In some respects, she did not need to be able to read Hannibal's mind. She already knew much of it very, very well. She knew that he'd either requested the table to look like this or done it himself, going out of his way.
In many ways, River's father would have appreciated Hannibal. In many ways, clearly, not. But in this, she was confident. She remembered how he'd speak to Simon and to her as children. This was part of why the Tams were so smart and focused.
River's plate had some fluffy scrambled eggs on it, a biscuit and a few other things before Hannibal spoke.
How are you feeling?
She blinked, searching for the correct words.
"Empty," River said. "Shut out." She put her fork down, blinked a few more times, and continued, raising her eyes to Hannibal's. "Worried. Relieved."