"And you're clearly not an idiot, and therefore it wasn't an option. Neither of us would have bought it, and without conviction and insult is little more than a blunted sword."

What is even happening? Even Nida doesn't know. Here he is, debating insulting someone. Clearly his mood is just unpredictable today. Maybe he needs to go find a nice peakitten, sit down, and forget his problems that way.