Palatial Intimacy

V - The Return

April 1, 2030

"Feel like talking today, Lecter?" Jack loomed over the doctor, who was strapped in his chair once more preparing for the LOOM. "Or are we going to find out things the hard way?"

As always, Hannibal didn't respond. Will glared at Jack, eyes narrowing.

"Leave him alone, Jack. That's not helping."

"He's done something." Jack paced around the lab. "You've done something, Doctor. Only the guilty would refuse to talk. The sooner you speak and prove your innocence, the sooner you could be out of here. If you're guilty, you're going to stay here either way until your trial. You might as well give these poor families the truth."

"I'm taking care of it. I'll talk to him," Will snapped. "Get out of here, and let's get this process over with."

"Watch it, Will." Jack glowered at them both before leaving the room, the door closing behind him. Will leaned his head back, sighing.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," he said. "Jack is...he's just Jack. Don't let him scare you."

The moments right before the switch was flipped were a complete blur.

God, I'm so heavy. I'm so sleepy, so tired, I can't move, I don't want to move, so tired so tired so tired I can't keep my eyes open—

"Will."

Will was struck by a sudden burst of energy that contradicted the sluggishness from before. He opened his eyes.

He was sitting this time, planted in the chair across from the fireplace once more. Hannibal sat next to him, smiling gently at him.

"Good to see you again." He offered his hand, which Will shook. "Did you have a slightly easier time getting here?"

Will took a second to find himself, rubbing his temples. Everything had come rushing at him so suddenly, and now he had to make sense of the cushion of the chair against his thighs and back, the pattering of the rain, the ornate details of the palace. "Only slightly."

"Well, it's something."

"So yesterday wasn't a fluke." Hannibal had started a fire, and Will watched the flames flicker. "This is really how your mind works."

"Yes. And you're my guest. It's only fair I treat you with hospitality." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His face appeared even more shadowed from the firelight. "Now, I have a really important question for you, Will. It could make or break our relationship, I believe."

Will's heart began to pound, but he tried his best to maintain composure in front of the doctor. He couldn't show weakness. "Alright."

Hannibal paused, reaching for the small side table between their chairs. He opened the top drawer and pulled out two wine glasses, fingers laced artfully to hold them both in an X shape. "Red or white?" He said, setting both glasses down on the surface.

Will couldn't hold back his smirk of relief. It was likely not a test of his character, but a test of how truthful he could be. Of how refined his tastes really were. "Is it a good idea to drink here?"

"Oh, it's all for aesthetic purposes. You'll taste it, but you won't feel it. Just adds to the mood."

"Well...depends on who's buying. If it's me, then I don't really get to have the wine I like the most."

"Say it's a millionaire. A millionaire who can conjure anything in the world, whenever he wants, for free, and he's currently under suspicion for murder." He gave Will a knowing glance. "And you're in his home. If he was buying, what would you take?"