Jordan lazily pulled a cigarrette from behind his ear. He glanced the meathead over, gauging the possible threat with a deliberate neglectful look in his eye designed to drive the man into a rage. Inserting the cigarette between his lips, he pulled a chrome plated zippo lighter from his pocket, flicked it open with his thumb, and pulled his gaze away from the thug. Tilting his head forward, he cupped a hand around the lighter to press the flame to the end of the cigarette. It was an insulting thing to do, showing the man that he was cocky enough to completely ignore him even though he was doing his best to appear threatening.<br/><br/>He sensed when the moment was right, catching out of his peripheral vision the small movements from the man that said he was recovering from the momentary surprise of the insult. He would attack soon, his rage completely drawn from the girl onto Jordan. He turned his back on the man, giving the girl a warm little smile.<br/><br/>"Appolgies, ma'am." he spoke in a warm southern drawl, "Ah hope my friend here didn't scare ya too much. Please. Don't let us hold you up. We wouldn't want you to be late. A woman as beautiful as you surely has somewhere she needs to be, yes?"<br/><br/>His eyes were calm, genuine, and only slightly insistent. He wanted her to move on before the idiot attacked. He could see how skittish she was, and knew that a fight on the street would only upset her. It would a short fight, he knew. He would end it quickly, but there was no avoiding the upset to her. He heard a throaty growl from behind him. Too late.<br/><br/>Spinning on his heal, he released the tension on his knees, ducking under the charge he knew was coming. He met the charging pull with a swiftly planted fist to his chin. As he'd ducked at the right moment, the charge met him at shoulder height rather than at his waist. He gripped the man as he staggered under the impact. Using the momentum of impact, he twisted, planted his feet, and gave the man's jacket a solid jerk. He was sent falling to the floor, colliding with the wall of a shop.<br/><br/>Jordan's neglectful, lazy demeanor were gone now. It had all been a ruse. He stood tensed and ready, glaring down at the man, ready to let him make another move if he chose. Remarkably, the cigarette was still between his teeth. He took a long pull from it as he stood staring down at the thug, then pulled it free between the tips of his finger and thumb. Exhaling a long, slow sigh, he allowed a cloud of the delicious tobacco smoke to drift around him.