yeah, probably a single bug. try the talk to them trick and if it says "this character is in combat" then its okay to hit him.

another possibility is that you taunted one of them, but they didnt like you enough in the first place... you have to get three taunt successes before their affinity for you reaches 0. if it reaches zero first, they will say goodbye, but they won't want to fight you... so if you hit them then its your fault.

How?

'Tab' moves the 'camera' above and behind you. Holding down Tab allows you to move the camera about. Can't figure out how you are supposed to, say, hit anything with a ranged weapon when in third person, you can't see your crosshairs...

Oru