[ It is most useful, before anything else, to determine which bait a man will rise to. What will prick him to insult, what will tempt him to curiosity and what, most importantly, will prompt him to action. The spur that will drive him to blind, vengeful violence is most productive of all.

He looks at her, she thinks, from a mindful distance, distinguished in his calm. He keeps himself removed from the prospect of a game, indeed; he is not witless or vapid. Neither does he seem prone to panic, and she scales the height of his forbearing body with a discerning eye. He is not given to the drivel of superstition, if his word is true, and this is just as promising as his lordly bearing. He will be seeking a practical way out of this problem. ]

What if we are given no exit, and herded directly into cells? [ He might regret his temperate practicality then. But there is sense in his words, the habit of a man of reflection, and even if she is in need of a man of swift action, reflection is not without its merit. It can, just like any blade, be put to proper use. She circles in closer, her inspection now one of open appraisal. ]

At what point will you believe yourself in danger, ser? [ She cannot know if he is a knight, absent of armor, judging only by his demeanor - but she has never known the title to be taken unkindly, even in error. ]