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 ignores the offer, as if Malcolm hadn't even said it. As if talking to Will himself. "And how is Jack? I hope that promise made was one kept. Promises to oneself are the most important for self-actualization."

Only then does he look over at Molly, and he lets out a sigh. "I admit, I am no fisherman. I was only realizing some of Will's dreams. Taking my grief to rip a hole in the world that he could see from the afterlife. It seems I was premature in my plans."

He finally looks at Malcolm now, taking him in fully. Evaluating. He doesn't particularly want custody of Molly and Walter Graham. However, removing them from the scene could prove...problematic.

Will meanwhile, has picked his own weapons- items that 'cheat' by being unusable by anyone but him or Malcolm. But when does Hannibal not cheat? Will isn't feeling conflicted over it.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm lets him look. Assess. He doesn’t assume Hannibal will underestimate him, but it tends to happen a lot. So he lets the silence linger a moment. Then he finishes the quip.

“Rumours of his death were greatly exaggerated,” he deadpans. “So… do you want to see Will or not? Because if you don’t make it worth his while by acquiescing to this one teensy tiny request that you don’t even care about, we’ll just leave. We’ll leave this reality forever and there’ll be no hole you can rip in the universe big enough for him to see you through.” He pauses as though something has just occurred to him. “Are you worried about them calling the police and getting interrupted before you and Will get a chance to really talk? Because… they can go in there,” he explains, pointing to the door in the tree. “No way for them to call for help in this dimension from there. And when they walk in, Will will walk out.”

Malcolm is well aware of the leverage in narcissistic supply, even if Hannibal doesn’t want to admit it to himself. One thing he must know is that Will is a man with enough resolve - or at least enough pettiness - to walk away as promised if he doesn’t get his way. Especially if Malcolm has truly replaced Hannibal for Will. Which is something Malcolm expects Hannibal will want to know for sure.

[empathicfault]

"I am starting to think Will is using you as a shield rather than an intermediary," Hannibal says to Malcolm, in a low, conspiratorial tone. He seems delighted by the idea.

Hannibal pauses just a little longer- a show of consideration, when he's already long decided. "All right, I agree to those terms. Would you rather have help getting them down, or am I too dangerous for that?" He's not doing it himself, is the implication.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiles at the shield remark, and leans forward slightly, conspiratorially.

“Actually, that was my idea. And while some people wouldn’t see the difference between ‘he’s hiding behind me’ and ‘I’m hiding him behind me’, I think you do. But I have more experience with predatory psychopaths than most people. They miss stuff. Regular people. The bunnies of the world.”

When Hannibal agrees to the terms, Malcolm glances at Molly and Wally, then looks at Hannibal. “Much too dangerous,” he says, and his tone almost suggests he’s indulging Hannibal more than anything by saying so. “What you can do is stay right where you are with your hands where I can see them,” he suggests instead, sidling sideways towards the prisoners so he can see Hannibal too.

“Is it booby trapped?” he asks. “I could take the time to check it carefully, but we’re burning daylight out here and I think you believe me that if they’re harmed in this exercise - even inadvertently by me in the course of freeing them - that Will will leave without seeing you. You’ll lose your one and only chance.”

[empathicfault]

Hannibal smiles graciously at Malcolm's instructions and folds one hand over the other in front of himself in an easy idle stance. However, at the question about the setups being trapped, he frowns slightly. His eyes narrow.

"No need to threaten," he says, while both Molly and Walter hang in place in what's essentially death contraptions. "I would never. A trap is far too impersonal."

Will snorts at that, from where he's sitting. Hannibal would easily do whatever necessary to escape capture. Not that Will thinks Hannibal would set up traps in this case. Hannibal's eyes shift to Malcolm's jacket pocket as the noise comes through the cellphone (as quiet as it may have been).

"You'd better get to it, then," Hannibal says, 'helpfully.' "He's waiting."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiles politely. “You’re waiting,” he corrects. Another distinction that most people maybe wouldn’t see but he thinks Hannibal does.

He works carefully and unhurriedly, and Hannibal probably notes how easily he bears the weight of both people when he has to. Once they’re on the ground, unrestrained, he still has a firm hand on each of their shoulders. “Don’t say anything, don’t look at him, just walk to the door I came from right now. Don’t run but don’t waste time,” he instructs them. Then he lets go.

He keeps his eyes on Hannibal. He knows Will will come out if he feels the terms have been honoured. And once he locks the door behind them, nobody other than the two of them can unlock it from the outside. They built their failsafes carefully. That was Will’s end of their plans. He has the mind for that sort of ten steps ahead thinking.

Malcolm mirrors Hannibal’s stance at him, clasping his hands in front of himself.