Deceased At The Time

Try it, says Captain Baudin.

How? ask the botanists.

You'll need to give them a spoon, says Ageless.

Captain Baudin goes off to look for a spoon.

He comes back with a silver one.

Nice spoon, says Ageless.

I had a whole set, says Captain Baudin. Twelve spoons, twelve cups and saucers. But I bequeathed them, along with my other possessions.

Who to? asks Ageless. 

A lady, says Captain Baudin.

Did she not want that spoon? asks Ageless. 

I really don't remember, says Captain Baudin. I was deceased at the time.

It was a long time ago, says Ageless.

Captain Baudin dips the spoon into the jar of Nutella, and offers a taste to Jean-Botanist.

Jean-Botanist sucks at the spoon.

Euw! says Jean-Botanist.

Don't like it? asks Captain Baudin.

No, says Jean-Botanist. 

You? asks Captain Baudin, offering the spoon to Carl-Botanist.

No thanks, says Carl-Botanist.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, says Captain Baudin.

Good advice, says Ageless. Tell them about your adventures.

And the glory, says Carl-Botanist. 

I was explaining to them about glory, says Ageless. But they seemed to picture it as some sort of jellyfish. So I thought they should ask you.

Ha ha! laughs Captain Baudin, taking a lick of Nutella. Jellyfish!

I know, says Ageless.

Well, says Baudin, I went on many expeditions, and made new discoveries. Some were even named in my honour. 

A Baudin pig, wasn't there? says Ageless. On Kangaroo Island?

Not any more, says Baudin. But there is Baudin's black cockatoo, Baudin's emo skink, and a common Mexican tree frog.

So that's glory? says Carl-Botanist. Something gets given your name.

Except for the tree frog, says Ageless.

Even the tree frog. Smilisca baudinii, says Baudin. 

So if we discover a new species it gets our name, says Jean-Botanist.

Not necessarily, says Captain Baudin. Now that I'm a lobster, I very much doubt if I discovered a new species it would be given my name.

Probably true, says Ageless. The general population would assume it was a new sort of lobster.

Exactly, says Captain Baudin.

The cuttlefish botanists look gloomily at one another.

Future glory eludes them.