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“Sailors!” Sniffed Lord Allendale, “Absolute nonsense, a dragon in the navy! Even if you could have them, I doubt they should want you. Sailors are the worst breed of men, entirely obstinate.”
The other branches of His Majesty’s Ayllu were fully integrated; the navy remained the only one singularly human in composition. Only men, with their clever little hands, could invent and operate the contraption of canvas and rope that made the ships glide across the water as smoothly as a courier on an air current. Then again, it could not just be that. Lost past were the days that ships weren’t the size to support a heavyweight (and Laurence, despite inheriting the striking golden coloration of his father, took after his mother in size, and could fit himself on merely a 34 if he wanted). The men of the navy quixotically took some pride in their standing apart from society, their independence from the bonds of family or ayllu. Indeed, membership in the navy offered men entirely unsuited for an ayllu protection from vagrancy laws- as members of His Majesty’s Ayllu, they could not be arrested nor snatched up by enterprising dragons who would ordinarily never get their own men.
“They would not be mine, properly,” Laurence protested, pointedly ignoring his insults. “Only they seem quite vulnerable out there, and if I could be of any help it would be my duty to go.” And he would not go so far as to criticize how His Majesty’s ayllu was run, but it seemed somewhat ridiculous that just because the navy men were a little uncomfortable with dragons that they should be left without any support, and instead be expected instead to support any aerial regiments in the area.
“Your duty is to the ayllu. If you are set upon this ridiculous course, I very well cannot lob off your wings,” said Allendale in a tone suggesting he very much wanted to, “However if you should expect any of my treasure to fund yourself you are sorely mistaken.”
And quite pleased with this declaration, certain his progeny would not be so foolish as to start off without any funds, he turned back to the more pressing matters of the Allendale ayllu- two fellows were vying for the hand of a woman who would have nothing to do with the either, the sort of thing that could lead to all sorts of trouble should the humans be left to settle it themselves.
‘I do not want your treasure,’ Laurence thought rather sullenly as he took the hint of his dismissal. He did not understand his fathers point about the treasure- it was rather nice to look at, he supposed, especially when they pulled back the curtains of the pavilion and the sunlight glinted on it just so. It doesn’t do much beyond that, and is rather hard to carry besides, so would be little use in a life a sea. Laurence did not pause at that, but a second guilty thought that he was neglecting his duties to the ayllu. On the other claw, they very much benefitted from Britain being safe and well-defended, however, so joining the navy to protect them would most certainly be helping them after all! The men on ships needed him more immediately, so with his doubts assailed, the dragonet who had only just reached his full growth, who knew very little of the world except it would be a wondrous place to explore, flew off with naught a concern but how he might find a ship to join- the ocean was very big, after all.