"There are books about me as well. Old stories. And memories." Hannibal knew her stories. She had no problem with the idea that she was a story, a being to be believed in. Baba Yaga had power in everyone who knew and believed in the stories. Who remembered them. "But, some of the stories are gross misrepresentations."
"They are quite timid. Not just here. Very few suffer from a complete lack of survival instincts, the particular lack found only in idiots and heroes. Only they would go running toward the screams." She understood heroes; she understood how their minds worked, but that didn't mean she had to find it gallant or even part of who she wanted to be. "The other few who go running toward the screams are those that wish to know; their survival instincts keep them out of trouble, but not so far removed that they do not wish to know."
Running to screams was not the same as causing them. Being part of that experience was something all together different. Then again, that often got one called a monster, evil doer, bad guy, the list could get long, but it all came down to being something other than hero.
"Red eyes are rare, even in my world." There were various skin colors and solid black eyes. But, even in the world of the Fable, red eyes were seldom seen. "You are truly an interesting young man."
She laughed softly. "Perhaps the City wishes this over with quickly, but we shall not grant it that wish." No, she'd find away to extend the pair's lives. They may not scream, but they would beg for release. They would try to make deals. They would feel themselves slipping away only to waken to new horrors. Whether Hannibal had been there, or not, Baba would have turned this pair into a little message to the City and perhaps those would be knights of good. The City wasn't a place to live out sweet little lives, and it wasn't a place to forget one's self. It was a place in which lives must be lived and fought for.
Plus, she liked watching the fall out when the City's good guys could be bothered when something dark and sinister happened.