001. The first taste is with the eye - video

[sweetbreads]

[ Hannibal Lecter's calm blue eyes appear first, incredibly close to the camera, fixed and unblinking, at which point he retreats to a better distance. A smile is almost there, creasing the line of his mouth. ]

Good evening. My name is Doctor Fell, and it has the feel of an evening, don't you agree?

[ He settles down on his chair on the other side of the counter, set up as it is to look like the view of an office, irregardless of the fact that he's recording in one of the kitchens. It's just about possible to see the corner of one of the big freezers in the background. ]

I must come before you today in the wake of such dreadful circumstances as we witnessed several days ago. I hope your injuries are healing well, externally, at least. [ His head inclines, as though in deep thought. ] But in such cases, not all of the harm done is visible. If any one of you would like to discuss your experience - or any other experiences - with a qualified psychiatrist, you need only contact me to schedule a private consultation.

For those who do not, I recommend a solution of ammonia or a paste of baking soda, with which to remove the bloodstains from your clothes.

Finally, I should dearly like to speak to a Murphy Pendleton about his books, and if anyone should happen to know where there might be a ready source of fresh meat, eggs, or milk, I daresay it would guarantee you an invitation to dinner.

Comments

[slipperysoul]

Freezer burn's the least of the scourges around here. Just give it a few months, your perspective might change. Especially when killing any of the actually fresh sources'll get you thrown out of the airlock.

[ and by fresh sources he means the millions of dogs running around here. ]

Be glad there's something there in the first place.

[sweetbreads]

I will simply have to make do with the the resources at my disposal, and hope that I don't disappoint my dinner guests.

The fresh vegetables offer a salve, at least.

[ Gosh he isn't sure about eating dogs. ]

[slipperysoul]

You could always try for vegetarian.

[ .. blech. ]

[sweetbreads]

It will require a little artistry on my behalf to bring out the best flavors, but meat is not the making of a dish. Some might even consider reliance on it a culinary laziness.

[slipperysoul]

When did meat and potatoes go out of style? I wasn't following that one too closely.

[sweetbreads]

I might describe to you the revolution of gourmet cuisine, but I suspect it would be lost on you. There have always been those who dedicate themselves to refining their craft; the ancients of Rome, for example, stuffing their doormice with walnuts on a bed of sprouting green vegetables. Not a potato to be seen.

[slipperysoul]

Probably because potatoes didn't grow in Rome, but maybe that was lost on me too.

[sweetbreads]

It wasn't my intention to offend you. The topic of cuisine, at least, does not seem to be something that occupies you as it does me.

Unless that comes down to a simple error in judgement, in which case please do correct me.

[slipperysoul]

It just occupies me a little differently than most. [ And by a little he means a lot.. or so he thinks. ] I don't really have much of a sense of taste anymore, so this- culinary revolution you mentioned, was never on my radar.

[sweetbreads]

If you don't mind my asking, what is it that stripped you of your sense of taste?

[ Because if it's a hideous deformation of some kind, he at least has to come from a position where he can honestly apologise for bringing it up without compromising his obvious curiosity. ]

[slipperysoul]

Becoming a vampire.

[ It's not like he ever tries to keep it a secret -- mostly he just doesn't talk about it, so it feels like something he's trying to keep from going public. But being sincere while not being in anyone's face is how he's dealt with it the entire time he's been here. There's not really a reason to introduce it from the get-go... unless it became expected of him, that is. ]

[sweetbreads]

Oh my. [ A whole world of unexpected in two words. A vampire. Truly? ] What a price to pay for immortality.

[slipperysoul]

I'm pretty sure most vampires don't notice a difference after the fact. [ Because if they do, they're not talking about it. ]

[sweetbreads]

Are there many of you? Vampires?

[ Yes he does look excited. It's not that different to his usual expression, but there's an avarice that glitters in his blue eyes. ]

[slipperysoul]

[ ... Angel's not quite sure how to feel about this particular reaction yet. He's not entirely sure he feels all that good about it though, one way or another. ]

Here? Or in general?

[sweetbreads]

In the population from whence you came. Those that walk among us.

[slipperysoul]

There's enough.

[ That should be a suitable answer, really. Not 'we're all dying out like the koala's' or something about growing like black mold. Honest without excessive self flagellation. ] You just have to know where to look.

[sweetbreads]

Enough. An evasive answer, but it tells me everything I need to know.

Would your experiences be as wide, your tastes as varied as Bram Stoker's creation?

[slipperysoul]

[ Why does everyone always ask about Dracula. ]

Bram Stoker got half of his facts wrong, made us all sound ridiculous because he didn't do his research. And I happen to know Dracula personally. He's a pain in the ass, makes us all look that much worse.

But my tastes? They're not varied and I keep them under control.