The lunch had continued with pleasant conversation ending with Will being called away to a scene leaving Abigail an Hannibal free to dress the doe and package most of the meat away, only keeping out the loins that Hannibal intends to teach her with. "Watch and listen closely Miss Hobbs. We begin by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper, after that we will heat some olive oil to sear both sides of the meat. Now take your portion and do as I just did." The doctor indicates her portion of meat and pan, nodding her head she does as he told her, so far nothing too needing of skill. "Good job Abigail, Once the meat is finished place it on that plate and cover it with the foil tightly to seal in the heat while we make up the sauce." Nodding again she glances over at the pre-measured ingredients next to her then back to the meat, the familiar scent of it filling her nose and making her close her eyes with a smile."Abigail, now I believe is the time to remove the meat from the heat." Hannibal urges and her eyes snap open to see his knowing smirk fade away. "While we cook would you care to discuss with me where you went just now?" The fatherly look of concern on his face masks the glee inside.
"Abigail, in the kitchen I have two aprons, one for myself and one for you. Would you pull them out of the pantry while I bring the meat inside." Abigail happily agrees and goes in, slightly daunted by the kitchen but quickly finding the aprons, loving how hers has the elegance of a 50's style and carrying his to Hannibal but she had given him just enough time to switch the meats, packaging the venison and putting it in the freezer and pulling the substitution that had been defrosting since this morning and has reached the perfect temperature. Platting the non-venison he carries it in, meeting her at the doorway "Ah, you found the aprons, fantastic, if you don't mind holding it for a moment longer so that I may set this down"
Young miss Hobbs shakes her head "No where really, the food just really smells good, I can't wait to smell the finished product" She says as she plates the meat and seals it "good, now add the onions first, once they are soft we will add everything else and allow it to boil. After that has finished we will simmer until the sauce has thickened, usually we would pour it with a spoon over the meat but as we have just eaten we will package the meal away to heat later" Hannibal watches as she adds the ingredients, stirring them together occasionally until the mixture has come to a boil. After she sets it to simmer he smiles and squeezes her shoulder "I have an exceptional nose and do you know what me nose tells me right now Abigail? No? It tells me that you have done perfectly well with this meal, you took care not to overcook a single aspect while also being confident enough to thoroughly cook each aspect. I am proud of you. With this natural talent you will be feeding yourself properly in no time" His smile is just like her father's in that moment, paternal and predatory, a tiger training a cub but she feels no fear, no trace of the panic that struck her down in the shower. Instead she feels home. Checking his watch Hannibal sighs "Alas my little lamb our time together must be cut short, I have to get ready for an appointment. My only appointment of the day." Abigail nods "Okay, I'll go get my stuff." She pauses "Thank you, Dr. Lecter, for treating me so well." The smile she offers him is that of an A student supplying an outstanding report card to a parent and he moves, tugging her against his broad chest. "If you need me, I will be there. And please, call me Hannibal when we are alone, there is no reason for so much formality among friends." He moves away, hands on her shoulders and smiles down at her "Have you ever been to an opera?" When the girl shakes her head he clucks "That will not do, I must see to it that you learn some culture Abigail. Would you like to accompany me sometime soon?" "I would, yes please...Hannibal" that innocent, naive smile again "Very good. I am pleased. Now if you will excuse me, I will be down shortly and we may depart together" he mentions, reminding her that her car is in his garage politely. "My office has a lovely library if you enjoy reading." She nods her thanks and he leaves her to find the way on her own.
Like a child at a museum she has to keep herself from touching the fine drawings of places she had never seen, probably will never see, her face aglow at the intricate detail of each. Eventually she finds his home office and her eyes light up, his lovely library is nearly floor to ceiling, framed pictures take up residence on the shelves alongside books, both old and new, and artifacts seemingly from around the world. Her fingers trace the spine of a thick leather bound book before her eyes go to his thick desk. Sitting in his seat she smiles and takes a deep breath with her eyes closed, the scent of books surrounds her, relaxing her. When she opens her eyes again they are drawn to a roll-a-dex and curiosity nips at her. Looking around Hannibal is no where to be seen so she pulls a pen and a fine sheet of linen paper close to her and flips through whispering names on each address card beginning with G, ignoring most until she is a breath away from Grah and jumping at the sudden voice behind her "You will not find Will's information in there, that would be sloppy of me. Patient information, including contact information is kept separately from those I am acquainted. That is what you are looking for, is it not."
The cannibal's tone is sharp, he is in all essence a parent word-lashing his child. "If you wanted to visit our friend you need just ask, either him or myself, you need not go through the hassle of rummaging through my personal things" her face is downcast, not because she is caught, she doesn't care about getting into trouble, but because she feels as though she has let Hannibal down in a major way, she realizes she has betrayed his trust. When she looks up, she opens her mouth to speak, closing it and reopening it, to him she looks like a fish gasping for water and his body language softens "Abigail, promise me you will not invade my privacy again? Please? And then I will provide you with good Will's home address."
Abigail nods and Hannibal smiles softly, stepping forward he writes the address and folds the paper, handing it to his protege "He keeps a spare key hidden inside of a potted plant, you will see a small, smooth rock sitting in the pot, attached to it is a used pill container and the key is inside." Hannibal smiles at her and she smiles back before going around him to actually retrieve her things then follows him out and into the garage to drive off, watching him follow her and close the garage door behind himself. She lets out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding, like a heavy coat had been lifted off of her, like she had escaped the guillotine somehow but not sure why she feels like that in the first place. Looking down at the paper she unfolds it with one hand and smiles, Hannibal had included a little map, his knowledge of her shining through in the fact that he had not drawn the map from his place to Wills but instead from her modest apartment to Will's realizing that she would want to stop by and pay Will a visit later.
-A.N-
the recipe used in this chapter: www. venisonrecipes cherry-glazed-venison-cutlets. html
I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, it serves a purpose really, if I had continued simply in order to get to where I wanted to end up this would end up a few thousand words with half of that being time filler to account for time that I can ignore or brush past the way that I am doing things. The next chapter is already in progress because of this and I know exactly where it will end up even if I have to beat it into submission. Please enjoy.
Those who are waiting for the lovely Alana and grumpy old Jack, they are powdering their noses and will be along shortly
