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

[Thedoctor]

Archer

It was quite strange how Rin visibly refused to take the tea, it appeared like Sakura had noticed as well when she requested that he'd keep Liseth company. The girl in question was blushing for some reason while straightening her sitting posture. Archer noticed out of the corner of his eye how Sakura and Rin went off to another room as he took a seat opposite their guest.

"Thank you, tea has always been one of my specialties. So might you inform me as to where Rin found a cute girl like you?" He teased her slightly towards the end, compliments could wok well towards lightening a mood.

[Panda]

Annabeth

The Hunter finally let herself relax a little, though she still kept her Ren at the ready. That aside, Rikuyo's reaction was a bit...odd, though not anymore odd than the redhead had already been, in hindsight. Even so, Annabeth couldn't help feeling that it didn't bode well at all.

"It would be easier to count the occasions when he didn't," the Hunter said, deciding Ron most certainly had this coming, at least to some degree, "What's it matter to you? If you're going to shorten my name, though, it's Anne."

[Thedoctor]

Jin

"Hmmmm....." Oka's fingers felt pretty nice running through his hair. He barely paid attention to Rider a she left for the living room, going for that pizza obviously. "Let's see...I apprehended a criminal who had destroyed a police station, it was a though battle for. The man just kept getting up...over and over again." Jin got a far away look on his face as he thought back on the fight. He didn't really know why he had said he had faith in the man, it just felt like the right thing to say for some reason.

[Aiden]

Ron

I'm nervous around women because Anne knows my important bits grow back. And I got no idea what you get up to, Rikuyo.

He didn't say that out loud, of course. Ron knew better than to say that out loud. Instead, he gave Annabeth a flat look as she spoke the entire truth in the worst way. "I didn't exactly hear you complaining," he shot back at her as he moved to stand more between her and Rikuyo. "Like, ever."

That's about when the lady at the counter asked them, politely, to stop holding up the rest of the line. The werewolf sighed and complied. He looked back to Rikuyo. "Anything else while we're here, then?"

[Kat]

Rikuyo

Rikuyo went around Ron and got closer to Ana, Ron-kun now behind her. "Oh, ya caught that from Ron-kun? Hmm, I'm not sure about that, but I'll tell you it to your face. Ya might become a werewolf like him. It happens. Again, I'm not sure if that gonna happen, but I can lend ya a hand. The trip's gonna be more fun if ya Change too." Rikuyo proposed. Two werewolves in hunting party would be more interesting than just one. She really wasn't sure yet how exactly she would help her, but she had few ideas.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Theodore

Theodore sighed. Smashing the earth was pretty meaningless, no matter how strong or fast she dug, in this environment the demon was always one step ahead. It wasn't that difficult to understand, assuming youre not an idiot.

And so, he just kept swimming through construction pillars and pipes that held the nearby mall together, escaping through the walls as if they were tunnels hed go through. If the beast followed them, she'd need to crash into the mall and chase them through. This was a sure way to cause a commotion, and Theodore knew it. But because they were swimming through the walls , she'd attract the most attention.

Long story short, there was no way for her to catch them without attracting attention. It was fitting for trash to be taken out by trash, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger.


Count Greyskull

"WHAT!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU, PLEASE SPEAK UP!!" He roared, putting his hand next to his ear (or lack thereof) to indicate a lack of hearing.

[Panda]

Annabeth

For the second time since finding Ron and his newest friend, the Hunter found herself more or less blindsided. None of what Rikuyo had just said was stuff Annabeth could take lightly, and the redhead had just gone and laid it all out at once. The possibility of ending up like Ron was...one she wasn't sure how she felt about. Sure, the healing factor would come in handy, and the other little abilities he'd discovered during their training weren't all that shabby, not to mention the other perks. At the same time...

Annabeth could help remembering how he always went absolutely stark raving mad if he stayed in that one form for too long, or if he looked at a full moon. The Hunter wasn't entirely sure if she was comfortable with housing that kind of rage.

Of course, there was also the matter of this all coming from a woman she'd met mere minutes ago.

"Assuming I was willing to trust someone I'd just met, which, barring a few exceptions, I don't," Annabeth said, brow furrowed as she tried to process everything, "And assuming that I was game for that, which I'm still not sure about, how would you even do that? That aside, we find somewhere else to talk about this."

It was at this point, though, that Ron's statement registered, bringing a slight blush to the cowgirl's tanned face.

"Well it's not like you were ever nice enough to ask," the Hunter shot back, leaving out that she admittedly enjoyed that fact. At least a little bit.

[Kat]

Mordred

"Alright, we are here already." Mordred announced after a long walk, pointing with her finger at a block of flats which included a bakery. "I live in an apartment on the second floor. A kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, nothing particularly special. I've not been here for a couple of days. I'm sure I locked everything." And her cheap car still stood unharmed. At least some luck in spite of one big chain of disaster and misfortune she have suffered so far.

She entered the passcode which unlocked doors to the block of flats, enough slow that there was no way that Kuro wouldn't memorize it on her own. Climbing upstairs, they reached the apartment. Fortunately she locked the door, the windows were closed shut and she set up crossbow like trap against any tresspasser without body heat. She wasn't that crazy yet to commission automated flamethrower. Yet.

"Welcome to my place, Kuro." She announced, opening the doors with her key. The corridor they entered looked a bit dusty, but it was otherwise clean. "Let's head to the living room and talk there."

The living room contained a coach, TV set with PS3, shelves with some books (Mordred was still self educating herself. And reading comics too). Oh, and her greatest "trophy". A 1:6 statue of a warrior who wielded a large sword that could slay a dragon and who was missing few body parts.

[Aiden]

Gadreel

Be exceedingly cautious not to touch its mind directly, the exile thought back to Forest with the little attention he had left to spare for anyone or anything except his target. Even its thoughts will be antithetical to all that is not itself.

The humans trembling or running for their lives were easily evaded. They moved relatively slow in comparison. He did not knock over any of the humans because of this, instead sprinting and leaping over and around them. Julius could not keep up with the wingless angel Gadreel, not at first.

As he approached closer, however, he began to have to slow down. He knocked someone over because the presence of the Mad One was beginning to interfere with even his perceptions of reality, inducing hallucinations. Gadreel didn't want to be fooled into destroying anything that wasn't supposed to be banished.

Finally though, he came upon the heart of this wretched miasma - and witnessed the impressive figure vulpine figure already challenging it. His vision blurred with impossible vistas, but not ones he hadn't seen before. He tried to look past them to his target. It took him a second to realize it was already gone, somewhere ahead of him.

The angels hand wrapped around the hilt of Dainsleif, and drew the accursed sword from its sheath. It trembled in anticipation for it too was a thing of the world no matter how awful, and it craved the destruction of the outsider. He held it before him with both hands.

"Oh, no you don't...!"

He joined the burning fox in the chase. He would not get tired. He would not stop. He could feel the source of the madness, so he just had to follow after it.

[SINIB]

Kuro 

"Alright if you say so....showing me where your apartment is would be a good idea, it's not like I'd be able to find it by myself. Still thank you Blondie you're nice, which is more than I can say for some." The two then made their way to Mordred's apartment.

Jeanne 

Jeanne gave Shirou a look of interest as he stopped in front of a building and declared that it would do. "Wow your sensing ability is great. I wouldn't have found it without you!"  Her excitement was somehow even higher than before as she wrapped an arm around Shirou's waist and pulled him with her into the store.

Shirou Emiya

"Thanks-" Shirou said before he went silent as Jeanne pulled him directly next to her. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. No, he was. He didn't particularly like it. She was coming on too strong. He pulled about half a foot away and grabbed her hand instead, walking into the store with her, and beginning to look around.

[Cherry Lover]

Sakura and Shirou

Sakura looked at the blonde vampire apologetically. She hadn't intended to imply any harmful intent on the obviously-kind girl, after all, she just thought there was some taboo about talking about her abilities.

"Sorry Medaka", she said, her gaze shifting to the blue-haired girl as she bowed apologetically, "I didn't mean to imply any ill-intent on your part. I simply thought you had some taboo againsrt mentioning your abilities to ordinary people."

[Umbra of Chaos]

Liseth

She graciously took the cup and hid her grimace as she took a sip. She hated tea. Completely and utterly despised it. It could be the greatest brew on the planet and she still wouldn't like it, but countless dinners where she expected not to make a scene put a rather convincing smile on her face with no hesitation.

She almost choked on the foul liquid at the compliment he threw out. She didn't even think those kinds of flirts really existed. She had just read about them on websites and seen them in anime. Liseth had never been the target of any real flirting or teasing from what she could remember. Still she could get some control over herself. Just needed to try and make sure to embarrass someone else, even if she wouldn't be getting it right away. “Rin picked me up at a bar. She was really interested in what was in my shorts and wanted to take me home with her. She even hired an escort and everything.”

[Elf]

Rin

Rin blinked as Sakura grabbed her hand and took her to another room.  She sighed as the door closed and felt the snap of the silencing spell in place.  From the look on Sakura's face, Sakura wanted to talk, which Rin really didn't.

Well she did, just not to Sakura.  Sakura didn't need to burden herself with Rin's problems.  As she had told Sakura that fateful morning, everyone had their own pain and dealt with their hardships in their own way.

She faced Sakura and said, "Look Sakura, I'm not mad at you.  You thought you were doing the right thing.  If anything I'm worried about you.  Three Servants and Shirou is going to get taxing, and despite your prana stores, your circuits can only output so much . . . "


Forest

Oh Joy.  Just what I wanted today.  Fine, don't go physic punch Cthulhu's little strumpit, got it, Forest thought as she leaped from her perch onto the cool tile.  Bedlam raged around her.  It would take time to try to wipe the memories and correct the damage this bitch had done.  Time she really didn't have, and even though she could do the task, it wasn't something she would relish.

Looking into the minds of the insane was a dangerous task and even the best physic hacker could render these poor souls minds with just the wrong wipe or command.

Seeing a burning fox and Gadreel's red hair start to go into a hole made by the bitch gave her pause. 

She threw up her own shields around her mind and nimbly dodged or all out shoved the panicking victims to follow.  The least I can do is shield your minds from this fannybawbag, she sent to Gadreel before focusing. 

She heeded his advice, not directly getting into the thing's head, but worked on blocking the signal.  As soon as she did, the "truth" hit her like a fist.  Her head swam and she was disoriented, but like any good fighter she pressed on despite the heavy throbbing taking place in her skull, building a mental wall of hard, heavy black crystal to block the "truth" it was trying to share.   

[Kat]

Julius

Julius moved with determination even if slowed down by the mob of people who ran away everyone in their insanity. His prayers to Heaven continued to partly muffle the blasphemous and obscene language of the unspeakable thing that chanted it in his mind. The Count always have had peculiar talent for tracking down monsters whose presence disturbed dreams of the people and plunged innocents into waking nightmares, so he had no trouble pursuing his mark. He arrived the last to the scene.

What he saw was a vulpine like spirit of fire. Many vigilantes would likely blame the inhuman figure for the corruption around, but Julius was not a vigilante. He was a figure of justice, his heart utterly unclouded and his mind's eyes sensitive to the truth: the source of corruption was lurking in the walls, the obscene demon that caused this calamity! He would ignore the spirit until it proved it was a foe or ally through its actions.

He mustered his will to chase after Ser Gadre, still slowed down by a need to evade people in the panic, but surely and slowly following. They had to meet up and form a plan to strike down the abomination.

[SINIB]

Sakura Matou

Sakura listened quietly to Rin without interrupting her big sister. She understood what her sister was saying, and also what she wasn't. Rin didn't want to burden her little sister. Rin wanted to hold it all in and be strong.

Sakura nodded at Rin, and without speaking, stepped forward and gently grabbed her in a hug. "What's family for, Nee-san, if it isn't for helping each other in times of need?" She asked quietly in her normal subdued voice. She wasn't upset, and she wasn't judging Rin. She just wanted to be there for her. So she gently brought her hands up to her head, and untied her hair, putting the ribbon in Rin's hand. "Remember when you let me borrow your favorite ribbon?" Sakura asked her. "Here you go, I think you need it more than me." She said with an awkward but genuine smile.