Precisely. It is an individual choice, and if nobody else will make it with me, I'll make it myself.
[She doesn't sound like she approves, there's still plenty of resentment lacing her voice. When she speaks again, though, she seems to have resumed her usual neutrally smug demeanor.]
So. Let the defense force and the clinic continue wasting their time protecting spies and sycophants who will inevitably stab us in the back at every opportunity. I'll do what I should have been doing all along and work alone.
[ It's asked reasonably. Because he's still holding his temper. ]
However, you bring up a good point. We have been betrayed, and it would be foolish to believe there are not spies among them. But the presentation is what's lacking.
[ He frowns, thinking about it. ]
Let me speak to a few friends, see what I can do. Perhaps the way to do it is to change one mind, not all.
[Hrmph. As irrational and absurd as it is, he has a point- he certainly seems to have the edge when it comes to being liked, a skill Azula largely considered useless but which seems to be all that matters here.
She regards it as a failing of this place.]
Fine. But don't be surprised when the bleeding hearts get upset with you for not being nice.
Princess Jasmine. I had thought her the most reasonable of the moralizing fools, but she was among those who scolded me for defending myself. Little wonder that her council accomplished nothing.
[... At least, it accomplished nothing by the standards of somebody who measures action in military and state terms.]
I may as well warn you. If you do talk to her, she will be insufferable.
I'm not particularly interested in trying to persuade the whole village at this point, even if I thought you were capable of it. If you somehow manage to convince the princess to stop being a fool, she'll likely be more persuasive than you to the rest of them anyway. But I'm not holding my breath.
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[She doesn't sound like she approves, there's still plenty of resentment lacing her voice. When she speaks again, though, she seems to have resumed her usual neutrally smug demeanor.]
So. Let the defense force and the clinic continue wasting their time protecting spies and sycophants who will inevitably stab us in the back at every opportunity. I'll do what I should have been doing all along and work alone.
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[ It's asked reasonably. Because he's still holding his temper. ]
However, you bring up a good point. We have been betrayed, and it would be foolish to believe there are not spies among them. But the presentation is what's lacking.
[ He frowns, thinking about it. ]
Let me speak to a few friends, see what I can do. Perhaps the way to do it is to change one mind, not all.
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And even if I had the slightest faith in your ability to be persuasive, why would you do that?
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Abrasive and-
[How dare. How very dare. Her frustration and indignation is momentarily forgotten in a moment of very mundane sibling irritation.]
Like you have room to talk! All sullen and pathetic all the time, and that's when you aren't getting bent out of shape over nothing!
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Neither of us is the most diplomatic, but you have to admit my diplomacy - which is needed here - is a little better than yours.
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She regards it as a failing of this place.]
Fine. But don't be surprised when the bleeding hearts get upset with you for not being nice.
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[ Which is the fight, honestly, and he knows it. He knows that he'll have to work at this. ]
Who's head of the council?
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Princess Jasmine. I had thought her the most reasonable of the moralizing fools, but she was among those who scolded me for defending myself. Little wonder that her council accomplished nothing.
[... At least, it accomplished nothing by the standards of somebody who measures action in military and state terms.]
I may as well warn you. If you do talk to her, she will be insufferable.
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I'll talk to her. She sent me a tea set. We have a report even if it's a shallow one.
[ He scratches at the back of his neck. ]
anyone else?
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[She rolls her eyes.]
I'm not particularly interested in trying to persuade the whole village at this point, even if I thought you were capable of it. If you somehow manage to convince the princess to stop being a fool, she'll likely be more persuasive than you to the rest of them anyway. But I'm not holding my breath.
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[ He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. ]
Thank you, Azula.
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[...She sounds like she really believes that.]
If there's nothing else?
[She doesn't wait for a response before she turns and starts to leave.]