Shall I wait? asks Jean-Claude. Or just drop you off.
Drop us off, says Gaius. If we can't get on the next flight to Paris, we'll take the next one.
You don't have a booking? asks Jean-Claude.
I have an open ticket, says Gaius.
Yes, but you still need to...... Perhaps I'll wait after all, says Jean-Claude.
He parks the car in the airport car park.
They all go to the booking office.
It's closed. All bookings must be made online now.
The next flight to Paris is in fifteen minutes, says Jean-Claude, who has looked at Departures.
Curses, says Gaius. Let me see what I can do on my phone.
Wah! cries Terence. We're going to miss it.
Give it to me, says Jean-Claude.
Gaius hands him his phone.
Jean-Claude taps and clicks until he is certain. No seats on any flights today.
Double curses, says Gaius. If there was only someone here I could talk to.
There is Information, says Jean-Claude.
They go to a booth called Information.
Oui? says the attendant.
J'ai besoin d'aller à Paris aujourd'hui, says Gaius.
Vous avez un billet? asks the attendant.
Voila, says Gaius.
She looks at the billet.
Ah oui! she says. You 'ad better 'urry. Vous avez dix minutes. Départ de Gate Huit.
Parfait! says Gaius. Merci, madame. Come on boys! We must run.
Gaius, Terence and Roo-kai dash off towards Gate Huit.
That was lucky, remarks Jean-Claude to the attendant.
Pas de tout, says the attendant. His person in Adelaide arranged it. A very famous person, a Frenchman greatly admired by our people.
Son nom? asks Jean-Claude.
François-Marie Arouet, says the attendant. Also known as Voltaire, or Vello. Did you know that he leads a team in the Tour de France these days?
I did, says Jean-Claude. And one of those team members is Gaius, who is also well known in his way.
Dites-moi, says the attendant (although the queue for information is growing).
Jean-Claude explains about the sea slugs and Gaius's expertise in Natural History.
She is interested, but not as interested as she might have been, had Gaius been French.
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