Cross Effects 3.0 - June 23, 2016—April 02, 2018

[Kat]

Julius

After few months Julius recovered from his wounds. His riches were gone, his horse was gone, he had to pawn off his previous set of clothes and only his whip, cross and gun weren't gone. He now even had a beard as he had to save his meager resources and not go to a barber whenever facial hair reappeared. He had to live off bounties to not fall even more from grace and become city's most heroic hobo.

He was now patrolling a shady district of the city (where he lived in a motel), dressed in jeans and coat now that his old clothes were gone. Bounties he collected from slaying monsters and apprehending dine and dashers were too meager to afford his previous lifestyle, but there was some menacing feeling about the neighborhood lately. Of course, he would track down and defeat the source anyway, but if there was a bounty for that threat enough high that he could quit being a mercenary and work pro bono, it would be most favorable coincidence.

A couple entered the neighborhood when he was on the patrol. A medieval knight with a symbol on his armor that he took for a coat of arms, accompanied by a purple haired lady wearing trousers. Honestly, he really didn't get why ladies from modern times largely stopped wearing dresses. Curious about what kind of objective the couple could have in this district, he came forward and greeted them.

"Good morning, what brings you here to the district?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

"There aren't really words to express that, fool. One might as well ask how to reverse entropy, or explain what colors taste like." He scoffed, deriding her question and deeming it idiotic in order to put his focus elsewhere. As long as he focused on talking, all would be fine. Her question would prove a suitable distraction from this itching sickening urge.

"Imagine yourself drowning in an endless sea, holding your breath until you can't hold it in anymore. You reach for the surface and finally come up for air at the last second..." Vanguard suddenly grabbed the plate and scooped it away from Erica.

"When suddenly, you feel something grab you and drag you back into the water. That is what love feels like."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

"You paint an unsatisfactory image of love. Use more descriptors. The image you have fashioned is incomplete." Her hand seized his wrist as it tried to move a plate away from her. As a finger from a Claw moved under it to provide support Erica peeled off each finger with her free hand.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

"I am no book, idiot." He said before pulling his hand away with all his strength, nearly ripping it off. It was like he was desperately trying to avoid her contact, like she was garbage or a deadly disease to him. Breathing heavily for a few seconds, he quickly recollected himself. If he had lips, he would be smiling condescendingly at the idiotic girl.

"Unsatisfactory? Love isn't satisfactory, it is cold, cruel and far too short for all of us. But why do you care? It's not like you will ever truly be united with her."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

She floated closer. Lack of distance was supposed to make people uncomfortable. A valid tool in debates. "One does not to be loved to be in love. Your fixation on reciprocation is needy and selfish, and you would not think love so unsatisfactory or that it fell short if you ceased to think that you were deserving of it."

"We deserve nothing. Nothing is owed, and no chances must be given. It is a matter of, grace, and luck, and choice. You should be happy that unlike another you were given the chance to feel your heart burn with affection for something." Making use of her newfound advantage Erica began to slowly deprive Vanguard's side of food. Hands reaching out to move plates and pushing his away whenever they got too close.

[Thedoctor]

Shinobu

The chewing suddenly stopped. She turned her head slowly to look at the younger vampire. Her eyes showed a hint of worry as she gazed at the blue haired girl. And then the eating was resumed, until the doughnut in her hand was gone. "And you are going with Her ? Alone and naked, with a another woman who only sees you as a piece of meat. I thoroughly am dissapointed that all my progeny turned out to be such boundless perverts."

[Cherry Lover]

Shirou

Having left his wife, Shirou strolled to the first location they'd decided he should check out. It had seemed promising, and he wanted to find out more, maybe talk to few people. At the same time, though, he was sure that the target would be wary, so he kept his wits about him, looking around carefully to check for any kind of ambush. As he approached the place he'd intended to check out, he noticed something odd in the distance. Reinforcing his eyes, he saw a woman sitting in a nice hiding spot, doing some bizarre impression of a telescope with her hands.

Confused about what she was doing and why she was there, Shirou approached cautiously, intending to come up behind her so he could disable her without a fight if she was indeed a threat.

[Aiden]

Ron

Perverts? Really? That was the pot calling the kettle black right there. Ron let out a snort of amusement and nudged one of Shinobu's feet with his wet nose. It pretty much got the point across, he figured. But then there was the little revelation with Medaka not having her soul, and how the hell did that even work? The wolf let out a sound of confusion while looking up with those big bright eyes of his at the two vampires.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider's attack seemed to bring her master the time she needed to react, and the man soon disappeared, dragged inside Sakura's shadow. For a moment, Rider was a little disappointed, worried that Sakura would deny her the chance to have some fun. She was, after all, rather sexually frustrated, thanks to Sakura and Shirou excluding her from their sexual games, and the Nexus seemed unfortunately low on people willing to cater to Rider's tastes.

Fortunately, though, Sakura soon confirmed Rider's wish, and the servant smiled sadistically at Sakura's words, her excitement growing at the thought of having some fun with their unfortunate captive. Her panties began to dampen slightly at the thought.

"Of course not", Rider responded, a slight hint of disappointment on top of her obvious excitement. "When we do return home, though, I will make sure he is suitably punished for his mistake. I assure you that I will make him tell you everything."

Still, as much as Rider wanted to get down to business, she also hadn't spent enough time with her master recently, and she knew Sakura could hold the man prisoner indefinitely inside her shadow dimension, so there was no rush to get home. So, for now, she and Sakura could enjoy the day, assuming her master still wanted to.

"Anyway", she added, cheerfully, "would you like to go somewhere first? That man's punishment can wait."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

The flames in Vanguard's eyes shimmered coldly as lightning whipped and danced around the edges of his body. Without as much as a hint of hesitation, his frigid metal hand lunged at her porcelain throat like a spear and began to squeeze.

"Back. Off."

There was only wrath in his voice, an anger he had inherited after an eternity of grace, luck and choice. Her mindless, idiotic blabbering had grown tiresome. And yet, she was still alive. Perhaps it was because his hand moved purposefully, still shackled by the feelings he held for her. If he was just a little stronger, he would have ripped her head off here and there. Instead, his grip only hardened so her useless limb would begin to crack under the pressure if it was not for the mantle shielding it.

Indeed he was granted the chance to feel his heart burn, with flames so hot they could turn hell to ash.

"Needy? Selfish!? You must be jesting. Love isn't some convenient fantasy where you can pick and choose. In love, you make each other happy. But what would a puppet know of love, when all she does is dream!? Ah, but even a despicable tool like you dreams, and as all dreamers one day you will wake up. Perhaps tomorrow, or in a year, or ten or even a thousand... Eventually all dreams must come to an end. Let me rephrase my earlier question. What if you died tomorrow? And I don't mean the you in front of me, that is a worthless existence. What I mean is the you that gives meaning to your soul. If she died, by your own wretched hands, would you be able to feel it?"

For a second, his grip on her turned gentle, but the softness did not last. Words, much like actions, had a lasting impact. Because of a single snail, the world could be sent into calamity. One word, just one word was enough to awaken a beast that had been until now chained.

"This happiness you so speak of, you can see the result for yourself. Look at it, LOOK AT IT!!"

[Panda]

Annabeth

The Hunter continued her vigil, soon growing quite bored.However, she lacked much in the way of other options at the moment, so there wasn't much that could be done. As the Hunter took a break to check around for En, however, some bit of variation presented itself to her. The shift in aura common to the presence of another person within the radius of her En caught her by surprise, the Hunter visibly starting before turning around, pulling her aura back in and going into Ren. With a moment's focus, some of her aura gathered in her fingers, focusing into a small ball of it on the tip of her index finger, which she leveled at the newcomer like it was the barrel of a gun, which it might as well have been in this case.

"Well, howdy there," the Hunter said, taking a moment to regain her composure, "And what brings you here?"

[Umbra of Chaos]

Erica

Words, words words. Forceful, loud things that lacked even the notion of a debate. He would define love for himself as if he was an authority over it. Irritating. And what kind of foolish question was that? She would rather die with her heart than exist without it. Never once would she harm Her.

Ah, surely there was some logical rebuttal to this, but she could not think of any. Perhaps because it was based off of emotional appeal and bias alone? But how could she-

For a moment it seemed as if strands of blonde hair as fine as wrought gold intermingled with her own. And there was something regal in her appearance? It was proud, and noble, and burning with life. It was Erica, more than she ever was before. Eyes filled with equal parts anger and pity.

"I see nothing. A shadow of a shadow. A ghost so defined by its failure that it can't remember a single victory, and so desperate to prove that there was no other option that it attempts to convince everyone else to writhe on the ground with it. Get out of my house."

[yinsukin]

Medaka

Medaka perked her head up off of Ron's shoulder as a frown formed on her face.  She then reached onto the counter and pulled herself up, landing gracefully in Shinobu's lap.  Her large breasts rested on the blond's smaller ones, her round butt on the older vampire's inner thigh.  She wrapped her arms around Shinobu's back, holding her tightly.  She stared at her, intense worry reflected in the almost tearful glitter of her eyes.

"No.  Its not like that!"  She pleaded. "If I don't keep an eye on her who knows what will happen to To- Teddy.  If I go with her, I can stop her if I need to, especially if Ron comes too."  Her eyes lowered as she spoke, her eyelids following suit.  Her voice suddenly softened as she continued.  "Its not just about that.  I don't know why but I suddenly felt a strange sensation, a tugging at my soul.  I think something has happened to him."  She argued, her body tightening a bit as she spoke the last line.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vanguard

A crack of lightning danced around his skull, as Erica spoke Vanguard's teeth ground so hard they looked like they'd shatter along with his entire body. The room shook for a second, and a gust of wind spiraled and erupted from where he stood, sending surges of electricity on the ground as he rose up.

No. If he killed her and now, if he obeyed her, it would be the same as admitting he was wrong, it would be granting her victory. And that was the one thing he could not do.

"Another option? Did you think I had not considered that?! Did you think I had not considered other possibilities?"

The shell of metal clutched at his face, and a rusting grinding emerged from its core. It was hollow, it was loud, it was the horrifying ringing of machinery. A howling laughter louder than any heard before... or since. A laugh that echoed in the halls of the girl's house for what seemed like hours.

To think a puppet would stir his heart so, it was simply ridiculous. What an unfunny joke, even he couldn't laugh at such a farce. The hero calmly went mad. He spoke with a little voice, but there was no mistake.

"You were right, we are nothing alike. You still have something to hold and cherish, a place where your heart can return to. What good is a memory of love when it only serves as a bitter reminder of your failure!? Perhaps even a shadow once wished it could love and hold with all its heart, to simply forget about everything and experience happiness.  But what do you know!? I don't need it. I don't need pleasure, I don't need warmth, I don't need love, I don't need any of it. And I certainly don't need the scornful judgement of a stupid little girl."

Over and over.

For many times, he saw people nearly destroy themselves through their own actions, and he saw them burn like trash each time.

Save as many people as possible.

The man became a hero with that one wish but in the end, he could not make it come true even once.

He grew to hate them in the end. He grew to hate humans for repeating conflicts. He grew to hate himself for thinking that humans are sacred. But most of all he grew to hate the weakness in his heart.

"If you are not willing to act for your dreams, then drown in your own fantasies and die."

There was no candor, no hope, no love in his voice. His steps bore nothing but wrath, and with wrath in his heart he left her to her own devices.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Malcolm

With such a vivid description one had to wonder if he wasn't his secret lover or something. Not that he'd judge.

"Welllll, I'm no expert in this, but here's my two cents worth. He hits hard, sure, but pretty much anything can hit hard nowdays. If it was just that, I could've dealt with him with a beach ball. The real kicker's his speed, I wasn't sure if it was just that or if he has some sort of teleportation ability. But if it was the latter, he wouldn't have needed to break my rope now would he? This means that we're dealing with the former. Considering he avoided a point black shot from yours truly while dodging a barrage from miss cupcake here, I say you have no chance. Of course, feel free to prove me wrong, I'm rootin' for ya."