Zanru straightened and turned, and her expression was cold when she looked at him. There was definitely annoyance and anger there--she didn't pretend to be emotionless--but it was controlled. She spread her arms. "You're right. You've more powerful tools at your disposal and you're smarter than me. I can't stop you. But if you do that you're just proving my point. You can't stand the idea of someone else dictating terms to you, even when they do benefit you. You just can't stand not being the one in control."

She snorted. "Your things? Everything in this building should rightfully belong to the people as a whole, and you come in here demanding things that belong to you, an individual? You're too old to be acting like such a child. Everywhere you go, you represent your people. You're a Foreigner. And you're doing a pretty piss-poor job making me want anything to do with any of you."

Zanru pointed out the window toward the Foreigner's hotel's sector entrance. "But in the end, when you come in here and take what's yours by breaking and entering and theft instead of negotiation, you're the one who'll have to go back to the other Foreigners and explain why the Metalworkers want nothing to do with a family group that cheats and steals just to get their way."