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

[Umbra of Chaos]

Lucy

She giggled a bit as the holy woman tried to attack the guy with her sword. This one was pretty fun! Still, she moved forward and tried to catch up with the other girl. There was a note of bemusement as she asked, "Don't you know that those who live by sword die by the sword? I thought saints like you knew that there is a right time to draw your blade. Is this really it?"

Mammon stood on her shoulder and crossed his arms while dismissively shaking his head. "Come on, let's get you back inside. You're definitely going to have a pretty bad hangover. I can fix that."

[Thedoctor]

Jin

He rather liked having his girlfriend cling to him like this but there was one thing he enjoyed more. "Nu uh, secrets makes it all the more fun Oka." He wrapped an arm around her as he started tickling her stomach. "you'll just have to learn to wait, patience is a virtue, with that attitide you're never going to learn Ars." He continued teasing her, with no end in sight.

[Kat]

Lucy

She giggled a bit as the holy woman tried to attack the guy with her sword. This one was pretty fun! Still, she moved forward and tried to catch up with the other girl. There was a note of bemusement as she asked, "Don't you know that those who live by sword die by the sword? I thought saints like you knew that there is a right time to draw your blade. Is this really it?"

Mammon stood on her shoulder and crossed his arms while dismissively shaking his head. "Come on, let's get you back inside. You're definitely going to have a pretty bad hangover. I can fix that."

Petra

"Eeehhh, how do you know I'm one? I don't remember telling anyone..." Damn, did someone from that Grail War leaked anything and was here? She would punch that person right in the face. "Nah, nah, I'm fiiinee. I just need a walk, no need for your magic tricks."

Petra started walking away, still bit dizzy, but she wouldn't trip unless she tried something funny.

***

Once she got out of the woman's range of sight, she sat down a bench and started reflecting on her life. Audibly.

"Gaahhh, I'm so useless. Drank so much I made a fool of myself. Maybe I should beat up that bastard once I'm sober... Nah, I don't want to see his mug. What I even did to deserve that, I did my best, but for last two weeks my life is nothing but a string of misfortune. Is God testing me or something?"

[Aiden]

Liam

Some nights you wake up thirsty. Like you hadn't got your mouth on a drink in days. Like your stomach was killing you and you had the world's worst case of sniffles. Like Nicky the Beed had worked you over the way his grandmother worked a potato field back in the old country.

Thirsty for what, though? Whisky? God bless it, but it's definitely not whisky.

"I am God's holy monster. I drink from humanity." - Malediction 1:1

Tonight, though? Liam felt full enough. He'd eaten well last night, got his hands and teeth on some drug dealers pushing in the neighborhood. He'd made one punk break the other punk's knee with a bat, then drained the kid still standing 'til he wasn't standing no more. Kids were still breathing, far as he knew, and neither of them would be talking much about what happened. It was a little fuzzy for them; they just knew it was because of what they'd done.

It was good work for one night. It was a monster's work, and it put blood in his belly. But there was a limit to what he could do on his own. Sure, he could find some desperate stiffs, maybe some folk looking for something new to get hooked on, and let them drink from his wrist. That'd get him some good help fast.

But Liam needed a little more than that. This place was full of nobodies and two-timing devils, didn't know a thing about what they were supposed to do with what they were. It was drowning in people with no values, no hope, just fear that went nowhere.

Liam was gonna try to change that. It was his mission from God.

"For I am not some Godless beast who hunts beneath the grandeur of sanctity. I am the grandeur; I am sanctified." - Malediction 1:4-6

Might need a little help, though. So he left the basement of the brownstone he spent his days in and went out into the night looking for folk who'd be better off dead, but maybe not buried.

--------------

The street lights were pretty useless to the walking corpse as he strolled through the streets that night. He could see in perfect darkness just fine, so even the spots that weren't lit up were plain as day to him. Well, maybe not day; day would probably melt his eyeballs or something and then he'd have to just listen for things. Which he could do; Liam could hear the heartbeats of any living folk who got within nine yards of him.

Good sniffer, too, which is why he smelled the booze on the young little lady before he saw her. He heard her words, and knew there was potential here. She was a girl who could become a lot more with a push - or trip and fall right into hell. The mobster made a point not to be too obvious about sniffing, and began to approach her slowly in his suit and hat.

"Your man do you wrong, miss?" Liam asked her, clearly, so that it would get through the dizzy cloud of drunkenness.

[Kat]

Petra

She wasn't alone. Somebody approached in her moment of solitude, when she was rambling about her sad life. Gosh, that was embarassing. The man was elegantly dressed. Was his businessman or something? But why he would want to have anything to do with someone young looking who was clearly drunk? People usually ignored delinquents drunk in the streets.

"Nah, I'm single. I hanged out with few guys but I simply have bad luck. Last one cheated on me in a contest, so I hit him where it hurt the most." That was the highlight of the day that passed. Setting his balls on fire was satisfying.

[Aiden]

Auspicious Breeze

Wow, those were some really deep, sad stories that they were  were sharing right now. Worse, it was making them all serious and gloomy when they were so lively before. "Wow, mistress was right. Faeries really are pretty awful..." Breeze marveled out loud, looking between Oren and Mordred as she tried to figure out how to make them feel better.

"... but, we're all okay now!" she suddenly said, smiling brightly as she put the things down and wrapped her muscular arms around both girls. She pulled them into nice warm hugs. "And we're all in this together!"

[Aiden]

Liam

"Well I'd send my condolences to the kid," Liam said as he winced slightly at the thought. Even as a corpse he could still feel a hit there pretty bad for some reason or another. "But the way you tell it, sounds he got what was comin' to him."

After a moment he reached a hand down, offering it to the little lady. His other hand tipped his hat her way. "The name's Liam, miss. Liam O'Mailey. You got anyone's gonna get you a ride home, miss? Money for a cab?"

[Kat]

Petra

"No, there's no reason to spend money. It's not that far away." She grasped Liam's slowly standing up, though not without some trouble. "I'm sorry, I really overdid. Shouldn't drink today. It's not even late night, yet I'm not sober. Just call me Petra, Liam."

Petra thought she really should do something about her drinking problem. The last two weeks really took a toll on her.

[Aiden]

Liam

Petra, huh? That sounded pretty Italian to Liam, which meant if his old man had been alive the vampire'd be getting some serious congratulations right about now. His ma, on the other hand, well the tongue lashin' she'd have given him would be downright nasty. It was the sorta thing that made you wonder if Christ had only been so well behaved because his mama had taken a belt to him in his youth.

Probably not. It hadn't worked much on Liam.

"Well, young lady like yourself, Petra? Can hardly blame ya for wanting to go out, find yourself a good time. It's good you say you know it ain't right, though," he told her, supporting her with his arm while she got her balance again. "But I can't rightly leave you to walk back yourself, Miss Petra, I'd be a terrible man if I did. I hope you don't mind if I escort you back to your place."

His body was warm. Liam expended the little bit of power in his blood needed to pretend to live for a little while, so as not to spook Petra.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider sighed, now feeling a little irritated at the strange and rather rude man who was distracting her from finding some interesting books to read with his bizarre response to his apparent fear of heights. Nevertheless, looking at him, trapped up the ladder like a cat stuck in a tree, Rider couldn't help but feel pity. He looked tired, malnourished and obviously frightened. So, with her good mood from before still present, Rider decided she would help him out, despite his obvious strangeness and the rude manner in which he was talking to her.

But, nevertheless, the question of how she would help still remained. There were many different ways in which Rider, with her supernatural abilities, could "rescue" him. She could jump up and grab him, she could catch him if he fell, she could run up the side of the bookcase and pull him off, she could turn immaterial and fly up to him. But, all of those things would make her nature as a supernatural being obvious, and would make quite a scene in the library. Whilst Rider had no real issue with people finding out about her nature, she knew she had to be somewhat careful, and she was unsure if she could trust this man yet. So, she decided to keep it secret, at least for now. Instead, she considered what a normal human might do in this situation. Ultimately, unable to come up with any real solution, she addressed him once more.

"Oh, I see", she said, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible. "What do you want me to do to help?"

[Kat]

Petra

"Oh, it's not a problem, it's actually nice of you..." Petra blushed slightly at the prospect of a handsome and well mannered man escorting her back to her place. Men she met so far weren't too promising, maybe except that man whom Forest found. He looked like a who has been here for a while, maybe he knew the answer to her question. "I really need help with my habit. Do you know anybody who could help me out? I need to salvage my life before I dig myself into too deep hole."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Mobb Boss

Mobb felt very relieved that she was willing to hear him out. Even with his heart racing like a rabbit's, it felt good to be around such a helpful one. So he felt glad and gulped, mustering all his courage to speak.

"I-I need a ladder. Please, my legs are starting to feel all putty..." He mewled desperately, his shaky arms and legs ready to give up.

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider looked back at him with confusion.

"But, you're on a ladder...", she said, obviously confused about what he wanted.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Mobb Boss

Damn damn damn! Why was he cursed to such misfortune? It was obvious, it was clear! Only an idiot wouldn't get it, but she didn't look stupid like one. Perhaps she was a foreigner, yes...

He cleared his throat and met her confused eyes with his patient yet frightful own.

"I know that, but there's no way I can use this one. I used this ladder to go upwards, hence its pointing up. I can't use something going up to come down, it makes no sense. Everything in this world follows a singular direction, a vector that dictates where it leads. Nothing can go both upwards and downwards, It's impossible. Hence I need a ladder that will lead me downwards. Do you under standnnndu?"

[Cherry Lover]

Rider

Rider rolled her eyes in astonishment.

This guy is absolutely nuts, she thought as he continued his bizarre explanation.

Still, whilst he seemed to be totally off his rocker, it wasn't impossible that this was just some bizarre manifestation of his supernatural abilities. So, with a sigh, she went to get another ladder, humouring him, at least for the moment.

"I never have this problem", she responded as she returned with the other ladder, waiting for him to climb down it. "I can go up and down the same ladder without any issue."