Hijikata Toshirou (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mayoninofukucho) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
isleofavalon2021-02-07 06:30 am
mayoninofukucho) wrote in isleofavalon2021-02-07 06:30 am
February Adventures
WHO: Hijikata and ✨YOU✨
WHAT: Practicing Magic, Observing Fairies, Gathering Medicine Ingredients, Avoiding Valentine's Day and Black Magic, Questing
WHEN: Throughout February
WHERE: White Cliffs, City of Camelot, Brocéliande, South Beach, Bridge of the Pure of Heart
WARNINGS: Probably Violence and/or NPC Death for the Quest Prompts
Training at the White Cliffs
[After two all-too-brief initial run-ins (immediately after his arrival and later at the tournament) it took Hijikata a full month to flag his familiar down again and finally get his name: Arashi. The reserved crow tengu would of course have come to his aid at any time if he had really needed him, but Hijikata is too stubborn to call for him if there's no real emergency (and honestly, even then he would first try to handle it on his own).
Since he learned during the single element knock-out competition that his fire magic can be greatly amplified by wind magic he manages to convince his familiar to meet him at the White Cliffs to practice together (after all there isn't much they could accidentally destroy on the shore). He accompanies the trek of volunteers to help collect the new arrivals on the first day of the month, but stays behind until the caravan has departed and the lakeside is deserted. Arashi soon arrives on the wind. Anyone else visiting the cliffs may overhear part of their conversation.]
There's one thing I don't understand, though: why do I have fire magic? I thought your kind specialised in only wind magic.
Your magic is given to you by Avalon, not by me. Our bond merely enables you to receive and use it. The powers at work here likely sensed that you used fire magic before and granted it to you once more. Think of it as residual pathways in your body, like a dry riverbed that was filled with new water.
Really? That stuff is traceable? But other people got completely different magic than they had before, so how does that add up?
This I cannot say. My theory may not apply to all, or even altogether. But we have no sure way of determining the truth at this moment, so shall we begin?
[Arashi clearly has no time to waste. Honestly, if he could he'd likely hand Hijikata over to a different training partner after going through the basics of element combination magic with him... if he spots any other off-worlders nearby chances are he will invite them to participate and dump his bond partner on them before long.]
Frost Fairies (forbakudan_bambino)
[Anyone who regularly peruses the free breakfast buffet at the hotel housing the off-worlders in Camelot will have gotten used to the sight of Hijikata devouring two big plates of protein-rich food drowning in mayonnaise every morning before shamelessly grabbing a dozen bread rolls and sausages and making sandwiches for the rest of the day, pretty much taking up the whole two-seater table with his pile of food. Yes, he has a halfway steady income now; no, he has no money left to spare on food once he has taken care of his cigarette and mayonnaise supplies (he easily goes through three bottles of the latter every day, and that's already under strict self-discipline).
This morning, though, something has him distracted in the middle of his sandwich-making activities. He's kneeling on his chair like a kid, facing the window so intently that his nose is almost pressed against the glass along with both his palms. To anyone passing through the breakfast area there's nothing readily visible out there; no one is walking by or anything... there's only slush in the street and ice crystals growing in the corners of the window.]
It's beautiful...
Medical Emagicy
A ⦿ Deez Nuts
[Like many other off-worlders Hijikata volunteers to help gather medicine ingredients to help the ailing Avalonians. By the time he has himself freed up for it he hears reports that by now the cinnabar paper bush at the Red Springs resort has already been mostly harvested by other helpful people, and all the better. He has the impression that sprites are much like pixies, so he'd rather avoid dealing with them. Being made to dance until he drops is just about the last thing he needs, just short of pollen-induced future visions. He's had enough of those in that goddamn cave last month, so no thanks!! Head into the Brocéliande forest to harvest nuts, though? He can do that.
He heard the warnings of the bear firs, but he's not worried. If magical fire is the only thing that can destroy them, then he's the right man for the job. Nonetheless he also has his trusty sword at his belt to fight off any lesser animals that would steal his harvest. He hasn't actually visited this forest before, so he wanders around a little lost. If his cloak were red instead of black and if he were smaller and cuter he might make a fine Little Red Riding Hood impression wandering through the forest with his basket, but since none of this is the case he doesn't. He's smoking, too.]
So where's that tree..? With so many people on the mission you'd think there'd be some trails.
B ⦿ Wait, isn't that a Pokémon?
[Frankly, the hill trolls sound like the most unpleasant company imaginable, but the doctors need the poliwag grass, and Hijikata is just about as well prepared for this mission as one can be, given that the people of Edo are also extremely rude in every way. Soon after entering the heartland of the hills he meets a troll woman who seems to have been just waiting for an off-worlder to come in search of the bluegrass. It's no wonder, word must have gone around by now.
After a quick confirmation of his intentions she demands that he herd her geese while she attends an important appointment (she's actually just visiting her best friend to exchange the latest gossip, but he doesn't need to know that). Her whole overall conundrum is that the geese's enclosure got damaged when some troll children were too rowdy throwing boulders, so someone must watch the geese while someone else repairs the fence. Who? Well, whoever Hijikata can rope into it.]
Hey! Over here! You're also looking for the bluegrass, right? The troll who owns these geese said she'll help if I fix the fence, but I've got to watch the damn birds at the same time, so can you give me a hand with either? We'll split the reward.
Sync or Swim
[Even if Hijikata knew more about Morganna than "evil sorceress" (much like all he really knows about Arthur and Merlin is "good king" and "wise mage", respectively), he ultimately trusts his gut instinct above all else. After getting to speak with Arthur during his AMA he has the impression that the king is genuinely doing his best with the situation he's been thrown into, whereas Morganna's entire demeanour so far has done nothing to improve his opinion of her. As such he doesn't open the attachment in her message and decides to avoid any entanglement with the synchronic magic she offers, enticing as the power it promises is.
But when he sees the glow of the huge bonfire in the evening after having heard the music and general buzz of activity from the park each time he passed it by he can't help but feel... well, not "left out" since it was his own decision to not participate, but it's a slightly lonely feeling. Surely it won't hurt if he heads over there - not to join in (the spell practice should have mostly concluded anyway), but just to keep an eye on things? It's a fire after all! It might go out of control. So he makes his way through the tent village and stands among the others.
Looking at the shimmering, colourful flames makes him think of Prismatica with its crystals everywhere... it must be those memories that suddenly make him want to moonlace with somebody. But this is Avalon, and he can't very well just ask someone to hold hands or sit back to back with him when it doesn't generate chroma or anything else, so he simply wraps his arms around himself - and that's when he observes a couple of disembodied shadows walking around until they each reach a person and disappear. He stares for a moment longer before turning to the person next to him.]
Did you see that just now? Those shadows?
[Please tell him he isn't the only one who saw that. This probably isn't good at all.]
Quests
A ⦿ Save a Beast, Kill a Man (forheartlessswordsman)
[QuestBoard has some interesting tasks on offer again this month, however Hijikata is being choosy (pretty bold for someone who struggles to finance his addictions!). Sure, he could help the elves with their little height rivalry, but what is he, a mule? He's pretty confident that they'll have enough takers without him making a tool out of himself at the beach. That person who wants the library investigated promptly gets stamped as a conspiracy theorist by him. He's not going to get in trouble with the librarian over wild speculations! And he definitely wants nothing to do with Cupid's arrows. He knows the truth about Valentine's Day, after all!
That quest posted by the selkie woman, though, immediately fills him with righteous indignation. Who the hell does that man think he is?! First he forces her into marriage, then he heads out to kill an innocent kraken?! Not on Hijikata's watch. He loses no time in making his way to the area where the kraken was sighted, and he isn't the only one. On the way he sees Zelgadis' distinctive figure ahead of him and jogs a little to catch up to his first tournament duel opponent.]
Hey! You're after that bastard too?
[If he is there won't be much need for a further explanation, and if he just happens to be walking in the same direction he may well want to join Hijikata once he hears what's been going on.]
B ⦿ A Quest for the Pure of Heart
[When Hijikata sees Morganna's quest he does a double take. Like hell is he going to get involved in that!! He has half a mind to make a post on AOL to caution others as well, but honestly, this is so damn sketchy, surely no one with a halfway functional moral compass is going to entertain the idea in the first place... however 1,000,000G is a lot of money. It's certainly tempting. An online post won't effectively keep anyone from carrying out the quest, so Hijikata decides to take action.
Some of those who accepted the quest (he's dedicated, but he can't logistically intercept everybody) will find him waiting on the other side of the bridge, standing there with a cigarette glowing between his lips, scrutinising them like a reverse bridge knight who judges people after letting them cross.]
So you took that witch up on her offer? I hope you're not planning to do her that little extra favour.
[Anyone who just wants to collect a crystal for Morganna and not poison that innocent man (because what else could possibly be going on here?) will be left alone by him, but those who either lie without being seasoned professionals at it (he has good intuition) or outright state their intentions to go ahead with it will have to face off against him. (Users of cognitive magic may well be able to change his mind, though!)]
[OOC: I forgot to add this initially, but please check out my permissions - I'm good with pretty much anything, however you may want to opt out of fourth-walling (I'll check your permissions for this too, though) and/or threadjumping (tagging back the starter tag to avoid the thread's readability getting compromised as it gets compressed after reaching a certain length).]
WHAT: Practicing Magic, Observing Fairies, Gathering Medicine Ingredients, Avoiding Valentine's Day and Black Magic, Questing
WHEN: Throughout February
WHERE: White Cliffs, City of Camelot, Brocéliande, South Beach, Bridge of the Pure of Heart
WARNINGS: Probably Violence and/or NPC Death for the Quest Prompts
Training at the White Cliffs
[After two all-too-brief initial run-ins (immediately after his arrival and later at the tournament) it took Hijikata a full month to flag his familiar down again and finally get his name: Arashi. The reserved crow tengu would of course have come to his aid at any time if he had really needed him, but Hijikata is too stubborn to call for him if there's no real emergency (and honestly, even then he would first try to handle it on his own).
Since he learned during the single element knock-out competition that his fire magic can be greatly amplified by wind magic he manages to convince his familiar to meet him at the White Cliffs to practice together (after all there isn't much they could accidentally destroy on the shore). He accompanies the trek of volunteers to help collect the new arrivals on the first day of the month, but stays behind until the caravan has departed and the lakeside is deserted. Arashi soon arrives on the wind. Anyone else visiting the cliffs may overhear part of their conversation.]
There's one thing I don't understand, though: why do I have fire magic? I thought your kind specialised in only wind magic.
Your magic is given to you by Avalon, not by me. Our bond merely enables you to receive and use it. The powers at work here likely sensed that you used fire magic before and granted it to you once more. Think of it as residual pathways in your body, like a dry riverbed that was filled with new water.
Really? That stuff is traceable? But other people got completely different magic than they had before, so how does that add up?
This I cannot say. My theory may not apply to all, or even altogether. But we have no sure way of determining the truth at this moment, so shall we begin?
[Arashi clearly has no time to waste. Honestly, if he could he'd likely hand Hijikata over to a different training partner after going through the basics of element combination magic with him... if he spots any other off-worlders nearby chances are he will invite them to participate and dump his bond partner on them before long.]
Frost Fairies (for
bakudan_bambino) [Anyone who regularly peruses the free breakfast buffet at the hotel housing the off-worlders in Camelot will have gotten used to the sight of Hijikata devouring two big plates of protein-rich food drowning in mayonnaise every morning before shamelessly grabbing a dozen bread rolls and sausages and making sandwiches for the rest of the day, pretty much taking up the whole two-seater table with his pile of food. Yes, he has a halfway steady income now; no, he has no money left to spare on food once he has taken care of his cigarette and mayonnaise supplies (he easily goes through three bottles of the latter every day, and that's already under strict self-discipline).
This morning, though, something has him distracted in the middle of his sandwich-making activities. He's kneeling on his chair like a kid, facing the window so intently that his nose is almost pressed against the glass along with both his palms. To anyone passing through the breakfast area there's nothing readily visible out there; no one is walking by or anything... there's only slush in the street and ice crystals growing in the corners of the window.]
It's beautiful...
Medical Emagicy
A ⦿ Deez Nuts
[Like many other off-worlders Hijikata volunteers to help gather medicine ingredients to help the ailing Avalonians. By the time he has himself freed up for it he hears reports that by now the cinnabar paper bush at the Red Springs resort has already been mostly harvested by other helpful people, and all the better. He has the impression that sprites are much like pixies, so he'd rather avoid dealing with them. Being made to dance until he drops is just about the last thing he needs, just short of pollen-induced future visions. He's had enough of those in that goddamn cave last month, so no thanks!! Head into the Brocéliande forest to harvest nuts, though? He can do that.
He heard the warnings of the bear firs, but he's not worried. If magical fire is the only thing that can destroy them, then he's the right man for the job. Nonetheless he also has his trusty sword at his belt to fight off any lesser animals that would steal his harvest. He hasn't actually visited this forest before, so he wanders around a little lost. If his cloak were red instead of black and if he were smaller and cuter he might make a fine Little Red Riding Hood impression wandering through the forest with his basket, but since none of this is the case he doesn't. He's smoking, too.]
So where's that tree..? With so many people on the mission you'd think there'd be some trails.
B ⦿ Wait, isn't that a Pokémon?
[Frankly, the hill trolls sound like the most unpleasant company imaginable, but the doctors need the poliwag grass, and Hijikata is just about as well prepared for this mission as one can be, given that the people of Edo are also extremely rude in every way. Soon after entering the heartland of the hills he meets a troll woman who seems to have been just waiting for an off-worlder to come in search of the bluegrass. It's no wonder, word must have gone around by now.
After a quick confirmation of his intentions she demands that he herd her geese while she attends an important appointment (she's actually just visiting her best friend to exchange the latest gossip, but he doesn't need to know that). Her whole overall conundrum is that the geese's enclosure got damaged when some troll children were too rowdy throwing boulders, so someone must watch the geese while someone else repairs the fence. Who? Well, whoever Hijikata can rope into it.]
Hey! Over here! You're also looking for the bluegrass, right? The troll who owns these geese said she'll help if I fix the fence, but I've got to watch the damn birds at the same time, so can you give me a hand with either? We'll split the reward.
Sync or Swim
[Even if Hijikata knew more about Morganna than "evil sorceress" (much like all he really knows about Arthur and Merlin is "good king" and "wise mage", respectively), he ultimately trusts his gut instinct above all else. After getting to speak with Arthur during his AMA he has the impression that the king is genuinely doing his best with the situation he's been thrown into, whereas Morganna's entire demeanour so far has done nothing to improve his opinion of her. As such he doesn't open the attachment in her message and decides to avoid any entanglement with the synchronic magic she offers, enticing as the power it promises is.
But when he sees the glow of the huge bonfire in the evening after having heard the music and general buzz of activity from the park each time he passed it by he can't help but feel... well, not "left out" since it was his own decision to not participate, but it's a slightly lonely feeling. Surely it won't hurt if he heads over there - not to join in (the spell practice should have mostly concluded anyway), but just to keep an eye on things? It's a fire after all! It might go out of control. So he makes his way through the tent village and stands among the others.
Looking at the shimmering, colourful flames makes him think of Prismatica with its crystals everywhere... it must be those memories that suddenly make him want to moonlace with somebody. But this is Avalon, and he can't very well just ask someone to hold hands or sit back to back with him when it doesn't generate chroma or anything else, so he simply wraps his arms around himself - and that's when he observes a couple of disembodied shadows walking around until they each reach a person and disappear. He stares for a moment longer before turning to the person next to him.]
Did you see that just now? Those shadows?
[Please tell him he isn't the only one who saw that. This probably isn't good at all.]
Quests
A ⦿ Save a Beast, Kill a Man (for
heartlessswordsman)[QuestBoard has some interesting tasks on offer again this month, however Hijikata is being choosy (pretty bold for someone who struggles to finance his addictions!). Sure, he could help the elves with their little height rivalry, but what is he, a mule? He's pretty confident that they'll have enough takers without him making a tool out of himself at the beach. That person who wants the library investigated promptly gets stamped as a conspiracy theorist by him. He's not going to get in trouble with the librarian over wild speculations! And he definitely wants nothing to do with Cupid's arrows. He knows the truth about Valentine's Day, after all!
That quest posted by the selkie woman, though, immediately fills him with righteous indignation. Who the hell does that man think he is?! First he forces her into marriage, then he heads out to kill an innocent kraken?! Not on Hijikata's watch. He loses no time in making his way to the area where the kraken was sighted, and he isn't the only one. On the way he sees Zelgadis' distinctive figure ahead of him and jogs a little to catch up to his first tournament duel opponent.]
Hey! You're after that bastard too?
[If he is there won't be much need for a further explanation, and if he just happens to be walking in the same direction he may well want to join Hijikata once he hears what's been going on.]
B ⦿ A Quest for the Pure of Heart
[When Hijikata sees Morganna's quest he does a double take. Like hell is he going to get involved in that!! He has half a mind to make a post on AOL to caution others as well, but honestly, this is so damn sketchy, surely no one with a halfway functional moral compass is going to entertain the idea in the first place... however 1,000,000G is a lot of money. It's certainly tempting. An online post won't effectively keep anyone from carrying out the quest, so Hijikata decides to take action.
Some of those who accepted the quest (
So you took that witch up on her offer? I hope you're not planning to do her that little extra favour.
[Anyone who just wants to collect a crystal for Morganna and not poison that innocent man (because what else could possibly be going on here?) will be left alone by him, but those who either lie without being seasoned professionals at it (he has good intuition) or outright state their intentions to go ahead with it will have to face off against him. (Users of cognitive magic may well be able to change his mind, though!)]
[OOC: I forgot to add this initially, but please check out my permissions - I'm good with pretty much anything, however you may want to opt out of fourth-walling (I'll check your permissions for this too, though) and/or threadjumping (tagging back the starter tag to avoid the thread's readability getting compromised as it gets compressed after reaching a certain length).]
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