"Wow. I did not know I had a fan."
Just as she'd predicted.
"I am not your fan." The words came out flatter than she meant them to, which only seemed to please him more.
"Then explain why you are here."
"I have nothing to explain to you."
He made a small sound, half sigh, half yawn, and let his gaze drift past her shoulder in search of better company in the corridor. "...Boring."
"..." She said nothing, refusing to give him the reaction he was fishing for.
"Oh..."
As if something had just occurred to him. His gaze came back to her, sharp enough that she nearly stepped back.
"Let me guess, then."
"Guess?"
He didn't answer right away. He only studied her, as he had across the tournament grounds at Andelheim, cataloguing something she couldn't see. Then, quiet, certain:
"Disciplinary Committee."
The remark landed where he'd aimed it. Valeria tried not to let it show on her face and failed, by a margin small enough that she could tell he'd caught it anyway.
