[Avalon is an island, but it seems to have more nooks and crannies (not to mentions glamours and hidden areas) than one might think! Hijikata understands what Darin means, though. As far as he's concerned Darin is simply goddamn brave to stay put and not only face the consequences of his actions but immediately try to make up for them. Hijikata himself took years to even just look back at what he left behind. He blows over the tea, knowing it'll need a while to cool down, and briefly allows himself to reflect on his own unhappy memories. He was able to move on, eventually, but not on his own.]

Caster's broadcast left no doubt of who the true culprit was. She used you and your strength. Now everyone's busy rebuilding. Countless healers have been treating the wounded, too. Camelot's a tough city full of tough people.

[He pauses to blow over his tea again. Darin understandably won't want to enter the city right now, and Hijikata isn't about to push him or create some kind of big stressful spectacle like a Darin Altway Approval Campaign, but hell, he still wants to do something to instill some confidence in him.]

No one came with torches and pitchforks so far, right? I don't think they will. Some people may be unable to forgive either one of you, but the majority knows that you didn't want this to happen.

[The fear and resentment coming from those people who won't be able to forgive Darin will be the true punishment for him. When Hijikata was called a demon for the first time it made him feel horrible. It was only much further down the line that he was able to accept the moniker and make it into something he could own. There's no telling if that time will ever come for Darin - maybe there's a way to channel the destructive power of that night into something he can control? Hijikata doesn't know, and he doesn't want to speculate about that now. He just doesn't want Darin to be harder on himself than the situation itself already is.]