Closed RP: Hakkai and Sanzo

[worldly_monk]

Things at Hogwarts seemed to have quieted down a little in the last week. Apparently the 'Holiday Season' madness was over. Even so, habit had brought Sanzo to a vacant classroom in an isolated part of the castle so he could get some reading done.

He'd found a couple of books that actually had spells to locate hidden objects. Unfortunately they were written in an older dialect that was hard to decipher.

Comments

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

Hakkai wandered down a corridor with a few books in hand, having just left his empty dorm room; he had let Hakuryu out to get a bit of exercise earlier that day, and Hakkai assumed that Gojyo was doing whatever it was he usually did when he was out. (Not that he really minded Gojyo coming and going as he pleased -- it wasn't really his place to give his roommate a bedtime, after all.)

At first he passed by the classroom entirely by accident, but after a pause, he walked back and peeked in. He smiled apologetically and cleared his throat softly to get Sanzo's attention. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude like this," he said, rubbing the back of his head a little sheepishly. "I thought I should return these books to you before I forgot about them, but you weren't in your room. Ah, I hope I'm not bothering you?"

[worldly_monk]

Sanzo looked up from his book and shook his head. " You're not a bother," he replied. "I'm about ready to throw this book out a window." He wondered, not for the first time, if there was really any point to this quest. He wouldn't put it past the Sanbutsushin to have sent him here for some other reason. Something annoyingly obscure and mysterious. Maybe some kind of stupid 'life lesson'.

Frustrated enough to actually ask for help, he waved Hakkai into the room. "I can't decide if this book is written in code, or just some obscure dialect. Are you any good at languages?"

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"My, you really shouldn't throw something out of a window," Hakkai replied, more joking than nagging. "You might accidentally hit some unsuspecting person passing through below. It's better to aim for something sturdier and not as liable to shatter, I think. Personally, I've always found a nearby wall to be an ideal target."

A little surprised by Sanzo's request for assistance, Hakkai made his way over, leaving his books on the table. "I have a bit of working knowledge, I suppose, though I'm not sure if I can be of much assistance." He held out a hand for the book, and when he received it, he began peering at the text. After a few quiet moments, he looked up and offerred an embarrassed grin. "Ah, is it safe to assume that you're looking for a spell to find missing things? I only gave this a quick glance, but I believe that's what this passage is about -- well, it's either that, or it's a description of the best way of drawing a pig. . ."

[worldly_monk]

Sanzo quirked a half-smile at Hakkai's joking suggestion. "Good point. I wouldn't want to hit someone accidentally." The slight emphasis was intentional, since, as Gojyo and Goku knew very well, he usually preferred to hit people on purpose. He handed the book to Hakkai, glancing at his notes while Hakkai examined the page Sanzo had been trying to read.

"Yes, it's supposed to be a spell to find things," he confirmed, frowning and pulling a second book over. "Someone gave me this book about hidden treasures as a Sorting bribe a while back, and it mentioned that one as a source of some of the finds. I suppose it would have been too easy if that one had turned out to be useful."

He pushed back from the desk a little and picked up his cigarettes, lighting one with the lighter that had been his birthday present from Hakkai. "Maybe I should take another look at some of the spells from the other books."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

Hakkai looked the text over again, this time a bit more carefully, before shaking his head. "I'm not sure, I think I can only offer a very general summary of what this particular book says, which is probably no better than what you, yourself, could figure out. If you still would like some assistance anyway, I'd be glad to help." He paused before laughing a little, and he added, "At the very least, I'd be happy to split the headache with you, if you'd like."

He shrugged, smiling another apologetic smile, as though he would take the blame for it. "No, I don't suppose anything like this would ever be so simple, I'm afraid." His expression was neutral when Sanzo lit up a cigarette -- as it usually was, except in cases where he had cause to protest, -- and his only comment in regards to it was an absent, "Please be careful not to get ashes in the books."

Hakkai glanced Sanzo over with mild concern, though he was careful not to let it show too much. The priest never did seem to appreciate it when someone offered him anything that could be misconstrued as pity, after all. "I hope you're not working yourself too hard, Sanzo," he said in a sort of noncommital tone. (It was the kind of voice he probably used when trying to convince particularly stubborn children to wash their hands before sitting down to eat lunch -- not too demanding or too flippant.) "It wouldn't do if you became ill."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"The cancellation spell, and if things get particularly serious, you always have the Sutra. But -- and perhaps it's bad luck to say this -- but I doubt anything too dire would happen to require it." His attention back on the papers, Hakkai made it a point to not look up when he heard the sharpness of Sanzo's tone. "I'm sure he would be happy to help," he said mildly, his voice neutral, though it may or may not have been intentional on his part. He flipped over a page to read the second half of a spell before neatly placing it at the bottom of the stack. "I suppose you would just have to ask him nicely for his assistance, is all."

Hakkai glanced up, despite himself, when Sanzo asked that last question, though it was more out of surprise than out of any desire to capitalize on the situation. He regarded the monk quietly and looked as though he meant to ask him something, but after the moment had passed he shook his head, his usual smile back in place. "Anything, really, even if the topic of conversation did inevitably lead back to food. Don't you think it would be nice getting to know one another better?" Not that Sanzo didn't already know all there was to know about Hakkai as it was, and the same probably went for the other three (though their knowledge of Gonou might have been a different story). "It's just a nice way of making stronger ties, I suppose, but it was just a thought."

As he placed another page at the bottom of the stack, he raised an eyebrow at the next spell and chuckled a little. "A spell for finding animals?" He held the page out to Sanzo. "Did you expect to use this on anyone we know, I wonder?"

[worldly_monk]

Sanzo made a derisive noise. He wasn't entirely sure that Gojyo would be happy to help. He also couldn't quite see himself asking Gojyo nicely for anything. It was his responsibility, dammit. He didn't need anyone else's help. No, that wasn't entirely true. He just didn't want help. He dragged one hand through his hair, wondering how far he could bend his pride to accomplish his goal. Sanzo took a deep drag on his cigarette, letting the smoke out slowly. "Maybe you should ask him."

He considered Hakkai's comment about getting to know each other, and bit back his reflexive rejection of the idea. He wasn't going to spill his guts to anyone. But even as he thought that, he remembered the first night Gojyo had arrived at Hogwarts, and their drunken conversation in his room. "I doubt there's anything I don't already know about Goku," he finally answered. It wasn't agreement, but it wasn't outright denial either.

He put out his cigarette and glanced over at the spell Hakkai was holding up. "What? Oh, that one." He shrugged, and his usual smirk returned. "I thought you could use it to locate Hakuryu. I doubt it would work on anyone else, no matter how much they might resemble an animal."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

Hakkai might have been watching Sanzo from the corner of his eye for his reaction, but if he had been, he had quickly averted his eyes back to the table. He nodded his head once, slowly. "I'll ask him for his help if and when you want me to," he said simply, leaving an obvious opening for Sanzo to back out if he had any second thoughts about attempting such an advanced spell with two other amateur "wizards." Even in his own mind, Hakkai was going over the various specialized reversal spells he had decided to learn some time ago and was a little disappointed that he only remembered a handful -- he'd certainly need to do some studying up.

For his part, Hakkai had already spilled his guts once before -- he didn't recall it being very fun, either. He smiled a little at Sanzo's noncommital comment -- not siding on either an affirmative or a negative. It was something that even an accomplished fence-sitter such as Hakkai had to appreciate. "That's very true," he replied, "but I suppose the opposite isn't true for Goku." His tone wasn't really accusatory, but more stating a plain, flat fact. Of course, it wasn't Hakkai's place to expect Sanzo to tell anyone anything beyond what the monk felt appropriate, so he didn't push the topic.

"I see. My, that's very thoughtful of you." He set the spell aside, chuckling a little as he started looking over the next one. "Well, if we do end-up turning Gojyo or ourselves into small animals, it's good to know that we're prepared. Should we select a designated owner, do you suppose?"

[worldly_monk]

"Hmm. If we can't find anything else that looks more promising, then I'll think about it." The idea of combining the three of them with an unknown spell filled Sanzo with more than a little dread. Turning Gojyo into a tiger was amusing, but he didn't particularly want to experience it for himself.

Hakkai's observation about Goku wasn't something Sanzo had considered before. He put the thought aside for the moment. "We won't need a designated owner, because if we do end up trying that spell, we're going to make sure we can all do the cancellation spell first." Hopefully they wouldn't be unlucky enough to all end up transformed into something else. Then again, none of them had a good track record with luck.

"There's got to be a simpler way of doing this." Sanzo opened the book he'd been looking at when Hakkai came in. "I wonder if there's a spell that will translate a text automatically?"

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"Are you so sure about that, Sanzo?" Hakkai asked, all smiles and cheerful looks and far too much amusement than he probably had any right to show. "If we, for instance, accidentally turned you into a dog of some sort, we could take you out for walks and play fetch. I'm sure Goku would like a pet to keep him company at the temple, wouldn't he?" It was probably bad luck to already be predicting failure like this, but Hakkai had always been the type to consider the worst case scenario and not assume an immediate success; it just made it so much more plausible and satisfying when he nodded sagely and solemnly murmured something like, I was afraid this would happen, right after disaster inevitably struck.

"That would be convenient." Another flat statement, rather than a hopeful one -- clearly, the glass was rarely ever half-full with Hakkai. "There must be a spell along those lines already in effect, however, if you consider it," he mused aloud after a moment, "given how many different languages everyone here should be speaking and writing in. Do you think that it just doesn't extend to anything magical?"

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

((Oh, it's totally fine, don't worry about it~! ♥))

"Ah, you're right, of course," Hakkai said with a sort of resigned nod, "but I do think there is something to be said about the correlation between one's favorite sweet and his or her relative success in life." He met Sanzo's doubtful look with a slight smile, shaking his head. "No, I don't really. It's far too demanding to live life as it is without also having to worry about what color you should wear on what day just for the possibility of earning an extra bit of luck, don't you think?"

Laughing a little and giving Sanzo what might have been a vaguely knowing look, Hakkai replied, "Well, I suppose you could say that he always tries to face his problems, at least, even if he does plow his way through them, head first. It would be something to look up to, really, though knowing Goku, I imagine it inevitably ends in the need for a first-aid kit. But do you suppose that means Goku is thick-headed?"

[worldly_monk]

"I don't get a choice about the color of my clothes," Sanzo commented dryly. "Not at the temple anyway. Besides, I don't believe in luck." He paused for a moment, then added, "Although I have to admit, you win at cards more than anyone should be able to."

He gave a short laugh at Hakkai's question. "Goku is very thick-headed," he agreed. "I'm not sure anything could put a dent in that skull. I've certainly tried. But that's not what you meant, was it." He frowned down at the table, not really seeing it. "I'd say he's focused. Goku knows what he wants, and he goes after it without any regard for the consequences. And he's incredibly stubborn." Sanzo sat back with a sigh. "Of course being stubborn is nothing unique in this group."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"You say that, but wasn't it you who won all those hands of poker on Gojyo's birthday?" Clearly Hakkai was the type to hold grudges, especially when it came to something that brought out the less than admirable aspects of his competitive personality -- although he had yet to exact his "revenge" for that, unless Sanzo's atypical party counted as a punishment. "How is Betsy, while we're on the subject of birthdays?" Hakkai grinned cheerfully.

"Goku is a very bold person, isn't he? I almost envy him sometimes. I only wish he'd use that focus a bit more on his homework, honestly." Hakkai was silent for a few seconds before smiling in agreement. "We're all dreadfully obstinate, especially since we always insist on doing things our own way, and we're all just as thick-headed. I imagine it's our strongest selling point, really, if we were to have one at all."

[worldly_monk]

"Yeah, but that was a fluke, and we both know it." Sanzo looked like he was sorry he'd mentioned card games. He didn't look any happier at the reminder of his birthday party. "Betsy is fine," he said shortly. Somehow the stuffed cow had never ended up in the wardrobe like he'd planned. He'd left her on the desk for few days, but eventually he had to make room for his research. He'd moved her to a bookshelf instead.

"Huh. Obstinate is probably an understatement. For all of us." Sanzo looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, as long as we're analyzing personalities, how would you describe Gojyo?" The thoughtful look was replaced by his customary smirk. "I think 'thick-headed' is a given."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps so, but you must admit that it was a rather lucky 'fluke.'" Hakkai wore a sort of not-entirely-there smile of distant amusement, but he left the topic at that. His amusement showed in full force when Sanzo showed his annoyance over the toy cow -- which was probably mean-spirited of him, Hakkai admitted, but he found the situation far too funny. "Is that so? I'm glad to hear it! Please continue taking good care of her, then, all right?"

He blinked in surprise, caught off-guard by the monk's question. (And it was probably a testament to just how much Gojyo was rubbing off on him that the first thing he thought of to say in reply was, Yes, but which head?) "Ah, that's difficult," Hakkai said carefully. Pausing to regard the ceiling, he gave Sanzo a small smile and finally said, "What about you? What do you think?" It was either an evasion or a stall tactic.

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

((OoC: . . . gwah, meant to rethread. Sorry about the double post!))

Hakkai raised an eyebrow at the monk's assessment of gambling and gamblers, matching Sanzo's amused look with one of his own. "Well, Gojyo is a rather skilled player on his own, and I didn't have to accompany him too often. Though I suppose you're right -- it seems to be an accurate enough appraisal, at any rate. Ah, but I'm a little curious. When did you get the chance to analyze a gambler's psyche, if I may ask?"

He noticed the quick smile with a bit of surprise but didn't comment on it, since Sanzo probably would have denied its existence, anyway. It wasn't often that the monk really admitted any attachment to anything, and somehow Hakkai wasn't too surprised that Goku managed to fit into the image. (He also thought that Sanzo and Goku made a rather cute father-son duo, but he wasn't going to say as much any time soon.) "It sounds like quite an entertaining show," he said mildly, "but I don't really envy the other monks at all. They're rather particular about everyhing, aren't they?"

Hakkai smiled blandly when Sanzo directed his attention back to him. "I'm not sure if that'd be a problem. I have a feeling that you're not really allowed to go for good until you're ready to, but that's just conjecture. And if the Aspects sent you here, I don't think they would really allow you to give up on your objective just because of some fickle magic, right? You could probably find your own way around it."

[worldly_monk]

(( I can't remember if we've ever discussed OOC how much Hakkai knows about Sanzo, so I'm going to go with 'not much'. Warning: Exposition Ahead. XD ))

"Long story." Normally he would have left it at that, but their earlier conversation made him reconsider. Sanzo blew out a stream of smoke, trying to remember what he'd told Hakkai about his past. Probably very little, he acknowledged to himself. Well, it wasn't like it was a secret. Besides, he'd already told Gojyo some of it during their evening of drinking. He probably owed it to Hakkai to tell him some of it too.

"You know I'm looking for my master's sutra. That's supposed to be the point of all this research." He glanced at Hakkai before continuing. "My master was responsible for two of the sutras, the Maten and the Seiten. When I was twelve, he called me to his rooms and told me he was making me a Sanzo priest. He gave me my Buddhist name and the Maten Sutra. He also made me his successor for the Seiten Sutra."

He took another slow drag on his cigarette before telling the next part. "A few minutes later, several youkai broke into his rooms. They killed him and took the Seiten Sutra." Sanzo's voice was cold as he tried to distance himself from the memories. "With his death, the Seiten Sutra became my responsibility, so I left the temple the next day to find the youkai and get it back. I spent the next four years searching, before I ended up in Chang'An." He reached over for the ashtray to put out his cigarette. "Anyway, the point is, I was tracking a gang of thieves, so I've been to some places most monks never go. I learned to watch people, to try and figure out their intentions."

Sanzo was silent for a while before commenting on Hakkai's theory. "You're probably right about getting back here. Either the Aspects or the Bosatsu would send me back if the Hogwarts magic didn't work." And they would probably make sure Goku didn't follow too, if it came to that. Not that the monkey would be any happier, even if he knew Sanzo had no choice.

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

Hakkai visibly sobered as Sanzo told him about his past, just barely masking his astonishment over how much the monk was sharing with him. It wasn't really every day that Sanzo decided to expound on his life, so Hakkai let him speak without interruption, watching Sanzo from the corner of his eye. Until now, Hakkai was only aware of very vague details when it concerned Sanzo, and if he were to admit it, he was oddly gratified to actually hear something concrete from the monk for once, rather than have to infer everything from avoidant comments and vague facial expressions.

"Twelve is far too young to be on your own," Hakkai said softly when Sanzo was finished, though he spoke before really realizing it. Mentally kicking himself, his expression softened a little, and he turned his head, looking down at the table. Not sure if Sanzo wanted to continue discussing his past, Hakkai gave him an opportunity to continue with the old topic, saying in a light tone of voice, "They would probably send you back when you were just getting settled again back home, too. Perhaps Goku could come along this time?" He smiled a little teasingly, though it was clearly a sort of cautious one at best.

[worldly_monk]

Sanzo shrugged at Hakkai's comment. "Probably, but I managed." There was a cynical smile on his face. "Sixteen is probably too young to be put in charge of a temple the size of the one in Chang'An, but it didn't seem to bother the Sanbutsushin." He shifted slightly, still somewhat uncomfortable discussing his past. He glanced at Hakkai and noticed his tentative smile, like he expected Sanzo to bite his head off for saying anything. Sanzo forced himself to relax.

"Bringing Goku to Hogwarts might be a really bad idea." He could just imagine how much trouble that would cause. "Maybe I shouldn't go back until I'm ready to leave here for good."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

Hakkai saw Sanzo's discomfort and offered another vaguely reassuring smile. "I suppose that's true," he said, still using a careful tone, "but they must have realized you would have been able to handle the responsibility. And it does look as though you were able to manage the duty well enough, at least from what I have seen." He paused for a second and laughed gently. "Disgruntled traditionalistic monks aside, of course."

Smiling in amusement at the idea of Goku at Hogwarts, Hakkai shrugged his shoulders. "Personally, I think it would be entertaining, and Goku would certainly enjoy being here -- or, at least, he would rather like the food they serve, wouldn't he? I suppose it could be a bit of a problem if he attempted some magic and it backfired on him, but I imagine that could happen to any one of us."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

When Sanzo narrowed his eyes, Hakkai half-expected the monk to make some angry, frustrated comment and explain just how little he liked his fellow monks, the exact location of where they could put their trivial problems and official matters, and that Hakkai ought to mind his own business. And when Hakkai's expectations weren't exactly met, he smiled a little to himself and chalked it up as a sign of Sanzo's growing patience since he had arrived at Hogwarts (he was so proud).

"I see," Hakkai said slowly, though he wasn't entirely sure if he did. Something about Sanzo's hesitance just showed Hakkai that he really shouldn't pursue the topic. Offering a vague, good-natured smile, he asked a little teasingly, "Most monks just use incense while they're meditating, don't they?" After Sanzo asked his questions, Hakkai gave him a stare of mock sternness and annoyance. "Have I ever tried smoking, do you mean?" For a moment, the look on his face made it seem as though he had no intention of dignifying those questions with an answer, but eventually he cracked a patient smile and nodded. "I have, actually. And every once in a while, I suppose I do indulge in the habit -- but only rarely." Like when he had to pose for art books (http://pics.livejournal.com/polite_sinner/pic/0000w17f). "I'm afraid I'm not really a fan of Gojyo's brand, however." Hakkai raised an eyebrow at the monk, as though daring him to make some negative comment.

"Goodness, it seems there will be quite a bit of research in our future. I suppose it's inevitable, isn't it?" Hakkai made a show of heaving a long sigh. "Naturally, this would all be as much for their safety as our own. It's for the best. It would be best to minimize any collateral damage beforehand, really, don't you think?"

[worldly_monk]

"Hn. Cigarettes are cheaper than incense." Sanzo was relieved that Hakkai wasn't asking more questions. He tried not to think about those years too much. He didn't like remembering how close he had been to breaking down. The memories were shoved away again, and Sanzo focused on Hakkai's admission instead. It was good to know that Hakkai did indulge himself in a vice or two now and then. Actually, the idea of Hakkai smoking wasn't hard to imagine at all. It seemed almost familiar, even though Sanzo couldn't remember ever seeing Hakkai with a cigarette in his hand. "Yeah, Gojyo's brand sucks." He gestured towards his cigarettes. "I'd offer you mine instead, but I wouldn't want to tempt you to indulge yourself too much." There was a bit of a challenge in his eyes as he looked back at Hakkai.

"I think 'minimizing damage' is a lost cause when it comes to those two." Sanzo pretended to consider the idea seriously. "Maybe we should keep this to ourselves and not let Gojyo know. We wouldn't want to accidentally encourage him to find inappropriate ways to use magic, would we?" And Sanzo certainly wouldn't be leaving any spell books lying around where Gojyo might see one of those inappropriate spells and possibly get ideas.

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"Ah, I see," Hakkai said blandly, though he had a vaguely playful smile on his lips. "So you're keeping the temple's economic interests in mind? How thoughtful! I think that incense smells a little better, but I imagine that's just my personal preference." He laughed at the monk's straightforward assessment of Gojyo's brand and a replied a little more diplomatically, "I'm not sure if it, ah, sucks, necessarily, but they didn't exactly suit my tastes." Raising an eyebrow again at Sanzo's silent challenge, Hakkai smiled pleasantly at him and said, "That's very considerate of you, Sanzo. Even if I did want a cigarette, I certainly wouldn't want to impose on you and ask for one of yours."

Hakkai held back a grin and assumed an air of solemnity. "That would be best, I think. We should keep it between us in order to preemptively protect Gojyo from harming himself unknowingly. In any case, it would be quite irresponsible of us and of him if we allowed him to learn magic for the express purpose of pulling pranks or simply winning an argument."

[worldly_monk]

"You didn't spend most of your life in a temple. I've had enough of incense." Sanzo looked amused at Hakkai's diplomacy. "I think I could spare one for you now and then," he replied. "You don't ask for much for yourself, do you?" It was closer to a statement than a question.

Sanzo laughed quietly, but then he thought of something else. His look changed to one of exasperation. "On second thought, maybe we really shouldn't give him any ideas. Since Goku isn't here, Gojyo would only have two possible targets, and I don't think he'd go after you."

[polite-sinner.livejournal.com]

"Ah, right, I can see why you'd be tired of them." Hakkai gave Sanzo a Look, and despite the vaguely challenging edge to his expression, he seemed mostly amused. "I suppose I can take you up on that offer -- every now and then, of course." He smiled a little and shrugged. "I imagine there's not much I want, really. Do you think that it's a sign of contentment?"

Hakki nodded with an air of false understanding. "I see. . . So your survival instinct overpowers the desire for mischief?" He kept the serious look on his face for a moment longer before laughing as well. "I imagine you'll still try to think of something else, won't you?"