“
Soothing is about more than justAllomancy. It’s about the delicate and noble art of manipulation.”
“Noble indeed,” Vin said.
“Ah, you sound like one of them,” Breeze said.
“Them who?”
“Them everyone else,” Breeze said. “You saw how that skaa gentleman treated me? People don’t like us, my dear. The idea of someone who can play with their emotions, who can ‘mys- tically’ get them to do certain things, makes them uncomfort- able.What they do not realize—and what youmust realize—is that manipulating others is something that all people do. In fact, manipulation is at the core of our social interaction.”
He settled back, raising his dueling cane and gesturing with it slightly as he spoke.
“Think about it. What is a man doing when he seeks the affection of a young lady? Why, he is trying to manipulate her to regard him favorably. What happens when old two friends sit down for a drink? They tell stories, trying to impress each other. Life as a human being is about posturing and influence. This isn’t a bad thing—infact, we de- pend upon it. These interactions teach us how to respond to others.
”
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