IC Contact

[untiltheend]

This is Sebastian Michaelis. I am unavailable at present, but please leave a message. Should a response be needed I will reply when time permits me. Please do keep your message brief.

Comments

[empathicfault]

Hello, Mr. Michaelis? This is Will Graham. Do you remember me from the breach?

[untiltheend]

[Oh. No, go away.]

Naturally, Mr Graham. [Normally he'd follow up with "what can I do for you?" but even for Sebastian that'd feel strange in this context.

Yes? He's very busy being upset over said breach right now.]

[empathicfault]

Ah, okay. Well, I don't want to bother you. You just reminded me of a friend I had from home. He was...truly unique. I think I wanted to know if I'd just made you up somehow.

[ He lets that hang in the air for a moment. ]

I also wanted to check in on you. Are you recovering all right?

[untiltheend]

["Truly unique"? As in, what, another demon? No, there's no way he'd have any way of knowing that detail. Something else, then.]

...Truthfully I do not well see what there is to recover from, in my case. [He didn't die? And he's always fine. What 'psychologically traumatic experience'.]

But I do believe I owe you an apology. [He hates that he does. He hates that he'd lose control even for a moment, and that someone was there to witness it. It's disgraceful. Pathetic.

Only after he's answered does it occur to Sebastian that it should feel weird to have what is - really - a stranger be concerned about his well-being.]

[empathicfault]

Do you? I don't think acting on your impulses in that case was necessarily something you need to apologize for. I should've been more careful.

Besides, apparently none of that really happened, anyway. But I am glad to hear you aren't dealing with a death toll.

[untiltheend]

Thank you for the reassurance, but that is incorrect. [Because there's a wrong way to have a different perspective on matters, clearly.] Thus, I apologise for my appalling lack of self-control and the harm it caused.

I take it you yourself are dealing with one, then?

[empathicfault]

[ The correction gets a small huff of a chuckle from Will. ]

All right, I accept your apology. Neither of myselves would have held it against you, in any case.

But yes, I did die while in the Breach. It was a mercy kill by the time my brother got back to me. I'd done a lot of damage.

[untiltheend]

[Right, but Sebastian holds it against himself, and we all know whose opinion is really important here.

...Hrrmm.] I suppose the entire point of this whole debacle was to show everyone exactly how low they will stoop in the wrong circumstances.

Well, then. I of course understand would you rather ask others, but do let me know if you need anything while it lasts. I work in the kitchens, and thus have easy access to the inventory.

[It's not that he's concerned (death-tolling is much a case of "just power through it and stop complaining" anyway, isn't it?), but by all heavens, Sebastian can't abide someone's first and lasting impression of him being some lowlife, out-of-control freak.]

[empathicfault]

You work in th--

[ He feels a headache coming back. But of course, Sebastian works in the kitchens. Will fights the insane urge to just ask Sebastian outright if he's ever cooked a human leg before.

And of course, he immediately misses Hannibal fiercely, like a sucking chest wound. Because that's just how his brain works now.

He coughs lightly and rubs his face, trying to use the time to cover his inconvenient emotions. ]

Excuse me. That is useful. I would appreciate some chicken soup, the next time it's on the menu.

1/3

[untiltheend]

[???

Is there something wrong with Sebastian working in the kitche--]

[untiltheend]

[Oh. Oh no.

Has Sebastian's appalling behaviour made him unfit to work in the kitchens in the eyes of this person? Understandable, of course, and no more than Sebastian deserves... but all the same, that is unacceptable.]

[untiltheend]

[!!!]

Well. I see no reason the kitchens could not provide some for the next meal. [Which Sebastian technically isn't scheduled to work today.]

I could bring you some in an hour's time.

[empathicfault]

Oh. Yeah? [ He sounds a little hopeful, actually. ]

Well, don't change anything up on my behalf. I really am okay at the moment. It just sounded good.

[untiltheend]

It is no trouble. [Or, well, a little trouble, but Sebastian does owe him, and since his honour as a kitchen employee is at stake here...]

Many others on board will likely appreciate some lighter fare, besides.

[empathicfault]

That's true. I got the impression that this breach was unusually full of death. I wouldn't be surprised if half the ship was death-tolling, at this point.

[untiltheend]

I will confess this to be my first Breach, and thus I have no experience to speak of... but, admittedly; I do fail to picture a scenario which would invite more death than what we just experienced.

[And Sebastian's a demon. He's seen his share of death.]

I shall contact you again within an hour, then.

[And now, while Sebastian's Chicken Soup Mission perhaps ends up slightly derailed because of Cat Reasons, he does arrive within the agreed-upon-time, because of course he does. Knocking on Will's door.]

[empathicfault]

[ Will is a little more alert for this visitor than he maybe was for the first few couple. He set himself a timer and made sure he wasn't daydreaming. Still, when he opens his door, he sees the wendigo waiting for him- or more accurately, it's more the shape of that monster, cutting a perfect darkness into the space it occupies.

A few tired blinks right the world again, thankfully. He smiles, a spark of interest in his eyes. ]

Hello, Sebastian. Thank you for coming. Come on in.

[ Will moves away from the door so Sebastian can enter. Will's cabin is the interior of an old cabin in the woods, cozy but rundown, with fishing poles hung up on the wall with basic hooks. A smallish brown dog lays in one of the various old dog beds strewn across the floor and looks at the demon with interest, but he doesn't get up. ]

[untiltheend]

Thank you, [Sebastian says, stepping inside with what is either snake-like smoothness or easy service-mindedness, whichever your viewpoint.

...It's only once he takes that first step inside that he remembers he had planned on just being the delivery man, not on any further interaction. The invitation, and the acceptance of it, still feels so familiar.

Sebastian's no quitter, however, and doesn't stumble when continuing the conversation:] I would express some hope that you are feeling better by now, but it is my understanding that these effects will last for days.

[empathicfault]

[ Hannibal had pulled this trick on Will before, and Will is not above taking a page out of his playbook. He wants to talk. He closes the door quietly behind Sebastian. ]

They do, but they're fading. I'll probably be back to full health in another few days.

The memories are supposed to fade, as well. But in my case, I don't think I'll be that lucky. You might be stuck with me as a friend for a while.

[untiltheend]

[Sebastian should be displeased by this - he'd prefer no reminders of this infernal Breach whatsoever, thank you - but he did just spend time petting a cat. He's in much less of a bad mood than he was an hour ago.]

Mm, you did mention I remind you of a friend from home, yes? [This is what humans do, after all - latch on to familiar things. Sebastian knew about Will's uncanny empathy in that other life, of course, but he doesn't default to assuming it carries over between lives. Humans being bad at compartmentalising seems more plausible.]

I do not mind you retaining those feelings, yet... I should perhaps clarify I believe myself to be fairly different from how I was in "that life".

[Fair warning? He won't mind hanging out, though - he's been assigned by his current warden to socialise with people he finds tolerable. Will, at least in that alternative life, definitely was tolerable.]

[empathicfault]

[ Will smiles, an easy and relaxed thing. ]

I figured. In fact, I'm kind of counting on it.

[ He sits on his couch, and gestures to the (slightly less ratty) armchair, offering it as a seat to Sebastian. ]

My condition is a lot stronger in this life, too- to the point where it's classified as a condition, or empathy disorder. It fascinated my friend to no end. His name was Hannibal Lecter, and he was human, technically. He loved cooking and hated rudeness. Whenever he had the chance, he'd put rude people into his cooking.

[ Will takes a deep, thoughtful breath, and laces his fingers together. ] ...I miss him very much.

[untiltheend]

[--Well. Sebastian will simply have to wash his trousers of dog hair and dust. He sits in the offered armchair, hands properly clasped in his lap. The chicken soup container gets placed on the floor next to him for now. It will keep warm for a while.]

My condolences. Missing important people is something many here have in common.

[It's not said with deep emotion, but not entirely spoken like an empty politeness, either. 'His name was,' in the past tense. Dead or lost touch, then. More importantly: clarifying that he was human. That he'd eat people.

Sebastian isn't entirely prepared to announce to the world, as it were, his being non-human (futile as that is proving to be. Several people have already told him they know). So, rather than addressing that implication...]

I should also, perhaps unnecessarily, clarify that whatever proclivities you knew me for before do not extend to the present. [A small gesture to the chicken soup,] Should that be a concern.

[empathicfault]

[ Will is very well-versed with speaking in only implications, at this point. So he's happy to not speak plainly about what he's implying. It's honestly kind of fun, as it's been awhile. And Sebastian hasn't exploded into a sudden torrent of violence or anything, so- it's going pretty well!

He breaks into a chuckle at Sebastian's clarification. ]

It's not, honestly. I have eaten many meals with Hannibal. And if we both hadn't died, I probably would've eaten many more. I don't concern myself with the ingredients any longer. But thank you, for the consideration.

Are you missing someone important here, as well?

1/2

[untiltheend]

[At that, Sebastian's eyebrows do go up briefly. Just... admitting to (potential?) cannibalism, so casually.

Humans truly are even worse than demons.]

[untiltheend]

[Then he suppresses the urge to clarify that he's used quality chicken, fresh vegetables, and home-made bone-broth.

And then the urge to clarify that were he ever to serve human remains, he would make sure they were of quality. That, if anything, is something anyone should be concerned about, cannibal or not.

(This suppressing only takes a moment, and might very well just look like he's composing himself from the initial surprise.)

Anyway. Food Priorities aside...]

I am. Considering our likely differing worlds, I am unsure if you would recognise me as a butler? [His master, that's who he's missing, is the implication.]