The Irresponsible Captain

Mid afternoon. Ageless and Kobo arrive at the Esperance backpackers.

Hello Ageless! says Natalie. Did you know you'd forgotten your hat?

She reaches under the desk and retrieves it.

His red knitted hat.

Ageless puts down the greasy red paper patty pan.

Would you like me to get rid of this for you? asks Natalie.

Yes, please, says Kobo.

NO! says Ageless. I'd like you to wash it.

I don't do washing, says Natalie. But there's a tap outside.

Tch! says Ageless. He picks up the patty pan and goes outside to begin the difficult business of scraping and rinsing the crumbs off without damaging the delicate paper.

Something women are better qualified to do.

Where are you heading? asks Natalie.

Lucky Bay, says Kobo. With the others.

Your friends left yesterday, says Natalie. But someone else is sure to be going. Shall I see if I can find you a lift?

That would be lovely, says Kobo.

Ageless comes in, leaving a trail of red spots on the tiles.

..........

Half an hour later, Ageless and Kobo are heading towards Lucky Bay, in different sections of the same vehicle.

Kobo is in the backpack of Sylvia, a young woman cyclist, and Ageless is in Sylvia's bicycle basket.

Sylvia is riding to Lucky Bay with her boyfriend Ted.

Ted and Sylvia are ecologists.

But we don't need to know that. They are just modes of transport. At least Sylvia is. Ted is even less relevant. Is he even a proper ecologist? He looks like a poet.

It is early evening before they arrive.

..........

Meanwhile Arthur is out on the Georgette with Andrew and Mary-Emily Dempster.

The rain has stopped, but the wind has got up and the waves look stroppy.

Can't stay out here too long, says Andrew Dempster.

Perhaps we should head back now, says Mary-Emily.

Bur Andrew wants to give the young scientist a chance to find the ruby sea dragon.

So he is willing to be an irresponsible captain.

Get yourself down there, says Andrew Dempster. I'll tug on the string if you need to come up in a hurry.

This is not what the string is for actually.

Arthur does a quick mental calculation.

The string is thirty metres. That means he can go further down into dangerous territory. He might have dazzling hallucinations. Anything could happen.

Baby Pierre is worried. That was his string.

But Arthur has already toppled gracefully backwards into the slapping spitting water.

And holy moley! Where is Brianna?