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

[Thedoctor]

Shinobu

As she crashed into Rikuyo the other woman had thrown a punch that was completely covered in that glowing aura. This one punch was so powerful it tore right through her stomach blowing her body apart, blood sprayed everywhere covering the surrounding trees, the grass, everything was covered in the crimson liquid. darkness started falling on the vampire, was this it? Was this the end?


No.


"I will defeat you!!"

A scream filled the entire area, the sound reverberating through the air as if it came from everywhere. As if guided by an unholy power beyond, all the parts of Shinobu's body and even her blood that had been sprayed everywhere suddenly started converging on one mass, completely reforming her body.

[Kat]

ALPHA

Alpha caught the phone in mid-flight, looked at noel for a moment too long and immediately turned around to look through it, finding the list in a short amount of time thanks to the incredibly user-friendly interface.

She made the call, but the entire time, her mind was adrift, stuck between the thought of Noel, but just a prime field device but also a murakumo, and Nu's existence in nexus. She came to two conclusions: Noel was noel, no matter where she was from, but this world's noel was by and far not the one she knew. And secondly... Well, her circumstances with Nu were her own.

She turned around again and faced Noel.

"I've made the call. Do I chase after the bloodedge?"

Noel Vermillion

“I-I’m fine, I just need some sleep.” Noel said quietly, looking at the ground. “You don’t need to send me to the hospital, I’d much rather go sleep in my bed at home. pant” 

"I've made the call. Do I chase after the bloodedge?" Noel heard Alpha ask through the fog. 

“No, there’s no point. I’ll stop him after I rest.” She sat down on the ground, not bothering to exit her combat form before she turned to look at Alpha. “After all Alpha, I’m sure you know he’s not going to be a very subtle presence in this city.”

Mordred

"Are you really sure that you don't need to see a doctor? You're stubborn, but if your state gets worse, I will call the hospital. At least after I look 'normal' again and you don't get much better, maybe. Gosh, everyone will surely give me odd looks, so convenient that the staff skedaddled." She didn't have illusionsthat a red skinned human with dragon like features didn't pass for someone normal. What they called 'combat forms' surely looked more human then her true form.

 "If you really want to ask me questions why I look like that, please do it later, we've more urgent things to do. Don't go pass out yet, Noel." She had Noel support herself on her shoulder, slowly walking away from the wrecked scene. "Where do you live? We cannot take you there if we don't have a clue."

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

AKATSUKI

Akatsuki processed his story, following him into the darkness by use of a sonar. Of course she had a searchlight, but... it seemed more fitting to keep it off.

As he spoke, she looked around, eventually seeing the massive, gate-like thing as Kenzo spoke of himself as the enemy.

"Why bring me here, then?" She said, obviously delaying the issue.

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

ALPHA

Alpha's eyebrow twitched when Noel spoke.

"I wouldn't know, actually. You're the one who knows him," Alpha said curtly. It seemed that Alpha wasn't the only one to see Noel as a stranger compared to the person she knew. "In any case, Mordred is right. We need to get you to a hospital, get you some rest."

She walked over to Noel and sat down in the rubble to wait for the ambulance. In the meantime though, she did have one thing to address.

"I don't really know why you'd think your appearance is a problem, Mordred. It's a good look," Alpha said, remembering the red giant known as IRON=TAGER.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Sakagami Kenzo

Kenzo looked at the child with surprise, and smiled. She was good, better than he thought. He turned to the massive gate and drew his Shirogane.

The cold blade slipped on his hand, drawing a slight trail of blood that crawled on the pristine silver sword. He then proceeded to insert the blade in the keyhole situated at door's center, right in the carved demon's heart.

Twisting it, a red aura slowly traveled trough the carvings and inscriptions of the massive gate and before long, a gust of steam blew out of the door.

It seemed he activated a mechanism of sorts, for the door slowly opened up, revealing a world unlike the one above. It was neither the warm comfort of the hot springs, nor the oppressive coldness of the dark underground halls.

It was a suffocating world of fire, a secret underground forge that was situated right below the springs themselves. Around the great fires were hundreds of swords, each an incredibly beautiful work of art, weapons without compare different from one another. A hot iron hell made with countless blades, such a place was the home that suit Kenzo best.

And in the center of it all there was one sword, one blade, that stood among all those exquisite weapons. Resting in a giant water tank was an incredibly long katana, a beautiful, translucent blade as pink as a cherry blossom. Beautiful carvings of branches and trees ornated the sword, and the hilt was an elaborate work of art in itself, a masterpiece of a vibrant gold.

One could only gaze in admiration at the incredible aura that the weapon gave off, something far beyond any ordinary weapon.

Kenzo smiled fondly and walked towards the water tank and let his fingers run trough the thick glass, admiring his greatest creation as if it was a child.

"But I thought, if a demon could take and devour a soul, could a sword made by a demon sever a soul? What if I could cut at my own soul, to destroy the beast inside me and sever it from my existance. This is what I've been working for a hundred years. This is my world, Akatsuki."

Stepping on a nearby lever, he activated yet another mechanism that split the water tank in half, removing the strange water reminiscing of that of the springs above, and exposed his sword.

Picking it up, he balanced it around his wrist and swung the vibrant katana before turning towards Akatsuki, displaying the pink cherry blossom to her like a trophy.

"I call it Benizakura. How do you like it?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

The construct gently placed the spoon into the redhead's mouth. She refused to let go of it and would feed the altered being for as long as she needed until the sundae was gone. Then they could speak about the artificial attractiveness that the woman has been emanating. ""Please eat quickly. If you take longer the main dish will begin to melt faster than I can share with you."

[Kaze]

EMIYA SHIROU

“Something like that,” Shirou said, almost but not quite able to contain a grimace at Darcy’s lighthearted jab. “I’m well aware of how strong he is, but I can’t simply give this up. I’m not asking you two to join me, but please, tell me where I could start looking.” The archer looked at them both imploringly. Just knowing that the dragon was a crime boss wasn’t enough, the city was teeming with gangs. He needed a better lead to go on.


LANCELOT

When the dark knight’s inquiry was returned with silence, he made to dress himself in a light collared shirt and dark pants, one of the nicer outfits he owned, of which there were not many. He felt ill at ease with the idea of going out again and would have preferred to stew at home alone, but the pantry was running low and it was his duty to keep it stocked when Forest was away.

Lancelot heaved a sigh as he stepped out of the apartment and into the pale afternoon light, filtered by thick clouds. He prayed that this excursion would be much shorter and smoother than his past several trips outdoors.


BRIGIDA DOENCA

It was a stag. A stag ridden by a woman in a bright red hoodie, bounding through the woods back toward the aged professor, and all the while a multitude of fantastic plants and ghostly wildlife shifted into being all around it. Brigida blinked, and then blinked again. She had never seen anything like it, and she had seen a great deal of strange things.

I just got wrecked by a wanna-be unicorn. She couldn’t begin to fathom how the creature was so powerful, but it certainly wasn’t to be underestimated.

“You could stand to watch where you’re going more carefully,” She said to the rider, adopting a polite yet reproachful tone. “There may be others like myself around, and I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate being trampled.”

[Elf]

Forest

"I would not recommend the brand," a male voice said in a soft tone to her, "In my experience it tends to be rather... pungent. Not in a good way. Certainly not worth the cost on the label."

Forest blinked as she look up at the redheaded guy she had tuned to look at said perfume so he wouldn't notice she had been checking him out.  Up close he was even more striking, beautiful but utterly masculine.  She also noticed she had to look up to meet his eyes, which was a new and novel experience.  She tucked a free lock of hair behind her ear and grinned.

"Let me guess like chem-lab flowers with a heavy dose of rubbing alcohol?" she replied.

Then she noticed Greyskull approaching her and she mentally stifled a sigh.  Once he was at her side, he said, "Forest, we need to talk."

Inwardly she cursed.  Outwardly, she kept the grin on her face and held up a finger to the redhead and said, "Hold that thought."  Then she tuned to Greyskull and asked, "Sure, what is it?"


Gabriel

"She's right you know, you don't want it to melt," Gabriel said with a lopsided smirk to the redhead as she ate.  "What was that server thinking?  Only bringing one spoon for the both of you."

[SINIB]

Noel Vermillion

Noel looked over Mordred's true form. And she wasn't quite sure what Mordred's issue was. She didn't look particularly out there. Just some sort of dragon-type beastkin. Weirding part was her ability to hide it, but this was the Nexus. She looked down at the tail. It was a nice tail. Red, scaley like a lizard, and cute. Very cute. "Heh. Mordred, you look cute, I really like the tail, it fits you. Alpha, does she remind you of Iron Tager at all?" Noel smiled as she thought about him.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

As Rider approached, she heard Sakura calling out for Shirou, mumbling on about how she missed him, how he was like part of herself. Soon enough, her beloved joined them, grabbing hold of her from the front and bringing her into a hug. Sakura called out to him, quickly reciprocating the hug and also grabbing Jeanne but not her. For a moment, Rider felt slightly hurt at Sakura's snub, pouting slightly, but she soon focussed on her master's condition, holding her gently as Shirou comforted her and she took in deep breaths.

Suddenly, though, Sakura pushed Rider away and Shirou to the side, moving forwards before bending down and throwing up her lunch all over the floor. Rider looked on with worry as Shirou continued to comfort her, unsure if she should rejoin the hug. Still, she remained close, not wanting to leave Sakura alone whilst she felt like this.

What's wrong? Why is this happening to her?

Rider watched on sadly, uncertain what to do and devestated at Sakura's condition. She hated seeing her master like this, but she also knew she could do little to help. Sakura needed Shirou, not her. All she could do was stand there and show her support as best as she could.

[Kat]

Darcy Hugh

Darcy shrugged. He never heard or saw a real dragon, or heard of anyone that saw a real dragon, so this is a first. However, if there's anything you learn in his line of work, it's that anything is possible.

"Dunno about this Shendude or whatever, but I get the feeling he's a big fish, or lizard. Bah, either way, she has a point. Cmon, messing with a dragon? Get outta here, that's crazy! You're crazy! Why in the bloody hell would you look for him anyway? Did he steal your princess or something?" He asked with a huge, smug grin.

EMIYA SHIROU

“Something like that,” Shirou said, almost but not quite able to contain a grimace at Darcy’s lighthearted jab. “I’m well aware of how strong he is, but I can’t simply give this up. I’m not asking you two to join me, but please, tell me where I could start looking.” The archer looked at them both imploringly. Just knowing that the dragon was a crime boss wasn’t enough, the city was teeming with gangs. He needed a better lead to go on.

Mitsuba

This guy. Joking so lightheartedly about matters he had no clue about. She really couldn't help but take him for a fool. He was doing his best to convince her that things were that way. "You have a death wish? You're young, yet you rush to your death, it seems." She sighed. A third hopeless guy she met today.

"I don't really care, if you push wrong buttons of people in charge, the things in the district may get ugly. And I don't have money to move out. I might only tell you if you help in turn. You're a vigilante, right? Do you know any blonde haired, pale skinned vigilante that operates here? This guy keeps his mouth shout about what are his intentions towards her, but I don't care, I signed on that for money. If you help me earn it, I can even sell you a rope, I don't really give a damn."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Darcy Hugh

Darcy glared at the girl and gave her a nudge on the shoulder to interrupt her mid-rambling, indicating that she should shut the fuck up. The next time she said stupid things like that, he'd simply shut her up. He didn't need her to talk anyway, and he could use her as a hostage to bait Forest or to make a run for it.

"Now's not the time, sweetie." He said coldly in english. Then, he turned to the man and gave him a friendly grin bafore slapping him on the back.

"Sorry for what I said, I had no idea. Wanna know something? I like you, you got balls. I'm not sure if that's all there is to it, but I believe you. A true man would never ignore the cries of a damsel in distress, and I can tell you're the real deal. Got a good eye for that sort of thing you see? Yeah, we'll help you. It's not like we have anything better to do at the moment. Hey Mitsuba, how about you spill the beans? For free."

[Thedoctor]

Jeanne

Jeanne was joined on both sides by Rider and Shirou in the hug they were now giving Sakura. Both of them told her that it was going to be alright. Sakura suddenly tore herslef out from the hug and then bent over and puked on the floor. She must have been feeling really bad, Jeanne suspeted she wasn't feeling too well and couldn't handle the food right now. The food itself hadn't seemed that bad but she remembered Sakura wolfing it down a bit too fast earlier.

Shirou had followed Sakura and was still comforting her and Rider was just looking at them, it looked almost like Rider didn't know what to do Jeanne thought. Jeanne went back to the table they had eaten at and got both a napkin and a glass of water. She then went back to Sakura who had stopped puking and cleaned her with the napkin, She offered her the glass of water while gently saying. "We should probably head back to your home so you can rest Sakura."

[Kat]

ALPHA

Alpha's eyebrow twitched when Noel spoke.

"I wouldn't know, actually. You're the one who knows him," Alpha said curtly. It seemed that Alpha wasn't the only one to see Noel as a stranger compared to the person she knew. "In any case, Mordred is right. We need to get you to a hospital, get you some rest."

She walked over to Noel and sat down in the rubble to wait for the ambulance. In the meantime though, she did have one thing to address.

"I don't really know why you'd think your appearance is a problem, Mordred. It's a good look," Alpha said, remembering the red giant known as IRON=TAGER.

Noel Vermillion

Noel looked over Mordred's true form. And she wasn't quite sure what Mordred's issue was. She didn't look particularly out there. Just some sort of dragon-type beastkin. Weirding part was her ability to hide it, but this was the Nexus. She looked down at the tail. It was a nice tail. Red, scaley like a lizard, and cute. Very cute. "Heh. Mordred, you look cute, I really like the tail, it fits you. Alpha, does she remind you of Iron Tager at all?" Noel smiled as she thought about him.

Mordred

If her skin wasn't red, it would be more visible that she was a little troubled by the praise she got showered with. "I-I mean, I cannot possibly trouble mundane people who are not used to the supernatural. It's just courtesy on my part!" And keeping a lower profile was a part and parcel of her life, even if she was admittedly one of less subtle folks who tend to get dragged into violent mess like the fight before.

"I don't dislike my looks, really, but being able to pass for a normal human has its merits. But you know, if you wish so, I can let you see through the illusion. I will make an exception to nice guys like you." She smiled earnestly, actually fine with them seeing her true form. After all she was more concerned about strangers seeing her like that, than about her new friends perceiving how she truly looked.

Mordred also realized they compared her to someone they knew. "Who is this Iron Tager person? Is he or she a Changeling too?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Garou XIII

Once the tub was filled with awesome hot water, the totally normal human jumped in. The warmth and quiet felt amazing, and the bubbles smelled just right. Cherry shampoo, his personal favorite.

He smiled and laid his head down the water and blew some bubbles. Awesome, he didn’t have a nice bath like that since forever! Hopefully that bitch wouldn’t walk in and kill the mood.

Garou then proceeded to attempt raising himself up, so he could lie down with his head on the tub like it was a comfy bed. To his surprize, his lower body was completely immobile. He tried again, again, and again, but he simply couldn’t manage to pop out of the water any further than he had gotten into. Grimacing, he struggled progressively harder, but it was no use. It was as if the damn water was made out of concrete or something.

“Shit, the hell?” He blurted out, trying as he might to get out of the damn bath.

If that was a goddamn prank of hers, it wasn’t funny. Nobody messed with his warm baths and lived. No one.