He likes her. Small and fighty describes half his squadrons, and she strikes him as the sort who would fit in with them just fine.

"Well, it wouldn't be like a common thief." Which seems to contradict the declaration that he's not proud, but Poe knows what people think of him. He knows what they expect from him. People who don't know him call him arrogant.

People who don't know him don't know he's making fun of himself when he says things like that, ninety percent of the time. "Come on. You're going to drop 'em all in a minute."