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

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

Erica took the lollipop with one hand and carefully licked at it. Logic dictated that it would be in her best interest to simply devour it all at once but she hadn't eaten in quite a while. This would serve two purposes. The strange sweetness and saltiness would satisfy her for a while and the core was already processing the souls into aura.

However, her attention was shifted by the sudden collapse of her business partner. The Mantle shifted into Claws and Erica lifted him up and placed the man in the palm of one of the deadly hands. "The type of food is irrelevant, but I will eat until I feel content so you must bring a suitable amount of currency. Where is this place?"


Alarice

"If something is damaged then you can simply display the constructive elements of your magic and repair them. And there is nothing wrong with your room but as a fighter it is natural for me to pursue more favorable ground when met with unfavorable conditions. If I remained in the room not only would it be exceedingly difficult for me to inflict harm upon you, but I would also be at a disadvantage due to the admirable efforts of your warriors and your own wide ranging magic. I hope you understand, Lord Greyskull." The Chosen was still waiting with her claws at the ready a bit of distance away from the door; however, the agitated swishing of the tail was beginning to show some impatience.

[Panda]

Dante

Dante watched Oka go with little change in his expression, part of him tempted to heave an exasperated sigh. Well, he'd tried. If she couldn't accept it, that was her call. The half-demon noticed Rider winding up for the slap, but decided he probably deserved it. Even so, Dante found himself reflexively moving out of the way, just a little, enough to blunt the force of the blow somewhat, though it still turned his head to the side with the sheer force before the lavender-haired woman ran off after Oka.

Turning for a moment to watch her go, the half-demon turned back to his pizza, picking up the first slice and taking a bite out of it. Savoring the ambrosia that was the supreme pizza, the demon hunter leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the table as he finished the first slice.

"Probably better without someone so easily distracted," the half demon noted, "Though we probably could've parted ways on better terms."

Just then, however, a rather upset looking employee showed up, his expression telling the demon hunter everything he needed to know.


With the pizza stuffed into a box tucked under his arm, Dante made his way back to the parking lot, retrieved his bike, and started cruising through the city streets once more. If all else failed, the demon hunter supposed he could try taking over some abandoned shop and setting up there, but things would be a fair bit easier with someone who had an idea of how property traded hands around here.

[YOLF]

Yamanashi

"Like I said, look for a priest and a guy whose face looks like it took a bleach shower. No they're not buddy cop movie rejects," he barked into his phone. A squeaky retort could be heard from the other end, which made his eyebrows scrunch up. "What? Forget that asshole. I want everyone on this, so keep your ears peeled."

Yamanashi flipped his phone closed with a reassured hum, stopping in the sidewalk where he stood to look to the other side of the road. His eyes honed in on the pastry store there with its see-through front. It looked like any ordinary store, but in truth it was also used as a front for some of the Kuzumi-gumi's more subtle operations. Looking around, there were very few businesses in this lively street that he couldn't name as their associates, whether current or former. You could even call this part of town one of the hearts of the yakuza influence, and that was precisely the reason why Kento was here.

To organize their numbers to respond quickly to those two idiots he had been of in the most advantageous way possible; starting with tracking down their progress and ins as they surely prepared some manner of assault on the Sky Palace. It was going to take a little while to get to everyone, but he was certain he had some time. You'd have to be a complete idiot to try and stride in there unprepared without a minute of forethought.

The thought came up in him of this being a good time to order a cake for when they were praised and rightfully recognized for their work in repelling these intruders. He decided to cross the road at once (after looking both ways) and entered to speak with the manager about the yakuza group's new target, and specify his order.

[Elf]

Rin

Rin bit her lip from chuckling at Garou's pretty violent and very tsundere denial that Petra wasn't his girlfriend.  However her aquamarine eyes were shining with mirth, while part of her cringed as he finished his tirade.  Part of her wanted to tease him, while the other didn't want to be flipped like a pancake again.

Then Petra said something that made Rin pause.

She turned to the other woman and said, "So, you help him in some fashion and buy him lunch only to have him offer your money to someone he just met."  She shook her head with a sigh and said, "Geeze, what a bang-up guy to spend other people's money like that, and then to call them a 'loser' when they don't have a penny to rub to their name."


Corbin

Corbin eyed Mordred and said, "You haven't touched your soda?  It's not liquor, it's soda pop.  See . . ."

He turned the bottle and started to read aloud, "Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup, natural flavorings, some preservatives I can't pronounce, and caffeine. . . No alcohol content.  You're missing out, it's really good."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Greyskull kun

"Erm... okay? If you say so." He mumbled hesitantly. He couldnt help but feel she was shooting herself in the foot. His armies slipped back into the shadows, only to emerge behind the girl once more, cornering her to the door like a sandwitch.. Meanwhile, bones and mana twisted and emerged near the mage to form a larger beast.


Theodoe chan

How cruel, to be handled so roughly. Truly he was the tragic heroine of this story, this fate was just too cruel.

"Regrettable, because we are going indian. Simply follow where I am pointing." He said lazily, as if he would doze off any second now.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Garou XIII

Garou glared sourly at the two, but then proceeded to laugh it off and grin like the shit eater he was.

"Heh, a challenge? Fine, but I won't lose to you. Oh well, I was going to pay you cheap bastards, but if you say so. I won't stop you. So how we make it interesting. Last place has to pay for all the drinks." He declared arrogantly, the same arrogance of one who never drank more than a small glass of wine because it tasted yucky.

[SINIB]

Irisviel von Einzbern

Irisviel shook her head at Shirou's refusal. "No." She said simply, aware of what she had done to keep them safe. She wouldn't let him waste her sacrifice. "You're not wasting this, this is your only chance. We're going inside. That's final."

If they looked closely, they'd be able to tell she was about to cry.

[Thedoctor]

Kuro

Kuro kept kneading the blonde's shoulders as she comlimented her, working her way to woman's neck. She worked her hands up the neck and into the are where the neck meets the head. She noticed that Corbin was doing something silly, he was reading out loud the ingredients of the bottle, as if that would convince Mordred that the drink wasn't alcoholic. Why did he think that's why she didn't drink? Is he a mind reader Kuro thought as she looked at him.

"Really good, it's just normal soda." She replied to him with an amused tone of voice.

[Aiden]

Forest

As she spoke, she was aware that Gadreel had guided her to a less populated area of the store.  She quietly picked up a container of opalescent lip gloss and studied it before putting it back.

"You have not had an opportunity to speak of this for some time now, haven't you?" Gadreel asked her in a whisper soft voice with a sympathetic look on his face.

The vampire shook her head and said, "Actually not ever; I've gotten pretty good at bottling things up over the years.  Where I'm from it would just be considered a weakness to exploit or getting a lecture about being thankful for what I can do.  Trust me, I'd rather everyone keep their thoughts in their head."

LANCELOT

-snip-

He was so consumed with his own thoughts that when he turned a corner past some shelves, he very nearly bowled over a pair of hapless shoppers. He was halfway through a muttered apology when he actually noticed who he had just run into.

Kill her! Pay the penalty for her sins, for your sins! Pay the penalty of life! “Torture and sadism on the body through digestion!”

Damn. He’d been so enjoying not having to listen to that insidious voice.

“Ah. Good day, Forest, and company,” he said, his frown tightening as he tried to ignore the whispers coming out of the walls. He still had the presence of mind to back up and restore personal space, at least. “Forgive my rudeness, I’ve been quite distracted of late.”

Gadreel

Forest's inability to discuss previously the feelings of her heart with regard to the concerns of her mind would need to be addressed later. For now, in this inappropriate venue, he would acknowledge it with a slow inclination of the head, and a whisper. "I will endeavor to keep them there henceforth, outside of intentional efforts to reach them."

Such good timing his conclusion of the discussion, for one of Forest's apparent associates was approaching and greeting them now. Gadreel turned to address the man properly, but then froze. Everything about this individual spoke of his prowess, his potential for violence, and a burden which he found distracting. He was also painfully familiar in appearance, but such a thing was... improbable, at best.

After all, Lancelot of the Round Table had been dead for centuries.

Foxkura

Shiro waved them both off, dismissing their comments. "No, no, that won't work, it has to be me. Otherwise they'll just call you both lazy bums and shoo you away. Something about hurting their bussiness. Or something."

Auspicious Breeze

"Ehh? Is that how it works here?" Breeze asked, tilting her head in total confusion. "Wow, foreigners are strange... ahh, not that I mean anything against the two of you!"

She waved her hands about to get rid of that idea. "Besides, I don't think bums can be called 'lazy.' Maybe 'cute,' but they're... bums, you know? They don't have behavior!" Unless that wasn't the kind of bum they meant, in which case she was just confused even more.

[Panda]

Michael

The immortal paused for the barest fraction of a second, the woman's words giving him pause for all of an instant before hilarious realization struck.

Novus's blinding light this child is adorable...well, child by my standards, anyway.

It took a surprising amount of Michael's not inconsiderable mental fortitude to keep from laughing at the blonde's misinterpretation. As it was, the immortal's countenance betrayed the mirth that he was desperately holding back, and he barely managed to hold back a snigger at the mistake.

"I think, by bums, she means...unemployed people? Hobos? Freeloaders?" Michael noted, "Though perhaps it's more of a matter of her being more familiar with them?"

[Thedoctor]

Archer and Jeanne

Archer looked at Shirou's offered hand. In response, the man in red grabbed one of his prized creations and offered it to the...other him. "Only if you have one my soufflés."

Jeanne gave Sakura a curious look from what she heard. Why so defensive about it if I may ask, did something happen?

[Kat]

Mordred

"Why are you nagging me about it? She's right, there's surely nothing particular special about it. And it's not that I'm dying out of thirst, I drank Coke back in McDonalds." Why he even talked about such obvious things? She wasn't an airhead who would couldn't tell soda from beer. Then finally something dawned on her. Why he thought she wouldn't touch the drink because she thought it was alcoholic? She didn't reveal her habits to him. Either she was too suspicious about it, or he could "read" her, so to speak. The changeling wouldn't bring it up out of sudden, but nevertheless she had to be on guard just in case.

[Kat]

Petra

"Maybe I should rig the competition in your favor, honestly I don't think you two have a chance against me normally." She was absolutely confident that those two couldn't hold a candle against a liver of Heroic Spirit, even if she was incarnated.

[Kat]

Mitsuba

The Unchained ventured to the center of Asian District even if she wasn't exactly in mood for getting such close to that tower. If it came to the worst, she'd be too close for her comfort to the mayhem that would surely ensue if those chucklefucks provoked Shendu and his cohorts into action. She doubted that the police and those hero for hire wannabes called Elites would be more then a roadblock. They weren't exactly most competent people in this city if they couldn't keep gangs and vigilantes in check. Knowing exactly into what kind of mess she could get into, she arrived in the center of the district. No sight of Lumen or Yamanashi. She sneaked around in order to not get noticed by those two morons until she nearly got an heart attack from seeing what she saw.

That moron was just distracting the dragon guarding the entrance in order to let his idiot friend slip into the tower. She was too late. How she wished she could turn back time and eliminate those two before she lost track of their whereabouts.

But, unexpectedly, it seemed that the priest was about to betray his 'friend' and alert the dragon. She didn't why the priest wanted to sell him out, this wouldn't help him as she was already convinced that she should eliminate the priest whether the redhead got killed before he pissed off the main man or not. She simply waited for the best moment to erase the priest.

[Elf]

Corbin

Corbin shuddered at the mention of MacDonald's and made a face.  "Ugg, only good thing about that cesspool is their fries.  Okay, their Cokes are pretty good too, but out of all the places to eat here in Nexus, why there?  It's like going to Japan and going to KFC when you're from Kentucky.  Or something along the lines of that."

He waved his free hand with a grimace and shook his head.  "Well, if you're not gonna drink it, may I have it?"


Rin

Rin chuckled, raised her hands up, and said, "Honestly, you both have an advantage over me in a drinking contest.  Garou is probably close to half my body mass again, and you have genetics working against you.  I'm just a young, Japanese woman who's on the small side.  Not to mention my sister might be pissed if I come home drunk."

I've learned my lesson about public drunkenness.  Thank you Roderick.


Forest

"I will endeavor to keep them there henceforth, outside of intentional efforts to reach them," Gadreel replied with a tilt of his head.

Forest smiled and said, "Thank you."  Then she gave his hand a tiny squeeze before moving a little closer to him.  She had a quip to lighten the mood when they were almost bowed over by a tall, dark figure.

Kill her! Pay the penalty for her sins, for your sins! Pay the penalty of life! “Torture and sadism on the body through digestion!”

It felt like freezing, ragged nails were scraped across her mind as molten lead was poured into both of her ears.  The world went ass over teakettle and spun rapidly around her.  Ice crept though her veins at the shrill, interference of the thing dwelling in Lancelot's mind.

“Ah. Good day, Forest, and company,” the knight said, his frown tightening as he backed up, “Forgive my rudeness, I’ve been quite distracted of late.”

Had he not had All the World's Evil trying to coerce him in his head, Forest reasoned she probably would had a massive crush on him. He was that serious, tragic knight like Joshua Hunters was.  However all that physic feedback from All the World's Evil killed all of that. 

She looked to see some of the shampoo, conditioner, and soap that Saber had used in his basket.  She felt a surge of irritation, not towards Lancelot, but towards Saber.  "Wait, does Saber have you shopping for her stuff again?  Lancelot, you're not her maid for goodness sake," she said with a sigh and a shake of her head before rubbing her forehead. 

"Lancelot, this is Gadreel.  Gadreel, this is Lancelot," she said.