"Thank you, madam, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Erinth says with a slight bow to the scholar before leaving. So far, so good
As they come across the armed group, Erinth moves towards the nearest tree, drawing his bow. "Let's not do anything rash, y'all." he shouts towards the bandits. "There's more of us, and we're armed."
(Technically, they could be a paranoid group of travelers without any illegal intent thinking us the dangerous group of heavily armed hobos)