Dr. Hannibal Lecter tends bar

[cook_the_rude]

It may even be that Dr. Hannibal Lecter volunteered to take over from the bar today.

In any case, he is standing behind the bar now, in an apron and with rolled-up sleeves, serving drinks and food. His specials board is eclectic and European, somewhat like himself.

Drinks

2012 Grüner Veltliner (Lower Austria)
2011 Schiava Gentile (Alto Adige)
2010 Prosecco Valdobbiadene (Treviso)

Budweiser Budvar (Czech Republic)
Rubarb Juice Spritzer

Food

Mixed Salad with Pumpkin Seed Oil and Speck d'Alto Adige
Lamb Carpaccio
Cream of Pumpkin Soup
Blueberry Marinated Salmon with New Potatoes and Lemon Hollandaise
Iced Coffee with Dulce de Leche

[[meta: as always, nothing in this food is people. people are only fed people on request. thank you!]]

Comments

[cook_the_rude]

"Oh, I met a number of them," the man says. "And I think I have heard of that school, too. I very much hope that it works as well for you as for some others."

[x_coriare]

"As do I," she says, a little nervous. "Obviously, yes, I do want to go to the school, but I'm a little nervous. It's...very different from Afghanistan."

[cook_the_rude]

"It will be," the man says. "What is your mutation?"

[x_coriare]

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, "But I consider it very...personal. I'd rather not talk about it just yet."

[cook_the_rude]

"You will learn to be proud of it," the man says, "but I won't insist now, of course."

[x_coriare]

"You think I'm not now?"

[cook_the_rude]

"You are secretive about it," the man says. "But really, I don't want to badger you. I honestly, deeply respect your decision to talk or not. Let us talk about something else. Have you met the professor yet who runs the school?"

[x_coriare]

"I don't know much about it myself," she says. "It's not been very long since I discovered it. But no, I haven't yet. I've only met a few of the people associated with the school."

[cook_the_rude]

"He is very impressive," the man says, "a ground-breaking geneticists, and he reads minds. I read his dissertation."

[x_coriare]

"Do you know him well?" she asks.

[cook_the_rude]

"More as the name on the cover of his book, and by reputation," the man says. "I only met him once. I didn't like having my mind read."

[x_coriare]

"I've never had my mind read, I don't think," she says. "But I don't know."

[cook_the_rude]

"His reputation is quite stellar," the man says, "and I take it if you tell him not to read your mind, he will promise to refrain from it."

[x_coriare]

"But how would I know that? And I don't know him, anyway." She seems curious, if not exactly at ease yet, but the juice--with straw--is quite soothing, cool and bubbly.

[cook_the_rude]

"You will have to trust him," the man says. "I take it he's considered quite trustworthy and ethically sound."

[x_coriare]

"Perhaps when I get to the school I'll know," she says. "But I need to get there first. I'm nervous about going, especially with how they feel about my people."

Whether she means Muslims or mutants is unclear, but either way she's apprehensive.

[cook_the_rude]

"You will be safe there among other mutants," the man says. "That much, I honestly dare say, from what I heard. The students are very varied and have many different, fascinating abilities and backgrounds."

[x_coriare]

"Are any of them like me?" she asks.

[cook_the_rude]

"I don't know about the full scope, merely that they are all different," the man says. "You will likely be the only one exactly like you. Just as all the others are."

[x_coriare]

"Do you work with the school?" she asks.

"I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

[cook_the_rude]

"Oh no, I don't," the man laughs. "As I said, I merely spoke to some students, read the Professor's dissertation, and was impressed. My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I'm from a different version of earth."

[x_coriare]

"How can there be a different version of earth?" It does kind of boggle the mind, understandably so, and to say nothing of religion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sooraya Qadir."

[cook_the_rude]

"I am pleased to meet you, Sooraya," Dr. Lecter says, inclining his head and holding her gaze for a moment.

"It seems," he continues, "that different decisions of both humanity and natural laws make different outcomes, and in this place, all those different realities merge and convene. I spoke to a young man, for example, in whose world the CERN already makes antimatter."

[x_coriare]

She doesn't look away from him when he holds her gaze and just smiles at the reciprocated greeting.

"Already?" she repeats. "How do they keep it from annihilating long enough to know they produced it?"

[cook_the_rude]

"I did not ask him for trade secrets," Dr. Lecter says. with a little smirk. "He seemed quite sure of it, even finding it a little boring. His sister, it seems, professionally deals with even more volatile subject matter, if that is possible."