"Ideal, I suppose," Bene muses, having never had a patron or any need for one-- though now that he's a typical working man without access to his parents' riches, maybe that's not such a bad idea.

But, first things first.

"Thanks, um." He looks down at his feet as they walk, suddenly shy, "for asking me."
It doesn't take a lot of social cleverness to see right through that to 'thanks for talking to me at all when I'm feeling vulnerable', but sentimentality isn't the strong suit of either of them.