[When Hijikata wakes up in his hut at the outskirts of the Forest of the Felled at dusk he’s ready for a quiet night of magic studies. It’s already been a week since he was poisoned with giant hogweed potion, and he’s been feeling a little better, but his spectral subordinates sat him down soon after the fact and insisted that he take it easy and leave the night patrol in Camelot City to them until the end of the month at least. So when he checks AOL and sees countless posts, official alerts and shelter instructions regarding an attack of wraith warriors his heartrate instantly skyrockets. Shit!! Did he seriously sleep through an invasion?! He grabs his knight cloak, equipment and totem and sends a distress call to his familiar.
Before long he meets the crow tengu in the chaotic city streets. Many civilians have already sought refuge in the castle as instructed, and virtually everyone capable of fighting or supporting the fighters is doing just that. He briefly checks in with one of his ghostly Division Captains, who confirms that the Yuureisengumi has started to help fend off the wraiths as well now that it’s dark, perhaps exchanges a few words with any friends and allies who cross his path, then initiates the Familiar Fusion without further ado and takes to the sky on large black wings. Should anybody have asked to fight together with him he'll be happy to do so.
He uses his death-magic-enchanted sword to block strikes from the wraith blades, but his main weapon is the same exorcism spell he used to force the ghosts out of the stone giant during the autumn equinox. He draws sigil after sigil into the air with his lit cigarette until they rotate around him like glowing glyphs, and whenever a spectral rider approaches he slams his palm in the middle of each to activate it and banish the wraith off this plane in a blast of golden light. Whether you're partnered with him or on your own, perhaps you're fighting in the air too, or on the rooftops, or down on the ground - either way, he spots an enemy galloping towards you and rushes after them while yelling a warning.]
Watch out!!
B ⦿ Augusto's Curse (CW: Blood/Tuberculosis)
[Fairly early on in the battle Hijikata targeted one of the enemy leaders. The wraith knight didn't hesitate to engage with him, and after a brief clash Hijikata managed to set off his exorcism spell and banish him - but not before the adversary reached out with his free hand and clasped his shoulder with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Hijikata was confused. Perhaps he wasn't a sore loser, despite co-leading this unprovoked attack on Camelot?
It started slowly - of course the touch went right through him, cold and painful, but the longer Hijikata fought the colder and shakier he felt, as if there was a fever running through his spine. Gradually his chest started hurting more and more, the chills got heavier and heavier, and breathing was getting harder.
About half an hour after the encounter he can't keep himself in the sky anymore and slowly trundles down to the ground, where he leans against the nearest wall and has a coughing fit. There's blood in his palm afterwards, and he struggles to understand. He wasn't hit, was he? He thought he managed to block any attacks... and even if, the wraiths shouldn't have caused any internal bleeding. The damage spectres do is of a different kind. Or is this a late effect of the hogsweed potion? Did he overdo it? Did he rupture something? He coughs again, and his lungs hurt with every shake.]
C-crap...
[He looks up at the sky where countless wraiths are still rampaging. He banished so many; why does it look like their number hardly decreased? Wait-- isn't that the knight he exorcised? Did he return from whatever netherworld he was thrown back to? Did... all of them return? Hijikata groans. This is a disaster. Did all his efforts even make a difference? Arashi's mental voice reassures him. If nothing else their temporary absence gave respite to those seeking a hiding place or carrying the wounded off the battlefield. Hijikata nods, inhales and spreads his wings - he needs to make the most of what little time they have left as a fusion! -, but only gets wrecked by another painful coughing fit, this time so badly it makes him slump to the ground. This won't do! He usually endures pain bravely enough, but he can't apply himself like this! He looks around for a healer, not knowing that what he needs is a siphoner.]
[When Hijikata wakes up he's in a familiar room... and that very fact makes him jolt up, because he shouldn't be here. Why is he in Rinea's home again?! After she took him in during his apparent 2-day stint as an amnesiac (that's what she and his ghosts told him; he can't remember anything) he was so mortified that he never wanted to be a burden on her again! He had downright planned to avoid her for a good while, if not for the rest of his time on this island. Didn't he ask his Division Leader to turn to any death mage for help in getting him and Arashi off the battlefield and, in his case, into a light-proof place when the exertion of the Familiar Fusion would put them out of commission?! That didn't include Rinea!
He sits up, finding that someone was so attentive to take cloak, shoes, bag and sword off him (he sees them neatly put together on respectively under a plush chair nearby). But when he swings his legs out of bed to grab his belongings and rejoin the battle - a quick look at his phone confirms that it's evening again and thus safe to head out - he feels such a strong chill run through him, combined by a wave of nausea, that he has to lie back down and take a few moments to breathe. At least breathing doesn't hurt so badly anymore... are these just some aftereffects of the wraith's curse? Or did he simply overdo it on the whole this month? Even if so, he couldn't just drink tea at home while those wraiths overran Camelot! The battle is still raging, he can hear the muffled sounds from outside! After a few moments he sits up again, more carefully this time, manages to walk over to his bag, and mutters to himself as he rummages through it.]
Where's the damn potion... I know it's in here!
[He's not looking for the Countercurse Potion, he's looking for the Deadpool Juice. Whatever is still affecting him now, be it the poison from a week ago, some psychosomatic symptoms of being hit by the curse, or general overexertion, his body needs to shape up so he can rejoin the battle! King Arthur is on the frontlines; he has to support him!]
Toshirou Hijikata | Gintama
A ⦿ Siege
[When Hijikata wakes up in his hut at the outskirts of the Forest of the Felled at dusk he’s ready for a quiet night of magic studies. It’s already been a week since he was poisoned with giant hogweed potion, and he’s been feeling a little better, but his spectral subordinates sat him down soon after the fact and insisted that he take it easy and leave the night patrol in Camelot City to them until the end of the month at least. So when he checks AOL and sees countless posts, official alerts and shelter instructions regarding an attack of wraith warriors his heartrate instantly skyrockets. Shit!! Did he seriously sleep through an invasion?! He grabs his knight cloak, equipment and totem and sends a distress call to his familiar.
Before long he meets the crow tengu in the chaotic city streets. Many civilians have already sought refuge in the castle as instructed, and virtually everyone capable of fighting or supporting the fighters is doing just that. He briefly checks in with one of his ghostly Division Captains, who confirms that the Yuureisengumi has started to help fend off the wraiths as well now that it’s dark, perhaps exchanges a few words with any friends and allies who cross his path, then initiates the Familiar Fusion without further ado and takes to the sky on large black wings. Should anybody have asked to fight together with him he'll be happy to do so.
He uses his death-magic-enchanted sword to block strikes from the wraith blades, but his main weapon is the same exorcism spell he used to force the ghosts out of the stone giant during the autumn equinox. He draws sigil after sigil into the air with his lit cigarette until they rotate around him like glowing glyphs, and whenever a spectral rider approaches he slams his palm in the middle of each to activate it and banish the wraith off this plane in a blast of golden light. Whether you're partnered with him or on your own, perhaps you're fighting in the air too, or on the rooftops, or down on the ground - either way, he spots an enemy galloping towards you and rushes after them while yelling a warning.]
Watch out!!
B ⦿ Augusto's Curse (CW: Blood/Tuberculosis)
[Fairly early on in the battle Hijikata targeted one of the enemy leaders. The wraith knight didn't hesitate to engage with him, and after a brief clash Hijikata managed to set off his exorcism spell and banish him - but not before the adversary reached out with his free hand and clasped his shoulder with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Hijikata was confused. Perhaps he wasn't a sore loser, despite co-leading this unprovoked attack on Camelot?
It started slowly - of course the touch went right through him, cold and painful, but the longer Hijikata fought the colder and shakier he felt, as if there was a fever running through his spine. Gradually his chest started hurting more and more, the chills got heavier and heavier, and breathing was getting harder.
About half an hour after the encounter he can't keep himself in the sky anymore and slowly trundles down to the ground, where he leans against the nearest wall and has a coughing fit. There's blood in his palm afterwards, and he struggles to understand. He wasn't hit, was he? He thought he managed to block any attacks... and even if, the wraiths shouldn't have caused any internal bleeding. The damage spectres do is of a different kind. Or is this a late effect of the hogsweed potion? Did he overdo it? Did he rupture something? He coughs again, and his lungs hurt with every shake.]
C-crap...
[He looks up at the sky where countless wraiths are still rampaging. He banished so many; why does it look like their number hardly decreased? Wait-- isn't that the knight he exorcised? Did he return from whatever netherworld he was thrown back to? Did... all of them return? Hijikata groans. This is a disaster. Did all his efforts even make a difference? Arashi's mental voice reassures him. If nothing else their temporary absence gave respite to those seeking a hiding place or carrying the wounded off the battlefield. Hijikata nods, inhales and spreads his wings - he needs to make the most of what little time they have left as a fusion! -, but only gets wrecked by another painful coughing fit, this time so badly it makes him slump to the ground. This won't do! He usually endures pain bravely enough, but he can't apply himself like this! He looks around for a healer, not knowing that what he needs is a siphoner.]
2) Unideal Solutions (for
[When Hijikata wakes up he's in a familiar room... and that very fact makes him jolt up, because he shouldn't be here. Why is he in Rinea's home again?! After she took him in during his apparent 2-day stint as an amnesiac (that's what she and his ghosts told him; he can't remember anything) he was so mortified that he never wanted to be a burden on her again! He had downright planned to avoid her for a good while, if not for the rest of his time on this island. Didn't he ask his Division Leader to turn to any death mage for help in getting him and Arashi off the battlefield and, in his case, into a light-proof place when the exertion of the Familiar Fusion would put them out of commission?! That didn't include Rinea!
He sits up, finding that someone was so attentive to take cloak, shoes, bag and sword off him (he sees them neatly put together on respectively under a plush chair nearby). But when he swings his legs out of bed to grab his belongings and rejoin the battle - a quick look at his phone confirms that it's evening again and thus safe to head out - he feels such a strong chill run through him, combined by a wave of nausea, that he has to lie back down and take a few moments to breathe. At least breathing doesn't hurt so badly anymore... are these just some aftereffects of the wraith's curse? Or did he simply overdo it on the whole this month? Even if so, he couldn't just drink tea at home while those wraiths overran Camelot! The battle is still raging, he can hear the muffled sounds from outside! After a few moments he sits up again, more carefully this time, manages to walk over to his bag, and mutters to himself as he rummages through it.]
Where's the damn potion... I know it's in here!
[He's not looking for the Countercurse Potion, he's looking for the Deadpool Juice. Whatever is still affecting him now, be it the poison from a week ago, some psychosomatic symptoms of being hit by the curse, or general overexertion, his body needs to shape up so he can rejoin the battle! King Arthur is on the frontlines; he has to support him!]