Madeleine's face is turning red.

It's so obvious! Beyond obvious that she would... well no, the paint sword specifically was rather clever and novel, but still! But still! All that leniency she requested and it was granted to her before she even started! Small wonder she's being lectured on basic components of Aristeia! construction like she'd been isekai'd into her role. 

She glances down at the cuff of her jacket, now splattered with yellow paint. No chance of [i]that[/i] coming out. Of all the stupid things to have done, just because she'd needed to ride the bus? She doesn't have the money to fix or replace this stuff! And why is she even worrying about that in the first place when she is [i]so close[/i] to the threshold of her dream and all she can think about is--

"Have you two been intimate with each other?"

She's so flustered, she has to ask the question like this: in this pointlessly roundabout way. Not 'do you know which part of her name means to most to her', but 'have you had sex?' so she could tease out the implications of their respective attempts at magic by the affirmative or the negative reply? As though it even accomplished so much? 

What a pointless and boring question. She was certain she'd get mocked for it. 

Madeleine sets Machia's leg down inside the stairwell, propping it with deep care against the railing where it won't have to lie on the floor in neglect. She gets halfway to pulling off her jacket before she thinks better of it, and shrugs it back on. Now that she's made one trip she is more cautious on the exit. Lios is giving every sign of halting for the question and answer section, but if they both respected that this would take longer than all day. Neither of them was stupid enough to think they could get away with that. There would be... consequences. 

Which made this a trap. Her ears flutter with a mixture of nervousness and latent embarrassment while her watch the zone around her with an almost disembodied attachment. The moment where a fighter switched from sword to gun was obvious, but now that she'd put the idea in Madeleine's head, Lios was almost certain to use the threat of it to bait her into worse responses to the blade instead. No, she needed to ignore the lesson. Treat this like the arena and not a tutorial segment. The next real attack would come from that sword, she is certain. 

She just needed to see the lunge coming. That's why she circled around so slowly, using the wait for her response as cover to put the right amount and shape of distance between the pair of them. When she stooped down to fetch these stray tools. That's when it would happen. Was she really up for this?