Hannibal watches Malcolm's face. His own is blank, now that he seems to have wrestled his own mild display of emotions back under his control.

He hums and then looks away, back to his plate. "I understand if you find it hard to believe, but initially he was not supposed to know me. Not truly. However, even with his health deteriorating, he found me. He pierced through every layer of obfuscation I had."

Hannibal licks his lips and takes another perfectly-sized bite. Only after consuming it does he ask, "How did he fare, after that role-playing exercise was finished?" He is doing his best to come off as nonchalant about the question, but there's a seed of worry in it.