#legiate

i’ll kill you. or you’ll kill me. this house is too hungry to sustain us both. “ and you’ll never be free of me. we’re forever. ”

Away true to Caesar

If  anyone  were  to  ask  him   --  not that anyone cares enough, they have their own problems to worry about -- Ben would not say the thing he hates most about wandering the wasteland is the dry, arid days. In fact, the thing he hates are the nights, where the temperature drops so rapidly that he immediately misses the warmth of the sun beating down on his cheeks. Where the day offers visibility, the nights cloak everything in a darkness that gives creatures of the wasteland the opportunity to hunt. Ben has always been clever enough to find shelter by nightfall and this particular night is no different.   The fire that had been burning brightly earlier has now dwindled to burning embers, barely lighting up the room as he lays on his back, staring up into the darkness at nothing in particular. Sleep is a rare thing for him, always on high alert and never really able to let himself rest. Which he is thankful for as he hears a rustling noise, joined by what he swears are footsteps approaching. Slowly enough to not draw attention to himself, he’s reaching out for his pistol tucked away by his side and without realising, Ben holds his breath. When the footsteps stop, he draws his head up to peek across the room of the derelict house he has holed himself up in for the night. While hoping he still has the element of surprise, Ben jumps to his feet with almost complete silence and raises his gun in the stranger’s direction, clicking off the safety.  “It ain’t right touchin’ what ain’t yours. Put it down and nobody has to get hurt.” 

As things stood , she had to be a little less callous . Alone as she was , with a hunting knife strapped to her thigh and a bow peeking out of her duffel bag , people were more likely to question her motives . She even made an effort — a conscious one this time — to angle her hips as she passed another woman in the alley . ❝ Excuse me — thank you . ❞

            𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐎 , 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐀𝐂𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃.    fingers hold wine glass close to his nose , a subtle sniff taken before a drink follows.   the others words from his right cause hannibal’s brows to quirk after the glass is sat down.   a moment is taken to consider her words , a slight grin pressing against his lips.   eyes train on the  “pork loin”  he’d prepared for them that night , knife cutting into it before fork stabs meat to bring it close to his mouth before he 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙿𝚂      arm rests above the dinner table ,  head && eyes now turning to look at sienna for the first time since her statement.       ;          ❝  many people do.  ❞     he mused ,     ❝  people are much easier to manipulate && deceive when i look the way i do.  they see my profession,  my success ,  && my manners with ease.  it makes them more comforted in thinking i’m not a threat to them.  ❞    clearly that was a lie , one of the biggest ,   because of what he does . . what he eats is what  most would consider    𝖙𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖔.      ❝  i can’t assume it’s the same for you , sienna?  ❞    a genuine question , but a light stab at her.     ❝  people like us don’t come along very often.  i might not . . particularly like you at times , but it’s nice to have someone with similar interest with whom i can . . share our acquired taste in food.  ❞     now , once he’s done speaking ,  the delicately cooked slice of  “pork”  is brought into his mouth.   eyes close to savor the taste━all of the flavors clashing together so elegantly like he can almost taste the exact diet of his prey.  they were never easy to catch ,  but hannibal made do without much hassle━he enjoyed the hunt ,  but he enjoyed savoring them far more.      ❝  those who underestimate me do not far very well.  ❞      the food on their plate evidence enough !