Cross Effects- The RP

[YOLF]

Valda slowly turned her eyes to the necklace that had prompted this entire series of revelations and discussions to begin with. "I will be testing this again first. If it works for me this time, I will take it in payment and as an advance for a simple favor. If it does not, I will take your bullion and make... change, of it."

Then she scooped the piece of enchanted jewelry up and placed it around her neck again. Almost immediately she felt the cessation of the slow, uncomfortable trickle of mana from her fleshy prison of mortality. A shiver overcame her, her eyes closed for all of a few seconds, and then she nodded.

"This will more than suffice," Valda said, reaching into her pants pocket (she required new pants later, these were still rather damp) and pulling out a pair of bills. How the Euro was being accepted here in this dimensional nexus, she did not know. She was not particularly in a mood to care overly much in any case.

Sir Bonesington quipped in approval. "Excellent! You have my thanks."

Meanwhile, in his mind, he was considering what this meant. Before, when she was running completely dry, the necklace had not helped her in the slightest. But now that Valda had had a mana potion and restored some energy, it seems she was satisfied by its effect. A tiny him inside his head cackled in self-appreciation as his doubts were confirmed. It seemed that miss Valda's body could indeed not preserve mana efficiently, and burned through it at an amazing rate normally, likely due to the effect that had sealed her true self in her current human form. The necklace's restoration effect could only restore enough to counter the rate at which she lost power normally, so now she managed to avoid losing what she had already stored.

His skull somehow formed a smirk. It appeared his talents could still be useful for Valda in the future if she really wanted to restore her former glory as much as she claimed. He appreciated this fact. It never hurt to form possibly advantageous alliances.

Also, he didn't want to be on the wrong side of the flames if she decided she wanted to start a conflagration at some point.

Speaking of alliances....

"By the way, miss Valda? You wouldn't happen to have some experience with economic and legal processes?" He asked, a light and inquisitive tone rolling off his tongueless mouth. "You see, since it is unlikely that I'll be able to return to my humble abode in Azeroth any time soon, and I find myself curious about what other interesting individuals there might be in this place... I was planning on exchanging some of the belongings on me for exchangeable currency and build a little mansion somewhere for me to stay for the time."

[Aiden]

The moment that Bonesington mentioned legal expertise, Valda could only smirk widely. That had been the bread and butter of this mortal existence she had led for almost thirty years until her true memories had been unlocked. Did she possess this expertise? Most certainly; she could, would, and had crushed arguments on both sides of the courtroom, arranged for thoroughly binding contracts between two parties, and profited greatly from all of it.

In fact her very first task had been one rife with such territorial disputes as was possible in the situation the husk of a man proposed to her. That just made her answer easier. She adjusted her glasses. "I am a lawyer, actually. I am fully capable of the assistance you require, at a reasonable fee. Shelter, at the minimum."

Her eyes glanced past her glasses to the lost look on Luka's face. Neither of them had a place to stay, in any case, and no source of income in this strange place. As long as they were bound to help each other, she would need to take care of this matter when it was clear he would never be capable of it.

A warrior was good for what it did, but it could not manage accounts and see to incomes in this day and age. She reached out for his hand again and squeezed gently until he came back to himself.

"For both of us."

[Alice]

“Hmm, well, I think these look interesting”, he said with a smile, pointing at several of the pictures. A few of them he had picked based on the fact that they contained ingredients he knew he liked or that sounded interesting, and the rest he chose based on how nice the picture looked.

Ryoko hid her amusement- it was obvious the poor kid was having trouble reading the menu. She smiled back. "Ah, you like the sounds of the Carnivore pizza too, huh? Between me, Lancer, and you, that sounds like a keeper. I think I know what to order now, thanks to you."

She then dialed the pizza place's number. She placed the phone and waited patiently past the dial tone, to be answered on the other end by a bored-sounding teenaged voice.

"Welcome to the Brick House, our pizzas are so great you'll brick yourself hard, what will your order be today."

"Yeah, I'd like one Nothin' But the Cheese, one Carnivore, one Catch of the Day, one Food for Food, one Pepperoni Paradise, one BBQ Blowout, and one Everything But the Sink. All medium."

"You get a free 2 liter bottle of pop with that. What flavor."

"What do you got?"

"Sprite and Dr. Pepper or something I think."

"Uh... we'll take the Dr. Pepper I guess?"

"Anything else."

Ryoko gave Kiyoshi a quick look for confirmation before answering. "Yeah, I think that's everything."

The Brick House employee gave her a total which made her cringe, but thankfully she knew she had enough to pay for it all. He told her it'd be there in about an hour, and with a quick "thank you," Ryoko hung up the phone. She turned back to Kiyoshi with a grin.

"Alright then, we got ourselves some pizza. I take it you want to get started on that soup now?"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

"They just have to be willing, Jack," Forest said as she folded her arms across her admittedly small chest, "If you're a vampire here and want to stay, then you have to play by my rules.  And that rule is that you feed by consent.  Unless its during battle, then that's self defense, but if you wanna drink off of someone who lives here, then they have to give you permission to do so."

She knew what it was like to have her blood taken against her will.  She hadn't wanted to become a vampire; it had been one of the many things that had been forced upon her by that Roman Bastard that night.  She repressed the thought as she looked at Jack.

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen.  There are people there and I'm willing to bet that one of them will donate for you."

She tilted her head and said, "And replenishing fluids after donating blood is better than eating just a cookie."

"I'm just here for a little bit, I've got a haven set up somewhere else. Anyway, willing isn't exactly common, until they find out how good your bite feels."
Daeva had it easy, walk into a club, turn up the Majesty, and watch the prey flock to them. Feed during sex, problem solved. Not as easy for me. Dragging some mugger into an alley and rolling him after feeding, or taking the occasional bite off of Brianna was my MO.

I followed Forest into the kitchen anyway. I'd show myself out the window again after this. Maybe take a nibble off the girl and the idiot if I could. Probably the girl. There was just something... alluring about her. Like a bit of Majesty had rubbed off on her.

[Elf]

Archer grinned as he watched Rin dress, enjoying the view then lamenting the fact she was fully dressed.  He eyed the white slacks and said, "Be careful. I hate getting stains out of white fabric."

Then he smiled and said, "Not as nice as the skirt, but it works."

******

Lancer watched as Ryoko and the kid reappeared and started to order pizza.  He nodded at her selection, and then lamented the fact that the Brick House wouldn't deliver any of its beer.  Apparently it was illegal or some such nonsense. 

He looked at Tom and glared.  Part of him wanted to chase the man around the room and beat the living hell out of him.  It was worse than the instinctual dislike he had for the asshole bowman.  Him mentioning any sort of sympathy about Lancer's Landlady sent him on edge.

Then he realized that the asshole was a very pretty man as well; exotically so.  Fae like even.  The glasses just added to it.  No, he didn't want this asshole near Forest at all.

"Well, you'll just wait until she gets here."

******

"Then you should advertise that," Forest suggested, "You're not terrible looking or anything.  I'm pretty sure you could chat up some chick at a bar, or buy a prostitute for a bite."  She had problems with people demanding that they bite her back home.  Usually women that wanted to molest her during and after the biting, which wasn't something she was in to.

Despite being an "eternal virgin" and having to deal with that pain in the ass, she firmly preferred men.  However because she was an "eternal virgin" she was insanely picky and wanted emotional ties to any sexual activity.  Which hadn't happened in a very long time.

"Well, you'll just wait until she gets here."

Forest raised her eyebrow as she heard the near snarl in Lancer's voice.  It was worse than the tone he took when he spoke about Archer and his diabolical counterpart.  She walked into the kitchen to see Lancer glaring at a rather gorgeous man.  White hair, violet eyes, and oddly enough glasses.  There was Kiyoshi and Ryoko on the phone, ordering pizza from the Brick House knowing Lancer and his fondness for it.

She looked at Ryoko and said, "Let me pay for it when the driver gets here, or I can pay you back if you already paid with a card."

Then she walked over to Lancer, gently pushed him back, and said, "Okay, what's going on here that you've got my Hound of Ulster so excited?"

[Arch-Magos Winter]

"Then you should advertise that," Forest suggested, "You're not terrible looking or anything.  I'm pretty sure you could chat up some chick at a bar, or buy a prostitute for a bite."  She had problems with people demanding that they bite her back home.  Usually women that wanted to molest her during and after the biting, which wasn't something she was in to.

Despite being an "eternal virgin" and having to deal with that pain in the ass, she firmly preferred men.  However because she was an "eternal virgin" she was insanely picky and wanted emotional ties to any sexual activity.  Which hadn't happened in a very long time.

"Well, you'll just wait until she gets here."

Forest raised her eyebrow as she heard the near snarl in Lancer's voice.  It was worse than the tone he took when he spoke about Archer and his diabolical counterpart.  She walked into the kitchen to see Lancer glaring at a rather gorgeous man.  White hair, violet eyes, and oddly enough glasses.  There was Kiyoshi and Ryoko on the phone, ordering pizza from the Brick House knowing Lancer and his fondness for it.

She looked at Ryoko and said, "Let me pay for it when the driver gets here, or I can pay you back if you already paid with a card."

Then she walked over to Lancer, gently pushed him back, and said, "Okay, what's going on here that you've got my Hound of Ulster so excited?"

"It violates the First Tradition to do such. It's not something I'm willing to bend on."

I sighed as Forest got distracted by her guests. Honestly, I could go a little while longer without a bite, and I should probably leave. Maybe get a lick off of the pair upstairs on my way out.

I slipped out and away from the kitchen, heading back upstairs.

[lantzblades]

Connor closed the door and locked it. True it wouldn't hold off a vampire for long but any time was better than none. He looked at the bed posts, ornate but relatively thin. Connor took a moment to snap off the top of one creating a makeshift stake to fight with.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

I found the door locked, but honestly - it was a really really shitty door lock. No deadbolt, no chain, just one for the door handle, that if you shake it the right way...

It snapped open with a click. Honestly Mick, are you really this stupid? I need to leave this way, otherwise people might get a wee bit suspicious.

Stepping on inside, I gave a fanged smile to mick, who had somehow managed to rip a steel bedpost off. "It isn't wooden. Tough luck there Danny Boy." The Beast rattled within its cage. A competitor, an obstacle to feeding. She was there. She was oh, so, so desirable. I wanted to eat. The Beast wanted to eat.


We wanted to eat.

[lantzblades]

Connor didn't need to think about it "EMERGENCY PEOPLE, I NEED HELP DRAGGING A LOONEY AWAY FROM A HELPLESS GIRL, SERIOUSLY NOW" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Regardless of what he would look like embarrassment was a small price to pay for Sakura's safety on the off chance he was wrong.

Connor brandished the dagger like steel sliver as best he could not moving ground from between Sakura and this vampire.

[Arch-Magos Winter]

I...

I won't sugar coat this. I just... lost it. The noise, the smell, the threat, the situation... I lost it.

Only one thing was on my mind. Feed. Feed. Feed. I wanted to lunge past the Mick,  latch myself onto the girl and sink fangs deep inside her neck. Wanted to suck her dry, suck her down and up.

I couldn't move. Not yet, not give into the beast just yet...

[YOLF]

The moment that Bonesington mentioned legal expertise, Valda could only smirk widely. That had been the bread and butter of this mortal existence she had led for almost thirty years until her true memories had been unlocked. Did she possess this expertise? Most certainly; she could, would, and had crushed arguments on both sides of the courtroom, arranged for thoroughly binding contracts between two parties, and profited greatly from all of it.

In fact her very first task had been one rife with such territorial disputes as was possible in the situation the husk of a man proposed to her. That just made her answer easier. She adjusted her glasses. "I am a lawyer, actually. I am fully capable of the assistance you require, at a reasonable fee. Shelter, at the minimum."

Her eyes glanced past her glasses to the lost look on Luka's face. Neither of them had a place to stay, in any case, and no source of income in this strange place. As long as they were bound to help each other, she would need to take care of this matter when it was clear he would never be capable of it.

A warrior was good for what it did, but it could not manage accounts and see to incomes in this day and age. She reached out for his hand again and squeezed gently until he came back to himself.

"For both of us."

At that, Sir Bonesington bowed with a great flourishing motion.

"Of course. That is more than acceptable. Shelter and whatever you two may need for a living, so long as I am able to comfortably sustain us all with what I have. It is only fair for me to return your help so, and it is in my greatest interest for us to have an amicable relationship." The lich said.

He rose with an amused glint in his eyes and offered his bony hand for a shake, making sure to tone down the cold that constantly flowed around him.

"I hope we will get along in the future. Always nice to be on good terms with such interesting people."

[Arch-Magos Winter]

Henderson had simply been enjoying the ride. Man, he was so baked if he was seeing and hearing all this shit.

"Waiter, check please. Rupert's done with his donut!"

Somehow, the stuffed parrot had a 5 dollar bill in its beak.

[Alice]

Archer grinned as he watched Rin dress, enjoying the view then lamenting the fact she was fully dressed.  He eyed the white slacks and said, "Be careful. I hate getting stains out of white fabric."

"Of course I'll be careful. The Tohsakas are all about elegance. I wouldn't betray that by staining my nice white slacks."

Then he smiled and said, "Not as nice as the skirt, but it works."

She blushed at that and couldn't help beaming in response. Now ready to meet her awaiting public, she offered her arm to him.

***

"Well, you'll just wait until she gets here."

Tom was taken aback by the near growl in the Irishman's voice. He walked a bit closer to his new adversary, and their eyes locked, the violet eyes staring into Lancer's own with a rather feline glare.

Tom wasn't certain why, but the man before him drummed up a certain instinctive hatred. A growl tinged his own voice as he replied, "That I shall."

***

Ryoko suddenly noticed the aggressive sounding voices of the two men in the other room. She was a bit mortified to note that both were quite familiar...

Lancer and... Tom?! What's he doing here? She sighed and turned to Kiyoshi.

"Go ahead and start cooking the soup. I'm going over to make sure I don't have to do any damage control over here..."

Forest raised her eyebrow as she heard the near snarl in Lancer's voice.  It was worse than the tone he took when he spoke about Archer and his diabolical counterpart.  She walked into the kitchen to see Lancer glaring at a rather gorgeous man.  White hair, violet eyes, and oddly enough glasses.  There was Kiyoshi and Ryoko on the phone, ordering pizza from the Brick House knowing Lancer and his fondness for it.

She looked at Ryoko and said, "Let me pay for it when the driver gets here, or I can pay you back if you already paid with a card."

Forest's question stopped Ryoko mid-walk. She grinned and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. If I hadn't come here, my taint wouldn't be gone. I haven't paid yet, but it's no biggie. I don't mind."

Tom heard Ryoko speak and turned to her. "Ah, Ryoko. ...Wait, what do you mean your taint is gone?"

The redheaded magus sighed. "Long story." She looked pointedly at the two men. "But I think it can wait for now."

Then Forest walked over to Lancer, gently pushed him back, and said, "Okay, what's going on here that you've got my Hound of Ulster so excited?"

Ryoko walked over to Lancer's side, ready to grab his arm if need be to restrain him. She looked between the two men once more and considered the situation carefully.

Tom took her pause as an opportunity to speak. "So you must be Law Unto Herself then. To be quite honest with you, I don't quite know what I said to get your Hound to start barking at me. He's been quite aggressive towards me since the beginning."

Ryoko sighed and shook her head. "I think I'll handle this one, Tom." The psychic looked at her quizzically as she turned to Forest. "From what I can tell, your Hound has sniffed himself out a Tom Cat. Cats hate dogs. Dogs hate cats. Plus Tom's social skills aren't that great to begin with. Oh, he says some pretty words, but he's not so good at using those words to not come off like an arrogant asshole, sorry Tom, but you do. And since that comes off as a worse version of my dad, well... it was natural antagonism waiting to happen."

The magus grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... at least I think that's about how it is." 

[Bloble]

"Uh, right!" Finally out of his funk, Luka snapped to attention. "Thank you, Miss Valda, Mr. Bonesington. I'll make it up to you! Somehow!"

[Aiden]

"Uh, right!" Finally out of his funk, Luka snapped to attention. "Thank you, Miss Valda, Mr. Bonesington. I'll make it up to you! Somehow!"

Her other hand pats the back of Luka's, and her smile is gentle.

 "I know you will, Luka."

Then Valda turns to Bonesington and her face returns to neutral, even as she reaches out for his hand.

"When do we start?"