"Oi! I promise that I won't actually kick you," he protested immediately, for all that he was delighted by the idea.
... the idea of her agreeing, that was, and not of having him kick her.
"That's hardly proper rules, is it! Anyway – what sword do you prefer? And what rank did you reach? I don't actually know if it's the same, American to British, but I can look it up and figure it out at least."