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Hal waited until he was alone on deck before lowering the rowboat. He took his boots off and set them aside with his sword and shirt.
He slipped into the water.
“Are you there?” he asked. A red tail wrapped around him in seconds. “Hi, Barry.”
Barry squeezed and Hal tried not to choke. His smooth scales rubbed against Hal’s bare chest and Hal laughed as he ruffled Barry’s strange feeling hair in a half-hearted attempt to stop Barry suffocating him.
Hal froze.
“What happened to your sail?” he asked. Barry’s sail- his fin, his pride and joy- was pressed down against his back, the edges tattered and torn. Barry let go of Hal and slunk back. “Bar, I just want to know.”
“He won’t tell me either,” a new voice said. Iris appeared from the shadows and Barry wrapped his tail around her deep purple one and hid his face in her hair. “He thinks you won’t like him now he’s slow.”
“Slow?” Hal asked. “Barry, you’re like lightning through the water, you’re not slow. Even without your sail I’ve never seen anything move as fast as you. And I don’t like you because you’re fast. I like you because you’re Barry. Your sail being hurt won’t change that.”
Barry peered out from Iris’ hair, piercing eyes so blue they seemed unnatural.
He huffed out a reply and a stream of bubbles floated up to the surface.
“He doesn’t believe you,” Iris said. “He won’t believe me either.”
“It’s the truth, Bar,” Hal said. He swam closer and Barry let him reach out and stroke his tail. He flicked his fin against Hal’s legs and blinked.
“Eobard,” Barry poked his head out the water, still curled around Iris. “Nets. Trap.” He looked at Iris and meshed his fingers together, cocking his head.
“That was really good, Bar,” Iris said.
“You’ve been learning English?” Hal asked. Barry nodded.
“Listen,” he said. “Hard.” He pointed down and dipped down so everything but his eyes were below the water again and he said something else in the strange language Hal had yet to understand any of.
“He says it’s hard to practise speaking under the water,” Iris said. “But he knows what most of your words mean now.”
“I knew you were the smartest guy I know,” Hal said. Barry preened as Hal stroked his hair again. “Who’s Eobard?”
“Another sailer,” Iris said. “He’s jealous Barry’s faster.”
“He’s going to regret hurting Barry, isn’t he?”
Barry laughed, unwinding himself from Iris so he could wrap his tail around the both of them. He bared his teeth, too many and too sharp, and laughed again.
“He says he can handle Eobard,” Iris said. “If he tries to hurt anyone else, Barry will stop him. Barry can stop anyone.” Iris puffed her fins out. “Eobard knows he can’t win a fight so he sets traps because he thinks he’s smarter but he’s not as smart as Barry.”
Barry laughed again and another stream of bubbles floated up and tickled Hal’s arms.
“What did he say?” Hal asked.
“That I’m... I don’t know the word. Too much not real?”
“You’re flattering him,” Hal said. Iris nodded.
“Flattering,” she said. “I like that word.”
Noise came from the ship above them.
“Hal?” John called out.
“I need to go,” Hal said. “You need any help with Eobard, you know where to find me.”
Barry pressed his lips to Hal’s cheek and ran his hands through Hal’s hair before unwinding himself. He poked his head above the water.
“See you soon,” he said.
“Soon as I can,” Hal said. “I promise.”
“Soon,” Iris said. She kissed Hal’s other cheek and took Barry’s hand. The two of them vanished into the dark sea and Hal climbed back aboard the boat, raising it up to the deck.
“What were you doing?” John asked.
“Nothing,” Hal said. “What’s up?”