Cross Effects 3.0 - November 16, 2014—April 13, 2015

[Cherry Lover]

“Yaaaaa… No. I want to ask that girly something anyway. Something she said peaked my interest ya see. Besides, no reason to hurt her, we not fighting after all. On top of that can’t get a fight if my buddy here isn’t fixed”, replied the woman, before knocking Vanguard to the floor with a heavy slap.

Damn, thought Rider as her plan was blown apart by the woman's refusal.

Can I really trust her? I know she says she won't hurt Sakura, but what happens when Sakura refuses the request, and tells us to carry on looking for Shirou?

Meanwhile, Vanguard spoke up.

"Rider, don't be foolish, you know I am much slower than you are. Certainly you can reach Sakura without any problems alone and bring her here with haste. I would only slow you down, and besides...", he said.

"...I rather keep Empress company, surely you wouldn't mind."

Rider was unsure what to do. Vanguard seemed to be very pleased with his situation, and definitely wanted to continue the fight, but that went directly against Sakura's wishes.

Sakura, she said over their mental link, this damned woman will not let me take Vanguard to you alone, she wishes to come with us. And, he seems somewhat fond of her, and wants to stay and continue their fight.

Then, whilst waiting for Sakura's response, she addressed the woman.

"You say you do not wish to harm our master, but what will you do if she cannot heal Vanguard? Or if she asks us not to fight any further?" she said.

This woman seems generally honourable, I don't think she will lie about her intentions, especially since it would upset her favourite punching bag..., she thought.

Meanwhile, she noticed a man approaching them, singing a weird song for some reason.

"Erm, hello?" she said, confused.

[SINIB]

Sakura

”Rider just figure something out, I don’t have time for this! Keep her away, she’s trying to stop me!” Sakura snapped over their mental link. ”I need to protect him! Save him!”

Sakura grabbed a tall man in a coat and looked at him with wide eyes filled with desperation and terror. “Have you seen a young man with short orange hair, bangs not too long, just enough to cover his forehead, golden brown eyes, almost like the colour of whiskey, but not quite? He’s probably wearing dark navy blue jeans and a white shirt with blue sleeves the same color as his pants! It’s ver--”

The man roughly shook her off and hurried away, muttering something under his breath about being tired of all these motherfucking crazy people in the goddamn city. Sakura glared at him for a few seconds, but was distracted by Faust sending her his own telepathic message.

”Sakura, what’s wrong? I’m on my way, I still haven’t located Shirou yet.” 

Upon hearing his response, Sakura scrunched her face in a collage of different emotions, swirling with a mixture of annoyance, fear, anger, and concern. ”Rider and Vanguard are fighting a strange woman who is trying to keep me and Shirou from finding each other! That’s what is wrong! It’s very important you get here as soon as you can! Who knows what else fate is going to try and stop me with!”

[Knick]

Suiren

Suiren looked at the thing in front of her like she was retarded, “Would you hurt a medic if they couldn’t fix you? Why would you even ask something like that? Are you stupid?." Suiren stated before sighing and continuing. "It doesn't matter, need to ask her something kind of important. Really need to know about that saint she mentioned and where-”

Then she got cut off and her attention moved to the man that was walking towards them chanting a weird song, “Oh for the love of… WHAT NOW?!” She exclaimed.

First that guy in the suit and fancy badge would not give her his sandwich, and then the obviously strong purple thing apparently has the combat sense of a hamster, and THEN that purple thing spends time talking when she could be getting the girl to fix her opponent.

And now there was a crazy person.

Nothing could go her damn way today, could it? All she wanted was a simple fight, to relieve some tension against a damn human shaped opponent.

She never thought he would miss her duties.

She had completely forgotten her opponent had asked her a question.

Fight on Vanguard, fight on.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider sighed at hearing Sakura's response.

This sudden urgency about finding and "protecting" Shirou is getting rather worrying. I hope there's one out there for us to protect, or she might go nuts looking..., she thought.

Sakura's response had left her in a very tight spot. It was clear that the woman was not going to take "no" for an answer, but it was equally clear that Sakura did not wish to talk to her.

Rider was pondering how best to communicate this when the woman started to speak, insulting her once again. Rider tuned most of it out, although it was clear that the woman was rather upset by the insinuation that she might harm Sakura, which suggested she was indeed telling the truth. However, she did pick up on one thing.

"Really need to know about that saint she mentioned and where-”

Wait, she knows that asshole?

Rider's curiousity was piqued. The guy had been the apparent cause of Sakura's sudden determination to find Shirou. If this woman could help them understand and deal with him better, perhaps Sakura would calm down somewhat.

Sakura, the woman claims she wishes to talk to you about that "saint" who attacked me, she seems to know of him somehow. Do you wish for me to ask more, or to bring her to you, or should I just ignore it? she said over their mental link.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura, the woman claims she wishes to talk to you about that "saint" who attacked me, she seems to know of him somehow. Do you wish for me to ask more, or to bring her to you, or should I just ignore it? she said over their mental link.

Sakura was annoyed. She’d just told Rider to figure it out on her own because she was busy looking for Shirou, but now at the slightest issue Rider asked her for more advice less than a minute later. “Damnit!” Sakura yelled out loud. “Why can’t she understand how important what I’m doing is!” She said, punching a nearby wall. Sakura remained oblivious to the fact that the the people walking down the streets were giving her a wide berth as they hurried past her with averted eyes. “Why WHY why WHY! Why does nothing ever go right for me. She whispered to herself, looking at the ground.

[Ivan The Mouse]

"And I'm done trying to get through to you, so I'm just going to sober you up a bit and see how well you fight," Michael says, making his way out of the Manor as well, "That sound fair? I don't care either way, it's been far too long, and you look like someone who really needs to be taken down a peg or two. Fair warning, whatever you're about to go through is what you would have gone through even if you were sober from the get go, so don't bother blaming your ineptitude on drugs."

Neo has been pummeled by the pirate, but it didn't faze him. He was still smiling defiantly, as if it was nothing for him. But now, he's being challenged to a fight by the other man who was wanting such ever since he landed on the city itself. Yukina went out of the manor to see what was happening out there in the front lawn, as it seemed that Neo's attitude has taken a toll on him.

"Please stranger, stop this!" Yukina cried out. "Please do not hurt him!"

Neo then said to her, "Shut up, bitch! He wants a fight, let's give him a fight!"

"But Neo-san, you do not have to do this!" Yukina told him.

"Well, go fuckin' tell this knucklehead here all that. But he ain't listening. Too fuckin' cocky." Neo replied.

Neo then stood up from the ground and dusted himself off as he was readying himself for a fight. If anything else, he thought to himself, he can't blame the drugs anymore. What happened back there was enough to make him sober and, if anything else, he wants to just be left alone with his work on the cure-all.

The blonde went silent for a while, before saying, "You first."

[Panda]

Michael simply stares at the kid for a moment, incredulous, then laughs.

"...If you have a weapon or something you'd like to pull on me, now would be the time," Michael says, "It won't be fun, or even fulfilling, otherwise, unless you've got some ridiculous training in unarmed combat. And if you're about to tell me that your combat experience trumps mine, I say think again, kid. So go ahead, guns, knives, whatever. You get the first move. It'll all end up the same. Besides, the whole point of this beatdown is to knock you down a few pegs. I can hardly get my point across if I get the first move."

[Ivan The Mouse]

Michael simply stares at the kid for a moment, incredulous, then laughs.

"...If you have a weapon or something you'd like to pull on me, now would be the time," Michael says, "It won't be fun, or even fulfilling, otherwise, unless you've got some ridiculous training in unarmed combat. And if you're about to tell me that your combat experience trumps mine, I say think again, kid. So go ahead, guns, knives, whatever. You get the first move. It'll all end up the same. Besides, the whole point of this beatdown is to knock you down a few pegs. I can hardly get my point across if you get the first move."

"What's the matter?" Neo smugly replied, in his native British accent. "Can't deal with surprises? Here, I thought, that someone who is so much over-confident with his fighting abilities and is quick to dismiss people who don't take his challenges as cowards would really be well-adjusted with the unforeseen factors in combat, such as the element of surprise."

He then chuckled and said, "You really are a hopeless idiot."

[Kat]

Mordred

I really hope THIS time there won't be any brainwashed coppers here... she thought, tempting fate a bit. Thinking of excuse why she is visiting the police station in search of Saber was a serious issue.

"I'm her older relative" she stated plainly to the officer sitting behind reception desk. The officer raised eyebrows at her "It's been a while since I saw her, so I'm planning a family reunion, officer."

"You know what kind of city it is? Even if you look like her relative, chances are you aren't, and it's just your flimsy excuse to convince me to call her here. I'm not interested why, just don't bother us if you did not come here to report a crime or something, our hands are already full" the officer dismissed Mordred, sipping coffee from his mug.

"Fine, then I'm going just to sit here and wait for her" she said, lightning a cigarette.

"Hey, smoking is banned here, kid. Can't you read the sign here?"

"I'm afraid I forgot my glasses, old man" the girl ignored the middle aged officer's order, demonstratively puffing a cloud of smoke.

It seemed that she just baited the guy to attract attention of others in the building. Maybe one of them would be more inclined to talk where Saber is. Maybe.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Abigail

Abby was smiling as they were riding through the air.  She heard Law's cursing and shouted, "Just hold on!  I'll catch you if you fall, but I don't wanna test that!"
She lowered towards the ground, put kept up the velocity.  She wove in and out of streets and between buildings, heading towards the compound she had heard so much about.  Enough that she memorized its location in case she ever had to go see Lady Law herself.

Through some miracle, Law stayed on the broom despite Abby's almost crazy piloting. It was a relief to see the compound appear in his sight. He risked a bit  his hand off of Abby just long enough to point out the building. "There! And- FUCK" He slipped down the broomstick a bit before getting his hand back around her waist.

Forest

Forest shrugged and said in Japanese, "Its sort of annoying.  I would have been happier if I could just make a person feel tipsy or mellowed out.  Besides, Feeding, when not in battle from an enemy, should be a sacred thing.  Someone is sharing their life with me.  I shouldn't abuse that."

She looked away and fidgeted with a shrug.

"..." Adjutor looks from Forest to Archer and back, then back to Archer, "So...There are more pancakes, right?"

Then a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention, turning, he finds a familiar mana signature, covered in equally familiar designs.

"Welcome back, Robo-Golem," Adjutor says with a wave to the golem, who, unbeknownst to him, is still invisible, "Sorry I couldn't stick around for a spar. Did you get bored?"

"A good attitude to have." Archer commented back to Forest in Japanese. "Especially with a bite like that."
The newcomer elicited little more than a shrug from Archer with his question about pancakes. It wasn't like he wouldn't make more if needed after all. Then he spoke to something only he could see. Archer tensed up, but he couldn't sense a presence anywhere nearby. Odd.

[Panda]

Officer McGruffkins takes a moment to consider the newcomer's excuse, frowning as he did so. Not for the last time, he finds himself wondering why he got stuck with reception duty today of all days. First some kid who looks like a Saber-wannabe, now an honest-to-goodness Saber clone, albeit somewhat taller than the actual Saber, what next?

"If you can't see the sign," the officer says, "Then you really shouldn't have been able to find this place, if your vision was that bad. Regardless, I'm not calling Saber just because you came in here and wanted to see her. You're not her superior officer, you're not an officer seeking her assistance, and you're not even a consultant. Just some random person who claims to be related. Hell, for all I know, you could be some deranged stalker or something."

[Elf]

Abigail

"There! And- FUCK!"

Law's hand went out, pointing to the factory-like building.  Abigail had never met Law Unto Herself; she'd heard stories and her father's wife met her a small handful of times due to her friendly rivalry with Lady Umbra.  However, after hearing that the (in)famous vampire was in Nexus and working with the police as well, Abigail had found out where the vigilante vampire rested her head.

Apparently there was a lot of guest quarters in this place in case Lady Law found someone in need.  Just like she found Law, the vampire thought as Law's hand fumbled back around her waist.

She guided them to earth and when her feet hit terra-firma again, she grinned at Law and said, "You can de-attach now.  Look, we survived!  Ground again!"   She tapped her booted foot on the ground to make her point.


Forest

Forest shrugged and continued in Japanese, "Thanks."

She watched as Archer looked for the other presence and said, "That would be Miss 40K.  She's some cyborg or something and has Kitty Pryde abilities.  She thought I was going to slaughter her or something even though she could probably curb stomp me."

[Panda]

Adjutor looks around awkwardly for a moment, then decides that sitting down might be a good idea.

"Mind if I-" then another flash of movement, partially obscured by the runes covering the walls, catches his eye.

"Oh boy, this place really attracts all kinds, doesn't it?" Adjutor muses mostly to himself, "No matter, it's..."

One nonhuman, somewhat similar to that other non-human we saw back at the station, and...one hard-on-his-luck guy with the twisted-ass guardian angel.

...So that's who that broomstick belonged to.

"In any case," Adjutor says, "Two more potential contractees for Archer just showed up. One of them is a fae, and the other one looks human, but has a twisted-ass guardian angel of some kind, though guardian angel isn't quite the right word, if I may be honest."

And then Forest's statement about Robo-Golem registers.

"You know, you really shouldn't discount the resources you have available to you in a fight," he says, leaving it at that as he wonders what these two will be like.

At the very least, we definitely won't have to worry about being alone.

Which might go a long way to straightening you out, or at least getting you to lighten up a bit.

[Kat]

Officer McGruffkins takes a moment to consider the newcomer's excuse, frowning as he did so. Not for the last time, he finds himself wondering why he got stuck with reception duty today of all days. First some kid who looks like a Saber-wannabe, now an honest-to-goodness Saber clone, albeit somewhat taller than the actual Saber, what next?

"If you can't see the sign," the officer says, "Then you really shouldn't have been able to find this place, if your vision was that bad. Regardless, I'm not calling Saber just because you came in here and wanted to see her. You're not her superior officer, you're not an officer seeking her assistance, and you're not even a consultant. Just some random person who claims to be related. Hell, for all I know, you could be some deranged stalker or something."

"If I were a stalker, I would find her own house and search through her stuff, genius." she retorted, still not putting away her damn cigarette "I'm not going to endure forever being mistaken for that person. I will simply wait here until she gets back even if it means camping here."

[Panda]

Michael stares at the blonde, incredulous.

"Kid, what I said was simple. Take the first shot or it'll be over too quickly. I don't doubt that I'll see things in this city that I've never seen before, but nothing you can do will make that list."