irl this doesn't work on people who have made up their minds to be openly hostile but it works on just about everyone else. most people have less-than-unshakable social confidence. practically everybody is secretly afraid of that moment where they realize they did something socially wrong. and no version of that moment is as jarring as when the flow of interaction just. ends. nobody is ready for the script to just stop. consequently, if you can project a passable lack of uncertainty during the brief, lurching silence that follows when you just don't respond to someone's weird question, in a way that is clearly deliberate, it only takes about 3-4 seconds at most before the other person will assume they fucked up bad even if they're not sure how. you just stare at them with perplexed disgust. they will backtrack and apologize. you still don't have to say anything. if you know them and you want to let them off with a warning, you can let them squirm for a second and then say "anyway," and change the subject like they were just being weird and you're doing them a favor. if you don't know them, or don't want to, just say say nothing, look at them like they're gross, and then ignore them
