il_mostro | IC - INBOX/VOICEMAIL/TEXT/THREATENING LETTER

Great! I'll be over in half an hour or so.

[and when she arrives, she's wearing one of her usual little white dresses with a large, oval gold and garnet brooch pinned to the bodice, her submissive's collar and a faux black fur coat over that. she's also carrying a large box wrapped with sparkly silver snowflake paper and a round, cake shaped container.

how she manages to knock carrying all of that, she'll never tell.

when he opens the door, he'll be greeted by a warm smile and] Happy holidays!

[When Hannibal answers the door, he is dressed impeccably himself in a tailored black suit with a red waistcoat, and black tie with ruby stick-pin. A ruby bracelet circles his wrist, and his entire manner is ... confident and comfortable.

His smile flicks on for her, and he steps aside to let her into his home.]

Happy Holidays to you, my dear. What might I carry for you?

[she loves the rubies. being Bgztlian, she comes with a predisposition towards liking red stones, since those are what's used to make a touchstone, a symbol of their devotion to the Mistress and of their ability to shift through the dimensions and phase.

her smile is bright and warm]

Hmmm. You can take the box since that's for you in the first place?

[Hannibal smiled gently, closing the door behind her and gesturing her into the living room area. The Christmas tree was decked in red and gold glass balls and bunting.

He gestured her to one of the sofas.]

I shall, thank you. I have a gift for you as well.

[He took the box, and put it down on one sofa, as he moved towards two double doors that led to his personal office.] While I am up, would you care for any refreshments?

[everything looks beautiful and tastefully decorated, exactly what she'd expect. it's absolutely lovely.

she sits on the one closest to the tree. Christmas trees are a rarity in the 30th century and she wants to be able to admire it at will]

Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[she loves getting presents] Let's see...it's not too early for a mimosa, if you have the champagne and the orange juice?

[He comes back with a large, flat rectangular gift, and puts it at her feet with a little smile. Then he goes to the bar, where he takes out a chilled bottle of orange juice, and some champagne.]

That sounds delightful - and so I shall make myself one as well. You seem happy. Are things going well?

[it's all she can do to not vibrate out of her seat with excitement when the present is set at her feet, but she figures it would be rude of her to open hers before he has the chance to open his. she hopes she got his measurements right]

Thank you. And I am happy. I've fallen in love with someone here. I haven't told him yet, but I think he at least cares for me.

[Hannibal's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, as he walked back to the sofas, two drinks in hand. He put Tinya's in her grasp, and then elegantly placed himself opposite.]

Well this seems rather sudden ... do I know the individual in question?

[she takes hers with a murmured "thank you" and smiles warmly]

I guess it is. I've known him for the past three months. He's just--wonderful. So brave and kind. And I'm not sure if you know him? His name is Hunk Garrett.

Hunk ... Garrett. I cannot say the name rings any bells. Although he sounds like a solid sort of young man.

[Hunk Garrett. He sounded like someone from a 1930's serial comic book. Ye gods. Hannibal sat with a polite smile.] Will he be escorting you to the party?

He is. He's very good to me and he's a very good cook. Mother would have fits over him, but mother's never approved of any young man I liked. [conspiratorially] She wanted to arrange a marriage for me, but none would take me.

[much to her mother's dismay] I don't know. I haven't asked? I will, though.

An arranged marriage ... I truly thought those had gone out ages ago. Outside of Royalty. Although I suppose different worlds have different view points.

He is a chef? Delightful. If he would like to bring something to the party, do let me know.

On my home planet, I am royalty. Kind of. We surrendered our governing powers back in the 28th century, but we kept active in politics and diplomacy and have been for generations. And in Bgztl's High Society, arranged marriages are definitely still a thing, but my father is Terran, so none would have me. [she shrugs] Mother was enraged. I was relieved.

I will. And, oh! I completely forgot! [she gestures to the cake carrier] I brought something to share right now.

... It seems that your mother put a great deal of pressure on you to be something you could never possibly be. Did she resent your father so much?

[Hannibal's gaze flicked to the cake carrier, and he smiled as he rose again.] Then let us go get this plated, so we might be able to enjoy it with our drinks, shall we?

Resentment is putting it mildly. They eloped when mother was nineteen and he was working as a gardener on the family's Terran estate. Trouble was, he was a compulsive gambler, but they'd already had me by the time she realized that. So she divorced him, but the damage was done to her reputation. She's still our planetary ambassador and has a lot of power, but she's a social pariah.

[she also rises, cake carrier in hand] I hope you like it, it's the first time I've tried this particular recipe.

Edited 2020-01-10 22:24 (UTC)

She should be proud, then. It is not easy to rise to a position of power and also be a social pariah. If nothing else, she should be proud you turned out so much like her. It means you will go far.

[He glanced over his shoulder and smiled.] I am sure it will be lovely - here, this way.

[He led the way into his fancy chrome kitchen, gesturing her to one of the tall counters as he brought out cake plates and a knife to slice it.]

I hope so. Even if my path to power is different than hers. Or maybe...only different for so long, for there's a limited time one can reasonably be a super-hero. Followed by retirement into diplomacy. I'd imagine that I'd make a lot of contacts along the way of my first career.

[she smiles warmly back and follows.

and has to ooh and ahh a bit at his kitchen. it's far nicer than hers. she goes to the counter and sets the cake carrier onto it, opening it to reveal a multi-layered honey cake]

...You are a super-hero. Is she also a super-hero? [What sort of planet is she from? This is absolutely amusing.]

This cake is absolutely lovely. [He cuts the cake into neat and equal slices.]

Yes, back home I was part of the Legion. It was a bit of a sudden career move on my part. But, mother? Never! She's always been a career diplomat and politician, ever since she was my age. [a planet very much obsessed with appearances and social status]

I thought you'd like it. I had to try ten different kinds of honey to find one not spiked with an aphrodisiac, but I think it was worth it.

Legion - interesting. So that is a ... group of super-heroes in your world, but your Mother is a diplomat instead. That is a strong drift to two different view points...

[He let that dangle, handing over a piece of cake.]

A large group, each of us from a different member of the United Planets. And she's not exactly the most diplomatic diplomat. She's used to getting her own way and she's not shy about browbeating others to get it.

[she takes it with a "thank you"]

To be honest, she sounds as if she is a terrible diplomat.

[Hannibal stated mildly but with some humor, even as he carried his own cake back out to their tea.]

She kind of is. But mother grew up with her every whim being catered to by her mother, by society, so she really doesn't like taking "no" for an answer. I can only imagine that it's gotten worse after the thing with my father, she feels like she has something to prove.

[she tries to understand her mother, even if her mother doesn't accord her the same privilege. she knows how judgmental Bgztl High Society can be. and she, too, carries her cake back over to tea]

If she feels she has something to prove, I would have to say it is because she knows there is something that she sorely lacks.

[One eyebrow raised in amusement. He gestured her back to her seat, before he took his own and folded himself elegantly down to taste the cake.]

Mm ... delightful. I may beg the recipe off of you.

Oh, compassion, understanding, a sense of humor, the ability to let someone else have control for once in her life, and the ability to let go of past mistakes...I'm just getting warm, I could go on. But I'm sure you get the general idea.

[she smiles, then has a taste of her own cake. it turned out even better than she hoped]

Sure, I'll be happy to pass it on. I found it in a cookbook. The only cookbook I could find which didn't also have naughty pictures in it.

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