Editing Portland

Portland was a tall, thin man with severe features and a hawkbill nose, who looked rather dragon-like himself.  He was captain to the Regal Copper [[Laetificat]].  As [[Berkley]] explained to [[William Laurence|Laurence]] at the [[Loch Laggan covert]], the [[Aerial Corps]] only got four or five Regal Coppers in a generation and Aerial Command did not "leave it to chance who mans 'em."  Thus, the fact that Portland had been assigned to Laetificat suggested that he was highly regarded.

Portland was a tall, thin man with severe features and a hawkbill nose, who looked rather dragon-like himself.  He was captain to the Regal Copper [[Laetificat]].  As [[Berkley]] explained to [[William Laurence|Laurence]] at the [[Loch Laggan covert]], the [[Aerial Corps]] only got four or five Regal Coppers in a generation and Aerial Command did not "leave it to chance who mans 'em."  Thus, the fact that Portland had been assigned to Laetificat suggested that he was highly regarded.

As a longstanding member of the Aerial Corps, Portland was used to hearing the contemptuous remarks of naval officers and crew and, since the Corps' code forbade duelling, having to ignore them.  This did not also mean that he had to like them.  Furthermore, there were various aspects of life in the Corps which they were reluctant to disclose to outsiders.  These included the presence of female officers; the fact that a dragon, [[Celeritas]], held the post of training master at the [[Loch Laggan covert]]; and more generally, the fact that dragons were neither the brute beasts of burden nor the savage predators that the general public seemed to imagine.   

As a longstanding member of the Aerial Corps, Portland was used to hearing the contemptuous remarks of naval officers and crew and, since the Corps' code forbade duelling, having to ignore them.  This did not also mean that he had to like them.  Furthermore, there were various aspects of life in the Corps which they were reluctant to disclose to outsiders.  These included the presence of female officers; the fact that a dragon, [[Celeritas]], held the post of training master at the [[Loch Laggan covert]]; and more generally, the fact that dragons were neither the brute beasts of burden nor the savage predators that the general public seemed to imagine.   

This was Laurence's first experience of the pace of events in the Aerial Corps.  He was used to waiting for the tide to turn before a ship could depart and therefore having time to pack things carefully in his sea chest.  Portland, however, was puzzled that it would take Laurence longer than twenty minutes to pack and suggested instead that he throw the rest of his things into a few bags, both chest and bags to be loaded into Laetificat's belly-netting.  Laurence finally realized that this was what lay behind the generally rumpled appearance of aviators, which up until that point he had imagined to be due to some advanced technique of flying.

This was Laurence's first experience of the pace of events in the Aerial Corps.  He was used to waiting for the tide to turn before a ship could depart and therefore having time to pack things carefully in his sea chest.  Portland, however, was puzzled that it would take Laurence longer than twenty minutes to pack and suggested instead that he throw the rest of his things into a few bags, both chest and bags to be loaded into Laetificat's belly-netting.  Laurence finally realized that this was what lay behind the generally rumpled appearance of aviators, which up until that point he had imagined to be due to some advanced technique of flying.