Athelstan is tempted to argue but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. He had done things that were wrong too but perhaps what had happened is his punishment for them after all. He didn't think in terms of crime and punishment very often.

There's a tired sigh at the tapping and he turns to meet Ragnar's gaze. He feels that Ragnar has missed part of his point but he doesn't inform him of such. He knows how he feels about it but he can't help the sense of dread and anxiety that's been weighing on him since he had spoken with Dodger earlier.

"I know," Athelstan murmurs and he drops the knife again, dropping his hand over Ragnar's gently and squeezing for a moment. "But, I think you are failing to see the grey areas of the world in all of this and that is dangerous with him. And I wish that you had not involved Ivar still."

He hadn't pressed Ragnar to answer about Ivar earlier and he still wouldn't. He lets go of his hand then and gets back to work.