Cross Effects 3.0 - October 21, 2015—June 23, 2016

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka dismounted from Shinobu and stood next to her.  Then, she held up her bloody arm.  "I hate to impose but I have been injured once again.  We tried going to a hospital but it didn't work out to well.  I am sorry but you are one of the only mages I know that is capable of healing.  Again, I realize that I am imposing a bit on your time.  Please, I require your help."  She pleaded, her voice strong but submissive, much like a soldier requesting something of her captain.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Alarice

The Chosen stared as the lord worked and managed to brew one of the worst smelling potions she had ever had the displeasure of being put next to her nose in her life. She was also sure that he had just made a joke but she wasn't really paying attention to that. What was really important was the utter soreness of her body and how tired she felt. Without the frantic rush of emotions she had just experienced the natural response of her body kicked in and a wave of drowsiness overcame her. She paused for a moment to consider that this would look very worrying but shut her eyes and fell asleep regardless.

Her breathing and heart rate slowed but any tension leaked out of her body. The bruises also began to lighten and some of the splinters were pushed out as new flesh began to grow.


Erica

The script in the girl's eyes rotated back and forth as she considered everything that came out of the man's mouth. Some white text burned across her face as she finally decided that nothing of meaning or worth had been said at all.

"You keep talking about things that don't matter as if they do. Despair is nothing more than the reaction of a small mind to its own irrelevance and relative powerlessness. It is not something I am capable of for I understand these limitations. The reason for life and death is also irrelevant to me. There is no answer to be found so there is no valid reason to worry about the inevitable. And achieving anything because of talent is also worthless. All things fade away and are forgotten in time. The only thing that matters is experiencing existence. Nothing else is important."


Oren

A disgruntled sound escaped the Great Stag as its first passenger stayed on. Well , hopefully she wasn't too heavy. Her bones were pretty fragile! Then the stag collapsed into black liquid once more. It swarmed on the ground and refused to be soaked into it or diluted in any fashion as she pursued her new shape.

The feeling was undoubtedly strange as the goo moved over and around Breeze's body. Sometimes it was as rough as sandpaper, other times smoother than silk. In some places it was more like the scales of a dragon and in others it felt like a dozen tongues gliding across toned muscles.

Then the mass congealed on top of the blonde and the Fae reformed with her hands running through the taller woman's hair and her head resting on her chest. "Well, in order, this is a subset of the Primeval Woods where a forest elemental ate a fire one and became a cute mutant. Specifically we're in a grove of ash where a few elder trees caught aflame and now serve as sustenance to the new sprouts. And the special thing about the game is that they've became very, very delicious and pretty ever since the elemental changed. It leaked into the wildlife and made them all special. We might even see some soon if we're lucky! Look for something big, grey, and smokey."


Liseth

Liseth regretted many things in the course of her life. Trying to maintain cover jobs so no one got suspicious of her endless funds was one of them. Going outside on a chilly evening in shorts and a tshirt because a friend asked her to come over was the other. It hadn't been a strange day before that. The only thing remotely supernatural in her life was her. In fact, all she had been doing was watching some YouTube videos as she pulled some Chinese food out of an empty drawer and started to eat it when she got the message. It was kind of annoying, really. Real life friends could be absurdly high maintenance.

But she didn't complain! She was a good person and she went out to help her friends. Then she tripped, and when she stood back up she it wasn't grass but pavement she was standing on. The sounds of cars and people were deafening compared to the relatively quiet suburb she had nestled in for a year and she could almost feel the claustrophobia as she quickly found herself caught up in the flow of the crowd. Oh boy. That must have been some really, really bad Chinese, she thought as she just blended in perfectly with the mass of citizens moving around.

Of course, while she did all but vanish in stream of people others very clearly didn't. She was almost certain that she had just seen a guy with wings, and there was someone else with no face, and several other individuals who were dancing the line between interesting and outright creepy! She took a calming breath. Not knowing what city this was almost worse than the people. Not knowing where she was always made her feel sick. She reached into the empty laptop bag hanging on her shoulder (although the solid clang of gears on the inside told her it wasn't truly empty) and pulled out a bottle of freezing lemonade. It didn't help with the temperature that was even colder than her neighborhood which was ridiculously unfortunate and she would blame awful luck every time, but it did help come her nerves and made the nervous feeling in her stomach melt away.

She stayed floating around the crowd a bit before deciding that she really needed to get in a building and warm up. She couldn't feel her ears and her fingers falling off weren't a real exciting idea to her. Eventually a place called The World's End caught her attention, and while the title did sound foreboding and probably belonged in some fantasy video game affording it wouldn't be a problem and it did seem rather cozy. She tentatively opened the door to the place and walked in to a pretty welcoming sight. Some of the tables and booths were kept almost hidden and isolated as they were kept in dark corners that could be perfect for some casual gaming and laptop usage. Some people didn't get it but the environment was pretty important too if you wanted to do something on a laptop for her. Just a little quiet and dark enough for her to take a nap in if she got tired while playing.

But she shook herself away from those thoughts. She had something important she needed to do! With a small degree of confidence she walked up to the bar and asked, "So, uhh," it took her a moment to adjust to the fact that the spitting image of a goblin was standing off to the side but she continued. "Can anyone tell me where I am? And I don't mean the bar."

[Thedoctor]

Jeanne

Sakura took hold of her hand and pushed it away gently, saying that they couldn't do it here. Jeanne didn't really mind as she had just been trying to tease her master. "Going back to kitchen sounds like a nice idea, they're probably wondering what's taking us so long now." Jeanne said in reply to Sakura's statement. After that she pulled awat from Sakura and started heading back to the kitchen.


Archer

"Ah but of course, let me just get some Champagne." Archer said to Shirou as he manged to find a bottle and added it to the dressing he was making, alongside a few other ingredients. "Homemade is just so much better."

[SINIB]

Foxkura

Shiro grabbed onto Numina's hair and rested her face against the woman's head before yawning. After that she sat back up, and continued looking around tiredly. Is she really a demon, or is she just possessed by one? She definitely smells tainted, and it's strong, too…

This would require more investigation.

[SINIB]

Oka Kurosawa

Oka nodded slowly in understanding. She thought she was starting to get it now. Sort of. She looked like Rider's friend and Rider wanted to be friends with her as a result.

While that was a bit creepy and weird, Oka was willing to let that slide.

"So um…" she said, now unsure of what to say.

"What should we do?" Oka asked shyly, holding onto Wormy and Sylveon.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Numina

It had been about thirty minutes and they were making very little progress in finding Sakura's mother. She had walked up and down the entirety of the mall and checked the largest stores but there wasn't any sign of the girl's mother. It was actually rather worrying. Surely any mother would be looking for their lost child? If she had lost any weak and vulnerable children she would have looked for them until her feet were nothing more than bloody scraps and her voice was hoarse, but she hadn't even heard a a single shout for the child.

The cultist searched for a bench before lifting the child off her shoulders and putting her down onto the wood. Numina sat down right next to her and sighed before giving the girl a strange look. "Sakura, your mama is a good person, right?"

[Aiden]

Oren

A disgruntled sound escaped the Great Stag as its first passenger stayed on. Well , hopefully she wasn't too heavy. Her bones were pretty fragile! Then the stag collapsed into black liquid once more. It swarmed on the ground and refused to be soaked into it or diluted in any fashion as she pursued her new shape.

The feeling was undoubtedly strange as the goo moved over and around Breeze's body. Sometimes it was as rough as sandpaper, other times smoother than silk. In some places it was more like the scales of a dragon and in others it felt like a dozen tongues gliding across toned muscles.

Then the mass congealed on top of the blonde and the Fae reformed with her hands running through the taller woman's hair and her head resting on her chest. "Well, in order, this is a subset of the Primeval Woods where a forest elemental ate a fire one and became a cute mutant. Specifically we're in a grove of ash where a few elder trees caught aflame and now serve as sustenance to the new sprouts. And the special thing about the game is that they've became very, very delicious and pretty ever since the elemental changed. It leaked into the wildlife and made them all special. We might even see some soon if we're lucky! Look for something big, grey, and smokey."

Auspicious Breeze

Breeze landed on her feet as her ride disappeared and became the not-quite-cute gooey mess again. Then the mess was all over her and it was a little weird and confusing, but the magic in her choker kept any of it from sticking if it was 'inclined' to do that. She held in a giggle at the end, then stopped with an 'eh?' when she noticed she had a cute girl on her again. She looked down at Oren, making sure not to poke her eyes out on an antler.

"Huh. I didn't know elementals ate each other ..."

She looked up at the trees, curious now to see what they'd look like. Clearly, she needed to find out how to get her mistress here rather than get back. It'd be much simpler; Radiant would be able to use her magic to get to this place and find her and then Auspicious Breeze could show her all these great things!

Something to work on after she ate.

Her belly grumbled loudly, and it wasn't too far from where Oren's ear was at this point. "Uh... oops," the exalt said, ducking her head and blushing a little. "Okay, right, big, grey and smokey. On it!"

Then she tried to pull away and look.

[Panda]

Michael

...An elemental eating another elemental? I've seen elementals fusing before, but...well, this is a new place, so the old rules don't necessarily apply.

The immortal listened to the rest of what Oren had to say before realization struck. Terrible, yet rather curious realization, not to mention one that didn't bode particularly well. While things like preference in opponents didn't really exist for the immortal as far as species went, Michael could say that part of him was looking forward to this new challenge. Of course, another part of him realized that investing some time in barrier magic really would've done him good, but it was too late for regrets now.

"Uh huh," Michael said at last, "So basically we've got possible fire-breathers to hunt at best. Ah well, they're still animals."

With that, the immortal started looking for the described creatures as well, keeping a careful eye on the forest around him as he walked with a measure of caution for possible dangers around him.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Oren

Oren rolled off the other girl and plopped down on the ash as they waited. And waited. It had been about ten minutes of about absolutely nothing happening when something rustled. Then it appeared. One could mistake it for a small crowd of prey animals from a distance. The ashen deer and grey rabbits attached to it by translucent chords could be difficult to connect to the hulking beast that was surrounded by them.

The entire creature was a trap. Quite insidious. The animal attachments it had looked like their counterparts and even smelled like them, but they were all quite capable of tearing a human apart when they twisted and bent into abominations more akin to maws on legs than any animal. The main body itself would lurk under the ground and feed from its extensions. Very rarely was it exposed unless the ash grove it was in had become too crowded and the roots were invading too deep and it needed to find a new home.

"Found it!" Although she had to admit that they all probably did at this point. "Break the chords off the animals. They're hard to see but killing them normally is harder. After that we can deal with the big one. Ready?"

She dropped to all fours and shifted to a solid black before instantly turning into a werewolf.  It was a large, powerful, and an excellent predator. She waited for a bit to let the creature get closer before charging forward. The Lycan practically just rammed the leading deer. Bones snapped but Oren's attention was focused on the tube that linked it to the main body. Her jaws slammed down on it and tore it off before she began running back towards the other two with the tentacle in her mouth, and as the deer fell limp and dark grey blood spilled forth the link the rest of the prey animals instantly changed. False flesh tore open to reveal teeth and sharpened bones and the main mass moved forward as the fake herd charged at them.

[Aiden]

Forest

Forest smiled as well and said, "Well, you're already making a fabulous impression.  But clothing would be good, because indecent exposure is a thing, and even if doesn't really harm you, I'd bet you'd feel it.  The cold I mean, because it is cold.  Outside."

Foot insert yourself into my mouth before I say something else.

Gadreel

"Not as much as you might expect," he admitted, a smile of amusement stretching across his face at his companion's fumbling words. "But I will endeavor not to provoke the authorities unnecessarily."

It was not as though he had not gone bare at times after his form had been severely damaged by a superior opponent. Or when he had to reform from physical annihilation; such was never a pleasant experience. Fortunately he had not been forced to replicate it ever since acquiring his current armament, loathsome though it sometimes was.

[Kat]

Petra

Before she could answer Rin's question, first another guy looking like a tryhard entered the bar and wanted to drink here without having cash on him. She didn't like the feeling of this, especially after whole fiasco with Garou. Then, a clueless girl came here apparently not knowing where she ended up and asking where she was now.

 "Can you explain her, Tohsaka? You're here longer." She asked the magus.

[Kat]

Mordred

"Is that so? Don't underestimate me kid, I survived fighting someone probably so strong that any of us would get torn apart without a support. I'm neither impressed by such talk nor have anything to prove." The changeling did not get provoked by Kuro's taunt. She had a strong arm, and had that tricky way of moving fast, but unlike the black she didn't feel like someone dimensions apart from her. By no means she underestimated the white haired girl, but at the same time she would make mistake if she took the changeling for granted.

[Elf]

Duke

Duke watched as the guy with white hair dressed in red with a guitar case strapped to his back and sat next to the Asian girl with the fascinating tastes in cocktails.  Guy looks like trouble, Duke thought to himself.  He was a bartender at a supernatural bar and not normal himself; he had a good danger sense and bullshit meter.  Guy pinged both.

And of course he's a pretty boy, Duke thought as the guy asked, "I'd like to start a tab. Aside from that, a strawberry sundae."

"I need a credit card for you to start a tab, son," Duke said with raised eyebrows as he rested his hands on the bar.


Rin

Rin almost called out for Archer when the tall, broad shouldered guy in a red duster with white hair walked down the steps.  Other than the white hair and red coat, the similarities ended.   Despite the bronze skin, gray eyes, and white hair, Archer still looked very Japanese.  This guy was Caucasian and had a face that should have adorned a marble statue by some master artist and his eyes were icy blue.

And he ordered a strawberry sundae. 

She smiled despite herself and moved to make a comment when Petra asked,  "Can you explain to her, Tohsaka? You've been here longer."

Rin looked at the tall young woman sitting there and took a sip of her cocktail.  "I only got here last night, but here goes.  From what I've gathered, this is a 'nexus between worlds'.  Things and people from various world lines and realities get sucked here and can't leave.  So think of it as a multi-dimensional roach motel."


Corbin

Corbin said, "Oh, well if I'm a pervert, you're a tart.  And you're bloody eager to fight us.  Why so, Little Bit?"

Please do not be some crazy child of the damned or like that episode of The Twilight Zone . . .


Gabriel

Gabriel could taste the sweet, tart and smokey flavors of the Scotch Sour still on Emily's lips as he kissed her slowly at first, brushing his lips against hers.  Her moan quivered against his lips as he ran a hand through that gorgeous hair of hers.  He teased and lightly tasted her, not demanding entrance, but just enjoying the kiss.

He pulled away with a smirk and asked, "Now what were you saying?"


Forest

"I mean, I think there's nothing wrong with nudity but . . . you know, those authorities," Forest replied with a chuckle.  She then tilted her head and asked, "So . . . the cold doesn't bother you?"

It was a very valid question, Forest reasoned.  After all he wasn't having a problem holding her hand after all. 

"Because the cold can really bother me," she said in a soft voice with a snort.

[Panda]

Emily

The Changeling sighed against Gabe as he stroked her hair, her moans not at all helped by how he sampled her lips. Before she could respond, however, he pulled away with a smirk, the question prompting a slight pout from Emily.

"Nothing that matters," she said before leaning forward and resuming the kiss in earnest, tasting Gabe in turn and allowing him entrance.

[Elf]

Gabriel

Gabriel laughed at her response before she leaned forward and kissed him.  Her lips parted and he took advantage of, sliding his tongue into her mouth and tasting her.  His hands skimmed up and down her back, making tiny circles as he did.

He gently stated to get her to lay down as he moved over her, one hand going to her blouse.