He approached slowly, climbing each step with gentle determination. She wore the soft, welcoming smile she gave all new clients and parents of prospective students as they entered the training ground. His eyes were open, clear and direct. His face was calm. So calm and patient. The outcome of this meeting was assuredly his and so he had no reason to be anything but calm. The smile on her face began to fade. But his air of patience gave her a small bit of comfort. It wasn't violence then he was here for. He was prepared to take his time, to convince her of the absolute rightness of his mission, to convince her to play a part in it.

He stood two steps below her, his head even with her shoulders as he gazed up to her. But the look on his face made her feel smaller. Reading body language, even miniscule reflexes and tics not noticed by those with lesser training, was second nature for her. She recognized before he even stopped moving that this was not about the Training House or even the Guild. It wasn't even about her, exactly. Stopping below her wasn't to help her feel less intimidated - it was to show her that she was but one pinnacle, one obstacle to overcome to achieve a larger goal. And that this one obstacle was not going to be much of a challenge for him. The smile on her face slowly disappeared, a look of alarm only recognizable by the widening of the eyes.

"Inara Serra. You are lovelier than your registration holo." He said with a gentle nod of the head. Perfect timbre of the voice gave the statement's delivery a quiet fondness. It was delivered to achieve two tiny advantages - to give her a moment to collect herself and to let her know he had access to her Guild records. He wasn't a fool, he knew what Companions were required to learn and he wanted her at her fullest capabilities. It would be the only way she could truly accept his offer.

Her smile returned, a bit more brittle than before as she acknowledged his compliment. "Thank you." She kept eye contact with him.

Moments passed in