Temeraire, for his part, has never held much truck with spirits, but has never entirely closed himself to the idea, either, and he shrugs slightly, still smiling. "The subject matter is fitting, in any case, given our surroundings, and I do not mind."

He inclines his head in response to the question. "It is. Well," he adds, "it was T'ien-hsiang, to start with, but my professors in Peking all despaired of ever getting it right: so now my name is Temeraire, and I find I like it as well as my last. And your name is Volkoff, is it not? I am sorry: I know we have been introduced, before."