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I have heard the Arguments that Time has stopped at Home, and while the Idea brings me slight Peace, I do not believe I can rest here without Consequence.
Inaction is as much of a Crime as active Treachery, and I wish to Help in any Fashion I may. I am able bodied, well used to working in open Seas and under Orders. You shall find my Complaints very few in number, under Condition that any Action asked of me is given fairly, and does not impugn on the Rights of God’s Creatures or against Country.
If I may also inquire, I am still hopeful to locate a dear Friend of mine, a Dragon by the name of Temeraire— or perhaps Lung Tien Xiang. He is of black coloring with blue markings, in the Heavy Weight class and distinguishable by a unique facial ruff and tendrils. If he is occupied, or perhaps if I am gone when He arrives, let Him know that He is missed, that He must take care of Himself, and that William Laurence asks only for Him to be happy, even if He is not near.
Cpt. Wllm Lrnce
Inaction is as much of a Crime as active Treachery, and I wish to Help in any Fashion I may. I am able bodied, well used to working in open Seas and under Orders. You shall find my Complaints very few in number, under Condition that any Action asked of me is given fairly, and does not impugn on the Rights of God’s Creatures or against Country.
If I may also inquire, I am still hopeful to locate a dear Friend of mine, a Dragon by the name of Temeraire— or perhaps Lung Tien Xiang. He is of black coloring with blue markings, in the Heavy Weight class and distinguishable by a unique facial ruff and tendrils. If he is occupied, or perhaps if I am gone when He arrives, let Him know that He is missed, that He must take care of Himself, and that William Laurence asks only for Him to be happy, even if He is not near.
Cpt. Wllm Lrnce
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[ Laurence repeats with faint distress. He has no reason to distrust Jehan (besides the fact he's French), but he had always assumed timed was immutable. To be told that his few days apart from Temeraire had been actually a month was... well shocking. Almost as if being told Christmas wasn't coming this year. ]
I had not realized it had been so long. An apology is in order, although words are not enough to make up for my negligence.
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[He bows slightly]
Jean Prouvaire, formerly of Paris. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain.
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William Laurence, a pleasure.
[ he says rather stiffly, assuming that most french men still support Bonaparte and are soldiers under his command. ]
You have accepted him into your fold, or is regiment a more appropriate term?
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[Jehan laughs a bit]
I forget, you both are from the wars. Bonaparte is dead, captain, and has been since 1821 after having been defeated at Waterloo in 1815. My friends and I came from Paris in the summer of 1832. We are not Bonapartists. You need not worry.
[A pause]
Well, except for Pontmercy but I'm not entirely sure he counts as an Ami.
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It's odd that a Frenchman would speak of Bonaparte's defeat with such candidness, but he supposes not all French support the Emperor. There were the Royalists after all. ]
I trust you have no reason to lie on the matter, but to hear of his defeat is one thing— to know of it is another. I cannot accept such a fact on hearsay, even if my heart swells at the news.
[ he figures the war would have ended far sooner if he didn't bring over the plague cure. GUILT. ]
You claim you are not a Bonapartist, yet you consort with one?
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I have known Royalists, and while I can not claim to be an expert on French politics, a self imposed Emperor certainly could not be a better choice than the legitimate successor.
[ he pauses, quietly wondering if he's preaching to the choir. Jean is not a bonpartist, not a monarchist... so what does that leave him? ]
Is there another political party in Paris?
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[ He says the bit about Kings with slight indignity, because the King has not failed England yet. And now he can see why Temeraire has found the Amis to be good friends. God knows Laurence believes in equality— it's merely the questions of 'how' and 'when' that gave him pause when Temeraire talks of it.
He calms himself, thinking that Republican doesn't always means Jacobin. Hopefully. ]
Without a war, I am sure there is time to debate on politics, but in our current predicament— [ how does he say this... ] there are larger issues we must attend to.
It would not be an overstatement to say that Napoleon has caused a great delay on English equality.
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You refer to being trapped on this turtle, yes?
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[ he says with a slight sigh, because the one side effect of war that no one ever considers is its effect on politics ]
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