[That is certainly not the reaction he was expecting to get, and it's an alarming one, particularly in contrast to the rest of Tom's behavior so far. Normally, James wouldn't be all too concerned, but normally he's a bit more capable of dealing with any potential problems.

So although he resists the sudden urge to put some distance between them, he also goes tense, his own eyes slightly wide in a mix of genuine confusion and alarm. He doesn't exactly have the energy to keep up a particularly good poker face at the moment, though in this case, it's the expression he would've purposefully affected anyway.]

Yes. We were looking for a passage through the arctic, to more easily travel the world, as well as studying magnetism near the north pole.

[It's put as mildly as possible, nonthreatening, in case perhaps this reaction has something to do with previous encounters with the Royal Navy. That could make sense, at least.]