Ben hesitated slightly over the phrase diamond in the rough. He wasn't sure whether she was referring to the establishment — which he would admit he had taken a bit of a shine to — or the goblin performer who had just finished. While he wasn't opposed to her having a chance to perform, or anything, he wasn't exactly keen to be set up on a blind date with her. He wondered briefly if he ought to try and correct a misconception while he still had the chance — and then the light illuminated the face of the woman who had spoken. Ben was charismatic and quick-thinking, but even so he was left momentarily at a loss for words. This wasn't exactly the venue one expected to find that sort of beauty, and it surprised him.

"Reuben Crouch," he said after making a quick recovery. He took the chair she'd nudged out and set his drink down on the table, having all but forgotten it for the moment. "Delighted to meet you. I've heard so much about you," he said. The first bit was sincere, the latter merely flattery. Maybe he'd heard something about her before, but nothing that had registered in his memory — in any case, he hadn't had any reason to think her memorable before meeting her. Women generally liked to think everyone talked about them favorably when they weren't around, though, at least in Ben's experience, and there wasn't any harm in implying that was the case.