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

... 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.

Yes ... your mother seems to be a terrible person. I suppose you have gotten all of your excellent traits -- including the ones mentioned -- from your father.

[A faint smirk comes over his lips.] Is such a thing even probable?

[she shakes her head with a smile] No, not from my father, either. I've been told that I take after my grandmother. I don't remember her very well, but I remember her smile.

[she smirks back] Barely. You wouldn't believe how long it took to find it.

I have been told I take after my grandmother as well. I have never been sure if that was a compliment or an insult...

[The smirk remains, as he puts aside the cake to drink another sip of tea, and draw his present closer to him.]

Neither was I. According to what I've been told, grandmother was...wild. She married and had a daughter like she was supposed to, but after that she abandoned all of her traditional responsibilities, devoted herself to the arts, and took lovers right and left. [a pause] Her husband was the jealous type. Jealous and prideful. So he killed her. I was five when it happened.

But--sorry for getting so dark. You should open your present.

...the more I hear of your family, my dear, the more I am convinced that you are the only sane one.

[He put the tea cup down, and went to open the package before him.]

[she laughs merrily] You might be right. But I have my own little quirks.

[inside the package is a red sweater with a white dress shirt and a black tie with a subtle pattern woven into the fabric] I hope it all fits.

Quirks are who make us individuals. That is never bad.

[He smiled quietly, before he looked at his gifts. An amused quirk of the lips.] Oh, these are lovely... where did you find them?

Thank you for saying so. Mother was always after me about them.

[she smiles at his reaction] I found them at a menswear store in the Up. They gave me a little bit of trouble about shopping there, but I carry my paperwork from my dominant with me always, so they didn't have a choice but to let me shop.

Your mother truly has no room to stand upon for judgement.

[Is Hannibal's serene reply, as he smooths his fingers over the red sweater. Cashmere, extremely nice.] Honestly, why they need to insist on this ridiculous 'only Dominants may buy items' ... it is a terrible business plan.

[He nudged the gift to her with a smile of his own.]

Thank you for saying so.

[she's pleased to see him appreciate her gift. she was worried that she wouldn't pick the right size or that he wouldn't like the color] I know. It's--what's that old Terran saying--cutting off one's nose to spite their face.

[and she takes the gift, carefully removing the wrapping paper so that she can see what's beneath it]

[The present, when she unwrapped it, was a portrait. It was, from every recollection she had ever given him, the horizon of her home world.]

You will have to forget the artistic license ... I went off whatever details I gleamed from you, of your home.

[she gazes at the portrait, wide-eyed and amazed]

Oh....oh. It's beautiful. How did you manage to...? No, from what I've said. About my home. It's amazing. Thank you so much. [she goes to hug him, if allowed]

[He'll allow it, for the simple reason that it is expected of him.]

I am pleased - I was worried my interpretation would be far off the mark.

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