Bad Influences

Saint Kilda beach.

Belle et Bonne arrives to collect Terence.

They say goodbye to Victor and walk to the tram.

Terence: Where are we going?

Belle et Bonne: We're going to the tram.

Terence: But after that where are we going?

Belle et Bonne: You're going to hang out with me.

Terence: What about Grandpa and Sweezus?

Belle et Bonne: Bad influences, both of them. I'll look after you now.

Terence: Maybe Victor could look after me.

Belle et Bonne: He's too busy.

Terence: Upholding the right.

Belle et Bonne: My goodness. Upholding the right what?

Terence: That's what I said. And he said, not the right anything.

Belle et Bonne: I wonder what he meant by that?

Terence: He meant right was a thing without anything after it.

Belle et Bonne: What good is it then?

Terence: See this parrot?

Belle et Bonne (noticing the plush parrot): It's lovely.

Terence: See? You said it's lovely. But nothing came after it.

Belle et Bonne: I understand. The parrot is good in itself.

The parrot who has been listening, feels proud that a policeman upheld him.

The tram arrives. All three of them get on the tram.


.......

Later that day, at the Adelaide Airport:

Gaius, Sweezus, Arthur, and Baby Pierre have just flown in from Perth.

Sweezus and Arthur head off to buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Gaius spots Vello and David, with a third party.

Vello! David! Nice of you to come and meet us, says Gaius.

Not at all, says Vello. Literally, not at all. We're here to meet Professor Xu Xing. Professor, this is Gaius Plinius Secundus.

There is some polite hand shaking, and nodding.

We've a car waiting, says Vello. Time's ticking by. The carpark's expensive.

......

In the back seat, Gaius is talking to Professor Xu Xing.

Feathers and extra long wrist bones! Marvellous! says Gaius.

Exactly, says Professor Xu Xing. A great success. And you? The ruby sea dragon?

Oh yes, success of a sort, says Gaius. Show the professor your sketches, Baby Pierre.

Baby Pierre opens the sketchbook at the smudged ruby sea dragon.

Professor Xu Xing is impressed.

He resolves to ask Baby Pierre to go with him when he flies back to China.

......

At Krispy Kreme, who should be standing eating doughnuts but the father of communism?

Hello boys, says Karl Marx. Like a doughnut? I've bought too many.

That's not like you, says Sweezus.

Arthur bites into a pink and brown double iced doughnut. It tastes mainly of sugar.

I was chatting to the workers, says Marx. About the means of production.

Do you want any more? asks one of the workers. Because if not, would you mind moving off? You're holding the queue up.

Marx hops out of the way. No sense in holding the queue up.