Asher couldn't help but chuckle at her comment; the sound was self-deprecating, and he lifted an arm to rub the back of his neck abashedly.
"Yeah, I guess..." His eyes rose from the floor at that point in order to assess the menu that she mentioned, and the clear pride that she put into her work. If he had any doubts that she owned the place, they were dashed in that moment. As such, she was someone to remain on the good side of - someone with a business was likely influential or, at the very least, known to the community. Should he become a regular here, assuming he could stand the stuff she served, he figured it could only go well for him.
He frowned, but was sure to keep his expression quizzical rather than imposing; he knew how quickly his RBF could take effect and was doing his best, still, to come off as nonthreatening. It seemed to have worked so far, but he wasn't blind to the shock in her eyes, and the passing comment on his height. Though humorous, these were still an indicator that he needed to tread carefully.
"Ah, to be honest..." He paused, still skimming the menu in case there was something familiar that he might have missed, but finally turned out his hands sheepishly. "I've never been to a place like this before. The only teas I know are black, green, or with milk." He managed to craft an awkward smile and plaster it to his lips - the lack of expertise in this likely only aided the expression in appearing more genuine. "If I told you the sorts of tastes I like, would you be able to find something I would probably enjoy?" Rather than coming off as demanding, the tone of his voice was tentative, as submissive as his facial expressions, and clearly insinuated that she knew a whole lot more about all of this than he did. Hopefully, she'd find it flattering, rather than insulting, that he should come in here not knowing what the hell was going on.
"Look, to be honest, I came here because I didn't feel like a coffee and I heard the Metallica you had on before so I figured this place would be one of those surprisingly cool, also actually good quality food and tea kind of places. You know?" He chuckled awkwardly again, then paused and added quickly, just in case it wasn't clear; "I haven't been disappointed, obviously, I think I'm just a bit over my head - you seem like you're a genuine connoisseur." His expression, though still sheepish, was warm and open, and he pointedly avoided looking at her throat - people really didn't like that, he'd found.
"Yeah, I guess..." His eyes rose from the floor at that point in order to assess the menu that she mentioned, and the clear pride that she put into her work. If he had any doubts that she owned the place, they were dashed in that moment. As such, she was someone to remain on the good side of - someone with a business was likely influential or, at the very least, known to the community. Should he become a regular here, assuming he could stand the stuff she served, he figured it could only go well for him.
He frowned, but was sure to keep his expression quizzical rather than imposing; he knew how quickly his RBF could take effect and was doing his best, still, to come off as nonthreatening. It seemed to have worked so far, but he wasn't blind to the shock in her eyes, and the passing comment on his height. Though humorous, these were still an indicator that he needed to tread carefully.
"Ah, to be honest..." He paused, still skimming the menu in case there was something familiar that he might have missed, but finally turned out his hands sheepishly. "I've never been to a place like this before. The only teas I know are black, green, or with milk." He managed to craft an awkward smile and plaster it to his lips - the lack of expertise in this likely only aided the expression in appearing more genuine. "If I told you the sorts of tastes I like, would you be able to find something I would probably enjoy?" Rather than coming off as demanding, the tone of his voice was tentative, as submissive as his facial expressions, and clearly insinuated that she knew a whole lot more about all of this than he did. Hopefully, she'd find it flattering, rather than insulting, that he should come in here not knowing what the hell was going on.
"Look, to be honest, I came here because I didn't feel like a coffee and I heard the Metallica you had on before so I figured this place would be one of those surprisingly cool, also actually good quality food and tea kind of places. You know?" He chuckled awkwardly again, then paused and added quickly, just in case it wasn't clear; "I haven't been disappointed, obviously, I think I'm just a bit over my head - you seem like you're a genuine connoisseur." His expression, though still sheepish, was warm and open, and he pointedly avoided looking at her throat - people really didn't like that, he'd found.
