You lay it out as honestly as you can for Flynn: "I did bring Tamru here, but honestly, I think I screwed that up about as badly as I could have. I think anyone could probably help you get acclimated to living underwater, but most of us are on call in case the whales need help." You gloss over the reason why you're not an Everwarden. "I deal with maintaining the city, which is important, but it's not immediately pressing at unpredictable times. I'm much less likely to end up in a situation where, say, we're out exploring a wreck by ourselves and then I'm summoned to help in a fight but I can't leave you by yourself."
You look at Flynn, and he looks back at you. He opens his mouth and looks again at Tamru. He must really want to know about you two, probably to better predict his own fate with Tephra. But he closes his mouth and turns away. Your attention is drawn again to your front: you can feel that movement again. Your heart catches as you see what it really is—not a ray or a skate but a giant squid, resting flat on the seafloor. You freeze in shock, silently drifting forward. It turns its huge eyes, glancing between you, Flynn, and Tamru. That thing will rip out your mind and kill the humans without a second thought.