Cross Effects 3.0 - April 13, 2015—June 23, 2016

[Panda]

Michael

Realizing that his audience's interest had all but evaporated, the immortal visibly deflated, deciding to save the speech on the use of cardboard boxes in the field of espionage for later. A quick glance behind him revealed that the woman had taken the opportunity to start trying out some of the clothes in contained within the box. Closer examination made apparent the fact that she wasn't even bothering to conceal herself as she did so.

The immortal stopped cold at this, unable to help but appreciate the view presented. Even considering the millennia that had passed him by, he knew all too well that there were just some things that never quite lost their appeal no matter how many times they were appreciated. Granted, there could have been more to appreciate, but one can't be picky in times like these.

As much as he didn't want to ruin the moment, something had to be said.

"Isn't it a bit chilly out here?" the immortal queried, internally face-palming at the lameness of that line.

And this is why I stick to fights.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Aisha

"What makes you believe they ever went wrong? A beast hunts down prey to satisfy physical hunger but humans and those like humans are much more complex than that. Their hungers are varied and complex, and some are much more intense than any physical need. There are always losses and gains. Predators and prey exit in a multitude of forms in every environment. Humanity may pretend to be so much more but these hungers are a part of them. A necessary part. So no. I never wonder where they went wrong for they have never strayed from the path before them."

They were beginning to near the shore and the still waters began to tremble slightly. Despite this Aisha seemed entirely unconcerned and didn't even shiver at the chill as the day slowly began its shift to night.

[Panda]

Adjutor

Adjutor stopped cold at that, struggling to process what she'd just said. No, not process, rather he was having trouble accepting it. The cold winds ignored the protection of his damaged clothes, the sharp chill cutting him to the very marrow as he tried to deal with what she'd just said.

...a necessary part of them? Whatever drives them to kill...a hunger? A natural part of them? No. No way in hell...

The words struck a harsh blow to something he'd never expected to be tested. The separation of self, the mental barriers keeping the self that was Adjutor Xarrest apart from the self that was the Hunter, were never meant to be tested like this.

The notion that his ideal, the very thing that had kept him alive after he'd first 'died', was simply an expression of a natural desire to kill...that was something he couldn't accept. That a desire to kill was natural was something he couldn't accept, something that he had no choice but to deny with every fiber of his being.

"No," he said, wishing he didn't sound so desperate, "It...There's no way that...no way a need to kill...no way that could be natural. There's no way that that kind of hunger could be a necessary part of us."

[Kaze]

EMIYA SHIROU

Caster bowed deeply while making an overly grand gesture at a giant crow waiting nearby that Shirou had failed to notice before. Now that he actually thought about it, Caster was a pretty weird guy.

He walked up to the bird and hoisted himself up onto its back with both hands. Once he had taken a moment to steady himself, the Emiya magus reached down and pulled Mia up as well, setting her down right in front of him, the large sheathed sword on her back pressing against his chest. He was going to have to ask her about that later.


LANCELOT

The dark knight suppressed a snort as Noel immediately went on the offensive, the muzzle flash from her weapons briefly lighting up the sewer they were mucking around in. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to smite the disgusting creature, but he had hoped she had better trigger discipline than that.

Mata reacted to the counterattack first, probably having anticipated it from her experiences working down here. Saber moved barely an instant later, using Excalibur to deflect spikes away from the area that Mata’s makeshift shield didn’t cover. Lancelot eyed the strange masked girl appraisingly. To rip away parts of the wall so quickly was quite a feat for humans this day and age. She may not be a warrior by trade, but she seemed competent enough.

When detective Barthow gave orders to retrieve one of the creature’s legs, the incarnated Servant acknowledged his words by reaching around Mata’s improvised defense to remove one of the spikes embedded in it. Red seeped into the weapon, making it something more than what it once was.

“Understood,” he said.

Lancelot charged into the darkness after his quarry, flashlight and spike in hand as his armored boots splashed loudly in the filthy water.

[yinsukin]

Roxas

"You're a grump, ain't you? Why I'm not surprised that the answer is no... Okay, time to throw away those rags." Rikuyo said before stripping down


"Ah, Rikuyo. Since I've been kind enough to offer you a safe shelter and clothes, would you mind helping me out with a matter I need to sort out?"  Richard responded without even being phased by Rikuyo's stripping.

Roxas on the other hand was a bit taken off guard by her behavior.  "Hey wait you can't just-"  He tried to say before turning away.  It was too late, she already started taking off her already torn clothes.  It less than a second, but he took a mental snapshot of her athletic body and developed figure as he turned his body around.  In that moment he remembered that she was older than him.  He had forgotten that after she had dragged him through this entire mess.

Now facing the opposite direction, Roxas sighed.  His companions weren't listening to him again, particularity Rikuyo who doesn't seem to care or notice how she has dragged him around all evening.  He was getting hungry and felt a bit tired mentally from being dragged around and beaten all day.  He reached into his pocket and grabbed the scone that the creepy doctor gave him.  He took a bite of the scone.  It was extremely dry and the taste was a bit worn out from age.  The nobody turned his head to face the staff guy who was standing next to him.

"Hey do you want a bite?"  He asked.

[Knick]

Mia

Mia followed Shirou onto the bird, letting him lift her onto it its back and sitting in front of him, so her back was leaning against his chest. Papa was ok with it so there was no reason to not go.

But even still she continued to watch the man, just in case.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider frowned as Rin started to ask how she could get out of the house. She knew that Sakura would not be happy for her sister to go out unprotected at this hour, and she was really not sure where Rin even wanted to go.

“Rin, where do you wish to go?” she asked. “It is getting late, and this city is a dangerous place, far more so than Fuyuki. Sakura will worry if you go out alone.”

[Elf]

Rin

“Rin, where do you wish to go?” Rider asked. “It is getting late, and this city is a dangerous place, far more so than Fuyuki. Sakura will worry if you go out alone.”

Geeze, I've lived in London for three years and having to deal with Dead Apostles.  I'm not exactly a damsel in distress, Rin thought, bristling slightly. Plus people tend to forget I'm generally nocturnal in nature.  My prana peeks at 1 AM for christsakes.

Then there was the whole, "Sakura will worry."

"Sakura should be aware of the fact that I can take care of myself.  Plus I've lived in London alone for three years while having to deal with Dead Apostles who think they can use me to get to Master Zeltrech," Rin answered, "Plus I'd like to get some clothing that fits, get a good layout of the city so I can figure how it works and . . . "  Heat filled Rin's cheeks as she bit her lip.

Sakura's Shirou spoke up, "You want to find that other version of Emiya Shirou.  The one who looks like Archer."

"So what if I do?  Archer was my Servant and I failed him as a Master.  I have to make it up to him some how," Rin retorted before throwing a hand over her mouth for saying too much.  She had kept most of her feelings towards her Servant and his alternate version to herself.  Ilya had been the only one who knew how Rin felt like she had failed as a Master because Archer sacrificed himself to save them all.

During the War she had put on a good act of bravado, stating that Shirou was responsible for the loss of her Archer and had to return the favor.  She had put up quite a few fronts during Heaven's Feel: she had acted as if she could kill Sakura with ease when she wanted to save her, she had burrowed her feelings for Shirou, but she hadn't been able to quite burrow everything when she finally got Ilya to tell her who Archer had been in life.  Even now Rin felt as if she had a debt she needed to pay back to a dead man, which really frustrated her.

However, here, there was an Emiya Shirou on that path and while she might not be able to pay the debt back to Archer, she could try to save this Shirou from future heartbreak.


Saber

Saber nodded at Henry's wish and watched as Lancelot headed off in the direction that the creature had fled.  The blond filled herself with prana until she was almost glowing as she changed her stance.  Looking at Noel, she said, "Make sure no harm come to these two while Lancelot and I hunt the creature."

With that, she shot off like a rocket to join her former knight.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura

Sakura watched as Togan threw her and Irisviel a controller each, and created a pillow for each of them to sit on, before inserting the game into the console. She watched through the opening video, which was about what you would expect from such a game, before the game menu finally appeared.

As soon as Togan selected the “multiplayer” option, three arms popped out of the screen, dragging them inside, into the pitch black. Sakura was rather unnerved by what was going on. She was used to virtual reality games, but not to hands popping out of the screen to drag you in.

Once they were in, several images appeared, showing the various available tracks.

'Inside a volcano'? 'Mind the oxygen supply'? 'Dinosaurs'?

These all looked somewhat dangerous. Normally, that wouldn't bother her, but she wasn't entirely certain that any damage she might suffer during the race would be purely virtual.

Irisviel, however, seemed to have no such worries, still jumping around and laughing like a small child. As soon as she heard the final choice, she jumped up in excitement, shouting the track she wanted.

For thrill-seekers only? That sounds worrying....

“I.. is this safe?” she asked, nervously. “Anything that happens to us in the race won't cause any permanent damage, right?”

[Kat]

As much as he didn't want to ruin the moment, something had to be said.

"Isn't it a bit chilly out here?" the immortal queried, internally face-palming at the lameness of that line.

And this is why I stick to fights.

Rikuyo

"Duh, that's why I'm changing." the woman replied, oblivious to Michael's attempt to flirt with her. Once she finished changing, she felt warmer than in her destroyed original clothes. It was a bit weird for her to wear clothes of a foreigner, but she wouldn't fuss about that.

Then, his face lit up. If he was going to fight that vampire, it would be wise to use everything he had. He didn't feel very good about it, but if things got too dire, he would need Rikuyo's help.

"Ah, Rikuyo. Since I've been kind enough to offer you a safe shelter and clothes, would you mind helping me out with a matter I need to sort out?"

"Dunno about shelter, but you have a point about clothes. So what ya need from me?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Tohuw Balagan

Tohuw turned lividly pale as soon as Irisviel choose the map. Trembling for what seemed an instant, the demon answered Sakura's question with a fearful tone.

"Y-yes... most of them are safe."

Then, with a voice full of concern, he turned to Irisviel.

"Irisviel, are you sure you want to play Detroit? It's... a bit different from the others. I don't know if it's safe or not, but no one ever won a race in this map. Ever! If I were you...... Why not choose the Burning Love map? It looks fun! And it probably won't kill us."


Richard Maxwell

Richard stopped smiling altogether, his face now sad and full of unease. Without the unnerving smile that gave him a mysterious unsettling quality, his face was now pale and ghastly. It was like death, plastered on an empty clay mold.

"Look, there is someone I must absolutely end. If you refuse, I won't hold it against you. I also don't feel right about involving you into this mess, but listen. I need you to make extra sure that no outsiders or strangers get involved in this. I'll need you to keep anyone and everyone out. Also, if I happen to lose you must save me. But only if I happen to be in a fatal situation. Under no circumstance are you to meddle any further. And if that person happens to claim me..."

He clenched his fist, sighing before looking at Rikuyo straight in the eye.

"I'll need you to kill me."

[yinsukin]

Nova

Nova continued to watch the mage as he summoned a giant crow and loaded the young man onto it.  At this point he had hidden himself behind a structure on the roof but peaked his eyes through the side of the structure.  This time rather than ask for information, he was simply going to take it.

[Panda]

Michael

Michael allowed a moment of relief that the woman had missed out on the terrible line before he noticed the proffered scone.

"...Sure, why not," Michael said, tearing off a small piece of the scone and eating it, wincing at the sudden exodus of every last drop of moisture from his mouth. Grimacing, the immortal forced the pastry down regardless, suddenly hating the fact that he hadn't thought to bring any water with him.

After a few moments spent coughing at the sudden dryness in his throat, the hydromancer's words registered.

"Well, if you're just going to have her keep things between you two, I can't help but admire your resolve," the immortal remarked, "But I can't help but wonder...Who is this lucky fellow you're so taken with?"

[SINIB]

Faust

Faust followed Shirou and the small girl onto the bird. It soared off towards a hotel at his mental command, he stood majestically on top of it as the air fluttered through his clothing. He suddenly got a mental communication from Mordred, asking him for a favor.

“Of course, what do you need my assistance for?” He responded with a managomous voice.

[SINIB]

Irisviel is the Lord of The Harvest!!!!


Irisviel was about to vehemently protest against not playing Detroit, it sounded like a great deal of fun! All the craziness Towuh was describing sounded amazing! But then she saw Sakura’s worried expression. I guess she doesn’t like jumpscares or something? Irisviel wondered. However, it wouldn’t be nice to force her to play something scary even though she was a scaredy cat.

“W-Well, OK.” Irisiviel said with a pout, disappointment lacing her voice. “If you guys don’t want to play something that scary, then fine!” Irisviel sat down in a huff. “We’ll play burning love, I guess.”