His smile had settled into as comfortable a place as it ever did, consistent even if it was faint. "And yet, you've managed - I suppose it's different when you have it in feathers." He was allowed to look a little more closely, he decided, since it was a costume, but kept it brief all the same. Was he being truly, incredibly stupid in letting himself entertain the thought that such a thing might even be possible? Less than an hour ago, he'd been berating himself for past cowardice, but it was always harder in the face of things, wasn't it.
"You should come by again, sometime," he said after a pause, trying to sound casual. Perhaps she would let him gloss over the fact that they'd parted ... oddly, the last time. "I'm getting out of practice."