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

[Kat]

Anastasia

"Huh, so we're 'dating' after all if we go eating together? Unless you hate me or something. Don't worry, I'm used to that. People don't  usually like mages like me." She stated that openly. That's how things were and not something that she hid. Even if she had a licence, she was still someone who used the dangerous art of magic, so she was feared and disliked by common people.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Oren

The beast wasn't paying much attention at all to the despair of her rider. Instead she just trotted towards a door and huffed at the child. Almost as if she was asking if the kid wanted to eat inside here. Very illegal. Scandalous, even. Didn't stop Oren from pawing at the door some more.


Paladin

With a nod of reassurance the warrior agreed and took the lead. With his shield out and sword drawn he neared the door of the decaying building and nudged it open. If not for the fact that it was falling apart the house wouldn't be out of place in any decent neighborhood. There was still whole furniture strewn about and there were pictures as well, although all the faces seemed to be completely blank. Just flat, unyielding flesh where features might have been. Disconcerting.

Remaining silent, Paladin advanced as the vanguard of the group into a living room. There were a few chairs, a TV, and a figure wrapped up in blankets and cloth. Under his helmet he frowned before plunging his sword into the ground. The creature didn't do much other than tilt the top half of its body but the frozen blood clinging to the knight's blade told him of what might have happened.

A fierce kick broke the floorboards and revealed what was underneath. Faceless people. Still and silent, but the slight deviation it time to freeze against his sword told him it was still fresh. Either these were very fresh, or they were still alive. Demons could be so repulsive.

He walked over the whole and as he did the figure tilted what appeared to be its head towards the chairs, but Paladin shook his head. "This is no time for negotiation, demon. Unclaimed souls are yours by right, yes, but these people were certainly not dead when you ripped their souls from them. The span of a world cannot evade the justice of Stribog so long as his servants walk it. Surrender, and you will be imprisoned as according to ancient law."

Quite eloquently, the demon responded with an intense blast of light. One that would turn any normal shield to molten slag but was held back by the might of the scale. The force pushed him back a few inches, but he merely shouted and rushed forwards.

A swipe of his blade nearly decapitated the demon if not for the fact that it simply phased through its chair and just out of reach. With a growl, the warrior proceeded to make himself as much as a nuisance as possible, stabbing and slashing at it whenever possible and trying to make room so his allies could strike it without fear of harming him.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Malcolm Kimberlee

Don't worry, it's not because you're a mage. It just helps. Damn, for her to say such things, it's like she really wasn't okay in the head or something. How the hell was he supposed to respond to that!? Tch.

"It's not that I hate you, idiot. " He snapped, not even aware he was blushing. Jeez, how could she even say such a thing? It totally didn't count as a date, dammit! On the other hand, even if she called herself a mage, he doubted she was the same as those arrogant clock tower magi fucks. It's not that he liked her, and he didn't find her attractive at all, but saying no would just make him look bad. That's all.

"Jeez, fine! Do you want to go or no?" He finally pouted.

[Panda]

Annabeth

A distraction, eh?

The Hunter decided to let it slide, not feeling quite up to the chore of being indignant over the remark.

"Guess I could say the same," the cowgirl remarked, sitting down next to him and resting the hand holding her drink on the table, "Name's Annabeth, and who might you be?"

[Panda]

Michael

"A familiar situation," the immortal said simply, unable to help a slight chuckle at the other man's remark about libraries, "And I suppose I could try that. The chances of them having something new to read are fairly slim, though. Besides, there are far better ways to entertain oneself than huddling away in a corner amidst fortress of written knowledge, no?"

[Elf]

Gabriel

Gabriel's eyebrows quirked slightly up at the name.  He eyed her, wondering if she was the Annabeth he had heard about.  A bounty hunter of skill and an unsavory reputation.

"I'm Gabriel, it's a pleasure to meet you," Gabriel said as he shook her hand with a smile. "So, why are you seeking a distraction?"

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka turned her head to the side, avoiding Shinobu's gaze.  "He wouldn't have killed me.  Besides, I was worried that fighting back would have encouraged him."  She said with a pout.  She knew the elder vampire was right.  But it was her personality to be somewhat confrontational, even in her pacifism.

[Aiden]

Mordred

"After we're done with the adventure, I'd like to show you something, Breeze. But elsewhere, a restaurant doesn't look like the proper place for that." For obvious reasons she didn't feel like disclosing her true looks in the public. She thought it was high time for Breeze to learn the truth.

Auspicious Breeze

"Huh? Oh, okay!" The former gladiator smiled. She had no idea what Mordred might want to show her, but it must be something important and all for her to mention it so far ahead of time. Breeze would have to make sure not to get too caught up in something else when they were done that Mordred would feel like she didn't have time. Or something.

Then she turned her attention back to dessert. "Right well, no use in letting deliciousness go to waste..."

[Panda]

Annabeth

The Hunter couldn't help a short sigh as she remembered the disappointingly short fight that had followed the annoyingly long hunt.

"Well, after the last hunt, I could use one," Annabeth said, taking a drink of her brandy, "While the bounty I got about matched something that weak, the guy I was working with hyped it up a fair bit for something I ended up cutting open with my business card. Disappointment is a bit easier to swallow when it pays better."

[Aiden]

Forest

Okay, it might be incredibly petty of me for warning a vampire who's intentions I don't know about Vermilion, but it feels kind of satisfying, Forest thought as Liam watched her.

She snorted, shook her head, and said, "It's just Forest.  Also, I left the files in that safe in tact and pretty sure that suit case I threw at Petra's feet was full of something unsavory.  I mean, if she wants to sell it herself, just tell her she needs to stay away from Chestnut Street, Oak, and Vine.  I catch anyone who is peddling that poison where I'm trying to set up is gonna get all kinds of broken."

Liam

"I doubt she will. Her brand of corruption is in the name of efficiency, ya know? Guess you can call it police brutality." Even so, he nodded and went to the safe so he could secure the documents. He'd make sure Petra got them. "Now, I happen to know a lil' bit about how these fellas were operatin'. Big bosses are across the street in the taller buildings. Should be more of 'em in the other buildings and down below."

Not that he knew Forest knew all of this through her telepathy already. He didn't even know she could read minds; not a talent his clan was known for. His was more about changing and controlling than reading.

[Elf]

Gabriel

Gabriel took a drink of his beer and he stared at her for a moment before laughing.  He shook his head, smiled, his violet eyes still gleaming with mirth. "So it was frustratingly unsatisfying then?" Gabriel asked.

He nodded and added, "I can understand why the experience would be disappointing.  Not to mention the waste of a good business card."


Forest

Forest watched as Liam took the documents and said, "Seems to be a fair bit of that going around.  Anyway, the two of you going to go clean up across the street then?"

Part of her wanted to.  It would be fun to play the Semi-Dark Avenger and just beat the living hell out of some idiots.  Plus there was the opportunity to collect more funds and make a healthy donation to the local hospital.  However, another part of her wanted to just go home, sit on the couch and stare at the TV screen until she fell asleep. 

It was pointless after all. 

There would another group that could be worse that would just pop up in a week or less. 

"I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes if you were."

[Kat]

Mitsuba

"I guess it's fortunate it was just an interruption. This city is not to be underestimated. And please be more discreet about that next time." How headache inducing. "Anyway, I may need your help. There might be a major job to perform, but all I know about my contact is that he is a blond haired man. He didn't deign to reveal more. How annoying."

[yinsukin]

Joe

Joe laughed at Rin's dark joke.  "No the first one.  Here let me set the scene."

"It was a cold fall afternoon during my highschool years.  I remember I was really tired and I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.  So, I dipped into an alleyway on my way home.  Then, I saw it: a warewolf.  It was huge, scruffy and was munching on a corpse.  I didn't think he saw me yet, so I tried to slowly back out of the alley way.  Instead, I stepped on a twig behind me.  The warewolf's ears perked up and it turned to look at me.  That was probably the scariest moment in my life."

He really was starting to get into telling the story, mimicking his movements and letting his voice get dramatic when appropriate. "We maintained eye contact for a second, then I bolted.  See, I knew there was one chance for survival.  There was a police station near my school and it was a base for the enforcers.  And it was only one block away from where that alley way was.  So I sprinted.  I got about halfway through the block before the werewolf sunk its claws into my back.  I yelled as loudly as I could.  But it only made the werewolf try to take me down quicker.  It picked me up, holstered me over his shoulder and carried me away."

"In my despiration, I reached into my pocket and grabbed a pencil.  Then, I stuck it into his eye.  There was a weird moment where the warewolf howled and I yelled.  He threw me on the ground. Knowing that I would die, I gave the wolf one final defiant glare.  It was then, that he was blasted with some sort of energy.  The enforcers heard my screaming and took him out.  But that was easily the closest ive ever been to death."

[Aiden]

Forest

Forest watched as Liam took the documents and said, "Seems to be a fair bit of that going around.  Anyway, the two of you going to go clean up across the street then?"

Part of her wanted to.  It would be fun to play the Semi-Dark Avenger and just beat the living hell out of some idiots.  Plus there was the opportunity to collect more funds and make a healthy donation to the local hospital.  However, another part of her wanted to just go home, sit on the couch and stare at the TV screen until she fell asleep. 

It was pointless after all. 

There would another group that could be worse that would just pop up in a week or less. 

"I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes if you were."

Liam

The files disappeared into his suit coat. "Wouldn't mind the help, if you're offerin'. I could probably handle them, but I'd rather not risk any getting away." Liam didn't believe in short-term solutions anymore. He'd been dead too long not to consider how to deal with a problem more thoroughly.

Which was why he was gonna put his own people in place once they were done here and he had more people. "I know some folk who can help me clean up the mess after, so if you're up for just breakin' some knees..."

The vampire grinned.

[Elf]

Rin

"You got lucky.  Not because you got rescued in the nick of time, but because you didn't contract lycanthropy from that bite," Rin said before stretching out and flicking her now sweat damp hair from her eyes.

In her time of being a magus for hire in the Nexus, she'd done some research on some of the creatures here.  There were some werewolves and vampires who's bite acted almost like a virus, spreading from host to host.  Lycanthropy being the most contagious of the two bites.

Rin sat up and moved closer to Joe.  She asked, "Hey, do you have a bite scar?  If so, can I see it and does it hamper your movement?"


Forest

"I'm generally up for a bit of violence, but you sure Petra won't mind?" Forest asked eyeing him.

She was waiting for the trap, the pitfall, the moment where she'd be tossed to the metaphorical wolves after she served her purpose. 

He wasn't a vampire from her world so she couldn't fall back on that knowledge.  For all she knew he could have all the Dracula powers or he could be weaker than a Buffyverse vampire.  Hell, even worse, he might be like a vampire from Twilight, which she encountered one of those sparkling wankers a few months back.