"I have traveled a lot," Ragnar nodded. He'd had time to perfect his language skills, even if he hadn't started learning English until his thirtieth year. "Do you speak anything else?"
He listened with a pleased smile as Pippin described her own roots and the weather there- "Well, I live by the lake here. It is the perfect place for a fire pit. I have one, but I will wait until Athelstan is a little older before I light it. He can't be trusted right now. It is nice to have a fire there when I get back from swimming, but I wouldn't encourage anyone else to at this time of year. But you are welcome to come over and sample my pit when I have it going. I will cook over it for you. Like our friends here-" Ragnar gestured towards the village scene where the woman was cooking over the fire and the man butchering a small deer.
His held tilted, slightly surprised at the sudden barrage of words being thrown at him. "I will see what books I have at home, yes? And I'll tell you about the frost giants," Ragnar said with a brighter smile.
Why was he lonely? That was a bit of a big question, and he didn't know if he was really willing to answer it. "I- I have friends. Good, close friends, but I have always moved around a lot. For work. I haven't been able to have long relationships. And although I don't think I will be leaving here any time soon, I wished for a companion I could always have with me. Do you understand?"
They had arrived under the bow of the ship and Ragnar paused, looking up at it. "See if you can find any ghost friends here. I am sure you will find some, even if they don't want to be seen."