delicious! What is it?"

The man sitting across of the table smiled indulgently at her before answering. "Coq au Vin" Her eyebrows flew up. "Chicken with wine?" He chuckled at her feeling slightly surprised that he wasn't displeased at her reaction. No he wasn't displeased. He was almost amused even. "That and many other ingredients." The girl let out her own chuckle. It was a low hoarse sound but still distinctly female. It was rather pleasant on the ears. Especially in comparison to the grating high giggles most women and girls seemed to own nowadays.

"So,what do you say about starting your own restaurant? I'll come dine every evening. I'll even get you a sponsor if you want..." At his laugh she shook her head. "I'll take that as a no. But really you cook better than the chefs in the 5 star restaurants my clients always drag me to. If it was for your meals I'd gladly go down to hell for the sin of gluttony. I'll even go Tartarus if so needed." Hannibal gifted her with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that your so passionate about my food. Would you like to join me for the next dinner party I'm giving? It'll be next week on Tuesday. What do you say? Then you can taste the dishes I makes as they're meant to be instead of a day after their prime." Roxane's eyes widened slightly. "Really? Aren't you afraid I'll embarrass you?" Hannibal repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I trust you'll dress for the occasion." It wasn't a question. More of a confirmation.

Roxane looked down to her lap. She would like to but she wasn't sure she would be finished by the painting she was starting on tomorrow by then. She tended to get into a trance when painting sometimes leading to days without food and sleep to finish the artwork she was working on. Her friends tried to visit her daily when she was working on a painting because they new about this bad habit of her but sometimes they just didn't have the time. Still the chance that she wasn't finished by then was rather small. It was a rather small painting after all. She looked up, her hair glowing violently in the light because of the movement. "Sure,I would love to." Then she noticed the hour. "Oh dear,look at the time. I need to leave. Thank you so much for the pleasant evening,Dr. Lecter." He nodded and smiled disarmingly "Of course and please I insist. It's Hannibal." Roxane just nodded. The older man showed her out. Just as she passed the door she called out. "Oh, And Hannibal,I'll dress for the occasion." He just laughed. "I trust you will."

When faithful friend of Roxane ,Shui, entered the house of one his best friends he wasn't really surprised to see her lying on the floor next to a finished painting. Probably hadn't been able to make it to the couch. He wasn't surprised really. Slightly annoyed,yes. Surprised,no. After five years of being friends the with girl he had gotten used to her stranger habits. Like working till she literally passed out.

Hooking his arms underneath her armpits he dragged her to the bedroom which Roxane had wisely decided on for the first floor. He couldn't imagine having to drag her up the stairs. Life was hard when your friend who was almost as tall as you tended to pass out a lot,he thought grimly. Maybe he should write a book on that one day, at least he would then get some money out of his continued hard labor. He supposed that thought wasn't very fair.

Roxane regularly gifted them with paintings. Considering the price her works were selling at on the moment they were all paid rather royally. None of them would ever sell them though. They knew that their paintings held just that extra bit of meaning to Roxane when she had gifted them to her friends. That it was a painting she found more personal,special,precious even than all the others she made. With a soft huff he heaved her onto the bed. It was Monday morning. She would probably be recovered by Tuesday morning. She had told him about her dinner invite. She'd make it to the dinner party. That was good. She'd been excited about it. He remembered the moment she'd stumbled into his apartment with that bright look in her eyes she only had when she was excited. The feeling of joy spreading through him that she was looking like she was without care again.

The rejection of most of her new neighbors had left her feeling disappointed. Shui knew that she didn't care a lot for the opinion others had of her but she had a hard time accepting that most people would judge without knowing a person. He had always found it strangely sweet of the girl that she always hoped for the best when it came to other people yet admittedly knew just fine they would just end up disappointing her. He tucked her into the bed before removing her glasses. Brushing her hair to the side to press a kiss on her forehead. Leaving the bedroom he then decided to inspect the new painting she had fabricated.

It was beautiful. It was sweet and light. Joy came down upon him from simply looking at the painting. Yet he felt like he was missing a crucial point of the painting. Two cherubs laughing seemed to be the subject. She had carefully applied the sfumato technique. A technique giving meant to give a more mysterious and misty feeling. It was a lot lighter than her previous work which had involved a skeleton. In the background was a lake. He frowned. Was that...? Yes,yes it was. In the background,unnoticeable unless one was to look closer a what he assumed to be nymph was peaking with her head above the water at the two small angels. Beautiful dark brown heir fell in curls from her head. Shark like teeth were formed into a predatory smile as she closely watched the cherubs. Knowing Roxane as long as he did he knew perfectly well what she was insinuating here. The cherubs were going to be eaten. Ripped from their grace and innocence to feed the foulest of creatures. A creature that preyed on the weak.

The idea reminded him of Red Riding Hood and he wondered if that was how she had come upon on the idea. He shook his head. It didn't matter. He was sure she would talk his ear off explaining how she had come upon the idea and why she had chosen for the colors she had. Roxane was always excited about her art after it was finished. It was one of the rare times she would willingly talk in large amounts. Turning around he decided to prepare a meal for when she would wake up. She would probably be ravenous. He chuckled. Roxane's love for food was something to be feared. As was her love for sleeping. Most found it odd that if she loved to those things so much she would forget to do them while painting. He decided to make chicken soup. Knowing Roxane she would have some chicken lying around since it was her favorite sort of meat. As he started chopping the vegetables he wondered if he should change the character design he had done for the new game.

Roxane looked into the mirror applying the dark red lipstick carefully before smacking her lips together. When she waken up she hadn't been surprised to find one her friends sitting next to her. It was the usual sight she woke up after finishing a painting. It was Shui this time. His silver ear piercing had shone prettily in the natural light coming in from high windows. His leather jacket laid discarded on the chair next to her bed with his combat boots standing underneath it. Hew was wearing black torn jeans with a white wife beater on top of it. He had pushed a bowl of chicken into her hands before she had been able to say anything. Her face had lightened up in delight. Once she had finished it she had prepared herself to ask him a few questions but he had already answered them before she had been able to open her mouth.

"It is Monday morning,you have approximately slept a day. And yes,I like your painting." She had beamed at him and the rest of the morning had been spend with her explaining the painting. But now it was already evening and she was preparing for dinner. Her hair had been pinned up with a pretty gold ornament and she had already inserted her lenses before having put on one of her classier dresses. It was a simple black dress with a wide skirt. Lacy tights and black heels had been added before a simple gold necklace completed the look. She was ready. With a list smile to her reflection she turned on her heels and walked with confidence down the stairs. Shui smiled at her and complimented the way she looked before adding that he was staying over for another night and told her he'd see her later. She chuckled as she crossed the threshold of her house. She carefully checked the street for oncoming cars before crossing the street and walking up to Hannibal's door. Ringing the bell she waited patiently. She stroked the bottle of wine she had bought. It had been rather expansive but she had heard nothing but good stuff about it. So she decided to buy it. What else was one supposed to bring to a dinner party? She looked up when the door opened. Hannibal smiled down at her. She grinned back.

As the girl had promised she had dressed for the occasion. The look suited her. It was a lot better than those over sized rags she had been wearing the last time he had seen her. Yet he had the feeling that those over sized rags might fit her personality more. Made her feel more comfortable in her skin. She handed him a bottle of wine. His eyebrows rose at the brand. Lnych Bages, a fine brand though rather costly. It tasted rather well with red meat if he remembered correctly. He thanked her before inviting her in.

"You're the third to arrive, Roxane. I'm afraid the most of my associates are in habit of arriving at least 5 minutes late." She let out a small laugh. "Really? I'd expected more of your associates good doctor." He chuckled. "I'm sorry to disappoint." She rolled her eyes. "As if you could." She was lead into the dining room where a woman and man were already seated. The woman was a beautiful woman just as the man was a handsome man. The woman had dark curly hair and clear blue eyes. Her outfit was well-put together and Roxane had the feeling that she was more used to dressing in classy clothes. The man however looked more uncomfortable than she had ever felt in her expensive dresses. They both looked up from their conversation as the two of them entered the room. "Alana,Will may I introduce you Roxane Nollete. Roxane May I introduce you Dr. Alana Bloom and Will Graham." The now named couple rose from their seats to over her a handshake. She smiled. "It is nice to meet the two you." nodded with a smile "Likewise Roxane." The man shot her a strained smile.

"Indeed."

Yay,a new story. So I'm totally out of my depth here. I mostly write for anime. And that's only been two stories. This is also my first non-fantasy story and my first OC main story. A lot of firsts,huh? But I needed to get this idea out of my head. It kept bothering me and I couldn't focus on my other story. So please review, I suppose.