[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/fUhh59x.png[/img][/center]
Huh? Why wasn't he leaving?

Sarnai wasn't expecting him to keep conversing with her after she had responded. On one hand, he had certainly finished displaying his own skills so he doubtlessly had time to chat, but on the other hand, why was he complimenting [i]her[/i]? When all she did was draw a crossbow? What did it even mean, to draw a crossbow as if it were made of top-shelf materials? She did it this way because she wouldn't be able to do it without respecting proper form and all that! Should she say it though? Should she mention that fact to him? Should she shoot first and then speak after? No, time was ticking away now, Sarnai, and he was smiling too. Better not do anything to turn that smile upside down then. Take two breaths, and speak. One, two.

The peasant girl returned his smile with her own, polished over years at the tavern. A smile on the borderline of genuine, one that was meant to be polite and yet still contained a core of true happiness towards this 'patron'. Keeping her crossbow pointed down, she maintained a steady gaze just below his nose, for of course eye contact remained a faux pas no matter how cordial a higher-class individual appeared and the tone she adopted was gentle but clear, tinged with the flavor of wistful nostalgia. [b]"It's my mother's. Despite the changes I've made and the parts I had to swap out over the years."[/b] A crossbow that a ten year old could use was not the same as one that a twenty year old could use. [b]"I treat it the way I do because it can't be replaced, and if it broke [i]now[/i], I doubt the people here would be willing to lend me another."[/b] She paused. She didn't think herself as much of an archer either, so she offered another denominator that he could use. [b]"I suppose it's been ten years since I began [i]hunting[/i] with it, and it's kept me better fed than I would've been without it."[/b]

Another pause, slightly more awkward.

[b]"May I proceed to the targets now, young master?"[/b]