This was almost one of those moments where Astrid sort of wished she'd kept up with her sword training from her first semester, although without a sword, it wouldn't have helped much, anyway. She could probably get a good hit in with the lute, though.

But after that first one?

So, instead, she idly strummed her fingers down the strings, let out a weak little note to start, but then stopped, lifted her eyebrows, and asked the approaching bandits, "Do you know this one?"

Maybe a long shot, but it was the danger shop, she literally didn't have anything to lose by trying a conversational diversion, right?