Bruce does not separate the philosophical from the pragmatic, not because he fears action but because he knows that any choice will come with a cost. He would rather know precisely what he is to pay for before that happens. His hands fold into his pockets and though the other man nods in Riku's direction, Bruce's gaze doesn't move from his face. "After all, their numbers haven't suffered nearly as much as our own."
With anyone else he might experience some measure of hesitation before laying such a summary out. He's found that in broad strokes, people within Beacon tend to fall into two camps- those quick to adapt an Us-vs-Them mentality that promises to perpetuate fighting into the foreseeable future, and those who have begun to shake off the rules and expectations of their own world in an attempt to better analyze another. The way that Cao Pi chooses to respond will at least allow Bruce to solidify his understanding about which camp he chooses to publicly identify with.
"Surely you can see the wisdom in knowing your enemies." His hands remain at his sides, empty and still, but a single brow raises. Bruce too considers himself a pragmatist though there are many ways one might model the concept. "Talking about what might have been would better inform our actions in the future. As they've demonstrated many times already we are hardly their equal in strength, and what else would they conclude from a group that begins fortification and patrol except that we're prepared and willing to fight again? History is full of wars and skirmishes started this way."
It doesn't escape his notice that the capstone of Cao Pi's explanation has ended on such a fine point, but Bruce doesn't rise to meet it because it isn't in his nature. He isn't here to lecture or to spar and that's the reason his cadence remains so even and quiet.
"With your experience, I'm sure you've seen the adage hold true several times. Discretion as the better part of valor."
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Bruce does not separate the philosophical from the pragmatic, not because he fears action but because he knows that any choice will come with a cost. He would rather know precisely what he is to pay for before that happens. His hands fold into his pockets and though the other man nods in Riku's direction, Bruce's gaze doesn't move from his face. "After all, their numbers haven't suffered nearly as much as our own."
With anyone else he might experience some measure of hesitation before laying such a summary out. He's found that in broad strokes, people within Beacon tend to fall into two camps- those quick to adapt an Us-vs-Them mentality that promises to perpetuate fighting into the foreseeable future, and those who have begun to shake off the rules and expectations of their own world in an attempt to better analyze another. The way that Cao Pi chooses to respond will at least allow Bruce to solidify his understanding about which camp he chooses to publicly identify with.
"Surely you can see the wisdom in knowing your enemies." His hands remain at his sides, empty and still, but a single brow raises. Bruce too considers himself a pragmatist though there are many ways one might model the concept. "Talking about what might have been would better inform our actions in the future. As they've demonstrated many times already we are hardly their equal in strength, and what else would they conclude from a group that begins fortification and patrol except that we're prepared and willing to fight again? History is full of wars and skirmishes started this way."
It doesn't escape his notice that the capstone of Cao Pi's explanation has ended on such a fine point, but Bruce doesn't rise to meet it because it isn't in his nature. He isn't here to lecture or to spar and that's the reason his cadence remains so even and quiet.
"With your experience, I'm sure you've seen the adage hold true several times. Discretion as the better part of valor."