Darling was a proud one.
She came across as someone who could have cared less for such things, but so far she was the most prideful and difficult conquest Bastian had set his eyes on. Verbally, she often indicated clear interest, but whenever the pirate captain made a move, she pulled away with the grace of a true blue-blooded woman, making him think that she was intentionally playing hard to get.
She had somehow found the cat they had worshipped on the Maiden's Mercy – apparently the poor thing had developed the ability to swim with the speed of a modern supercomputer.
Bastian grew suspicious about the cat due to this. He knew by instinct that it was not an evil thing. Neither was he. He was a good man, an antihero, but there was only so much room on the ship for larger than life personalities.