Street Of The Hunchback Cats

Gaius calls Arthur, on the off chance that he might be in Lille.

Arthur, says Gaius. Where are you? I'm here in Lille.

It would have been wise to leave out the last sentence. Too late now.

Lille? says Arthur. Pablo and I've just left. It's underrated.

You left? says Gaius. How long ago?

Hours, says Arthur. We're heading to......where are you heading?

Antwerp, says Gaius.

We're heading to Brussels, says Arthur.

Brussels? says Pablo, overhearing.

Eventually, says Arthur, winking and covering the phone.

That is disappointing, says Gaius. I should have liked your advice.

What about? asks Arthur. Cafés? Oyster bars? There's a good one on the rue des Chats Bossus. It's sea-themed.

Thank you, Arthur, says Gaius. We might try it, but really that's not.....

However it is too late now to ask Arthur's advice on virtual technology, (specifically, the crackle crackle), as Arthur's phone has dropped out.

Arthur and Pablo, sitting in the sea-themed oyster bar, on the rue des Chats Bossus, laugh loudly.

Will he come? asks Pablo. This is the question.

If he does, says Arthur. We'll know the answer.

For some reason this seems to them both hilarious and philosophical.

They take out their pencils again.

.....

Vello and David are now in Maçon. It is late afternoon, but the shops are still open.

They enter a supermarket, to look for something for dinner.

Terence slips away.

He thinks he has glue ears. After all David said so, and David is smart.

He wanders into rue Dombey and looks through the windows of shops.

Claire's. They do ear piercing and sell youth oriented jewellery.

Terence looks at the display. Boucles d'oreilles, and clous d'oreilles. What are they? Perhaps they are grommets.

Terence goes in.

Vous voulez quoi, mon petit? says Claire who is blonde, young and pretty.

Terence doesn't speak French, only Spanish, but he gives it a go.

Av voo grommets? says Terence, pointing earwards.

Ah oui! says Claire. Les belles boucles d'oreilles et des trés jolis clous. Voici!

She shows Terence a wall hung with earrings and dotted with studs.

Terence looks at the studs. He likes the cat ones.

Vous aimez les chats? says Claire. Je les vous donnez, un cadeau pour un bon enfant.

She gives him the shiny cat ear studs.

But hélas! His ears are not pierced. Tant pis! That can be fixed in an instant!

Claire takes out a drill.