Jia leaned heavily on Qing's shoulder. "Neeeee, Qing," she whined. "Have you seen Gojyo? He's not been in to gamble for a bit, and even when he does, he doesn't hang out anywhere."
"I hear he's got a girlfriend," Qing sighed, as Jia's weight slowly pushed her towards the table. "An actual serious one this time, not the sort he'd toy around with. Can you believe it?"
Hearing the sound of gossip, Huan moved over from where she'd been watching a bulky young man gamble at another table. "Oh, I can tell you something even more unbelievable," she said, cheerful. "It's not a girl at all, but a guy!"
The two girls stared at her. "You LIE!" Jia squeaked. "Gojyo, with a man? I can't even imagine that!"
Qing chortled, low-voiced, her eyes closing dreamily. "I can."
"It's true, though," Huan protested virtuously. "You know that new guy, the green-eyed beauty? He bumped into you at the market yesterday, Jia, I know you've met him."
Jia sputtered. "HIM? But he was so, so... nice! He kept apologizing even after I told him it was all right! And he... and GOJYO? And dammit! I had my eye on him! He's... why is it always the nice boys who turn out to be taken?!"
"Not Gojyo's type at all," Qing added, thoughtfully. "I mean, assuming Gojyo had a type among guys. Which, fantasies aside, he really doesn't..."
"He does!" Huan insisted. "You know, the two of them are living together off in Gojyo's little place. And you've been there, you know it's a one-room place, basically, there wouldn't even be room for two beds."
Qing hmmed. "You have a point," she admitted. "I mean, they could just be roommates, but... roommates sharing one bed? If nothing else, it'd seriously cramp Gojyo's style."
"Oh, it just doesn't work for me. Gojyo CAN'T like men!" Jia whined. "He likes women!"
Huan and Qing looked at her for a long moment, disbelievingly, then turned back to each other. "Besides," Huan said, smugly, "doesn't it nicely explain why Gojyo isn't doing more than hitting on the girls any more? Trying to maintain his reputation or keep his boy-thing a secret. Really, I think it's cute. That Hakkai, I think his name is, he takes care of the house for Gojyo and does most of the cooking and from what I saw when I snuck up there, he even separates the burnables from the rest of the garbage..."
At the name 'Hakkai', one of the men had turned from gambling -- Chin Bai, who was more than a bit known for the love of the malefolk himself. "Ahhhh, if it's Hakkai you're talking about, you'll be best to stay away from him," Bai advised. "You know, a few months ago this priest came by and was looking for him -- it was a bit personal after he shoved a gun at my face so I followed 'em up to the hill, and apparently that Hakkai-guy is wanted for mass murder or something."
They stared at him.
"...Oh, you're just jealous," Qing finally sniffed. "I mean, have you met Hakkai? He's such a sweetheart! Just like a girl!"
"Acts more like Gojyo's mother than his lover," Jia agreed, her tone still a bit hopeful. "So maybe--"
"Honestly, they're so cute together," Huan sighed as Bai shook his head, returning to his game. "Really, a match made in heaven."
