HA! I live! Though I'm now living in Hinton so...yeah. Hence this set of random stories! I'm working at a pulp - in the carpentry shop - and I let my mind wander a lot. So here you go! This is what comes out.

Note: A "lead hand" is someone who acts as a supervisor when the regular one is away and makes 6% more than the other workers.

"I really don't know what to do. I mean, it's not like this is the first good looking contractor we've had on site and it's hardly going to be the last."

"...Hakkai?"

"He's not even all that special. He's just like all the rest. Young. Full of energy. Far too eager and far too full of himself. The only thing that really stands out is that hair and those eyes of his. Do you think they're contacts?"

"...Hakkai."

"Did you know he had the gall to come in here yesterday and ask me if we had any girls working in the carpentry shop? Like this was some kind of dating service? Who does he think he is!"

"Hakkai!"

The brunet jumped slightly, blinking owlishly from behind his glasses at his clearly agitated coworker. Sanzo was always good for listening to him, but he didn't tend to ramble as he did now. And by the looks of things, he'd been going for a while; the blond was already finished his coffee.

"Look, Hakkai, you're our lead hand here. Don't let some cocky contractor get the best of you." Sanzo huffed and got to his feet, stretching out lazily as he did. "And next time you feel like going to someone for therapy, don't come to me. I don't care if you're in a higher position than me, I'll walk away next time."

Hakkai laughed sheepishly, shrugging one shoulder and carefully getting up from his own chair. "I suppose you're right. He's going to be gone in two weeks anyway. Nothing to worry about."

"Sure. Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta take the monkey scaffolding."

"Oh. Have fun with that. Are you working over the boilers again?" Hakkai moved their coffee cups over to the lunchroom sink, leaving them there to be washed on his next break.

Sanzo frowned heavily, checking the front pocket of his coveralls absently to make sure he still had a full supply of cigarettes. "Yeah. I still don't know how the kid can have that much energy up there. It's a fucking sauna."

Chuckling softly, the brunet shook his head and gestured to the door. "The sooner you go, the sooner you finish, as our supervisor would say."

The mention of Kanzeon brought a heavy frown to the blond's face, as well as several less than pleasant names murmured under his breath. He offered a short wave before slipping into the main shop, waving Goku down from where the younger man was sweeping. The boy perked up like a dog who's master had come home, dropping the broom and bounding over to Sanzo's side. It was cute to see them working together. And they were the best scaffolding team that the mill had seen in a while.

Watching them go, Hakkai sighed and turned to look at the stack of quarter inch four-by-eight plywood that had just been brought in. He had to cut it into more reasonable sizes for Sanzo's upcoming scaffold projects. Well...at least it was a way to spend time. And a way to get his mind off of a certain redhead who'd come waltzing into his life without any invitation.

Unbeknownst and unfortunately for him, life had a very different plan for him.