won't you take me

[kokuyoyo]

Who: The Li Tieguai clusterfuck
What: Well, we're out of a shitty haunted forest, who wants dinner?
When: November 16, evening
Where: Li Tieguai's Temple

Usually, when there's some big nonsense in Heaven, Chikusa can be found out cold or "away" in his own head for most of the following couple of days afterwards... but that apparently only counts for event which involve people. Spending an entire day trekking through a possessed forest filled with violent plant-life and cultists is manageable.... somehow.

No matter how exhausted or injured anyone in the temple is, food still has to be made, and Hakka is in no condition to make it. Thus, dinner is being arranged by the other cook in the house, and invitations have been sent out to the relevant people Chikusa thinks care- namely Nanako and Ayumu, along with anyone they seek to bring. That doesn't mean people checking in on the Li Tieguai temple can't just waltz right into the dinner as well....

There's a lot to do in the time leading up to dinner, after all, depending on when people show up (or, you know, realize there's smells coming from the kitchen). Bon, the resident enormous Tibetan Mastiff, demands attention in the form of bodily flinging himself at people. There's a goat in the garden, tied away from all the important medical herbs. At least four different nekomata wander in and out of the temple ground whenever they please, including Pookie, the most permanent resident, and never shut up.... Not to mention that a Kung-Fu movie has been put on the television for people to watch.

There's also a sign on all entrances to the kitchen that says: CHO HAKKAI IS NOT ALLOWED TO COOK. Presumably Chikusa put it up while making direct eye contact with him.

Either way, mess around until dinner, have dinner, crash in the living room where another kung-fu movie has been put on again... Have fun.

Oh, and before it can be forgotten.... The dinner menu for the night is fritto misto, meaty Amatriciana sauce with bucatini noodles, and all the garlic bread in the world apparently. For dessert? Cannoli again. That... might be all he knows how to make on the dessert front.

Comments

[kokuyoyo]

A - Dinner Prep

Honestly, ever since Hakkai went missing, Chikusa knew he'd have to pick up the household chores again. Ever since they found him, he's known just as much that he'd still have to do it. Most of it he refuses to do, so long as there are other people in the temple with the capability to do simple things like that... .

But cooking? Cooking is something he knows only he should be trusted with.

The smell wafting out from the kitchen is warm and inviting, the kind that only tempts the hollowness in an empty stomach with the idea of being filled up. Bread, warm meat, tomatoes sweetening everywhere the scent reaches... It might be hard to resist trying to steal something, but it's ill advised. Clad in a pink beanie with a floral patch and an apro to match, Chikusa is wielding a rolling pin at any given time and not afraid to use it.

...But if you're not here for food theft, come in anyway, and he might be inclined to chat.

B - Dinner

There is so much pasta.

There is so much sauce.

There is frankly a horrifying amount of bread.

And yet.... With his elbows on the table and his cheek in one hand, Chikusa blinks sleepily at it all. "...Not enough... Maybe..."

He might be right or wrong, and either option is a little horrifying.

C - After Dinner

While he's the one who put in the movie to satisfy some of the other people in the household and their guests, Chikusa doesn't really care about that. Instead, he's wandered off into the garden where he's sitting, legs and fingers sprawled out in the grass. His head is tilted back, lazily watching the sky.

...But he's definitely aware of anyone coming over, not even needing to look as he says, "What?"

A

[erogappa]

Cooking, for a house this big? That's not something one person should be trusted with. That's too much work, isn't it?

Gojyo actually knows nothing about cooking, but he knows about eating, and he knows how much he eats, and Ken eats. And given how popular Hakkai is, he wouldn't be surprised if more people show up to wish him well. It's not fair to put all that work on Chikusa, is it? So about the time he notices the first sign, he knows what he has to do.

"Hey." He hovers in the doorway of the kitchen, not wanting to interrupt Chikusa's flow. There's a lot going on in there (and it all smells amazing), and he's here to make peace, more or less. Getting in the kid's way wouldn't help that. "What can I do?"

A

[rockthemonkey]

[When Goku first saw the signs forbidding Hakkai entry, he'd thought maybe Chikusa was in over his head. Fighting Hakkai on anything is bound to be trouble, after all. But now he's starting to wonder if Hakkai is the one in trouble, dealing with a terrifying shinki like Chikusa. Anyone who can make a room smell that good while still fending off intruders is to be respected in Goku's experience.

Still, he has to try. He'd failed to get any meat. He'd failed to sneak off with any bread. But maybe on his third attempt, he'll be more lucky. Surely if Goku sneaks around behind the counter, crouched so he's out of view, he can maybe grab just one tomato without Chikusa noticing... Just one...]

C

[junkyarddog]

"Kakipiiiii," returns Ken's voice, not quite a whine so much as a drawn-out drawl. And then Ken is settling down beside him in the grass, using Chikusa's leg as a pillow for his head.

He doesn't actually seem to have come out here for any particular reason, nor does he push for conversation. He seems to be here just to lie with Chikusa.

C!

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako has decided she does Not Understand kung-fu movies.

So, about halfway through, the sleepy little goddess had wandered away from the living room, having noticed that Chikusa was no longer in the room with them. Finding him in the gardens instead, she pauses a moment until he speaks, watching him, but takes that single word as an invitation to join him.

Because Chikusa's life is now having a small affectionate goddess to deal with, she comes and plops down to sit between his stretched legs, leaning back against his chest to also peer up at the starry sky. ]

Didn't you like the movie either?

Super late A

[smilingbullet]

[ D2 is just dropping by the kitchen to have a quick word with Chikusa (and gets amused all over by the sign) after talking to Hakkai, he doesn't want to bother when he's otherwise occupied. ]

Hey, Chikusa.

[reformedsinner]

Before Dinner

[Having been unceremoniously ousted from the kitchen -- three times before the signs went up -- Hakkai has chosen a route of true passive aggression. He's fine after a day of rest. Well, he still has plenty of bruises and scrapes, and he wouldn't trust himself to heal too many serious wounds without another day to rebuild his chi reserves, but it's not as if he can't stand up.

He is, therefore, doing laundry. He can be found in the back garden, clipping sheets, shirts and slacks onto clotheslines to dry in the brisk, chilly wind.]

Ah, hello!

[No matter how =determined to make him sit down the approaching figure appears, he's greeting everyone in the same cheerful manner.

It's probably meant to be exactly as annoying as it sounds.]

Can you hold this while I pin it on the line?

After Dinner

[Kung fu movies, did you say? Don't mind the fact that Hakkai has eaten all the garlic bread in the world, in what may be an attempt to secure himself plenty of unchallenged sofa space or may just have been a silent acknowledgement that he's still getting back his energy.

He still smells like garlic breath, though the very large mastiff trying to climb onto his lap is probably a better reason not to sit down next to him. Bon can be shoved over, though, if anyone insists.]

Which film is this?

after dinner

[kokuyoyo]

[No, it's fine. This is fine. Chikusa can just... drape across the other end of the couch after coming back inside. With half of him across Bon. To be specific, it's his long stupid gangly legs that stretch across Bon, almost as if to shove his socks in Hakkai's face.]

[He noticed you doing laundry, you fuck.]

"Dirty Ho"...

Before Dinner

[rockthemonkey]

[Guess who else has probably been chased out of the kitchen today? Guess who else was probably chased out three times? Between that and the signs, Goku's starting to think that Chikusa is honestly a pretty impressive guy.

Goku knows better than to try and force Hakkai to rest- he's not nearly as impressive as Chikusa, after all- and he doesn't see the need to push for bedrest if Hakkai doesn't want it. He can stand, he's fine. What Goku can do is follow him around all day while he insists on doing chores, carrying heavy loads of laundry and getting underfoot in his helpful, eager-to-please way. If Hakkai wants to lift anything heavier than a shirt today, he's going to have to work for it. That or convince Chikusa to start serving appetizers early.]

Yeah, no problem! [Goku puts down the laundry basket and bounds over, standing on his tiptoes to help get whatever it is up onto the line.] I got it!

[junkyarddog]

Nuh-uh.

[Ken is standing nearby, looking conflicted, idly biting his lower lip as he watches Hakkai.]

Kakapi's gonna be mad you're not resting, byon. [Read: Ken's worried he'll be blamed for being Hakkai's accomplice if he helps him.] You're still tired, right?

Before Dinner!

[welcome_home]

[ Having just arrived and delivered a basket of fresh vegetables to the kitchen and been informed by Chikusa that Hakkai was somewhere resting, Nanako is understandably surprised to find him in the back garden. Doing laundry.

Although she doesn't understand what could be annoying about his cheerful greeting which gets a bright - if somewhat confused - smile from her as she approaches him.

The line's too high for her to reach and there's nothing to stand on nearby but she's never one to turn down a request for help, so as she approaches, her tiny wings flit into view behind her, lifting her into the air so she can come help him with his chore. ]

Hi, Hakkai! Are you feeling better? Chikusa said you were still resting.

[ This is not resting, Hakkai. ]

After dinner

[erogappa]

[ Does Hakkai know yet that Gojyo's shoving Ken at Chikusa in the hopes of breaking Hakkai's brain with teenage hormones? Has he been successful in his endeavors? Would Hakkai even notice, given the strength of that hormone baseline? Who can say?

What is known is that Gojyo's eaten his weight in pasta, and might actually be full. He's certainly moving slowly, lowering himself and his food baby gingerly onto the other end of the couch. ]

Fuck if I know. The brat put it on.

Before Dinner

[smilingbullet]

[ You drop by just because as you sometimes do, and find that the kitchen is under occupation and Hakkai has been an idiot. Is being an idiot. Both. Well. What else is new.

D2 regards Hakkai for a few brief moments with an unimpressed eyebrow raised because that's some saccharine notes or something. ]

Oh yeah, sure.

[ His hands does not go where Hakkai wants them to. Instead they go to Hakkai's face to grab at his cheeks and tug at them. ]

Like this?

[junkyarddog]

Before Dinner

[Ken has been even more fiercely banned from the kitchen than Hakkai, because he's absolutely the worst at being underfoot while he's hungry and food is being prepared, and also an unrepentant food thief. No matter what amount of affection Chikusa has for him, his partner knows better than to let him in.

The upshot of this is that Ken is lurking right by the door - as close as he can get to being in the kitchen without Chikusa whacking him with a yoyo; he's tested - and looking somewhere between sullen and deprived. If you want to earn some points with Chikusa, distracting the dog until dinner is ready would be a great way to do it.]


After Dinner

[Ken has, as always, gorged himself - although perhaps even more than usual today, given that the food was Italian and Ken definitely has a weakness for his native cuisine. When he's not with Chikusa, he can be found lying with Bon on the floor, sleepy and content, but still keeping a semi-interested eye and ear on what's going on around him. It's easy to engage him in conversation now, although he doesn't seem interested in starting any himself. He seems to consider himself to have the same role as Bon here - for conversations to go on around him, but not really with him.]

Before dinner

[erogappa]

[ He heads out of the kitchen, still snickering. He wasn't expecting to see Ken so soon, but it's not surprising, is it? They're dumb kids having dumb kid lust at each other. Ken's never far away. ]

You been banished from the kitchen too?

Before Dinner

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku, meanwhile, doesn't know Chikusa's attack range yet but he's starting to figure it out. After a few failed attempts he'd gone to bother Hakkai instead, but now dinner is so close to being ready. A good thing, since if he has to wait much longer he's pretty sure he'll starve.

For the moment, Goku is slumped against the wall near the kitchen door, sniffing the air and looking very pitiful.]

I'm hungry...

Before Dinner >.>

[welcome_home]

[ Nanako had gone to the kitchen first to drop off some vegetables for Chikusa, but it wasn't hard to spot Ken peering woefully in the door - although since he wasn't coming any further, she was guessing he'd been banned like Hakkai was.

Pausing to catch up with Chikusa a little bit before heading out to greet the rest of the members of the temple, she might have not-so-secretly snitched a couple pieces of the fresh bread on her way past. At least if Chikusa noticed, he didn't scold her for it.

Slipping out of the kitchen, thinking she'd successfully evaded all chances of being caught - and certainly not let get away with it - she slips around the corner, out of Chikusa's line of vision, before beaming at Ken.

And then offering him the gift of a few small stolen slices of garlic bread. ]

Hi, Ken!

[kagenonadeshiko]

After Dinner

[Ordinarily, Ayumu would bring a dish of her own to contribute but today, she arrives to dinner uncharacteristically empty-handed. While she's trying to smile, it doesn't really reach her eyes. She's quiet both before and during dinner, only speaking when spoken to and lapsing into the role of social lurker while others converse around her. To her credit, she does clean her plate, despite her sorrowful mood and the awkward tension between the temple god and herself at the moment.

After dinner, Ayumu settles down on one of the couches to watch a movie, quickly overtaken by Bon who proceeds to climb into her lap, slobbering tongue already licking all over the place. At least, some of the heavy air surrounding Ayumu tonight is starting to lift a little. It's hard to focus on her guiilt and grief with a huge dog literally in her face.]

Bon!

[A sputtering laugh as she wriggles to escape the mastiff's kisses to no avail. Technically, she could fairly easily but she'll indulge Bon's affectionate assault for now. It's a welcome distraction from her present troubles. Maybe a conversation with one of the other guests might help, too. She twists to look past the dog.]

Wildcard!

[reformedsinner]

[And, that quickly, Hakkai is saved from being swarmed by the dog. Guests are much more exciting than residents, after all. He watches with a distant little smile as Ayumu is swarmed by the dog.

She's been trying, that much is obvious, but it's just as obvious that she's devastated.

Unfortunately, he knows the feeling.]

I'm sorry, he still hasn't learned his manners.

[kokuyoyo]

[Even as Ayumu is trying to twist out of Bon's slobbery greetings, there's a certain familiar face peering past the mountain of a dog. Chikusa offers a paper bag that smells positively buttery.]

....Want this?

[welcome_home]

[ Sometime after the giant dog has settled down - probably falling asleep with Ken on the floor - the little girl on the other side of Ayumu is valiantly trying to fight off the sleepy yawns that keep coming more and more insistently as the kung-fu movie plays.

She's totally not sleepy, though. And it's totally not way past her bedtime. At all. Nope. ]

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku has been kind of half-watching the movie. This is really nice, actually. He's full of food, he's surrounded by nice people and he's been given a chance to completely relax. This is so nice. The only problem is that the presence of all these other people makes the absence of one in particular all the more obvious.

He doesn't want to think about that. Laying on the floor, he tunes in for the movie's action sequences and clocks out when they're over to try and goad Jeep into playing with him, trying to keep his mind occupied. This is helped partway by Bon abruptly walking over him, stepping on his face, to get to Ayumu.]

Wha- hey!

[erogappa]

[ Ayumu's been quiet during dinner, but that could be for a lot of reasons. Maybe she's still hurt, maybe she's mad at Hakkai again, maybe she's stressed out about the ritual kidnappings... And maybe she doesn't want to talk to Gojyo, but if that's the case, then she'll just ignore him, right? Or tell him to fuck off in her polite Ayumu way. ]

That dog's got no manners.

[welcome_home]

Before Dinner
[ Nanako shows up before dinner with a big basket of fresh vegetables she'd been helping to harvest before... everything went crazy with the whole forest adventure. Delivering these to the kitchen for Chikusa and whatever food he could make with them over the next few days for the temple at large, she then wanders around to go greet the rest of the temple and see how everyone is doing, shyly approaching the ones she doesn't know well yet - or at all. ]

After Dinner
[ Nanako hasn't watched a lot of kung-fu movies. They're normally not the first thing she would pick on tv when settling down to watch. But since one always seems to be playing when she comes over for a visit, she is parked on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and...

....mostly trying to figure out the point of this, really. ]

....But why does everyone just keep coming to punch him all the time? And why are there so many of them?

[ She doesn't think bad guys work like this, Kung-Fu Movie. ]

After dinner

[erogappa]

[ He didn't see much of the little girl at dinner -- he was spending most of the meal alternately laughing at and snarking at Ken and Chikusa, with some fighting with Goku thrown in for good measure -- but now that everyone's stuffed full of food, he figures he might as well say hi. ]

He's showin' off. [ Gojyo picks a seat in a comfy chair next to the couch and drops heavily into it, leaning forward to watch the movie, elbows on his knees. ] See? Nobody does flips like that in a real fight. You'd get your feet kicked out from under you. But in movies they can do stuff like this just because it looks cool.

[ Hi, kid. ]

You're Nanako, right?