1882/Beachfront Battle, Shield Versus Support!

Beachfront Battle, Shield Versus Support!
Date of Scene:	23 August 2024
Location:	Beach
Synopsis:	Aloisia calls Rashmi to a duel on the beach...which stops upon Rashmi revealing a certain piece of equipment.
Cast of Characters:	Aloisia Stauss, Rashmi Terios

---

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     There had been an invitation. Not one necessarily given a specific timeframe to or anything of the sort, but with her current draining scheme mostly running on its own (If something went wrong, the kindbads running the Hazardous Hotel were weak enough a stray mahou would be able to solve it easily enough on their own, at least.) Aloisia found herself with some time! ... ... And while she /could/ be scheming another draining scheme that could similarly be a long-term slow drain like the Hazardous Hotel, all work and no play makes Aloisia a dull girl.

Or at least a bored one.

So she went out to the sprawling beachfront at Yumegahama, a lovely backdrop to fight, along with plenty of environmental joys to play around with. Also she could play around in the water while waiting for Rashmi to arrive. It had been a simple invitation.

<Terios. Let us have a duel upon the beach of Yumegahama at sunset!>

There weren't any real terms beyond that, just a simple invitation, really. Also she's wearing one of those swimsuit dresses that look almost more like a tennis dress than a swimsuit, but that was just for the pre-fight waiting.

She definitely didn't arrive like an hour early in over anticipation.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Too many breaks away from studying make Rashmi a poor student.

On the other hand, OH GOD MEISTER LESSONS ARE BACK IN MATH, abort abort abort.

The invitation couldn't really have come at a better time, in all honesty.

Her 'readin' at the beach' gear is much further from the bleeding edge of fashion, being a bright yellow one-piece with a floral red pareo wrap, and a floppy white sun-hat with a red band, but that doesn't keep her from arriving about twenty minutes from the appointed time, a bright and sunny smile on her face.

"Heyyyy, Alo-chan!" she says with a wave, once she gets within talking distance. "How'd you like the books?"

Just because there's a fight in the offing, after all, doesn't mean she can't be *friendly.* Given the provenance of her opponent, *especially* because there's a fight about to happen.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     Really, it was less that it was the bleeding edge of fashion, so much as just the closest thing to a 'refined' swimsuit that she could find. She had to at least /try/ to keep up her noble standing. Sort of. Except her nobility meant nothing on this weird lost logia planet but that's beside the point. Aloisia looks up from tossing some fish food at some fish that she'd convinced to come close to her in the shallows, along with a rather brave, if grumpy, crab.

"The books?" Pause. "Oh! Yes! The books. I had honestly forgotten about them since it had been so long since my arrival, they were lovely. ...And a bit long." It was definitely a struggle at first, even with those magically-enhanced japanese lessons and having a pair of translators hanging from her ears.

"...I should probably return those to you soon."

She steps out of the water, bare feet on the sandy beach. Something she might regret later when trying to clean sand out of everywhere. "Regardless!" Aloisia shifts into something reminiscent of a boxing stance, mostly, rather than immediately going into henshin. "Shall we~?"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The answer brightens up Rashmi's day, clearly; it's *always* such a joy to learn that someone else enjoyed a thing you have eternal love for. "Take your time!" she chirps. "Molly-chan gave me a copy in English, so I'm using that to help me learn the language. ...Sort of. Anyway! If you were bored," she says with a grin, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, "you could have just said! Let's get started!"

Unlike Aloisia, whose hand-to-hand fighting training was probably served alongside her daily meals, Rashmi's fighting capability pretty clearly springs purely from her magic. This can easily be told, as she bows in the proper manner to Aloisia, and on the way up flickers into henshin.

    << *BONG!* >> << TIME-SPACE BARRIER >>

The gray-green static of the dimensional shift spreads out... and out, and out, until a respectable fraction of a kilometer is shunted half a dimension to the left. More than enough for the two to have a proper duel, and the shell of the Barrier does interesting things to the setting sunlight.

    << *BONG!* >> << FLIER FIN >>

Golden light unfurls from Rashmi's ankles, a pair each of long, thin wings reminiscent of an Earth dragonfly.

"Ready when you are, Alo-chan!"

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
    "A new language is always difficult, even the pursuit of the attempt is a noble effort." Aloisia says with a reasonably appreciative smile towards Rashmi. "Bored? Who said such~? I was simply taking the invitation extended before to ... 'see what I'm made of', I think you worded it as?" Aloisia says, that appreciative smile shifting to a playful smirk as she bounces a bit in place, not necessarily as part of her combat stance... but to get her adrenaline up. As that barrier is spread, she gives a soft exhale. "Unbezwingbare Schwester. Unaufhaltsame Schwester. Doppelwand Form."

<SET> <UP.>

As Aloisia pulls her hands apart from each other, the two shield-shaped earrings disappear, as plasma arcs between her fist and spreads over her body, her clothing glowing faintly blue before shattering into magical fragments and being immediately replaced with her somewhat-familiar Knight Armor in an arc of plasma energy. Over both of her hands, one each of those massive crystals that function as the cores of Doppelwand appear, the segments of shield flying in from the sides and locking into place, the bottom remaining open as finally the crystal spikes of their Treiber Mode slides into place, the bottom of the shields snapping into place.

"Knight Aloisia, ready."

Ready when you are, Alo-chan.

"Then I shall take the initiative!" Aloisia is boosting suddenly forward towards Rashmi, a series of magical circles appearing beneath her feet to mitigate the unsteadiness of sand. It was probably her easiest to dodge and most predictable attacks, as she slams the Unaufhaltsame Schwester -- the left shield -- towards Rashmi at the last second.

<FREYJA'S> <KUSS>

And she attempts to, simply, shield bash Rashmi, with a burst of magical energy reinforcing the blow.

Even as a basic attack, the strike is obviously a heavy blow, even before striking!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When defending against an opponent with a clear power advantage over you, the best defense is to not be there. As Alo takes the initiative, Rashmi's wings flex, and she shoots a short distance upward to avoid the attack. Half a dozen Barrets materialize into being around her, and launch outward in a wide spray, before circling in on ther own twisting trajectories.

Tuned more for homing ability and evasion then striking power, they are clearly Rashmi's basic response to Alo's basic attack; a light tap, perhaps, but a light tap speeding in from six different vectors.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     Predictably, Rashmi dodges up. Of course she did, she had Flier Fin active. Aloisia follows through the attack, slamming the shield into the ground fully with a wave of sand exploding up around them in a form of smoke screen -- not that it would stop homing barrets. But it did make them easier to spot as they cut holes through the sand, a series of small Wall spells appearing at the last moment before most of the barrets strike as she follows through the movement. A few strike home. She doesn't seem particularly bothered by them -- even with the slight burns to her barier jacket.

Rolling until she was flat on her back for a moment, wild grin on her face as spiked bottoms of those twin shields face upwards. "Aaah~. Homing barrets. A good basic, ja, ja." Aloisia comments cheerfully.

<Streuss>
<Chuss>

The tips of those shields glow briefly, before unleashing a pair of what looks like energy barrets at first -- before breaking into a scattered spread of plasma bolts when Rashmi starts her dodge.

An action which is done while rolling the rest of the way back onto her feet to bring her shield back up into a defensive stance.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< *BONG!* >> << ALERT. MASTER. ALERT. HIGH-ENERGY PLASMA PROXIMATE. >>

Plasma is not something Rashmi has dealt with a great deal, so far. But it is akin to fire and wind enough, that her counter is a confident one.

<< *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- BLAZE SHIFT >>

A bubble of translucent golden light surrounds the mage, and with a sweep of her hand becomes a whirling, incandescent yellow ball of fire, with her at its heart.

Rashmi has, it seems, learned how to add thermal components to her defenses, and made heavy use of the liquid characteristics of fire; this Shield does not block, much, but instead soaks up thermal energy, and pulls at the attacks like a current, sending a spray of plasma bolts in many directions.

Not *all* of the bolts are repelled, sadly, and Rashmi hisses in real pain as ionized gas splashes across her arm. But this is merely the opening series, and she *did* promise to show what she was made of...

<< *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BLADE -- GLACE SHIFT >>

Four actual, hard-light *swords* materialize around the Mage, then orient on Aloisia, and with a screeching *crack!* become blades made of golden ice, before *launching* down to the beach, and their target.

The spell itself is a shield-breaker, created to corrode and shatter blocking constructs like Shields, and Walls. The addition of ice means that upon impact, the Blades themselves will shatter forward, covering what ducks behind the Walls in clinging, movement-hampering ice.

It's not *quite* a Bind, and not *quite* an attack, but a little of both, designed to allow teammates to draw a better bead on a target.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
"Mm. Mm. Focused, specialized. Useful." Aloisia comments thoughtfully to herself as those plasma bolts are diffused and drawn away for the most part. Something she'll have to incorporate into her own shields against fire-using attacks, since the heat still tended to make it through. Something that had put her at a disadvantage against Sunbreaker.

Golden ice is launched towards Aloisia. Ice.

In those few precious moments she has to plan and think. Ice is usually a penetrating attack. Aloisia's purple eyes stare up towards Rashmi as those spells launch towards her. That playful smirk lingering on her lips. It was the obvious tactic. A reliable one.

Unfortunately, Aloisia is a Belkan.

"Unbezwingbare Schwester."

<BURGMAUR.>

The right shield is pushed towards the incoming blades, the bottom spiked ends of the shield shooting out to root themselves into the ground, as Aloisia aims the bottom of the other shield beyond the side of the shield.

And twin overlaid belkan magical circles appear below her, as the azure outline of a castle wall appears between the pair of them. Meeting the shield-breaking ice swords, which ...stab into the wall as intended. Shattering behind and striking that pushed forward shield, the ice clinging to that shield.

<SCHNELLER SPRUNG.>

Another burst of magic below Aloisia, sending that sand flying behind her as she *launches* herself through the air, still in that aimed position as energy audibly can be heard charging at the end of that shield that was still tracking Rashmi.

<ENERGIEBOLZEN.>

And a lancing spear of plasma energy is launched from the tip of that shield towards Rashmi, a precise, sharp attack. Much like her own towards her. Intent on cutting through defenses. Aimed ever so slightly based off of Rashmi's own movements to attempt to catch where she will be, rather than relying on homing systems.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
What's the best defense against an attack revolving around fouling someone up *through* a shield?

Two shields, apparently. Something to bear in mind.

When Aloisia launches upward, it's somewhat expected, but that lance... Oh dear.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- RED SHIFT >>

It *looks* like the work of a rank beginner, a Shield barely worth the name. The disk that comes up to meet Aloisia is... fuzzy, barely containing the energy, and looks like it will shatter with the lightest touch.

This is, however, entirely by design.

Mid-Childan shield spells were developed largely to counter Belkan offensive maneuvers. With their preference for melee weaponry, it became standard practice to include a kinetic-kickback parameter, to strike *against* the attack with roughly equal force and shave of shield integrity. This spell, however, is the result of Rashmi looking at her loadout, seeing a clear weakness in her offensive spread, and asking herself 'What if *nothing but* kinetic kickback?'

The actual structural integrity of the shield collapses the moment the point of the lance touches it.

Aloisia's attack was focused, precise force. When the shield collapses, that force is multiplied, spread out to cover an area most of the size of Aloisia's body... And pointed directly back at the ground.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     Really, it's less that it's two shields, Aloisia's wall spells, seen up close, are something that is so terribly simple that somehow it rounds around to being... actually surprisingly effective. It's a barrier and shield spell overlaid, covering each others' weaknesses and enhancing each others' strengths.

Simple, yet effective, though she /did/ still have several shards of that ice sticking into her. She'd just, well, taken them with her. Her actual position was even somewhat stuck still. ...She'd just ensured that it was a good position to be stuck in.

A shield that looked almost like it was made out of panic, but... the thing is, while Aloisia didn't know /too/ much about Rashmi... she knew she wasn't a rank beginner. "That is a fascinating shi--"

<BREITE WAND>

At the last second, the left shield pings out that defensive spell, a defensive wall appearing in front of that kinetic rebound.

<WAND REFLECKTIEREN.>

As Aloisia is launched back towards the groun by her own kinetic force, she impacts with another wall below her...

...Which launches her back *UP* towards Rashmi, though she looks just a bit dazed from the strike mid-flight.

...If not stopped, she would actually simply ram RIGHT into Rashmi.

<REFLEXIONSZONE.>

...And if Rashmi doesn't catch herself in time, she would find herself launched into a series of barriers tuned to do... basically the same thing at the shield she just used, absorbing the kinetic energy of being struck to launch her, angled towards another barrier.

...And send her into the WORST game of pinball ever.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     Really, it's less that it's two shields, Aloisia's wall spells, seen up close, are something that is so terribly simple that somehow it rounds around to being... actually surprisingly effective. It's a barrier and shield spell overlaid, covering each others' weaknesses and enhancing each others' strengths.

Simple, yet effective, though she /did/ still have several shards of that ice sticking into her. She'd just, well, taken them with her. Her actual position was even somewhat stuck still. ...She'd just ensured that it was a good position to be stuck in.

A shield that looked almost like it was made out of panic, but... the thing is, while Aloisia didn't know /too/ much about Rashmi... she knew she wasn't a rank beginner. "That is a fascinating shi--"

<BREITE WAND>

At the last second, the left shield pings out that defensive spell, a defensive wall appearing in front of that kinetic rebound.

<WAND REFLECKTIEREN.>

As Aloisia is launched back towards the groun by her own kinetic force, she impacts with another wall below her...

...Which launches her back *UP* towards Rashmi, though she looks just a bit dazed from the strike mid-flight.

...If not stopped, she would actually simply ram RIGHT into Rashmi.

<PINNWAND.>

...And if Rashmi doesn't catch herself in time, she would find herself launched into a series of barriers tuned to do... basically the same thing at the shield she just used, absorbing the kinetic energy of being struck to launch her, angled towards another barrier.

...And send her into the WORST game of pinball ever.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
...Okay *that's* a novel approach to avoid being splattered across a bea-- WAIT WHAT.

Panels open up along the ribbonlike tailfins sweeping out from behind her, and--

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR FLASH >>

--with a burst of magic akin to rocket thrusters, she arrows down and away from the rapidly-approaching Aloisia.

Rashmi has fought Chrono far too many times *not* to know a danger-zone when one is being set up.

But since it would be a waste of all those reflective constructs to just let them hang in the air...

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE >>

By now, Rashmi has used this spell enough that its efficiency is quite respectable; eight Barrets initially, launched and resummoned in sequence the moment the next is fired. This is not a homing attack, it's simply a low-cycle machinegun of punching energy balls, pointed through Aloisia toward the nearest Pinnwand.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
<GEPLATZE MAUER>

As Rashmi moves down and aims barrets towards the reflect wall, they simply disappear, as Rashmi's path is filled with several explosive barriers while she has hopefully-minimal maneuverability to get away from them.

"Tch tch tch! I am not so naive as to allow a failed attack to linger like that." Aloisia comments cheerfully, still with that somewhat wild grin on her face.

...There's still a few Barrets coming towards her.

<LUFTSHILDE>

Several solid shields appear, which Aloisia leaps from shield to shield as a method of 'flight' to avoid the worst of the barrets aimed towards her, giving a cheerful hum as she leaps from shield to shield. "How are your energy reserves doing, Terios~? Hopefully they will hold out for a while yet. I still have so much... ah... how do they say it on this planet?" She muses out loud, before turning, several vents sliding open along the sides of her shield with a ka-CHUNK, before plasma energy sends her flying towards Rashmi again rapidly. "Ah, yes! I still have /plenty/ of gas in the tank!"

<PLASMAKLINGE.>

Several rotating blades of plasma appear around Aloisia, launched in rapid succession towards Rashmi, her gaze rarely leaving the other girl and keeping an eye on each of her movements and sending the blades in a vaguely tracking manner to attempt to box her in.

The blades aren't the actual attack though, as the unaufhaltsame schwester is brought forward.

<TREIBER MODE>

And the bottom of the shield splits open, the crystal spike in the bottom of it sliding out and into place.

<AUFLADEN.>

Nope, the blades are mostly to limit Rashmi's movements, as Aloisia closes the distance once more.

"Hopefully your shields are up to this, Terios! Because I know mine are up to whatever you throw at me~."

...She might be a bit arrogant. Just a bit. Or just having fun being an unstoppable juggernaut.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Not bad!" Rashmi sings out in response, grinning. And, indeed, there's a new light shining behind her; the canister sitting on her belt, at the small of her back... it's glowing? Dimly, but still.

As the plasma blades arc through the sky and slash towards her, Rashmi sets up two Shields; one a standard, omnidirectional golden bubble, and another following her hand, a disk of jagged, spiky ice. Layered, varied defenses are perhaps more energy-intensive than usual, but it *definitely* covers for the fact that she is not nearly so agile in the air as a Fate or a Nanoha... or even a Molly. What can't be dodged cracks against her Shield, or is caught and fouled by the spiky ice disc, at the cost of some of its structure.

But this is clearly a dance she has danced before, the steps of unrelenting assault.

But both Shields are quite visibly degraded, by the time the Knight joins her again, and thus a *third* shield pops up between the two, debriding the force of Aloisia's attack by a factor of three.

Which only really means it doesn't hurt *as* much, when the spike punches through and knocks into her.

It means the crater in the sand she makes is a shallow one, and one she can stand up from almost immediately... then hunch over as a cracked rib announces itself.

...And now the canister on her back is glowing brighter yet.

"I'm... ng... gonna hold you to that!" she says, much more bravely than she might feel.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE -- BLAZE SHIFT >>

Where before, it was a stream of Mid-Childan energy barrets... now it's *fire.* Comets of golden fire lance upwards, forcing the Knight to find a way to dodge in midair, without flying...

And the light behind her grows brighter still.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     The plasma blades do their job, clearly, of guiding Rashmi to where Aloisia wants her, following her down to that crater in the ground. And Aloisia's device pings again.

<AUFLADEN 30%.>

Aloisia stays in that position, using her shield to do her best to HOLD Rashmi down as she keeps that spike pressed up against that barrier and Rashmi.

Even as that solar barrage, that stream of fire unleashes towards Aloisia, as she actually... frowns, watching that glowing cannister as those fiery attacks are launched towards her, she was more or less weathering the blows as that light continues to glow brighter.

<AUFLADEN 50%.>

Aloisia lifts that shield up again, that spike retracting into the crystalline structure at the center of the shield as plasma arcs between the spiked prongs of the shield. "That is extremely dangerous, Terios." Aloisia states simply.

<SCHLOSSKNACKER.>

And that spike launches out, as Aloisia stabs down

...Into the sand next to Rashmi, the plasma burst discharging harmlessly into the earth as Aloisia stands, now burned. "That cannister. It will only lead to sorrow down the road."

<WAND MODE>

The spike retracts, the shield returning to normal, as Aloisia reaches a hand out towards Rashmi. "I understand you are working within your means. Let us call it a draw for now."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Barrier Jackets may dramatically boost the strength of their Mage, allowing them to pick up and carry a human being as if it were nothing.

But her strength is *definitely* no match for that of a martially trained Belkan Knight, and she is very, very successfully pinned down by that shield.

But then... Aloisia calls a draw. And there's a little part of Rashmi that can't help but be disappointed, especially as she *identifies* the canister.

That, for certain, is surprising to the young Mage.

"I.... um. Okay," she says, accepting the hand and pulling herself to her feet.

"Can I, um... Can I ask how you know that? Because this is the *first* I've ever heard about anything like it, and I made super certain to put a whole bnch of safeguards in place."

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
     Aloisia gives a soft exhale. "Ja, I understand your disappointment." Aloisia says, "I share it." Aloisia lifts her hand, her device producing a hologram of what looks suspiciously like a shotgun shell. "That cannister is basically this, I am assuming from the way it was glowing." Aloisia says. It wasn't an actual Cartridge.

"A system which caused much sorrow in ancient past. From the rough size of it, I would presume it was going to unleash a high-power attack, I would guess that it's roughly around the same energy concentration as a Fortification Destruction level Catridge." She motions towards the hologram.

"They are incredibly effective, as no doubt, that." She points at the Cannister. "Is as well."

"Most ancient devices are equipped with that system."

She pauses.

"There is a reason modern ones are not. The recoil that it inflicts upon your body over time of repeated use, the stories of powerful knights reduced to retirement long before their time from reliance on that system... it is saddening."

She lifts a hand to rub the bridge of her nose. "I'm not saying it's the exact same, I do not know the actual workings of your device you have created, but the similarities leave a foul taste in my mouth."

"Frankly, that you successfully made something similar with the means that you have on earth is impressive."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The hologram is studied curiously, and Rashmi nods along with the explanation, listening carefully. "I see," she murmurs, as Aloisia speaks to the effects of the Cartridges over time. "...I will very definitely keep that in mind. But... You're right, also. I *am* 'working within my means.' I don't... Probably *won't* be able to throw out the kind of insanity I see around me on a daily basis. Most of the fights I've won, I've *survived,* and that because I managed to pull out a trick that only works *once.*"

Rashmi shrugs, apparently not *upset* by the admission, just... concerned. "So... I came up with a workaround. Nicomachea can handle a *lot* more mana than I can channel, so... The accumulator puts all the hard work in his hands. It's already *out* of me when it hits the tank, and-- I mean, you get it. But it's a good warning to remember, Alo-chan, and I want you to know I *will* remember it. It's not power I *want,* just... A deeper toolbox. Because some problems aren't answered by throwing snowballs at them."

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
The explanation from Rashmi to the reasoning behind her creating the cannister system gets a soft sigh from Aloisia. She almost looked sad at that. "As were many of the knights who relied on such systems. Meant to propel knights to highs that others could not reach, make even the weaker knights into a force to be reckoned with. Still.." She glances towards the cannister. "If it is a single use thing, perhaps."

...

She turns away, beginning to walk. "I shouldn't say this, but if I *were* to say this, it would be that the standard method of storing energy in a Catridge system or similar system would to be to store the energy in times of peace, those moments of rest when energy is abundant." Aloisia says, lacing her fingers together behind her head. "Normally this would be done by the support mages for the front line knights, but when push comes to shove, technically anyone can do it to varying levels of efficiency."

She's not necessarily leaving, so much as possibly trying to give herself some sort of plausible deniability. "...If there was a guarantee of peace... though some limits exist due to one's natural aptitude for magic... one's magical power is like a muscle, if you are constantly exercising, pushing the limits of it... it will grow naturally stronger."

"But that's just what *I* would do." Aloisia says, before dropping her knight armor.

"Next time, I promise I won't stop just because of the cartridge, but it was... too much of a shock, I suppose."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Then I apologize for the shock," Rashmi says, and is sincere in her apology. She came here to enjoy a low-stakes battle, not upset a distant-but-friendly opponent. "But... yeah. This is for ending fights, not starting them. I'm not... Probably never going to be a real *soldier,* Alo-chan, not like you. But just because I have this, doesn't mean I'm ever going to stop pushing myself. Maybe one day I won't *need* it."

Chuckling quietly, Rashmi drops her henshin as well, and toys with the brim of her hat. "Maybe then *I'll* challenge *you!*" she says, grinning.

It's not until the both of them are in their civvies, that she drops the Barrier. Hurt? A bit. Tired? Fairly. But overall, it was still a *really* good time.

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
"That's probably for the best. Soldiers give their all. It is a noble life, but one that leaves room for little else, like being a cook of delicious foods." Aloisia says with a small smile towards Rashmi. "Do not worry, you couldn't have known; after all, the history of Ancient Belka is not exactly a common thing to be taught upon this planet." She turns back towards Rashmi, stepping towards her. "If it only skims excess energy and stores it to unleash an attack, it should be safe enough. The issue with Cartridges is that it takes energy and compresses it into a small, explosive burst to make an attack strike harder and push it beyond its limits. While you are... using the Storage function of your device to its limits... likely a better option."

She muses on that, leaning in towards Rashmi, though not to look at her, but instead look at Nichomachea in its standby form. "The way you use your energy is clever, you honestly would be wasted as a soldier." Aloisia mumbles under her breath thoughtfully. "And your partner is of excellent quality, I can tell its creator was skilled and loved their craft." It's an admiration, probably the most pure emotion she's shown. She ahems, leaning back after that.

"If only such things were the standard, rather than the rarity, perhaps the number of Intelligent and Armed devices would be higher than the number of Storage Devices, but meisters of that skill and quality are, regretfully, uncommon."

One trait she clearly shares with Hannah.
A love of industry, and skilled workers.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
When Aloisia desires to take a closer look at Nicomachea, Rashmi is all too pleased to give her the best angle possible, and flushes with genuine pleasure at the compliment. "I owe Nicomachea a lot," she says, "and not just because he made me magic. More than that... he's a dear friend, and I won't *ever* take him for granted. It's nice, to know that that much care went into making him. I can only hope that if *I* ever actually make it to being a Meister, people'll say that about what I make."

Her smile falls, however, as she considers what Aloisia tells her about how Cartridges work. "I see... And I *get* why that'd be something to avoid. I can't imagine that much compression doing *anything* good for a body. At *least* as bad as the opposite of it that I saw, not long ago."

Shaking her head, she looks back up at Aloisia, smiling brightly. "And thank you, by the way. I don't think I've ever been more certain that 'You're not a soldier' was meant as high a compliment as you did."

Aloisia Stauss has posed:
The talk of Nicomachea gets another one of those little smiles from Aloisia, as she laces her fingers behind the back of her head again. "As it should be. Mage and Device are meant to be a pairing. Most often, Devices are custom made for their wielders. It can make inheriting one messy at times if the inheritor doesn't have the same traits at the original person it was made for. I'm presuming that you at least have enough similarities that Nichomachea can make up for the downsides of having been born on this magically-messed up planet."

Her face does go solemn though, "If you're going to keep using that cannister, you should consider using it more like a battery, than a blasting cap. Store energy when you can to slowly release and supplement over the whole battle instead of releasing it all in an instant attack. Yes, I know that's easier said than done when there's always /something/ going on in this city, but I'm sure you could figure something out."

She gives a soft exhale, lifting both hands to scrub at the side of her head. "I probably shouldn't be being this friendly with an enemy, but it's hard to see the people of this planet as enemies. It's going to bite me in the ass I'm sure." She mutters. "Anyway, you're welcome. I should probably get going. Never know when the wrong person will see the wrong thing." She waves lazily towards Rashmi, as she starts to walk away.