Over the next few days Cara learned basic French grammar and many of its common etiquette along with many verbs and nouns for the language. She learned how to ask a few questions and how to respond in return after a week and Mitch was still on the basics such as greetings and basic grammar. Through the nights when everybody was on deck socializing she and Francoeur sat together and practiced the literate part of her learning. She really enjoyed learning from him, he was patient and was gentle with her when she made a mistake, working with her until she found her way to the answer and they continued on. Within a week of working with him she had mastered the literate section enough to get by as a commoner and was very proud of her achievement, she thanked him constantly for his help and once even gave him a small kiss on the cheek in gratitude.

Merci, Francoeur, tu est tres bon mon ami." She said and kissed his cheek before putting the slate away and climbing up to her bed for the night.

Francoeur sat there for a moment, listening to her get comfortable before he slowly lay down and covered himself in a blanket, staring at the top bunk until the lull of the ocean rocked him to sleep.

"Bonjour madame Cara, ca va?" Lucille asked when Cara woke up in the morning.

"Eh com cinq com ca, et toi?" Cara answered and replied, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Tres bon, merci." Lucille said with a smile.

"Francoeur? et vous?"

Francoeur peeked up at her from his bunk and chirped positively, giving her his signature smile, making Cara smile.

"Tres bon." she muttered to herself, glad he was doing well.

Lucille and Maude chuckled and looked at each other with knowing looks.

"l'Amour, est tres'dorible." Lucille chuckled and began to finish the touchups on her hair and makeup.

Cara frowned, she did not understand what 'l'amour' meant, but she did understand what tres adorible meant, it meant as it was spelt. She assumed she was referring to how Francoeur was acting but she had a feeling they were making mischievous teasing involving him. She shrugged to herself and assumed it was harmless female fun and started to get dressed, pulling out her modified white undershirt and vest before pulling out a new part of her collection, thanks to the mastery of Lucille. It was an overcoat, made from a lighter brown coat she had allowed Lucille to use for the modifications and she looked in the mirror, seeing if it was to her liking. The coat was still long but in a way it was flattering, she found she enjoyed how it complimented her looks before turning to the slacks Lucille had also modified. The slacks were fitting, matching the style of the coat but Cara pulled up the ankles to her calves to make room for her new boots, also thanks to Lucille, then slipped on her worn socks and then, finally, her boots. She stood and pulled out her wrist length gloves and slipped them on, buttoning the quadruple button wrist and flexed her fingers to test the new apparel. After feeling satisfied she went to the now unoccupied mirror and began to rebraid her hair, undoing the leather tie that held it in place when Francoeur came up behind her.

She turned to face him, wondering what he intended when he pointed at her then made a strange twisting motion with his hands. She watched him for a moment pondering what he wanted when he reached out and touched her hair before making a quick short braid and pointed at it. She blinked in surprise at how quickly he had done it before she realized what he intended, he wanted to braid her hair and she smiled at him, happy he offered since she just witnessed his quick braiding ability.

"Merci Francoeur." she said and handed him her leather strap before she turned to allow him to do her hair.

He undid the first braid before quickly brushing his fingers through her hair, getting it ready to braid before separating the parts and began. He worked quickly and efficiently, she noticed he made great strides to ensure he did not pull or tug on her hair and finally finished with tying her braid and letting it fall to her back. He nodded in satisfaction as she felt the braid and smiled at him, turning to face him.

"Est tres bon, merci, merci bou coup." she said and she turned to leave the room, exiting with a smile.

Francoeur watched her leave, a smile on his face, once she was gone his smile grew into a full on grin when giggles behind him made him turn. He looked to see Maude and Lucille giggling to each other, whispering before continuing their giggling.

He gave them a confused look, wanting an explanation on what they were giggling about.

"Ohh you and Cara, she likes you, you know." Lucille smiled.

He blinked, more confused than anything, he didn't know why but he felt he should be doing something about this. He chirped and sent them an even more confused look and shook his head, not understanding what they were talking about.

Lucille smiled and came up to him, ready to speak before motioning for him to sit.

"Francoeur, you know how Raoul and I are together, right?" she asked.

Francoeur looked thoughtful for a moment before standing and grabbing his slate before writing and handed it to her.

Friends?

She took it and quickly read it before shaking her head.

"No, Francoeur, you know how I am with Raoul as Emile is with Maude?" she asked, gesturing to the other lady in the room.

He looked thoughtful before taking the slate, erasing his previous words and handing them back to her.

Happy? Smiling? Best friends?

"Well, something like that, you see Raoul and I are in a relationship, we are a couple, each a part of a whole, as Emile is to Maude, do you understand?"

Again he shook his head, still not getting the picture.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"Do you know how you enjoy a flower? How they make you happy?" she asked.

He quickly nodded, understanding that flowers were beautiful and their scent was heavenly, he quickly wrote that down and showed it to her.

"Yes, well Raoul is my flower, to others he is just a man but to me he is sweet, I feel happy just being near him, but unlike a simple flower without him I feel sad and want nothing more than to be with him again." She explained.

"He gives me all I need and I give him all he needs, we live and thrive together but are weak and sad without the other." She emphasized.

"Do you understand?"

Francoeur looked thoughtful for a moment, he remembered how sad he had been in America until Cara came along and helped him. He remembered the joy he had and the mild violence he had endured but all the while she remained by his side and protected him. The more he thought about it the more he realized just how generous Cara had been, she could have left him or turned him in but instead she took him in and made trouble for herself just to help him. The proof was the coins he saw her spend, having gone through a money crisis himself, the clothes she had sewn, he knew because she had often come to bed with pricks in her fingers from the needles. He thought about how she had defended him from Mitch the first time they met, throwing herself in the way to defend him and risking harm to herself and how she risked everything to return him to his own family, now she is traveling to his home with him despite their shared fear of the water. As he thought about her a warm feeling began to grow in his chest and he couldn't help but smile blissfully at just thinking about her. He felt happy and he realized he had felt that way when she had kissed his cheek and made his face feel warm, just as it did when she had thanked him for helping with her hair. Suddenly he also realized Lucille was attempting to regain his attention but she had a very understanding look on her face as she giggled when his face flushed as he realized he must have looked rather comical with such a goofy look on his face.

"I see you understand, or do somewhat, she makes you happy, no?" she asked.

Slowly he nodded, not understanding where this was going.

"You want to make her happy and be close to her no?" she continued.

He nodded, faster this time.

"Do you wish to hold her? Hug her as I do with Roaul?" she asked.

He looked thoughtful before he gave her a confused look, he rarely hugged anybody but there has been a small itch to just wrap his arms around her so he gave her a mixed answer.

She only smiled, knowing her short interrogation has come to an end before she nodded.

"You two are smitten, she enjoys your company as I enjoy Raoul, if you keep going I'm sure you two will become as close as Raoul and I are, maybe even closer, but until then I'd keep from telling her your feelings until you understand them, agreed?" she asked.

He thought again, he knew if he did not know something never to speak of it so he knew it was good advice and nodded, he made a mental note to look up what it was she was speaking about once they got home, he was sure he would find it somewhere.

Cara decided it was time to make her annual trip to the deck, this time she was sure she would make it 5 minutes without hurling and made it a goal. Mitch had suggested it to her to help ease her to the 'way of the waters' as he put it. She stepped up and took a deep breath before exiting the cabin area and walking on deck, she had grown used to the swaying, somewhat and was able to walk with barely a hitch. She decided to walk around what Mitch had called a 'poop deck' and made sure she stepped in nothing of the sort. She traveled along the ship and stayed from the sides as she gradually became more used ot the open sea air and the sound of the waves and people aboard. After a few minutes she decided it would be time to take a chance and walk to the edge and actually face her real fear head on. She went to the side and peered over the edge, looking at the churning waves as they bashed against the side of the ship, she looked, mesmerized for a moment before the churning began. She leaned back and began to take deep breaths to calm herself when a familiar voice appeared beside her.

"Well, haven't seen you in a while, Madame." The voice said, that same proper dialect she had heard when she had been saved from her simple slip up.

She turned and looked at the man, he was tall, not handsome but she could tell he had real personality by the sparkle of his eyes and his perfectly positioned grin. He was not of her class, obviously by his straight back, his well-done hair and luxurious clothing and English accent. He reminded her of how her father used to dress when he would try to impress a woman he liked or he wanted to impress an employer, just more…expensive.

"Where are my manners? I am Jacques Lockhall, how do you do, my lady?" he asked, taking her hand and lightly kissing the back of her glove.

Cara felt her cheeks burn at the sudden hospitality and she wondered at why such a high class man would take any notice of her in any way, even to be kind.

"Erm, I am Cara Thompson, I do very well, and you?" she asked, remembering her manners and made a proper bow, despite the height of her heels and managed to remain standing as she pulled out of the bow.

"It is a privilege to meet one such as you, proper etiquette despite a lower class is quite admirable." He said, smiling.

Cara felt her cheeks burn again, more when she realized his smiling, though not handsome, was still attractive nonetheless. She felt her heart beat faster as he complimented her before she made another bow and responded in kind.

"Kindness to those one would deem lower is as admirable if not more, I thank you kindly for your precious audience." She said before pulling out of the curtsey.

He seemed impressed, he cocked a brow and smiled wider at her display before leaning on the railing and looking out to sea.

"I notice you have gotten your sea legs, considering how I first met you." He said, sending her a teasing smile.

She forced herself not to become excited as she too looked out to see, suddenly more at ease than she had been before.

"Yes indeed, though you still would beat me if anything came to the water." She muttered and suddenly felt a little ill again.

He seemed to notice and scooted closer to her, concern evident on his face with a mixture of empathy.

"I see you are unused to the waters, may I suggest a more positive outlook?" he asked.

"Fire away, I'm not sure how to look at sea without seeing a disaster." She sighed.

He thought for a moment, looking at the ocean before he decided to speak.

"The sea is dangerous, but it is beautiful as well, it carries all we need and takes all we give, providing a passage through what could have been a long painful trek, smoothing the bumps into smooth churning that lulls us to the other side so long as we remain respectful to her power." He said and smiled at her.

Cara blinked in surprise, she had never thought of it that way and looked to the sea, indeed it was smoother than what could have been and it was a shortcut but with immense power only few have truly mastered in understanding. The sea was not a monster, wanting to gobble her up or take her away but rather a creature that demanded respect and guided those that respected it, like any living being would. Suddenly feeling much calmer she smiled at him, feeling her ills fade away as he smiled back.

"Where did you learn that?" she asked.

"My father was a sailor, he knew the sea better than anybody I know." He explained and looked towards the sea before a shadow fell upon his positive look.

"Unfortunately…he had also been aboard the Titanic." He said, a sad look on his face.

Seeing his pain she made a pitying look before looking out at the ocean.

"I'm sorry for your loss…I'm sure he was a fine man."

He continued his mournful gaze for a moment before breaking out of it and smiling again.

"My father would not want me to mourn forever, I have already paid my respects to him and now I journey to our homeland to take over the family business." He said.

"And that would be?"

"English Post, news is quite the interest in England." He mused.

Cara laughed, enjoying his character and sense of humor more than anything, it felt like she was talking to her father all over again.

"And what of you? If I might be so bold to inquire."

"Me? I have no high class profession such as you but I did work at a textile company, I helped with spinning the threads onto spools." She chuckled.

"My my, quite the lady aren't you." He chuckled.

"Might I ask why you are making such a journey across these waters?"

She paused for a moment, she didn't want to tell him just yet about Francoeur and decided to keep a few things hidden.

"I'm visiting France with a few friends of mine, I'm having a bit of a vacation with my uncle." She explained.

Jacques smiled and nodded before he grinned knowingly.

"I see, trying to visit other places on a textile workers salary?" he smirked.

"My friends are paying for the trip, their offer." She explained.

"Ah, so how did you meet your friends? Longtime family or other ties?" he asked.

"Actually they found us when we had a chance meeting, we just got along so well they offered to take us to their home for a short while before we came back." She smiled.

He smiled and nodded.

"You are lucky, not many get such a chance as yours."

She smiled and they looked out to sea before she realized she was late for her lessons with the Professor.

"Oh, I must go, my friends are teaching me French and I must be late." She sighed and began to walk towards the cabins.

"May I see you tonight? Once your lessons are over?" he suddenly asked.

She turned towards him and paused before nodding.

"I will be done at sun down, may I meet you back here then?" she asked.

He nodded.

She smiled back at him before heading into the cabins and to her lessons, distracted by her newfound friendship.

That lesson she had some difficulty with learning her nouns and just focusing on her work. Many times she became distracted and often tripped over words she would have earlier done if her mind had been in the right place. Finally the Professor noticed and paused the lessons to get an answer at why she was suddenly struggling at what she had done so well with before.

"Madame Cara, you seem distracted, has somezhing happened to take your attention away from your lessons?" he asked.

Cara stared into space before she realized she was being addressed and shook her head to clear it.

"I'm sorry Professor, I guess I'm just distracted because of the meeting I have tonight." She explained.

"Meeting?" Mitch suddenly piped in.

"What meeting? With who?"

"I met somebody, he had kept me from falling off the loading ramp when we first came aboard and I saw him again today. He is quite the gentleman and I have agreed to meet with him tonight." She explained.

Mitch cocked an eyebrow, it was clear by his attentive posture and taught mouth that he had his own thoughts swimming in his mind about the meeting. Cara took notice and laughed, knowing exactly what he was thinking and was glad to have such a devoted uncle.

"It's just as friends, we have only just met and are just trying to get better acquainted." She reasoned, smiling as Mitch relaxed, only a little.

"Well zhen, perhaps now zhat we have gotten zhat out of zhe way you can concentrate better on memorizing zhe vocabulary I have assigned you." The Professor mused.

Cara smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling better able to concentrate now that her thoughts were properly aligned.

"Alright, now, give me the next word will you? I'm sure I have it this time." She grinned.

"A friend?" Lucille asked as Cara explained once she got back from her lessons to get ready.

"Yes, he helped keep me from falling into the ocean when we were coming aboard, we met again today and have arranged a meeting tonight." She said, she was excited, to her it was like meeting a like mind for a simple friendship.

Unfortunately Lucille and her cabin mates saw it differently and looked at each other, almost as if they were disappointed. Francoeur especially who suddenly felt a twinge of sadness at what he was hearing and a sudden feeling of envy. He wondered what it was about this Jacques man that made Cara want to skip their nightly study, surely Cara wouldn't have such a sudden attraction to somebody she had just met? Then again he did like her from the moment she rescued him in the alley and that had progressed to what Lucille had called 'smitten' and he wondered if such an event would cause such an attraction. He decided he would ask Lucille about it later once Cara had left.