Words or Fists? (Akira)

After the destruction of her facility, Rose had to take a defensive stance to everything. The media was inclusive, aiming to get every detail out of the scene and from her staff. They were trying to label her as bad half the time and a victim the other half. It took a bit of doing, but Rose managed to manipulate them and their agendas. She put reason behind action and made it seem as though her facility were burned down by a crazed lunatic that was looking to sport some drugs. His dehydrated body was found burned and charred. It was the only body found in the facility and she tied it all to him.

After the pointed fingers were gone Rose was still left with a mess. She still had to deal with all the clean up and the costs to replace everything that was lost. Certain things weren't going to just appear before her like magic either. Due to contractual agreements, she had to go through certain groups and companies to replace a few necessities and chemicals that she used for testing, sterilization and development of medicine. From the quantity, she was going to have to get approval notes from a dozen different names. That was, unless she went straight to one of the bosses himself. Director Kugakimoto,Takeshi of the New District of Chemicals for Office and Facilities. Basically, he was a big approval man that could be used directly instead of by means of a long and steep ladder. If she went to him, more than half of her problems would be solved in a blink. Everything could be replaced in hardly anytime. All she would have to do was take a trip to New York in the near future to meet him.
But, there was a problem.

There was and typically always is, a problem. This one was a bit different. Ever since she withdrew her Doll, there was something about the air around her. Was she being followed? No. Because she was following that strange feeling herself. She hadn't experienced it for a long time. So long that she almost forgot about it. The sense in the air of another thing like her. It was unlike anything a human felt when surrounded by other humans. Sharper. Finer. Different. Rose really didn't know whether to be defensive or offensive or just to wait and watch. Was there another Bount around? She had been trailing this, never for long distances, a few times lately. Did they know? Was this a game of tag? Was she being lured? It could be it was she that was the stalker and they, who ever or whatever they were, were the ones trying to get their personal space. She still just couldn't leave it alone.

Today, she'd trailed the feeling shortly after work. She'd been led to an abandoned looking, single story house. It should have been abandoned. She felt a little more confident today. Maybe, instead of just leaving it alone and returning to her busy life, she would investigate. To see just what it was that she had dedicated this time into. If they resisted would she kill them? If they weren't what she thought, would she smash them? If they weren't in agreement with her ideas...Would she remove them from her presence? An more important question was, would she be able to?
"Show yourself," She said, though there was a definite double meaning in those words. Spoken in Japanese it could be a little different than what someone like her would be used too, however, if they were like here there was no room for misinterpretation. She wasn't going to chase anymore. She was going to see and be shown. Her trip to New York was coming up fast. She couldn't just leave this as a loose end. Especially not if, somehow, that Shinigami was the one giving her this line. He was far too much trouble to leave to his own devices.

The building that Rose had made her way to was currently in use by the bount Akira. Sitting on the stretch of fields shared with the bount mansion, between Karakura and the large place the bounts called home, it served as a setting for Akira's private training, as well as a symbol of shame to him. This was the building that he'd happened upon that night when the large, crow manipulating hollow had nearly claimed his life. Though quick thinking and superior tactics had allowed him to escape alive, the fact that a hollow had proven stronger than him and forced him to retreat continuously pressed at his mind and drove him to work harder at his training in an effort to increase his strength.

The building was unimpressive, with only one level and worn beyond repair. All the front wall's windows were shattered through his use of his doll's abilities during the fight with the hollow, and the inside was trashed by years of neglect and possible teenage vandalism. But looking past all of that, Akira had seen potential for a place that he could come to everyday and train without catching attention either at home or in town. At least that's what he'd thought. His training and fluctuating reiatsu seemed to have attracted some company. He was busy practicing striking a makeshift dummy, which left Sirene, his doll, to detect the presence and call of the person outside first. She jumped off the three legged chair she'd been perched on and ran over to Akira holding a towel for him to wipe his sweat off with. "Akira-sama, there's someone outside. It sounds like a woman."

Akira paused his training and gratefully took the towel, beginning to clean himself up while his mind raced to figure out who it could be. Likely a bount, since it was hard for other races to detect their reiatsu, but if it was a smart or powerful opponent, that advantage could have been overcome. Deciding that he didn't have enough information to be making fretful speculations, Akira chose to exit the building and see who it was for himself. Upon reaching the outside, he was surprised to find a successful looking woman standing in front of the building. She seemed extremely out of place here in the middle of a field by a ruined house looking like a business executive. Akira didn't know what to make of the situation. He decided to be respectful and gave a slight bow, seeing as he was playing the part of a normal school boy at the moment. While Sirene acted in the nervous and shy attitude she always displayed around new faces, peering out from behind Akira's legs, he spoke as politely as he could. "Hello. Is there something I can do to help you ma'am?"

She thought about it a moment, considering her stand. She was here to figure something out, but there was also something inside of her that almost hoped that it would have been...But she killed him. He would always be gone. That hope, or hesitation, she felt about that possibility was gone. She was looking at someone that didn't know her.

Rose started walking towards the house and it's inhabitants, "You aren't all that young." She breathed the words passed a sigh. Despite his age, which she could faintly tell, she could feel some semblance of his latent energy. It wasn't as sharp as hers was. Wasn't as toned as she forced hers. However, he couldn't exactly be a novice either with his Doll active.

"My name is Rosery Valentine," She introduced, motioning her hand lightly to her chest to emphasize, "I was curious. An energy like mine caught my eye and I tracked it here. You aren't very secretive," She stopped walking towards Akira and Sirene a few feet from the whole house. She knew better than to be over trusting. "I've lived a long, long time. Not once have I ever met another," She would say, slipping a hand into that white, clean labcoat she wore over her formal skirt and button-down blouse. She pulled out a silver horseshoe.

"Would you like to show me your abilities?" She would ask, a little hasty for her nature, but she was truly curious. For what she was considering, she wanted to see if they could ever be on the same side. She wanted to see if Akira, whom she'd only just met, was someone that she could one day call a comrade.

The large horseshoe remained in her hands a moment as her sharp gray eyes kept their eyes on Akira. Not wanting to miss a single detail. She could have spent time asking who was he and how did he get here and what was he doing with his life...But, she also had a schedule. Right down to business. If he was just like her could he control and carry himself as she could and others? "You must be tired of hitting stationary walls?" Her eyes drifted to the scared body of the house for a moment and returned back to Akira.

"Se montrer," The woman said. She felt warmth coming as that horseshoe was about to erupt. But, there was another warmth. The feeling of her home lanuage. All these languages that she had taken up...English, Japanese, Chinese...They weren't the same as her home words. The words she grew up with and the words she used the most in her life. Saying that activation phrase and feeling the enormous energy start to fly into that horseshoe was so nostalgic.

The horseshoe went from it's bland metal '"U" into a morph of liquid quicksilver that spanned out into a blubbilng blanket of metal. Soon it would take the shapes of it's lower half which fell down to become four connected legs and it would quickly fill up the rest to form the upper torso. The metal melded together to present a horse bottom and a human-man top portion. He was muscular, from his bottom half to his lower portion, and completely made of metal.

Akira and Sirene each took a half step back as Rose approached, about the same time that she halted a short distance from them. It seemed that nobody present was ready to be overly trusting. And that suited Akira just fine. He wasn't all that thrilled with her forwardness to begin with, but wrote it off as normal behavior. He'd seen more impulsive people before...like Isaac. So Rose's quick introduction and request for an introductory fight was within acceptable behavior. He had been a little surprised by her arrival at first, but as she spoke he pieced together the different elements that had made that outcome possible. She was older than him, though he would have no way of knowing just how much without asking, and his overconfidence in bounts' unique reiatsu had made him overlook the possibility of another bount detecting him during training. But that was not important now. With the appearance of her doll, Akira could tell that this was not going to be an easy fight.

"An elemental..." he muttered under his breath as he tried to think of possible means to fight the centaur. "Being made of metal, it will be resistant to my physical attacks. Which basically makes Sirene's core form useless..." he turned his head with a lowered glance to look at Sirene, still clutching his leg, then turned back to Rose's doll. "But having such a solid makeup may open the possibility for...other opportunities."

Akira reminded himself that the fight had not started yet, and that he hadn't even returned the courtesy of Rose's introduction. Shoving the battle thoughts from his mind, he dropped the overly polite school boy facade and matched Rose's gaze that didn't seem to waver from watching his every action. He replied in the careless voice that showed no excitement, foreboding, or any emotion whatsoever; his normal behavior towards someone he'd just met and knew nothing about, especially whether or not he could trust them.

"I am Akira Usui. I grew careless since I believed that my training here wouldn't catch the attention of others. As proven by your presence, my thoughts were mistaken." He shifted his gaze back to the doll for a moment, just making sure that he wasn't going to try a sneak attack while he introduced himself. Seeing no movement from the metal centaur, he returned to the conversation. "There are a few of us in this town, but others come and go as they please. That is the natural way of us bounts." He wondered who Rose exactly was and what had drawn her to this area like it had the others. But questions like those could be saved for later. "I do grow weary of having nothing to train against. If you and your doll are up for it, I think we could give you a good...show."

"That is precisely why I have brought myself to your attention." Rose and her centaur had yet to attack,"There isn't any reason for beings like us to be the rouges of society. We could be allies. You and I should be joined, not separated, and I believe that as Bounts our power is stronger together. However, just joining anyone or thing is not always effective. Someone with capacity and ability is necessary, don't you agree?" Rose asked, crossing her arms and tilting her head slightly.

"Usui, is it? You," She said motioning her arm in Akira's direction, "And myself," She brought her hand to her chest her fingers lightly touching just before her heart, "Should join hands. There isn't any reason that our race should be so detached from each other, don't you agree?" She would say, dropping her hands as she looked over to Chevalier. She moved her hand to his middle, slowly running up his metallic, horse back.

"Chevalier is tough. He possess tremendous constitution as well as reconstruction. If you are going to damage him I would suggest doing such fast. He is incredibly dense," She would grin slightly, confidently.
"Reguardless of your intentions, giving away my attributes will only end in his favor," Chevalier spoke, though not from his mouth. The hollow, echo of a voice seemed to just fly from his face. Almost like he was speaking without moving anything on his body.

Chevalier started to trot forward, his lance extending a few inches slowly as it gained a more blunt, yet broader, end. His shield was at the ready, held protectively infront of him. He wouldn't be taken for advantage easily. No. Chevalier knew better than that. Rose stood back. She wasn't going to fight.

Akira's face didn't change while listening to Rose's words, but his mind was examining every sentence carefully. And he didn't know what to make of this situation. At a glance, nothing seemed wrong with her words, but he felt like there was a hidden agenda in her speech. Like she was trying to appeal to whatever feelings he might have and persuade him to join her. Maybe I'm over thinking things again, but it seems a little inconsistent with her saying that allies should have ability, then continuing to say we should join hands without first testing me. Akira's non-trusting nature was at its peak right now. But at the same time, this provided opportunity. If he could prove his strength right here now, then Rose might be a valuable asset as an ally in the future. He'd have to grow his trust towards her at a slow pace to avoid being used, but that's the way he was with everyone.

"Thank you for telling me about his reconstructive abilities. It's let me know that we'll have to be much harsher in the use of our abilities to bring him down." Akira squatted down and put his arm around Sirene's shoulders, whispering in her ear. "I'll need to depend on your abilities for this fight. Stay back, keep yourself safe and cover me from a distance."

Sirene nodded, still looking as scared as ever. It was to be expected with her timid personality and short size when compared to other dolls that they met. Akira stood up and slowly began to step closer to other doll. Suddenly lowering his stature, he darted forward in a sprint that wound slightly around the centaur's shield arm's reach. May as well test how dense he is before I begin to use Sirene... Akira thought as he focused his reiatsu and threw a heavy kick at the centaur's side. Even with the more durable body and strength of a bount, metal wasn't going to give easily, but this would help him to test the makeup of the doll while drawing its attention to him rather than to Sirene.

"Youth, if frivolous, is wasted by preconception. Charge forward with the thought that wisdom will flow into you is fairy tale." The metal monstrosity was struck by the empowered blow, though it didn't even manage to alter the heavy metal beast's footed position. It wasn't like he wouldn't brace himself for such a straight forward charge. He was tough. His lance was quickly swung for Akira, aiming to cleave the boy straight for his neck. The centaur would decapitate Akira if he didn't dodge fast. Though, what Akira probably didn't realize, the point of the attack was not the swing for Akira at all.

As that mid-length lance was swung it would shoot out behind Akira, losing the tight-together body of it's former metal appearance. It was swung as a whip or noodle would be. It was elastic and extended outwards, a piece of gum from a gun, and was headed straight for the house behind Akira. That didn't seem like a big deal other than the problem that Sirene was inbetween that extended whip of solid metal that arc'd infront of her and was aiming to bash the girl and tackle her hard into the wall of the house. If Sirene had a body like a human her ribs would be puzzle pieces, her wind stolen from her lungs, and she'd be flung backwards like the small, fragile little doll that she looked.

"Steel yourself, or you will be far too soft to afflict me."
"Chevalier...You are being too serious," Rose said, her eyes on her Doll a moment. She didn't look worried or anxious. This was how Chevalier was. So serious, so ready to express himself and so ready to fight with every ounce of his strength. He was the embodiment of destruction, yet he wasn't an avalanche charging towards a small town. With all his power, ferocity and focus he was usually merciful and compassionate. That probably couldn't be guessed with this current situation.

Chevalier readied his shield, having expected Akira to dodge and not even to have looked back towards his Doll, he prepared his shield. He would use that next to attack Akira. Akira could be distracted by his Doll being attacked, if Akira was even looking back that way, or he could keep his eyes on Chevalier as the centaur prepared to throw that shield straight for Akira's gut and his Doll could be smashed. As far as Chevalier was concerned, it was an attack that would put some pressure on Akira. But, Chevalier knew better than to underestimate a Doll at the same time. His attack upon Sirene being countered or halted would not surprise him in the slightest. It was only the beginning steps of a fight.

"You are really going to go thrashing about, aren't you?" Rose said, moving her hand lightly to her forehead as she slowly shook her head, looking down slightly.

Akira felt a dull thud as his foot impacted the opposing doll. So he really is a solid hunk of metal... He had been prepared for a counter attack, knowing that there had been little chance of his attack succeeding. As the lance was swung at him, Akira jumped further away from the house and Chevalier, ending up standing at a position on his shield arm side, but a few feet behind and to the side of his horse legs. He was out of harm's way of either of the doll's weapons for the moment, but noticed that the lance was stretching and heading for Sirene. He started forward, but stopped when he saw her bend her knees, figuring what she was going to do next.

The little winged doll leaped into the air as the centaur's weapon came at her and fired a amplified blast of sound that screamed out of her lungs at an incredible volume. She had put more power and volume into this blast than against normal opponents; so much that even Akira was irritated a tiny bit from the blast, even though she was his doll. This amount of force was usually only used when she was using her power to destroy a big target like a building. Of course... he thought to himself. With a solid metal buildup like that, we're going to have to use her scream to try and weaken his body. But with his regeneration powers, we'll need to follow up with other attacks quick so to not let him heal.

Akira knew that there was no way that this battle would end so soon or easily. Chevalier would surely be waiting for a surprise attack from him now that he'd slipped into his blind spot. The best move now was to regroup with Sirene. He was starting to think his earlier move of distancing himself from her had been a mistake. If they could weaken Chevalier's body with a sonic scream blast and then use Sirene's ability to boost Akira's physical abilities, then maybe her core form could give him enough force to do some meaningful physical damage against the centaur. He also wondered if Chevalier would be susceptible to Sirene's siren song. He wasn't organic, but he could hear just fine. They'd test that idea out with the others. But the first step was getting back to the house.

Akira bent forward again and circled further away from Chevalier as he made his way back to the building, his eyes on the doll's lance at all times. Now that he knew the thing wasn't limited in shape or reach, he couldn't allow any slip ups for fear of Chevalier surprising him with it. Sirene glided towards Akira as he ran, shortening the time for them to meet, but there was still time for Chevalier to try and interfere before they were together again.

(ooc: lol, my bount thinks and plans a lot. Things don't always go the way he plans though. )

"Ah," Rose slowly moved both hands to her ears. Screaming. That wasn't even normal screaming. It sounded like someone was being killed it was so loud. To think that little doll could cry so loud. Chevalier was pounded by the cry. It struck him, but he didn't block. He would just be pushed back, if not dragged, by the loud cry the Doll had for him. However, Chevalier was just fine. The attack was powerful, but not enough to even reach Chevalier's internal portions. Waves like that typically didn't do much to a metal monster, but a sound wave was even less effective.

Urg. That is a slightly irritating power, however...Too bad. Sound is not a good weapon against hyper-dense metal. Perhaps, if Chevalier were hollow...But sound itself will be as useful against Chevalier as a bludgeon. Those pressure waves however... "Chevalier, go away from me. I'll be deaf by the end of this fight if she continues to attack like that.
"It will teach you to listen more clearly,"
"Was that sass?" Rose crossed her hands.
Chevalier wouldn't answer. It was rhetorical anyway. Rose didn't want him to answer and he knew that. Though, he still wasn't going to move away. In fact, the moment he could, he would move a little closer to her. She should take the battle more seriously.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Chevalier is tough, but a more direct attack is more likely to dent that hard head of his. He is very, very dense. Due to his density, sound vibrations are just hitting a hard surface," Rose would say, a bit spiteful, to Akira.
Chevalier's whip would have fully retracted to become a lance again by the time her words were said.

Chevalier noticed Akira. Did Akira think that Chevalier would just play dumb and let Akira get back there? If he had been treating this as a mock-battle from the start, as he was supposed too, he would have. But, he would do whatever he could to ensure there was significant distance between the Doll and Bount. Chevalier threw that shield, which he saved especially for Akira, and it was sent like a spinning disk towards him. Akira was fast though, right? Outrunning it shouldn't be all that difficult. One thing however...The shield would continuously chase Akira. Even if he turned in a different directly it would curve to match his change.

Next was the Doll. Chevalier pointed his lance at her and it shot forward, this time faster and not whip like. It was a straight edge aiming to stab her clean in the right wing. It was strong, dense and moving very fast. It could and would hurt her if it hit. Chevalier was attacking them both at once and, thanks to being pushed back by Sirene's cry, he was starting up a quick trot to reach Akira before she could. If she dodged the first jab for her he would swing the elongated lance whichever way to try and bat her back or slap her with that metal stick.

Damn! Akira thought as he ran, I didn't see any change in his body from that previous attack. Sirene can scream louder than that if needed, but to really damage a body that dense we need higher frequency. She's not powerful enough to produce such a sound yet. We may truly be unable to damage him to the point of destruction in this fight.

Akira's thoughts were interrupted by Chevalier's sudden attacks. He managed to run past the point where the shield intersected his running path, but was persistently pursued by the whirling disk as it curved to head for him again. With his eyes on Chevalier and his lance, he saw him retract it while talking with Rose, and saw when he pointed it at Sirene. To add to Akira's troubles, Chevalier was beginning to run to chase him. The conditions all around were starting to stack up bad against Akira and Sirene. But that only served to force his hand sooner than he'd expected rather than make him helpless.

"Sirene! Use schlachtruf, then dive!"

Like his orders, Akira's plan was simple. Sirene's voice could cause trigger changes in people's minds and bodies as well as being simple sound waves. Using her schalchtruf ability, his speed and strength would be greatly boosted and put the task of reaching her in his hands. She would just dive for the ground to dodge the initial thrust of the lance. And no matter how Chevalier wielded such a long weapon after that to try and catch her with a followup swipe, he could only catch her from above and push her further down like Akira wanted.

Sirene obeyed without question and sang out with a sound that was gentle and soothing, much unlike the attack she'd thrown against Chevalier earlier. The instant it reached Akira's ears, his strides became quicker and he started to put a little more distance between himself, Chevalier, and the shield. Sirene then dove like Akira had ordered and managed to mostly avoid the lance. The back of her thigh was grazed as she changed her position and flew downwards, causing her to squeak in a tiny outburst of pain. Akira's face grew tense as he timed his approach carefully. When the time was right, he jumped up to sail through the air at a point below Sirene.

"Core form!" he shouted as he flew through the air. Sirene nodded in compliance and her body shape-shifted from the young girl appearance to that of a curved sword resembling a giant feather. This weapon cut through the air, descending even faster and reaching Akira as he passed it's path. He skillfully caught it and skidded to a stop upon reaching the grassy ground. Spinning around, he turned to meet the incoming shield and clove down with a powerful chop of his doll's sword form. The increased strength he'd received along with the speed from Sirene's schlachtruf gave him enough power to swat the annoying disk to the ground.

Akira focused his reiatsu, letting it resonate with Sirene's as the two of them prepared for close combat. Under normal circumstances, attacking a dense metal creature with a sword would not seem like the best choice. But Akira knew that if they could keep their reiatsu honed enough, the sharpness of Sirene's blade would prove enough to do something against their foe. His master had taught him that much in his youth when explaining spiritual beings like shinigami and spiritually powered humans. If they allowed themselves to be fearful of Chevalier and his dense structure, then their weapon would have no hope of damaging his body. He chose this time to reply to Rose's earlier spite.

"If it's a direct attack you want, we'll be happy to grant you your request. Just feel lucky that Sirene hasn't reached the level of strength yet to destroy your doll from a distance. It will make things all that much more entertaining."

Akira burst forward with his sword raised. He sped straight at Chevalier this time, watching for sudden movements and looking for an opportunity to exploit an opening.

Impressive. The sound wave was interesting, however what I just saw took the cake. With her words his movements changed. They became stronger and quicker. Did she...For a moment...Thinking about sound from that perspective, it has a direct crash course with the brain. Rosery was absolutely fascinated by that single ability. She didn't care if that little Angel of a girl could spit out a sonic boom. It paled in comparison to direct manipulation of the body to the point that he grew faster and stronger by her song. Calculating, she was already reading through this battle. Her fingers moved up to her chin and her left hand moved to her hip.

That's really all I needed to see. They are strong enough. Their power would benefit me in the long run. I don't see any reason not to join up with them. Now, just to see if the feeling will be mutual...

When Akira reached Sirene, Chevalier continued his race after him and called back his lance. No need having such an overextended weapon. The shield was even thwarted quite skillfully. Chevalier didn't halt however. He didn't have a reason too. Akira was wise in his assumption as well. Though a sword or a bludgeon weren't typically the best weapons to use against a hyper-dense, enormous beast of muscle; spiritual energy was a blade that had the potential to overcome any and all metals.

"A combination? Her shape changed too," Rose observed. She always allowed Chevalier to fight on his own with his own power and ability while supporting him from a distance. She never thought to combine their efforts in the manner and shape that Akira had. It was almost like his Sirene wasn't a Doll so much as she was a Weapon now. Dolls were so much more than mindless tools to be swung around. Even if Chevalier could manage such a state, it would just leave a bad taste in Rose's mouth. Though, that could possibly be that she isn't the type to go around fighting directly. Rose wasn't a fighter really. Talented, though not a fighter still.

Akira and Chevalier were charging right for each other. Chevalier was moving quickly, despite his large build, and had his lance pointed straight for Akira. The shield that had been beat into the ground rose up and flew, spinning as it was flying, towards Akira's back as Chevalier aimed his lance straight for Akira's throat. The shield was flying more towards Akira's lower back and would adjust to Akira's movements. This left Akira in a very tight pincer attack.

That is what it had appeared at first.
I suppose I can finally step in. The thought was followed by an extravagant eruption of spiritual power. All of Rose's latent energy was released and it was quite large. Not only was it a large pool of energy, but it was aged. It wasn't something like your typical energy that was recently acquired or newly toned. It was something that developed over a long period of time and welled itself inside a small, compact vessel.

"Pinceau: Remur" Rose said, her energy erupting from her body as, finally, she decided to get a little serious herself. It wasn't because she felt she absolutely had to win. No. It was because seeing Akira fight as he was excited her a bit. She felt the final push to drive her into kick starting her enthusiasm. It was supposed to have been a simple battle so they could let out their emotions. So they could, somehow, understand each other a little more. It was a means to speak words that could not be spoken. Whether it was affective or not, Rose felt a strong need for Akira. She absolutely had to bring him in. If she failed she didn't know what she would do.

That was when Chevalier's lance became thick. Thick enough that avoiding it, while charging forward especially, would be tricky. It spiraled and the hard, tough metal became something more like a spring. Where it was tough, hard, sharp and extremely dense, it was now a broad, elastic, coil that was large enough to leave hardly any room to evade forward. That was the entire plan. The spring, if it would make contact, would launch Akira forward, which was backwards from his point-of-view, or put tremendous pressure upon his attack. Hitting a bouncy spring would make any attack weaker, simply because quite a bit of energy was redirected with a spring. Even if Akira cut a ring or two, which would take a nice bit of energy to accomplish, there was so much as it expanded to become as large as it had. Could Akira cut a spring that was almost as big as he was? Could he hit every single ring? Rose thought not. Chevalier was ready for whatever Akira would try.

If Akira couldn't and was hit by the spring, whether a lower ring or a higher ring, the point would be to throw him back and into the shield. The moment he was thrown backwards he would hit a vortex of spiraling wind in the form of a small twister that the shield would summon up. The Denseur de Ballet: Tour was strong enough to snatch up Akira's flying body, slam him into the ground a few times, and even launch him in some random direction if he was thrown back towards the shield. In the end, it truly was a pincer attack. Even if Akira could cut up all of that enormous spring that Chevalier made out of his lance, the shield would hit him and become a fast moving vortex.. Sound didn't travel well in a twister, did it? Would it?

The moment the shield was within range and it spun faster to become the Denseur de Ballet: Tour, Rose would name the attack shortly after the destructive winds would come to life.

"What the..." Akira muttered as he and Chevalier charged at each other, noticing the sudden presence of Rose's rising reiatsu. It seems that she's now interested in this fight. Akira let a thin smile spread over his lips as he charged, still fighting to win but enjoying himself a little now. He still wasn't completely sure if Rose was someone to place absolute trust in, but such levels of trust were not possible to build in a single day. That she had been moved enough by this fight to be inspired to fight for real showed Akira that she was passionate enough for him to consider a comrade. Maybe over time, even a friend. But these things had to be done in order: the first step being finishing this fight.

As they closed the distance between them, Akira noticed Chevalier reforming his lance into a spiraled shape. He didn't know how the composition of the weapon had changed, if at all, but such a wide and twisty device would definitely be an annoyance to try and meet head on. At the same time, he heard a light whistling in air behind him. Not bothering to take his eyes off Chevalier, he could already guess that it was the shield that he'd batted to the ground before. Caught between the stick and the disk. That leaves only one option...

"Muscles, don't fail me now..." he muttered lightly as he came within feet of the edge of Chevalier's lance's end. Bending down swiftly, he sprung himself up into the air, somersaulting over Chevalier and his weapon. The width of the coiled lance forced him to jump higher than he would have liked, only giving him and Sirene enough reach to slash at Chevalier's shoulder with the tip of the sword blade as they passed overhead. To his dismay, the shield followed his motion over the centaur and matched his decent to the ground on the other side. Akira turned around after landing and held out his sword with both hands to parry the shield. The disk clashed against the blade, sending sparks flying as they ground together, then surprised Akira by increasing its spin and whipping up a violent tempest that snatched Akira from the ground. He was tumbled through the air around the shield for a small amount of time before being violently thrown back in the direction of the ruined house. He hit the building back first, causing pain to spread across his face at the moment of impact. The wall had a series of cracks in it from taking his body against itself as Akira slowly picked himself back up. He was hurting, but not giving up. The effects of schlachtruf were beginning to wear off, so he did not charge again, but chose to wait with Sirene in hand for Rose and Chevalier's next move.

Chevalier would be cut at the shoulder. Despite that he was metal and that the weapon used against him was light, thin and almost delicate looking it managed to slash right into Chevalier. It was a great deal easier than trying to slam into Chevalier with pressure waves and fists and punches. However, it wasn't all that deep of a cut with only the tip cutting into him. Worse, energy visibly pooled in that area and the wound was closed just as quickly as it appeared. The metal titan turned his head as his free hand reached for a flying shield that returned to him after chucking Akira away.

Chevalier would have recalled his lance once more and would turn around to face the down Akira, taking his time, and would bring in his shield close. He wasn't attacking right away this time. His eyes looked over towards his shoulder a in thought and those shiny metal eyes of his looked to Akira in acknowledgement.
"You are not some fool with a sword. You are more than a worthy opponent. Your body is strong, but-" Chevalier pointed his shield towards Akira as if he were about to extend it once more, "Your heart is stronger. Someone like you, I do not have a problem with. "Chevalier was truly impressed by the determination in Akira's eyes. Not someone that let a hit there or being launched here set him back. He was a warrior and that was more than enough to impress Chevalier. The Doll completely accepted the Bount.

Taking her time to walk up, Rose's energy was erupting. She showed no motion for controlling it or reigning it down. Her above human spiritual power was extremely clear right now. "My name is Rosery Valentine. Akira Usui, I would very much like to make an alliance with you. You are someone I could hold confidence in. I think we could gain a lot from each other," She said, an indulgent smile upon her face. It truly was a wonderful battle. She couldn't help but still feel slightly intoxicated at its premature end. Then again, it was never a battle to the death at the start, now was it?

When Rose would reach Chevalier, after giving her formal offer, she would slide her hand over his back and, together, both her energy and his would vanish. Chevalier would slam into himself as a liquid and would be forced into a small horseshoe that was hooked by Rose's index and middle fingers of her left hand. Her energy was completely relaxed now. She would lower her left hand to her side and slide her right through her hair as she, eyes closed for a second, relaxed. She would open them quickly. Those eyes were blazing. This was an advancement.

Akira settled down as both Rose's and Chevalier's reiatsus lowered. The fire of battle left his eyes almost immediately as he dispersed his own power and let Sirene transform herself back into her girl form. He slid his hand over the top of her head, stroking her like one would a cat to show his satisfaction with the performance she'd given in the spar. She blushed from the treatment in front of others, but still smiled anyway. Akira cleared his throat, returning to his calm demeanor once again and gave his reply.

"I am pleased to have met you and had this chance to test the improvement of my skills today. I think that we can benefit from each other's assistance in the future. Whatever you may need of me, I will do my best to help out. [i]Anything within reason...[/] he thought to himself, mainly focused on the hope that Rose didn't make a habit of cooperating with hollows.

A moment passed where nothing was said, then Akira chose to ask a foolish question that was obviously unnecessary. "You don't need a place to stay do you? The mansion near here is where most of us in this area stay. Though I'm the only one calling it a regular lodging at the moment. Like I said before, others come and go as they wish."

"Excellent." She was happy with his decision, "Then we have an alliance." She spun the metal horseshoe around a finger as she listened to Akira's proposal. "I have more than a single place to call my own. But, I suppose I could pay a visit instead," She offered. Rose wouldn't have been able to take up the offer even if she didn't have a home nearby. She was simply way too picky when it came to where she would stay. She liked things one way or another and, the moment they were changed, she was prone to mass rennovations.

"I have to leave to Tokyo for business. When I return I will seek you out. I think there is something that you could have interest in. I'll explain it all in detail at a later date. I don't have any reason to hide anything from you." She said, sliding another hand through that long hair of hers. "You seem like the type to focus on training your skill. I think I could help you in that area and far more. Especially considering my business," With that, she turned to leave.

"I'll contact you later then," She would give a wave to her new found ally and start back from the very direction she came.