"I thought we had this conversation already?"
Kael stood perfectly still, his hands deep in his pockets, watching a scene that felt uncomfortably intimate. He felt like an extra in a stage play who had walked onto the set at the wrong moment and was now waiting for the director to yell "Cut!"
The older woman didn't yell.
She didn't need to.
Her stare was louder than a scream.
She reached out, her movements precise and terrifyingly fast, and pinched Charlotte's ear.
"Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Isabella, that hurts! I'm on duty! You're undermining my authority!" Charlotte yelped, forced to tiptoe to alleviate the pressure. The mischievous swagger she had displayed thirty seconds ago evaporated, replaced by the whining of a younger sibling caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Your authority?" The Commander's voice was cool, smooth steel.
She released the ear, but before Charlotte could rub it, the Commander snatched the stolen badge from her hand.
She turned to Kael.
