@unus_verus_deus

[cruciger]

𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚.

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[unus_verus_deus]

(Pantalone eclipses him in their impromptu race to the door. He stares at the hand in bewilderment and knows that nothing physical is actually stopping him from opening that door. He could leave; but at what cost? On no timeline will Dottore walk away from this fight as being the "winner". There are a few potential versions of the same scenario here and they all end with him having to further sacrifice either his credibility, his dignity, his pride, or some combination of at least those three.
The realization hurtles into him at full-force and he freezes dead in his tracks. He feels suffocated as the weight of reality engulfs him and drags him under. It plummets him to a depth where he will have no choice other than to crawl his way out.

In all of his years of existence; there have not been many people whom Dottore has viewed as being a worthy adversary or an equal to himself in any manner. The majority of humanity are of no interest or use to him for that reason.
With Pantalone however; they are intellectually matched. Their specific expertise lie in differing fields. But they are equally cunning, persuasive, and are both rooted in logic. When collaborating; they compliment one another's strengths and bridge the gaps created by their weaknesses. Whether they acknowledge if said weaknesses actually exist or not is another discussion entirely.

Defeating Pantalone in a physical fight does not appeal to him and he would view it as being more akin to just another chore to be done rather than an achievement to actually take pride in.)

Alright. We can talk.

(He strides the few remaining steps forward slowly; as to not appear like he is trying to leave. The two are facing one another and Dottore has his back leaning against the door. He raises his head as he speaks. Preferring to still keep eye contact even when his face is obstructed from view by his mask.)

What do you want me to say? What do you want to know?

(He is acutely aware that if he still had a pulse; he would feel it in his throat right now. It's such a human reaction and he despises the thought.)