monkeyfeet228

I hadn't considered that they were in a war camp that had just gone into a bit of a tizzy. That's a really good point! Edit: Also, thank you for the welcome!

In Well of Ascension, there's a scene where Elend negotiates with Straff in Straff's camp, while Vin and Zane sit outside and she messes with his emotions. My question is this, in spite of being a tineye, why doesn't Straff seem to hear Vin and Zane's conversation? Vin explicitly tells Zane that Elend is bluffing about Vin going on a murder rampage through the camp, but Straff continues on, apparently believing the threat to be legitimate. What's the deal? I don't buy the idea that Straff knew, but was playing along, because his response is a near-panicked repudiation that she could accomplish said murder rampage. Pretending to be cowed would be anathema to his character. The obvious explanation is just that he wasn't burning tin, but at the point where Vin starts letting things slip, Zane has already loudly crunched some weeds, and Elend has tipped his hand about her watching. So I guess just really bad judgement? That feels like an unsatisfactory explanation for a guy who is repulsive, but otherwise cunning.