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Sinric comes down from his room, still dressed his furs and heavily embroiled tunic but looking fresh and scrubbed.

He smiles brightly to see Hannibal.

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From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal lingers at the edge of the crowd, ready to be accidentally run into.

From:

thewidewideworld

It's Father Tétartos who finds Hannibal first, a long cane in his hand and a young monk at his elbow. "Il dottore Fell?" He calls, his voice rich and warm. "Oriens mentioned seeing you amongst the congregation. Welcome, sir." He gesture away from the crowd. "Would you walk with me?"

From:

cook_the_rude

"Of course, gladly," Hannibal says. "I would be honoured."

There is a deference in his voice beyond the mere politeness owed to a priest.

From:

thewidewideworld

Niketas gently shoos away the young monk, assuring him he'll be quite alright. He holds a hand out to Hannibal, asking for an elbow to guide and be guided by.

He heads out of the chapel and into the quiet of the naive, deeper into the enclave proper. He waits till they're private before speaking. "Thank you. For coming and for speaking with me. I can't imagine how strange this must be. To walk in a time not your own."

From:

cook_the_rude

"I have ventured out with Sinric before," Hannibal says, providing a steady elbow. "But still, it never fails to deeply awe me."

From:

thewidewideworld

"He is such a generous soul. I wish- I regret not knowing him better, before he and Father left us." He lowers blind eyes. "And I am glad God had guided us back together. The last words I sent to him were unkind. And I have regretted them since."

He offers Hannibal a soft smile. "I feel perhaps you are a man who appreciates his kind heart too?"

From:

cook_the_rude

"His kind heart, and his hidden steel and fire," Hannibal says. "I try to appreciate all his many facets."

From:

thewidewideworld

"His hidden steel and fire." Niketas echoes, a smile curling full lip. "Yes. That's... very true. No-one within those could have survived everything he's been through and still be- well, alive. Let alone come out as strong as he has."

He huffs ruefully, "Heaven knows I have not."

"But enough of me, what of you? What can I show you of this little community before Sinric realises I've stolen you away?"

From:

cook_the_rude

"As it's not the season for the herb garden," Hannibal says, "I think the library would be best. I wonder if they still have some of Cassiodorus' original hundred books."

From:

thewidewideworld

"It's a beautiful library." Niketas chuckles. "Even if too few of the monks here can read even half of it." He gently steers Hannibal towards the library with sure, ease strides. The way there he knows without hesitating.

"And Sinric will know to find us there. He often does." He sighs, "If only I was worthy to keep him at at my side."

From:

cook_the_rude

"He has seen different things on his path," Hannibal says, "and yours. It has nothing to do with worth. Look for the Normans coming to Sicily; that's probably where you can find each other again, after another half a lifetime, when you are old. That's all I can think of."

From:

thewidewideworld

Niketas cocks his head, looking at Hannibal with damaged eyes, as much from habit as anything else. "Is it you who sees the future, or Sinric?" He asks it almost lightly but there's weight behind his words.

The library is dim this time of night but a lay-brother rushes to light the lanterns as they come in. It it an impressive library, much of it rescued from earlier ages. With quite an extensive medical collection.

From:

cook_the_rude

"I don't see the future," Hannibal says. "I read history books, and calculate the antler-shaped vagaries of human life building on my professional experience, and given all the givens, that sounds like the best bet to me."

From:

thewidewideworld

Niketas leans against a bookshelf, resting his chin on his cane and smiles. "My father would have liked you." And Niketas notices that Hannibal only answers half the question.

He nods slowly. "When he's gone from my life once more, I'll look to Sicily. And watch for him." He touches the corner of his ruined eye with his sleeve, brushing away a bloody tear.

From:

cook_the_rude

"The Norman Chapel of Palermo, as it stands to my day, means a lot to me," Hannibal says. "It is from beyond your day, but I could well imagine the two of you being somewhere at its foundation."

From:

thewidewideworld

"When we are nothing but dust, look for us there." It's Sinric, standing by the door with a soft smile.

He brushed a hand over Hannibal's arm as he crossed to Niketas, "Your eyes are causing you pain again."

From:

cook_the_rude

"How thoughtless of me," Hannibal says. "I came to help with that, after all."

From:

thewidewideworld

"You did?" Niketas asks surprised.

"Somewhere more private, perhaps?" Sinric suggests, taking Niketas' arm and guiding him. "Master Alcuin will not mind us using his quarters. He's asleep in the monk's dormitory already."

From:

cook_the_rude

"Better for what any passing scribe might well consider magic," Hannibal says.

From:

thewidewideworld

Sinric leads them to a surprisingly well appointed rooms, the walls covered with thick tapestries, the floors with thick rugs and kept warm two charcoal braziers.

Alcuin is an important man after all, and he has the ear of the next defender of the throne of Christ.

Sinric guides Niketas to a chair and moves to light all the lanterns and candles he can find.

In Niketas' presence, he moves with the quiet grace of a servant, melting into the background.

From:

cook_the_rude

Hannibal opens his bag and takes out a few instruments and implements that nobody in this time has ever seen. Nor will, ever.

"I will have to pull your eyelids apart, if possible, to see what part of the damage is causing you pain, and what I can best do against it," he announces.

From:

thewidewideworld

"I trust him, Nobelissimos." Sinric urges reassuringly, resting a hand on Niketas' arm. "Hannibal had healed me many time. You are safe with him."

Niketas nods and braces his head against the back of the high-backed chair.

The point of a hot blade has been pressed against Niketas' eyes. He's very lucky that neither eyeball has ruptured but one cornea is burnt and scarred, the other side, the eyelid too is burnt, as if he managed to close the eye on that side in time. The puckering causes his tear-duct to tear, badly damaging it.

From:

cook_the_rude

"In my time, surgery would be able to restore your eyesight," Hannibal declares, after spending about twenty minutes with tests, taking notes and uttering nothing but sparse and to-the-point, if always very polite, questions and requests. "It would take its time, but is feasible. Here? I will be able to help you with the pain, and try and open the unburned eye enough to allow you to discern light and dark, perhaps vague shapes, around the scarring. It won't be much, but give you just enough of an edge as you are officially considered without any eyesight at all."

From:

thewidewideworld

Niketas is silent for long moments, long enough for Sinric, who has been silent and out of the way till now, steps in to touch his arm. "Nobelissimos?"

"Please." Niketas shakes his head, his voice laden with emotion. "You know I no longer have any right to that title." But he folds a grateful hand over Sinric's all the same.

He turns his face towards Hannibal. "Any help you could give me would be most welcome. And greatly appreciated. I am told that the place you met, the world beyond worlds, only allows some to past. And on meeting you, I know it must take the most worthy only. As it is with Sinric."

Sinric hums a sound of disagreement, on his own behalf at least. "We can try to opened the way for you-"

But Niketas holds up a hand to hush him. "This is already more than I have the right to ask for." He looks up at Hannibal. "What do you need me to do, and how can I repay you?"

From:

cook_the_rude

"I already have everything from this place I could ever want, being allowed to keep the Lucifer ikon safe," Hannibal says. "I want to do this by daylight, tomorrow. We need a safe and well-lit space, not large, and some absolutely undisturbed hours to ourselves. And afterwards, you will have to pretend that you are worse off, for a while."