"I was accused of killing who now?" The Doctor asks incredulously. Sorianna looks at him, her whole body showing how tired she was.
"The Lady Nithsaen. She was daughter to Lord Kaebriesel, who is High Lord of the Court." The Doctor looks at her askance. Leela looks a bit confused.
"Why was I accused? What evidence was there?" The curly-haired Time Lord asks, trying not to panic. Leela has picked up on the situation and is leaning against the bed, fingering her dagger, watching the door. Sorianna sighs, slumping into the chair beside the chiffonoir. She motions to another chair in the corner and the Doctor drags it opposite of the Shapeshifter Queen, and sits down, focusing on her face.
"It was a delegate from Shinasa who found her body. He said that he saw a tall man with curly hair wearing a "barbaric" coat (because, as you know, Doctor, the Shinasians absolutely deplore clothes or furniture made of living things, even plants.) running away from the body." Leela looks at her sharply, her words accusing.
"And why was the Doctor blamed for this? There must be hundreds of tall, curly haired men in this place." Sorianna looks at her, weariness in her eyes.
"Yeah, except we showed him images of all the delegates that were there and he picked out -you- Doctor. He was ceartain of it. And you know how insanely rare it is for a Shinasian to be certain." The Doctor looks up sharply, clearly having an idea.
"But I wasn't here as a delegate. Why was my image in the collection?" Sorianna closes her eyes, almost in pain.
"Because you were." She whispers. The Doctor looks confused.
"But I wasn't." He protests.
"At least, I think I wasn't." He knew the Shapeshifter's dislike of certainty, ever since she'd come back from Earth. And the fact that he was a time traveller didn't help anything. She nods, eyes still closed, looking very focused.
"Since you showed up, I've had a sneaking suspicion. It's one I don't like, which was why I didn't consider it before." The Doctor nods, urging her to continue.
"You were summoned as a delegate, because the matter concerned all planets connected to Serapis. Or at least the Court thinks it does, and so long as I get my way, I'd jump through any hoop..." She trails off, thinking. Then she shakes her head, as if clearig away spider webs, and continues talking.
"And you arrived in your TARDIS, with a companion, who's name, you said, was Abbadon. So we let you and your companion in, giving you your typical rooms. And then, a day after your arrival, we find Nithsaen dead, and you accused. Of course, you couldn't be found." The Doctor narrows his eyes, thinking. Leela chooses then to ask a few questions. She was very intelligent, but there were things she didn't know.
"But it wasn't the Doctor, he was with me the whole time. So how was it him?" The white and crimson haired woman looks up at her, remembering that not everyone always knew as much as she did. It brought back a memory of a chocolate haired young woman, always left outside the circle of Knowing... She blinks back tears and answers Leela's question.
"I suspect it was one of my people impersonating him." Her words are soft. She hadn't wanted to believe it. She had wanted to believe it was some very talented illusionest. But there was no tang of magic in the area. She would have smelled an illusion that complicated when the mystery person arrived. Damn. Leela persists with her questions.
"But how could someone impersonate the Docor so well? It's not possibble." Sorianna stands up, brushing of her immaculate skirts.
"I'll show you." She turns to the Doctor.
"May I use your shape, in all details? Just this once, just for an example?" The words have a formal ring to them, as though there is a contract being made. The Doctor nods. Sorianna takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. Leela looks questioningly at the Doctor, but the Doctor just nods towards the tall shapeshifter. So Leela glances again at the woman, and steps back in suprise. The tall, crimson and white haired woman that had been standing there a second before was gone. Instead was an even taller man, with curly brown hair. It was as though someone had superimposed a picture of the Docor over Sorianna. And as Leela watched the person shifted even more until it was an exact duplicate of the Doctor. Even the Doctor looks on amazed. The person, who was still Sorianna, though she/he appeared to be the Doctor spoke in the Doctor's voice.
"As you can see, Leela, taking a different shape is the Shapeshifter's special gift. Like traveling the Waves of time is for the Time Lords, so the change of Shape is for the Shape Shifters." Within a few short seconds she has shifted to her regular form, shrinking a few inches, crimson and red hair growing in place of curly brown hair.
"And that is how someone could impersonate the Doctor. It is illegal for us to take on someone's form without their detailed permission, but it is done sometimes." Leela nods, a bit shocked, but not showing it. The Doctor is thinking, and nearly ignoring everyone else in the room.
"But there's no way we can prove it wasn't the Doctor yet, so you two are going to have to stay hidden in my rooms. I have to leave, I'm trying to find some evidence, and I have to make sure no-one else gets murdered. No wandering, Doctor, I'm in enough trouble as is." With that Sorianna leaves the room. Leela looks at the Doctor expectantly, knowing his bad habits, but he shows no sign of wanting to leave.
"I know Sorianna. If she says she's in trouble, she really is, and wouldn't forgive me if I got her in worse trouble. We stay here for now." With that he leans back in the chair and proceeds to fall asleep.