Etienne is scowling openly by the time the affair at the Ministry is done with, and under any other circumstances he might advisably be taken aside and told to curtail his abruptness. Instead, he almost seems to be trying to goad one of the younger aids into an admission when Sisoul himself finally cracks and allows that practically the entire cabinet has left the country. Once that moment has passed, Etienne takes on the aspect of a thundercloud at Michelle's shoulder.<br/><br/>Not a block from the embassy, he engages in rapidfire Hmong with a young man who approaches him out of the flood of refugees still swarming the street. The exchange is terse and veiled in Hmong metaphor, but the content is clear: all Hell is being let loose, and soon. With only the most perfunctory bowing<em>nop</em>Gervais dismisses him back into the river of fleeing folk.<br/><br/>"I don't know how good your Hmong is, Mademoiselle Rawlinson, but that was exactly what it sounded like even if it wasn't exactly said aloud." Etienne's visage is clouded with outrage. "Rumours of sabotage and all-out attack. The<em>Viet Minh</em>are panicking as well." He keeps his voice just low enough to carry to the woman walking beside him, his tall frame and demeanour cutting an easy path through the unusual late-night crowd. "And at the Chinese<em>communards</em>, of course, because no-one will dare to say what truly frightens them. Fear...Fear is one of the most effective weapons there is - recent atomic advances aside - and I am willing to believe that men who refuse to even name their enemy aloud are already all but defeated." He stalks with her through the crowd to the Consulate, frowning at the lack of guards at the gate with the panic to come. Haven't these people seen a city come apart before? Perhaps they have not.<br/><br/>Past the gate, where he tersely advises the official that "This crowd will only become worse. You should think about adopting a more defensible stance." Gervais almost reflexively adopts a troubled air of 'I belong here.' It's precisely the air of authority and unfocused anger to suggest that he should be exactly where he is and that anyone questioning him without good reason might become the focus of both authority and anger. If he had a file folder or portfolio under one arm he could probably go almost anywhere unchallenged. As fortunately, he has Mme. Rawlinson present for credibility, so it does not become an issue.<br/><br/>He visually catalogs the Consulate's late-night activity but keeps out of Michelle's way, only intruding on her activities to the extent of placing the photograph with a crisp snap down on the desktop beside her as she begins typing.<br/><br/>The telex receives a heartfelt<em>"Nom de Dieu et tous ses démons."</em>before Gervais places it down on the desk again, neatly aligned near the photograph as if by some tidy, orderly reflex.<br/><br/>What he does do, however, is to pick up a pen and neatly write on the pad next to the Michelle's typewriter. Two telephone numbers, a Canadian national prefix and a French one. "If you would be so kind, Mademoiselle."<br/><br/>Etienne watches with somewhat worried curiousity as the drum-scanner goes to work.<br/><br/>"In under two hours, I expect we shall hear that the borders and the North have erupted. As to twelve hours later..." He sighs. "If you cannot arrange a flight out then I shall at least suggest leaving the city. It is an obvious and apparent target, non? And the embassies are centrally located and have obvious communications antennae. Neither rioters nor...outsiders, I suppose...Can be expected to hold to the terms of Geneva nor recognize neutrality."<br/><br/>He watches Michelle's businesslike approach to the matter. "I doubt either vehicle would be a good idea. I strongly suspect that driving out will become more difficult as the crowds react to the news. This is a place where abandonment has become the norm. When the crowd outside decides to dispense with politeness and acknowledge that it has been abandoned, an expensive or foreign vehicle in its midst will become a target."<br/><br/>Etienne nods. "We may hope he's still here. But..." Etienne executes the enduring Gallic shrug sincerely, "I will say that<em>my</em>government chooses such men for their ability to stall and to avoid decisive action."