A few moments later, once the laughter had eased and the food had started arriving properly, Trafalgar picked up his glass.
That alone was enough to make the table quiet down little by little.
He looked around once before speaking. Aubrelle was beside him, calmer than she had been in days. Mayla looked comfortable for once, not working, not standing behind him, just there with them. Cynthia had gone still, Bartholomew was already paying more attention than he probably wanted to, Xavier leaned back with interest, and even Vivienne, who still looked slightly out of place, no longer seemed like she was waiting for the floor to betray her.
Trafalgar let his gaze move over them once, then said, "Thanks for coming."
Cynthia blinked. "That's surprisingly normal."
Trafalgar ignored her.
