He couldn't help but feel a strange mixture of pride in himself and gratitude when Blackmane spoke about how he helped break the chains which kept the elder man in bondage. He grinned, and his smile grew even bigger when Ragnar promised to stay. He quickly moved in to give the larger man a hug, but it was brief and devoid of any clinginess. "Thank you," he said quietly before withdrawing from the embrace.
Then the snarky grin returned, "well now we're atheism buddies. If it weren't illegal we could go and burn some churches... I mean you do kinda look the part," he concluded with a chuckle.
He says he's okay but... you know. He was brainwashed for decades and made into a super-Jihadi. He can't be already over it... one little rant isn't going to get him over things that easily. Maybe he's just trying to put on a brave face? "Just, you know," he continued more hesitantly, "if you're feeling down or anything... you can talk to me alright? I mean... I rejected my parent's religions. That was a big deal for me and I didn't go through anywhere near the kind of crap you suffered..."