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

[Kat]

Rikuyo

"You've fought werewolves and gangers so far, right? There's so many other guys you can try taking on. Vampires, other shapeshifters, people with magic powers... I hope I get to hunt one of those large flying lizards. Dragons, right? They must taste like giant chickens. I've not eaten a vampire yet though. I'm not really sure if I should, they're dead. I like my meat fresh." Rikuyo continued talking about food at first, but switched the topic to vampires. "There was one blond vampire who said she could change me into a vampire, but I didn't agree for now. I can still get a lot better. Maybe I'd say yes if that was only way to get better for a rematch, but nah, I'll fight her with results of my training."

Yes, she improved as much as she could during the winter. And before challenging Shinobu she'd like to fight other people as a warm up before the main fight. "When you're ready, I wanna fight you. Sparring with people I like is one of best things to do. Or I could put yer teach to a test. That could be fun too!"

[yinsukin]

Relius Clover

"Correct.  I just gained ownership over this place.  However, I am thinking about converting it into a Halloween themed shop.  I was working on some designs for dolls that I could display in the front.  Go on, take a look at the masks in the store.  In a city like this you never know when you may need one."  He said politely.  His voice had this quality of detached politeness, as if it took a lot of energy to speak this way.

The puppeteer walked over to the front desk and started looking through the shelves near the cash register.

[Kat]

Mordred

"Don't worry, I forgive you." The bleeding out Changeling hugged the smaller girl back, patting her on the head like a younger relative. She couldn't care less about her wounds either now. "Just promise me you won't push yourself so much, okay?"

Seeing Kuro's behavior, Mordred partly saw herself from the past, when she was far more stubborn and reckless than now. If the girl jumped headlong into any situation, it would cost her dearly, and certainly the changeling didn't want that to happen to her, in spite of all Kuro's flaws and idiosyncrasies.

[SINIB]

Archer

So Rin was out drinking, Judging by how Sakura said it seemed she did this frequently. "What I think of her? She looks quite a bit more depressed than I remember, almost as if she was thinking the world was against her. At least that's the impression I got." Archer turned to her as he talked, Sakura looked dejected, maybe there was something between them now. "You don't look too happy with how she's acting, or am I wrong?"

Sakura Matou

Sakura sighed. "It's just… it doesn't feel right for her to just go out and try to solve her problems with drinking like this, it's the first time I've seen her in three years, it was great, then she just acts depressed and difficult." Sakura looked at Archer with teary eyes. "Why can't she just act like my fucking sister for once in her life. It's all I ever wanted, to have a good sisterly relationship with her. The world's not against her at all, I'm right here, ready to help her…"

Sakura slid down into a squatting position. "But instead I feel like she doesn't want my help at all."

[SINIB]

Irisviel von Einzbern

Some Time Later…

Irisviel fiddled with the key for a bit before she opened the door the the apartment. Inside, there was a small living area with a large couch and an old looking television, one of the big boxes. She walked inside, sighing in comfort to be inside a heated building once again. "Ahhhh… This is nice." She turned to face the other four. "Let's go see how many bedrooms there are!"

[SINIB]

Shiro

The little girl instantly woke up at the newcomer's arrival, staring at him in shock for several moments, before she crawled around to Numina's back with unbelievable speed, holding onto her shoulders.

He set off every single warning siren in her mind. His scent wasn't the strongest she'd ever smelled, far from it, but it was easily one of the most foul. It was wrong. He should not, could not, exist. He had to be purged, and soon. This woman could wait. There were many more dangerous things in this city, clearly.

[YOLF]

(posting on franco's behalf)

Sakagami Kenzo

Kenzo shook his head and  held the girl by the shoulders. He spoke softly to her, with a kind calm and gentle tone.

"You can call me Kenzo. Either way it's fine if it's you, I would be happy if it made you happy. Dying from such an exquisite sword like Muramasa  Katase doesn't seem so bad, but it is idealistic to hope such things..." Kenzo paused, there was a tinge of sadness to his voice.

" I won't die. So please, indulge me."

[Thedoctor]

Archer

Archer nodded to the statements Sakura made about her sister. " From the time I knew her she didn't seem like the kind of person who would get worn down by self impaired issues. I guess she changed after the war, not that I can predict how as she died in the one I was in." As he finished thinking about the past he noticed that Sakura had slid down into a squatting position, Archer went down on his knees to matche her as he grabbed one of her shoulders "If she doesn't want your help you shouldn't force her. But let's see how she is when she gets back."

[Aiden]

Muramasa Katase

Her shell became very still as she took in his words. They were so very foolish. Possibly even insulting, if he didn't seem so willing to accept the possibility of his own death. He will not die? Truly? Does he underestimate me, or is he not telling me something about himself?

Kill.

Katase allowed her shell to visibly relax. She looked him in the eyes, and nodded. "Very well. I suppose, in the event that this ends in your end, that it would only be fair of me to use your name. Kenzo."

She took three steps back from his reach, puppet's hand resting on her hilt, and stilled her bloodthirst in anticipation. "Shall we move somewhere a little more... appropriate?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Theodore

Theodore sighed in relief. Well, she didn't try to kill him or enslave him yet, progress. If only nexus girls weren't all so batshit or downright stupid...

"Well, I'm kinda lost. Could you tell me where exactly is here?" He asked drowsily, rubbing the back of his head in embarassment. Really? Was this the best he culd come up with? How pathetic. It was kind of unpleasant to break the ice in such fashion, not that he cared, but one did need some standards. Maybe he should go for something a bit more casual.

"Your daughter's kinda cute." He added as matter of factly, pointing to the tiny old hag.

Shit.


Sakagami Kenzo

The oni nodded and got up, helping Muramasa Katase with a kind hand. "Now then, you needn't glare at me like that. Of course, a great swords deserves a great battle, and a great battle needs an equally great stage. I wouldn't dream of giving the most beautiful sword anything less." He said happily. Indeed, there was nothing but joy and anticipation in his heart, one that he could barely contain.

It was like a child eagerly waiting for Santa's arrival. He rubbed his chin in consideration. This place was quite large, he doubted it was just a house or an Izakaya. Rather, the outside reminded him much of a dojo, wich meant...

"Follow me. ♪ " He said cheerfully before leading her along by the hand, holding hers like they were already a newlywed couple. Indeed, he had been in many dojos, thus he knew that the main training grounds should be...

"Here!" He cheered after walking back and forth and in circles all over the place, finally finding himself before a sliding door that, once opened, revealed the dojo. It was a fairly large room, albeit not of exxagerated size. It was now clear what Kenzo meant, for this was indeed a place where swords clashed countless times.

Indeed, it left plenty room for a proper battle, even one between such wondrous fighters as these two. It was clean, and far from unpleasant to the eye despite its simplicity. The oni stepped in and looked around to take it all in, and once satisfied decided to stand in the middle of the room.

"So, what do you think? Does such a place suit Muramasa Katase?"

[Aiden]

Ron

Vampires? Well, he was a werewolf; he should probably object to vampires on principle or something based on that. Still, he didn't recall actually meeting a vampire before. Unless vampires could use hypnosis, and he met one and it bit him and then erased it from his memory! That was always a possibility. It was probably best not to linger on that possibility.

Rikuyo could see Ron shudder in disgust at the thought. "I think I like sunlight, thanks. Besides, who knows what kind of weird taste they have? But, yeah, other things would be nice to try hunting."

He finished off his plate and got up to get some more from the buffet. Maybe those skewers on the thin wooden sticks. "We'll talk about fighting after I get a chance to digest all this, alright? Don't want to be distracted. Or vomiting."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Oren

The ground shook as the two creatures crashed into each other. Oren bashed her head against the spirit's with all the force of a wrecking ball. Its head split, but blossomed into a bush of razor thorns that tore into two of her eyes. An ear-rending roar escaped her, and with terrible ferocity she crushed a paw between her teeth and ripped it off before backing off.

But as they slammed into each other once more she felt her muscles strain with effort as she struggled to hold her ground. Green shoots of new growth were already repairing its face and paw, and Oren was beginning to think this was a really bad idea. But then she saw it. The green light passing up into the spirit's chest.

When she pulled back she let out another roar magnitudes larger than what she had done before. Then, instead of charging back into the elemental, she leaped. Her body crashed down onto the elemental and her short limbs clawed into the roots and burning wood to hold on. She opened her maw and began to eat.

Wood was splintered, and crushed, and swallowed she she tore through the titan of blackened bark to get to the core. But the response from the elemental was just as violent. Its jaw tore chunks out of her side, thorns and sharpened wood pierced scale and the other paw crashed against her underbelly like a wave. Burning cuts were carved into her, but the gushing brown blood only made her more relentless.

Then, just as the last of the lesser elementals were slain and the glimmer of the swirling energy was revealed, a massive thorn pushed out of its chest and sent her flying back with a gaping hole in her belly. She growled almost pitiably but remained prone on her side as the elemental advanced on her.


Erica

A contemplative look overcame the blue haired girl's face. An aching curiosity drawn out by the similarities in the smaller being. "But you are not human. Why desire to become something that you are not instead of advancing what you already are? It seems unhelpful. We do not need to become humans to be real and have our own will."

She moved with him through the districts with deadly purpose. At the sight of certain gang insignia the Mantle reformed into the Needle and mowed them down like cattle without a moment's hesitation. Certain threats were unacceptable risks considering her current charge.


Numina

The cultist's eyes widened as the sleeping child instantly woke up in the presence of the man and slipped onto her back faster than she could react. That was certainly disconcerting, and a few tales her mother told her of dark spirits and strange creatures that got the unaware lost came to mind. Small children in forests that led the overly kind astray. Presences that you should never open your door too.

But there was no proof of that. She would just need to make a few tests. She reached behind her back to gently push Sakura towards her front as she said, "Well, you're in a mall, obviously. This city is called the Nexus but I have no idea where it is physically. And thank you, but she isn't mine. I'm just watching her for a bit as I help her find her mom."

Numina focused her attention on the dark haired girl and almost whispered, "What's wrong? Is there something scary about this man?"

[Panda]

Michael

Michael approached Breeze just as the last of her assailants ran from her, the immortal dispatching them without looking away from the seething woman before him. There was something beautiful in that rage, but also something that set the immortal's heart racing, something he hadn't truly felt in far too long.

Fear.

Whatever she was, whether human or something else, as the scales exposed on her hand implied, there was something about her that struck fear into Michael's heart. After the impossible horrors he'd witnessed, things, secrets that were never meant to be spoken, knowledge that was never meant to be shared, things that profaned logic and reasoning and everything else that held any semblance of sense or order, after all those things, Michael never thought he'd feel fear ever again. And, the mere sight of the woman before him brought a tremor to the hand upon his staff, the sensible part of him throwing off all manner of warning signs.

Danger, they screamed, do not approach. Do not anger.

A grin split Michael's face, a strange feeling thrumming in his veins, another feeling he'd almost forgotten he was capable of. Before he could properly process it, however, a loud roar sounded out from behind him. That new feeling was almost instantly replaced with contempt for whatever had decided to interrupt him as he turned to find that Oren had apparently gone and bitten off more than she could chew. Allowing an exasperated sigh as the Elemental advanced on the downed dragon, Michael turned back to that beautiful-terrible sight that was Breeze, extending the staff to her, offering her the hook at the end.

"Come on, Breeze," Michael said, readying himself to launch the woman at the Elemental the moment Breeze grabbed the hook, "Time to fly."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Darcy Hugh

The waiter had done as instructed and brought the poor man upstairs. He had been provided clothes and a room, and was rested comfortably in a small bed. However, a while after he left him to his own drunken slumber, Darcy's eyes opened.

Well, I just tried talking to her, but look how it ended. Who would think, someone saw through me so easily. But unfortunately, I am already to callous...

"Fortuna vitrea est; tum cum splendet frangitur. Even such rubbish, means nothing to me anymore." He thought aloud bitterly, taking his time to rise up and try the new clothes.

While it was a simple buttoned shirt and pants along with a jacket, it was enough to prove suitable. Of course, his face was still a problem. It was probably for the best if he just fell asleep, he needed rest. However, he didn't want to dream, he was scared to have to see it again, to live it once again. So he walked out without a word and left.

He still had much to do.

[Break]

Coppelius
"Heh" the doll let out an almost real-sounding snicker "I think.... i am drawn to life. We are poor imitations of them, but there is no rule that a fake can not surpass the original. By beeing 'alive', i am, for a little moment, more 'real' than all the real people that simply 'survive'. That is what i strive for."

As they wandered through the city, Coppelius marveled at the efficiency with which the construct cleared their way; he had no idea what kind of group it was, but the ones she exterminated clearly belonged together.

"What is the purpose of those insignia? Are there warring factions in this city?"

As they progressed through the city, he could see many signs of battle, but his glass eyes were suddenly drawn toward a very eccentric shop indeed.