ud.

"Am I that obvious?" Altria asks.

"Just a bit. You might want to work on that." Sighing, you rub your head, trying to think of a way to argue Altria out of what you are sure is a bad idea. "Okay, let's say that you do go snooping around. Are you sure you can get away with it? Keep in mind, this is a sorceress we're talking about, and she's already been surprised by unexpected company and subjected to a magical scan. Her guard's going to be up, which means eyes, ears, and detection spells. Now, I could have a dozen or so divinations going at once without putting too big a dent in my reserves, and I could link half of them to some pretty unfair traps, like magical explosives, sleep spells, or enchantments that make the target my new best friend. Beryl can almost certainly do more. I get that you have resistance to magic, but can you look me in the eye and tell me that you're completely immune to it? That there is no chance whatsoever for a skilled, powerful practitioner to slip a spell through your defenses and knock you out or mess with your mind?"

Altria looks at you for a long moment, then hangs her head. "No. I cannot, in all honesty, make that claim."

"Ambrose?"

"Ambrose. But I cannot imagine that Beryl is as proficient at sorcery as he is; she is a quarter his age!"

"Age isn't a sure indicator of ability," you answer. It occurs to you that you don't have any definitive information on Ambrose's magical skill, only imprecise estimates based on the things you've seen him do. That isn't likely to change any time soon, either. Pity. "That aside, if even one spellcaster can work around your resistance, the possibility exists that others can, too. It's a precedent, right? And maybe a magic-user doesn't have to be as good as Ambrose to do that. Besides, even if it turns out that Beryl can't get through your resistance herself, all she needs to do is summon another big nasty monster and have it fight you in her place."

"Ambrose seemed to think that the creature we saw yesterday was the result of an extended ritual," the blonde replies guardedly. "Anywhere from half an hour to several hours' dedicated work."

"He's probably right, but that doesn't mean Beryl couldn't call up other, smaller things a lot more easily. If I were in her place, I'd go for something incorporeal with the ability to consume aura - some ghosts can do that, and considering how heavily Beryl is into necromancy, she almost has to know it."

Altria considers how her usual fighting style would fare against an opponent with an intangible body and the ability to feed upon the dazzling power that is the source of her disproportionate strength and speed. She winces. "I believe I may have to discuss options for dealing with unquiet spirits with Ambrose."

"Good idea, but I doubt he'd come up with a practical answer in time for you to go after Beryl." You look down into the stands. "Unless you think he'll leave that woman's side for more than five minutes at a stretch?"

Altria sighs eloquently.

"I figured as much." You shake your head. "I understand that you want to do something about this girl, Altria, but the fact is, setting ourselves directly against a superior opponent is just a bad idea all-around. I think we should take it as a lesson that there are threats we're just not prepared to take on - yet - and avoid any confrontations with Beryl, so that we don't end up making things worse for everybody involved. That sound fair by you?"

There is a slow, reluctant not. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but you'll take it.

"All that having been said," you continue, "if you're still dead-set on doing something, we do have other options."

"Indirect ones, I assume?" Miss Drake asks with a frown of distaste.

You nod. "I already told Ambrose and Lu-sensei. That makes two sets of eyes, and two adults to speak up. More would be helpful, and as it happens, there are some other adults here who might be willing to take our word that Beryl could be a danger, and who are in a position to do something about her in the long-term."

"Kasumi's family," Altria states.

"And also Miss Akasha," you add. "At the very least, I figure they'll be willing to hear us out."

While it's clear that Altria would much rather be going after Beryl in the straightforward and - dare you say it? - heroic manner, she's sensible enough to see the value in a less confrontational approach. However strong her dislike for subtle methods, it's clear that she feels a personally-unsatisfying course of action that contributes to Doing the Right Thing is far preferable to sitting around doing nothing. You're just glad that you managed to talk her out of a head-on confrontation that might well have ended up with the mystical powerhouse of a dragon's soul falling into Beryl's hands - and a friend in danger.

Gained King of Women E
Gained Protective E++

Your little discussion with Altria has used up most of the time left in the break.