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

[Kat]

"I'll take you out for a meal, if you don't mind. Your friend's invited too" Said Mordred.

You know when you get really aggravated when people keep talking when they should just shut up? No? Well Crest does.

So he responded for Caedia, he was done with this entire situation. She doesn't talk much anyway. Except for the speech, he really didn’t want to think about that.

“No, we have something to do. Sorry.” He wasn’t sorry. He really didn’t want to deal with this person. He didn’t want to deal with either of these people. And then the Armor started talking again, and Crest was half sure a blood vessel in his brain popped. But he held on, holding off until he started fucking going on, and on, and on…

Ok that’s it, “SHUT THE FUCK UP. For the love of everything sacred talk like a fucking person and handle your personal business after other people leave. ”

He looked directly at Caedia, the silent pleading obvious in his eyes.

“Please, let’s just go. I can’t take this anymore.” Well, now his pleading was actually obvious.

Mordred

"Okay, if you say so. I'm not gonna nag you if you refuse, have a good day." she said, being considerate. That armor's ramblings would make even a saint furious, and the man didn't seem to be too social. But still, she owed the two: "I guess we part here, but if you are ever in a pinch, I swear that I'll help you out."

[theunknownhero]

Shirou (HF)

I tell her how I feel about the situation but it appears her mind is made up. She tells me it's because she loves she has to look out for me. While, I appreciate the sentiment the other me in question doesn't seem to have the same feelings for Sakura that I do. hence her working so hard to keep him in one place is sure to only hold him back and annoy him. I pause and think about how I can let Sakura look at things from the other me's perspective when suddenly out of the sky comes a familiar face.

"Toh...Toh... Tohsaka!? What are you doing here?!"

I stop and think for a second after just having seen another Emiya Shirou that this might not be the same Tohsaka.

"Umm... this might sound odd but are you the same Tohsaka we knew from before?"

[Knick]

Suiren

Suiren let out a massive yawn as she leaned back against the wall. Her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed. Then she heard the cell open and a man was directed in.

She cracked open an eye to look at the new arrival, and then she immediately opened her other eye and stared at him.

“…” She just stared at him, even as he greeted her.

“Ok, what’s your deal?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

He had received no answer from the woman. In a way Vanguard expected it. He had been... cruel to her, so she had no reason to hear her word. Still, listening to her he pondered. She was kind, courageous and had heart. He once too, could have proudly stated to have such things. But now, after pondering on what happened since that fight with Surien once more, pondering on his actions towards Mordred and his own words... he wasn't so sure.

He had always stood against injustice, against cruelty and against the unfairness of the world. But seeing . It was as if he wasn't the same person. It is true, he had failed due to his weakness. But his ideals were just, they were true. So why, why did he reject them so? Why did he feel such fury towards her? Was it due to envy, or due to his past shame? No, he was not furious. Had he been, he would have-

"No..."

But why? What was wrong of his logic, what did he not see? No matter how just, no matter how fair, one cannot uphold such things without strength. And yet, despite their gap in power, Mordred stood proud, facing odds that were impossible to her. She faced him as an equal, and probably would have to the bitter end. When confronted with such courage, was it truly just to shame it?

After such a display, could he call himself strong?

He had denied it, because he valued his pride. All do, no matter how much they would deny it. And yet, Vanguard was now doubting that pride of his. Was it pride, or arrogance?

He had made it his quest, his purpose, to save his comrades, to prevent such a tragedy from unfolding. Yet that woman, she talked of it as if it was but a natural occurrence, like rainfall. That was disgusting, that horror... that hell... it should never have been. It should not be. It would not.

But pondering about it, Vanguard realized that he may have pondered thousands of years in that mountain, but not once had he thought. Yes, after such a display, was he any different from the gods that had shamed and belittled him?

And so, for the first time since an eternity, Vanguard thought.

Maybe, just maybe, he was not as right as he believed.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lorenzo Remei.

Surprised by her sudden reaction, Lorenzo shook his head. Was he not restrained, he would scratch his head in confusion. It's not like he liked to be stared at like that anyway.

"D-deal!? What do you mean? I just got here! Isn't it normal to greet a pretty lass when you see one?"

[Kat]

Vanguard

He had received no answer from the woman. In a way Vanguard expected it. He had been... cruel to her, so she had no reason to hear her word. Still, listening to her he pondered. She was kind, courageous and had heart. He once too, could have proudly stated to have such things. But now, after pondering on what happened since that fight with Surien once more, pondering on his actions towards Mordred and his own words... he wasn't so sure.

He had always stood against injustice, against cruelty and against the unfairness of the world. But seeing . It was as if he wasn't the same person. It is true, he had failed due to his weakness. But his ideals were just, they were true. So why, why did he reject them so? Why did he feel such fury towards her? Was it due to envy, or due to his past shame? No, he was not furious. Had he been, he would have-

"No..."

But why? What was wrong of his logic, what did he not see? No matter how just, no matter how fair, one cannot uphold such things without strength. And yet, despite their gap in power, Mordred stood proud, facing odds that were impossible to her. She faced him as an equal, and probably would have to the bitter end. When confronted with such courage, was it truly just to shame it?

After such a display, could he call himself strong?

He had denied it, because he valued his pride. All do, no matter how much they would deny it. And yet, Vanguard was now doubting that pride of his. Was it pride, or arrogance?

He had made it his quest, his purpose, to save his comrades, to prevent such a tragedy from unfolding. Yet that woman, she talked of it as if it was but a natural occurrence, like rainfall. That was disgusting, that horror... that hell... it should never have been. It should not be. It would not.

But pondering about it, Vanguard realized that he may have pondered thousands of years in that mountain, but not once had he thought. Yes, after such a display, was he any different from the gods that had shamed and belittled him?

And so, for the first time since an eternity, Vanguard thought.

Maybe, just maybe, he was not as right as he believed.

Mordred

The two strangers left, leaving Mordred and Vanguard. It's not that she did not listen to Vanguard's apology, it's just that she didn't feel like to answer in presence of those two that had enough of his speeches. As they were gone, she gave her stern reply:

"Mere apology won't do. Deeds are more important than words. Only if you atone for your actions, then I'll accept it. I don't care about any compensation, but helping out someone who genuinely needs help would be a good start.  There's enough problems in the city, I'm sure you will find an occassion to try and redeem yourself."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Vanguard's head rose in sheer shock. Or perhaps it was surprise. Either way, the armour heard something he would have never expected. It was her, Mordred. He could not believe it, of all the events he had seen... this was the strangest. And yet, it was such a beautiful moment. He was scolded, but unlike the other woman, he was talked to not as a fool, but as an equal.

 An equal, as a fellow grain in the eternal desert of existence. She talked of atonement, and hearing such honest truthful words, Vanguard smiled. The one thing stopping that smile from being seen was the fact there was no mouth, but hearing her words, he thought about them. He had been wrong, and she had been right. All along.

"Do you truly believe a mere shadow like myself can find redemption?" Asked Vanguard. There was hesitation in his voice, as if he was afraid. But there was not the same dull emotionless echo in these words. For the first time, he spoke with serenity, his voice closer to a man than a phantom.

"No... don't answer it. I don't need an answer. All I need... is to endure, and do what that man would have wished to do. It is futile, it is painful... but I understand now. It cannot be wrong to fight against suffering, to fight. Maybe I could not have saved my world, but... if I can save this one, maybe I can save myself."

Then, the knight stood silent, looking down as if ashamed. He wanted to look at that woman, that beaten, battered woman that he had tried to break. It was like a sun, a radiant sun who's shine was as beautiful as that man's. Even without power, the beauty was there. And beauty always had a purpose.

Looking down, he refused to look at that sun. To do so would blind him forever. But he spoke, once again a voice full of hope.

"Thank you."

[Panda]

Guts

The merc found himself dreading the task of cleaning up all that damned graffiti when an inhuman roar split the air. Turning around, he saw that pathetic demon from earlier transforming, turning into a misshapen lump of flesh, limbs, and eyes. Something that would have sent any sane man running and screaming in terror.

Guts simply grinned.

Bout damn time something worth fighting showed up.

Unlimbering Dragonslayer from his back, Guts dashed forward, cloak flying out behind him as he raced towards the demon, Dragonslayer held in one hand behind him as the Brand began to bleed in earnest.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

NOPENOPENOPENOPE

The demon was being burned by a great pillar of flame, the god's mercy  extending to killing him asap. He couldn't shift into a tougher creature or use any magic to escape, and his wounded state made running away a useless gesture. Even worse, another spell was in the way. Even worser than worse, the black armored man from earlier was no charging at him madly with some huge piece of metal.

This shit is why I don't pull off stunts with my form!

He had just enough for one trick, his beautiful Pandora would surely get him out of this mess. Well, he wasn't sure of that either, but it was that or death. Gripping on his cane, he said a simple word.

Cattywampus!

With this mystical incantation of the age of old, Pandora awakened, the ruby glowing with red unlike ever before. Instantly, a giant wave rushed along the street, an enormous flood of fudge and oreos not unlike a mighty tsunami came for the demon. Riding the waves was an army of surfing hippy manatees, wielding potato bazookas that fired in unison at the evil men. Hopefully the waves would get this fire out of the way and get him to safety.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Urthemiel

The mage gave the offending wave of fudge along with the manatees within it an exasperated look before he glowed again and shifted into his glorious draconic form. The potatoes bounced harmlessly off of his purple scales and with a beat of his wings he took to the air. With sharp vision he observed the sea of fudge for any signs of the fleshy beast as he circled the disaster.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura stood waiting patiently by the car, watching over the unconscious man. It wasn't the most exciting situation ever, but it was nothing compared to the years she had spent with Zouken before meeting Shirou, where boredom was a positively good thing in comparison to the horrific torture that was the only alternative.

After a few minutes, she noticed the white-haired woman walking back towards her, clearly in a good mood.

"I'm really sorry Sakura. I-I saw Saber and I couldn't just ignore her...", she said, apologetically. "Do you want to get going now?"

Sakura nodded.

"I understand, you didn't want to risk not being able to find her again. I would have done the same if I saw Shirou or Rider", she said with a smile. "But, yes, let's get going. That guy in the back of your car could do with some help...."

[SINIB]

Sakura

"N-n-nee san! Rin! I-I'fe missed you! sniff I-I'm so glad to see you." Sakura bawled her heart out. "You and Senpai- and even Brown Sempai- I've finally- you're all finally here! I haven't been so happy for a long time. sniff" Sakura smiled warmly at Rin, letting the embrace linger for a while before she stepped back and looked at Rin. She'd expected her to look more different than she did. Her beautiful black hair hadn't changed at all, Maybe a bit longer? "Nee san, you don't look that different from what I remembered from three years ago-I'm glad."

Sakura gently hugged Rin once more and closed her eyes, resting her head on Rin. "I'm so happy." She said with a completely content smile.  Shirou began to speak, as surprised as she had been, asking her what she was doing here. Silly Senpai...Sakura chuckled while thinking. It doesn't matter what she's doing here, just that she's here...

"Umm... this might sound odd but... are you the same Tohsaka we knew from before?" He then asked.

Sakura opened here eyes again and thought about his question. Wait. He's right. She might not be from our world. And she looks younger than I'd expect her to... "Um–Nee-san... Don't take this the wrong way... But-ahh how old are–" Sakura shook her head and stopped. Wait, now I'm being the silly one. "No, nevermind, it doesn't matter. Nee-san is Nee-san, just like Senpai is Senpai."


Faust watched the three go through their reunion silently. It frankly made him a bit uncomfortable, he had trouble dealing with these situations. It seemed that the female magus who had just descended from above had turned out to be the other person Sakura was looking for, her sister, Rin. He thanked God his decision to not reduce the girl to ash earlier before he chuckled at the irony of that sentiment. He noticed the look of confusion and surprise on her face; it seemed as if the girl had figured out that he was a servant. He briefly considered introducing herself, but decided against it. He'd let her wonder who he was for a while more.

[SINIB]

Irisviel

Upon Sakura's mention of the guy in the car, Irisviel casually walked over to him and glanced over him. "I think he'll be fine, he just needs some rest. I'll take him back to the castle, I can't imagine the hospital bed is more comfortable than one of mine. Also, I heard the hospital was attacked last night." She told Sakura before walking over to the passenger door and opening it for her. "After you." She ordered her cheerfully in a slightly playful manner.

[Elf]

Rin

Rin blinked as Sakura sobbed into her, going on and on about how long it had been since Sakura had seen her.  I just spoke to her on the phone yesterday.  I got a lecture about getting a computer so we could email back and forth, even though technology and I don't mix.  Yet Sakura was obviously distressed so Rin held her, rocking her gently and stroked that long, silken hair.

"Toh...Toh... Tohsaka!? What are you doing here?!"

Rin smirked as she met Shirou's sherry golden eyes and said, "Falling from the sky.  I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"Umm... this might sound odd but are you the same Tohsaka we knew from before?"

Rin frowned and quickly started running things together in her mind.  Then Sakura said, "You and Senpai- and even Brown Sempai- I've finally- you're all finally here! I haven't been so happy for a long time . . ."

Brown Sempai?  Brown Sempai wait . . .   Rin's chest tightened.  She only had known Archer for little over a week, but that snarky bastard had firmly implanted himself into her mind and heart.  Acting as a human shield for me tends to do that.  She felt responsible for his death; after all he had died to protect her.  Not with a Noble Phantasm or magecraft, but the stupid Emiya Shirou act of putting himself between the thing that wanted to harm her.  Like an idiot.

"Brown Sempai?  You mean Archer?  Archer's here?" Rin asked before registering that Sakura just almost asked her how old it was.

Rin answered, "I just turned twenty-one.  You threw a fit when I didn't come home to celebrate but I told you that I was in the middle of a very important experement . . ."  Then she looked closely at Sakura, her eyes widening.  Her sister's hand was bleeding and there was blood on Shirou's shirt.  "Sakura, your hand.  Here, let me take care of that.  If you don't it could get infected and then that might affect your prana flow.  Then you wouldn't be able to supply Shirou and then you'll both be in a mess and . . ."

Rin took Sakura's hand and closed her eyes.  She focused on the wound, gathering her prana and beginning the restoration process.  Sakura's hand glowed the same alien green as Rin's crest as the wound closed.  Once the wound was healed, she looked at the Servant and asked, "What kind of half-assed Servant are you, letting Sakura get hurt like this?"

[Panda]

Guts

Of all the things Guts expected to be facing down, a flood of fudge and weird sea creatures was not one of them. Bringing Dragonslayer up, the mercenary stabs the blade into the ground, with the flat of the blade facing the flood. Bracing himself, Guts prepares for the flood, which isn't long in coming. Borne aloft by the currents, Guts manages to tough it out.

And then something hits him in the back, the impact blunted by armor.

Potatoes?!

A few more bounce off his head before he decides he's had enough. Turning his head with the sound of another potato launching, Guts catches it in his mouth, and bites down, taking a moment to chew the piece of potato before swallowing and washing it down with some of the fudge.

This might not actually be that bad.