Cross Effects 3.0 - October 21, 2015—June 23, 2016

[Kotomine_Rin]

Darcy Hugh

The priest sighed and scratched his head, seeming as troubled as someone who realized he just stained his shirt. He looked at Mitsuba with a somewhat annoyed look and spoke calmly.

"You've got a good idea, but you're going all out of order. You know the expression, a cornered rat will bite a cat? By forcing him to spill the beans in exchange of something necessary, you're applying needless pressure on him. It's no different than starving a prisoner only to offer a banquet in exchange for information. Sure, he could talk, but how much? And will his words truly be reliable?  If you do that, you only establish a relationship built on power, rather than trust. You're looking to make him want to help you, not have to. If it makes you feel any better, I was going to ask him about that. Just not in such a needlessly direct way, and not right now.  We don't know anything about him, we should learn more before asking big questions. Just be a little patient, alright?"

Before she could really make an answer to that, he reached for his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, only to present it to her with a friendly smile.

"There, now will you tell him?" He said, this time switching to fluent japanese.

[Kat]

Mitsuba

"Oh, come on, you value me that cheap?" She remembered she brought as much money with her. Just in case. But she didn't trust Darcy enough to show him where she kept it, so she used her Embed to pull off another dollar bill from her other pocket. "Even I have that much money, so your bribe is pitiful." But it could be useful. She had enough of the priest's antics. So she would just take the money, and do it her own way.

"Emiya-san, I bet you could spare some time and go with me? Only us two?" After she snatched the bill from Darcy, she took Emiya's arm while smiling unusually upbeat. "Let's us mope about our hopeless lives over some drink, and then you will tell me what you know and will tell what you want." She really, really needed a goddamn break from dealing from D'arcy. "Be a good priest and wait for us, I will get the goddamned information." She said, switching to English.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Darcy Hugh

Darcy smirked and shook his head. She was smarter than he thought, a little. Not saying he misjudged her or anything, but he had to wonder if he would be able to kill her as easily as a vampire.

Had she been one, he would've simply shot that pretty face of hers in the instant where she reached for that money. But she wasn't a vampire, nor was she the one he was paid to kill, so there was no reason to get trigger happy.

"No need to go back and forth, cutie. You might tire your pretty legs if you strain yourself. I did say I wanted to help the poor boy, and I could use a drink. Don't worry, I'll be a good boy and keep out of your little romantic discussion, you can do as you please. I'll just hit on the prettier bartender in town and drown my sorrows." He said in japanese, his accent as thick as ever and not caring to hide even the slightest trace of snark.

Then, he turned to Shirou and bowed apologetically like a proper japanese.

"Is that alright with you, Emiya san? And sorry for leaving you out just now, I meant no inconvenience."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

By the time the redhead had started speaking Erica had already swallowed another portion of the frozen delight, and the moment before the altered one closed her mouth to finish speaking the construct slid another spoonful into the stranger's mouth. "I came to ask you about you unnatural level of attractiveness. While your form is aesthetically pleasing from this culture's viewpoint it is creating reactions in those who have no interest in your gender. I wish to know why and if you are capable of making it stop."


Urthemiel

The mage was internally pleased at the current turn of events although a splinter of hidden annoyance did emerge when the boy opened his mouth. "The wealth of information would be in issue if not for the fact that by its very nature a library would be organized so that you could access what would be relevant to your own interest. And to address your other concern there are a multitude of buildings constantly being added to this place and perfect information can be difficult to acquire. It may not be the largest library within this city for that title may change any day but it is the largest one I know and will most likely be more relevant than others. The owner is a mage of sorts and there is some information about observations on this city that it has recently compiled."

She held out her hand and slipped a wisp across the Veil and into the palm of her hands. Very slowly she pulled the remnant of a spirit apart and as it flashed many beautiful colors as it was damaged beyond repair she said, "I'm afraid that while I would like to prolong this investing my time into nothing would be disappointing. A simple yes or no will suffice. Don't worry about your answer; I will bear you no ill will for a refusal."


Lumen

The Patchwork blinked as the rest of the group just meandered away. She watched as they all just followed one another into a store and grew embarrassed by proxy at Greyskull's antics at the store. Deciding that it would probably be for the best if she took her chances when fate was being merciful she just decided to walk in the complete opposite direction. If any of them took offense she could always say they were the ones who left her. This would be a good chance to refill on her Essence and find some work to do. Maybe she could try her hand at hunting again? It had been a while since she had the chance to do that and the idea made her slightly nostalgic.

[Aiden]

Annabeth

The Hunter considered that possibility Ron detailed for a moment before deciding that, while it would certainly be an interesting Limitation on his ability, she had no way of knowing if his power worked that way and it was more likely than not that it wasn't the case.

"If it wasn't a word before, it is now," Annabeth declared, smiling a little as he rested his head on hers, "As for the alcohol kicking in, that...doesn't seem all too likely, to be honest"

Ron

"So it was paradoxically unpettable," Ron concluded in lamentation. "What a disgraceful state to be in... I can't approve of such a form."

Now that Annabeth's hair actually smelled like something other than sweat he took the time to rub his nose against it.

"Are you sure? Because that stuff really has to be going somewhere," Ron insisted, his voice rumbling against the bounty hunter's head. He paused abruptly, his eyes opening wide in sudden panic. "Oh shit. What if the caffeine doesn't work anymore either?"

[Aiden]

Gadreel

...

Was the young blonde before him, apparently going by the name of Forest, intending to engage in some manner of intimate relationship with a bipedal, ambulatory foliage creature? Well, one could intuit that her name was indicative of such inclinations, but it still seemed rather bizarre. Her embarrassed response to the matter did give Gadreel some doubt as to the sincerity of the scene unfolding before him, so perhaps there was a misunderstanding involved?

To be fair to all involved, this particular exile would be interested in some manner of affair with a tree creature as eloquent as this one. He was, perhaps, not the best individual to cast stones in this matter. In any event, he had a matter of cosmetics on which to consult.

He went back to smiling, and continued where he left off. "As I was saying before, I have been referred to before as Gadre. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must say, lavender would certainly go well with you as a scent. You would smell as your eyes look."

The brunette spoke in greeting shortly after. Gadreel crushed his initial assumptions on her character and profession based on her hat, none of them unfavorable, lest he think too highly of her on that basis alone. He nodded to her, his left hand coming up to push some of his hair back behind his ear. "A good day to you as well, Petra. I was simply taking stock of what is available today. And yourself? Are the three of you associates?"

Yes, best to try to avoid holding two separate conversations simultaneously. Draw them into a single trialogue. Quadralogue? What is the word for a dialogue with four participants? Is there a specific term for it? Conversation will have to do for now.

[Panda]

Annabeth

The Hunter took a moment to consider Ron's statement before her eyes widened with horror.

No coffee? And no alcohol on top of that?! ...dear god...

Lacking any way of expressing her sympathy for Ron's plight, Annabeth reach up and lightly patted his head for a moment before moving down to his ears to give them a quick rub.

[Aiden]

Annabeth

The Hunter took a moment to consider Ron's statement before her eyes widened with horror.

No coffee? And no alcohol on top of that?! ...dear god...

Lacking any way of expressing her sympathy for Ron's plight, Annabeth reach up and lightly patted his head for a moment before moving down to his ears to give them a quick rub.

Ron

"E-Eh?"

The werewolf caught himself letting out a little whine as Annabeth stopped petting his head, only to relax as her fingers scratched behind his ears. It certainly took the edge off that particular little revelation he just had. It was only after she stopped that he noticed the water was starting to descend to 'luke warm.'

Eh, it wasn't bad enough to leave the bath yet. Except the inevitably finger pruning.

"... thanks, Anne. But maybe we should think about getting out of the water before we're wrinkled forever?"

[SINIB]

Sakura Matou

Sakura looked up sadly at Rider and smiled, tears glistening in her eyes. Rider's always so supportive, but I know she's really just trying to cheep me up. It's really quite Rider-like to lie to me to make me feel better. Sakura grimaced at Rider and took her hand, squeezing it in thanks before shaking her head. She turned to look at Shirou when he patted her on the back, looking up at him expectantly. "Yeah, I guess you're not wrong about the mood, Sakura." He admitted honestly to her. "It was kind of killed by this."

Sakura's shoulders slumped and she looked down at the ground, breaking eye contact with him.

"At least Senpai's always honest with me. She thought with a rueful smile. She'd been hoping for him to invalidate her claims and expectations, but of course, he agreed with her. Sakura simply closed her eyes, accepting the fact as a fact.

However, what he said next surprised her.

"But I don't think we should really go home, the mood can and will get better when we start doing stuff other than moping, you know?" Shirou patted her on the head and ran his hand through her ribbon, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the top of her head. She looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

He always knows exactly what to say, doesn't he? He's so perfect. I love him so much. I don't deserve him.

Sakura lightly smacked her face and shook her head to clear her mind. That was scary

But, as if to distract her from her troubles, Jeanne started practically bouncing around again, excited by the prospect of seeing a movie.

Sakura nodded and smiled at Jeanne's charming rambunctiousness. "Mhm! Let's go find out what's showing right now."

[SINIB]

Wormy and Sylveon

As Oka and Jin had sex in the bedroom, Wormy and Slyveon laid on the couch, lazing around.

"Kyuu" Sylveon turned to look at Wormy. "Kyuu kyuu?" She asked him politely.

"Chit-chitt-buzz." Wormy assented, flying over and grabbing the television remote for Sylveon, carefully carrying it in his mandible, taking great care to make sure not to damage it. He deposited it on the couch in front of Sylveon and proceeded to go back to lying comfortably on the large couch.

"Kyuu~" Sylveon said, tapping the remote control with her paw, turning on the television and changing the channel until some cartoons were on. Sylveon then rolled over onto her back, watching the tv intently.

[SINIB]

Oka

"Oh!" Oka yelled back, running to get her bag. "I'll just use my own, thanks for warning me."she then sprinted back to the bathroom, completely nude from the waist down.

[Kotomine_Rin]

OOC: Siring was retconned out.

Garou XIII

Despite his weakening  body, it seemed Garou would simply not give in. At last, a fire burned in his eyes, his heart beating no longer with blood, but with determination!
Submit to her? And then do what? To let her save him was no different than admitting defeat, and that was the one thing he could not do. This was no longer about victory or defeat, life or death. This was a matter of pride.

No. He would not let her do as she pleased. Perhaps it was simply because she asked him so, but he would oppose her to the end, even if it meant dying.
Just as her mouth neared his neck, a powerful fist full of vitality smashed against her face. At the same time, he used what little blood he had left to form a scythe and slashed that conceited bitch.

Take that, faker.

Garou could barely think straight, or see anything for that matter. He had used everything he had for that one attack, and was now falling endlessly. He was dead, every fiber of that man told him he was dead. He should not be able to move or do anything at all.

And yet, it moved. He raised his arm towards her and flipped the bird. And then, he spoke with a huge, cocky grin while still falling.

« Let me piss a little wisdom on you damn monster. In this world, it’s kill or be killed. My blood, my soul and my life, they are MINE!  I am a fucking human, and I will die a fucking human. Keep your mercy, shove it somewhere up your ass and see yah in hell…”


Count Greyskull

The skeleton fidgeted nervously, but protested. It was wrong, all wrong! It came out the wrong way, and he needed to fix this! If he broke up so cruelly with her, she might just fall and not get up. He could not do such a thing; he needed to reassure her to boost her confidence! After all, she was still his loyal fan, friend and subject!

“…No! Wait! I can’t fail at anything!!! FOREST!!! I’LL HELP YOU TROUGH THESE TROUBLED TIMES!!!  I’ll keep being your cool friend…. AND ACT LIKE THIS NEVER HAPPENED! After all, you are very great. It would be tragic to lose your friendship. So please… don’t cry because I won’t kiss you. Because, I DON’T EVEN HAVE LIPS! MYAHAHAH! *cough* Well, either way, you’ll find someone as great as me. Well, no. That’s impossible. But I’ll help you settle for second best!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

And then, the skeleton tree man promptly skedaddled.

[Kat]

Petra

Before she could savor Forest's embarassment a little, her eyes caught a sight of ominous figure carrying off a wounded man, flying upwards. Some monster preying on some hapless pedestrian. My, my, this city was violent, indeed. There were millions of men around. She could always spare a moment to save someone. This man still could be alive. No way she would ignore someone whom she could help. In worst case, she would deny the monster feasting on his dead body.

"Excuse me, something came up, I'm afraid. It was a pleasure to meet you, see you later." She grinned and waved at Forest and the redhaired stranger.

She climbed up stairs in determination, ready to face whoever landed on the top of the building, with steel like resolve.

I do it because I believe it is a right thing to do. I have no regrets... Even in times like this, I walk path I can believe in

Yes, she wanted some semblance of normalcy. But no one would hurt humans, both sinners and innocents, on her watch.

The monster was a blonde woman with shadow surrounding her body, coming from the stump of her arm. The mouth full of fangs closed on the man's neck. Before she could step in, the man refuted the monster himself. He mustered his will, his beautiful resolve, to smash her face in. A sorcerer maybe he was, as he animated his blood slash her apart. Even if the monster's face got deformed and her body ravaged, she had no illusions that the monster wouldn't get up. They were damn persistent. Fortunately she was here already.

The saint stepped forward.

"Yes, hell to you, demonspawn. You want his soul and maybe mine too? C'mon, go ahead, take it, I dare you. But that won't happen. For I will judge you!" She pointed her finger at the monster in provocation. She was so evil she made her sick. Petra would beat up her without hesitation. A righteous fury wasn't a sin.

[LFR Tsar]

Pillar of Autumn:

"...Right." You're not gonna be posted here much longer, "Well then..."

The cruiser girl then began ruffling through her duffel bag - this time she was going to fish out her entire Longsword Squadron. "You're going to be sent back out again," she said upon pulling out the squadron leader, "Head straight to the base, march up to the Admiral himself, and demand a pelican. We're going to be walking back in the mean time."

Upon acknowledgment, Autumn through the Longsword into the air. The cruiser then fished out the other two (Who were on the same frequency as their leader), tossing them into the air as well. The fighters assumed a V-formation, flying towards the city Autumn nearly crashed into.

"Well, then," Autumn put on a fake smile, "All we have to do is follow the shredded trees to get to the city. Hopefully my girls would get us a ride before we're even halfway there."

Sascha

The East German's eyes practically bulged at what was apparently a midget being shoved into a caricature of that stingray-like aircraft she saw earlier. That clearly hallucinating if not outright drugged out American actually produced something the Stasi... no, the Soviets would LOVE to have. Scratch that, she produced a miniaturized version of an aircraft with sophistication that would rival even the best the Yanks and Soviets had in their aerial arsenal... as well as what appeared to be an impossibly sized midget.

Understandably, Sascha was quieted in her shock, before Autumn pulled her out of it with that statement of hers.

The Ghoul swallowed an empty lump of saliva, and nodded blandly in her brief surprise.

"I guess you weren't joking about that being your aircraft..." The mercenary woman grumbled out, "But I still don't believe you're some sort of warship, seeing how..." She paused, sniffing, as she could tell a lot about Autumn, and that she didn't smell like any humans. Sascha continued with her verbatim, with an appropriate nomenclature in mind. "...Humanoid you are. But very well, lead on, Fraulein. I'll follow you... I could use some good, extra rare meat in civilization."

[Panda]

Seras

Just before her fangs could reach Garou's neck, the vampire found herself blasted away from him by a massive blow followed by a scythe of blood slicing her open. Managing to catch herself in mid-air, Seras gazed down at the man as a woman in what seemed like a mix between military and naval attire burst onto the rooftop. The wounds he'd inflicted healed quickly as first Garou, then the woman went on.

"I have no issue if you refuse my offer," Seras said simply, "Feel free to die as a human. Farewell."

With that, the vampire flashed off through the sky once more, reduced to a red streak as she sliced through the sky.