Alain and Mal hurried across the café floor to join Sacha and Rona, who introduced everyone. "It's a pleasure to meet you" smiled Alain.

"Don't be fooled by the name" grinned Rona. "He's got no class and he's thick as a brick."

"Well thank you very fucking much!" complained Alain.

Sacha took a sip of her tea. "I'll keep that in mind" she said coolly.

"Good, that's that then" said Rona. She frowned in thought and knitted her brow. "So Sacha, I haven't seen you in here before." She smiled at Sacha again, as one might smile at a dog when one didn't know what it was going to do.

"I've just moved here" replied Sacha. Immediately she wished she hadn't.

"Oh cool, where from?"

Sacha sighed. "Canberra."

Alain grinned. "So you finally got out, huh?"

"Yeah" said Sacha sarcastically, glowering at him. She held his gaze for just a little longer than he found comfortable.

Alain cleared his throat and stood up. "Excuse me, ladies" he said, looking at Mal as he spoke.

"Ha-ha-ha" replied Mal. "Yeah, fuck off." Alain laughed and walked towards the toilets.

Once Alain was gone Mal leaned forwards towards Sacha. "Sooo . . . Were you checking him out, or what?"

"What the fuck?" exclaimed Sacha, spluttering into a smile of disbelief and quickly putting a hand over her mouth. Rona laughed at the suddenness of this unexpected display of emotion.

"'Cause . . ." continued Mal, "'Cause I told him you were."

"You idiot!" said Rona, slapping him backhanded across his shoulder in instant solidarity with Sacha.

"Great" muttered Sacha, "that's all I need."

Rona glared at Mal, and raised her eyebrows insistently at him.

"Yeah okay" Mal muttered. He turned to Sacha. "So listen, I've got this band . . . Well, it's not really mine, but . . ."

"But they're playing next Saturday" said Rona. "Why don't you come along?" Mal took a flyer out of his bag and handed it to Sacha

Sacha looked at it. "The TerrorFractals" she read. She looked up at him. "You realise that's just about the worst name for a band I've ever heard?"

Mal grinned. "Yeah, we'll probably change it, maybe. But next Saturday - see you there, yeah?" He stood up and tucked his chair under the table. Seeing Alain walking back towards them, he jerked his thumb towards the door. "Alain, man, we've gotta split!" Alain looked for confirmation at Sacha.

"Yeah, okay then. Nice meeting you, Sacha."

Sacha raised her eyebrows non-committaly and took another sip of tea. Alain and Mal walked out through the café door, leaving Rona and Sacha alone again.