How about instead of someone stopping him from snapping, they cut him off at the pass by snapping first? Zuko had overheard the dignitary getting rude and being from a world these people seemed to think was "primitive" himself, he was automatically annoyed on Hiccup's behalf.
"For people that think they aren't 'primitive,' your manners are," Zuko said testily. "I've met people with more courtesy in prison."
Seriously, some of the prisoners in the Boiling Rock had better manners than these snobs.
"But I guess that's to be expected when most of you aren't even real nobility. You're just a bunch of puffed up, self-important bureaucrats."
Zuko did know how to speak to nobility, really he did. Despite being socially awkward, that still was the world he'd grown up in. The problem was these people weren't actually nobles, judging from their total lack of refinement, and that meant he just didn't care about what they thought of his own manners. It also didn't hurt that all his time in exile and the hardships he'd went through because of it had left him predisposed to doing away with social niceties in general.
The woman that'd been insulting to Hiccup squeaked out "My word!" and harrumphed before quickly rushing off, muttering, "The nerve of that boy --"
"Prince," he corrected, calling after her, and the moment he said the word she looked mortally embarrassed, but she kept hustling. "The nerve of that prince."
Yes, he was throwing around his title here. If they wanted to be all rude and insulting and make assumptions about the people they were talking to somehow being lesser than them, they could go right ahead, and he'd throw his title at their heads like a blunt object. He'd make it clear they were being coarse and crude to actual royalty and then they'd get to feel stupid for it.
Like the woman who was now rushing away, her purple face turning a much brighter purple. Ha!
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"For people that think they aren't 'primitive,' your manners are," Zuko said testily. "I've met people with more courtesy in prison."
Seriously, some of the prisoners in the Boiling Rock had better manners than these snobs.
"But I guess that's to be expected when most of you aren't even real nobility. You're just a bunch of puffed up, self-important bureaucrats."
Zuko did know how to speak to nobility, really he did. Despite being socially awkward, that still was the world he'd grown up in. The problem was these people weren't actually nobles, judging from their total lack of refinement, and that meant he just didn't care about what they thought of his own manners. It also didn't hurt that all his time in exile and the hardships he'd went through because of it had left him predisposed to doing away with social niceties in general.
The woman that'd been insulting to Hiccup squeaked out "My word!" and harrumphed before quickly rushing off, muttering, "The nerve of that boy --"
"Prince," he corrected, calling after her, and the moment he said the word she looked mortally embarrassed, but she kept hustling. "The nerve of that prince."
Yes, he was throwing around his title here. If they wanted to be all rude and insulting and make assumptions about the people they were talking to somehow being lesser than them, they could go right ahead, and he'd throw his title at their heads like a blunt object. He'd make it clear they were being coarse and crude to actual royalty and then they'd get to feel stupid for it.
Like the woman who was now rushing away, her purple face turning a much brighter purple. Ha!