The red flush of her cheeks from the twin suns and the sweat on her brow from exertion had only just begun to fade by the time her dome door slid open with a blast of hot air to reveal Doctor Ractivus standing squarely beyond it. She looked up at him sharply from her seat at the dining table, doing her best to appear startled at his entrance and praying he didn't notice that the book she'd hastily grabbed was upside down.
He stood beyond the frame of the door, a manic victory in his eyes—the kind she assumed hunters adorned as they caught sight of easy and vulnerable prey. His face slackened in shock once he fully comprehended that she was there; he had likely come to collect evidence to prove she had disobeyed her father, at least that was what she deduced by the holopad aglow in his hand—it seems she had arrived back barely in time to avoid a catastrophe.
His expression turned to very obvious annoyance as he straightened and slicked back the loose tendrils of his hair, placing his hands behind his back in his signature 'you are beneath me' posture.
Cordelia closed the book in her hand, raising her chin at him defiantly. "May I help you?"
He huffed, his lips thinning to a bloodless line as he disregarded her (insincere) question and said menacingly. "I will tell you this once and once only, princess, so listen well. I will not be responsible for the King's wrath over his errant, irritant of a daughter's lack of respect. If I find that you have left this facility again, I can assure you the consequences will be dire."
Then you won't find me, rat man. "I'll take it under advisement, Doctor."
His top lip quivered with barely repressed rage as he muttered, cold and dark. "See that you do."
He turned and strode out, shoving past something as he did, and it was only then that Cordelia realised Captain Riccard had been standing silently behind him. As their eyes met, the old man took it as an invitation to set further into her room, a disappointed expression in his eyes.
Cordelia looked down, doing her best to keep her face blank. "You do realise he just threatened me, Captain?"
Sir Riccard shook his head. "I think you'll find no substance to the Doctor's threats, princess, but that doesn't mean his words are unfounded."
Cordelia shook her head, picking a spot on the far wall to steady herself as she lied through her teeth. "I don't know what he's talking about. I've been here the whole time."
