Food and Friends

[Son Goku {Saiyuki}]

"You know me, Sanzo. I'll go wherever ya need me...So long as there's food." Hell, even without food, Goku would follow Sanzo anywhere. The monk was his sun after all. The monkey didn't like going without him for very long and he didn't want to be left behind at the temple. Alone. With those cranky butthead monks. They hated him. Besides, he didn't like the idea of Sanzo taking off and getting into fights he couldn't handle without them.

"I fricking hope so...I'm starving." The monkey slumped in the booth for a second, the smell of cooking food getting to him but then he straightened up quickly. He hadn't shown much concern for the kappa, but that had been because Hakkai was all over the situation. There hadn't been much to worry about. But Goku couldn't help the underlying feeling that something was wrong. Something was bothering him deep down. His gold eyes widened, hearing the kappa. He sounded pissed. Well, he would be too if his side did the same thing, but that wasn't all there was to his annoyance.

'Meh, he'll get over it fast. He always does...' Gojyo never really stayed mad at him for long. Sanzo was a bit of a different story. He was pretty sure the monk pegged being nice to the kappa as bad for his health. 'He'll stop bein' mad at me, but this'll just add to his grudge pile before he eventually decks Sanzo or does somethin' mean for payback.'

His questions about the mission went away as he was now more curious about what just happened. "But what the hell was that shit? And don't give me any crap about him fallin' on a knife or bein' clumsy. Gojyo's not that clumsy..." In this rare instance, Goku spoke very seriously. At least in battle, Gojyo could be rather graceful. Most of his movement flowed relatively smooth. Banging against something that hard or falling on something did not work for an excuse. At all. It didn't sit well with him that a friend had been injured yet there was nothing that did it. Until he had his food, it wouldn't leave his mind and it would bug the shit out of him til then. He still speculated that the Aspects did it in retribution, Sanzo was less then convincing about that Buddhism forbids violence shit. Yeah, that was why they sent their highest priest out to do violent work?

Leaning to the side, he eyed the two drunks warily. They smelled like a normal stinky pair of humans who'd had more than enough liquor. There wasn't any threat coming from them. His hands rubbed at his growling stomach as he tried to banish the unsettled feeling from his mind. It wasn't like they could could figure it out anyway. "Well...So, uh, what are these Sin things and why do we have to go stop it?"

[Cho Hakkai]

Hakkai gave a slight chuckle upon hearing his friend's grumbling. The glow faded from his hands as he pulled back his chi from the healing process. Gojyo's body would heal properly at its normal pace now that he had forced the wounds to close and repair quickly. At least he wasn't bleeding out. "That's what I'm here for. That, and keeping the peace." He smiled and got to his feet, not bothering to help the redhead out with that as he seemed to have it under control.

However, no matter how much he trusted Gojyo's body to heal itself he had no idea what the cause of the original wound was in the first place. Hakkai remained close by, about to clean up the mess until Gojyo took it upon himself to do so. He smiled lightly at his friend even as the other man attempted to keep his decision the way he wanted it to be. Buut, Hakkai had his ways around that. After all, he knew how to pull the strings of his friends and still keep a smile on with them none the wiser. That was another of his duties.

"What ever you say, Gojyo." Hakkai teased while smiling gently. He turned his back to the seating area of the restaurant while he returned to the kitchen. What met his eyes wasn't all that unexpected either. Wu Tai had managed to get most of Goku's usual order done, and only really needed a few more dishes. Hakkai washed his hands and allowed the older cook to take a break as he finished up.

"Thanks, Hakkai." Wu Tai laughed as he relaxed back into the one chair they had tucked away at the back of the kitchen. Hakkai nodded to him as he multitasked around his area. It wouldn't be much longer before everything was ready for the group to go ahead and dig in into.

After a few moments, he placed the last portions of food on the plates and grabbed the trays they kept in the kitchen for times like these. Hakkai loaded half of the order on two trays and slid one onto the sill of the window for Gojyo to grab before grabbing the other to walk out of the kitchen with it. "I hope you're hungry." Hakkai smiled as if telling a joke. Who was he kidding? Goku was always hungry. He set the plates on the table, careful to keep his hands away from Goku's over eager form. Wu Tai brought out the rest easily and placed them down with his own smile before returning to the sanctuary that was the kitchen.

[Genjo Sanzo]

At least that was one thing that he could depend on: The little monkey would follow him to the ends of the earth... As long as he had food.

And if I didn't have food for him to eat? How long would the demon stay around me?

It was an ugly thought, and one that he didn't like. But it was impossible for him to deny what they were. And frankly... He couldn't find it in himself to believe in them. He had argued with the Three Aspects, demanding to know if these three demons were really the right choice for his companions on this mission. After all, the threat seemed to be demonically related. How could he trust them?

And the three floating heads just told him to see it with the eyes of his heart.

After everything that has happened... The only person I believe in is myself. I will never become that hurt again. The thought was bitter, but one that he found a sardonic sort of comfort in. Lifting the glass, he took a drink of the Tokyo Rose, glancing to Goku again.

"You're right. He's not that clumsy." He was certain that saying those six words would give the monkey a brief heart attack. "And I intend to find out what it was. Perhaps it's coincidence... But I very much doubt that." He couldn't even think of any demons that could do something like that and not be sensed by him or Hakkai. Hakkai's skills as a spiritual fighter and healer gave him rather astute senses, especially pertaining to demonic auras. And he.. Well, for crying out loud, he was a fucking priest.

In the end though, there was one thing he knew. It wasn't sitting well with him, and his instincts were telling him that it had something to do with what was going on. And damn it, he was going to find out what it was.

"You should know what a sin is, the monks at the Temple complain about them often enough. They're acts that violate a known moral code. Some people consider smoking and drinking and gambling sins." He knew Goku would find some amusement in that. "The Seven Deadly Sins, however.. Are believed to be that which all sins have originated from. The stories of the Seven Sins are so old that no one knows quite where they originated. They are Lust, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Gluttony, and Greed.

"Under normal circumstances... They might as well be stories. Something, however, has been expending a great deal of demonic energy. The Three Aspects divined that the demonic energy was related to the Seven Deadly Sins of lore." Now, Sanzo's violet eyes became clouded with fustration. "All they have been able to divine was that it was centering to the West, and that the world would be decimated if they were not opposed."

And being that Sanzo was the 31st of Toua and the bearer of the Maten Sutra, naturally he was handpicked for a mission involving demons. He took a pull of the cigarette before crushing the butt on a coaster. He needed to ask for an ashtray from Hakkai... He might be an asshole, but he didn't like leaving his butts around.

"We won't be leaving for a few days yet. There's a few things I need to do, as well as the Aspects to meet with again." There was more that he hadn't told Goku, as well. The Three Aspects had speculated that the use of the Seven Heavenly Virtues would counteract the Sins. How, that wasn't quite clear. But he was quickly getting the impression that he was going to be the only frickin' person outside of the person causing it to know how to stop them.

At the very least though, it felt good to speak to this to someone. Oddly enough, he found that he always enjoyed speaking with Goku on matters like these. When the kid wasn't being a whiny ass about food, he was a rather quick and curious mind, and was always genuinely interested in what Sanzo was saying. Things he might not explain to Hakkai or Gojyo he wouldn't care about speaking to Goku about. Of course, it didn't mean he and Goku were the best of buddies, or anything. Maybe it was just because he had been around Goku the longest now. Or perhaps it was because he was genuinely fond of Goku, and would just never admit it.

He'd never tell.

Just on cue, the food arrived as he finished. The priest leaned back, moving his pitcher of Tokyo Rose to the far end, making room for the food. The sheer ammount was staggering, but it didn't even surprise him anymore. And at the very least, it was something for him to eat as well. He fasted a great deal, but he enjoyed a good meal as well.

"Thanks, Hakkai. You joining us as well, or going back to the kitchen?" Sanzo asked as he took another drink of the pitcher. The priest muttered something under his breath.

"This is the best damn Tokyo Rose the kappa's ever made.."

[Sha Gojyo]

When Gojyo made that particular drink as often as he did, it was bound to improve more and more. New drinks he tended to get spot on if not a little strong, but the classics and the regularly ordered drinks he managed to mix nearly flawlessly. For the kappa, it was as close to an art form as he would manage to accomplish.

About halfway through cleaning the blood up, his thoughts of revenge started to die down and his irritation at the more evident feeling in his torso was starting to rise. It felt like some kind of lump was lodged in there somewhere. It was difficult to dismiss and he blamed the sore chest for it, even though he knew better. Once he was done, he grumbled a curse before tossing the cleaning cloths into a bin under the counter. "You two...Be quiet and don't touch shit." He pointed at the buddies before he left for the bathroom, peeling off his bolero jacket on the way.

Slamming the door, he tossed the jacket down and proceeded to examine the back. It was brown and leather, if the blood got on it, the damn thing would be ruined. Peachy. There was a considerable stain on the side he got injured. With a huff, he flippantly tossed the jacket into the trash before he tried to get most of what soaked into his shirt and jeans out. Thankfully blood didn't show too well in black, he just needed to get the scent out.

Once he washed his hands, he tested turning at the waist and felt around his torso. He made a mental note to see the doctor, wondering for a moment if he needed an x-ray or something. After he was finished, Gojyo came back out of the restroom and went back to the bar.

"Here, tards." The redhead quickly made the two drunkards another round of Sake Bombs and hoped they passed out after that. He was so swiping their wallets once they were out. He might even put the charge of his dinner on the card if they decided to pay with credit, they wouldn't know the difference with how intoxicated they were.

"Wuuuuu Tai. I want to order me some dinner." Gojyo would have normally bounced over to the kitchen window were it another Yanma-free night but he just didn't have it in him anymore. He tilted his head, smiling faintly at the larger man. Normally he'd order a dinner while working and snack on it throughout the shift. "I'd like a Bento; with the sushi being queen roll...yanno with the salmon and cucumber in it, onion soup and make it a seafood one."

[Son Goku {Saiyuki}]

Even without food, Goku would still be there. But unless Sanzo verbally voiced his doubts, the monkey wouldn't bother pointing it out because the monk should know better anyway. No food would just equal more complaining, which Sanzo was probably more than used to, he had ways to counter and lessen it for the most part. However, none of that was anything for him to worry about.

It was reassuring to know Sanzo wasn't going to be in some weird denial over the incident. If anyone was likely to get to the bottom of it, it would be either Hakkai or Sanzo. They were more likely to notice certain things. Gojyo was usually too flippant to care, even when it possibly affected his health. And while he could sense demonic energy himself, little details tended to fly over his head. So he would leave it to either of the others to figure out what happened. Too bad the two guys at the bar were too drunk to be of any worth.

"I know what a sin is...But that Seven Sins thing is kinda new. And you know I don't listen to any of those monks. Just you." Goku had mostly a tolerate/hate relationship with the monks at the temple. While he was relatively uncaring to the rules as they put it, it didn't help his situation in the fact that he was a demon. He thought monks were supposed to be a little more forgiving and less like a scared bunch of bigots but whatever. So long as they stayed away from him and left him alone, Goku was fine pretending they weren't around.

"So...Like these Seven Deadly Sin things might take on demon forms then?" That was what it sounded like, since Sanzo said they would decimate stuff. They needed physical forms to do any decimating, so they'd have to have bodies, right? Or take over bodies. "Or, like they corrupt someone that's strong who's really guilty of that shit?"

All thoughts of this Deadly Sin talk were set aside as the food arrived. He grinned at Hakkai, far more excited now than he was before. "Of course, I'm hungry! Yay!" Since Sanzo was inclined to invite Hakkai, Goku was tempted to invite the kappa too though then that would mean competition, but the redhead still looked pretty miffed. It probably wouldn't help things settle down if they went about reboiling the water after it simmered down. Oh well, more food for him!

[Cho Hakkai]

Hakkai's normal smile faded as he stood off to the side. He became lost in thought as he thought about the oddity he had felt in his friend's body during the time he was healing. Something was off in his upper torso, and yet he couldn't place his finger on just what it was. What really bothered the calm man, was that he should've been able to detect the source of the abnormality. The sound of Sanzo's voice brought him out of his thoughts and his normal smile resumed position on his face.

"I think I'll join you after I return this tray." He nodded upon finishing his reply, then headed towards the kitchen to do as he said. Upon pushing open the door he spotted Wu Tai beginning Gojyo's food. "Wu Tai, I'm going to take a break for some dinner." Hakkai received a nod of confirmation before he returned back to the booth to slid back in beside Sanzo, making sure to keep all limbs away from Goku's side of the table.

Hearing Goku questioning Sanzo about the Seven Sins brought up his own questions, one of which Goku voiced for him. "You wouldn't happen to know how we're supposed to locate them, would you?" Hakkai was entirely uncertain about completing the task that the Aspects had set out for them to do, but he trusted Sanzo to the fullest extent possible to guide them. He grabbed a plate to place food on before placing small amounts of his favourites onto it. Hakkai was fairly good at coming up with solutions in a pinch if need be, but he did prefer to have a set plan laid out for the group to at least have a guideline.[/color]

[Yanma Li]

"Why must you call-in so much? You need twenty-four hours a week at least to get credit. You and I both know that."

Damn it all to hell, she didn't want to put in any hours when the place was borderline ghost town on nights like this one. All she would be able to do would be to sit and paint her nails while lashing that good for nothing pervert a few times. The only potential upside would be if Master Sanzo was there. Which was a questionable chance at best.

Strutting along, Yanma decided to down-dress a little tonight. If down-dress meant little black dress with spaghetti straps and cherry blossom print with a pink hued shawl around her shoulders, black stilettos and as much bling as Buddha then sure. If her aunt hadn't talked her into going in for a few hours she would have gone to a more hip and happening place to browse for boys. See, not touch. She could do that. If she caught Sanzo doing such a thing, that would be a different matter. He was a man after all, holy or otherwise.

Whatever. Yanma told herself she better not walk in and see the man-whore being lazy like he normally was, despite the fact that she makes him work his ass off when she was there, or she would slaughter him.

The doors into the restaurant flew open and there stood the blonde woman, face set in scrutinizing fury. Well, it looked clean still. No messy tables to be seen. There were two morons at the bar that looked ready to fall asleep. Oh, there was the slut. He was begging for scraps at the window. Therefore, he was slacking. That meant she could ride his ass for a good while. Then she glanced over and saw a familiar head of blond hair. Bonus, beefcake was there. Her mood suddenly got much better!

"Gojyo! Get your dirty tail back where you're supposed to be!" She screamed, borderline at the top of her lungs as she pointed at the bar. If the excuse that he was ordering dinner came up, she'd point out that she would gladly make him wear it when it was finished. Piping hot or not.

[Genjo Sanzo]

Part of the Priest wanted to wish to high heaven that he had more information then this. It really wasn't in his nature to actually give people a choice. But then again, this wasn't just a normal demon run that would be a piece of cake to talk the others into, specifically Gojyo.

Gojyo will come around. The lazy kappa just isn't using his senses. Something in Sanzo told him that Gojyo would find a very good reason to join along with him soon.

Thinking about the half-breed caused the monk's violet eyes to glance over at the kappa, even as he tried to tune out the monkey's eating. It would be impossible to talk anything serious or answer any of his questions while he was chowing down. He would have to wait until the monkey leaned back with a sigh of happiness. Lucky, Goku was fairly predictable. He'd probably pick up the questions where he left off, gold eyes wide. With that in mind, Sanzo absently answered his questions, knowing full well that he'd probably have to repeat himself unless the kid really was paying attention.

"More then likely. The more likely assumption is the corruption idea, considering it's 'Sin' we're dealing with..." He took a sip of the Tokyo Rose as he watched the kappa for a moment before looking to the dishes. Taking a pair of chopsticks, he reached forward to take an eggroll.

There's still trace ammounts of demonic energy in the air. We're going to have to figure out what happened... And why it happened to Gojyo. Some dark thoughts were lingering in his mind, but he ignored them, glancing at the one-eyed demon as he slid in next to Sanzo.

"With the high levels of demonic energy they're outputting already, I can't imagine that any attacks or provokes will go without annoying beacons. I plan on meditating in the next few days to try to pinpoint anything I can."

If one hasn't popped out from under our noses... Hopefully it's just something els-... I swear I just smelt brimstone.

And lo' and behold... The screech of an annoying she-devil. Whatever he felt about the perverted water sprite, no one deserved to be the target of that ire. One violet eye twitched as he grabbed at the pitcher of Tokyo Rose, pouring himself a good deal and taking a gulp back. Then, one hand reached into his robes to pull out the cigarettes.

"I'm going to shoot her if she comes near me." Sanzo muttered as he lit up. God he really needed the nicotine now.

[Sha Gojyo]

It wasn't hard to hear the others talk considering how empty it was and since he had nothing better to do, he listened in on their little discussion of the mission. Hell, Sanzo didn't even know what they were looking for. Talk about going in blind. One could waltz right up without their realizing it and smack them right in the face before they had proper time to react. The redhead was glad he decided to avoid the headache. He continued to idly listen, feeling like he was being watched and if that were the case, he swayed his hips as he leaned in the window. Then the doors went slamming open, making him stop his weird little display and stand up straight. What the fuck kind of customer came in...Oh no...

Gojyo couldn't recall if he decided the night could not get any worse but by some curse of the Gods, it had. Why oh why was it 'Fuck The Kappa Over' night? His shoulders slumped and he stayed put as he waited for his food to get finished. Not tonight, he'd already had enough. If the wench went about pushing his buttons past her opening act then he was not going to be held responsible for his actions.

"I'm getting myself some damn dinner."

That wouldn't excuse anything with her. He'd be lucky if he could get back to the bar with it. And what the hell did she expect him to do besides sit around and look pretty? The clinking of diminished ice cubes in a pitcher was a good indicator that he would have one thing to do at the bar, but making Sanzo more booze would not take him all the way to the end of the shift.

"Thanks, man." Once his dinner was done, Gojyo took it with him on one of the trays back to the bar and started on the soup. The headache from earlier was flaring now that he had someone yelling at him. Since Yanma decided to show up, he wondered if he could just slink out somehow on the excuse that he was sick. He did feel like shit after all and laying in his bed early sounded like an awesome idea.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway? Didn't you call off or something?" The kappa demanded, putting his hands on his hips once he sat the soup down. He was giving the blonde girl an irrate look that would be worthy of Sanzo. Babe or not, she had to be the biggest bitch in the world. At least to him.

[Son Goku {Saiyuki}]

Once he started eating, most of the rest of the world was tuned out to him. It was great without the kappa, he didn't have to fight with anyone for some of it. He did kind of miss being able to try and steal bites and then fight with the butt head. But now Sanzo wasn't swatting at him or shooting in the air so it balanced itself out pretty well.

As he devoured some yakisoba with prawns, he half listened as the others discussed the mission. It wasn't much he couldn't figure on his own. When the demons showed up, then he would be worried. He wondered what they would look like though. He couldn't imagine what Sin would look like physically. Maybe it would look gross. His thoughts and his eating were both interrupted when Yanma showed up on the scene.

Goku leaned over, watching her come in. She was roughly his assumed age and kinda pretty. But she was mean too. And not like Sanzo-mean but more like a really nasty sort of mean. She mostly acted all sweet and whatnot for the monk and by extension him in a way, because she probably figured if she were nice to the monkey, it would look good on her part. But she was a total bitch towards Gojyo.

"What'd he ever do to make her mad anyway?" He wound up questioning out loud as he leaned back in his seat and grabbed an egg roll to munch on. Goku was nearly threatening to steer the discussion away from the mission to something Sanzo probably had no interest in but he couldn't help it, he was really curious what Yanma's beef with the redhead was. Maybe it was a little bit of that brotherly bond that made him wonder.

[Yanma Li]

If she didn't think there would be a huge mess that would require she force the moron to clean up, to which he would sit there and argue with her over it, she would have swat the tray down from his hands. As it was, she didn't want broken dishware and food all over the floor. This was supposed to be a stress-free night for her, not him. And if he thought to point out the injury he suffered earlier in any hopes to get some miniscule bit of sympathy from her, he would be sadly mistaken.

"I had to come in for my college credit, because unlike you I made it past pre-school." Yanma's favorite thing in the world was to mock the redhead for his shortcomings and she had recently noticed one that made her giggle. "After all, one of many differences between you and I is that at least I can read a book of fairy tales without getting a crease in my brow."

That last part she made sure the others could hear just for good measure as she sat her itty bitty pink purse into the podium and took off the wrap from around her shoulders. She knew Gojyo was a prideful-type, though she had yet to understand what he could be proud of, so any chance to bust his balls with something personal made her feel so perky. Seeing him go red in the face like that before she turned to check on Sanzo-sama's table was well worth it.

"Uh, Hakkai, aren't you supposed to be back there?" The blond girl drawled as she looked down at the other cook. She was very, very tempted to yell at him to get back into the kitchen where he belonged but sometimes he was too weird for her taste. He smiled way too much for a normal guy.

Her bright green eyes moved to Goku, who she made a face at. Ugh, the way he ate was disgusting. If he didn't eat like that, she would be tempted to call him cute. She then looked at Sanzo, the only person she actually smiled at for the first time since entering. "Do you want me to have that moron back there make you another pitcher of whatever you're drinking? Or would you rather I did that for you, Sanzo-sama?" Yanma was really hopeful he would choose her but he had the annoying habit of preferring his drinks made by the kappa. Why? She made good drinks. Or at least they tasted good.

[Cho Hakkai]

"It would've been nice if the Aspects could have assisted." He chuckled softly, knowing that they were perfectly okay with allowing the group of four to struggle with everything. "I'll see what I can come up with in the meantime. I may be able to assist with locating them." Hakkai turned over ideas in his head as he ate in silence, mixing and matching various solutions to previous problems.

Oh, this wasn't good. Hakkai sighed with his smile on as Yanma walked through the doors. The man normally held an abnormally high tolerance for people, but there were some moments when he wished he could tell people exactly where to go and how to get there. However that was not the case when it came to this particular demon. He ate his food politely and ignored the...high spirited woman but smiled at his friend next to him.

"That would be a waste of a bullet, Sanzo. You know it's inevitable." Hakkai didn't laugh or chuckle, and merely continued to smile as he did. However, his voice did take on a teasing quality as he spoke to the priest. Knowing his luck, Hakkai was most likely going to end up the target of her wrath as well tonight.

Hakkai lifted his head from his own food to look at the youngest demon. More often than not, he allowed Sanzo to be the one to answer his questions and only took Sanzo's role when the other man was away. That was not the case this time. "Perhaps it's because she feels threatened by the fact that Gojyo is, objectively, more attractive?" Suddenly aware of what he said, Hakkai coughed lightly and returned to his food.

It took all his willpower to do nothing more than smile up at the blonde waitress as she approached and spoke to him. Hakkai gave his most pleasant smile he had in his possession, the one that the small group of friends knew he used for the rare occurances of annoyance. "Good afternoon, Yanma. We don't eat in the kitchen, unless you'd prefer rodents and bugs in there?" He spoke with nothing more than the normal gentle calm that he used with the young woman. She managed to annoy even him with her constant attacks on his best friend.

With his part said, Hakkai returned to finishing his meal so he could return to the safety of the kitchen where Yanma never set foot unless forced. Perhaps she was like physical pain, if you pretended it wasn't there it would go away...Nope, that didn't seem to work. Maybe wishful thinking worked? Maybe she'd fall and bite her tongue off. Highly doubtful, but a guy could hope.[/color]

[Genjo Sanzo]

Shooting the bimbo... Wasting bullets. Shooting the bimbo. Wasting bullets. Years and years of peace. Another bullet to put in her head later. Shooting her in the head. ... Why was he not doing this.

Because her sister's a cop and one of the only ones I can stand doing rounds at the Temple.

It was sad, but true. Police Girl, in all of her lack-of-a-backbone, was the only reason keeping him from saving himself from years and years of torment. All right, that and it was generally a bad thing to shoot an innocent woman, even if he was certain that she was the spawn of Hell itself and the worst plague to ever walk this earth.

... Damn, he was overly harsh tonight.

He glanced to Hakkai, choosing to answer him from his earlier statements. "It would've, but they're only going to help us so much. Buddhist bullshit about wanting us to grow. Or maybe they're just sadistic shits that are sitting around on a cloud chuckling at us. I don't know. And I can spare the bullet. We both know this." About to answer Goku's question, he instead just stared at Hakkai, a level of respect flashing across his face. Usually the human-turned-youkai was the calmest of their group, and the least likely to say something like that. At the very least, he was far more subtle then that.

An honest-to-god grin crossed his face as he inhaled his cigarette, blowing the smoke out the window yet again. "Hakkai, sometimes you're the only one that never damages my reputation on a daily basis, you sly little shit."

Of course, that grin didn't last, though a twinge of almost-sympathy rushed through him for the kappa. Grimacing, he knocked back half of the glass he had just poured. Instead of leisurely enjoying the pitcher like he had planned on doing, he was now deadset on using the alcohol to counter the raging headache he recieved every time Yanma was within a certain radius of his person.

Fucking hell. If only Police Girl could do something about her sister. That was wishful thinking and a half. Reaching forward, he took another eggroll in his chopsticks and ate it, chewing quietly as he closed his eyes, trying to look disinterested with an aura of 'Don't bother me'.

... It didn't work. At least he had Hakkai between him and the spawn of all that was evil and unholy.

"So much for getting anything done." Sanzo muttered before turning his violet gaze to the blond-haired brat. "Hm? Gojyo's already got me covered after his meal, Yanma." He lifted the glass to take a sip.

An idea occured to him, and he mulled it over for a moment before deciding to give it a shot. Eyeing both of his companions, he shrugged mentally and went with Goku. If he tried to pull this off with Hakkai, even the idiot that was Yanma would see through it.

"Goku. The monks are pestering me for another prayer, and another one of those lectures they love so much. I'm thinking of a theme of charity and grace... Two things I've always respected. How often do you find those traits anymore, anyways? I tell you, sometimes I wish there was someone who was kind to those around her, as well as graceful to those who annoyed the shit out of her. Getting so damn tired of the people who come to the temple acting all arrogant."

It was said just loud enough for Yanma to hear, and he knew that the monkey would give him a weird look. Whatever. It was annoying to hear Gojyo bitch about Yanma, so it was worth a shot... even if it only worked for the time that he was here.

Though he wondered what else would pop out of Hakkai's mouth tonight...

[Sha Gojyo]

Damn, did Yanma like to aim low. Seriously, did he have a target glued to his crotch or something? Because it seemed like everytime she was around, she aimed for his jewels. He knew, because when the shit started, he had checked thoroughly to make sure that she wasn't some girl he had slept with and had to shrug off due to the fact he hadn't been looking for a long term relationship but damn! He had tried several times before to figure out why she felt like using him as her nightly punching bag and could never get something definitive. It was pretty much pure and simple hate. Where the fuck was her sister? He really needed to talk to her about her sister's shitty attitude towards him...

When Yanma redirected her sights to her favorite object of desire, Gojyo and his beet red face sunk down behind the bar with his dinner. Hopefully the comments about his difficulty with reading would go unnoticed, because if he heard one thing from Mr. Teacher or the shitty monk, he was certain he would lose it.

'You know what? Fuck this noise.' As much as he hated to bail, he just wasn't in the mood. He heard Sanzo tell her that he was in charge of her bill...Guess what, sucker, you're her problem now. He scowled, also hearing Sanzo's attempt to covertly coax Yanma into being somewhat more amiable. 'Like I need your help, asshole. You'd rather wait till she lays into me for a bit before sayin' anything. I hope when she makes you a Tokyo Rose, it tastes like suck and despair urinated in the pitcher together.'

Quickly, he took one of the foam boxes for leftovers and put the rest of his dinner in it. Let them deal with Yanma and her asshole ways. Slipping the tray with the box and the bowls back on the bar, he shot her one glance over the top of the bar before he ducked back down and crawled his way into the kitchen with the dinner box balanced neatly on his head.

'So long, fuckers.'

Wu Tai raised a brow at the kappa as the man continued crawling on all four on his way out, but seemed to refrain from commentary. This wasn't the first time Yanma had sent Gojyo running after hitting a nerve or two and no one really blamed him. It was a marvel she didn't regularly tear into all of them sometimes.

Once Gojyo reached the back door, he got to his feet and waved at the other cook. "See ya later, dude...Awesome dinner, as always." He whispered. Like it mattered whether he was especially sneaky or not, Hakkai would be quick as a whip and realize he had taken off anyway and Sanzo was bound to realize it once he ran out of his mixed drink selection. Yanma couldn't mix for shit, she was more about the juice and less about the liquor, something the monk was bound to get pissed about real quick and cut their visit short. Now that he was outside and relatively free, he leaned against the wall out front and lit up a Hi-Lite. She wouldn't bother looking for him, technically he gave her more ammo to bitch to the boss about. Oh well. At this rate, he was coming to care less and less about the job, no matter how pleasant some aspects of it were.

[Son Goku {Saiyuki}]

The taunting nearby mostly flew over his head. It was a regular thing when the pair were on the same shift. To be honest, Goku was amazed that Gojyo had yet to turn to physical violence where the mean girl was concerned. Then again, he had some aversion to doing such things to women, so apparently that extended to some of the ones that treated him like shit. If it were him, the monkey would have knocked her on her ass at least once so she would get the hint that he didn't take kindly to abuse. Unfortunately, that was two conflicting points of view and Goku didn't fight other people's battles...Unless it was Sanzo and the man was too lazy to bother.

"Those floating heads are stupid. And so's half that Buddha crap. I mean, they don't believe in violence and shit. How dumb is that?" The short brunette shook his head. That was bound to get a 'violence is never the answer' or something equally silly but they all knew that was bull. Heck, violence would probably fix the other's Yanma woes afterall.

"Gojyo's more attractive then her? I dunno about that..." At least Goku managed to mumble that to himself before Yanma could get within hearing distance. That was actually a debatable thing. Yanma was a pretty girl, she dressed nice and she always had a pleasant perfume on. Goku wouldn't be put off if she was a little nicer and maybe showed him some manner of interest. But she had a terrible attitude for the most part and only seemed to have eyes for Sanzo. For a guy, Gojyo was pretty in a way and he definitely had a more friendly personality, but he was such a pervert. He stared at the ceiling, a couple noodles hanging out of his mouth as he thought of the pros and cons between the two. Remembering earlier, he didn't say anything outloud for fear of reminding Sanzo that slip of his.

Since the young woman hadn't really said anything to him yet, Goku took that as a good sign and kept to himself as he continued eating. The food was starting to run out and he was starting to get full. He'd be done shortly and when Sanzo was done with his drink, that would probably be when they opted to head back to the temple. He didn't want to go back but it couldn't be helped.

Slowly, Goku sat there and looked at Sanzo for a long, hard moment as the monk spoke of some lecture. The hell was he talking about? After he swallowed a mouthful of rice, he blinked and tilted his head. "What're you talkin' about, Sanzo? The last time they pestered you for a sermon, ya shot at them, remember? And since when did you care whether other people were nice to each other? You're only nice half the time yourself." Yeah, if he had been warned ahead of time, the chances of that ploy working would have been much higher. At least in theory anyway.