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

[Kat]

Lumen

The newly hired bouncer lazily rocked back in her chair. It was almost a practiced level of carefreeness that made it seem like Yamanashi was either a friendly acquaintance or completely unimportant. "That sounds pretty hopeful. I wouldn't want to balance what little stability this part of the city has on luck but it's not like I'm an authority on the subject."

Mitsuba

"Hmm, it would be so fortunate if somebody stopped them before they did something stupid. Dear, if nobody does it then I may have to be forced to do something about this. But what one woman can do against such savages?" She lied. Obviously she could do something about it, but she tried to manipulate Yamanashi or her new employee into ridding of them by any means necessary. Better not dirty her own hands.

[Kat]

Mordred

What.

The changeling's brain paused for a brief moment from the sheer absurdity of the situation. She took a deep breath, then she boiled over.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE THINKING, YOU ROTTEN TO THE CORE BRAT!" She exploded like a Yellowstone volcano. Probably she snapped from all the stress caused by living in that hellish city, Kuro's action being a proverbial straw that break the camel. "WHAT IF SOMEBODY TAPED YOU, YOU SHOULD FEEL ASHAMED! YOU WILL GET HIM INTO JAIL AND YOU WILL END UP IN CUSTODY FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!" She roared out. The room 's started increasing as if the owner turned up the heater.

The white haired girl woke up a dragon.

[Panda]

Annabeth

While her satisfaction at finally landing a hit was dimmed by just how much she'd missed her intended target, the Hunter couldn't help but feel that progress was being made nonetheless as Ron charged in. Then the monstrosity somehow managed to get its jaws around him, his upper half disappearing into the beast's cavernous maw. Annabeth's eyes widened as her body moved without her direct input, bringing her in towards the beast as her aura seemingly vanished, concealed by In once more. The Hunter's mind raced as she reloaded Elephant gun with lightning speed, a plan already taking form even as Ron exploded from the creature's maw, now once more in that form that she'd captured within the Lasso earlier tonight, Annabeth summoning Pete to further distract the beast with more bullets.

...Oh man, this is going to suck. With the range on the Lasso, I'm going to need to get within range of Ron too, and that doesn't seem like the best idea while he's in his current form.

Elephant Gun was dismissed, Repeat joining its companion in raining down shot after shot on the visceral melee. As Annabeth drew close, time seemed to slow down for the Hunter, her own movements slowing down in turn. Timing would be crucial in these next few moments, and it was with this knowledge that Repeat vanished into the ether once more. The pistol was replaced by the familiar revolver, Annabeth already pulling the trigger, sending the bullet homing in towards the creature's center mass this time, having timed the shot to arrive right as the creature would have had to commit to dodging one of the bullets from Pete.

The figurative needle in the haystack, in a way.

By now she was quite close to the creature, too close for her own liking, but the final step allowed for no compromise. The Lasso, concealed by her In, exploded into existence, already moving faster than the monstrosity could ever hope to move, timed to move in at the moment when the bullet arrived, whether it hit or the creature had managed to dodge that as well, timed in the same manner as the bullet from Elephant Gun, only this maneuver aimed to capture instead of kill.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Silva Dragonov

The black thing started to grow and stretched his mouth, resisting his maw with herculean strength. Slowly prying it open, the creature struggled to keep the world from falling down on him once more while Silva’s otherworldly jaws slammed down with the might of a monstrous fiend over and over again in order to grind him into paste . Both beasts wrestled for domination, but because of that contest of might, his guard was now lowered. It wasn’t his choice, it’s just that his body couldn’t both dodge and fend off the dog at once, not in such a position.

 He did not even notice the girl until he felt the first few pellets hit his body. His reflexes quickly caught up, and in a desperate attempt the beast shook violently to use his massive murderous steak as a shield while trying to get him away from him.

He wouldn’t lose, not like this! He was invincible, unkillable, UNTOUCHABLE!!!!!! THESE MONGRELS SHOULD NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO GRAZE HIM LIKE THE TRASH THEY WERE!! HE WAS SILVA DRAGONOV, THE NOTORIOUS DOG!!! HE WOULD TEAR THEM APART AND CHEW THEIR BONES UNTIL THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO CONSUME!!! HE WOULD ANNIHALATE THEM!!!! 

As the homing bullet came, his body quickly intercepted it with the meat shield, but his bulk did not do. Both hounds were cleanly pierced by the pellet of sure death! It couldn’t be, he-

The monster let out a chilling pained howl that made the warehouse shake, a stream of blood choking him as his body began to crumble. Agonized moans and whimpers escaped it as it fell. His hairs trembled, but there was no longer fear in his eyes. Nothing more than grim acceptance as the rope swirled around him, almost as if he embraced his death.

Number 100293 had been a special case among the recruits. You see, unlike the others, he had not been recruited as a soldier, but selected as a test experiment. His youth had mostly been surrounded by the same white walls. The researchers, they sought to understand the secret behind his reflexes. They…. They hurt him. They touched him in ways one should never be touched, tormenting him endlessly to see the limits of his abilities.

That is why from that day onwards, he swore that no one would touch him ever again. He wore eccentric clothing and bright colors to forget those white walls, sought comfort in the arms of men to forget her. He had been struggling to rid himself of his urges, his violent pulsations that made his every thought a violent one.

Thanks to his friends, he had managed to survive this long. They helped him, supported him. He knew that he was not well liked, but he truly fought to be a member of the pack. He was so close to recovering, so close... it wasn’t fair.


The pompadour wearing werewolf was now running as fast as he could, his face filled with nothing but distress. The wind  ruined his flawless hair, but he didn’t care anymore. Only one thought crossed his mind, one single thought.

“Little bro… be safe.”

[Panda]

Dante

"Yeah, you could say that," Dante admitted, continuing to peruse the menu as Rider gave her explanation in turn.

"...So this is like some kind of magical Battle Royale?" the demon hunter mused, "Hang on, so you met another version of your master here? ...Well that sounds...confusing. How's that turned for you, anyway? Is she similar to your old master?"

For a moment, the half demon considered the possibility of meeting another version of himself in this place, shuddering at the thought after a moment's consideration.

Dante's momentary contemplation was interrupted when Rider turned to someone who'd just entered, putting the menu down to take a look. The demon hunter cocked an eyebrow at the sight of the curious creatures following the girl around, but more curious still was Rider's evaluation of the newcomer.

Hmm, bit on the young side, I suppose.

"Another version of your master?" Dante asked, when the waiter returned once more, bearing their drinks and asking for their orders.

"Large, Supreme, hold the olives," the half demon said, taking hold of his beer and popping the top off before taking a swallow of the chilled beverage.

[Kat]

Petra

"You bastards, you must wash your hands with soap if you are going to be here!" Tonio exclaimed, brandishing soap to the puzzlement of Petra.

"Did you just tell me to wash my hands..." She couldn't honestly understand why he threw a knife at in her direction if he just wanted her to do that.

Meanwhile, the dog looked healthy and energetic, woofing in happiness, even if he pukered his guts a while ago.

[SINIB]

Oka

Oka looked at the strange woman with the gorgeous purple hair in surprise. Is she talking to me? She looked behind her. Nobody. Huh. Weird. "Me?" She asked her, before she heard her companion's comment about her "master."

"Master?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at the woman.

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

Erica

The blue haired girl's head tilted ever so slightly. It was almost as if she was confused or at least giving the appearance of being so. "I do not kill anyone that angers me. This was a special case. An unprecedented level of anger was brought forth so I acted upon it. It is also unnecessary for me to 'cool off'. I had already decided to simply let her go if there was outside interference."

Erica returned to her floating state as she stared back at the man and analyzed his every movement. "You are not my babysitter but perhaps you could instruct me? The previous ones I was speaking to have vanished and I am again lacking proper instruction. You also seem to have an inclination towards stopping violent issues so it would work to both of our advantages."

Rikuyo

"Don't you tell me what I should do, I'll be fine." Rikuyo shifted her glare to the white haired man. Her animosity wasn't malicious, but she was more like annoyed that he told her to take it easier. Why she would, even as a shell of her former self her body was more healthy then most of humans. "Oh, old habits already kickin' in? If ya wanna to humor her, yer choice, but don't feel asleep in the middle." She quipped, her back close to the wall and her somehow standing upright. Right now, she was quite cranky and not upbeat like usual. Not because she got beaten up, but simply because she really, really disliked that doll talking shit about her. She even ignored Rikuyo talking back to her after she called her soul inhuman. Don't ya fucking ignore me like that. I will send where garbage ends up once I'm in shape

RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE

Asingular thought crossed Ragna mind as the girl spoke.

What the hell?

He clicked his tongue.

"Maybe you don't need a babysitter. Try an asylum instead," he said disdainfully, before catching himself. Still alert and keeping his eyes on her, he sighed audibly. "Look, I don't give a crap what you do, but don't cause trouble in front of me. Now, scram before I change my mind and I decide to scrap you instead."

[The Man With All The Cute Boats]

Sakagami Kenzo

The oni nodded in approval. One had many places to go, so he couldn't blame his imouto for that. He did not doubt her once, instead he smiled brightly and waved goodbye. "See yah!" He grinned, at least he seemed to be in a better mood.

He rested on the bench for a bit before walking off as well. He too had places to go, and things to do. However, he didn't seem as troubled by it anymore, as if his short meeting with Oka had somehow straightened his resolve.

Byt aside that, he was parched! He walked around town, looking for a place to have a nice cup jug of sake. Suddenly, a familiar scent tickles his nostrils. He sniffed the air around and his face lit up. Drink! Perfect, the one thing he needed. To be fair, his day had been rather difficult, he needed the drink and deserved it.

He walked uo to the bar's door and pushed it, but it would not open. He kept pushing harder and harder, but it would not budge one moment. A sign was written at the door, the word PULL. Sadly, it was written in english, which Kenzo had no way of understanding. Luckily, the door was automatic, so it eventually got tired of being slammed and decided to open by itself.

Woooah, a magic door! Humans are so cool...

Well, he couldn't just stand there. Kenzo walked in and looked around for a place to sit when something, someone caught his attention. A lone girl with light clothing was sitting alone, but her most striking feature was her snow white hair. It was as pure and beautiful as that thing humans called Vanilla Icecreem.

Weird. he never saw a yokai with such white hair. It was quite odd, to be honest. Still, he didn't let it intimidate him. Instead, he puffed his chest and walked up to the girl before sitting next to her.

"Salutations!" He cried out cheerfully.

ALPHA THE BOREDEDGE

Alpha had left Noel to the ambulance people and walked off, kitten in her pocket. She eventually walked around until she found an area to take a break in: A bar. She sat down and ordered a glass of whiskey, contemplating what she should do next.

Nu was a problem. She needed to find people that could give her information, to help her find the creepy girl. But Noel seemed to have too much on her plate already, and Mordred would be out of her league against that crazy bitch.

So the problem was finding someone who could give her personal information.

She sighed again, and took a sip. She occasionally, very gently, patted her pocket to see if the kitten had woken up.

Drinking like this reminded her of her perpetually drunk, womanizing boyfriend. Of course, she'd been beating out that second habit, and it was a pain, but even now, she somewhat missed him. He was always on top of situations like this, a schemer despite his ridiculously forward attitude. He'd have known where to go, or at least thought so before stumbling on the truly correct location along the way.

"What a slouch," she mumbled to herself, thinking of his face.

As she did so, a happy-looking guy sat next to her and said hello.

Of course, if she had to pick, he'd say easygoing, slovenly guys were her type, but... this guy looked and felt more like Bang, raw scruffy, than Kagura.

"Uh," She started, unimpressed. "Have we met?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

GAROU XIII

Garou raised a nonchalant brow at his friend's confusion.

"Uh, yeah he did. Don't you know that barging in a kitchen without washing your hands is real fucking rude? That said..." Garou suddenly stepped in and ripped the knife out of the door frame, crushing and bending it withhis vice grip.

His eyes seeped with cold fury and his twisted rictus seemed anything but pleased. "You should mind your aim Tony. I don't quite appreciate having knives thrown at my face. I am the type of person who simply cannot enjoy a meal unless it is in peace and quiet. If you don't keep it down, I might just cook a meal myself, signore..."


Sakagami Kenzo

The oni laughed shortly and shook his head before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hahaha. Well, if this moment counts, then sure! I'm a foreigner, so I am not too familiar with the customs here. Can I pour you a drink?" He replied with a huge friendly grin on his face.

[Kat]

Julius

He had to go out somewhere peaceful and quiet in order to collect his thoughts and plan the next course of action. The mixed results of his latest hunt couldn't leave his mind, so he guessed he needed a desolate place where he could focus and formulate a plan to apprehend the fox eared witch. And he didn't exclude possibility that she could have had relatives who also were up to no good. Sometimes penchant for dishonest acts came with upbringing after all.

Julius found such a place. There was a mountain range covered with pristine forest, a pictureesque place where he could seek the solitude he wanted, only surrounded by forest creatures. He feared them not for his was a justice incarnate. If any of them sought out humans actively, tainted by some twisted malice that made them hunger for flesh, undoubtedly he would put to end to any such spawn of Satan's machinations to despoil the nature itself.

Undisturbed by any menacing monstrosity that might have lurked in mountains, the nobleman noticed a majestic looking cliff. Surely a view from up there would be fabulous! He climbed up, observed the surroundings like a lord observing his demesne from the window of the castle, and... he lost balance. The edge of the cliff crumbled under his feet, and he tumbled down like a barrel. He stopped, bushes full of thorns cushioning his roll. He was worse for the wear, bruised and scratched, but otherwise he survived and lived. He stood up, ignoring the pain like a gentleman he was, keeping his dignity even in face of such adversity. It seems he ended up in area full of steaming springs. Was it an inn? Searching for sign of human life, he wandered into the area, knocking on the door of the building.

"Good afternoon, is anyone here?"

No response. It seems that there could be no inhabitants or guests whatsover. He would have assumed that they were away and the inn was locked. If not for the doors not being locked. Suspicious! What if some nefarious villain spirited away people in the inn?! He needed to check.

"Hello, is anybody here?" He kept calling out as he walked into the inn. Hopefully his worst suspicions wouldn't confirm.

[YOLF]

Yamanashi

Did something sting him, or was the shochu just starting to nip his throat?

"I'm sure they'll be done before they're even a stone in the big guy's shoes..." The yakuza stared at the contents of his glass as he spoke, then downed what remained in an instant. "I just remembered I have some business. Thanks for your time."

Yamanashi's seat creaked as he rose and put down the empty glass on the counter. Wiping the corner of his mouth with a thumb, he turned away to leave with light steps on the resounding floor. The shadow of his back stretched long behind him as he opened the door and waved back, seeing himself off with a tone solid and clear despite where he was facing. "Set down a tab for me, Mitsuba-ane. I'll be back."

The straightened shoulders and iron furrowing of the brows of Yamanashi Kento betrayed the countenance of a man on a mission, like a samurai left for a duel to reclaim his honor.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

To Rider's surprise, "Sakura" reacted with confusion to Rider calling out her name, looking around as if she thought the servant was addressing someone else.

"Me?" she said, obviously confused.

Meanwhile, Dante began to respond to Rider's comments, asking a long stream of questions which, normally, Rider would be happy to answer. At this precise moment, though, she was far too worried about the version of her master on the table next to them to address the rather-complicated nature of her past. Instead, she simply waited for him to finish speaking, so she could address the girl, try to reassure her and work out what was wrong.

"Another version of your master?" Dante finished, as the waitress arrived and delivered their drinks.

"Master?" the girl at the table responded, obviously confused.

Does she not know me?

Rider really had no idea what was going on. The woman was definitely Sakura, she looked almost identical, aside from having the girl's natural blue eyes rather than the Matou-imposed purple. Yet, she seemed entirely unaware of who Rider was and, even, what she was. After all, any competent magus could easily determine that she was a magical familiar, and any who knew of the Grail War system would know she was a servant. Further, she had those two weird pets with her, unlike anything Rider had ever seen before.

"Yes, Sakura, you are my master", she said, a look of confusion on her face. "Do you not recognise me?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Darcy Hugh

After a little more planning and discussion, the two were finally ready to begin. Turning his back on the japanese man, the priest couldn't help but smile smugly.

Things had gone just as smoothly as he hoped, and now he had a lead. Naturally, this meant that he didn't need Shirou alive any longer. If he did get killed off by a dragon, it wasn't his buisness any more. Not like he was getting paid for it or anything.

Well, he had a job to do. At least, he'd prefer if Shiroe stuck around a bit longer. After all, he could still prove useful as backup in case things went south. It was always better to make friends than enemies. So he followed the path that had been planned out and snuck past the gates diligently.

Eventually, the man of god found himself the overwhelming tower. It definetely didn't look that big back there. It was like, huge! However, the palace itself was not the problem more than the beasts that hovered above.

He stared up with eyes filled with disbelief, a drip of sweat rolling down his temple.

"You've got to be kidding me..." He muttered, smiling in an attempt to keep cool. Damn, there was just no way to look cool in such a situation. This wasn't just crazy, it was retarded! Did that bloke seriously expect to roll in that place alone? There was no way he-

A priest walked firmly over the premises, his step light and shoulders high as if he was completely relaxed. It's as if he knew exactly where he was going, like he was supposed to be there and had been there a thousand times.

He walked over a huge lizard man guarding the door and smiled calmly, naturally.

"Excuse me sir. Do you have a moment to talk about Jesus?"

[SINIB]

Rin

Rin reached up and grabbed a paper towel.  It was then passed to the violet haired girl and Rin smiled.  "Here, I currently don't have any tissues, but this is better than your hands," Rin said.

She needs a therapist at the least.  Hell, I think everyone in this house needs a therapist, Rin thought dryly.  "And I'm not going anywhere until you get some rest."

Sakura Matou

Sakura smiled and accepted the tissues from Rin. Inside though, she was getting annoyed. She didn't like being treated like an invalid. At all.

"Nee-san, I'm fine." She said quietly.