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

[Cherry Lover]

Shirou

Shirou watched as the Pokemon reacted to the stick as before, jumping up into the air immediately. However, to Shirou's surprise, this time the creature seemed to miss entirely, letting the stick sail over its head as it let out a happy cry.

Eh, what? Shirou thought, a look of confusion coming over his face, before he noticed that the Pokemon was, in fact, flying directly towards him.

Fortunately, Shirou's already-good reactions had been further honed by years of fighting as a mercenary, and he was able to move quickly, putting his hands out and catching the cute creature in mid-air. Then, figuring that he must want a cuddle, Shirou pulled the Eevee towards him, stroking him as he did so.

[yinsukin]

Joe

Thats dark he thought as his smile turned into a grimace.  It was hard to fathom the possibilities.

He looked down at the table, then back into her eyes and said,  "Yeah I will."  He looked back through the window, thinking of that night with the werewolf. "You know, I dont get to go out much at nightime.  There are too many dangerous creatures that come out then.  In highschool and even college, there wasn't that much of a party scene because of it, or really any sort of nightlife.  Hell, I didn't even get to go to laser tag.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my anime and manga.  And there is plenty to watch on streaming site theses days but..."

He looked back at her and sighed.  "...But after today, I think its time I took some risks.  Nothing as crazy as what happened today, but maybe, you know, step out of my comfort zone a little."

He stared into those beautiful gem like eyes, awaiting a reaction.

[MissingMandible]

Gojira:

Another stomach rumble, another mumbled curse. People parted as Gojira stomped along the sidewalk. One unfortunate man was swept off his feet by her tail when she turned a corner - the Queen of the Monsters neither noticed or cared.

The day was officially ruined. The monster's pride was shredded (Damn new body - she used to be able to go for days without eating!), and all she could think of was to turn tail and run away! Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable! Strength means everything when it comes to establishing hierarchy, and she was to be on the top! Now she's retreating to her apartment like a hatchling running to her nest- wait a minute...

The bag was fealing extremely light...

Goira jerked the bag to face level, noticing a large tear across the bottom, contents long lost.

The local air temperature rose as she crumpled up the paper bag before throwing it. The monster-turned-woman roared, then jerked her head around to find something to hit. A red fire hydrant looked appealing - she promptly tore it from the ground. A geyser of water sprayed upwards as she promptly slammed the twisted hunk of metal onto the ground, causing a small crater to form. She then started stomping on it, loudly grunting with each footfall.

[Aiden]

Neptune

And arrived they did, in no time at all. Nothing could stand in their way now, muahahahah! The power of the Goddess and her angelic steed was one to be feared indeed, no one could find pudding faster than them after all. Anyway as they arrived Neptune announced their glorious success. "Of course it worked, I even had some help from my Noble steed this time."

The purple haired goddess then relaxed against his back as she continued to praise him. "Thank you Gaddy, you're the bestest angel."

Gadreel

It appeared he would never escape from the abbreviation of his name that was 'Gaddy,' would he? Very well then; Gadreel was just an arbitrary translation of his true name anyway. "Even without my wings? You flatter me, truly."

He reached out to open the way to the convenience store. The problem to come soon became clear: all of the pudding was generic knock-off brands made locally in the Nexus. The only Jell-o Pudding to be found was pudding mix that one had to actually put effort into. Such a distinction was of no consequence to Gadreel of course, but to a connoisseur such as Neptune? It remained to be seen if this was acceptable.

Also the stares. Those were a thing.

[Aiden]

Ron

"... that was pretty cool." He had to admit he was jealous. Just a little. Sure he could do all kinds of things, but hovering wasn't one of those. Well there's no use crying over what you don't have, so he just shook his head and followed on after her. Knowing his luck something was going to come along and get them both in trouble.

Might be fun. Or they might just get fast food like normal people; that'd be nice too.

Sakura Matou

Sakura glanced back at him with a smile. "Hehe, you jealous of my awesomeness?" She asked in a jesting tone, aware that he'd figured her out.

Soon, the elevator dinged, and she bounded out to the car ahead of Ron, informing her driver of where they were taking a detour to next. After she finished telling them about that, she opened up the door for Ron and waited for him to get inside.

Ron

"Well on the one hand, yes. On the other hand, I'm reminded why I'm glad I'm a guy." Being pregnant looked like it sucked pretty hard. Not in the fun way exactly, but more like if you took a lime and put it in your mouth and sucked on it for an hour. Except it lasted for nine months. It seemed to be that kind of sucky.

When they got to the car, in he went. Ron marveled briefly at how not-violent things had been for the past few hours. Maybe today was turning around for him?

[Thedoctor]

Shinobu

Shinobu completely ignored the rushing motion of her opponent, going so far as to turn her back to him as she instead took the time to answer the man who had responded to her teasing. She made sure to speak up loud enough to be heard over the noise in the arena "Oh I would absolutely love too~

The fireball struck her as she was speaking enveloping her in flames and drowning out her voice for a moment... it looked like the blond vampire was gone for a moment in the fiery sea, like sand castle that was struck by a wave and swept away by the sea.

Only to reappear a moment later as the flames past, mostly intact. No, it would be more apt to describe it as she was going to be intact. Her body was healing before, the burns disappearing in the blink of an eye as the only thing that could hint at her having been attack ed was her somewhat ruined underwear.

"... But I am afraid you would have to ask my girlfriend over there, she gets jealous when I suck on other people~" The blonde continued addressing the man, as if she hadn't even been struck.

[Panda]

Michael

As expected, her first attempt to parry led to her other blade shattering. Left without other options, of course she would seek to close the distance further. Michael could even see in her eyes that the thought of robbing him of the ability to use his staff in such short range had occurred to her, the smallest hint of pride welling in the immortal's chest for her progress. This was truly a wonderful opportunity he'd been given, and against a lesser opponent, such a maneuver would've won her the battle.

But now, just as heated iron must yield to the blacksmith's hammer, he would make her yield in turn to shape her to something more fitting.

It was the most subtle of shifts in his stance, but perhaps Meti would notice it just before she struck. It would be too late all the same. Perhaps one could say he really was praying in this moment, from the heart, for the swordmaster. Hands hardened by innumerable hours of training and tested by flesh and armor alike, whipped out like snakes, striking for her wrists impossible speed, not to disable her hands, but simply to knock them away. In that brief window, Michael started to run her through a striking drill, palms and fists striking down, each blow opening her up for the next until she could bring her swords back around, at which point he simply started the process over again. He ran through the lesson as thoroughly as he could, each blow another strike from the figurative hammer, carving his lessons into her body and slowly forging her. Breaking what was left of her blades was certainly an option, but not one the immortal pursued. She might not fully understand the gap between them if he robbed her of her weapons.

At the same time, each blow almost seemed to be communicate something to her, as if the immortal's fighting spirit itself was speaking to her through his attacks and the words were only for her to hear.

You have done well. Against a lesser opponent, your skill could have won through a dozen times over. However, if you wish to reach me, you must grow further. You do not yet know how to use your body, so depriving me of my weapon avails you nothing. More than that, your strikes lack weight. Your skill is admirable, but you lack a purpose and skill for its own sake will only carry you so far. I can offer you this and more, if you are willing. Nonetheless, I am grateful to have someone such as you, not to mention proud.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Meti

The endless rain of blows turned it from a battle into a pummeling session. Every swing was knocked off course and away as she was struck again and again. But every fist and open palm carried its own message. Speaking to her in between every hit.

...lack purpose- How dare he say that. No one had the right to say that to her. No one. The fires of will coiled tight in her as her hand trembled with its heat. Then she swung. Her sword was broken. The distance was too far for it to do anything in this state. But there was something almost miraculous about the mysteriousness of it. Almost holy in the perfection and unknowable nature of the attack. And even though the blade was too short...

hungry

Something was there. An impossible cut with a blade that did not exist meant to cut the man in two.

[Kat]

Mordred

This didn't feel bad. Though honestly, she really should remind her to not treat her like a pet. Just in case. She moved away her tail when she deemed that it was enough. "You know, maybe I exaggarated. But I hope you don't wish to pet my tail too much, I'm not some sort of a domestic animal."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Lorenzo

Oh, regeneration...?

The fact she didn't even react to his attack might've wounded his pride, a little, but he honestly didn't care. It was regrettable, but he had already fought someone with a similar shtick, one does not fool a seaman twice with the same old tricks.

It was good, this just meant he didn't have to feel bad about ruining that cute face of hers. The fire didn't seem to bother her in the slightest, and she dared ignore him. That bitch... there were many things he could forgive, but being ignored was not one of them. He would show her not to treat a pirate lightly.

While she was busy taking him lightly, he stripped his two coats in the blink of an eye, one in each hand, and swiftly waved them in a circular motion before they caught on fire like massive burning balls. Suddenly, he slammed his palms on the ground and poured his magic into them to turn the flames into an enormous conflagration rushing towards her.

It was almost as if the flames were taking life, and unlike the earlier burst of flame, this was a sustained fiery assault, even her regeneration will fail if she burns longer than she can recover.

[Kat]

Mitsuba

Fuck. That was a stupid move. She had no idea that this enemy was so tough. The situation got messy enough that she honestly gave no shit about holding back. The enemy tried to suffocate her and she was in a grip of an enemy harder than steel. She would now fight as a weapon rather than a swordswoman.

Her body underwent an uncanny transformation. Her skin darkened and her skeleton was replaced with metallic bones. Her arms were covered with a pattern of red tattooes and her veins pulsed with plasma that flowed through them. She was still more human than not as she still had a human face and hair, shifting only partly to better wield Muramasa.

Mitsuba was angry. Beyond angry. Her mind was filled with cold rage as she was forced to reveal her true colors. Arguably, she wanted to kill them even more than Muramasa at this point. She kicked powerfully at the puppet with her still free legs, redirecting the power of her plasma reactor to release herself from the grip.

[Kat]

Rikuyo

Logically, Rikuyo should had been too battered from the crash, and the previous fight did affect her a lot. Unfortunately for Oren, Rikuyo didn't abide by the logic. She knew why that fight interrupter was here. She could smell her scent. In other words, she was there to steal her pizza! Unforgivable! Filled with rage that would rival a berserk werewolf. She instinctually mustered enough will shift to a wolf form in spite of her weakened state. Eating some leftover pizzas while running over anything in the way certainly helped a bit.

"FUCK OFF, IT'S MY PIZZA!" She roared out, responding to Oren leaping on her with a strong punch.

[Kat]

Anastasia

"Your call, though are you not worried that this 'vampire' that bit you could come back to try to finish you off? You probably would be safer if you joined us and attracted it so I could catch it off guard." Using someone as a bait wasn't wrong, it was actually tactically sound. After all, when she was an apprentice she was used in similar manner to lure out monsters. "I still recommend you to find someone who could teach you magic. At least just for self-defense if you're not too interested."

Anastasia remembered that she was still in her employee uniform. Oh right, she shouldn't let it damage outside the job. "I think I should change my clothes, the manager would get mad if I destroyed them. Do you have something my size that I could borrow?"

[Kat]

Julius

"How about the park to the east of this place? We shall wait patiently for your husband's arrival near the entrance." As someone more informed about the local area, Julius took the initiative and offered where they could meet. There they would wait until Sakura brought her husband.

[Panda]

Michael

The immortal could practically feel the indignation boiling off of her, but that wasn't what caught his attention. What caught his attention was a combination of two things. The first, that the instincts he'd honed over long millennia of living were suddenly screaming at him of danger, greater than anything she'd managed to prompt in him before. The second, that in that instant, he could hear her. Her will, her denial of what he'd said without speaking, all of it came across to him crystal clear, without him having to try to understand, or even forcing her to understand through his blows.

In that moment, she had communicated with Michael on his level.

The immortal's eyes widened before his senses, trying to pick out the source of the danger he was being warned of, registered her swinging the broken blade at him. Even though there wasn't even close to enough blade for her to hit him, Michael still moved. The immortal wouldn't mock her progress by holding back, so he didn't. Like he was made more of fluid than flesh and blood, the immortal slipped to the side of the line of the blade's cut, one palm darting for her hand with impossible speed. There was no mistaking it now, the prayer radiating from him along with that malevolence she seemed to enjoy was all for her, that contradiction expressing itself as his stance became solid once more, putting all of his weight into a strike with his free palm, seeking the side that was exposed by his initial response to her impossible swing. With that blow came a simple message, one that was practically preceded with an unspoken chuckle.

Heh. Seems Oren might have been right after all. I was wrong, Meti, there is a purpose there. Simple, pure, and one worth chasing.