Cross Effects 3.0 - The Third Time's the Charm? The Velvet Room (NSFW version)

[Panda]

Rider smirked. It seemed like her partner had finally lost his composure.

Hmm, he seems rather lacking in confidence, though....

"Well, you're just as good as any other man in this bar, and you're the one I found first. Besides, I want to see what else you can do with those tentacles...", she said with a smile as he served another guy a drink.

Adjutor was fine with what was said, right up until the mention of tentacles.

"Fair enough," he says, "If you're certain, then I don't see why I can't keep you company. However," Adjutor continues, slipping back into a tired old lecture that he'd told time and time again, "These aren't tentacles. I can form them into any shape I want, as long as I can focus on that shape."

To prove his point, he draws the tendrils back into his arms, then rolls up his sleeves and coats his hands and forearms in the Armogarian metal, switching from a fluid-looking consistency to solid gauntlets, then back to fluid before withdrawing the metal back into his arms.

[Alice]

Rin

"So make up for lost time eh? What sort of things do you need me to make up for?"

All Rin could manage was vaguely strangled noises in her throat. Frustratingly, any attempts to speak were caught in her throat. She needed a diversion, a diversion! No! Alcohol maybe?

Frazzled, her eyes fell on Archer's drink. Normally she would just order a new one, but her mind a muddled mess, she found herself rising upwards to take a drink from Archer's glass, not registering the consequences of her actions...

Tom

"He's not dead, but . . . I doubt I will see him again though.  It's not your fault, Thomas.

"Perhaps you will see him again, someday."

And, you're a CEO.  Old, crabby men will also be after your money and power," she said with a sigh.  "Luckily you have your head of security to watch your back."

He sighed. "And yes, of course they want my money as well. Beyond certain plans that I have, I actually have little use for it. I suppose I will never truly understand greed." Then he smiled faintly. "Hmph. I suppose I do." He chuckled before continuing. "I likely owe her a raise. Several, in fact."

He had been barely paying attention to Time. He was far too noisy, far too talkative. ...The Long Island Tea he'd been sipping hadn't been helping with that sadly.

"And dat... th'ng aboot CE...O? You just gotta... scare dem and ma'ke dem... piss their pants, Tommy."

And now he was drunk too. Lovely.
"Being intimidating isn't the problem. It's that nothing will really frighten them outside of being threatened with some form of violence or watching their stocks plummet."

He turned to Forest. "How you find the patience for socializing is beyond me." He took another sip of his hard tea. Curious, it was about gone...

[Arch-Magos Winter]

All Rin could manage was vaguely strangled noises in her throat. Frustratingly, any attempts to speak were caught in her throat. She needed a diversion, a diversion! No! Alcohol maybe?

Frazzled, her eyes fell on Archer's drink. Normally she would just order a new one, but her mind a muddled mess, she found herself rising upwards to take a drink from Archer's glass, not registering the consequences of her actions...

Archer blinked as the blushing, stammering, stuttering Rin tilted the glass of his cognac back, drinking from the harder liquor even after she'd finished an entire glass of rather strong wine in a single gulp.

There were many things he could say, but there was an overwhelming urge to say one simple statement he knew would either cause her to faint from embaressment or revert to her usual bossy self. Or maybe jump in his arms while he road a horse into the sunset.

"Uh, Rin? Wasn't that just an indirect kiss?"

[Alice]

Rin

Rin stepped away, color drained from her face. Her empty glass dropped to the floor, miraculously not breaking. More strangled noises managed their way from her throat as her pale face turned a rather vivid red yet again rather too quickly.

"T-that wasn't a kiss!" She did her best to get him to her level. "This is a kiss!" Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the anger, but without really thinking Rin soon found herself kissing Archer on the lips rather hard indeed. ...and then found herself just as quickly backing away.

"Er, eh, ah... I didn't mean- that didn't mean- that doesn't mean, ah, I-I wasn't even thinking, I mean- you'd better not take that the wrong way, I mean- I- I-I-I!"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Rin

Rin stepped away, color drained from her face. Her empty glass dropped to the floor, miraculously not breaking. More strangled noises managed their way from her throat as her pale face turned a rather vivid red yet again rather too quickly.

"T-that wasn't a kiss!" She did her best to get him to her level. "This is a kiss!" Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the anger, but without really thinking Rin soon found herself kissing Archer on the lips rather hard indeed. ...and then found herself just as quickly backing away.

"Er, eh, ah... I didn't mean- that didn't mean- that doesn't mean, ah, I-I wasn't even thinking, I mean- you'd better not take that the wrong way, I mean- I- I-I-I!"

"You're right. That wasn't a kiss. This..." Archer swept her back, pulling her into a deep kiss, his tongue tasting the alcohol and sweet flavor of whatever gloss Rin had thrown on that day on her lips before pressing past them, chasing her tongue down with his before pulling back, a small trail of saliva linking their lips. "...That, Rin, was a kiss. And how could I take it any other way than you admitting something you haven't let yourself know yet..."

[Elf]

Forest took the drink and the little tray of fruit, violet eyes lighting up at the sight of the orange slices.  "Thank you," she said as she crossed her legs, held the drink with one hand, and put the fruit tray in her lap.  She smiled at the guy who served her the drinks when he was accosted by an absurdly gorgeous women with long, lavender hair wearing bondage gear and a blindfold.

Has to be Rider.  Yeah, Saber, I'd be jealous too . . . the blond thought as she took the first drink of the fruity concoction with a kick.

She looked down at the fruit and said, "I doubt it.  I've tried goddamn it, but the Nexus is like a bloody Roach Motel . . ."  She gripped the glass and whispered, "I'll never see my poppet again."

"The better you pay an employee, they'll better they'll work for you.  Unless they're a lazy sod so . . ." The blond shrugged off and noticed that Time was getting rather drunk.  She felt oddly light herself, which was impossible.  Vampires couldn't get drunk like this.

"Well its either that or let the apathy get to me and wait for the sun to rise," the blond said before biting into an orange slice and sucking the juice out of it before eating it.

[Puck-Chan]

Time

Adjutor takes a moment to chuckle before drawing back the plate, assuming that the blonde one has taken her drink by now, letting it melt back into his arm as another set of tendrils mixes another Reinforced Scotch Sour and hands it to the buzzed gentleman.

Time waved back in an awkward manner at the bartender, but it was clear that it was made in thanks as he accepted the next glass. He had so sorely underestimated the strength of this bar, the drunk is going to pay for it the next morning--or whatever the equivalent of it is around here.

And now he was drunk too. Lovely.
"Being intimidating isn't the problem. It's that nothing will really frighten them outside of being threatened with some form of violence and watching their stocks plummet."

He sluggishly flung his hand to the side as if dismissing that fact.

"T-then plommat their stoooocks orrrr sumding, gitit? Spread dat feaaarrrrrrrr!"

But then he paused, almost thoughtfully for that one moment.

"You dun't hab... many frends, do ya, Tomas? Hey... I'll be your frend!" he grinned and put an arm around Thomas, "I'll be a greaaaaaaat freeeend!"

The Scotch sloushed in its glass a bit before he took another sip at it. Then he offered the rest at the CEO.

"Want sum?"

[Kaze]

Shirou let out a faint sigh of relief, a fear he hadn't even noticed welling up within him suddenly quelled. He then realized his hand was rubbing her back in small circles and quickly disengaged, a light but noticeable pink flaring up on his cheeks.

"You look... older," he said haltingly, barely catching himself before commenting on her rather unusual attire. He then noticed a dark haired young Japanese woman who reminded him a bit too much of an old friend. She was eyeing his former Servant from behind, and the sounds she and another man had been making before had left little to the imagination. The freelancer's mouth formed a tight frown and the pink on his cheeks turned to red as he turned away, suddenly more self-conscious than he had been in years.

[Alice]

Rin

Rin's heart was beating rapidly, her cheeks still on fire. She almost felt dizzy. Below she felt... odd. It both felt great and hurt all at once. It wasn't something entirely new to her. But it had been so long, it almost felt strange.

"Did I... did I tell you you could stop?" Rin asked, almost breathless.

Tom

She looked down at the fruit and said, "I doubt it.  I've tried goddamn it, but the Nexus is like a bloody Roach Motel . . ."  She gripped the glass and whispered, "I'll never see my poppet again."

Another wave of empathy. He felt it so little that it felt so strange. He thought back to what Carol usually did. A simple touch on the shoulder. The brief hand holding. He began to reach out for Forest's hand but then stopped himself, a faint flush on his cheeks. He didn't know for certain if she or even he himself was comfortable with doing such a thing.

"The better you pay an employee, they'll better they'll work for you.  Unless they're a lazy sod so . . ."

"It is rather odd, but.. Carol seems to go out of her way to work her hardest even in spite of the money. I just feel I owe her that much. What she's done seems like so little, but it's been enough that she's gone above and beyond her duties. So then..."

He stopped, feeling rather awkward. Why was he blathering on like this? The alcohol maybe? Repression? Or...

"T-then plommat their stoooocks orrrr sumding, gitit? Spread dat feaaarrrrrrrr!"

But then he paused, almost thoughtfully for that one moment.

"You dun't hab... many frends, do ya, Tomas? Hey... I'll be your frend!" he grinned and put an arm around Thomas, "I'll be a greaaaaaaat freeeend!"

The Scotch sloushed in its glass a bit before he took another sip at it. Then he offered the rest at the CEO.

"Want sum?"

Tom's restraint lessened with the alcohol he'd consumed, he didn't bother hiding his telekinetic abilities and used them to jostle the arm off his shoulders. The young man wrinkled his nose at the scotch, giving his "friend" a rather irritated glance. "No thank you. I will get something more suited to my tastes."

He looked over at the bartendender, currently being accosted by a tall, attractive, purple haired woman in some sort of fetish outfit. "If I can, anyway."

The psychic turned back to Forest. "Would you like to continue this discussion someplace more private?"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

"You didn't, Master." Archer teased her with the last word, once again pulling her into a kiss. Rough and worn hands found their way under that skirt, lifting the small girl up to eye level with him as his he let his tongue snake its way back into her mouth. His head pounded, all thoughts aside from those about the magus he served lost.

[Alice]

There was no hesitation this time. Rin circled her arms around his back, allowing her tongue to dance with his. She felt... light headed, heady, her thoughts blurred and lost except for physical sensation, and yet she couldn't bring herself to care. All doubt began to melt away. This is what she had wanted.

[Elf]

Forest

The tall blond shrugged as she drank her second drink.  She stared at the mauve liquid and the fruit.  Both suddenly tasted like sawdust in her mouth and she resisted the urge to gag. 

Her vision was swimming lightly and a dark mood was settling over her.  She gripped the glass and replied, "We could, but it wouldn't matter anyway.  In the end it never bloody matters.  No matter how many people I help or save, I'll be the one that no one loves . . . I should be lucky that a few bent people want to use me as their bloody plaything.  I mean, when both of your parents die to get away from you and no one comes looking for you after you offer yourself up as a sacrifice to save all of those wankers and . . ."

A shaky hand put down the drink on the small table in front of the sofa and soon the plate of fruit joined it.  The blond rose to her feet, pulling the ridiculous twin-tails loose and throwing the ribbons and elastic to the table as well.  She shook her hair free and said, "I should go."

She looked up, seeing a beautiful girl with raven hair being held up and kissed by a man with broad shoulders, bronze skin and white hair as if she meant everything to him.  She saw Calico hugging Saber as if he never wanted to let her go.  "Yeah, going would be good," she said in a thick voice as she moved to run away.


Saber

Saber smiled as Shirou rubbed tiny circles on her back.  The few times she and Archer had slipped to allow physical affection he had done the same thing.  He had also held her with that desperation that Shirou was holding her now.

She hugged him hard, enjoying the warmth of his large body before he pulled away, blushing faintly.  She smiled at his comment at her looking older.  "Well, Avalon is currently not activated.  Which means I can grow up.  Which has been both a blessing and a curse . . ."

She scowled as she saw Shirou noticing the raven haired girl with no shame staring at her.  "If that tart does not stop looking at me I will have words with her," Saber said in a low voice.

[Puck-Chan]

Time

Tom's restraint lessened with the alcohol he'd consumed, he didn't bother hiding his telekinetic abilities and used them to jostle the arm off his shoulders. The young man wrinkled his nose at the scotch, giving his "friend" a rather irritated glance. "No thank you. I will get something more suited to my tastes."

He looked over at the bartendender, currently being accosted by a tall, attractive, purple haired woman in some sort of fetish outfit. "If I can, anyway."

The psychic turned back to Forest. "Would you like to continue this discussion someplace more private?"

"Aw c'moooooon, Tomaaaass!~ The n'ght's still yung. Hang w'th meh, ya beeeest frend forevah!"

He chugged down the cocktail glass with some frightening gusto. But, his fingers fell limb before allowing it to drop to the ground with a crash-- With Time following it after. Before he knew it, Time would black out with a snore.

[Alice]

Tom hardly noticed poor Time falling into an unconscious heap on the ground, as he was far more focused on Forest's sudden downshift in mood.

Part of him knew it was maybe just best to let her go off alone. But then... Another part of him knew from some of the things she had said before that it would not be wise to leave her alone. She needed someone. ...All this time he had been concerned about humans behaving with concern for anyone, especially beyond their own kind. Perhaps... even if no one was going to see it, maybe now was the time to set an example. To act as he wanted humanity to act.

He took Forest's hand. Both telepathically and outloud, he spoke to her. "Forest, wait."

[Elf]

Forest blinked as she heard a voice in her head and then aloud.  She wasn't a stranger to telepathic communication, far from it, but the warm hand on hers was new.

"Thomas, I'll just annoy you at best," she said, moving to move her hand from his.  "Trust me, I'm not worth the headache."