Had Dimitri sent the little leech to spy on him or something? To see what, exactly, Alexander was up to? The idea was nauseating enough, but coupled with the stranger’s words—about being unwanted anyway and not stopping now—it took everything in Alex to keep from doubling over and vomiting in disgust. Instead, though, he merely rolled his eyes, hellbent on ignoring Delmar.
“It’s an expression…like with every disgusting member of your species, being a fish runs through your veins,” Alexander spat, his voice low, cold, and crisp as he addressed both the mermaid and her apparent pirate accomplice. Did Dimitri know about this too, then?
“Tail, head, torso, it’s all the same to me,” he said with a wave of his hand, crinkling his nose in repulsion. “You’re all scales and gills to me. Disposable, even.”
This was cute. A pleasant little conversation that he had pushed himself into without fully thinking through what it was that he would find. It wasn’t surprisingly that Alexander’s behavior was less than cordial. The news of Coraline’s actual origins were a bit more shocking, but not enough to have him back down. He’d enjoyed the girl’s presence, and unless she did something incredibly stupid, he saw no reason to hurt her simply for the fact that she had a tail. Unlike some, his desire towards the maiming of another person was low.
“Is there something I could do for you, Barrett?” Delmar debated sticking ‘lord’ to the front of that, but he was certain that he would be unable to do it without a biting level of sarcasm. It was one thing that wasn’t necessary, and more likely to spur a bigger issue. He shrugged, tilting his head and all but ignoring Coraline’s presence just a step behind him. “Or maybe insults are all that we can expect today.”
Expression or not, it was much too gratifying to see the pirate lord annoyed. Any satisfaction was quickly snuffed, though, as the monstrous human continued and he turned to address her.
“I’d rather be a fish any day than a heathen like you,” she snapped, crossing her arms defensively. It was hard to tell whether she’d speak as freely if there wasn’t a large human standing in front of her, ready to move in if need be.
Delmar spoke up then and Cora got the distinct impression that they knew each other, or of each other, though the origin was still mystifying. There was certainly no cordiality between the two.
