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T42 - Thursday 6am-6pm

Hernando was yawning when he headed into the store. Sparkle had apparently enjoyed an evening of fireball whiskey and glittery drinks and god only knew what else, which meant Hernando got to enjoy show tunes until the wee small hours.

That wasn't sarcasm. Nor was it a euphemism. He was just a bit tired this morning.

The store was doing a display of Titian's works, pride of place going to 'Man with a Glove'. He frowned at the wall for a moment, tracing a finger along the frame of that portrait. "What are you trying to tell me?" he murmured. The wall, of course, did not answer.

Chalkboard Babies had arranged themselves by the pastries and were hopping for attention. Hernando smiled at them and congratulated them on their spelling. Today's offerings were a fruit and custard pavlova, cream scones, blackberry Earl Grey pocket pies, lemon chamomile shortbead cut into little bunny shapes, strawberry matcha roll cake, chocolate and pistachio whoopie pies, peach panna cotta, and of course a selection of cupcakes.

The Specials board rattled. Hernando went to put it outside.

SPECIALSWhite chocolate chestnut roasted mate
Clementine clove ceylon
Violet-infused gyokuro

"Aren't we being fancy today," Hernando murmured, amused, as he turned the 'OPEN' sign on.

[T42 is Open!]

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Where there was fancy food and good company, there would be Hannibal. He stopped by during a break from his office hours, nodded at the specials board, and came in.

"Good afternoon, Hernando. How are you this week?"

"Good afternoon, Dr. Lecter. I'm well. A little tired, perhaps, but well. How are you today?" Hernando smiled. "Would you like some tea? A pastry, perhaps?"

"I'm also well, thank you. I believe I'll try the violet-infused gyokuro today." He looked over the pastries. "And perhaps a slice of the strawberry matcha cake to take home with me."

Hernando brewed him the requested cup and put a slice of the cake into a small white take-out box. Both were passed over the counter to Hannibal. "And your husband? He is also well?"

"He is," Hannibal answered with a nod. Well, he was as well as Jono in his own New York could be. "I believe he's heading to a horror movie with a friend today when they're done teaching." He paid for the tea and cake and then tapped the box. "I'll have this for him when he gets home.

"How are your plans for Toronto progressing?"

"That is good to hear." He was not going to ask how the man with no mouth ate cake, in part because he wasn't certain Jono didn't have a mouth at the moment and also because this was his husband, Hernando was certain they'd figured something out. He made change for Hannibal and handed it back.

"Toronto is going well. I was there last weekend getting settled and had my first lecture on Monday. I'll be heading back tomorrow for an evening lecture and staying through the weekend again. It's quite a lovely city and the housing they've assigned us is in a nice neighborhood. Sparkle seemed quite pleased with it, anyhow. I think the accommodations, at least, will please him even if the reason for being back there will be.. far less than pleasing," Hernando said quietly. "I brought him back enough Canadian junk food to last him through the week. He's happy to have Coffee Crisps from actual Canada again."

It was a small and silly thing but.. it was a small and silly thing. And not, for instance, Hernando commenting on how he'd like to light Lewis Chance on fire.

Hannibal put his change away and picked up his tea as he listened. He shook his head. "Sparkle and his junk food." Neither he nor Hernando would likely cure him of it, alas.

Hernando shrugged, "It is a harmless enough vice and it brings him joy. I greatly prefer it to the alcohol." Which Sparkle was hitting a bit harder than usual but not to the point of worry yet. "I have resigned myself to having Kraft Dinner with tiny cocktail hotdogs in it for dinner at least once a week for the foreseeable future." It wasn't all that onerous a task.

Hannibal smiled. "Perhaps I'll have to invite you both for a weekly dinner to counteract the taste, then. It's good it brings him joy, but I am convinced that part of that joy is knowing he can subject you to it and you care for him enough to allow it."

When they'd been in Toronto, Sparkle had insisted on vegan food for days; Hannibal had cheerfully gone along with it, delighted in the rebellion.

Hernando smiled and shrugged with his hands, "Quite probably but if the payoff is Sparkle knowing he is loved and cared for, I would eat whatever trash food he wanted me to eat every day for the rest of my life." He laughed quietly, "Though it would also mean he had to wake up when I do to come run with me so I could work off all of the weight I would gain. I do not have his hummingbird metabolism."

"Or perhaps we could continue to help him associate well-cooked food with comfort as well," Hannibal suggested, smiling wryly. "I really should have you both over for dinner; it's a dreadful oversight for it not to have happened yet."

"The summer was terrible," Hernando said, giving it a pass. "I am currently staying in Toronto Friday through Monday but any other evening of the week would be nice. I'll ask Sparkle about it tonight and see what he thinks. Unless you wanted to approach him yourself?"

He might have views on his boyfriend having dinner with his cannibal dad. It's a good thing Hernando didn't know about that. 'Have you both over for dinner' would have such a double meaning.

Hey, he'd put that "over" in there deliberately! Mostly because Sparkle would give him a dirty look for the pun if he didn't, admittedly, but still!

Hannibal shook his head. "By all means, discuss it between yourselves and find a time that will work. He knows, I hope, that he is always welcome; this is an invitation for the two of you together."

Hernando smiled and inclined his head politely. Chuckled a little. "He is so unused to having people, I almost want to plan something that would have us all there at once. Just so he could see it, you know? I don't think he truly realises." Tilted his head for a moment. "Halloween, perhaps. Hm."

Definitely a thought. Sparkle didn't acknowledge his birthday and had a mistrust and bitterness toward 'family' holidays. "Though perhaps for no reason at all would be a better option."

"I'm not opposed to a Halloween party, but I think for those purposes, something that Sparkle cannot pass off as being for any reason but supporting him would be better."

He sipped his tea and thought about it. "Who else would you invite? Atton," Atton didn't care for him, but for Sparkle, he would probably come, "Jack, Kaidan, Leto?"

"Yes, that is probably true," Hernando agreed, "Hm. Peter, the little girl who works in his shop, the friend he does karaoke with, possibly Kanan since they do radio together. Those are the only friends I know of." He tapped his chin for a moment, "I can try to get other names out of him. He keeps things compartmentalized. I do not believe on purpose, simply that he can't seem to grasp that he has more than one person in his life at any given time."

Hannibal nodded. "That is precisely it. "Peter, then; Alluka if she's still about; Kanan. By karaoke friend, you mean Karina? Also Minako would want to be a part of it."

He thought for a moment. "I wonder if Raine would want to join us. Or Carla. To have them show up would be both a blessing and a stress, I think."

Hernando spread his palms, "I am uncertain of the name of the karaoke friend. If I ever heard it, I forgot it." He paused for a long minute at the Canadian names. "Raine, if he has spoken to her, yes. Carla.. I think no; not yet. I am not sure he has made it to the 'talk to Raine' stage yet."

Knew for fact Sparkle had not written to Carla yet, but wasn't saying that.

Hannibal nodded. "We can but ask. If the answer is no, he need not be aware of it.

"I asked him once if he thought it would help that I write to Carla on his behalf, as both a friend and a medical professional. Perhaps I should ask again."

Hernando paused, "You do not mean to ask them without letting him know first?" That would be bad. Epic bad. Especially if the answer were no.

"You might wish to ask him about this again, the letter," he agreed slowly, "I do not think he would want her to receive your letter before his own, however. You know how he is about fighting his own battles and this one, Carla, is very important to him."

"If he doesn't know we've asked, then he won't know unless they say yes," Hannibal pointed out. "But I'm not convinced it's a good idea either way."

He shook his head. "I would ask about the letter, yes. The plan was to write it with him, so that she could hear from another what he needs her to be aware of. I will ask again. If we do that, perhaps the rest will become clearer."

"But when he found out - and he would find out - he would consider it a betrayal," Hernando pointed out gently, "It takes away his agency in a manner that affects his family. He does not react well to that at all because it hurts him so very badly. Even if the intentions are nothing but well meant."

He exhaled a slow breath, "I believe he might appreciate you reminding him of the offer to write the letter to her, though. I won't speak for him but, I believe so, yes."

Hannibal was good at not letting people find things out, but other people were always a variable, so he shrugged and let that go.

"I will have to do that." He nodded. "I have been meaning to, and at this time, it might be exceptionally important."

Hernando nodded. After a moment, he ran his fingers over the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up. "I keep hoping that some part of her is still open to believing in him. That she will take the time and opportunity to get to know him. He's a good man. She deserves to know that, to not have her last memory of Sparkle be the story in the paper." Quieter, "He deserves for her to know that also."

"He does," Hannibal agreed. "He also needs to know that there are those of us who stand with him regardless, but that family connection is important to him. Unfortunately, I've never met the young woman, so I can't speak as to the possibility."

"That particular one, yes," Hernando agreed quietly. After a moment, he asked - because it seemed a thing Hannibal might know - "Did you ever look up his parents? Sparkle... very much does not wish to know, but I admit I am curious what became of them. I'm more than a little worried that bastard's lawyers will subpoena them." His jaw tightened at the thought. Remembering Sparkle's fear, hearing the echo of his scream that they were dead to him.

"I did not," Hannibal answered. "Sparkle has never wanted anybody to know, and it hasn't been important enough for me to go against his wishes. If his lawyer feels it is necessary, then we will find out. Otherwise, I have no interest in them."

He might have been interested for the sake of revenge, but Sparkle didn't want that, so Hannibal's interest ended there.

"He very much does not," Hernando acknowledged, "It hadn't occurred to him that it might be a possibility. It may have only occurred to me because I am following the dark path into 'what is the most awful thing this bastard could do? what would he do to hurt Sparkle the most?' I don't know if he would or if his lawyer would think of this. I don't know how clever this man is or to what extent his hubris and malice extend."

"His hubris extends quite far," Hannibal said. "His malice likely will not until we begin; at the moment, I doubt he thinks any further on any of his former victims. Fortunately, however, he is not incredibly clever. Sparkle's lawyer is; I doubt he'll have a problem in disallowing any testimony from former family." he waved dismissively.

"His lawyer could, however, seek to have them in the courtroom simply in an attempt to rattle Sparkle. Fortunately, his friends there will be the perfect antidote."

"Mm, and then we will need someone to hold me back because I've several things I would like to say to that man as well," Hernando said flatly. "I'm not sure anyone seated with us would do anything but get in a line for that, though."

"You might have to fight for a place in the line, or for whatever's left of him after," Hannibal said, mildly amused.

Even aside from him, Atton and Jack would be in that line.

Jack would be fighting with Atton for first place in that line on the grounds that he might have dibs but she might leave the asshole alive whereas Atton wasn't gonna.

"Which is, unfortunately, another thing Sparkle should not be witness to," Hernando said, still a little flat. He forced himself to smile, "For all he can be a vicious little viper on behalf of anyone else, he really is a very gentle man."

"He also often believes he isn't worthy of it," Hannibal said. "Fortunately, we know better. But yes, it is only on behalf of his nature that the man remains alive."

He was already running through his head ways of making sure the man knew that. He hadn't found one yet that didn't involve more trauma to Sparkle, but he hadn't given up.

"We know better and we are unwilling to allow him to continue to believe he isn't worthy," Hernando agreed, "It helps. It is going to be a long fight with the shadows in his head and one I'm not certain will ever truly be finished, but every day he is a little better. He's changed so much in this last year alone. I'm very proud of him. Not that he needs my approval, but.. I am very proud of him."

"He has steadily improved over the last six years," Hannibal said. "I think that this may cause him further doubts, but with a positive outcome, it shouldn't set him back unduly. And I have no doubt we will have a positive outcome."

One way or another.

"I hope so," Hernando said, "You've said his lawyers are the best but there are so many other factors. I'm concentrating on a positive outcome because the alternative is.. frankly, unthinkable."

"Keep doing that," Hannibal advised him. "A little positive thinking never hurt."

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T42 - Thursday 6am-6pm

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