[They move at the same time, both of them seeking safety from the malevolent plant — it's just that Altaïr is seeking his own safety first and expects the Doctor to do the same before, hopefully, they can aid each other in fighting back. Simple surviving is paramount when failing to do so makes the next steps irrelevant.
Except then there's a man and his back and well. That's happening. Too quickly he realizes the why of that and scrambles for a different grip on nearby vines, trying to use their collective body weight to swing them away from the bush without shrugging his would-be protector off. It's successful in the sense that neither of them immediately die or fall (which would ultimately be the same thing.)
But it only does so much. Altaïr senses further motion as another thorny branch shoots by, and then another — they'll be surrounded if they don't take action.]
Take one of the knives from my shoulder sheath! If nothing else, we can cut our way free.
no subject
Except then there's a man and his back and well. That's happening. Too quickly he realizes the why of that and scrambles for a different grip on nearby vines, trying to use their collective body weight to swing them away from the bush without shrugging his would-be protector off. It's successful in the sense that neither of them immediately die or fall (which would ultimately be the same thing.)
But it only does so much. Altaïr senses further motion as another thorny branch shoots by, and then another — they'll be surrounded if they don't take action.]
Take one of the knives from my shoulder sheath! If nothing else, we can cut our way free.