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

[Panda]

Emily

The Changeling nodded along, finishing her drink off as she considered the situation.

"Well, I'd help if I could," Emily admitted, "But I'm not entirely sure how I could do anything to help there."

Well, granted, the Changeling could feel a few ideas bubbling up, but it would be best to have a bit more information first.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider's gentle smile turned into a look of horror as the girl turned to look at her silently for a few moments before turning to walk away, her "friends" following after her.

Oh, no! Rider thought, realising that she'd obviously upset the poor girl.

Not wanting to leave the girl in such a vulnerable and sad state, and also wanting to get to know her better, Rider ran after her, quickly catching up with the girl.

"Please, don't go. I'm sorry if I upset you, and I'm sorry for him", she said, turning to point at Dante who, to her satisfaction, appeared to be in the process of getting thrown out of the restaurant for his moronic display.

Rider didn't want to leave the girl alone right now, not when she was so sad and lonely. She just hoped the girl would reciprocate.

[SINIB]

Archer and Jeanne

Archer looked at Shirou's offered hand. In response, the man in red grabbed one of his prized creations and offered it to the...other him. "Only if you have one my soufflés."

Jeanne gave Sakura a curious look from what she heard. Why so defensive about it if I may ask, did something happen?

Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya

"Huh, sure." Shirou took one of them with an awkward smile, proceeding to go through the drawers, looking for a fork. "Thanks." He mumbled.

It just... It just seems like a self destructive path. And I want my Senpai to live a happy fulfilling life. You know?

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka followed Shinobu, concealing her presence so perfectly that it would take a supernatural power to detect her.  Shinobu explained to her that it would be a bad idea to go through the front door, as they searched the hospital floor for an alternate escape.  Eventually, the vampire found a room with a window that could be unlocked from the inside.

"After you"  She said with a concerned tone.

Medaka nodded in agreement. She examined the window for a brief moment before lunging into the window.  Her body took a graceful diver like form as she passed through the open window frame.  When she hit the ground she rolled forward, spreading the shock evenly.  At the end of her roll she used the momentum to come to her feet.  All of this happened in one smooth motion.  She looked over her shoulder, watching the room patiently for Shinobu to exit as well.

[Thedoctor]

Kuro

The white haired girl stopped moving her hands and removed them from the blonde's neck, as Corbin started complaining about Mcdonalds. She then moved around the chair and sat down on Mordred's lap, leaning back on the blonde, and looking like she was enjoying herself. "Much nicer than the chairs." She mumbled as she settled in.

Corbin then got to the part about taking the bottle since Mordred didn't seem interested in it, at that point Kuro interrupted him. "Taking drinks from girls, what a nice guy." She said sarcastically.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Garou XIII

Garou sighed. Honestly, her indecisiveness was getting kinda grating at this point. That was three times he asked for a yes or a no and she still kept dodging the question.

“Well, whatever. I can’t be slacking off much either, not until I find this Saber. Still, let me offer you some free advice. Talk less, act more. “

What a sad nerd, she’d probably die a virgin in some lonely ditch in the middle of nowheresville at this point. The fact anyone would have to put up with such a raging retard as her sibling made him feel genuinely sorry for a second.

Not that he gave a shit. Garou frowned and shrugged before turning away to leave.

"Let's go."

[SINIB]

Oka

Oka didn't protest at Rider's efforts to cheer her up, although she wasn't exactly sure why she was so intent on cheering her up.

But she wasn't in the mood to have a conversation.

After they had walked a fair distance away, Oka climbed onto Wormy and wrapped her arms and legs around him, crying softly into his warm fur.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura and Shirou

The two of them frowned, their objections dying as they noticed the sad, desperate look on the woman's face. They couldn't reject her, not when she was obviously so desperate to help them. Yet, whatever she said, the basic problem still remained. If they went into that house, Shirou was worried that the other Sakura would genuinely cause him harm, if not throwing him out entirely.

"Well, OK", Shirou said, reluctantly. "But, you'll need to talk to the owner. If I just go in there, she'll throw me out again, if not worse."

"Shirou", Sakura responded, questioningly. "Why is she so upset with you, exactly? What you did was bad, but surely she would have forgiven you if you apologised properly. I know I would have forgiven you, you're "

"I did apologise", Shirou responded, "but it only seemed to upset her further. Maybe I should apologise again, now that she's hopefully calmed down."

"Hmm, perhaps...", Sakura responded.

Sakura thought for a moment.

"Shirou, what exactly did you say to her when you apologized?" Sakura asked seriously.

"Um... I just told her how sorry I was?"

"That's it?" Sakura responded, exasperated. "You didn't bow or prostrate yourself? She's not the same me, who knows what she's been through?"

Sakura sighed

"You idiot, Shirou", she said, bashing him on the head. "What were you thinking, I'd have wanted a proper apology, not something totally informal and bad? Really Shirou, you can be so thoughtless sometimes."

"When we get in, you need to apologize correctly", she finished, shaking her head in exasperation.

Shirou sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry, I don't know what came over me", he responded, a sad look on his face as he realised how much he'd messed-up.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

A look of sadness came over Rider's face as Oka walked off. She hated to see Sakura like this, it absolutely broke her heart. Yet, it seemed like there was nothing she could do right now. The girl obviously wanted to be left alone, at least for the time being.

So, utterly dejected, Rider walked over to the bike sheds, intending to retrieve her bike, her sadness obvious. If Oka didn't follow after her or leave, then she would return after picking up her bike and make one last try at cheering the girl up.

[Kaze]

LANCELOT

“Um, no, I came here of my own volition…” Lancelot said distractedly, trailing off at the end. Saber hadn’t ordered him to go shopping for her, but it was an unspoken expectation that he make sure her place remain well supplied. He supposed it was fair, since he was living off of her, much as it rankled what pride he still had.

Forest rubbed her forehead and introduced him to the handsome man accompanying her, Gadreel. The redhead was staring, seemingly shocked to see the former knight of the lake.

“Are you well?” Lancelot asked the other man, more out of habit than actual concern. Truth be told he wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation anymore, he was so distracted. He may not be feeling too well himself.

[Aiden]

LANCELOT

“Um, no, I came here of my own volition…” Lancelot said distractedly, trailing off at the end. Saber hadn’t ordered him to go shopping for her, but it was an unspoken expectation that he make sure her place remain well supplied. He supposed it was fair, since he was living off of her, much as it rankled what pride he still had.

Forest rubbed her forehead and introduced him to the handsome man accompanying her, Gadreel. The redhead was staring, seemingly shocked to see the former knight of the lake.

“Are you well?” Lancelot asked the other man, more out of habit than actual concern. Truth be told he wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation anymore, he was so distracted. He may not be feeling too well himself.

Gadreel

The show of concern from the uncannily familiar man with an appropriately fitting name reminded the exile of the importance of human etiquette. That is to say, it was quite rude for him to be staring in such a manner. He managed nod of acknowledgement. "Forgive me," Gadreel said to this so-called Lancelot, "you simply resemble someone I once had the opportunity to meet a very long time ago."

Of course, it was clear this Lancelot was not quite at the height of his wits now. "And you, good sir?"

[YOLF]

At the Sky Palace

"Hrrrm?!" Drakkallion's eyes and wings perked up at the mortal's call to attention, and his head snapped towards the building with grinding suspicion.


Emiya Shirou's feet touched down quietly on the polished tiles of the ground floor. The long hall gleamed with the sheen from freshly spread cleaning agents, doubtlessly originated from the cleaning cart that the man could see at the end of it, from his left. The janitor seemed to be pushing it away, their gaze held straight and askew from Shirou's location. On the opposite end of the hall, a security camera whirred to the side in its frequent rotation, neglecting the middle of the corridor for the time being.

As luck would have it, on the space adjacent to the wall that faced him there was a neatly designed alcove holding the doors to a pair of elevators. The moment was auspicious; a more convenient time to cross the hall and easily move up the building would not come so soon. He could have went and passed within like that in an instant, but the moment... did not come before an intervention that would've frightened any regular person came to pass.

Rumbling steps shook through the air from the outside, echoing dimly through the open window. They stopped almost immediately with a heavy stomp, and a voice that promised great threats roared from just outside.

"Cleaning servants!! It is the second and last time I admonish you, do not leave these ground floor windows open, so open for any invader to stroll through! I expect your frail bodies to take advantage of your mortal 'air conditioning', rather than showing this capricious poorness of service!"

The poor janitor at the end of the hall nearly lost his balance from the sudden and long expletive.

[Elf]

Forest

Forest frowned at Lancelot's somewhat distracted answer.  Or rather just his distraction all together.  This was different than the general unease or that nails on chalkboard physic feedback the voices in his head gave Forest.

"Maybe I should be asking you that question, Lancelot.  You okay?" Forest asked in the softest, most gentle voice she could manage.

She caught Gadreel's eye and sent, Remember what I said about Lady King Arthur . . .


Gabriel

"I think you are underestimating yourself, somewhat," Gabriel said with a grin.  "I can see that your plotting in your eyes.  Hell, at this point someone to bounce ideas off of, or list single, attractive hetrosexual cis men that are not homicidal maniacs would be helpful."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Alarice

Even the deaf could hear the sound of a skeleton platoon emerging behind the Chosen and charging towards her. She spun around as fast as possible as another dagger of bone emerged from her right hand. The more enclosed space gave her a significant advantage as she swung her weapon as fast as possible as she slowly creeped back.

Pikes, and spears, and skeletal horses, and skeletons alike were swallowed by the maw of some unseen beast. Her other hand provided extra protection from the flurry of arrows as her tail lashed out at legs to bring others toppling down onto her blade.

Then, when the spearhead of the assault had been broken, Alarice leaped over the fallen cavalry and remaining spearmen to fall upon the guards of the archers. Skulls and staffs crumbled between her fingers and fangs as her dagger rent the bones apart. It wasn't long before the draconic woman was upon the ranged attackers.

Her tail tore off a leg and crushed the skull of one to powder with its own limb as a vertical slash of her dagger left only chunks of a rib cage and chewed up legs and arms as it gnawed its way through the minion. A grasping claw tore the head off of one and brutally crushed it into fragments as the noble slammed it down onto another archer.

By the time the remaining spearmen had turned around the girl had abandoned her dagger once more in favor of grasping the final archer by the legs and wielding him as a club. It covered its face in shame and embarrassment as she swatted the group of spearmen away and crushed them into the dust along with the archer.

A few small cracks had formed in the tussle and while they quickly began to seal up the Chosen began to breathe a little heavier. She hadn't had such a workout in ages. "That was quite fun, Lord Greyskull! Do you have another present for me?"

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

Sakagami Kenzo

Kenzo's spirit was in the middle of breaking when suddenly, he felt something soft and warm behind him. He yelped in wide eyed surprise, but before he knew it, two arms were tightly wrapped around him. The oni's heart raced as if it was trying to burst, his legs went weak and his body trembled.

She... it had been so long since anyone held him like this. He had almost forgotten how warm it was. Something began to swell in his throat, an aching he did not feel since long ago. He would not cry. No matter what, he would not cry. But maybe if he let it out a little, it wouldn't be so bad...

"I'm sorry. *sniff* I..."

And for the smallest, most insignificant of moments, Kenzo was happy.

ALPHA THE BLOODEDGE

Alpha almost hoisted him for a suplex, but heard him speak in a calm, tired tone. She sighed and let go of him, almost sad that she couldn't administer the shock anymore.

"You calmer now?" She asked idly, before scratching her head and shifting awkwardly on the spot. "Look... All the stuff you said earlier. What you could be doing wrong or whatever, it doesn't matter. Whether you do things right or wrong, sometimes it won't matter and life, or luck, or whatever just wants to screw with you. You just need to stand up and not let yourself get screwed with. Because if you don't, well..."

You're half dead, your arm's missing, your family was just torn from you and you're just sitting there and taking it instead of getting up, she almost said. Instead, she improvised with something less personal.

"If you don't get up, you're face down in the dirt getting crushed by whatever life's giving you instead of getting up and shaking some of it off." Alpha closed her eyes and squeezed them with her fingers for a bit. "At least, that's the best way I can put it. So get up, shake it off and keep going."

Alpha finished with a huff, and a personal note that she was essentially done cheering this guy up. In truth, she wasn't even sure why she did it, why she told him things she told herself more than once.

Maybe she needed to blow of steam, to shake some things off herself.