WARNING: Remus, attempted manipulation, sexism

Remus dragged his claw-like nail down his glass prison boredly.

"Could you not do that?" Janus asked, not looking up from his book. Remus didn't listen and dragged his nail down the glass again, grinning as Janus winced at the noise.

"Do that again, I dare you."

Remus hissed at him. "Or what, Snake-Face?"

Janus' hand went to the scars on the side of his face but he tried to pass it off as him brushing his hair out of his eyes. Remus laughed and dragged his nail down the glass.

"I'll strangle you if you do that again." Janus snapped. Remus snickered.

"Ooh, yes please dadd-"

Janus kicked at the glass, cutting Remus off. Remus' mouth turned down into a snarl and he thrashed his tail angrily, splashing the lid of his prison. He sank to the bottom of the tank and crossed his arms.

"You can't have any fun can you?" Remus asked.

"I don't usually tend to talk to prisoners so consider yourself lucky I've even said a word to you." Janus said, his eyes back on his book. Remus rolled his eyes and dragged his nails along the dead green markings on his arm.

Remus looked at his tail moodily. Was this human one he could manipulate? It was awfully fun when it was... but this one could read. Didn't that make it smart?

"Say, why're you only the first mate?" He asked, going for boredom and looking at his sharp nails. "Surely you should be the captain. Then you wouldn't have to be watching over prisoners like me."

Janus turned a page in his book and didn't answer Remus. Remus sighed and turned onto his front, staring through the glass at the slightly distorted human.

"Hey!" He said, rapping his fist on the glass. "Answer me! Aren't you meant to be the superior branch in your species? Logan said you were meant to be. And if you are, why are you being ordered around by someone weaker than you? Doesn't that make you weak?"

Janus looked up and glared at Remus. "Listen to me, you little reptile. Rose is stronger than all of us put together and-" He stopped when he saw that Remus was smirking. Remus laughed. "You little- Why couldn't I have gotten stuck with the other guy?"

Remus laughed, running his tongue over his fangs. "Believe me, human, if you can't handle me than you can't handle Logan. He's a special kind of insane."

Logan traced his finger along the metal holding his prison together. He looked past the glass at one of his kidnappers.

"I still don't understand why Remus and I can't be held in the same cell." He said. He hoped to get a reaction out of this human, who had been humming and sketching for the past hour or so.

"You'd make plans to escape and kill us all." The human said bluntly. Logan sighed.

"We wouldn't."

"You would." The human looked Logan in the eyes for a split second before looking back at his page. "I know about mermaids, Kiddo."

"Kiddo?"

"It's what I call everyone. Don't take it personal, Kiddo."

Logan rolled his eyes and scoffed, looking up at the lid of his tank.

"Why does your companion call you 'Pat'?" He asked eventually.

"What?"

"Your companion. Short by human standers, rather thin? Weird eyes for a human, very pale."

"Oh, you mean Virgil?"

"Yes, him. Why does he call you 'Pat'? That's not your name."

The human shrugged. "It's close enough to my name, I guess."

"Yes, Patton, isn't it?"

"Mhm."

"But why not just call you 'Patton'? It's a lot easier than having to remember two names."

"He gives nicknames to all his friends."

"Nickname?" Logan asked, confused.

"Yep."

"What is a nick-name?"

"It's a different name you call someone when you like them. You know, when you're close enough friends to make fun of them without it being hurtful."

Logan nodded slightly, thinking. Eventually he asked. "Friend?"

Writing this chapter completely immersed me. Like, completely, I was literally focused on nothing else. That's not happened in a long time. That's good, I guess, right?
Bye,
Blaize