[color=00a651]"--And--how about two raspberry and white chocolate scones?"[/color]

The mistake people most often made about charm was letting it intertwine too closely with cockiness. The massive blinding grin and the obnoxiously obvious wink that cartoon characters could get away with was generally referred to as 'being a douche' in the real world. Sloan preferred the nice, casual kind of confidence; try not to 'umm' and 'ahh' through your order like you haven't decided what you wanted, sneak a five dollar note into the tip jar on the likely chance that one or two of the team probably wouldn't tip, give a small smile and get a small smile back.

[i][color=00a651]Charm.[/color][/i]

It was a lesson the knucklehead bragging with his crook buddies over Tazo Iced Passion had yet to learn, apparently. He recognized him as Butei because, besides that he was [i]obviously telegraphing that he was Butei,[/i] he was apparently some kind of elite at Lezzad. He certainly had being friends with crooks down; he was yammering on about Bloody Marys while his drinking buddies drank up his words like he was some kind of shaman for schmucks. [color=00a651][i]Being a douche.[/i][/color]

The two Assault troops (for that was clearly what they were) caught up in conversation gave him more confidence, and Sloan was even more impressed by the Dagula in the suit he'd caught sight of upon entrance who had arrived before them all. The androgynous one who looked like she could have knocked out all their teeth inspired similar levels of [color=00a651]'wow, this team might not totally suck.' [/color] Given what he'd seen, maybe he could write off the Lezzad as the exception that proved the rule.

"Vanilla bean frap and the raspberry scones?"

[color=00a651]"Appreciate it,"[/color] Sloan said quietly, with another small smile, as he took his drink in one hand and a napkin enveloping both scones in the other. He scanned for one of the empty circular tables and slipped behind a seat quietly, resisting the urge to kick up his feet in another chair like Han Solo. After all, it wasn't like he expected to eat both scones himself.