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)
isleofavalon2021-05-07 11:50 pm
mayoninofukucho) wrote in isleofavalon2021-05-07 11:50 pm
May Adventures
WHO: Hijikata and ✨YOU✨
WHAT: Training, Questing, Attempting to Prevent Dark Web Quests, Hanging out with the Ghosts at Loch Manor, Getting Lost in the Brocéliande at Night
WHEN: Throughout May
WHERE: Red Springs' Training Grounds, City of Camelot (Castle and Loch Manor), Brocéliande, Lakeside close to the Silent Shore
WARNINGS: Probably Violence for the Quest Threads
Time Top Training
[When the Elphame traders came to Camelot City last month Hijikata purchased a nifty little item: a time top. This morning he hitched a totem teleport trip with someone else headed to the Red Springs, and now he's getting the hang of spinning the top, aiming to make it rotate for as long as possible. The only problem is that it's hard to gauge how much time he has to deal damage when there are no actual moving targets... and that's why he's glad to see a fellow off-worlder nearby. Time to rope this unsuspecting person into his efforts.]
Hey, would you mind helping me out with something? It shouldn't take too long.
No Buccaing Out (Quest)
[When Hijikata reads the QuestBoard post about the man-eating nudibranchs he's aghast. Having one's skin eaten off one's body while paralysed is something straight out of a horror movie, and he doesn't want that to happen to anyone. So he loses no time in renting a wetsuit (complete with swim fins) and buying a big net, a helmet, and a strong underwater lamp. One trip to a local metalworker later the lamp is affixed to the front of the helmet, leaving both his hands free to fight the colourful skin-eaters. Come dusk he's by the lakeside, tugging the wetsuit into place here and there before inspecting the potion he was given by the eel naga community.]
One hour, hm. Well, it'll do.
[Of course the mission will be more easily accomplished with help - even someone who can't swim and wants to stay on land would be more than welcome since Hijikata has several ideas of how to deal with the deadly molluscs.]
A Polite Pyro (Quest Prevention)
[Honestly, what is wrong with the people posting quests on the dark web?! Hijikata really hopes to get his hand on the pyromaniac who posted this instigation so he can throttle the living daylights out of them. Alas, he has absolutely no idea where any takers may strike, so it's only when he sees the smoke rise into the sky that he grits his teeth and rushes to the site of the fire. He better not catch any suspicious figures nearby, or else there'll be hell to pay! But even if the only other off-worlder in the vicinity is visibly distressed at the sight of the flames, or else likewise rushing in to help, he'll bark at them.]
Hey, you!! Go find me a water hose-- or a water mage!
[Never mind that he could be a water mage if he had ever tried to gain control of more than one element... details!]
Incubabes (Quest Prevention)
[Seriously, why are there so many scummy characters on this island?! Blatantly admitting that the sole reason for putting a bounty on several people's heads is an impending inheritance..! Whoever that shrewd woman is, Hijikata intends to cross her plans. He not only warned the castle's head chef of the assassination plot but also took it upon himself to guard her (she insisted that she'd be safest in the castle, and seemed overall reluctant to be pulled away from work despite the situation).
Usually off-worlders don't just get to waltz into every corner of the castle at their leisure, so Hijikata had to field some questions and was initially accompanied by a guard to deliver his warning, but ultimately he was allowed to stay and protect the head chef. He's currently stationed outside the kitchen (she gently threw him out after he got in the way one time too many), and once he sees someone who doesn't appear to be part of the castle staff he narrows his eyes, hand on the hilt of the sword at his belt.]
And what would you be doing here?
Revisiting Loch Manor
[Now that Hijikata is back in full possession of his fire- and death magic, thanks to those who went through the trouble of aiding his familiar's intervention last month, he needs to make good on some promises. He only returns to the spooky Loch Manor with hesitation, but he can't let his death magic mentors down... or the ghosts. One more deep breath, and he enters the old house. Anyone who wanders in later on will find him in one of the rooms on the upper floor, quietly sitting with the ghost of a young man and writing down information in a small notebook.]
Okay, I'll see what I can find out. Thanks for the description. I'm sorry, but I can't promise you that any of them is still around.
[His voice is surprisingly friendly. If the newcomer joins him and the ghost he won't mind, but otherwise he'll bid the spectre farewell before noticing that they're not alone - again being way more polite than usual.]
Following the Will-o-Wisps
[Interacting with the ghosts at Loch Manor has been going better than expected. So far Hijikata tried to talk to two in particular: the poltergeist who scared the hell out of him and made him hide behind Emet-Selch, and the young murder victim he first encountered by Thanatos' side. He also looked for the ghost lady he encountered with Klaudia, but didn't find her again today. At least he can really understand what they say now. But...
It's a bummer to talk to people who found a violent end and be unable to bring their killer to justice. It really pisses him off. He's a policeman! He wants to put the murderer behind bars, if not see him executed, but it all happened so long ago, there's nothing he can do anymore. Yet the spirits find no peace, and they're so detached from the world of the living that he's at a loss of how to proceed here. So he ends up mulling over it over a few mugs of mead, to change things up from the beer, and it ends up hitting him harder than expected. When he leaves the pub he's properly smashed and ends up taking the wrong "shortcut" home. Before he knows it he's wandered into the outskirts of the Brocéliande. He sort of realises that he's lost... however isn't that a soft glowing lantern light between the trees, just a little ahead? He follows it and waves clumsily.]
Heyyy~! Are you going home too? Let's go together!
[Alas, it's only a will-o-wisp... luckily for him they are amiable faeries, but he's not really cutting a cool figure, stumbling through the woods with all the grace of a newborn cow.]
[OOC: If you'd like any additional prompts please feel free to hit me up on my plotting post! Also here are Hijikata's permissions.]
WHAT: Training, Questing, Attempting to Prevent Dark Web Quests, Hanging out with the Ghosts at Loch Manor, Getting Lost in the Brocéliande at Night
WHEN: Throughout May
WHERE: Red Springs' Training Grounds, City of Camelot (Castle and Loch Manor), Brocéliande, Lakeside close to the Silent Shore
WARNINGS: Probably Violence for the Quest Threads
Time Top Training
[When the Elphame traders came to Camelot City last month Hijikata purchased a nifty little item: a time top. This morning he hitched a totem teleport trip with someone else headed to the Red Springs, and now he's getting the hang of spinning the top, aiming to make it rotate for as long as possible. The only problem is that it's hard to gauge how much time he has to deal damage when there are no actual moving targets... and that's why he's glad to see a fellow off-worlder nearby. Time to rope this unsuspecting person into his efforts.]
Hey, would you mind helping me out with something? It shouldn't take too long.
No Buccaing Out (Quest)
[When Hijikata reads the QuestBoard post about the man-eating nudibranchs he's aghast. Having one's skin eaten off one's body while paralysed is something straight out of a horror movie, and he doesn't want that to happen to anyone. So he loses no time in renting a wetsuit (complete with swim fins) and buying a big net, a helmet, and a strong underwater lamp. One trip to a local metalworker later the lamp is affixed to the front of the helmet, leaving both his hands free to fight the colourful skin-eaters. Come dusk he's by the lakeside, tugging the wetsuit into place here and there before inspecting the potion he was given by the eel naga community.]
One hour, hm. Well, it'll do.
[Of course the mission will be more easily accomplished with help - even someone who can't swim and wants to stay on land would be more than welcome since Hijikata has several ideas of how to deal with the deadly molluscs.]
A Polite Pyro (Quest Prevention)
[Honestly, what is wrong with the people posting quests on the dark web?! Hijikata really hopes to get his hand on the pyromaniac who posted this instigation so he can throttle the living daylights out of them. Alas, he has absolutely no idea where any takers may strike, so it's only when he sees the smoke rise into the sky that he grits his teeth and rushes to the site of the fire. He better not catch any suspicious figures nearby, or else there'll be hell to pay! But even if the only other off-worlder in the vicinity is visibly distressed at the sight of the flames, or else likewise rushing in to help, he'll bark at them.]
Hey, you!! Go find me a water hose-- or a water mage!
[Never mind that he could be a water mage if he had ever tried to gain control of more than one element... details!]
Incubabes (Quest Prevention)
[Seriously, why are there so many scummy characters on this island?! Blatantly admitting that the sole reason for putting a bounty on several people's heads is an impending inheritance..! Whoever that shrewd woman is, Hijikata intends to cross her plans. He not only warned the castle's head chef of the assassination plot but also took it upon himself to guard her (she insisted that she'd be safest in the castle, and seemed overall reluctant to be pulled away from work despite the situation).
Usually off-worlders don't just get to waltz into every corner of the castle at their leisure, so Hijikata had to field some questions and was initially accompanied by a guard to deliver his warning, but ultimately he was allowed to stay and protect the head chef. He's currently stationed outside the kitchen (she gently threw him out after he got in the way one time too many), and once he sees someone who doesn't appear to be part of the castle staff he narrows his eyes, hand on the hilt of the sword at his belt.]
And what would you be doing here?
Revisiting Loch Manor
[Now that Hijikata is back in full possession of his fire- and death magic, thanks to those who went through the trouble of aiding his familiar's intervention last month, he needs to make good on some promises. He only returns to the spooky Loch Manor with hesitation, but he can't let his death magic mentors down... or the ghosts. One more deep breath, and he enters the old house. Anyone who wanders in later on will find him in one of the rooms on the upper floor, quietly sitting with the ghost of a young man and writing down information in a small notebook.]
Okay, I'll see what I can find out. Thanks for the description. I'm sorry, but I can't promise you that any of them is still around.
[His voice is surprisingly friendly. If the newcomer joins him and the ghost he won't mind, but otherwise he'll bid the spectre farewell before noticing that they're not alone - again being way more polite than usual.]
Following the Will-o-Wisps
[Interacting with the ghosts at Loch Manor has been going better than expected. So far Hijikata tried to talk to two in particular: the poltergeist who scared the hell out of him and made him hide behind Emet-Selch, and the young murder victim he first encountered by Thanatos' side. He also looked for the ghost lady he encountered with Klaudia, but didn't find her again today. At least he can really understand what they say now. But...
It's a bummer to talk to people who found a violent end and be unable to bring their killer to justice. It really pisses him off. He's a policeman! He wants to put the murderer behind bars, if not see him executed, but it all happened so long ago, there's nothing he can do anymore. Yet the spirits find no peace, and they're so detached from the world of the living that he's at a loss of how to proceed here. So he ends up mulling over it over a few mugs of mead, to change things up from the beer, and it ends up hitting him harder than expected. When he leaves the pub he's properly smashed and ends up taking the wrong "shortcut" home. Before he knows it he's wandered into the outskirts of the Brocéliande. He sort of realises that he's lost... however isn't that a soft glowing lantern light between the trees, just a little ahead? He follows it and waves clumsily.]
Heyyy~! Are you going home too? Let's go together!
[Alas, it's only a will-o-wisp... luckily for him they are amiable faeries, but he's not really cutting a cool figure, stumbling through the woods with all the grace of a newborn cow.]
[OOC: If you'd like any additional prompts please feel free to hit me up on my plotting post! Also here are Hijikata's permissions.]
no subject
I wish it were a monster! Some asshole put out a quest and is paying people to set shit on fire.
[Someone picks up his call, and he quickly reports the fire and provides the location before hanging up with an exasperated groan.]
They say the fire brigade is still busy elsewhere because of that. If I get my hands on the bastard...
no subject
That explains a lot. [ Maybe people are the real monsters. ] Too bad that fighting fire with fire won't work in this case.
[ It's not a good moment for jokes, but oh well. ]
Did you see anyone suspicious?
no subject
I doubt the bastard would be brazen enough to just stand in the crowd... but the quest description did say that they want to watch, so they've got to be somewhere nearby. Let's leave the fire to the professionals and try to find that pyromaniac.
[He'd love to also get his hands on whoever actually set the fire and cashed in the money for it, but that person is probably already long gone, at least if they know what's good for them.]
no subject
[ Some people want to watch the world burn and this person most certainly took it quite literally. ]
If we send them an address, there's a chance they might come over and check.
[ Alternatively, they'll realize something is off and this plan will be a flop. ]
no subject
[He starts walking around, scanning the surroundings for any vantage points that would offer a good view of the fire. There are some people looking out of their houses' windows, but by and large they appear more fretful than positively excited, so the quest-giver is probably not among them. Suddenly Hijikata pauses, then walks a few more steps before turning back around to Akira (assuming he followed him).]
Don't stare too obviously, but do you see the person on the roof over there?
[If Akira spots the suspect individual, they're indeed sitting on a roof, clad in grey and hard to make out against the tiles, and suspiciously bundled up in a hood and scarf.]
Who the hell just hangs out on a roof like that? That outfit doesn't look like a chimney sweeper uniform, so I think that's cause for some questioning.
no subject
We just have to get up there. How do you feel about heights?
[ Using wind magic to help both of them up there sounds like an easy mode. Akira turning into the biggest bird he can think of so he'd fly all the way up while holding Hijikata with his talons? Much better (and dumber). ]
no subject
[Hijikata apparently plans to approach the matter the old-fashioned way, given that he's already heading towards a side street several houses further down the street from the one with the roof-sitter, hoping to avoid attracting their attention by not steering right towards them. Whirling up there in a gust of wind would be pretty spectacular, and the big bird show should absolutely make the suspected pyromaniac shit bricks, but Hijikata is operating under the assumption that chances are the person simply used a fire ladder or somesuch to get up there, so he plans to follow suit.]
You too, I hope? What's your name, anyway?
no subject
[ All the whack ideas he had for a flashy entrance have to go—traditional approach might be better in this case, even if they're not dealing with someone who cares about conventions for sure. ]
Akira. You?
[ He's climbing the fire ladder just behind Hijikata, thinking out loud. Here's hoping that the potential culprit won't hear. ]
How are we going to approach him? He might jump.
no subject
[Once on the roof he crouches behind the ridge, which provides them some flimsy cover since they climbed up on the other side of the suspect. He lowers his voice as he speaks again.]
Call me heartless, but if the bastard jumps that's pretty much a confession, so I'll simply scrape him up and send him to prison once he gets out of the hospital. And if he bites the dust I'll still chase him down. I've got death magic.
[Is he a frightening cop or what...]
Do you want to try anything specific? Otherwise I'll go grab him.
no subject
[ This man should never learn about the Phantom Thief stuff, honestly. Akira's just behind him, trying to process what he's just heard. ]
Go for it, I'll back you up.
[ Can he even back Hijikata up, though...that is the question. ]
no subject
Okay, I'm going in.
[He walks right up to the hooded fire spectator and taps him on the shoulder. The guy jolts a little, first in surprise and then once more in fear as he turns around to be met with the most demented face.]
Enjoying the view, Sir?
A-ah-- yes-- I mean, no!! Its terrible, isn't is?
[If Akira wants to ask any questions he ought to do so now before Hijikata starts interrogating the crap out of the suspect - or he can just sit back and watch, that's also fine. Hey, at least nobody jumped off the roof (so far)!]
no subject
You're rather fired up about it, you know.
[ He deserves punishment for that. ]
No, not at all! I—I was going to get help, actually!
[ That makes Akira raise his brows. Help? Here? ]
no subject
You insult us, you know. Can you at least try to come up with a better lie?! All you're missing in this cosy little viewpoint is a picnic basket!
[Between the scary cop and the unimpressed teenager the guy seems to shrink.]
Look here, I meant no harm! I didn't start the fire!
Yeah, we know. You hired random goons to take care of that. You can tell the full story to the guards.
You can't arrest me! You've got no right to do that!
[Hijikata doesn't respond but rather drags him to the edge of the roof.]
W-wait now, what's this supposed to--
[He gives him a push that makes him scream as he falls forward, then snatches him by the back of his hooded robe and firmly pulls him back onto solid ground.]
I may not be able to arrest you, but we can play this game for a few hours, if you'd like. Unless there's something you'd like to tell us?!
[The guy is shaken up badly enough that his legs give out and he slumps on the tiles.]
Okay, okay!! It was me! But... I have my reasons!
[He sniffles, then continues in a fond, nostalgic voice.]
I used to be a viking in my younger years, you see? We'd go out to sea, and wherever to landed we'd plunder and pillage! I'm too old now to still do any seafaring, but at least I wanted to relive the excitement of the uncontrolled fires here in Camelot once again!
Is this supposed to be a touching backstory?!
no subject
The backstory sounds a little too far-fetched for Akira's liking, but he tries to at least get straight to the point so Hijikata won't have to dangle the prep on the edge of the roof all day long. ]
How about you take down this request? Right away would be best...in your situation.
[ He peeks at Hijikata, but doesn't dare to ask to go easy on the guy. ]
no subject
You heard him. Well?
[The pyromaniac loses no time taking his phone out.]
Th-there!! It's gone!
[Hijikata checks QuestBoard on his own phone, apparently to his satisfaction, then pulls the guy to his feet. By now Camelot's firefighters have arrived on the scene, and the flames are giving way to thick dark smoke clouds as they do their work.]
Show's over. If you're lucky deleting the goddamn quest will reduce your sentence, but I wouldn't bank on it.
[He drags him along to the fire ladder.]
Wait, you're taking me to the station? Please don't! I won't post the quest again, I promise!
Oh? Well, too bad that I'm not an authority here, right? I've got to leave the decision to the local law enforcement.
no subject
You're lucky he's not.
[ As far as he's concerned, this guy would meet something much worse than fine or jail if Hijikata was in charge. As soon as they're back on the ground, Akira turns to him and says: ]
You're a one man army, aren't you?
[ It looks like the suspect is eager to agree with Akira and starts nodding, most likely hoping to please Hijikata. ]
Camelot will be a much safer place thanks to you!
no subject
[He's keeping a heavy hand on the guy's shoulder as they walk towards the nearest police station, though it's unlikely that he'd try to bolt after the experience just now. As for Akira's remark...]
This wasn't even a battle. Wait until you see me in actual action before you say that.
[Isn't he an absolute hardass? (Good for him that Akira wasn't there when he walked right into various traps and deceptions across the island and cowered behind others at Loch Manor...)]