Tabitha leaned back a little as he leaned in. There was something intense about his gaze that had her momentarily awestruck, remembering herself after his fingers brushed against hers. The handkerchief was unexpected, but thoughtful and Tabi righted herself after a moment, feeling the soft fabric beneath her fingers instead of the cold of the glass. There was that darlin’ again and Tabi felt the flush rising on her cheeks. Surely he knew that wasn’t exactly proper? Maybe he didn’t. It was truly hard to tell if this was just how he was, if she was having too much of an effect on him, or if he didn’t care about those sorts of things. He was turning out to be quite the conundrum.

She was starting to lean toward the explanation that she was influencing the interaction unintentionally, but there wasn’t much she could do about it without shifting her whole demeanor. If he only knew the actual story, he might not be so friendly.

And then he went and caught himself, apologizing for the breach of decorum and she softened again. “And now you’re having pumpkin ice cream for almost-dinner with a stranger instead.” She mused, allowing a small smile in spite of herself. “No offense taken, though I daresay you might give someone with more sense a jolt, tossing around casualties like that.” While Tabitha didn't stray from conventional social expectations, she didn't really mind when people happened to make mistakes. She had never met anyone from the States before, but she had heard their mannerisms could be a little rough as sometimes. It wasn't all that big of a deal, just something attributed to differences in expectations and culture.