"What can I tell you?" Layla asked. "What do you mean?"

Kayi fingered her sword. She glanced over at Layla's sword, and suddenly, she realized that the older Assassin's blade was quite similiar, only finer and much keener and much, much more aged. "I mean, like Starkin seems quite fond of you. And you always look so sad. Can you tell me about Clan Crystal Bane in the Glory Days?" Kayi asked.

Layla sighed.

"Layla, Kayi, come on," Marie called. "We're done!"

Layla stood up. "Well, I've told it at leasta thousand times before. One more won't make any difference," she sighed.

Kayi perked up her ears.

"Hey, we're taking a route that we are leassst likely to encounter other clanss," Dasmon reported. "No unnecessssary engagementsss."

Layla walked for a while before speaking to Kayi, softly relating the great days of sunbursts of glory gone by, like a shooting star."We were at the height of our career. I was twenty, he was twenty-four. We were undefeatable, invincible, the glory and the gossip. Everyone wanted to join. We were from rags to riches-a clan of fools turned a legacy.

We began to win more and more battles, making discoveries, taking the hardest, toughest missions, and doing all that needed to be done to achieve eternel fame.

Starkin and I began to grow closer to each other. He was a gentleman of a Dragoon, I recall. Like a knight. Always courteous and kind. He was the best of the best in those years, Kayi. Like Kain's secret twin.He could jump highest, beat down the most enemies, and basically was the best anyone alive had ever seen. We became sweethearts,knowing that if we ever to retire, we'd have each other still. I loved him with all my heart back then..." Layla looked into the distance. Dasmon was helping Starkin hobble along.

"We always knew that Starkin couldn't battle forever. He caught a respirtory illness one day. It was horrific. He could breath, couldn't sleep, and choked on his own blood. Some virus. He recovered, eventually, but it left his lungs weak. He couldn't fight as well anymore. That was when we were around our late twenties and early thirties. All the years of battling left Starkin's legs injured. Pretty soon, in the middle of an engagement, he just lay down his spear and said 'Bruno, I need your staff now.' Just like that he quit Dragoon-ing. His health grew worse and worse, but not that terrible.Meanwhile, Bruno started going blind." Layla looked up suddenly. "Did you know that Bruno is almost completely blind by now?"

Realization struck Kayi like lightning bolts. That was why Bruno had so many Floateye eye globes. That was why Bruno lived all day in a subterrean world. But no one could tell whether the decrpyt Alchemist was blind! "Then how-"

"Bruno probably learned a bit of Alchemy to help him feel and hear his way. Anyways,me and Starkin. We never did have a proper courtship, when he proposed to me one day," Layla said softly.Her ears were even droopier now.

Kayi's ears stood straight up. "Wha- Did you accept?"

Layla shook her head sadly. "No. I didn't."

Kayi was filled with a sudden rage. She didn't know why- if she did, we can all be sure that a noble viera's daughter knew more about the universe than the totema all combined. "Why? Why didn't you?" Kayi demanded.

Layla looked ahead stiffly, not looking at the younger Assassin as the reply came. "Think about it. We were starting to age out of our primes. Starkin was the worst of it- he started coming down with all sorts of conditions. Do you think that, if we were married, I could look after him? No! No, I couldn't! I take life, not give it." Layla shook her head.

Kayi's anger only increased at her explanation. "So you just left him! You may not be able to care for him, but that's better than dying alone!" Kayi growled angrily.

Layla's eyes maybe flashed. Maybe they dimmed. Maybe they grew brighter, or malevolent, or benevolent. Kayi would never know.

"That's why I referred him to Lady Morgana. Bruno is a powerful Alchemist, you know- jobs as Alchemists are easy to find because no one wants to risk a backlash that might turn you into a frog."

Layla may have said more, but shouts in the distance sent them all running into the direction.