YAEYOEFUI: You do realize that my comment about your sapience was not actually flattery.
SORLIE: Of course. I was deflecting that barb in order to stay on topic.
YAEYOEFUI: You created a fiction in which I could pretend that my insult blew past you unnoticed, so that in that pretense I could further inflate myself.
SORLIE: Sounds about right.
It's called diplomacy.
I thought I was getting the hang of it, but you called me out on it, so I guess I'm still learning.
YAEYOEFUI: If you are still learning then you are unquestionably sapient.
And that is not flattery. It is respect.