Laurence's rare smile touches the corners of his mouth once more, and he bows his head in acknowledgment.
"Perhaps," he says. "But my crew cannot all join me through the door. It is my duty to remain with them so long as I am Captain."
To have a place of refuge solely for his own self feels like a luxury bordering on disloyalty. Naturally there are some discrepancies between the ranks, but he is reminded sharply of long days at sea, becalmed or hungry or cold or afraid, where every man aboard could be certain at least that he was not alone, that the whole of the ship's contingent shared these basic similarities with him.
And as Captain, of course, it is even more necessary that he show himself not above the small iniquities of their life in Peking. "But I will endeavor to join Temeraire when next he travels here."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-11-19 05:59 pm (UTC)"Perhaps," he says. "But my crew cannot all join me through the door. It is my duty to remain with them so long as I am Captain."
To have a place of refuge solely for his own self feels like a luxury bordering on disloyalty. Naturally there are some discrepancies between the ranks, but he is reminded sharply of long days at sea, becalmed or hungry or cold or afraid, where every man aboard could be certain at least that he was not alone, that the whole of the ship's contingent shared these basic similarities with him.
And as Captain, of course, it is even more necessary that he show himself not above the small iniquities of their life in Peking. "But I will endeavor to join Temeraire when next he travels here."