There is a time in Dirk's life when he would have frozen completely under the pressure (physical, emotional, psychological) of a hug.

He is proud (perhaps inappropriately so) to be able to say that is no longer the case.

Not to say he doesn't go totally still before he reacts to it, or that he isn't sweating (strictly proverbial) bullets when he finally does (just a second or two late!), but Connie receives a STRONG one-armed bro-hug that is only a little bit awkward, considering the circumstances.

For a performance achieved through the traditional Strider method of combination strict repetition and emergency improv...

"I'd actually say your aim was pretty good."