Victor rose from his chair with the kind of unhurried ease that made time feel optional. He didn't stretch or sigh, just moved as though the room had always been his to command. His hand brushed the edge of the table as he passed, fingers trailing lightly across the grain before he stopped beside Elias's seat.
"Your scent…" Victor said evenly. "Your scent smells like burning temple incense, but sweeter."
Elias's eyes flicked up, surprise tightening the line of his mouth. "You just noticed?"
Victor tilted his head, gaze dipping to Elias's throat for a second too long before meeting his eyes again.
"No," he murmured. "I noticed the moment you stepped into the Numen Office Building. I'm only now letting myself speak of it."
Elias shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with how easily those words settled under his skin. "It's just scent," he said, trying for dry and dismissive, though the rasp in his voice gave him away.
Victor's expression didn't change. "To you, maybe."
