Layla hung there mid-air, hauled against Lexel's side, her flame-dress flickering wildly as it tried to reconcile being dragged through motion it hadn't authorized. For a Grandmagus who commanded an entire floating labyrinth without breaking a sweat, she looked, for one very brief moment, completely and thoroughly caught.
"...You," she said slowly, voice dangerously level, "have exactly three seconds to explain yourself."
"I have a plan," Lexel said, grinning despite the very real threat behind her tone.
"That is not the part I asked about."
Below them, the Paladin had gone rigid mid-turn, shield forgotten entirely. Nelico's mouth hung slightly open, spectacles slipping down his nose. Memphis simply closed his eyes, as if bracing himself for whatever came next.
