Barnaby is so startled by the surge of water in the shape of a sea creature that he's momentarily dumbfounded by what it is or where it could have come from. He's so baffled that he realises a little too late that it's an attack aimed at him, and he has to spring out of the way to avoid the worst of it. It's a little too late, though, and the waves of water engulf him, sweeping him up in the impact and crashing him into the nearest wall opposite the warehouse.

Momentarily stunned, he forces himself to sit up, coughing after swallowing a mouthful of water. His glasses were swept away somewhere nearby in the impact, but it doesn't matter with his powers enhancing his sight still, glowing eyes falling on Childe.

"Me, underhanded?" he coughs again, using the wall to brace himself as he gets to his feet. "You're the ones dragging innocent people from their homes. Is the Regent really so weak that they have to resort to this?"

He doesn't actually care about debating. Mentally, he's stalling for time and weighing his options. Can he grab the Veneran and make a run for it, or would it risk putting the man in the firing line of more of the two Kenomas' ranged attacks?