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

[Elf]

Rin

Rin blinked as Sakura stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around her.  She said, "What's family for, Nee-san, if it isn't for helping each other in times of need?"   Sakura didn't seem upset or even judgemental. 

She watched as Sakura went to the pink ribbon nestled in the violet locks of her hair and untying it.  Then the length of pink satin was placed in Rin's hand as she said, "Remember when you let me borrow your favorite ribbon?  Here you go, I think you need it more than me."  Her smile was a little awkward, but it was probably the most honest that Rin had seen the entire time she'd been here.

Rin looked at the pink ribbon in her hand, not knowing what to say or do.  She'd replaced her ribbons years ago with the garnet earrings she was currently wearing.  She'd grown up; she wasn't a little girl anymore.  However, she remembered when she had made these all of those years ago.  She had worked so hard on them and wanted her father to be proud of her.  Then she had given it to Sakura right before her younger sister was taken away and Sakura had kept it all of these years.

She clutched it in her hand before throwing her arms around Sakura and hugged her tightly.  "Thank you," she whispered.

[SINIB]

Rin

Rin blinked as Sakura stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around her.  She said, "What's family for, Nee-san, if it isn't for helping each other in times of need?"   Sakura didn't seem upset or even judgemental. 

She watched as Sakura went to the pink ribbon nestled in the violet locks of her hair and untying it.  Then the length of pink satin was placed in Rin's hand as she said, "Remember when you let me borrow your favorite ribbon?  Here you go, I think you need it more than me."  Her smile was a little awkward, but it was probably the most honest that Rin had seen the entire time she'd been here.

Rin looked at the pink ribbon in her hand, not knowing what to say or do.  She'd replaced her ribbons years ago with the garnet earrings she was currently wearing.  She'd grown up; she wasn't a little girl anymore.  However, she remembered when she had made these all of those years ago.  She had worked so hard on them and wanted her father to be proud of her.  Then she had given it to Sakura right before her younger sister was taken away and Sakura had kept it all of these years.

She clutched it in her hand before throwing her arms around Sakura and hugged her tightly.  "Thank you," she whispered.

Sakura Matou

Sakura continued her gentle embrace of her sister. The purple-haired woman closed her eyes and smiled. "Don't worry about it." She told her. "It's what family's for, and I know you'd do the same for me." She would allow Rin to embrace her as long as she wanted to. She didn't speak any more, and simply stood there embracing her sister.

[SINIB]

Shirou Emiya

Shirou whistled at her display of acrobatics before he followed her holding the wine, looking out for a place to pay. "The day might not be young, but the night certainly is." Shirou quipped. "So which one are you going to try first?" He asked her.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Liseth

"Oh." She took the coins and pocketed the rest of them. She really didn't have that much to say anymore. Still, it would be kind of rude just to snap her headphones on, take out her laptop, and just ignore him so she could play a video game or three. "So, what do you do without a war to fight? I mean, from what Rin and Sakura said it sounds like you guys would just leave once the fighting ended."

[Elf]

Rin

Rin smiled, nodded, and gave Sakura one last squeeze before letting the other woman go.  She stroked Sakura's hair out of her face with a smile.  It was nice to have Sakura here like this, but Rin didn't know what to say to her.

Instead, she squeezed Sakura's hand and said, "Let's go back out there."

She took a deep breath and said, "It maybe time for me to get over Emiya Shirou in all forms and move on."

[SINIB]

Rin

Rin smiled, nodded, and gave Sakura one last squeeze before letting the other woman go.  She stroked Sakura's hair out of her face with a smile.  It was nice to have Sakura here like this, but Rin didn't know what to say to her.

Instead, she squeezed Sakura's hand and said, "Let's go back out there."

She took a deep breath and said, "It maybe time for me to get over Emiya Shirou in all forms and move on."

Sakura Matou

Sakura reached up and stroked her sister's long, silky black hair. "Nee-san…" She started before stopping herself. No, it wasn't her place. She nodded. "Ok." She said. "If you're sure." She said.

"But…"

Sakura looked up at Rin hopefully. "Can we just stay here for a little bit longer, and chat a bit?" She asked. She wanted this special moment to last just a little bit longer. It was a hint at the relationship she'd always craved.

[Elf]

Rin

Rin sighed and said, "The one in this time line has you, and the other version apparently wants nothing to do with me so . . . It's not simply 'sure' but not wanting to chase something that doesn't want me in the end."

Then she smiled at Sakua's request as she absently began to wrap the ribbon around her palm.  "You know, I'd like that as well.  To talk without the others skulking around."

[Panda]

Emily

The Changeling couldn't help a slight giggle at the sudden appearance of an accent, nuzzling back against Gabriel.

Ah, I never got around to...Ah well, there's always next time. Hopefully...

"...Honestly, I'm still a bit curious," Emily said after a while, "What was it like where you were from, before you ended up here? At this point, we might as well get to know each other better."

[SINIB]

Rin

Rin sighed and said, "The one in this time line has you, and the other version apparently wants nothing to do with me so . . . It's not simply 'sure' but not wanting to chase something that doesn't want me in the end."

Then she smiled at Sakua's request as she absently began to wrap the ribbon around her palm.  "You know, I'd like that as well.  To talk without the others skulking around."

Sakura Matou

Sakura nodded at how Rin felt about Shirou, and more importantly, Archer. She'd have to think about that before having a big conversation with Rin about it. So she put that issue on the backburner, and smiled happily at Rin, with the brilliance of a sunrise. "Yeah. Just the two of us, like old times." She couldn't help but notice what Rin was doing with her ribbon. "Man, it's been a while, hasn't it? Even after the Grail War, things still felt pretty awkward between us, but I feel like, well, we finally overcame that hurdle just now, don't you?"

[Elf]

Gabriel

Gabriel noticed Emily's giggle and chuckled himself.  "I was born in Ireland, but I spent quite a bit of time in England so it comes out a bit a mishmash of both at times," he said as he twirled a lock of her hair behind his finger.

He cocked his head at her question and thought for a moment.  "Sometimes I feel like I lived in two worlds.  One cloaked in mystery and secrets of others and the other with terrifying and wonderful things that were common place.  I used to work in secrets, the gathering and the trade of them.  I liked to think for 'The Greater Good', but sometimes there is no simple 'good' or 'evil' but what you think is right or wrong."


Rin

Rin smiled and said, "I think so too.  Maybe we can start working together on things too.  And yes, things were kind of awkward.  I've never really good at expressing my feelings; being in London hasn't helped that either."

[Panda]

Dante

The half-demon caught the bag of money with one hand and a grin seemingly plastered to his face.

"That's fine by me," Dante noted, "This should be enough to at least get a place rented out to start up my business. Say, we never finished our little contest. Still up for it?"

[SINIB]

Sakura Matou

Sakura nodded at Rin. "Yeah, being alone in a big city can be really scary. I understand that now. I'm really sorry for not being more understanding about that…"

[Elf]

Rin

"Not just that," Rin said with a sigh and the shake of her head, "The politics, the fucking intrigue, how almost everyone is out there to stab your back and steal your work.  Or shun you because you're 'Filthy Japanese' or 'Filthy Asian'."

She gritted her teeth as she said, "I had one magus of some renown lament the fact that, other than being Asian, I would produce him the 'perfect' heir, but because I was Japanese he didn't want to muddy up his precious gene pool."

[SINIB]

Rin

"Not just that," Rin said with a sigh and the shake of her head, "The politics, the fucking intrigue, how almost everyone is out there to stab your back and steal your work.  Or shun you because you're 'Filthy Japanese' or 'Filthy Asian'."

She gritted her teeth as she said, "I had one magus of some renown lament the fact that, other than being Asian, I would produce him the 'perfect' heir, but because I was Japanese he didn't want to muddy up his precious gene pool."

Sakura Matou

Sakura flinched, and looked visibly angry at the thought of that. "They're so stupid… so utterly devoid of sense and reason. It makes me want to throw up. I can't believe that people like that exist, they don't deserve to have magic." Sakura shook her head in disgust. "You would have liked Faust… he never cared about anything stupid like that. All he saw was a magus with potential, that he wanted to watch blossom.

If the Clocktower was like that, everyone would be better off."

[Elf]

Rin

Rin sighed and said, "Not everyone at the Clocktower was like that though.  Even though she's my rival, I'd still - not to her face mind you - call Luvia a friend.  Roderick didn't care either . . . Even though half of the time he'd show up to my lab half beat up asking if I'd heal him.  Even though there were better mages at healing than me . . . "

She placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and said, "Well, if Faust wasn't the lech that the legends paint him as, I probably would."