[canto uno | video ]

[bonsoiree]

[ A video, clearly the user's first time recording himself with the technology given. Hannibal's face appears on screen, adjusting the angle to one perfectly centered. He takes a step back, all grin. Almost childish, really. ]

Hello. I'm told this is the most suitable means for communication in these parts. I hope you'll forgive me for being a bit new to the concept of filming myself.

[ That aspect of grotesque murder and public display had never appealed to him. It seemed too juvenile, and revealing, even with masks or voice editors.

In this case, he was wearing modest dress clothing compared to his usual choice paisley and ostentatious color schemes and suspicious pocket squares. He crosses his legs at the knee, folding his hands on top, in the expected villainous finger-steeple. ] I have also been advised that this is the quickest means of locating lost loved ones. I would very much like to find those lost ones. Do forgive me for 'spamming' your network. I won't do this often.

[ A brief pause, in which he brushes across a scar on his face, disturbing the otherwise immaculate complexion, with the tip of his index finger. ] I seek a man named Will Graham. He may not be here, but if he is, and you know where he is, I would appreciate any tips. At the very least, alerting him to my presence will be sufficient. I thank you for any assistance in this matter.

[ What used to be the ability to seem professionally distanced from the matter of the man in question had rather crippled with the moonlight consummation of his glorious becoming. After a taxing and emotional affair, Hannibal was left with little time to embrace the difficult to quantify series of emotions it had evoked before he was suddenly...here. ]

Comments

voice; private

[slightlyoffchilt]

[His session with Will was scheduled for today. Was -- the operative word in play. Once Chilton witnessed this however, once he yelped and nearly dropped the communicator, once he spun around in the swivel of his leathered chair and shuddered and quivered and thought about how Raina was right, how she had been so sure that Hannibal Lecter would inevitably return, only then did he consider his options.

Hannibal already knew he was here. He had to have already known that, just as he likely already had tabs on Will. Chilton was not precisely subtle with his presence on the Network, with the attentive exposure that his psychiatric practice yielded. A master manipulator like Hannibal would surely have etched out those parameters already. Then logically it followed: wasn't it worse to pretend otherwise? Wasn't it worse to hide? Wasn't it worse to taunt Lecter with running?

Well. Wasn't it?]

Seeking? Or hunting?

[Chilton, compelled to speak, drew his sharpened tongue.]

Hello, Hannibal.

private voice;

[bonsoiree]

[ A few moments of organizing thoughts before responding.

How delightful. Chilton, able to form all syllables, and clearly not crisped in a life support capsule.

This presented many delightful opportunities. His voice is probably far too cheerful in reply. ] Frederick! What an unexpected pleasure.

Expectantly searching, I think.

permatext

[restingstitchface]

[Will Graham, the lost loved one. Knowing what he knows, it's easy enough to theorize who this polite, modest-seeming man is.]

I believe it is customary to offer a name when making introductions. Yet a name is something humanity slaps on everything to assure itself of it's place in existence, don't you think? Those who know who and what they are don't need names. Names are not always what they seem. "What's in a name?"

[Shakespeare.]

Will Graham is a familiar name to me.

[Don't you lecture him about pretentious quoting, Hannibal. He's just namedropping to see what happens, honestly speaking.]

text;

[bonsoiree]

I'll share mine when you share yours. At least I had the grace to show my face. In a place like this, it seems a name is only a fraction of the whole, and many seem to value certain rights of privacy... Perhaps not all.

In your elusive curiosity, I will reassure you with initiation. The ball is in your court, as they say.

My name is Hannibal Lecter, and Mr. Graham is a former patient, and a friend.

[Reckless or cock-sure? Probably both. Caution would imply he felt at risk or ill-equipped. Since he just came back from near death and walked out of a hospital with inhuman powers, he really isn't worried about an attempt to lure via text messaging.]

video;

[brushoff]

[ ding ding ding, you said the magic words (Will Graham), Dorian is just ZOOMING IN ON THIS. ] I hope you're prepared for an influx of questions asking about how you know Will.

[ because hoo boy is Hannibal gonna get an influx of questions asking about how he knows Will. also, Hannibal might not be ostentatious but Dorian's ostentatious enough for the both of them. He's wearing a dark green shirt that's definitely satin and also definitely not buttoned up all the way. ]

video;

[bonsoiree]

[ As you said before, pretentious vs pretentios. Let the games begin.

He straightens his tie, paisley and probably pastel colored, contrasting and somehow going with his suit coat that probably belongs in the 1970's, and dress shirt that somehow brings the colors together.

On anyone else it would look like someone puked springtime M&M's onto fabric and called it fashion. ] He is a former patient and a dear friend.

[ The petulant How do YOU know Will? is probably implied. Then, off-handedly: ]

I love your shirt. Where did you purchase it?

video;

[flowerette]

[ Raina should probably not engage. Chilton had made it known what a threat Hannibal was. But considering this was the monster from her boyfriend's homeworld, she couldn't help her fascination and curiosity. Besides, it wasn't as though he wouldn't find out about her. She and Chilton didn't hide their very public relationship.

But it was still so surreal to see the man who had haunted her vision, who Chilton had shown her with those memory sharing flowers, who she saw as a hallucination after Crane's fear toxin attack.

And yet, she could swallow all of that fear in favor of presenting a charming smile. ]

I'm sure it'll make Will's day to have a friend from home appear in this world. I can't tell you where he is at the moment, I don't know him altogether too well. But I imagine it won't be long before someone can point you in the right direction.

[ Yes, good. Keep focused on Will and not Chilton. ]

video;

[bonsoiree]

[ If not for browsing certain bits and bops publically about the network, having been very busy since arriving (after almost dying in the hospital here since post cliff dive, healing with new powers, getting the run down and taking a much needed seventeen hour nap, that is), the good doctor would probably have not believed it was possible for Chilton to have an actual relationship with anything other than:

a) his mirror
b) that cat

Also pens which serviced an oral fixation. Always scrutinizing, this one.

Just as he notices the polite approach, despite what his profiling texts and psychology study papers suggested was not a natural smile. He could have sensed the fear for certain if they were in person, rather than video. ]

I certainly hope so. I'm afraid I'm quite new here and mostly out of the loop, but it seems I can expect a very large population of come-heres such as myself. One can hope to find some old friends.

Thank you for the kind words. I must apologize, I seem to have forgotten simple social graces in the form of an introduction. My name is Hannibal Lecter.

[ video ]

[hostage]

[Jesse really shouldn't be surprised that Hannibal Lecter's arrived. They've all been talking about him so much lately, and when you speak of the devil... Well. Poor, poor Will Graham. Jesse's only just started to like the guy, and now he has a feeling he's about to see Will's life go to shit the way his own life has since Walter White's arrival.]

He's around here someplace. I'm sure he'll find you.

permavideo;

[bonsoiree]

[ Hannibal should probably be concerned at all these people with unspoken but implied understanding of, at least, who he was, though he didn't give a name in the video. Mostly unconcerned with anything relating to things a normal person might be cautious and private about, he shrugs it off and files it under, 'curious, do observe'.

He smiles in the friendly way one might a stranger on the street who said you had a cute puppy. Which, actually, is basically accurate. ] I certainly hope so. I don't suppose you happen to know a home address or workplace I might be able to locate him?

video;

[infomodder]

[About twenty minutes after this hits and there is subsequently a rippling wave of panic brought on by the bloodcurdling scream of Abigail Hobbs, Will makes an appearance. He's in plaid, as per usual, parked at a bench in a grassy area. People might wander behind him, the sound of dogs barking isn't difficult to miss, and...

He's gotta make a show of it. Hannibal has demanded one, and he sees that. If Will doesn't publicly show his face, at least at first, he risks others coming in later and offering information, asking if Hannibal's found him already. But rather than show anything negative (disdain, fury) or hide behind a neutral mask (as if he ever could with Hannibal), the Will Graham sitting on this bench greets him with such a brilliant smile.

There is no dent in his forehead, no scar on his cheek. His hair's a little shorter and his face could have used a shave a week prior, but it should be obvious he's not yet at certain points. Hasn't experienced certain things. He's experienced enough, and yet he smiles like he, too, has found a lost love. In a way, he has. He owes Hannibal forgiveness, after all.]

I'm not lost. I'm right here. Hello, Hannibal.

[So pleased, so content, and none of it with an undercurrent of smug. This is a genuinely happy Will Graham, an almost inhumanly happy Will Graham (considering his natural unhappy state more often than not), arm slung over the back of the bench without a care in the world. Hannibal likes his theatrics, Chilton was right on that one. Here and now, the best course of theatrical action Will can give is himself. His slap happy self.]

perma-private-video;

[bonsoiree]

[After responding to what seemed like half the town first, and already asking here and there, somewhat casually, if anyone knew where he could catch Will at work or home (so far to no success, but that could change, though he did not know, with the likes of Crane knowing how to contact him, or maybe someone else who, not necessarily Will's enemy, might be:

a) curious what will happen or
b) really oblivious

Lecter was determined to find someone who fit one of these categories, just in case he had interpreted Will's actions on their moonlight sonata wrong. Because you know, that whole splash could be interpreted a couple different ways.

But when he saw the lack of scar on the video response, however delicately crafted and admirably acted, he was not accustomed to the reality that Mr. Graham was, apparently, and to his masochistic delight, as much of a tricky, selfish s.o.b. as he was so easily dubbed. Though it was possible Will also had a healing power like his own, and the scars, like his, were all gone, it seemed more likely, considering what he was coming to understand about time here, that this was Will from somewhere else in their recent past.

Wondering what the last event was in Will's world, unsure how to approach him considering he knew nothing, and mostly abhorring the fact that he knew nothing, he tried looking him up eighteen different ways before finally replying. It still hadn't taken him ten minutes to get back, though. Much longer would have been incredibly suspicious and rude.

How he wished he could have known, it might have been obvious, and the Will he had crafted had existed to send him a simple, private, "So you're here too... How are we alive?" Or something to that affect. Alas, one must do the best they can with what they are given.]

Hello, Will. It's nice to see you alive, and looking well. I see your face is unharmed. I wonder how that is?

[A polite segue into when are you from and skipping the games which, is where he currently stood, cutting through the bullshit of their interaction, which might surprise this Will, and say obscure things about the direction of their future.]

I am glad. It would have been a shame to ruin such a pretty face.

[Yes, he just said that. Without blinking. Serious as a heart attack.]

video

[khajidont]

[Hannibal may get an awful lot of these responses... Will's fairly well loved, after all.]

You're one of Will's friends from back home, then, uh... [He glances down at the screen, searching for a name.] Mr. Lecter?

video;

[bonsoiree]

[ Blink.
A beat.

Impassive features become a feigned smile, voice trying really hard not to sound condescending and disapproving already... Instead, he tries to sound more like a politely correcting school-teacher. ]

Doctor. Indeed. To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?

text

[kinesia]

[ Someone Will knows from home. Grey feels a rush of excitement at that. Abigail is the only one from Will's world that Grey knows. But he wants to know.

He wants to know what connects this man to his friend. ]

i can tell him for you

how do you know him ?

text;

[bonsoiree]

It seems he has already been made aware.
Thank you for your courteous response, though. I'll be sure to let him know you have his best interests in mind.

I'm a friend and colleague from home. I worked with him on cases with the FBI.

May I ask your name?

video;

[textualhealing]

[Smart guy, well spoken, fashionable if not quite Jeff's choice of clothing. He may well be worth Jeff's time, for now, at least. And here's the man himself, sat at a desk in a minimalist office decked out in one very finely tailored navy suit, and a glass of scotch in hand.]

Looks like you already got your answer several times over. [What's so great about Will anyway?!]

You seriously show up in a new world with super powers and that's the only thing you wanna know?

video;

[bonsoiree]

[Jeff's suit is alright, he supposes mostly because of what appears to be tailoring (sort of challenging to discern without squinting creepily into the video) but the doctor might suggest a more suitable color pallet to the man's complexion. Because he's a snob like that, into things like that, which are supposed to be more feminine or else stereotypically indicative of his narrowly speculated sexuality. (Unless you read the Tattler which you don't, thank goodness. Perhaps he should be co-hosting What Not To Wear rather than a vegan cooking show. In which case, please send Will Graham with absolute expedience.

Meanwhile, in reality, Hannibal smiles as politely as he has for those 'several other people,' suddenly aware that these things are public unless arranged otherwise.]

Is the whole network public, or just the immediate responses? [This will be good to know...for reasons.]

Well, I received the entire run-down from the hospital staff. I am concerned, as any normal person would be, about their family. Good thing I was, it would seem, since some are here.

[Who all is he counting in this? Ask the Tootsie Pop owl. He might know.]

video

[huntergames]

[ They had spoken only once, but it's difficult to forget a name like that (no the particular word it rhymes with does not cross her mind) and the fact he's from Baltimore where Will is from. ]

It looks like Will found you. Aww... you just missed dinner at his house, too.

video;

[bonsoiree]

How unfortunate indeed. I'll be sure to let him know how considerate his choice of friends are. Thank you for your response, in any case, Miss...?

video;

[fistofthejoestar]

[it's been so many months since the strange events that had led to his and Will's first conversation, but Jonathan remembers it as clearly as ever - most importantly, his offer to help in whatever capacity he could.

how sad that it seemed the time for something more than understanding company had finally arrived.]

Ah, it looks like Will's already found you himself.

[and the man's worryingly cheerful about it too, judging from the response, but there's really nothing to be done about it. Jonathan knows that there are few pairs who have the emotional honesty he and Dio share now, even between those who've accidentally been dragged so far into darkness.]

If there's anything else you need assistance with, I'd be happy to do what I can; the arrival here can be quite overwhelming, even with familiar faces about. I'd offer some advice on the video function but I still can't say I've really mastered it myself.

[and for all that Jonathan knows about Hannibal (a monster, or as Will had termed him, an intelligent serial killer) the response he gives here is completely sincere. he's not naive enough to trust, but there's no need to be unpleasant about things even with justice sitting in the back of his mind. Hannibal could be dealt with, but he would still be residing in this world regardless of what he does - and Jonathan is far too familiar with living alongside monsters.]

video;

[bonsoiree]

So he did.

[He nods in appreciation for the offer. It doesn't harm his ego to admit he has a lot to learn, upon waking up and discovering that he was still here, and this was real. Even if he had died, wherever he'd woken up, this was his new reality, and he had to go about it the same he would back home. Perhaps with the opportunity to learn lessons from a mistake or forty-seven.]

I'm sure I have much to learn about the public communication here, as well as how to do so and maintain a modicum of privacy.

[It would bother him, no doubt, to know how many people knew about him before he arrived here. And by know, we mean his dirty little secrets.]

I appreciate the offer. I might take you up on that in the future. [Just the briefest of pauses, before he enquires, in a way that seems as casual as it is not, really:]

How is it you know Will?

[Video]

[crapbearer]

[ Max has no horse in this race. He doesn't know Will Graham, he doesn't know Hannibal, he doesn't know any of their acquaintances -- but Hannibal is new, and he deserves to know: ]

Hi, welcome, yadda yadda I'm sure you've got the welcome wagon coming in to greet you and -- look, it doesn't look like anyone's told you this yet, but be careful around the toilets because they're attacking people right now.

video;

[bonsoiree]

That sounds unsettling. Thank you for the warning. I'm not sure if this applies to every toilet, but I'll be sure to stay alert.

[Somehow he managed to sound entirely sincere, his face doesn't even give away his skepticism. Now he almost has to check this out for himself.]

[ video ]

[enucleation]

I'll be one of those who will ask how do you know Will. [ aside from being from the same world, of course ]

However, if there is anyone else you wish to check if they are here, there is a list of current imPorts in this place.

video;

[bonsoiree]

Wonderful. Do you know where I might find this list?

[Valuable information. How useful most people were turning out to be thusfar.]

He is a friend and former patient. We also share a period of work history in which we were prisoner to the will of the FBI.

[That is both literal and metaphorical, but he'll let that remain unspecific.]

video;

[angelfire]

[ Lucifer has no intention of hiding his interest in Hannibal Lecter, and once his name has been revealed, by Will himself in fact, then it's really too late. Hannibal Lecter; Chilton's dark shadow, Baltimore's looming threat. Lucifer had heard whispers in the dark, but it was the souls of those that wandered into his presence that gave away their demons. The name itself? The name was a new reveal to him, but he knew that the darkness was there, saw it in the corners, in the way Chilton - and the girl, Abigail - had bent toward him like a flower craving sunlight.

He should really chase her up.

But not right now. Right now his full attention was set on Baltimore's newest exile, because he knew - he knew - that the flowers were turning, and it changed the whole state of the game. A rapport with Hannibal was crucial. ]

You don't know me. Perhaps in your heart you do, but forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself--I know something of you, and I must say that it's a pleasure to meet someone so widely respected by his friends and peers. I had so dearly hoped that I would get that chance.

So now I suppose, I speak of myself. My name is Lucifer, and no, it isn't a wicked trick played on me by my parents, before you wonder. It's already strange enough that you've been lifted from your world, how much more is it to ask that you believe in angels, I wonder? But I think you have an open enough mind to consider the possibility, at least.

So then: the pleasure is mine, Hannibal.

private video;

[bonsoiree]

[After some deliberation before responding, Hannibal elects to go through with it, switching the video to private first, now that he knows both how and that doing so is probably wise, more often than not. particularly with someone calling himself Lucifer, whether or not he actually was. This remained to be seen. Hannibal's choice to reply and to do so without public scrutiny is enough to at least suggest that he respects the possibility enough to do so, which probably also implies that he believes the religion in itself is a reality.

Lucifer. Was that actually possible? If Dorian Grey were here, persons previously thought to be fictional and written into text -- regardless of they were actually real or not -- could obviously arrive. That in itself meant this was possible. What beckoned further thought was if this was the actual complete Devil. One based on previously unprovable religious truth, rather than merely a character in Milton or Dante. How absolutely fascinating.

Why would he ever decline association? Best to proceed as if wholly unbothered by the name, and all it entailed. Best to be polite and engaging, much as many seemed to try with himself. The difference was, there was not fear, only very sincere curiosity.] Whether we choose to believe does not change the reality of our world. Even if you were simply a hallucination brought on by psychosis, you would still be a part of my personal reality.

It would seem in a place like this, anything is possible. That said, it just so happens that I do believe in angels, at least, in the way a curator admires the objects of art on display. Previously, the idea of the divine was a simple mural of spiritual magnificence to be pondered, never for one to expect to encounter in personal experience.

I had previously thought such grace was not for the likes of men. [But he did think they were real, and watching. He hoped they could see the art he made for them. He hoped God was appalled at the blasphemous ruin of his creation and mockery of divine creation. He had mused, if there was a Devil, if he had found it all very amusing.]

( video. )

[cupio]

Have you tried using a dog whistle? He has like eight thousand dogs, that would totally be a way to find him.

[ Will is great but Clary just considers him dad to Abigail and Grey. Dads are a strange breed to her. ]

video;

[bonsoiree]

[OMG Is that actual, authentic laughing?

His eyes seem to say so. But then, they've been known to tell many lies.]

That really is an excellent idea. Why didn't I think of that?

video;

[cleptes]

[ Someone was going to let it slip that Will was here and Bela was not going to be that someone. While they were acquainted, she wasn't going to meddle in his affairs - unless of course it would have a direct impact upon her. After all, Bela did have a strong sense of self-preservation. ]

Hello.

[ Her tone is pleasant and she's smiling. He'll be able to hear a distinct English accent, one that has never left Bela even with her living in America for the past few years. ]

The network is perhaps the most efficient way of reaching a large amount of people at the same time. Although I do prefer a face to face conversation whenever possible.

[ She felt that was one of the ways to get a solid read on a person. Unless they were excellent at hiding their true selves. ]

When did you arrive?

video;

[bonsoiree]

[ Fortunately, Will dragged himself out of his own dogpile to upload a briefly public video, so certainly, no one is going to blame Bela.

Self preservation is, on the other hand, a usually admirable quality. Provided it doesn't involve rudely trying to pull one over on Dr. Lecter. Time will tell. He will, in the meantime, admire the beauty and taste of the woman in the video, who, for now, he has no idea has any actual reason to be contacting him besides polite curiosity.

He returns the greeting with an amiable nod. ] Hello. So it is, from what I can tell. Albeit, a bit less private than is to be desired. But that, like most things, is easily remedied. As you say, I prefer face-to-face myself, but having only been here a day, I haven't had much time to assess my surroundings yet. Suffice to say, they are rather unfamiliar.

video

[foreshadower]

Have you found everyone you've been looking for?

I assume you've just arrived? Have your friends assisted you in adjusting?

video;

[bonsoiree]

I do seem to have, thank you for your concern.

I have been here about a day, now. Perhaps two. I seem to have somewhat lost track of time after a very long rest. I am certain I will adjust, in due time.

voice; private

[kingpawn]

[ Will wanted to unearth Walt's secret, huh? Well. What beautiful timing Hannibal's arrival was, and oh how Walt will do whatever he can to steer those two lovebirds toward one another. ]

I imagine you've found him by now. And I imagine you two have a great deal of things to talk about. I mean, he did just celebrate his one year anniversary in this world not too long ago.

[ So go forth, Hannibal. Dig up that dirt from your year apart. Walt rather likes April, though. So he's not about to throw out her name. That's up to Will to either disclose through confession or carelessness. ]

video

[enustari]

[Elsa doesn't normally pay much attention to first posts, formulaic as they tend to be ('how can shit like this happen,' 'who's responsible for this,' 'has anyone seen my friend/teammate/lover/dog')—though, truth be told, it's only slightly less attention than she gives to the network as a whole. It isn't really her thing. Unless she's seeking specific information, she tends to just click on posts for background noise, skipping past the really boring ones and anything text-only, and almost never replies.

In this case, it's the name 'Will Graham' that catches her attention enough to look up at the communicator and watch the rest of the video. Replay for context. Lost loved one, hm? From the responses it's clear he's got his answer and she almost clicks away, but- but that name. It's familiar. She's heard it before and not from Will. Can't remember why just now, but she has an inkling it was something nasty. And that means she's interested.

In her own video, she's seated on the floor of a sparsely furnished living room, dressed casually in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Her voice is rough, smoky. Maybe a little old for the face it's paired with.]

Seems like everyone's a friend of Will's.

video;

[bonsoiree]

[ Another smile and polite nod, with no indication of growing strained from excessive use.

He will, until given reason otherwise, reply to everyone. Who could say what inhabitants would turn out to be useful in the long run. Best not to start off on the wrong foot by rudely ignoring polite attempts to establish contact and, in many cases so far, offer a simple welcome. ]

Is that so hard to believe? Will is a rather empathetic individual. [ ~ U N D E R S T A T E M E N T ~ ]

That should make him easy to relate to, in most cases.

NOT HERE, because everyone ever told him not to touch this with a ten foot pole

[shuckit]

[ but he's watching u ]

that is the best gif i have ever seen in my life

[bonsoiree]