So He Is Spanish!

This is good of you, Gaius. says Belle.

I trust it won't be for too long, says Gaius.

You must do what Gaius tells you, says Belle.

What if he tells me to cut a slug's head off?  asks Terence.

Then you must make a moral decision, says Belle.

Yay! says Terence.

Belle leaves it at that.

She is staying a few days in Paris, catching up with old friends.

Gaius is heading to Brest on the TGV, with Saint Arnoc, Saint Ténénan and Terence.

No point returning to Adelaide, with South Australia in lockdown.

It is nice on the train. The countryside speeds by distinctly, and not in a blur.

Green fields and yellow. Dark forests. Green fields. Villages. Cows. A town. 

One gets a different perspective, says Saint Arnoc.

Indeed, says Saint Ténénan. We had planned to cycle. We didn't realise we could travel for nothing.

Arthur knows these sorts of things, says Gaius. I find him highly reliable.

We noticed, says Saint Arnoc. Why isn't he coming?

He'll enjoy a few days in Paris, says Gaius. Young people need freedom. Not you, Terence.

I need a parrot, says Terence.

Why a parrot? asks Saint Ténénan.

I always have a parrot, says Terence. I used to live on a palace.

It doesn't have to be an actual parrot, says Gaius. He's had a bristlebird, a crane, an oystercatcher and once, a balloon.

Why does he say 'on a palace'? asks Saint Arnoc.

He lived high up, on the outside, says Gaius. With his family. It was the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. 

So he is Spanish! says Saint Arnoc.

No! says Terence. I'm not Spanish! Because Saint Joseph isn't my real father. 

A complex story, says Gaius. Best left alone.

Well, well, says Saint Ténénan. We'll be in Brest shortly. We'll show you around, look for sea slugs. Perhaps you can pretend that one is a parrot.

A sea slug can't be a parrot, says Terence. 

Don't be so sure, says Saint Arnoc.

What are you thinking of? asks Gaius. Don't get his hopes up.

Sea slugs are colourful creatures, says Saint Arnoc. Think of the Lemon Lolly Doris. Or the Small Umbrella. Or the Batwing.

Gaius is impressed. He had not expected the saints to know so much about sea slugs.

Common names only, but still....

Toot.

The TGV arrives at the station in Brest.