Sacha came out of the bathroom and walked briskly back across the floor of the bar towards the door and the fresh air outside. As she passed the speaker stack a loud bass note curled out unexpectedly: she looked up at the stage to see Mal smiling down at her. After a moment of surprise she smiled back uncertainly , but Mal didn't even notice: he was already back focussing on his bass, and on Eric and on Steve. Sacha got outside and took a deep breath of the fresh air with the relief of a diver breaking the surface. But the air wasn't so fresh after all: a cloud of acrid smoke crept past her nose. She turned her head, and saw Alain smoking a cigarette in front of the bar's blacked-out window. "Got sick of the music, eh?" he asked with a suggestive grin on his face. Sacha didn't answer. She didn't know whether it was a serious comment, anyway. Instead she just turned her head away to breath in the night air. She didn't need this, but she could hardly walk off somewhere else. He'd probably follow her, anyway. "Is this bothering you?" Alain asked, and she turned her head again to see him holding up his cigarette, smoke spilling lazily from its glowing tip.

"Not specifically" she replied, and turned away once more. Alain laughed to himself.

"You know, I'm not such a bad guy."

"For fuck's sake, I didn't come out here to be hit on."

"I'm not. Anyone can see you're not interested in me."

Once again, she was forced to look at him. She narrowed her eyes with distaste. "Oh, shut up. Please."

He didn't quite do that, but at least he changed the subject. "Do you think Rona and Hannah have ever made out?" he asked, a tone of genuine curiosity in his voice. The question was hardly an improvement.

"Why the fuck would I care?" Sacha snapped.

"No reason" replied Alain calmly, and grinned around the rim of his cigarette. "But I bet they have." There was a pause in the conversation while Alain thought about this with a smile on his face. Eventually he broke the silence: "So ask me something. Anything you want."

Sacha shot him a look, trying to just glare at him and hide how perplexed she was by this statement. "What is it with people in this town?" she said. "I always seem to be having conversations like this."

Alain laughed knowingly. "That wasn't the type of question I meant."

Sacha grimaced and shut her eyes. "Fine. Why the name? You said you're not French."

"I'm not. Mum's from New Caledonia." He didn't elaborate. Instead, he said: "So now it's my turn"

Sacha sighed. She felt like she'd been led into a trap - and like she should have seen it coming. "Oh, all right" she growled angrily. "Ask a fucking question if you want. But I can't promise I'll answer it."

"Fair enough." He paused for thought. "So . . . Have you ever been in a porno?"

"What?" Sacha didn't know whether to be dumbfounded or furious.

Alain shrugged. "I thought everyone from Canberra had been in a skin flick." He grinned again.

"You're such a dickhead."

"Why? You're a sexy girl. What's wrong with that?" he asked. Sacha shook her head, too tired to answer.

Alain sucked one last time on his cigarette and exhaled extravagantly, blowing a couple of smoke rings just for show. He dropped the butt on the ground and crushed it into the pavement. "Okay" he said. "I'll leave you in peace now." And then, unexpectedly, he placed a hand on her shoulder as he passed by. "Don't let her get you down, okay?" he said, and before Sacha could think of a response he was back in the bar.