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[cigsandbeer]

"Too bad; I'm busy with some shit. I'm only calling you back if you're a pretty woman ♥"

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[cigsandbeer]

"Guess I know what I'll entertain myself with for now, then. Pretty sure I didn't get an inmate yet."

Granted, he only skimmed the network when he woke up and might have missed an announcement.

[reformedsinner]

"No, not yet. Probably not for another month," Hakkai adds with a tiny shrug. "It's about every thirty days that inmates are re-paired, until they get a permanent warden."

With a glimmer of amusement, he adds, "Have you met Karlach yet? Lovely woman."

Slightly on fire, but only slightly. His first thought on meeting her had been how well she would get along with Gojyo -- so.

[cigsandbeer]

"Uh, I don't think so? I talked a bit with a woman named Maggie, and a kid who's never had a crush on anyone before."

That's it in terms of women so far. Boo.

"Why, is she especially hot?"

[reformedsinner]

Could anyone resist a straight line like that one?

"Oh yes," Hakkai agrees.

After a moment, with less amusement and more seriousness, he adds, "Also, very straightforward and friendly. A little like Goku, actually."

[cigsandbeer]

...? Having yet to meet Karlach, Gojyo obviously doesn't get what's so amusing about that.

"Yeah, well. Dunno if 'similar to Goku' is something anyone'd want in a woman. But you'll have to introduce us, yeah?"

[reformedsinner]

"I will," Hakkai agrees, lifting the coffee cup in a toast to seal the promise. He does quite like Karlach, after all, and he does think Gojyo will too. And -- well.

Hakkai can recognize that part of the problem is that he knows almost everyone here and Gojyo only knows him. He doesn't think that'll last -- Gojyo is about ten times as social as Hakkai is, and more than ten times as sincere -- but for the moment, introducing him to people who aren't Hakkai or Jedao can only help.

"You said you'd already met Xie Lian...?"

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo has, in fact, already made one drinking buddy, one gym buddy, and managed to convince Hilbert to have drinks with him. None of which is at his mind right at this moment: right now, he's focused on trying to maintain this shaky approximation of normalcy for however long it can last.

"--Oh, yeah. He really wanted to talk about you. Tried to pull some bullshit about having 'only heard good things' about me, but whatever.

...Real smiley."

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai is equally determined to keep the shaky approximation of normalcy in place. It's not comfortable, not the way their conversations over the dinner table used to be, but it's closer than hovering at his door trying to fit together an apology for having gone on with his life without Gojyo around, on purpose.

Which might, possibly, turn out to have been an unforgivable sin. But he still very much hopes not, so he's going to continue to pretend.

"He has only heard good things about you," he assures Gojyo over his coffee. "He read my file."

Which, to the extent that it mentioned Gojyo -- Hakkai never read it himself -- should have been wildly complimentary. He'd done all the initial work on the wreck he'd dragged out of the mud, after all.

[cigsandbeer]

"Oh, in that case! Why didn't you say so."

Hakkai did just say so, but you know. It's an expression. So basically all it said was 'guy who pulled me out of the mud and gave me a place to crasch' and Hakkai has possibly not even talked about Gojyo with his former warden. Why should he have, especially if he originally arrived here three years back in time? Gojyo takes a sip of coffee.

"Anyway, I guess he seemed okay? Although it's kinda weird: I thought he looked like a monk or something? But he's all polite and smiley, so it's kinda like you and Sanzo--"

He brings his palms together and makes a 'crashing' sounds: very clearly not implying anything sexual for once, just 'a weird combination of the two of you'.

[reformedsinner]

"Oh, he's a god, actually."

Hakkai takes a sip of his coffee in turn -- what does 'oh, in that case' mean? He finds himself slightly unsure -- and adds, "I had to change my opinion of gods slightly."

Apparently, at least one god is not a complete sack of useless shit.

"I think he's actually more judgmental than me or Sanzo...."

[cigsandbeer]

"...Oh, shit."

That would sure be some level of judgmental (affectionate).

"Should I be relieved he wasn't carrying a gun or something."

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai laughs at the joke, his amusement bright and briefly unguarded with relief. "Well-- no, he's also very nice about it. I just mean that when he likes you, it means a lot."

A brief pause, and he adds, "And if you ever want to complain about Heaven's decision-making, he's a very good person to vent to. He knows all the gossip."

[cigsandbeer]

You don't live/travel with Hakkai for some five years without learning to tell his genuine smiles from his polite ones-- Gojyo own smile softens for a moment as he for the first time since coming to the Barge feels a surge of... relief? warmth? Something embarrassingly sappy, probably.

Then he grins.

"Oi, oi. You sure we should be gossiping? Aren't we supposed to be role models for all the wayward inmates?"

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai knocks his foot against Gojyo's under the table in a tiny gesture of affection, easy and deniable, and looks down at his coffee; he's still smiling, though, and it's still genuine.

"Ha ha, luckily, we don't have to be perfect. Even a terrible monk like Sanzo managed to succeed!

"So we're allowed all sorts of unrighteous behavior."

1/2

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo knocks his foot back in retaliation!! before focusing his attention on the last mouthfuls of the Apology Plate of Scrambled Eggs.

"Thank fuck for that. Dunno what I'd do if they wanted me not to smoke around impressionable people, or something..."

[cigsandbeer]

--!!!

"Hakkai, you realise what this means?"

Slamming his coffee cup down on the table! Luckily it's mostly empty by now!

"The both of us DEFINITELY need to graduate at least one inmate each! Imagine if Sanzo's the only one having managed it! --Uh, this is your first inmate, right?"

[reformedsinner]

"We couldn't allow that," Hakkai agrees immediately. "Imagine how superior he'd act!"

Considering how superior Sanzo acts under normal circumstances-- for now, Hakkai's choosing to skip the difficult conversation about where he's going to go once he finishes with the Barge, since it'll be years at least before he's ready to make that choice.

No need to borrow trouble.

"Sebastian is my first, yes. He, ah. He's made a lot of progress but I think he might have a long way to go," he muses diplomatically.

[cigsandbeer]

Gojyo nods very seriously! They absolutely can't let Sanzo win!

And luckily for everyone involved, Gojyo hasn't even thought so far ashead as 'what happens when we leave the Barge'. At the musings about Hakkai's inmate, though...

"Were they out of easy cases? Or did you ask for a difficult one?"

[reformedsinner]

"You don't get to ask for your inmate. The Admiral gives you one, and the both of you get to work it out from there. But..."

A half-smile; he glances over at Gojyo.

"Well, you've met him. I think we're a good match."

Being thrown out of the dining hall for smoking is a good introduction to Sebastian's control freak tendencies, after all.

[cigsandbeer]

...Hrm.

"I think either he and you work really well together in the kitchen, or you try to murder each other for interfering with your meal plans."

[reformedsinner]

"I try to make sure we're not both in the kitchen at the same time," Hakkai admits. Sometimes, it's dangerous to be too alike.

[cigsandbeer]

He huffs a laugh.

"It's sounds pretty damn annoying to be solely responsible for one person, but I figure it's nice to be done with the whole rotation carousel?"

[reformedsinner]

"I hated the rotation carousel. My first temporary inmate was an old man who didn't think I could possibly understand violence and discrimination, due to my youth...."

He flashes Gojyo a wry glance.

"Not to discourage you, of course. But some of the temporary pairings aren't good matches at all."

[cigsandbeer]

Pfft!

"Oh man. I bet Mr Veteran taught you aallll about the cruelties of the world?

It's cool: if I get someone like that, I'll just punch them in the face."

[reformedsinner]

"He was an old man! It seemed too rude to punch him."

Although Hakkai isn't about to discourage Gojyo from it. It sounds to him like a perfectly educational way to handle that sort of inmate.

"Still, I hope you manage to find someone you can work with. I think you'd do well with a lot of them, actually.

"...Because you're nicer than I am."