we came out from the deep

[infomodder]

WHO: Will Graham & People (it's always people, gosh)
WHERE: All over
WHEN: Month of November
WHAT: All the things do not dead open inside
WARNINGS: Hannibal season 3 spoilers and everything that comes with the canon. Cannibalism and murder and bad psychiatry and worse lighting and terrible stuff I will update if anything else needs to be added.



All starters to be posted in comments. But as an important note, Will's returned from roughly four years gone by in canon and has visibly changed. He now has a scar along his forehead (picture one and picture two) and for the first half of November will be sporting a cut along his right cheek that's been stitched up. The scar on his forehead has been there for years now, the cheek wound is fresh.

Comments

Ken Amada & Koromaru-san;

[infomodder]

[Shortly after his trip to the cat cafe, now with a delightfully warm cup of coffee in tow, Will spots a young man and his dog. He's not due home immediately, and the kid's going a similar route Will would take to get home if he didn't need to be there quickly. So keeping some distance and following without actually following him doesn't really feel like too much of a problem. And his dog is quite a dog, really, that is a very fine dog. It's just that after he's done this for four straight blocks, he might be overdoing it. Except Will Graham always overdoes "it" when "it" translates to "dogs" so he doesn't register this as odd at all. Until the crosswalks make it so foot traffic has to yield, and Will finally closes the distance to stand next to the furry little guy. And also the kid, but the dog is the important part here. This dog is such a doll Will just wants to take him home and give him a new collar, Goddamn. Those eyes are seducing him without doing anything other than existing.]

Well, hey. [He says to Koromaru, like he's only JUST NOTICED this magnificent dog instead of, you know, been watching him with stars in his eyes for the past five or ten minutes. Christ Jesus, Will, get your shit together.] You've got a cute little guy here.

[...he addresses to Ken but he's totally still staring at Koromaru. So.]

[amadaman]

[Will you're... not subtle.

Small as they may be, Ken and Koromaru aren't amateurs. Experience wandering dark corridors where monsters can leap out at any moment to kill you hones one's senses, and Koromaru is the first to pick up on Will's presence. He doesn't say anything though, and neither does Ken when he realizes it shortly after. It's okay; they can take him off if needed probably. At least, Koromaru recognizes the man's scent -- he must be a friend of Jaime's, and one that spends a good amount of time with him if it lingers like that. Besides, he smells like dog.

And questionable. But Koromaru has resigned to the fact that everybody Ken comes into contact is questionable, even the twins. Alas.

So the two of them aren't that surprised when Will speaks up. They aren't wary, but Koromaru sits and stares up at him as Ken does the same.]

Ah, thank you. He's a shiba -- I guess you don't see them much around here. Say hello, Koro.

[... Instead of barking, Koromaru raises a paw and pushes it against Will's leg. Personal space.]

[infomodder]

[Probably. Will Graham is quite helpless when it comes to dogs, Ken would win purely by virtue of having a dog on his side. No need to fake shoot himself in the head or anything, just distract with Koromaru and boom goes the dynamite.

But Will doesn't immediately take that push as a cry for personal space. It's contact! Not quite begging for a shake or a pet, but contact just the same, and that's a good start, gets a smile. He's being doggie touched, life is good. Life is perfect. Life is so flawless it takes him a second to put together the dots. Obvious when he does, glancing from shiba to kid twice in a doubletake, realization breaking out over his face.]

Ken, right? I'm Will. Graham. Jaime's friend, we had that...mix up start of last month.

[Maybe if he repeats that his name is Will he won't have to deal with the mystery of what in the blazing blue fuck Will-san means.]

[amadaman]

Ah.

[That's a sound of recognition Ken makes, eyes widening a little, lighting up and taking a moment now to more closely peer at him. Will. Will Graham. Jaime's friend. He remembers now.]

You were the one who really liked dogs! Um, hi, Will-san. It's a coincidence running into you here.

[infomodder]

[Jaime's friend who may one day reflect super poorly on Jaime, yes. Don't steal dogs, Will. You may make people question Jaime's friends. Don't do that to Jaime. Don't become that monster, damn it.]

That's me. [It helps when the dogs (learn to) like him back, okay.] Great to finally meet you.

[He'd stick his hand out for a shake, except he's noticed that's not necessarily the best thing to do with the Japanese kiddos. Better to just say it, probably. He looks down at Koromaru after, though, and adds:]

Both of you.

[Really...likes...dogs...and saying nothing about coincidence, nope, not at all. Heropa's only so big of a town, it could happen to anyone! Anyone with a dog in Will Graham's line of sight, at least.]

[amadaman]

[On the other hand, Ken's quick to assimilate, and assimilate he had done to American culture. This man is clearly unfamiliar with Japanese things, so after a moment's pause Ken smiles and sticks out his hand instead.]

You don't have to worry about cultural stuff. We've gotten used to being here, now. [Except for the lack of honorifics. Screw that.]

It's nice to meet you as well, Will-sa-- Mr? Will. Koromaru, say hello.

[And the dog holds up his paw for a shake.]

[infomodder]

[Ah, hell. Ken has noticed his white people problems. At least he's polite about it, really, that's a point in his favor. Will gives him a slightly sheepish smile before he shakes his hand. Totally a professional one, too, someone's trained this dogman well. And someone's trained this dog well, too, look at that. Will leans down only as much as needed to shake that paw, slap happy smile on his face, as he lets out a quiet hey little guy. But for how much he's in love with dogs, all dogs, he realizes there's a human bean (smol, so smol) here, so he straightens back up and talks to the human like he's a human and not just an unfortunate attachment to a dog.]

Will is fine. Mister Graham is my father. [Actually, Mister Graham is Will's name at his old classes in the FBI and a constant reminder of what a failure he is. Will is more than fine.] Actually...what does -san at the end mean? Is it the same as -chan?

[He doesn't pronounce them terribly. In fact, the -chan is completely on point. Because Will's heard that one said aloud and is mimicking Ken Kaneki's (so many Kens...) pronunciation and that's the only way he can get it without any hesitation or faltering, so.]

[amadaman]

Um, kind of.

[Ken's pretty smiley because he realizes how much Will is loving the dog. It's ok, mister, he understands. Koromaru is irresistible, he knows.]

It doesn't have a really specific meaning, to be honest. It's just polite to -- or, it's rude not to use it? There's a whole bunch of this stuff that gets used around and -san is the most common one. It's a habit for me.

[infomodder]

[He is, he really is. The urge to squat down and just be on level with this dog of power is strong but he must resist. If he can resist the urge to be murder BFFs with Hannibal Lecter, he has the willpower (haha) to resist an impressive and adorable dog. It'll just take a lot of calling on all the willpower he has, of course, because Koromaru is just that good.]

Ah. So it's a cultural...thing. [Never fear, young awkward people. Will is here to prove that you can grow up into an old awkward person and still do okay for yourself. Good job, Captain Obvious.] I know another Ken who uses them, just never thought to ask.

[he white as snow but he has Japanese friends so he cool right?]

[amadaman]

Let me guess: is it Ken Kaneki? It's usually him.

[He doesn't know of any other Kens that have shown up, at least.]

He's very polite, too, so I'm not surprised he does. But yes, it's a cultural thing. Jaime-san was confused about it when he first heard it, too.


[Ken does not, in fact, ask Will if he'd prefer the honorific dropped. None of that.]

... You seem to really like Koromaru. He won't mind if you call him Koro, by the way.

[infomodder]

[A moment's hesitation wherein Will looks at Ken like he's trying to figure him out before he gets to one knee in front of the dog, tugging out a small bag of homemade treats from his back pocket.]

Kaneki, yes. We were housemates for a bit. Been friends for a while. [Who says criminals can't be friends with their probation officers? Not Will Graham, get out of here with that noise. He smiles at Koromaru with his other hand extended for a proper sniff down (and petting, if he's allowed), shaking the bag slightly in Ken's direction.] Do you mind? I make them myself. It's all fresh ingredients, good for dogs.

[Can he please seduce Ken's dog right in front of Ken? Such obscenity.]

[amadaman]

Go ahead. He's smart enough to sniff out what he can and can't eat.

[Like sulking at Akihiko for trying to feed him protein powder, or running for his life from Fuuka's cooking, or convincing Shinjiro to cook for him because his food is the best. Speaking of whom...]

You remind me of a friend of him of ours. He used to carry around dog treats in his pocket all the time, too.

[Koromaru, meanwhile, is sniffing at the contents of the bag curiously.]

[infomodder]

[There is nothing in these treats that is inedible for dogs. More importantly, all meats used are carefully tracked down because he will have one universe where his dogs have not eaten people, okay? Is that so much to ask for?

So he'll share that entire bag of goodies if Koromaru wants, using it as a segue to get a few scratches behind the ears. It's a slippery slope, someone help Koromaru.]

Yeah? [He looks up at Ken, eyebrows raised, interested. Hopefully this friend of his, this comparison, isn't a secretly insulting one. Even if it is, who gives a shit? There is a dog in his presence, all is well.] He have a lot of dogs, too, or just like 'em?

[This is a valid idea in Will's head. People carry breadcrumbs for birds they don't own, why not cart around treats for dogs just the same?]

[amadaman]

[He's being won over by the dog obsessed devil, that's what's happening. Koromaru does not turn away those who offer him food so he wags his tail and leans his head into the hand that scratches it, panting happily.]

I think he just liked Koromaru a lot. I don't blame him. You'd really have to not like dogs to dislike Koro.

[infomodder]

[The devil is in the dog tails, as they say. (No, no one says that.) But perhaps Ken can spot some of that evil inherent, considering Will is all about returning that doggie love. Evil or just a sad, lonely guy who's taken to dogs in such dark times, either way.]

I can see that! He's quite the charmer. [Fluff fluff, given all the treats he could want, there is no shame in this public display of affection.] You've clearly done well by him.

[Like Koromaru is Ken's child...his precious, properly raised furbaby.]

[amadaman]

[Ken's already used to Koromaru being a damn charmer, but Will's enthusiasm toward dogs -- and so openly, too! -- is a rarer sight. He watches curiously, though in a pleasant mood, and blushes at the compliment that gets thrown his way.]

I didn't do anything, [he answers modestly, honestly.] Koromaru used to live with somebody else until a few months before he started living at our dorm. He grew up there, and he spent time with a lot of different people.

[He crouches down. Now they are a grown man and a little boy doting over a puppy. It's such a Kodak moment.] He looks out for all of us.

[infomodder]

[Huh. Is he hearing humility or self-deprecation? Will glances up at the explanation, long enough to let Ken knows he's being heard and found of interest, before he gives up the last of the treats, ruffles Koromaru's ears one last time, and eases to a stand again.

Will's always been fond of being on the other side in this situation. Meeting others with a dog in tow can mean they focus on the dog more than him, and that's just fine with him. He doesn't enjoy giving out any more than he absolutely wants to, at any given time, and having a dog as a buffer works wonders. Doesn't mean little things can't slip out, and he's left to mull over what this says about Ken as a person more than he will what it says about Koromaru as a dog.

Dogs are rather amazing creatures, all of them; that's not a big revelation to Will.]

Doubt he'd look out for all of you without having a reason to do so. [Is as far as he goes, gentle observation delivered like afterthought instead of anything pressing. No overt demand Ken return to this line of thought and see what part he plays in it, see what all anything he's done to warrant such fierce love and loyalty.] Glad I got to finally meet you both, but you must be headed somewhere, right? I'd rather not keep you if that's the case.

["Sorry I'm late, some weirdo kept following us and then fell in love with Koromaru right in front of me. How was your day?"]

[amadaman]

[Ken smiles, not quite as reserved as Will in human interactions, but still more on the reserved side for his age. He doesn't think it's necessary to tell this man that Koromaru was a fighting dog, or that they had an AI once translate for him and say that he fought to pay them back for saving his life. That sort of thing goes into strange science-fiction territory, and there's no need to break the atmosphere here. He smiles politely.]

Not too much of a hurry, but we'd better get home before we're too late... you had dogs of your own, right? We could meet up again, let Koromaru meet them, too.