He actually paused for a moment to watch her, a little embarrassed at doing so. But at that moment, she looked genuinely relaxed, and there was little enough of that around at the moment. So he hung back for a few seconds, hands in his pockets, regarding her with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Then, shaking off the moment, he cleared his throat.

"The dragon has been tamed," he announced grandly, "and I am free to go. Let's go shoot some poor innocent targets." With a little flourish, he offered his arm.