I understand that. [ And he does. His tone even softens for those three simple words, gaze turning briefly reflective before he lifts his chin. ]

I'll deal with the annoyance of finding you if I must, and you can deal with the annoyance of my success. "Dropping everything" for a one word reply requiring absolutely minimal effort seems easier on both of us, but we'll see how things go. [ And with that he's turning on his heel, seemingly satisfied with that being the final word in the argument.

His own. Go figure. ]