[ hmm. there's a hint of... well, perhaps it's amusement, at several things there. the surprise, his sudden seriousness, and the description itself.

a slight quirk upwards of her lips, hardly visible, until it's gone. ]

Perhaps. I'll allow you one confirmation, in the form of a correction: I would hardly force others to follow the rules I set, save for the ones that are absolutely necessary.

[ a pause, as if she's considering whether she should say more. ah, well. ]

I have found the path widens when you allow others to intersect alongside your own, rather than paving your will over them.