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

[Aiden]

Forest

Forest grimaced at the scent of rubbing alcohol and chem-lab florals and artificial musk.  She sighed as Gadreel's sending and paused to look at an interesting array of eyeshadow.   Her eyes flickered towards his face and then back again.

I bet someone like that exists here, but finding them is easier said than done.  Worse part is that a lot of magic users wouldn't touch something like this because it's dangerous and puts themselves at risk.  Unless we have something that can grease their palm.  Money's not an issue, but most of them give two loose tosses about cash . . .

Gadreel

A frown spread its way across the angel's face. That is quite strange. One would think the expense of their practices would instill in them an appreciation for financial compensation. Particularly if they had the misfortune to turn up in this place with the items on their person as I have.

Oh, Gadreel would miss the penthouse suite his connections among the Grigori had allowed him to occupy for the half dozen Gregorian years. The space had become a veritable vault for his collection of human cultural items which he had, fortunately, not had to appropriate in any manner save through commerce and less formal methods of exchange.

[Elf]

Rin

The raven haired magus said, "Of course I can do a tracking spell, and having a map is good and all, but part of the problem is we don't know where exactly to go.  We're just looking for a bar, but we don't know which bar we want to go to or even if there's one near by.  Maps are good if you know where you need to go, but not knowing how to get there."

She looked around and saw someone looking at one of their intelligence devices.  "The simplest thing would be to ask someone who might know their way around," Rin said with a smirk before she started to head over to the guy in an army surplus jacket looking at his phone.


Corbin

"Pretty much what Mordred said.  Suits really like it, but it's fun to take the wind out of yuppie's sails, you know?" Corbin said with a chuckle.

He rubbed his chin and said, "A membership at the Y wouldn't be a bad idea.  Pretty sure the one here even has like an indoor waterpark, and I do enjoy swimming even though I'm not big on heat.  I guss I'm getting fussy in my old age . . ."


Gabriel

"Some could argue taking out those that would harm others is the best way to protect them," Gabriel said with a shake of his head.  "And of course there's more than just physical trauma to deal with.  The fact of the matter anyone can destroy, but it takes someone truly remarkable to preserve or create."


Forest

More like they would rather have goods for their services than cash.  Rare things to help facilitate their spells, Forest explained, Not that I'm saying there aren't those who like cash, because there are, but finding one that's more than middling is easier said than done.

She bit her lip and said, "I do have a ridiculous amount of room.  I can't get your other possessions mind you, but really, it's no problem helping out."

[SINIB]

Jeanne

The blond servant accepted the embrace, and raised her left hand to Sakura's head, stroking her soft hair with it. She ignored the guests for now as she thought about what her master had asked, it was a difficult question, yet one that needed an answer.

I can't tell you what God thinks, no human can. Even though we are made in his image, The Lord is beyond us. I can only tell you what he says, Sakura. You should be forgiving to those who earnestly seek it.

Sakura Matou

Sakura nodded tentatively at Jeanne. She knew that was true, at least. It was the right thing to do. But...

She didn't want to do the right thing at all. She knew it would end up hurting her. And hurting Shirou. She couldn't allow that to happen.

I don't want to let them stay with me, though. She frowned in their general direction. Even if it was an accident, he still did it. I don't trust him not to do it again. And that woman seriously pisses me off.

[Thedoctor]

Jeanne

Jeanne pulled Sakura tighter to her, trying to comfort her as she explained her problems with it. I'm not going to force you to do it, it's up to you Sakura in the end. We all are responsible for our own actions after all, but that doesn't mean we can't try to be nicer.

[Panda]

Emily

The Changeling couldn't help a slight sigh as she took another drink of the water, not particularly feeling up to a mentally exhausting debate on those kinds of topics at the moment. Perhaps on a day that hadn't had more than its fair share of bad memories and only slightly less distasteful encounters.

"Perhaps," Emily admitted, "They said as much during med school, on more than a few occasions."

[SINIB]

Sakura Matou

Sakura smiled at Jeanne, running her fingers down her long golden braid. "I'll try." She said with a smile as she disengaged from the hug. Turning to face Illya again, she threw her some keys, seemingly from nowhere, and walked up to her, taking ahold of her delicate white hand. "You can take them here." She said, using her magic to send Irisviel an image of their destination. She looked at Shirou, tried to smile, but found she couldn't. Instead she began to frown, and turned tail without a word.

[Thedoctor]

Shinobu

The blonde vampire stared at the girl as she expressed her insecurities regarding her sexuality and her incorrect beliefs about the nature of strength. Shinobu merely took a step forward once the girl was finished and hit her over her head. "Fool, stop second guessing everything you do, no matter how hard you try you cannot be perfect. Of course you are inexperienced with your sexuality, you are still young." The vampire paused and then turned around.

"What you said about strenght is just wrong. I think you are confusing true strenght with physical prowess. True strenght is not just about being strong, it is about being true to your beliefs and knowing how to apply your strenght." 

[Panda]

Dante

The half-demon cruised along through the city, casually dodging traffic while enjoying his pizza. Admittedly, he would've preferring finding a nice quiet place to sit down and eat, but he had little choice in that regard. As it was, there was still the matter of finding a place to set up shop.

After a while, Dante finished the slice he was currently working his way through before finally realizing that the sounds of the city around him had faded somewhat. Looking around, the half-demon allowed a low whistle at the silent devastation that surrounded him. All manner of potholes and cracks turned the ride rather bumpy as he continued along, surrounded by the silent ruin what seemed like it used to be a residential district of some sort.

Wonder what kind of mess happened here...

Before long, the ruined houses slowly became ruined businesses as Dante found his way to what seemed like it used to be some sort of market district, still looking for anything that didn't look like it would fall apart if someone looked at it the wrong way.

[Thedoctor]

Kuro

Kuro was nodding along as she heard what the two were saying until the final thing Corbin said registered with her. She turned and looked at him intensely. "Your old age? You don't look old at all!" She declared, somewhat confused about what he meant.

[yinsukin]

Medaka Kurokami

Medaka took the blow to the head, forcing her to bend over.  Rather than recover, she simply stared at the ground, like a guilty child.  Using her bloody arm, she gripped her stomach and then held her hand over her mouth.  Her hand lingered there for a moment, paused and begun moving it to her eyes.  She paused just below them and then quickly moved them to her forehead.  Her hips and upper torso followed, causing her both to stand up straight and look forward.  What greeted her recovered vision was the back of the vampire, who had turned away in indifference.  Although perhaps this was symbolic of their relationship from the start.


The inside of her mind shattered and twisted as she came to a haunting realization.  How?  How have I fallen so far?  I thought I had moved on.  I thought I had finished coping.  So why am I still so broken?

"Yes.  Of course.  Your absolutely correct.  I can't believe I had forgotten that.  I cant believe I have grown so weak.  I suppose his death has effected me more than I thought."  She said to the back of the blonde.  Her voice was clearly drained emotionally and had a defeatist tone to it.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Alarice

The Chosen quickly ascended up the building to find a platoon of skeletons knitting and sewing with an almost serene tinge to their skulls. She considered the dresses as they were beautiful, soft, and comfortable but that only made them worse for combat. Instead she found one altered outfit that reminded her a bit of the southern nobility of her homeland.

She carefully picked up the garment which she was sure was supposed to go on a man and brought it to another room. It wasn't long before the blonde had finished dressing and was testing the limits of the clothing. The clothing was flexible and durable enough that she was sure that it would last a fight.

Now, all that was left was the kitchen. The noble had conscripted a squadron of skeletal soldiers to serve as her maids as she began cooking. It was a stew of sorts. There were some ingredients she had never seen before in her life but she was certain they would make the dish more interesting. She just needed to remember to keep the meal balanced and tasty as she dropped a handful of what she assumed were vegetables into the pot. It would probably turn out alright. Hopefully? If it tasted too foul by the end maybe she could just start again.


Oren

The Fae was beginning to realise she was in quite a pickle. She had lost her little hero, had only found her hide, the taste of the thief who had stolen it still lingered in her mouth, and worst of all she was out of berries. Again. This was starting to get worrying.

She tightened the blood-smeared hide around her waist before making her way into the crowds of the city. The chilled concrete was cold against her bare skin and the pelt didn't do much to insulate her from the chill, but the Fae didn't really mind. The looks of embarrassment that bloomed on the faces of the people around her more than made up for it. People were always a bit more honest with some red on their cheeks.

But soon Oren found her prey. A cute, fit blonde who looked rather lost. Really, the abundance of cute girls in the city had left the Fae quite impressed. Whatever was pulling people here certainly had good taste when it counted.

With all the grace of a predator the whimsical girl lurked in the crowd. Then, when the blonde had her back turned, Oren burst forward and weaved through the crowd like a falling leaf before making her leap. With a cat's grace she landed right behind the taller woman and wrapped her arms around the toned body in a hug. A hug that grew tighter as she realised how warm this girl was and how cold she was. With an almost blissful expression she rubbed her face against the stranger in an attempt to absorb some more heat. Then she realised what she was supposed to be doing.

"Hi! You look pretty lost. I'm Oren and I'm very cold, and you're really warm. Can I stay like this for a bit? If you do, I'll do you a favor and I'll even give you something nice." But what she was supposed to be doing really didn't matter compared to how nice and toasty this one felt. She wanted to keep her.

[SINIB]

Irisviel von Einzbern

Irisviel looked at the other Sakura, bewildered. She didn't know how to respond, this entire situation just seemed extremely surreal to her. "Ok..." She said sadly. "I'm sorry about whatever Shirou did to you, Sakura, I don't think you're wrong to be mad, whatever it is. But I also think you should think about it from his perspective, too." She said to her as she turned around, pulling her wards hands as she walked away from the disgusting place.

That girl had some disturbing defenses set up.

Shirou Emiya

Shirou rolled up his sleeves as he began washing his hands, smiling and nodding at Archer's description of things. Everything he was saying made sense, and Shirou was sure he'd have come up with something similar if he'd thought of it.

"So. How can I help?" He asked with cheer.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura and Shirou

The two of them watched as the alternate Sakura embraced the other servant, Shirou obviously genuinely concerned for her well-being despite the manner in which she had insulted him and his wife. Sakura could guess that she was considering what to do, probably talking to the servant over their mental link. She just hoped that the alternate Sakura would be willing to give them help, and not just throw them out into the cold.

Finally, after watching nervously for some time, they saw the other Sakura address her servant as she disengaged from the hug, telling her that she'd "try" something. Then, she turned to Irisviel and, pulling a set of keys from her shadow, threw them to her, before taking hold of her hand, telling her something that Sakura picked up was related to where they could stay.

Shirou, realising too what was probably happening, smiled at the alternate version of his wife, comforted by the fact that, despite her paranoia, she was still the same, kind woman he knew and loved. Yet, to his slight distress, whilst she seemed to be attempting to return the smile, she instead frowned, before turning to walk off. Shirou sighed, upset that he had failed to earn the alternate Sakura's full forgiveness but, despite that, it seemed she was at least slightly less upset at him than she had been before.

Meanwhile, Irisviel addressed the alternate Sakura, once again in German. It was obvious from the tone of her voice that she was somewhat sad but, aside from the fact that she was talking about them, Shirou could not work out what she meant. Sakura, meanwhile, once again was able to pick up parts of it, enough to realise that she was trying to apologise on Shirou's behalf and convince the alternate Sakura to forgive him. Then, with the conversation over, Irisviel grabbed their hands and began to drag them away. As they did so, and as the alternate Sakura walked off, Shirou addressed her.

"Thank you", he said, bowing deeply, obviously very happy that she had chosen to at least somewhat forgive him.

As they left, Sakura turned to address Irisviel.

"Hmm, so, where are we going?" she asked, wondering what sort of place the other version of her had assigned them.

[Kat]

Mordred

He was probably joking. Maybe. The changeling had a natural distrust of anyone living way much past the usual date of expiration, but if he was one of 'them', he would have been set on fire by the sunlight already. Assuming she didn't speed away the process. But hopefully he was just joking. They were both old in comparison to the brat. "You'd be old maybe in Dark Ages, if someone lived past their 20s they were considered old geezers. Are you going through premature mid-life crisis already?"

[Kat]

Petra

"Gee, you are now being more subtle about it? Make up your mind." Petra commented on how now the girl tried more subdued approach. Her choice, though, if she really wanted to ask a stranger, she'd let her handle it.