"Exactly that kind of friend. He doesn't even think he's my friend. He goes around declaring himself to be my rival." The laugh that he lets out is more of a tired snort... and then it fades into an uncomfortable sound as more stitching takes place. It's hard to distract from that entirely. Even if there's more wizard stuff to hold forth on.

"I'd say... about a year and a half. A little more than that." His head dips and his expression darkens slightly. Holding forth on that was taking the conversation to darker places than were comfortable, especially with someone he'd just met. A moment later a smile is back on his face and his head lifts once more. "So what kind of work do you do, that lets you meet all these superheroes and gods and cyborgs, anyway?"