There's something in your touch when we kiss

[fanoperator]

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The rumors had reached Huaisang of a foreign doctor visiting his lands, but that wasn’t yet any more significance than a curiosity. Still, being foreign, skilled, and at least comfortably moneyed was reason enough for interest, and reason enough for Huaisang’s people to extend an invitation for him to attend a banquet.

It was a small banquet, of no particular significance and no guests from outside of the Nie lands aside from this foreign doctor. As like any unit of government, there were local dignitaries (by blood, wealth, or merit), and many of them were loud or opinionated, taking up much of the attention of the banquet. As a minor guest, Hannibal was seated near the back of the hall and mostly ignored by all except for a few curious attendees.

Huaisang glanced over toward Hannibal more than once, but never addressed him beyond the bare minimum of polite courtesies acknowledging and welcoming him.

The food was rich, with plenty of meat and liquor, and there was some musical entertainment. Several of the attendees brought up issues of local politics, trade, or self-interest, and Huaisang handled most of these with his performance of helplessness, showing confusion and deferring all action, promising only to discuss it with his advisors or to have it handled by his bureaucrats. Some dissatisfaction was expressed among the dignitaries about how nothing ever got done in the Nie Sect because it was all always caught up in red tape, and yet Huaisang agreed to nothing and promised nothing, allowing everything to be absorbed into his bureaucratic defenses so that he or his aides could sort it out.

When the banquet ended, Huaisang disappeared through a door at the back of the room and the guests began to trail out, with a few servants lingering to direct the guests toward the exit. But before Hannibal could entirely leave the palace compound, a bureaucrat approached him and drew him aside, leading him to a quiet antechamber before politely extending an invitation from the Sect Leader to return for a more private dinner the next evening.

Upon that evening, Hannibal was shown to another formal hall with similar tables set on either side of a central aisle, with the sect leader’s table laid at the front. It was a much smaller hall, and yet still very large for a dinner for two, and nearly ten feet separated their two seats.

Sweeping in like the lord of the manor that he was, Huaisang nodded his head politely to Hannibal in greeting and then took a seat behind his own table at the head of the room. “Good evening, Lecter Xiānshēng.”

Comments

[il_mostro]

"Ah, well ... our women are fuller of figure than yours. Their hair ranges in color as well - as black as night, but some have hair as bright as gold. Some have hair that is warm brown, like sunlight across wood. A few precious ones have hair like fire." Hannibal smiled, taking up his cup to sip it carefully. "I have a weakness towards those with dark hair - men and women alike. There is something about black silk running through my fingers ... I find very appealing."

Another long sip of wine, before he continued. "When it comes to women, I prefer those of smaller stature, but full figured. Some reaction of my blood, truth be told. As for men ... I find those possessing more delicate features, those men who would be considered beautiful instead of handsome, to be what pulls my eye to them."

[fanoperator]

Huaisang listens with interest as he talks, drawn to the low rumble of Hannibal's voice, his intriguing accent. Blushing by the end of Hannibal's little speech, Huaisang sucks on his lower lip, slightly entranced by the idea that Hannibal meant him, specifically.

Lifting his fan, Huaisang tilts it so that he can pretend to whisper behind it at Hannibal, even though they're the only ones in the room and Hannibal is several feet away from him, so his volume isn't really lowered. "How would you go about seducing one of those?"