Combat is rather high risk, even as sparring. We should ask her "what conditions and precautions do you intend?" I think this request is a bit... odd? In most cases, the kind of intense pain the match could lead to is usually a disincentive component to good client relations. Therefore, we are not doing client relations now? What are her motives, other than stated? Truly, it seems like Yuki has prepared a scenario in advance of the day Sabrina might visit.
-Does this feel more like a job interview? Because diplomacy is usually not a huge rush to gulp everything in at once.
-Does this play out a little like speed dating? Or is she just trying every button in order, to get what she wants?
-Is her win also a boost to her leadership position in Fukushima? Just having a match fight to demonstrate some physical power to her crew, over the one who broke their morale?
-Does Yuki like combat and risk-taking, and has expectations of grand entertainment? Perhaps due to her 'desk job' role, she has pent-up battle lust?
-Is our spar really more a penetration test of specific parts of her fortress? Is she expecting siege? More likely that she would have brand new defense enchantments, rather than a training room?
-The undisclosed Fukushima girl does items somehow - but is she also a precog of lesser grade? Or a long range sensor? Who is the healer? Think "balanced party" and fill in the gaps?
@Firnagzen - Oh, that is so precious that someone has to say the words. This is not the inversion of little red riding hood, is it? Let's understanding that dark "lamellar armor" would strongly associate with traditional samurai heavy armor. I also still cannot rule out overlap with certain western influences. Such as a very intelligent magic-user, very attached to one home territory. Always preparing. Comfortable with statecraft, lots of experience, broad horizons. Certainly might call other folks 'supervillains' if it suited her purpose, all irony aside. Wears a green cloak and dark metal armor in combat.
While Yuki in civilian outfit does connect easily to my concept of 'Furude Rika' of "Higurashi...", after she adopts her Mahou Shoujo outfit, All Will Know DOOM?
OG Magical Girl, indeed. -
@The Phoenixian , I agree.
Since we should implicitly trust that Nadia tries hard not to exaggerate, this is definitely not the oldest Magical Girl. That might mean she is just under 40 years old? Or 25? Fukushima doesn't have many witches - i.e., all the low potential girls have been used up, and they eat the new ones quickly each year. The evidence before us of vast accumulation and efficiency of magic, coupled with her liberal body language cues, speak to her age, and Fukushima being a lair of one of the Old Ones. Her personality or lack of good luck with resources perhaps meant she did a very slow build-out, and I think her mercenary enterprise is a way of slowly exploring and collecting the strongest allies. She would like to make the volcano group, or just one of them, part of her crew? But could not, and wants to shut down a pending attack by buying a scary new watchdog? Or is the other group trying to regulate her? Sabrina is the Product, not the Customer.
We can get her a weighted string anti-magic weapon. For greater justice! Cable replaces string for a combat yo-yo. Truly classic - from when I think she was still mundane.
We should think to discuss the way Yuki has dealt with her girls learning the witchbomb. Experience, listen to it.
We have an interest in radar-like detection magic, miles in range and fast-reading. Don't we? The ribbon grid is two girls, and has a long casting time. Does she have better scanning? Or is her city enchanted laboriously, surface by surface?
@Redshirt Army - Give Homura the gift that says "we care." Surveillance drone network, web video access, and hired patrol staff. Of course she would still check sometimes. But other times, she might get some more sleep, if she enjoyed a force multiplier or two.
@Vebyast - Right On! We really would talk to Mami now, and so we should. Partners. Having a spar that is not a prelude to getting imprisoned and cloned is our own choice. But we communicate. Diplomacy must wait, IMHO. Risking a serious alliance is a time for us to Mitakihara! Assemble! Of course Yuki has another card - or several - face down. And asking her to tip them right now is good, as well as telling her we will all meet. In the end, she might feel funny about the not-a-vertical power structure we have. She can find out in person, if we meet at home for the anti-magic tuning. Do we want to have everyone out for Karaoke to get the neutral meeting ground? If we choose well, cake and tea are still possible? Don't be surprised if Homura takes a pass, because she is probably doing the right thing, as our hidden ace.
We need to consider what our goal is for the spar. I'm going with "demonstrate partner quality." Thus, first move was already put out, show intelligence. Talk out of the fight first, by noticing that on her terrain, it means anyone else is just a punching bag. But don't say "unfair!" There *is* no fair in her lexicon, maybe. Then, Yuki can still offer to have us accidentally collateral stuff if she wants, or she can make a set of rules for us to consider. We need to vote again before fighting. And tapping out is always an option, if that represents our wisdom, thank you for the cooler head, Redshirt Army.
Fight strategy is just like
@BlackoutSampler says, give her what she wants first - except hide our best stuff. Use the attacks she knows about, from the Sendai battle. Shut her down as fast as we can. Add in some improvs. Keep the fog in reserve. Let her interact with visible Grief, so as to not immediately reveal our range, or that within it our control is absolute. She will expect to be able to dodge it, so make sure to pin her honestly. Laser remains off-menu. Instead, pick up some pebbles, and let her awesome defenses tank kinetic rounds moving so fast they can't be dodged, and the mere act of firing them creates vast shockwaves as the projectile burns into a beam of plasma.
] Immediately break your promise.
