Neverwinter Forest Inside Information

He doesn't flinch. Well, unless you mean shifting to posture aggressively again "flinching."  That whole "looking for siblings" thing that had dragged Okeanos away was kind of a hot button topic for Mal, not that she had any way to actually know this.  He snarled, lunging forward a step, his own array of teeth bared.  What? I'm just supposed to trap a guy here instead of letting him look for his sister?  Screw you! I'm not that guy. -- I'm protecting our home so there's something here when they get back -- have you even been paying attention to this world?!  It shakes and makes awful roars and who knows what else and you're pissed at me because you're not allowed to do whatever you want in someone else's territory!  You're messed up in a messed up world, good luck out there, you'll need it way more than me, he snapped.  Unlike her, he had zero problems being a jerk. In his eyes, she was definitely the jerk first, so if she couldn't take what she dealt, that was her problem.

Apparently Mal believed in Okeanos more than he did Ibis -- she was a pawn to be useful, and he didn't even count that other chick, she might as well not exist unless she showed her face around again.  But did he believe in either of them coming back for real?  Right now, he did, but that maybe was more just so he could win an argument more than anything.