[oh! Lina smiles, even though Vera's not looking at her directly. she kind of knows the feeling, or at least she thinks she does—maybe it's not something she's open about, or maybe she just not as proud of it as Lina herself is. either way, her look is gentle.]

I didn't think that for a second. And don't worry, I won't tell anybody. [she means it. she's very, very good at keeping secrets, or at least she hopes she is. she tries to put a little more sweetness into her voice to make Vera laugh or something like that, just to bring the mood back to where she'd like it to be.]

And now you know I know what I'm talking about when I say you look gorgeous.