"From what I've heard, they've been on the decline for quite some time," Memphis sighed softly, a trace of genuine pity in his tone. "I pity them."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Nelico chimed in, wagging a single finger back and forth with a knowing grin. "Not this time, I've heard."
"Oh?" Layla raised her brows, her interest instantly piqued.
Memphis turned his head slightly toward Nelico, his amber eyes narrowing in recollection. "You mean the rise of the Trickster?"
"That's the one," Nelico said lower, dropping his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "Rumor has it she took the form of her dying loved one."
"Oooo?!" Layla turned her whole face toward Nelico, her deep blue eyes widening with sudden, delighted excitement—her sharp, mischievous reaction so sudden it caught the scholarly arch-mage completely off guard.
"Y-You seem rather excited," Nelico stammered, flinching back half an inch and adjusting his spectacles again, flustered by her intense enthusiasm.
