[avalon] IC Inbox

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(A place for private network messages or overflow threads from Isle of Avalon!)
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At the hospital they said it'd take at least a month of really intense healing sessions, and at the time that seemed like more than I could afford.
[Schedule-wise moreso than financially. Still, he knows that this is a weak argument - even more sporadic healing sessions would have been better than nothing! He gratefully takes the cup from Emet-Selch and drinks.]
Thank you.
[Both for making the brew for him, and for worrying about him. In hindsight he increasingly realises how selfish he was in his stubbornness - if he had been ambushed and burned to a crisp by the daylight he'd have left the Yuureisengumi abandoned, and Emet-Selch and a number of other people would have lost a mentor, comrade or friend.]
I don't plan to let anything like that happen again - I got myself a potion-nullifier -, but on the off chance that it does I'll contact you first thing.
[The "potion-nullifier" is a magical bracelet, a present from an old lady as a thank-you gift for saving her in a quest - and it only nullifies one potion, then it becomes non-magical. So Hijikata is far from damage-proofed for the long-term future.]
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[ He scowls at Hijikata. Honestly! He's grudgingly grown to like the man, but sometimes he feels like he needs to hold their hand. Mortals really are just children playing at being adults. ]
Where did you get such a thing in the first place? Most enchanted items can only warn you of poisons; they do not render them harmless.
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I...
I forgot.
[This can't be happening. It's like a nightmare where he's disappointing his senpai worse and worse with every passing moment!! Given the deep shade in the shop that allowed him to partly lift up his face shield and drink he also pulls back his double-layered sleeves to take off the clearly handmade bracelet he was wearing on his wrist.]
This is it-- this was it. A local woman gave it to me - local to Camelot or Elphame or neither, I don't know. I met her in the mountains.
...
Sorry.
[For his moronic behaviour - now and over the last months -, and for wasting the healing potion. Talk about eating humble pie!!]
I want you to know I laughed way too hard, rest in pieces Hijikata
He closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose, and takes a deep breath before he can say something he'll regret. Then turns around and starts making a second dose. ]
Are you absolutely sure it does not discriminate between restoratives and poisons? ...Well, granted, testing it on a common poison now would still be a waste...
[ He sighs heavily, glancing back at Hijikata. ]
Don't look so glum. What's done is done.
I hadn't planned this, but when Emet pointed that out I went "Oh crud"... 😂
I'll tell my squire to keep this in mind when I give him the other one.
[If he can at least forewarn Shoto now it won't be a total loss! He makes a mental note to get Emet-Selch something nice too the next time he visits the traders from Elphame.]
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Emet-Selch nods, satisfied that the man has learnt his lesson for the time being. He swiftly prepares a second dose and hands it to Hijikata. ]
You have a squire, you say. You are making quite the effort to fit in.
[ It isn't a criticism. Merely an observation. ]
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It's not about fitting it. I didn't look for a squire on purpose. That boy, he...
[He pauses, trying to find the right words.]
He dedicated himself to me.
[Shoto's admiration for him is baffling to him even now. He can fully count on him to hold his own and have his back on any kind of quest, and on top of that he also is kind and good-natured! Hijikata really doesn't know how he lucked out like that.]
It's been... rewarding. Hey, maybe you should consider taking a squire too.
[Emet-Selch's proficiency and sharp mind would make him a valuable teacher - for a competent student only, though, because one who's disagreeable or slow on the uptake would certainly exasperate the man.]
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I don't believe that would be a good idea.
[ In better times, in...idyllic times, perhaps he would have handed the figurative reins to another and returned to the star with his friends. But then the world had changed, and man with it. Since then, he has set far from a good example for others to follow. ]
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Well, you've got your hands full enough with the shop, I reckon. Each of us can only do so much!
[He waits for the bill for his assorted potions, then pays. With the helmet's face shield now fully closed again his voice sound a little muffled, but his bow, potion bag neatly held in both hands, expresses his gratitude.]
Thank you for your help, really. The next time you'll see me it won't be in this get-up.
[If only so he doesn't get scolded again!]
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I hope not. Unless you enjoy looking like a literal knight out of a faerie tale. Bring your squire by sometime; I would like to meet them.
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[Or maybe he'll send Shoto over to deliver materials the next time
due to logistics. He's confident that Emet-Selch will be pleased to meet him, given what a faultless boy he is!]