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

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"...

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai, gently, leans a little to one side, putting his nose out of the immediate vicinity of Chikusa's socks.]

Ha ha, please keep your feet on the floor, Chikusa.

Did you choose the film?

[That certainly is... a title.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Chikusa does not put his feet back down onto the floor, although at least he doesn't pursue shoving them any further into Hakkai's face.]

Yes.

[Definitely a title, although, at least, the 'Ho' in this question is an actual name.]

[reformedsinner]

[Chikusa's failure to move does not go unnoticed. Hakkai is thoughtfully silent for a long moment.]

I see. Is it a mystery?

[This is clearly not any kind of reference to Chikusa's tastes in entertainment, or writing. Many kung fu movies are based around the hero solving or avenging a crime, after all.

He claims total innocence.]

[kokuyoyo]

[It hasn't gone past Chikusa that a lot of kung fu movies involve revenge of some sort.... but this isn't really one of them.]

[...Or. Well.]

Sort of.

Problem with it?

[reformedsinner]

Hmm, no, not at all. It's just that the title sounds a little inappropriate for Nanako.

[He shifts, under the weight of one dog and two legs, and sighs.]

[kokuyoyo]

[A pause.]

Does it?

[It sometimes genuinely slips his mind that there are children who haven't heard worse.]

[reformedsinner]

A little. ... well, I suppose we'll see.

[It's also possible that she'll fall asleep anyway, after the size of the meal Chikusa'd made. Hakkai is silent for a moment before tilting his head to glance at Chikusa.

Ah, his feet are still there. Hakkai raises a hand to very gently edge Chikusa's feet towards the side of the dog, from which it's a straight drop to the floor. Where feet belong.]

Thank you for making dinner, incidentally.

[kokuyoyo]

[Of course his feet are still there. Although fortunately Chikusa can't stick to pettiness with effort, so he doesn't fight against Hakkai as his feet are shoved out of the way and hit the ground. There's a faint huff, but he's not going to bother with it.]

...I'm the only one who could... Are you staying up after this?

[reformedsinner]

I might. [Hakkai's eye narrows, thoughtfully, watching Chikusa's face. It's as unrevealing as usual.]

Why do you ask?

[kokuyoyo]

[Just as unrevealing as the connection between them. Chikusa certainly meets his eyes squarely, not shying away at all.]

I want to talk to you.

[reformedsinner]

Then I'll be staying up.

[His smile is faint.]

And I don't think I'll be watching for the entire movie... so do let me know when you want to talk.

[kokuyoyo]

....Whenever. I guess.... sooner than later.

[He's even properly adjusting himself now, sitting up straight from where Bon is squishing them both into different sides of the couch.]

[reformedsinner]

[Ah. This is an important talk, then.

Hakkai edges out from under Bon's forelegs, patting his head, and gets to his feet. Bon whuffs, stretching out to occupy the newly vacated cushion.]

Since you did the cooking, I hope you won't mind me doing the dishes?

[Meaning: they can talk in the kitchen. Everyone else seems to be hanging out here, or in the back garden, at least. The kitchen is safely empty.]

[kokuyoyo]

[That was quick. Chikusa wobbles up to his feet, with all the weight of a reed poking out from a pond.]

I mind, but you do whatever you want anyways... Just don't faint.

[Even for a conversation like this, he's pretty sure Hakkai would do it anyway, despite Chikusa constantly glaring at him for it.]

[reformedsinner]

I'll make sure I don't fall on you if I do.

[He's quite surefooted walking towards the kitchen, at least. He may be exhausted -- he can admit that he's not recovered -- but he doesn't need quite the level of cosseting Chikusa's decided to employ.

What better way to prove that than to not faint?]

[kokuyoyo]

[Hakkai was surefooted before he almost started turning into an ayakashi, too, so Chikusa counts that as 'not counting'. Still, he doesn't say anything else as he trails after Hakkai, making sure to sidestep anyone else.]

[When they enter the kitchen, Chikusa promptly props himself up against the fridge, away from the entrances, and stares at his god for a moment.]

....It was an accident... that you ended up in that forest... right...

[reformedsinner]

[Ah. Is that the problem.

Hakkai can't blame Chikusa for his suspicion, not given his own track record of escaping things going wrong in his personal life through flagrantly risky behavior, but, lately, things have been going much less wrong. He's not sure Chikusa entirely realizes that.]

It was an accident. I wouldn't have done that to you right after Gojyo moved into the temple.

And, besides, if I was going in to search, I wouldn't have only brought Asshole.

[kokuyoyo]

[Would he really? Chikusa wants to believe that, still remembering the two of them doing such outings like breaking into a morgue when they'd only known each other for a short amount of time, but... It feels hard to believe, right now.]

[Worse, it feels unpleasant for reasons he can't entirely nail down, and he doesn't like it, either. And there's something else, too.]

You... didn't tell us that Gojyo would be moving in, either.

[So what would he do?]

[reformedsinner]

[How convenient, now that they're in the kitchen, that there really is a sink full of dishes that need to be scrubbed, now that they've soaked a little. Hakkai turns towards it, tossing a dishtowel over his shoulder as he picks up the sponge and begins to apply himself to loosening any crusted food.]

No, I didn't. I didn't know that he would be until he agreed to stay after that first dinner.

[He's still not sure if he can trust Gojyo's new decision to remain in the household. He does seem to care -- he seems not to want to leave... but that doesn't mean things are good. Hakkai's not even sure if they're okay.

And he's already fought with Ayumu about it, even if she may not be wrong that being too close to him is bad for Gojyo all on its own.

The sauce pan clatters as he turns it over to rinse out some burnt-on pork jowl.]

To tell the truth, at first, I was just afraid he'd choke on his own vomit if I let him sleep it off in the back of the bar.

[kokuyoyo]

[How convenient indeed, and Chikusa watches him go with thinned lips. He doesn't stop him, however. As long as it keeps Hakkai around, and doesn't have people asking what they're doing, well, it's fine.]

He stayed an entire day... Wasn't that enough to talk to us?

[They knew he was there, of course, because the smell was impossible to miss, but... That's different than knowing what to expect.]

[reformedsinner]

I assumed he'd be leaving as soon as he woke up. And, Chikusa....

[He had thought Gojyo was going to leave when he woke up. And Gojyo had tried, hadn't he? Until Hakkai had told him to stay for dinner, and until they'd spoken after that stupid fight.

But that's not the point here, is it? The point is Chikusa saying, Doesn't my opinion on whether he can stay matter, too?

It probably should. He and Ayumu had had this conversation once before. And yet.]

I told you as soon as I knew it was going to happen, but with Gojyo, I can't promise to let you be part of my decisions. I told him I wouldn't let him stay if he was cruel to you and Ken, and I meant that. But if you and Ken just don't like him, then I'm sorry.

[That's not enough. As much as Hakkai cares for them, if he's forced to choose, he knows how he's going to choose. Chikusa should understand that, if anyone does.]

[kokuyoyo]

You told me when I asked you about it.

[And that always seems to be what happens. Hakkai never volunteers information, does he? It's part of what lead to him having so much blight that one time, ages ago, and Chikusa can see the pattern even more clearly thanks to time and proximity. That had been fine when they'd been strangers, acquaintances, second choices- ]

[But they aren't, now.]

It's not if I like him or not. Ken's obviously fine with him. That has nothing to do with it.

[reformedsinner]

Yes, I did. You asked me about it less than half an hour after Gojyo woke up.

[And he still hadn't been sure, then. Paralyzingly unsure, in fact. He's not sure he'd have talked to Chikusa about it until he'd had the chance to speak with Gojyo again, to get a better idea of what was going to happen, whether Gojyo wanted to stay, who he thought he was and who he thought Hakkai was now....

Hakkai has to admit that he's still far less sure than he really wants to be.

He exhales, and pulls the dishtowel from his shoulder to dry the first pot.]

If it's not that, then what is it?

[kokuyoyo]

[What is it? The answer feels both simple and yet difficult to explain, something he struggles to put together into decent words and then expose them to the air. Chikusa focuses on putting it all together in his head, watching the way Hakkai's shoulders move with every rub or exchange.]

...You don't tell us things.

[And before he can be misunderstood- ]

Things that affect us... or that you know could affect us. I don't care if you have secrets... besides when that happens.