[...] only able to begin restoring her reserves if the copy is destroyed, dismissed, or makes physical contact with Maria to return however much Aura it has left to her. She can dismiss a duplicate at any distance but will only recover any Aura if the copy is making physical contact with her when it is nullified -- this restores around 3/4 of the Aura the copy had left at the time of its dismissal, the lost amount basically being a "transaction cost" for maintaining so elaborate a power. Fortunately, such a costly Semblance does have its upsides: [...]
Each of Mary's tattoos, which range from her ankles up to her shoulders and down to her elbows (as well as one hidden away on her inner lip), is infused with extremely fine grain Dust suspended in the ink. Needless to say, something like this is not cheaply done nor do they just wash off in the shower (fortunately). Although the exact mix used is something it's maker, a Faunus going by the name Pariah, protects as a trade secret Maria knows that one of the key ingredients is a rare and highly expensive resin that's used to bond the finely powdered Dust to a blend of pigments and metallic salts. Though the patterns themselves are largely meaningless [...]
[...] but the two have been known to enjoy the occasional casual tryst over white wine. There is plenty of reason to suspect that Pariah is more than she lets on, as not just anyone could craft Dust tattoos that are so potent and effective (even given the top-grade materials that Maria helps her to acquire) but much of the Faunus' past is something she keeps to herself. Mary has her theories, however, and even a mutual agreement not to go digging up the past hasn't entirely muted her curiosity. Maria, for her part, has plenty of reason to suspect that Pariah may not be as self-taught as she claims to be...