Cross Effects 3.0 - April 13, 2015—June 23, 2016

[Panda]

Michael

The sudden change in coloration was a clear indicator to the immortal that things had gone past the point of talking. Then the girl fired off some kind of energy blast, Michael already bringing the staff around to-

Break.

What would have been a movement to block the blast turned into a strike, the black corruption covering the staff seeming to pulse briefly in the infinitesimally small instant before the staff struck the energy blast, dispersing it to the immortal's momentary surprise. Shaking it off, Michael decides to stand his ground against this opponent, bringing the staff around to a guard position as he watches Rikuyo.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Richard Maxwell

Richard quickly took hold of the boy's face and inspected it even closer, forcing his eyelids open and gaping his mouth in order to observe the child's body. He seemed to be in better shape indeed, which was good. After all, no good citizen would let a hurt child alone. And Richard, being the model citizen he is, wouldn't do so.

"Yay! It seems you are good to go." said Richard with a creepily cheerful tone, backing off and giving the boy a friendly tap to the shoulder. But before he could do anything else, he noticed that buffoon was fighting the boy's guardian, or ladyfriend. Well, she looked quite odd herself, but Richard wouldn't have this shit on his friendly neighborhood.

Still smiling, he winced once and the air turned extremely cold. Before anyone could react, the surrounding snow turned to water and splashed the staff-man and blast woman, only to turn back into encasing ice.

"Good grief, would you kindly quit that? I have better things to do than to spank misbehaving children."

Hopefully they would heed his sagacious advice.

[yinsukin]

Roxas

The creepy man began inspecting him, touching him in various places.  He was still feeling kind of hazy, so he didn't resist.  Although, he did get the urge several times to defend himself.  Thankfully the man turned his attention to Rikuyo who was now fighting with a man wielding a staff.  If he was going to be of any use in this situation, he would have to heal his wounds completely.

Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and cast cura, the second stage of cure.  The tip of the blade glowed green and a aura formed around his body.  The spell drained most of his magic but healed everything aside from minor wounds.  It was likely that he would only be able to cast one or two more spells after this. 

Now that he was back in fighting condition, he summoned Oblivion.  If the creepy man failed to stop the fighting, Roxas would try to back up Rikuyo.

[Panda]

Guts

Guts took a look at the police surrounding them, quietly evaluating what they faced before nodding to the pirate, quickly taking up the girl.

"For future notice," Guts says, "Try to make sure you don't sound like you're giving me an order next time."

"In any case, what's your name, kid?" Guts says as he makes his way out of the circle, leaving Lorenzo to his just desserts.

[yinsukin]

Medaka

Medaka's expression changed to distress the moment that Lorenzo gave himself up to the police.  She released herself from Guts and faced Lorenzo, still standing behind him.

"No! You can't do everything alone.  I am helping you.  Now, tell me what to do and ill back you up." She said stubbornly, regaining her composure.  She refused to let him get away again.

[SINIB]

Lt. Noel Vermillion

"Why'd you bring so much crap?" Noel blinked as he shone the flashlight into her eyes. "We're not here for a pleasant jolly old hike. Just leave everything but the essentials." Henry reprimanded her fiercely.

“Eh?” She stammered. “B-but I thought you packed—what—where did this come from then?” She asked, beginning to shed the backpack at once. If it wasn’t needed, then she wasn’t going to waste her energy carrying it! However, Saber began to talk about. . . food of all things, telling her to carry it with a peculiar zeal. “I don’t think there’s any food in here, but I’d be happy to—er, It’d be my pleasure to bring you food sometime!” She managed to overcome her fear long enough to make her offer. She then noticed Lancelot glowering at her, causing her to cringe a bit before she shed the backpack and leaned towards him, meeting his glare with one of her own. If he wants to have a contest of wills I’ll take up his challenge! She vowed to herself. I won’t let him push me around, I’m the only one who understands the true him!

[SINIB]

Faust

“What is it that I want? Hah! That’s certainly quite a question—I’m not sure what I want, or rather, I want what I don’t know.” He mused to himself. “I guess one could say. . . I’m looking for truth. And everything I do is a means to that end.”

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Vanguard chortled at Caster's earnest question. Yes, that man would prove quite useful for his own end.

A valuable piece indeed.

No, it was rather that his end and Caster's end were common in a way. What Caster said was most agreeable, for he too sought his own truth. Of that, Vanguard was most pleased. Still, Caster was not the valuable friend he needed.

"Caster, what if I told you the means to reach the truth were in the palm of your hands?"

[SINIB]

Faust

Faust chortled. “Of course it is! It’s right within my grasp, but at the same time nowhere to be found. The ‘truth’ isn’t some tangible object, after all. It’s not something you can find; surely you know this.”

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Vanguard shook his head, laying between Caster's hands. With pleased laughter, he chuckled.
 "Of course. But Caster, you are missing the point."

Then, a trickle of lightning ran down his helmet and his core grew brighter for an instant.

"You know, there are many means to reach this truth. There are also many who dedicate their life to find it. Their struggles, their endeavors... I have witnessed them all."

Suddenly, Vanguard took a much more serious, methodical and refined tone. "Tell me, Caster. Would you become a devil in order to find what you sought?"

[SINIB]

Faust

Faust bellowed out in great laughter; would he become a devil, this was uproariously funny to him. “Of course I wouldn’t, I’ve already tried the devil, and he was unable to show me anything worthwhile!” He paused, and continued. “Of course, if he were able to—I’d sell my soul in an instant.” He said extremely seriously.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

Vanguard gave a satisfied nod, if it could be called as such. He was pleased, very pleased to have found such a valuable asset. Caster would make a fine ally.

"I too seek what you call 'the truth'.  I do not speak of something as meager as simple understanding, but true knowledge. No, it is not just that I seek it. I need it, not unlike an infant needs a mother's bosom. The earth, the sky, the stars, the very universe... even life itself! I need this truth, an absolute truth that can grant me my answer." He paused, then spoke up once more with an enticing, mellow voice.

"It seems we are two beings who seek what is one and the same. I've told you, the way to find the truth lies in the palm of your hands. Knowing that, what will you do?"

[Elf]

Abigail

Abigail frowned at Mordred's words and her chiding. 

However if someone's hunting Changlings and maybe even Fae with the power to back it up, that's really not good.

She remembered her half-sister, driven mad by jealousy and a lust for power.  She hadn't wanted Abigail dead, but she had wanted Abigail as hers.  A shiver ran through her at the memory of her half-sister's hands on her body and her soft, cool lips against her heated flesh.

Then she heard Mordred mentioning that she wanted to kill, "Along with Law-unto-whate- and some perverted killer".

Abby's frown increased and she said, "Honestly, if someone is hunting Fae we should go to Law Unto Herself.  Her home's protected against a lot of stuff and she's heavily armed.  If you guys are being hunted she can help keep you safe until she can stop this guy."

She turned to Mordred and said, "Look, you might have some beef with her for some reason, but for stuff like this she's better than the police to get help from and she knows Fae and her place is warded by one of the Faerie nobles of my world.  If she doesn't want someone getting in, they won't."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Urthemiel

From her throne Urthemiel pondered the request. While it would not be the most difficult type of magic it would grant him a slight advantage against her, but it was nothing that the Old God couldn't overcome. With a snap of her fingers the shape of a Glyph of Neutralization carved itself into the silver and gold floor in front of Adjutor.

"This is a glyph that neutralizes magic. If you have heard of the templars it is not that different from their own techniques. Within the boundaries of the glyph reality is enforced and magic cannot exist within its boundaries. Those within it cannot cast and preexisting magic ceases to exist. Memorize the symbol and meditate upon its meaning. Order enforced upon the world. Its laws firmly restricting and bringing an end to magical anomalies within it. And create better clothes while you're at it. You look like an urchin."


Natara

A hollow laugh escaped the Caretaker's throat at the sheer absurdity of this day. Perhaps she would have been better off being kidnapped. At least they didn't start off trying to kill her. Regardless, this was getting out of hand and all that Natara wanted to do was find somewhere quiet and secluded to rest. This city was so loud and busy and irritating. Her patience was running thin long before this mess had started today.

But now the only thing on her mind was getting as far away as possible. She ignored the confrontation between Michael and the stranger and instead slipped into another alleyway further ahead. The needs of the prisoner had her frequent this area and with practiced ease she began to make her way through broken walls and narrow passages. She was sick and tired of people who kept trying to interfere in matters that they didn't and would never understand. Even the cold indifference of the Guardians was preferable to this sea of ignorance. At least on some level they understood.

Natara took a deep breath and relaxed a hand that she hadn't even know that she'd been clenching. Her eyes were wet but she refused to cry. The loneliness and the stress would not break her. She would endure this just as she had endured the Taint and the prisoner.

[Kat]

Michael

The sudden change in coloration was a clear indicator to the immortal that things had gone past the point of talking. Then the girl fired off some kind of energy blast, Michael already bringing the staff around to-

Break.

What would have been a movement to block the blast turned into a strike, the black corruption covering the staff seeming to pulse briefly in the infinitesimally small instant before the staff struck the energy blast, dispersing it to the immortal's momentary surprise. Shaking it off, Michael decides to stand his ground against this opponent, bringing the staff around to a guard position as he watches Rikuyo.

Rikuyo

"Oh, either I'm getting rusty or this disgusting thingI glimpsed works in curious way. Even if the girl is getting away, I can at least do something about the figment of this abomination here" Something was off. The girl stopped pleading Natara by now who was too far away and instead of being enraged she was oddly calm in comparison. "Hey, now that she's out of the picture, you should just let me destroy the staff. I don't crave pointless duels like she and I'll be honest, I don't hold back and slaughtering you will leave bad aftertaste. And burden her with responsibility for something she didn't do. So be a good boy and just snap that staff or whatever. Unless you have a death wish."

Still smiling, he winced once and the air turned extremely cold. Before anyone could react, the surrounding snow turned to water and splashed the staff-man and blast woman, only to turn back into encasing ice.

"Good grief, would you kindly quit that? I have better things to do than to spank misbehaving children."

Hopefully they would heed his sagacious advice.

Yeah, how rusty to not see it coming. The ice stopped in tracks Rikuyo, leaving her immobile for now and encased in ice.

Abigail frowned at Mordred's words and her chiding. 

However if someone's hunting Changlings and maybe even Fae with the power to back it up, that's really not good.

She remembered her half-sister, driven mad by jealousy and a lust for power.  She hadn't wanted Abigail dead, but she had wanted Abigail as hers.  A shiver ran through her at the memory of her half-sister's hands on her body and her soft, cool lips against her heated flesh.

Then she heard Mordred mentioning that she wanted to kill, "Along with Law-unto-whate- and some perverted killer".

Abby's frown increased and she said, "Honestly, if someone is hunting Fae we should go to Law Unto Herself.  Her home's protected against a lot of stuff and she's heavily armed.  If you guys are being hunted she can help keep you safe until she can stop this guy."

She turned to Mordred and said, "Look, you might have some beef with her for some reason, but for stuff like this she's better than the police to get help from and she knows Fae and her place is warded by one of the Faerie nobles of my world.  If she doesn't want someone getting in, they won't.

"

Mordred

"Oh really? Because killing "Faerie nobles" is my vocation and hobby. And it only gives another good reason to roast a leech that is buddy of those slavers. So good luck stopping me. I might overlook the Loyalist here if she won't go help out her sugar daddy or mommy because of a Stockholm syndrome. Before you ask, yeah I'm mad. Really, really fucking mad." Mordred kept on smiling, and only her cracking knuckles showed she was as mad as last time Abigail called her one of Fae. A single badly timed remark and she would take it out on certain somebody.