Antonia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she closed her eyes, settling back into her chair for a moment. So much mistrust with this one, this Nicolette Beauchamp. There was simply... [i]so[/i] much broken inside her soul no matter the cool, hard exterior, all the prickly shards pulled back together into some semblance of a woman, held together by that white-knuckled grip in her head. 

Antonia could not help but wonder if the first mate truly understood how her perfectly controlled, deliberately formal way of speaking might seem to [i]this[/i] captain. No, the rogue decided, she simply... Did not. To this moment Nicolette seemed to measure all men, all crews, all captains and mates by the jagged yardage of her betrayers. 

All this passed through the rogue's thoughts in less than an instant, Antonia's grey eyes opening as she rose gracefully to her feet once more. This time though, she did not move to Thomas' side, but rather past Luc in his own chair beside her, tapping the top of his head soundly with her fingertip. "A gentleman does not stare at a lady, no matter how lovely he may find her. 'Tis rude and unbecoming, and such ogling is best left to men like Monsieur Jax, who have neither dignity nor manners to uphold," she said lightly, casually as she continued past the boy, giving the helmsman a cockeyed lilt of a smile and an amused arch of an eyebrow. 

For his part, Luc cringed just a little, his smile sheepish and apologetic as his gaze quickly averted from the angelic Nicolette to the aforementioned Monsieur Jax, where it transformed into as impish a smile as even the helmsman could have wished. The boy had already decided that, gentleman or no, he [i]certainly[/i] liked the smiling man with the promise of something special, just for him. Jax's curses had not shaken him in the least. Luc was a child of Port Royal after all, and his Papa the owner and proprietor of the Parakeet. There was precious little salty language, or any creative combination thereof, that was new to the boy. 

"Luc, sir. I mean to say, Jean-Luc Williams, Monsieur Jax - but most everyone calls me Luc." His dark eyes darted furtively toward his Tante 'Tonia, who had told him to remain silent while the adults spoke. Even so, he had been torn whether that meant he should ignore the helmsman's question, or disobey his Aunt. It was Jax's easy smile that decided the matter for him, though he fell silent once more quickly enough, nibbling on a corner of candied ginger to keep his wayward tongue best occupied.

Antonia slowly leaned over the table near to the first mate's shoulder, smiling tenderly, almost familiarly as her warm fingers wrapped about the neck of the rum bottle, laying lightly over Nicolette's own. 

"I pray I do not speak out of turn, but anything that has begun, can [i]always[/i] be ended of course," she said simply, not in the least surprised to hear that Thomas had already set preparations underway. The turnaround time required for this venture was, Antonia knew very well, near unprecedented. "As you might imagine, the concerns and thoughts of the [i]Skate's[/i] first mate and her helmsman carry a [i]great[/i] deal of weight. This is no light undertaking after all, and... "

Antonia reached toward the tray, for a wooden cup. "Shall I pour you some rum while you consider, Mademoiselle Beauchamp? Although if I may?" The rogue's smile widened, a genuinely warm light rising to her eyes. 

"Earlier this very day, I offered our Captain Silver Fish a flagon of [i]bumbo."[/i] Grey eyes flashed mischievously toward Thomas before she continued, her voice just as easy and pleasant as ever. "But he must have his piss water grog. Have you ever tried it, [i]bumbo[/i]? 'Twould be my pleasure to introduce you to a proper drink: rum and a bit of sugar, spiced nicely with nutmeg."