What am I supposed to do, exactly? If I turn on my heel, metaphorically speaking, and stomp off, how is that any different from a riposte? I can tell her, "Don't ever say anything like that to me again!" And I can also tell the sun not to rise. The way I see it, if I want to hurt someone and they parry and riposte, I haven't achieved my goal -- whereas if they get all defensive, petulant even, then I know I've hit a sore spot.
