#╰ ˟ ⊰ ––––––– ✧ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒'𝚖 𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 ⧽ ( verse )

[ofnocturncs]

┃  HANNIBAL  LECTER  :  '  who  did  this  to  you  ?  '  ┃

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     LIES  SIT  ON  THE  TIP  OF  HER  TONGUE.  they  do  not  make  it  any  farther ;   she  swallows  them  whole  &&  leaves  no  evidence  of  their  near - existence.  there  is  no  point  in  lying,  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time  &&  energy  that  aveira  feels  she  does  not  have  to  spare.  instead,  feeling  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  wound,  she  offers  the  man  a  shrug  so  nonchalant  it  almost  seems  forced   &&  truth  be  told,  it  partially  is. ❛      a  man          ━━          a  stranger. ❜     it  is  a  simple  answer  she  does  not  feel  the  desire  to  expand  upon.  soft  fingertips  graze  over  the  torn  skin  at  her  temple  &&  she  flinches  at  her  own  touch.  a  sharp,  displeasing  ache  remains  even  after  she  drops  her  hand.  in  this  moment,  aveira  feels  like  broken  glass  &&  ash ;  she  is  chilled   &&  dazed.

                        ❛ i've  taken  care  of  it.  there  is  no  need  to  dwell. ❜    

@consumare

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     ❛ the idea of good reason is subjective. ❜       the quirk of a brow, teasing smile at her lips.     ❛ i am grateful. for everything you have done and will ever do for me, you know this already. ❜      

hannibal has to smile at that. ' perhaps. but seeing you in distress certainly gave me a good reason to do it, ' she's right, but he doesn't say so. ' regardless, the problem is taken care of. you should be grateful, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     ❛ thank you, ❜      a half - mumble. she is appreciative, but too vain to show it.     ❛ though, i hardly believe i should be thanking you for something you most likely would have done regardless. ❜      

' i saved you the trouble of giving them any more of your energy or emotion. they weren't worth it. nor were they worth our time, ' he pauses. ' you're welcome, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     ❛ you deprived me of the pleasure of watching, i'm saddened by that fact alone. ❜      

' they made you cry, so... i killed them, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     SHE  PLAYS  PRETEND.  a  contemplative  hum  leaves  her  as  she  feigns  consideration.  then,  there's a  smile  as  bright  as  a  summer  day.     ❛ i  suppose  that's  a  good  enough  reason. ❜      how  terribly  strange  it  is  to  hear  a  man  say  he’s  killed  for  her.  what’s  stranger  is  that  she  accepts  it.  not  a  question  asked ;  only  frustration  at  the  fact  she  was  not  there  to  witness  the  act.     ❛ that’s  terribly  narcissistic  of  you,  doctor. ❜      rarely  ever  does  she  call  him  by  his  name.  it  feels  like a  strange  disrespect  to  do  so.     ❛ your  way  of  taking  care  of  me  is  incredibly  unconventional.  it  surpasses  the  threshold  of  what  could  be  considered  normal  and  what  could  not. ❜      a  brief  pause,  head  tilting  to  the  side  as  her  eyes  wash  over  him.     ❛ before  you  scold  me          ━━          i  am  not  complaining,  i’m  merely  making  an  observation. ❜      

' seeing you hurt is as good a reason as any, in my mind, ' whether that was a good enough reason for her, didn't matter. because it had already been done. small grin reflects hers. ' i do. however, hearing it does elicit some sort of joy within me, ' whatever sort of a joy a man like him can feel. ' taking care of you has been my pleasure, aveira. i don't intend to stop, any time soon, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     IT  FELT  GOOD  TO  BE  THE  ONE  HURTING,  INSTEAD  OF  BEING  HURT.  words  she  does  not  say.  a  mere,  fleeting  thought. unspoken truth.  taken  advantage  of  so  many  times          ━━          aveira  is  TIRED.  perhaps  this  was  what  she  needed  in  order  to  finally realize  that enough  is  enough.  a  flame  has  been  ignited  in  her  chest.  it  is  bitter  &&  hungry.  fear  &&  pain  turned  into  a  primal  rage. there is  wonderment  ;  curiosity          ━━          will  this  feeling,  this  burning  that  reaches  her  core  last  forever ?  it  is  a  dark,  unfamiliar  feeling  she  is  not  entirely  sure  she  welcomes.  it's  best  to  bury  it  deep  &&  pray  it  never  comes  to  light. ❛      i  survived,  but  what  if  i  hadn't ? ❜ a  question  she  does  not  want  the  answer  to.  aveira  had  told  him  there  was  no  need  to  dwell,  but  the  shock  had  begun  to  subside  &&  all  the  'what-ifs'  plagued  her.  even  though  he  says  she  is  no  burden,  she  cannot  help  but  feel  it.  arguing  with  the  man  would  get  her  nowhere.  the  matter  is  dropped  with  a  roll  of  her  eyes  &&  a  sheepish  smile.  aveira  sits  as  still  as  she  can,  the  gauze  being  placed  over  her  wound.  by  this  point  the  pain  has  been  reduced  to  a  manageable  level.  with  her  mind  on  other  things,  it  is  nothing  more  than  dull  ache. ❛      bravery  is  one  word  for  it, ❜ she  counters,  a  somber ��look  on  her  face. ❛      i  was  scared  at  first  and  then  a  wave  of  anger  took  over  me.  this ❜           ━━          a  pause,  stumbling  over  words          ━━          ❛      this  abrupt,  searing  anger. ❜

                        ❛      THEN, I RAN. ❜

patience radiates from the doctor, hannibal sitting up straight, his hand falling a fraction when aveira pulls away from a stinging touch. a natural reaction to pain, even pain in the aftermath of what she's already experienced. he imagines how she must have reacted, in that moment - the stranger coming towards her, grabbing for her, the fear she felt pungent and scented and electric before a key was jammed into the perpetrator's ear. blood must have trickled down from his eardrum, over his jaw to drip onto the ground. hannibal thought he could almost hear the screaming, the sound aveira's footsteps made as she escaped. expression remains soft on hers, resuming his care as she garners the bravery to lean back into hannibal's touch. ' you did what you had to do in order to survive, ' he states simply, gaze moving over the cut, satisfied with its cleanliness before he reaches for a bandage. hannibal halts once more, their eyes meeting. ' you never have to feel like a burden to me, aveira. i am only ever just a phone call away. even at such a late hour, ' pointed look is given to the woman before he begins placing the gauze over her temple. ' i'm glad you came to me. that you can trust me enough to ask for my help, ' grin is given. ' you're very brave. and i'm glad you're okay, '

[ofnocturncs]

╰    ˟  ⊰   ━━━━    ✧     ASTONISHMENT  AT  THE  GENTLENESS  of  the  man  before  her.  to  go  from  being  ambushed  less  than  an  hour  prior  to  being  tended  to  by  a  C R E A T U R E of  the  same  making  is  a  shock  on  its  own.  the  duality  of  man          ━━          a  subject  far  too  abstruse.  a  wince ;  the  shutting  of  amber  eyes.  she  attempts  to  stay  still  but  the  sting  is  more  than  she  can  handle.  a  head  of  silken  hair  tilts  back,  away  from  his  intruding  hands. hands she knows will do her no harm. ❛      as  you’ve  said,  doctor,  it’s  late.  i  would  not  have  wanted  to  impose.  even now, seeking  your  assistance,  irks me. ❜    what  she  does  not  say  is  that  she  did  not  know  where  else  to  go  after  such  an  event.  eyes  slip  open  as  she  tilts  her  head  forward  once  more.  an  attempt  to  be  brave.  like  a  child  who  has  scraped  their  knee,  she  braces  herself.  it  seems  all  her  bravery  had  been  used  in  warding  off  the  man.  maroon  &&  amber  meet. ❛      those,  i  let  him  keep. ❜     the  woman  is  filled  with  a  brief  &&  sudden,  tired  laughter. ❛      though,  i  cannot  guarantee  he  will  be  able  to  hear  clearly  in  the  morning. ❜      in  a  moment  of  fear          ━━          of  what  felt  like  life  or  death          ━━          a  blunt  object  had  been  taken  to  the  stranger’s  ear.  it  was  then  that  she  was  able  to  slip  away.

demeanor has shifted. he's no longer a man, but a doctor, viewing her wound from a medical standpoint. already a kit filled with supplies was set by his side, maroon eyes flicking over the gash. of course it was a man. rude, violent, attacking when she least expected it. the night was still young, and she assures him that he need not worry, but hannibal could take to his car and find whoever had done it. it would not be hard, nor would he keep himself from the simple pleasure of killing such a pig, if she didn't look as if she was in shock. she needed him more for his care than she did for him to avenge her. at least for now. ' it's dangerous to be alone at this time of night. you should have called me. i would have escorted you home, ' voice is suprisingly gentle as doctor lecter begins to clean her wound, a man with careful eyes and steady hands. there's an air of impression at her final words, meeting her eyes, then. ' if you've taken care of it, i can only assume this stranger left without any hands, ' it sounds as if he's joking, but he was rather pleased with the thought.