Elliot might not have had the social graces to wait to be invited, but he did know what to do with the offered hand. He reached across the table, extending his own and shaking firmly. He wasn't the kind of guy who felt the need to crush fingers (and honestly couldn't; he was no athlete) but he didn't go overly gentle just because his companion was a lady.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, as well. A fondness for flying and a dislike of priests: two things with which I can sympathize." Some might have smiled after the joke, but Elliot didn't. Either he trusted the words to carry the humor on their own, or he wasn't actually joking.