The village in the park, Thursday evening

[kintsukorosu]

Hannibal had come back here in the early hours of the morning, more to reassure those here that he was still safe and to stay involved in what was going on than out of any real desire to socialize

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[raven_unhollow]

Raven was one of those glad to see he was still safe.

"Hannibal, I wish you would stay here at the village," she said, probably for the thousandth time.

[kintsukorosu]

"Until Jono can, I won't," Hannibal answered stubbornly. No matter what he looked like, Jono belonged here. But as most of the others didn't seem to see that, he'd just have to keep visiting.

And since he had no intention of arguing... "He says there are new ones in town. Not hollows."

[raven_unhollow]

"You know I want Jono here as well," Raven said. She understood his appearance alarmed some people, but she knew he wasn't hollow.

She nodded. "I felt something. Has he met any of them?"

[kintsukorosu]

And that was why Hannibal appreciated you, Raven.

"Not yet, I don't think," he answered. "He only felt them." He shrugged. "They'll probably mostly attract attention and die before we even see them."

[atreideslioness]

As today was most clearly even worse than yesterday, Ghanima had done the only logical thing to do when she had awake to the Arms in a dilapidated state and no door on her suite: She had braided back her hair and pulled on the easiest boots to run in, put on her dark cloak, armed herself even more than usual, and secreted about a week's worth of Spice on her person, just in case someone, somehow, got in and broke into her medicine chest again.

Mind, it now had rather deadly booby-traps in place, but Ghanima took a view of 'better safe than sorry.'

That accomplished, she had set out to discover just how bad the situation was. Silent and unseen was a Fremen skill she had mastered early on, and today it came in handy, as she slipped past ruined buildings and monstrosities, keeping any eye out for any wayward students. It was this little village in the Park that had given her the biggest surprise, and so she had simply watched for awhile, taking in the unusual scene.

[kintsukorosu]

Eventually, her watching caught Hannibal's attention. He narrowed his eyes and looked up and around, searching for the source of that itchy feeling between his shoulder blades.

[atreideslioness]

She'd been watching long enough to know this was not the Hannibal she knew, Bene Gesserit training taking in every inch and line and movement. He did not, however, seem as impulsively violent as the mindless former-people she had passed.

Ghanima cleared her throat politely, pushing the hood back so that he'd be able to see her face clearly, blue-on-blue eyes glowing in the dim evening. "Hello. Do you know who I am?"

It seemed the most logical place to start.

[kintsukorosu]

"You're one of the new ones." That much was obvious. Hannibal narrowed his eyes at her, thinking. Something about those eyes...

Eventually, he shook his head. "Not anymore." Jono would know. The part of him Jono kept might, too. But it was lost to him. "You know who I am," he guessed.

[lostdistinction]

Eliot shuffled up, more because it was a generally familiar direction than any other reason.

"Are there new people?" he asked. "Or am I actually starting to go crazy?"

[kintsukorosu]

"There are new people," Hannibal answered. "I haven't seen any, though."

He took a break to dig through his bag and come up with jerky, offering Eliot some. It was less kindness than practicality - Eliot was still good in a fight, and it paid to keep him remembering Hannibal.

[lostdistinction]

That was cute. Eliot had mostly recognized Hannibal as a fellow villager based on his pallor and general unkemptness.

"Thanks." He took the offer and tucked it into a pocket. If he was lucky, he'd remember what it was when he found it there later. "I'm pretty sure I talked to some. Was wondering if they were dead yet."

Odds were pretty good they were.

[kintsukorosu]

Whatever worked; Hannibal would stack the odds as much as he was able.

"Haven't seen them here; I'll check for bodies in the morning." He wasn't stupid enough to go out at night. "Eat; don't hoard it. You need the protein."