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

[Kat]

Petra

"You ain't exactly on headlines of newspapers, but you were so close. 'A man murdered by a shadow monster'. Though maybe it's like Tuesday here." Petra shrugged, her brutal honesty striking directly at Garou. Garou's ego was a bit overinflated like a baloon, so him toning down a bit would be all dandy. "But really, are you gonna serve real blood here, barkeep? I will pass, that's not kosher."

[Elf]

Duke

"Better pig's blood than human blood.  We tried having a living donor that we paid when we first got established here, but that, as you guessed, didn't work out so hot," Duke said with a shrug towards Petra.

He looked at Rin and asked, "What about you Bright Eyes?  You look like a kid on Christmas morning."


Rin

Rin blinked as Garou was served animal blood and thought, Well, taking Sakura here is out of the question . . .   

She wished that she had someone she could take here.  Like Roderick.  He probably would have been like a kid on Christmas morning here too. Probably challenging some supernatural to a bout of arm wrestling or a real fight.  Couldn't get over his warrior magecraft roots on his mom's side, much to his father's dismay.

Rin rested her arms on the bar and said, "I'd like a Rob Roy please."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Garou XIII

Garou blinked and gave the big guy a you can't be serious look, but suddenly grimaced at Petra's words. He rubbed his forehead and sighed before skeaking in an annoyed tone.

"Did you seriously just say that?"

He suddenly grabbed the tomato juice cup and downed it without a moment's hesitation. It tasted like crap, but he's had worse. He wasn't just all talk after all. He turned to petra and gave her a sour look.

"She was pretty strong you know, and I would have won if she hit the bucket after the fourth time. I get that you're trying to keep your cool and don't want to act scared, but even if you did save me I won't forgive you if you look down on me. So how about we settle this for good..."

He sat at the table and held his arm up on the wood as if to challenge her to an arm wrestling competition. He looked at her seriously, determined to prove her wrong, only to break down into a cocky smirk.

"Chicken?"

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider smiled momentarily at the girl's embarrassed response to her comment. She couldn't help but find it adorably sweet. At the same time, though, she didn't want to scare her away, she wanted to be friends with her. So, she quickly suppressed the amused smile, and took on a thoughtful look as she wondered how to explain what she had meant.

Erm...", she said, haltingly, unsure how to explain herself without sounding creepy. "Well, see, you hid yourself behind me and trusted me to protect you. I didn't want to break that trust."

Yeah, that should explain it, she thought.

After all, the girl had moved behind her for protection. What did she expect Rider to have done? Moved out of the way and let the other two get at her?

[Panda]

Emily

"Well, then I supposed she's used to this sort of thing," Emily remarked, following him along, "And yes, we'll have time to get to know each other quite well. Well, more so than we got to know each other at the bar, anyway."

[Thedoctor]

Kuro 

Kuro took a look around the room as Corbin explained how they used it. They way he said it made it sound like they had noth unarmed as well as armed fighting going on here. She was of course much better at weapon handling than she was without any, not that Corbin would know that. Mordred wanted to go change to gym clothes, she probably wanted to fight someone. Corbin's treatment of her was kinda amusing, it's not like he knew that she could blow up the room if she felt like it.

 "So do you only fight unarmed here or are weapons allowed?" Kuro asked him while smiling mischeivously.

[Kat]

Petra

"You embody junior high schooler complex down to immature insults. Unlike you I don't have anything to prove, so forget it." Petra dismissed Garou and ignored his challenge. "Hey, do you have any wine in this place, barkeep? Give me something strong."

[Kat]

Mordred

"If there's nothing to my liking I will just go buy something cheap." Mordred shrugged. Corbin's comment about stuff there being 'mostly' clean was kinda worrying, but maybe she wouldn't be unlucky. As they entered the gym, she left them for a while, looking if there are clothes she'd like to wear. She wore a sports bra anyway, and thankfully she found black shorts that were clean indeed. She returned to rejoin the two, now dressed in those shorts and her black sports bra, wearing her hair in a ponytail again. "What's your plan, then?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Alarice

Alarice froze when Greyskull began to hug her. She couldn't even feel the warmth. Maybe if it was a heat like burning coals she could but this wasn't nearly enough. Her splinter-covered hands hung loosely as she took a few calming breaths. Did he thinks this was his fault. No, that was just foolish. No stranger, no matter how frightening, could do this to her. And no matter what they had said they were still strangers.

She turned to face him and tapped his skull with a pale finger. "Don't. It isn't your fault. It was my weakness. My fear invited worse things to plague me. I should have been better."


Erica

The construct dropped the man down onto the ground and sat down. Perhaps they were similar in more ways than she had imagined. Perhaps, as she could only truly feel by having someone else initiate, maybe he could only feel by proxy. She supposed there was some irony to be bound to interact and encounter those that were so distant from them in order to find their way. She supposed that it might even be cruel if she was capable over despairing over such an idea. That they would always be so close and so far from the goal they sought.

[SINIB]

Jeanne

Jeanne moaned slightly as Sakura hands carrassed her face, Sakura eventually broke away from the kiss and asked her with a sultry voice "So who's a better kisser, Shirou or me?" Jeanne made a fake thinking pose at that question, before poking Sakura's nose. "You...because we didn't go so far as you guessed." Jeanne's right hand had moved to Sakura's thigh as they were speaking, it was now slowly making it's way up it. The touch was soft yet wanting.

Sakura Matou

Sakura giggled as Jeanne poked her nose. "Hehehe— Oh Senpai, what an innocent man you are." Sakura slowly moved her hand down to her thigh and met Jeanne's hand, stopping it from invading any further. "We can't go that far out here…" She giggled, taking ahold of Jeanne's hand. "Why don't we go back to the kitchen?" She asked with a smile. "Ok?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Theodore

The demon sat atop the rooftop and dangled his legs over in a bored, dull fashion. Thankfully, the weather was overcast so the sun wasn't as much of a bother. He took a strange strip of licorice that happened to exhume a strange aura and brought it to his mouth. It tasted absolutely horrible, even one who did not have a proper meal in an eternity could not help but shrivel in revulsion. 

That is, if his face could shrivel at all. He didn't show any sign of discomfort, disgust or well... anything. Instead, he just sighed tiredly and absorbed the soul's essence. Instantly, the air around the demon changed as if he too now exhibited a similar aura. In fact, his whole spiritual structure changed as he made Ito Kizumi's soul his own.

A newfound energy and power flowed through him, like a phone that was about to die only to be instantly and fully recharged at once to the brim of its capacity. And yet, Theodore did not look any less tired. Instead, he lazily reached for his coat and pulled out a box of cream puffs before setting it between the two.

"From now on, let's eat together." He said calmly.
 

Count Greyskull

In response to the girl's words, the skeleton's hug only tightened. He spoke with a voice full of compassion, respect and a heartfelt admiration. And yet, his words carried such sorrow. For as much as he was a wicked and cruel king, the being before her was also but an old man full of kindness. And while he would never call himself benevolent, there was no way he could be silent to such a sad display. For as much as his heart decayed, it still could not allow it.

"No. You're not weak at all. Far from it. You may be under my wing, but I already consider you my equal. It take strength to acknowledge one's shortcomings. In that regard, you are far stronger than me. In response to such beauty, I have done nothing but fail you completely and utterly. I won't ask for forgiveness, but if you feel you would be better off serving a more adequate lord, I won't object. As far as I am concerned you have done more than enough to repay your debt, and for that I am grateful, Alarice."

[Elf]

Corbin

Corbin watched as Mordred left and looked back at Kuro.  He answered, "Depends on who I'm with.  The guy that recruited me was actually really good with a staff and he was tying to teach me before he . . . got eaten.  It also depends on who I'm up against and what they want to do.  Bugger, sometimes I just go to the gymnastics equipment over there and do a few sets for shits and giggles."

He gestured to the rings mounted from the ceiling, the vaulting horse, and the uneven bars on the other side of the room.

Mordred's not here, I can talk like myself in front of Little Bit right now.

Then Mordred returned wearing naught but a sports bra and sorts, her long, golden hair tied back in a pony tail.  He liked the sleek definition of her abdomen and those long legs of hers.  She was lean, sleek and athletic, and he was enjoying the view.

He gave a low whistle and said, "Well if we spar, I'm sure as hell going to be distracted."


Gabriel

"You know she was checking out my rump when we were leaving," Gabriel said with a chuckle as he unlocked the door.  To his delight it was an actual key and not one of those Lord forsaken cards.   He opened the door and found a very charming, Victorian style bedroom complete with a California king sized canopy bed.

He slid out of his coat and draped it over the chair at the desk and guided her in. 

"See, so much more personality and comfort than a traditional hotel."


Duke Coop

The bartender rolled his eyes at Garou's display as he made up the Rob Roy for the cute Asian Girl with the large aquamarine eyes.  In his experience, you could tell a lot about someone from what they drank.  He would have picked her for a Lemon Drop or Cosmo sort of drinker, but the cocktail she chose was one that was old fashioned and generally preferred by men.

He bit back a laugh as Garou chugged the thing of pig's blood down and hand the girl her drink.

The other girl with the honey colored hair demanded, "Hey, do you have any wine in this place, barkeep? Give me something strong."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he pulled out his wine list and handed it to her.  "Well, strength and wine can mean something from your personal tastes.  I've got sweet, dry, reds, roses, and whites.  If you like dry white, I have a nice Reisling.  If you want something that'll knock you on your ass that's in the wine family, I'd say go for mead."


Rin

Rin rolled her eyes as Garou continued to be rather . . . not quite tsundere, but trying to find away around the fact that Petra had saved him.   The handsome bartender handed her the Rob Roy with a tiny smile and Rin smiled back before taking it.

She felt sort of sorry for him, he was doing his job and both Petra and Garou were being kind of jerks.  She lifted the drink to her lips, took a drink, and smiled.  His cocktail skills were apparently akin to some sort of alchemy; it was literally that good.

"Look, can we just enjoy our drinks and not get into some pissing contest?" Rin asked with a sigh, "I'm sure all three of us have had really shitty day, so can we try not to make it worse?"

[NinjaQ]

William

He stepped out of the library, squinting at the afternoon sun as he had spent too long inside, bundle of notes in hand in lieu of the books. William had only taken notes on the subjects he thought he would immediately need in this world. With a quick search, he drew out a briefly sketched map from the rest, glancing around the sketch, searching for his next destination. The cold air forgotten as he struck off for the closest junkyard.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Garou XIII

Garou’s fist clenched shut and teeth gritted. Somehow, he went even paler than usual. He tried to keep it cool, but she would not answer for her accusation. While this was a similar situation to that of earlier involving Rin, things were different. Perhaps it was because without knowing, Garou had considered Petra like a comrade.

 No, that was wrong. She was nothing more than an acquaintance, a tool to be used like everyone else. A cornerstone, mere rat shit in the middle of the road to terror he was to pave. So why did he feel betrayed?

Well, it didn’t matter. He understood now, he understood everything just fine. Petra, Rin, everyone in this goddamn bar were mocking him. He could see it now, they were laughing at him, ridiculing him and making him a fool. They were the ones he had to defeat, the first step he needed to take in order to truly turn into a monster.

In that case, there was no need for silly games or rebuttals, he would simply ravage,  violate and destroy her until all she could do was mewl for mercy. He’d annihilate them all. This was who he was, who he always had been.  He glowered at her and rose from the table, reaching for a 10 dollar bill that he laid on the table for the bartender.

Then, he walked towards the girl, his eyes far different from those of before. It was clear that even if he was eccentric, the killing intent in his words was true. Perhaps Rin had angered him first, but it was inevitably Petra who had awoken the monster inside him.

"How funny.  Very well, I’ll punish the cowards."

His eyes and lips curled upwards into a twisted smile, like a wicked beast about to reclaim blood. Petra had never seen this face, and how could she? After all, she had never seen him fight. A silver flash swirled over his fingers, and the gleam of a blade revealed itself. Now brandishing a knife, he pointed it to the girl.

“Let’s turn this place into a slaughter party.”

[Aiden]

Oren

The Fae perked up at Breeze's suggestion. She slipped the pelt off of her waist and flitted behind the blonde and wrapped it around her neck. "Here. Hold on to this for me. I'll take you all to a great place to eat in a bit! Just wait a second so I can take you there."

Then Oren walked back over to her original spot and waved at the other woman before promptly collapsing into a puddle of black liquid. It surged and bubbled erratically as more of it came from seemingly nowhere. Other limbs and and shape emerged for a moment only to be devoured by dark jaws as she twisted and decided what she would be in the end. She felt free, she always felt so much more free like this, but the freedom was too much. She could never settle, never be satisfied, not without a form.

But she knew what she could be, and what she wanted to be. Hooves and antlers. Pristine fur. The keepers of nature infused into flesh and bone. And then a Great Stag emerged from the growing pool of liquid and the goo dissolved into nothingness. She turned around, every step making grass burst from the ground and push apart concrete, and stared at Breeze. With a bit of effort Oren tried to move her head enough to make the gesture that she should get on.

Auspicious Breeze

The cute girl became something else. "... eep."

It wasn't really all that cute, to be honest, the dirty water or oil or something that Oren dissolved into, and seeing it made Breeze almost take a step back. Still, nothing about it felt all that dangerous so she left it alone. The deer girl did ask her to wait, after all! It wasn't like she hadn't seen weirder things from all the demons around in the tower anyway. Like that one time when the sexy purple ones spat out big comfy towers of... brass, was it? Right, spat big comfy towers of brass out of their mouths like it was nothing.

Oh. Ohhh! The deer girl became a deer! Her face lit up, and Breeze reached out to touch Oren's new face for a moment. She ran her fingers over her nice white fur for a moment. "This is great! Ahh, and soft... oh, you want me to get up? Okay."

So she did.

Forest

Forest smiled and sent, I wouldn't want them gone either.  If they were, I wouldn't have my godson.

Then he said in a mild voice, "I do believe, that it is I who has been left in your care."

"Well, then I have to make sure I take good care of you then," Forest replied with a somewhat nervous smile, having fun despite herself. 

Oh, I can think of many a way how to take care of you, Forest thought to herself as the very appealing mental images joined it.

Gadreel

Ah, family. Truly, at once the greatest blessing and greatest bane of our existence, the exile mused to himself while carefully reining in the eons of complex emotions that stirred like a whirlpool at the mention of the subject.

He nodded to her, his eyes alight with mirth. "In which case, I suppose I may require more than one set of garments to wear. It would not do to make a poor impression on my dutiful host."