Cross Effects 3.0 - June 23, 2016—April 02, 2018

[Kat]

Mitsuba

Oh, dear, what it has to be me... The Unchained had honestly quite a bad day and didn't feel up to the task of explaining what this abominable city was, but basic manners demanded that she wouldn't ignore her question. So she at least tried to give her a decent answer:

"I honestly don't have any clue about the supernatural." The demon lied. "But I ended up here pulled away by some mysterious force just like many residents of the city, though some of them seems to be born here. I don't know, it just like pulls people from many different places into one single place."

[Panda]

Michael

As the immortal led Oren through the trees, quite literally, he couldn't help but notice the odd little signs amidst the roar of...well, he couldn't exactly call it combat right now. Maybe a scuffle? Something they'd look back on and laugh about, perhaps, assuming that both of them survived. Regardless, the odd little omens piled up until, finally, the cause revealed itself in all its glory. After all, they were rampaging around its forest, and so the elemental in charge was quite pissed.

...About damn time.

A grin made itself known on the immortal's face once more, but not one of amusement, as the beast fended off Oren with almost contemptuous ease. No, this grin spoke of bloodlust tempered by millennia spent in the fires of combat, it spoke of the realization that this opponent was deserving of the immortal's full attention, here and now. As if in response to that realization, the Elemental loosed a blast of fire at Michael, seemingly focused far more on the large dragon.

Oh, now that's just not okay.

Standing his ground amidst the canopy, Michael's staff spun in his hands as if with a will of its own, the immortal's body merely following it along. It was in these moments that the tiniest glimpse of what Michael had achieved over his long life could be glimpsed. Skill that transcended all human limits, earned through experience, guts, and hard work alone. Skill that laughed in the face of silly things like logic and probability. Skill that had preserved Michael's life against opponents who vastly outclassed him in every way but one, for that one was the only thing he would never be outclassed in. With an almost joyous yell, Michael lashed out, the wave of fire scattering around him, though whether it was due to the new power the tool had been imbued with or the immortal's own skill was impossible to tell. Michael soon responded in kind, lashing out with a blow of his own, sending wave after wave of that black energy flying at the body surrounding that bright red-green glow, Michael deciding to focus his efforts on cracking that shell open.

[Aiden]

Auspicious Breeze

She satisfied her body's urges, put there by whatever was in the meat she ate. It had to be the meat. She should probably care more than this about that. Breeze faintly recognized that she would feel really, really mad if someone did that to her mistress, but she couldn't really bring herself to care at all right now. It bothered her that this didn't bother her. Maybe.

The truth of things is, Auspicious Breeze wasn't very smart. She didn't know a lot of things. She wasn't even, clearly, smart enough to move away when Oren turned into a giant monster and started attacking Michael for some reason. Normally this would bother her; she didn't like being dumb. But she didn't care. That should bother her.

Her fingers were sticky.

The forest was becoming a mess. The fight wasn't going anywhere, she noticed when she bothered to look. It was weird. The couldn't hurt each other at all. That should probably have made her happy, at least; she didn't really remember what that felt like right now, either.

Something was wrong with her.

Then things changed. The forest came alive, like some great spirit her mistress, her Radiant Cataclysm, told her about before. But this was a really big one. Really big. She was in danger. Breeze should probably move. She didn't do anything to stop it, she just got out of its way.

Then the really big one made Oren move. It made her hurt. A cute girl was getting hurt right in front of Auspicious Breeze and she wasn't doing anything and what the hell was wrong with her?! Something in her head snapped back into place, her sticky fingers clenched into a fist, and she brought her eyes up to see the monster. Seeing it, she remembered what it was like to be angry.

Essence concentrated across her skin, and it was tough as the best armor. Tougher. The big monster's fire only singed, and that was pain she could ignore. Her muscles filled with fury. She blurred out of sight.

The Chosen of the Dawn appeared again behind the beast in a corona of sunfire, four persons high off the ground, the mark of the rising sun shining on her forehead, and concentrated the burning light in her veins to the knuckles of her fists. Fists of Iron

"ORYAAA!"

She cracked the shell beneath her hand, on the side opposite of Michael. The force of her blow made the giant stumble into Michael's hit.

[Aiden]

Muramasa Katase

This bumbling fool, she thought to herself, more amused by this than any other feeling his confusion might have provoked. Who said men had to be smart to be interesting? Then again, he couldn't be outright stupid - he was too insightful and skilled when it came to weapons like her. Then he actually asked her a question, and...

Katase blinked in confusion. He did not know what a television was? Then again, she could hardly blame him for that. Human inventions were downright bizarre at the best of times. She gestured at it, waving her hand as if to dismiss it. "I believe humans call boxes like these 'televisions.' They show moving images of people and places, accompanied by sound. I can't say I understand how they work. Humans can be... very strange."


Ron

"I should probably test that, then," Ron muttered to himself as he looked down to the hand holding his chopsticks. "See if those techniques I know can keep it from piercing my skin, or something." He took another bite of meat and nodded to himself.

Other abilities, huh? That would explain some of the things he could do before Anne started teaching him things. He already could increase his strength that way, and it just stacked with what his girlfriend roommate showed him to do. But some of that just sounded crazy. Turning into a woman? Talking to rocks? Okay, he could talk to animals, but that seemed logical - he could turn into one.

"Well, I talk to pigeons sometimes," he confessed. "And I can make myself stronger and tougher even without changing shape. Even without the stuff she taught me; just makes it better. But... can I really turn into a woman? How does being a werewolf somehow lead to that?"

[SINIB]

Sakura Matou

Sakura took the cling wrap from Archer and shook her head. "No idea, sorry. Nee-san is out getting drunk off her ass right now." Sakura's voice was tinged with annoyance at her sister. "She doesn't even have it that bad…" she murmered as she carefully wrapped up the plate and put it in the fridge. "She'll be back when she decides to come back, or when I go find her in the morning."

Sakura sighed and began writing a note on a scrap of paper, attaching it to the fridge with a magnet.

"Archer, what do you think of this version of my sister?" Sakura asked him bluntly, with a tinge of dejection in her voice.

[SINIB]

Jin

The hero merely stood up after the exchange, undaunted by this opposition he was facing. The monster kept charging relentlessly. While that may be seen as strength, it was also a weakness, for it made it predictable. When something was predictable, it was easy to counter. Striking a pose, the hero prepared himself for the one strike that would bring the monster down yet again. A barrier appeared ifront of him, signaling the start of the technique.

"Empty Sky Form: Winter's Reposte"

With that he moved with an incredible pace, deflecting the monster's blow while slicing through it yea again as it was once more covered in ice.



Archer

Archer was busy cleaning up in the kitchen. Doing things like this can really take your mind off of things. At least for a while. He had just about removed all the plates and was getting ready to clean the table when he noticed that Sakura had returned. She took out a plate and started putting food on it saying it was for Rin. Then she asked him about to pass her the cling wrap which he did, after fumbling around a bit while looking for it. "Do you have any idea when she might be back?"


Jeanne

The servant pouted as Sakura patted her head, a look of annoyance passing her face as her master brushed aside the alcohol calamity like it was a common day problem, it was not, it was essential. Jeanne unenthusiastically waved her master bye when she went back to the kitchen. She then turned to Shirou as he said that she was lucky to have her as her master. "Maybe I am...on the other hand, I told her what we did earlier."

Shirou Emiya

Shirou blushed and opened his mouth in surprise. He couldn't believe...

"W-why?" He asked quietly. "Why did you do that?" He sounded like he was about to cry. Sakura had obviously been ok with his duplicity, which was a huge relief, but it still felt like a huge breach of trust. He grabbed Jeanne's shoulder, and said, "There's got to be more to this story, right?" He asked in a somewhat frenzied tone. "You didn't just go up and say to her by the way Shirou felt me up, right?"

[Kat]

Rikuyo

"Ah, that's maybe coz werewolves came to be when a great wolf spirit got fucked by the Moon. No one  agrees who was the Pa and who was the Ma when they had kids. As well they could take turns coz maybe they were too bored." Or just werewolves couldn't agree even on their origin story. There seemed to be many tribes with their own version of how things happened.

"You know, if ya really want to learn how to change into a woman, I won't stop ya. If you wanna be on of those sneaky types of hunters, it could be even helpful. You should find a spirit willing to teach ya or maybe just really, really wanting that could do the trick." Though she liked Ron-kun as he was, honestly.

[Panda]

Dante

As Dante followed Petra back into the bar, he couldn't help but note that Liseth and Rin seemed to be...gone, perhaps? It seemed a bit odd that those two would leave already, though, as they hadn't been gone for that long. Nonetheless, something felt off, something the half-demon became sharply aware of once he focused a little. Perhaps some kind of field?

Regardless, Dante followed Petra, glancing at her to see that she seemed to have noticed it as well. The honey-haired girl moved ahead, only to seem to vanish from his view, likely an effect of whatever it was he sensed. Curious, he moved in as well, blinking as Rin, Liseth, and Petra seemed to reappear, though it felt like they'd been there the whole time, only that he hadn't noticed somehow. Allowing a curious hum, the half-demon shot the cute raven-haired girl a questioning look, unable to help being a little curious about what they'd been up to.

[Aiden]

Ron

"Tribes? Origin stories? That sounds complicated," Ron said, frowning at the thought of it. Gods and spirits and all kinds of weirdness were involved, and all he had was comics and second-hand accounts to go on. "Doesn't really feel important. And I think I'm okay staying a guy right now."

Maybe later. If he ever found where his parents put those Asian comics.

"So, I'm curious. How long have you been in the Nexus for, Rikuyo?"

[Kat]

Ron

"Tribes? Origin stories? That sounds complicated," Ron said, frowning at the thought of it. Gods and spirits and all kinds of weirdness were involved, and all he had was comics and second-hand accounts to go on. "Doesn't really feel important. And I think I'm okay staying a guy right now."

Maybe later. If he ever found where his parents put those Asian comics.

"So, I'm curious. How long have you been in the Nexus for, Rikuyo?"

Rikuyo

Oh, so he didn't want to shift that way any soon. That was a relief for the red headed girl.

"Uh, me? Since last winter, I think. I just fell asleep under a tree and woke up in this place. I guess that's not too long." She shrugged. "But things are happening here every day, so even staying here for short time was intense. What about you?"

[Thedoctor]

Archer

So Rin was out drinking, Judging by how Sakura said it seemed she did this frequently. "What I think of her? She looks quite a bit more depressed than I remember, almost as if she was thinking the world was against her. At least that's the impression I got." Archer turned to her as he talked, Sakura looked dejected, maybe there was something between them now. "You don't look too happy with how she's acting, or am I wrong?"

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider's face fell as Oka snapped back at her, obviously upset by what she'd said. The girl looked shocked and betrayed, as if something Rider had said was offensive to her.

What did I say? I thought she liked Pokemon....

Rider was confused and upset, she didn't want to make the girl sad. Still, despite the girl's obvious hurt, she didn't tell Rider to leave and, so, Rider followed her along, looking guilty and pondering what she was upset about, taking hold of the ribbons kindly offered to her by Sylveon with a smile.

Finally, after some time, Wormy stopped his movement, turning around and allowing Oka to speak to Rider.

"I'm sorry about that", she said. "So, what's your world like? Is magic real in it? Who is your master, and what does she look like?"

An embarrassed look came over Rider's face at the last question.

"My master is called Sakura and, she looks like, erm..., well, like you", Rider responded, sheepishly. "And, yes, magic does exist in my world. My master is a magus, and I am her familiar. As for the nature of the world, well...."

With that, Rider paused momentarily. She wasn't really sure how to describe her world, it was just as it was. She could imagine, though, that Oka wouldn't know of the magical aspects, after all, most people in her own world didn't.

"It's difficult to explain, really, my world just seems normal to me. It's mostly like this world, except that magic is kept secret from those who do not possess it. I was summoned by my master to battle in something called the Holy Grail War, which was a fight between seven masters, each of which summoned an ancient hero or villain to fight on their behalf. After the war, my master asked me to remain with her, and I happily agreed", she added, explaining her situation.

Then, Rider frowned momentarily.

"Why were you upset before? I thought you considered Pokemon to be your friends", she asked, curious.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Oren

An almost happy purring sound emerged from Oren's jaws as she saw Breeze crash like a comet into the side of the elemental. It toppled into the rending waves that the stick man sent cascading down into its other side. The spirit shrieked and gave way. Wood splintered and shattered, but as the creature broke in half the green light moved. Its burning body flipped in the air and roots burst from it and pulled its lower half back towards it with impossible finesse and speed.

It reassembled itself quickly, and it only took it a scant moment to realize that it was outnumbered. A voice like a roaring fire burst from its throat, and the nearby trees burst into flames and came to life. As angry as their leader, they formed bestial features of their own and lunged at the three combatants.

But these were of no concern to Oren with all her weight and heat resistant skin. The fires might as well have been nonexistent. Her focus was still entirely on the spirit which had focused its attention on the other two. An inferno burst from its jaws and vines burst from the ground to bind them, but that lapse in focus was all the dragon needed. Oren leaped onto the larger creature and bit down on it with monstrous force.

It was knocked back and its own attack interrupted as it wrestled with the Formless One. A swipe from its paw drew brown blood from its side and another bite from her tore out part of its face, but it was already regrowing. She wasn't strong enough to crush it and lacked the finesse to shatter its core, but she could distract it. Even as it moved upwards away from its former location the bright green glow was still visible.

[Elf]

Rin

"Huh, got anything to hide, Tohsaka?"

Rin gritted her teeth as she felt someone walk through her field. 

Which should have been impossible . . . Sakura or Luvia would have worked to break it, but she passed through it like . . .

Rin frowned as she remembered a petite, shining blond knight with eyes like emeralds swatting past her spells like a hot knife through butter.  She looked at Liseth and then back at Petra.  Dante was getting close as well and she shrugged.

"And why would it be your business if I did?" Rin replied with a shrug.  There was something . . . off about Petra.  She knew about magi but she wasn't a magi herself.  She was quite interested when Garou mentioned "Saber".   

Then she looked at Liseth with a smile and said, "You know, I could ask my sister; she's been here for a while.  She'll probably know of a safe place for you to stay." 


Forest

"The government needs to act with the people's best interests before their own.  They need to work to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, not be guilty themselves," Forest said to Julius.

She knew her view on the government was skewed; she was a supernatural vigilante after all.   While she wasn't an anarchist like Hawk, but she wasn't exactly Lawful Good or particularly lawful at all.  Looking over at the silent Gadreel, she wondered what his thoughts on the matter and he curiously fell silent at Julius's little monologue about aristocracy. 

Then she looked down at her phone and smiled.  "Well, looks like liquor before groceries.  There's actually a liquor store in this complex," she said before looking at the douche brigade. 

"You know, maybe we should tie these miscreants up for the bobbies, like wrapping up a present."


Gabriel

Gabriel smiled at Emily and asked, "Well, is this a hint that you want to take the lead?"


Corbin

"Damn it Mordred and Kuro, you two really made a fucking mess of yourselves, didn't you?" Corbin said with a sigh as he approached Mordred to help support her.

The smell of her blood was thick in his nostrils; a few centuries ago it would have sent him reeling.  If she had been a vampire he knew the bloodlust would be upon him.  However, he was more concerned than hungry.

"Ah, medic!" he shouted, hoping that there was one on duty because his first aid skills were shit.

[Panda]

Seras

The vampire frowned at the man's display, cocking an eyebrow as he tried to reach for a shot before falling back, seemingly out cold. Unable to help a feeling at least a little concern for the unconscious drunk sprawled out on the floor, but not enough to personally wait around to find out where he lived so she could drag his sorry ass back there.

With that in mind, the vampire paid the bill for the drinks, leaving a substantial tip and taking a moment to hypnotize the bartender into agreeing to help the man out once he woke up. With her obligations cleared, Seras finished off the Bloody Mary and left the bar, looking for a suitably isolated alley to regurgitate the unpalatable, if tasty, cocktail.