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Fandom Counseling, Friday

It was a lovely day out, so in between patients, Hannibal kept his door open. Which of course meant the flamingo kept trying to edge his way in. Today that was being countered by Beethoven, who midway through the morning had gotten up and sat upon him like a giant pillow, curled up and enjoying the sun.

That left Hannibal to entertain Joni, so he was throwing a small glittery ball for her. And wondering if there were the slightest possibility she might tire out before his arm did. He wasn't betting on it.

Fandom Counseling was open!

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The thought had started to germinate in Astrid's brain, appropriately, around Wednesday, when she was at the flower shop, and after several more sleepless (or practically sleepness) nights of loneliness with only the sound of her own breath to keep her company, the idea had begun to sprout. And maybe, just maybe, it might do some good to see if it was worth cultivating and letting it grow, or if she should just prune it down before it even had much of a chance.

At this point, though, after nearly a week, if all it did was help her sleep better at night, well, then that would be worth it.

So it wasn't a flamingo gracing the open door this time, but a tall and weary young woman, who still knocked on the doorframe and only poked her blonde head in as she called out, "Dr. Lecter? Are you in?"

Hannibal tossed the ball one last time for Joni as he looked up. "Astrid." He waved her in. "Welcome. What can I do for you?"

Astrid stepped in, though she stayed close to the door, latching onto the distraction of watching the cat go chasing after the ball for a moment to put off actually saying what she'd come here for. But another wave of exhaustion hit her, reminded her how heavy her eyelids, her whole body, her soul had been for nearly a whole week straight, and when she looked back at Hannibal, it was with a certain determination as her reluctance fell away.

"You do counceling here," she said; it wasn't really a question, "right?"

Edited 2021-10-01 15:57 (UTC)

"I do," Hannibal said. "Not that many are brave enough to admit it can be useful."

He smiled. "Please have a seat. Can I get you tea or coffee or water?"

The conversation has been nice last week, as had the tea, and getting out of the apartment would be a good thing, especially since it would stop Seivarden from opening the last arrack bottle she had. The hangover from this morning was gone, admittedly with some help from the useless Earth painkillers.

All this had nothing to do with Seivarden's friend and Breq substitute having had announced that she was leaving the island. Obviously.

She knocked on the door.

Astrid drew in a little bit of a breath at the invitation, which she had been looking for, which she had been going for, a breath to consider the fact that she could still change her mind, the door was still behind her, but then she let it out, considered what waited for her on the other side of that door, and moved forward.

"Tea would be nice," she said. "Or just water, actually. No..." She bit her lip slightly as she settled in the chair. "What kind of tea?"

Hannibal looked up and smiled. "Seivarden. Please come in." He stood and went to get his gloves and tea. "Which tea would you like today?"

"I have black tea, green tea, lapsang souchong, and two herbal ones - one that is predominantly chamomile, and one that is fruity," Hannibal answered.

He nodded at the entrance. "We can close the door if you prefer, or we can leave it open. I also have rum to bribe the squirrels with."

Astrid glanced back toward the door for a moment again, and shrugged when she turned back. "It's fine," she said. "The door, anyway. The...rum is a good idea, though."

There had been a reason, after all, she'd considered trying to come by yesterday when she herself had access to the squirrel notes, but...

She gave a miniscule wry smile. "For the squirrels," she specified. "I'll stick with water, I think."

The lapsang souchong was tempting, though. How long had it been since she'd had it? She remembered not liking it very much, but tastes changed, she'd been so young, and her mother...

No, definitely just water. She nodded a little. "Thanks."

Hannibal nodded and went over to the sidebar to get her an ice water. He passed it to her and put down a coaster on the table as he went to bribe the squirrels.

He returned and sat in a chair in the main area instead of behind his desk. "What can I do for you, then?"

Astrid took the water, and she settled back in the chair for a moment, holding it in her hands before taking a sip and staring into it. She'd asked herself more than a few times, about where she was going to begin with all of this, and she thought she knew, but now, confronted with the moment, they all seemed to have fled her mind, like a flock of birds scattering from a tree after a gunshot.

She set the water down when her hand started to get too cold, tracing a line in the condensation on the glass.

"I think," she started, eyes flicking back up to Hannibal, "I need someone to talk to. About....my mother."

It's always about the mother. And Astrid supposed, depending on what kind of counselor Dr. Lecter really was, she was probably about to give hi a field day.

That effort to make her feel comfortable again, that made her relax a little.

"Hannibal. I hope I'm not interrupting." She guessed that wasn't the case, since she had been invited to tea.

Like a Radchaai would.

"Should we try the black today?" she suggested, closing the door behind her.

Hannibal smiled. "A traditional beginning, but often an important one. Would you like me to ask questions, or begin in your own time?"

"If you were interrupting, I would tell you so," Hannibal said. "Black tea it is. Keemun today," he explained as he went to fix it, "a Chinese varietal with a more floral aroma and wooden notes, less bitter than some of the stronger ones."

"I've tried a few Keemun teas," Seivarden said. "They have always been good. They remind me a bit of the teas from a planet in a system where I sometimes spent time growing up."

She sat down in one of the chairs.

"Have I ever mentioned that we have planets terraformed for growing teas?"

Hannibal chuckled. "I don't believe so, but I'm not surprised. Are there particular varieties that are more in demand?"

"What's popular varies," Seivarden said, "Both over time and depending on where you are."

She smiled a little. "The Radch is big. And I think even if it's falling apart, the importance of tea will remain."

As would being able to have a conversation about it.

"Do you have a favourite yourself?"

"It depends upon my mood," Hannibal said. "And naturally if I'm eating, the pairing is important. I'm more likely to drink lighter teas in the summer and the more full-bodied in the winter. You?"

Seivarden paused. "Daughter of Fishes tastes like home. Not that I drink it regularly, it's more of a tea for special occasions, but it brings back good memories."

She laughed softly. "Which reminds me of how my friend Ekalu was very upset when I made fun of the cheap brick tea that reminded her of her home."

There were several other things that had upset Ekalu, but they had nothing to do with tea.

"I enjoyed yours," Hannibal said. "Even without the benefit of nostalgia. I'm guessing the brick tea is pressed into cakes rather than loose leaf?"

Edited 2021-10-02 20:21 (UTC)

"Yes," Seivarden said. "It is. Easier to store and transport, but it's terrible."

The first time she had had to try it was after waking up in the escape pod on a remote station with nothing and no one to help her.

"Now I'm trying to decide whether it's worse than teabags."

Astrid looked as though she was going to say something, but then she thought about it a little bit, and tilted her head as she reconsidered.

"I sort of had an idea of what I was going to say," she admitted. "I've...thought about this...a lot this week, but...now I'm just kind of curious about what questions you would ask..."

Hannibal laughed. "Best of the bad lot? Having not tried the brick tea, I will abstain from judging between the two. Unless they use additives to cake it better?"

"I would start with general inquiries," Hannibal said. "Was there something specific that brought you here now? What is your current relationship with her like? What was she like growing up? From there, I would listen and ask more pertinent questions related to your answers."

Astrid nodded a little, reaching for her glass of water for another long gulp while she thought about answers.

"The reason I'm here now," she decided, setting the glass down again and settling her hands in her lap, "is kind of the reason I'm here at Fandom at all, even."

She knew she was being a little cryptic. She knew that defeated the point. So she paused, and tried again, shifting a little where she sat.

"So, you probably know, last week was parent's weekend..."

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Fandom Counseling, Friday

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