Last update edited to reflect changes.
I'd say 'irked', since the whole thing didn't seem like a big deal to me: 'does it really matter that it was an earthquake that killed a hundred thousand people, not a fire?' Not really, and that's why the 1509 earthquake is cocktail party trivia at best, it killed some people but led to no societal changes or killed anybody important.
And since I, as the author, decide whether or not an earthquake does those things (hence whether or not it is historically important), it just seemed easier to invent important earthquakes rather than looking at OTL ones and going, this one important, that one not, that one not, this one important, etc...
Also I wanted to injure Theodoros with blunt trauma. Rubble falling on him from an earthquake does that easily, fire not so much. Hence the little bit with the panicked mob. But I will say that the attempt on Theodoros was NOT deliberate. We know there is more to Theodoros than he seems, but I've been dropping hints heavily, whilst for everyone around him, those hints are buried under fifty years of inanities. Alexeia has suspicions, but no more than that.
I will make the note that to me, a lot of the difference between constructive criticism and hassling can be in the presentation. Snappy comebacks fall more towards the latter, and make me more inclined to snap back rather than listen; it's in my nature to be contrary at times (this whole TL could be considered a facet of that when you consider the POD and premise
).