isleofavalon | Housewarming Party.. sort of!

🧙 WHO: Anyone who has CR with Riou, or people wandering by
⚔️️ WHAT: Since everything's started to melt, Riou was able to find a sustainable camping location he liked.
🕒 WHEN: Mid-March
🗺️ WHERE: Shore outside of Camelot, Broceliande side.
⚠️ WARNINGS: This man is a survivor and exotic chef, so hunting and eating food outside of Western societal norms may be discussed at any point.

[ Riou hadn't made a huge affair out of moving out of the inn. He was used to handling things on his own, and as such, hadn't felt the need to ask anyone to help. Most people wouldn't have any idea how to set up a full-fledged livable camp anyway, so it wouldn't have done him much good.

But once his campsite is set up and he feels comfortable, Riou sends out a text to anyone whose contact info he has and says that he is having a housewarming party at 5pm the next day and attaches a map to the message.

In addition to the main site, there will be a fold-out table that has food Riou made for everyone: stew with an unknown protein, fresh-squeezed juice, a carafe with fresh coffee, and some kind of skewered meat. There's also a green cooler with lots of beer cans in it. It's all delicious, but it's better not to know what is in it. Anyone who brought something may put it on the table, there's space.

At the lake itself, there are some fishing rods and a net set near the edge, along with a couple of camping chairs. Riou hasn't had time to make his own yet, so please enjoy the soft mesh seats. To decorate, Riou has hung some fresh flowers that he's harvested from the laundry clothesline and along the barbed wire fence. If it gets dark, there are a number of lanterns to keep the place lit. He has intentionally not set up his traps yet so that no one gets hurt, but there is a wire surrounding the camp that will ring bells if tripped so that no predators ambush the campsite without alerting Riou, so please be cautious if you leave the camp area. ]

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[He eagerly nods at the offer of more music, even though he doesn't feel like he actually needs to know more about the other members of MTC. He clashed with Samatoki often enough to think he has a decent handle on his personality, and while he never pressed him about the clearly sensitive topic he also gathered that he's worried for his missing sister. Jyuto, meanwhile... the sense Hijikata got of him was that of a cool, aloof person, and since he generally doesn't mesh well with that type he never approached him. But of course he may have misjudged him.

He tells Riou none of that, though. As a matter of fact it's far preferably if he takes Hijikata for a groupie for MTC as a whole; that'll take the whole personal aspect out of the matter. He's mildly surprised (and happy, very happy) to be invited back to Riou's camp, but manages to not show any excitement over it. He'll just focus on his question.]

Prismatica was largely uninhabitable until we managed to fully restore it. Most continents were completely encased in crystal as a result of a big calamity long ago, and in addition there were noxious gases in the atmosphere, and dangerous creatures in the halfway livable habitats. You'd regularly go out of the hospitable zone to explore, but due to the health risks you always had to return after a few days.

...

[He weighs the risks and benefits of showing Riou the portal-opening crystal that has become one of his most treasured possessions and, following his gut instinct moreso than his logical conclusion, pulls the simple necklace out from under his shirt.]

Please don't rub it, but this is the catalyst to open a pathway back there. Of course I can't use it now since Prismatica's bound to be frozen like all the other worlds, but I hope you believe me. Once this is all over I can perhaps take you there, if you want to see it.

[Unless the two Rious meeting by chance would cause a massive paradox in space-time or something... but it'll likely be a long time until then anyway. They still have a lot of work to do. It feels like Avalon has barely begun to reveal its many wonders to the new arrivals.]

[ There's no proof of anything that Hijikata is saying right now, but Riou is more inclined to believe him. It matches with what he's been told, and he can no longer find obvious flaws in the story. Besides, as far as lies go, it would be a very bizarre one to tell.

He does frown though as he examines (but carefully doesn't touch) the crystal. It certainly looks different than anything he's seen on this planet or his own. This place the crystal comes from is in such dire straits though... how unfortunate. He can't imagine the version of him apparently from there (or he, if his memories are simply missing) would have been happy, being forced inside for all that time. It's giving him a mild anxiety just thinking about it. ]

Provided there is a way back, I would like to see it. I cannot abandon Samatoki and Jyuto, however.

[ SO it would only be a temporary trip, for certain. ]

[If Hijikata ever does get to take Riou to Prismatica in the diffuse future Riou will be pleasantly surprised to find the whole planet restored to lush, colourful, crystalline health. Hijikata can't help but crack a smile at his response, after all he knows too well what it's like to be part of a trio, what with him, Kondou and Okita having been joined at the hip for roundabout a decade now.]

Of course. If it makes you feel better, they were there with you, too. I mean, with the other timeline's Riou.

["Were" because Hijikata has no idea if they permanently went back to their own world after the restoration, or if they stayed, or if they did what he did and went home but visited frequently. He slips the crystal back under his shirt. Telling Riou the truth (or, well, most of the truth) took a surprisingly heavy weight off his shoulders. It's goddamn late, though, and Riou is probably struggling to stay awake after partying earlier.]

I'll happily tell you more, but you should probably get some sleep first. Again, sorry for coming by so late! It really took me so long to replant the flowers.

[He glances at them, realising that they send a wrong message now. His silence turned into a whole-ass revelation, and his resignation into new hope to maybe still be able to connect with Riou. His remembrance and gratitude, though, are unchanged, so it sure is a good thing he chose the carnations, gladiolus and hydrangea.]

[ Being a soldier, he at least knows not to show that he's tired whether he is or isn't. Especially around someone who's got him so alert like Hijikata does. But at the very least, he's no longer on edge about Hijikata. Whether that's the whole truth or not, it's more truth than he had before. He wishes that Hijikata had told him as much in the first place so that he could have had more piece of mind to begin with. He still wants to verify, of course. ]

Send me a message next time you are free. I will make dinner and we can speak more freely.

[ He won't deny that he wants sleep. Riou usually has a very strict schedule he keeps to whenever it isn't interrupted. ]

[Did Riou just invite him for dinner?! Wait, he shouldn't feel so stupidly happy about that; Riou is simply a hospitable person. Get a grip, Toshirou. He tries not to look disproportionally happy as he gives Riou a little bow of the head.]

That sounds like a plan. I'll let you know.

[Okay, that sounded neutral enough, right? Ugh, really... he needs to do something about the remnants of Prismatica impulses still hardwired into his brain. That's what this is, right? At the very least it's dark enough that the night might conceal his uncalled-for excitement, so he doesn't lose any more time in leaving the camp. Now to see when his busy days will let up enough that he can cash in that invitation...]

[ He's a hospitable person, but he's not going to invite enemies to his table. (Not active ones anyway.) ]

Do you know your way back in the dark?

[ They're not like.. super close to the city, after all. Riou wasn't about to pick a place it still sounded like he was in a city, anyway, even if it was visible in the distance so Mad Trigger Crew didn't have to travel far to reach his base. ]

[He stops and looks back at Riou. Is he worried about him? How endearing. But no, no, Riou is just a responsible person. God, he really needs to stop thinking everything is personal.]

Yeah, I'll be fine. I've got fire magic.

[Never mind that a light source doesn't automatically bring orientation... and that's without taking into account that his magic is messed up and pretty much 90% dysfunctional due to his refusal to stay out of the sun after the incident with the wishes last month. Still, he wants Riou to get some sleep, and he himself needs some time to process what's going on with him and what to do about it. He may end up getting lost and wandering around until morning comes, but it's not like he has a schedule to adhere to, and he really does have a lot of ruminating to do.]

[ It's true. Riou isn't the type of person who would let anyone wander off into the dark without at least checking. In general, he's concerned about Hijikata for various reasons, but he's not quite at a point where it could be called caring yet. ]

Until next time, then.

[ He will watch to make sure he actually leaves though. ]

Until then!

[He leaves alright! Once out of the camp's perimeters he lights himself a cigarette (using his novelty lighter, not wanting to risk getting covered in soot by his haywire magic again). He rarely every gets a moment of rest, so the long walk home will indeed provide him with a good opportunity to review his time on Prismatica, the different relationships he built and, in part, lost again, and the few reunions (if he can call them that, what with the timeline-crossing) here on Avalon.]

Housewarming Party.. sort of!

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