Victor noticed the tear before Fafnir had time to hide it.
It slowly rolled from the corner of her eye, crossing the cheek still marked by the irritation from a few minutes earlier. Fafnir tried to turn her face away, but Victor raised his hand and brushed his thumb across her skin, wiping the drop away before it could reach her chin.
The dragon stiffened.
Victor didn't laugh this time.
"You can talk like you hate everything, threaten to rip out my entrails, and act like you're still the most arrogant creature in this world..." He studied her eyes for a few seconds. "But I think I understand you."
Fafnir pressed her lips together.
"You don't understand anything."
"Maybe not everything."
Victor didn't try to completely contradict her. He simply kept his hand near her face for another moment before lowering it.
"But you don't seem like a creature who spent two thousand years planning revenge. You seem like a woman who spent far too long trapped."
Fafnir looked away.
