PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

[empathicfault]

Piloting their new ship is a little difficult. It takes reading the (somehow enclosed) manual back-to-front and learning the control panel, now situated in what looks like a little closet on the window side of the living room. It's in the new hallway that leads to the small courtyard, which Will intends to decorate once they get this one chore done first.

Thankfully, the majority of the controls are intuition-based, going off the person who puts their hand on a small orb on the panel. The rest, as it turns out, is tweaking. And luckily (or otherwise), no tweaking is necessary for their first flight.

They're heading to Will's home world.

But Will doesn't specify where, just a year later than he left. he inadvertently brings them to where he'd left. The door opens from a wall of Hannibal's cliffside home, and looks out onto the driveway. The Dragon's wings are still there, staining the cement. They overlook the grey day and the churning seaside.

Will finds himself stuck in the doorway, unsure whether he's compelled to walk out and remember or slam the door shut and take them elsewhere.

Comments

[empathicfault]

Hannibal is no longer wearing a suit, instead dressed in sharp-looking activewear that just happens to be all in black. He has a faint look of hope in his eyes, before they glass over and become impenetrable again. He doesn't appear to be holding any weapons, but of course Malcolm knows how much he likes hidden blades.

More noticeable are Molly and Wally's state. Wally is ties to a tree with rope that wraps all the way around and over his throat. Ultimately, the rope is attached to some kind of pulley system made out of camping equipment. Molly, meanwhile, is hung up on a hook, wearing a straight jacket and facing forward. Neither look particularly happy to be there.

Hannibal actually smiles at Malcolm as if he's betraying some kind of gentleness. "I saw to many things. One thing I did not see to was his sudden resurrection. Does he not want to come out and see me? Perhaps he's worried he'll leave wedded bliss to join me once again. We could go make a visit to our dear friend Jack. Or perhaps Freddie Lounds."

[abrightboy]

“Oh, we just came from Jack’s place,” Malcolm says with a slight cringe like they showed up to a gala in the same dress. “In fairness, we didn’t know you were here or that you and I would hit it off so well,” he points out.

He glances over at the contraption.

“I see you’re a fisherman these days, like Will.” He looks at Hannibal. “You’ve baited your hook and now you’re waiting for your fish to bite. I’m more of a hunter, like you used to be. A predator of predators. There’s a term for that, isn’t there? Apex predator? Here’s the deal: Will does intend to come out, but” He holds up one finger. “Only if you let them go unharmed,” he says, tilting his head to indicate Molly and Wally. “You get to keep me, though. Hell, I’ll even put on the straitjacket if you want.”