[His shoulders tense and he turns back around with a snarl.]
I was! But you're so damn blind by your own fucking picture of me to see that. [He's consciously stopping himself from saying 'so way to not be an ignorant jackass']
I wasn't using her against you. I was telling you to talk to her since you don't want to hear me out and give me a fighting chance. She knows me, whether you like it or not.
[Or at least, she knew the kinder side of him. The side that made her feel better about herself and her appearance. He encouraged her, a lot. He wanted Zel to know that but felt there was no way he'd get a chance to tell him or that he'd even believe him, so he wanted Zel to ask Raven about it.]