audio;

[dunnage]

My name is William Laurence, captain of Temeraire, and friend.

Recent events have made it clear a crew is necessary, for the safety of Temeraire, and in hopes that the two of us may be of service here. At home, a crew would consist of thirty or so men— I expect to need no more than five or so under current circumstances.

At present, I cannot offer any monetary compensation for work done, but only my gratitude, and friendship. My only requirements are that those who apply possess great fortitude, curiosity for the unknown, and have little fear of heights.

[ he takes a breath, choosing his next words carefully, but they still come out somewhat awkward. ]

Nationality is of little importance; medicinal knowledge, after all, has no borders.

Thank you.

Comments

Have Enj's first audio!

[solo_patria]

Having lately met Temeraire, and been informed that I knew him before, I would gladly volunteer to aid in his protection if nationality and experience are no requirements. This is Enjolras of the wood sector, incidentally.

LAURENCE IS FLATTERED

[dunnage]

[ nationality not being a requirement means this guy is probably French... but he said it so he means it. ]

It's a pleasure to speak with you, Enjolras.

[ wait a moment ] You were... informed you knew him before? You do not know for sure?

YAY!

[solo_patria]

[Quite French, than you. But the dragon will probably vouch for him?]

And the same to you. I confess that our countries' relationships have not been...cordial... in the past, but I am willing to put that aside here as you have done.

And yes...I am told that I was here before but my memories seem strangely affected and I cannot recall the other times I've spent here. But in any case, Temeraire and I have spoken and we seemed to get along.

[dunnage]

One cannot blame France for her Emperor; his atrocities are of his own doing.

[ oh, he has no lost love for the French, but if he had to point a finger of blame, it'd be at Napoleon :| ]

But I hope your memories do return; it is never pleasant to be a stranger among old company. If necessary, I'm sure Temeraire would be glad to assist in recovering them, or attempting to.

[ Laurence stumbles over the awkward phrasing, because he's never really wished the best for someone with amnesia. ]

video;

[bindsthedead]

I have some experience with flight- and some knowledge of weather magic.

video;

[dunnage]

[ weather magic. if he were not on the back of a giant turtle, Laurence would have thought he'd gone crazy. ]

I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with the idea of weather magic; do you control it?

[ because as insane as it sounds, it would be rather useful ]

video;

[bindsthedead]

Mostly with manipulating wind. It's how Paperwings- er, flying devices from the Old Kingdom- are steered. [And Sabriel's pretty sure it's impossible to crash a dragon.]

My name is Sabriel.

[audio]

[littlecousin]

A dragon has a crew?

[She's not exactly sure how this works, but, y'know, dragons! Those sound cool.]

...I'm totally not afraid of heights.

[On account of being able to fly and all.]

[audio]

[dunnage]

Heavy weights typically do, yes. A dragon is not unlike a ship; we require a full crew to operate at full capacity: runners, a doctor, lookouts, and riflemen.

[ Laurence casually wonders if he should go into detail about dragon weights and how Temeraire is about a 3rd of his usual size, but eh ]

[audio]

[littlecousin]

And the dragon's just...okay with having all these people running around on it?

[While dragons do exist where she's from, because comics, they don't feature in Atlantean legend, and Nita gets her entire conception of them from American pop culture. Consequently she's thinking about a lot of fire-breathing, princess-stealing (omg rude!) and knight-eating.]

audio;

[amonfire]

William Laurence- I had been meaning to speak with you again concerning our mutual friend. [ There is a rustling of papers ] Specifically, I took note of his change in size and found it convenient that his size is now remarkably similar that of a fighter plane in the warplane project I spearheaded back in my own world.

With your permission, I would like for you and Temeraire to discuss adapting fighter plane maneuvers to his flight regimen. It would accommodate his sized and may prove useful in an aerial combat scenario.

[ A lull, a cough ]

I could also offer my services in healing if it came to that.

audio;

[dunnage]

[ that is a lot to offer. In a way, it sounds a little too good to be true. ]

I am unfamiliar with fighter planes, but Temeraire is fond of new maneuvers, although I believe he would prefer to see them himself before agreeing to them.

audio;

[amonfire]

[ sure just let me pull a plane out of my magic murder bag ]

I'm lacking a plane itself to offer demonstration, but I can procure written documentation to serve in its stead. How is your Chinese again?

video;

[onefouroneseven]

[ Have a red-skinned alien, Laurence. ]

If you require a doctor I am more than willing to offer my services in that capacity, although other duties would prevent me from becoming a member of your crew.

video;

[dunnage]

[ you're destroying his 19th century outlook of the world. Laurence will never be entirely used to seeing other species around, but he maintains a peaceful look, if a little awkward and overly serious. ]

We do not require a surgeon currently, but I cannot say what the future has in store.

[ ... ] Are you familiar with dragon morphology, miss?

video;

[onefouroneseven]

Doctor Natu, please, or Lantern Natu.

[ She knows he doesn't mean 'miss' badly, but it's a kneejerk correction. ]

No, but I am familiar with the physiology of many different species from many different planets - I have no doubt that with time and study [ And the use of a ring to help her along. ] I can more than meet your qualifications.

audio;

[kvarterskommissarie]

[ So has no idea what so ever what he's getting himself in to. As per usual. ]

If you are in need of medical experience, I may be of service.

audio;

[dunnage]

[ pulling bullets out of dragons, sewing them no big deal really! ]

We are fit for duty presently, but I believe knowing those capable of serving as dragon surgeons would be of great use in the future.

[kvarterskommissarie]

[ Whoa whoa hold the frickin' phone here. ] Dragon?

[cravats]

I wish I could. [He genuinely regrets it! He likes Temeraire and his captain quite well.] Unfortunately, I do very poorly with heights and I doubt I would be of any use. I will simply have to wish you the best in finding a suitable crew.

[dunnage]

Not all crew members are required to serve on board, sir. A ground crew is necessary as well.

[ oh wait it sounds like he's trying to press gang Lyall into serving ]

I hope you do not take my explanation as coercion; I only wish to present other opportunities, if you still wished to volunteer.

[cravats]

Not at all, sir. What sort of positions are required on the ground? I am sure there would be something I could manage.

audio;

[brokenweapon]

I fit all three of those criteria, and Temeraire and I have met before. I'd be glad to help.

[translation: i'd be glad to feel useful.]

audio;

[dunnage]

I'm sure he would be glad to have you abroad as well.

May I have your name, and perhaps a general outline of your skills?

[philosophe]

I would gladly serve on your crew, Captain, if you will have me.