Dead Dove (Do Not Eat) [ZhongChi]

Stone Zombie

"Great, you're awake, let's go then," Heizou grabbed Scaramouche's hand and went for the door. Dottore slammed his hand down on it to keep Heizou from opening it. 

"You're going to tell me all about what you know and you're going to do it now." 

"Don't you know how to say please?" 

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough," Dottore whipped out a scalpel. "How many fingers does a guy really need anyway?" He grabbed Heizou's hand, pressing the scalpel to it. "Why don't we find out?" 

"All I know is that before the Fatui place was set on fire, Pantalone walked out. The man is full of backup plans so if he did something reckless to anger Morax into burning the Fatui alive then he probably had a decoy do the thing instead. If you killed him, did you get a good look at the body? Either it was someone made to look like him or Pantalone made a few clones of himself." 

"It was him." 

"Then there is a fake running around! I've told you what I know let go of my hand already," Heizou huffed. Dottore released him and he immediately walked out the door dragging Scaramouche with him. 

"I will send a team out to investigate this matter," Zhongli assured, taking Childe with him out the door. 

"Ah, didn't you come here for something though? What was it that you needed?" Baizhu asked. 

"It's of no importance anymore," Zhongli continued walking and the door closed. 

"Dottore..." Baizhu raised his hand to comfort him but then pulled it back. He glanced away. It wouldn't help to be comforted by the guy that looked just like the one he hated. 

"Thanks for the tattoos, Baizhu," Dottore grabbed his clothes and put them on without looking at him. He reached for his mask. 

"Are you leaving?" Baizhu asked, even though he knew the answer. "I could help you..." 

There were a lot of things Dottore wanted to say but he left without saying any of them. Baizhu fell to his knees, staring at the door. Qiqi hugged him. "We're back to how it was before..." she muttered. "Just us." 

"Mhmm..." Baizhu closed his eyes, placing his hand over her arm. "It's going to be quiet for a while." 

"Oh, I don't know about that." 

Baizhu's eyes snapped open. He hadn't heard the door or even the man's footsteps. Dottore? No. Well, yes. But not the one Baizhu knew. This man was taller, a bit older, wearing a uniform Baizhu didn't register. His mask was odd, covering his eyes and falling like a beak. He was squatting in front of Baizhu, smiling eerily. There was a scar that wrapped around his entire neck. 

"The original?" Baizhu's voice barely audible. 

"That's a bit rude, I'd say," he replied. "There's not such thing as an 'original' version of me anymore. We're all our own selves. But, as far as Dottores go," he grabbed Baizhu's chin. "I'd say I am closer to the beginning of things. It's possible I could be the first clone or even the man himself," he laughed but it didn't sound the same as the Dottore Baizhu knew. It sounded hollow, mechanical, as if he wasn't sure how to laugh to start with. "I'd be deluding myself if I believed that," Dottore leaned in closer to Baizhu's face. "You see, I realized something after all those years in that tube."

Baizhu stared at the mask, unable to see his eyes. He preferred the other mask his Dottore wore. At least then he could see the red eyes. 

"There was never a man 'Dottore' we've always been artifically created. If anything, the 'real' Dottore is Pantalone. He made us all, fooling the harbingers into believing 'Dottore' was a mad man cloning himself when actually it was Pantalone making the same thing over and over."

"Why would he do that?" 

Dottore let go of Baizhu's chin and pressed his finger against his chest. "Why don't you ask yourself, eh? Why did you make Qiqi? You're made of the same stuff as him." 

"I'm made of the same stuff as Dottore," Baizhu swatted his hand away. 

"Well, I'm Dottore, and I'm telling you're more like Pantalone then you'd like to admit," he smirked just a tad. "Either way, you and that Dottore model are made for each other." He grabbed Baizhu's throat, pushing him into the ground. "Which is why I think I'll punish you, just as he hurt Pantalone," he spoke calmly despite his actions proving he was anything but calm. "You're fond of snakes, right, so what if we turn your eyes into stone reminiscent of Medusa?" He grabbed the vial hanging from his ear and threatened to pour it into Baizhu's eye. 

"No!" Qiqi pushed the hand away, accidentally getting the liquid on herself instead. It was fast acting, doing as Dottore had said, and turned her into stone. 

"Qiqi!" Baizhu kneed Dottore in the dick to get him off of himself and hugged Qiqi. He glared at this Dottore. "Leave us alone!" 

"I suppose you're right," Dottore stood up, rubbing the scar on his neck. "Hurting her likely hurt you more indirectly than hurting you directly ever would. I'll be off then." Although he pretended to act cool as a cucumber, he was still walking with a limp from the pain of being knee-d in the dick. Baizhu's Dottore would've just held his crotch and cursed wildly. 

"I woke up on the streets of this city without anyone," Dottore clung to Qiqi, "and now I'm left with no one."