#ccsemberclub

"Welcome to my club, may I join you for a moment? " If he turns, CC is at his spot.

"Mmm, another martini." He says, and then glances a second time. "Oh. Oh!"

"Of course. It's your club, after all." A slight slur, but he manages to stand without wobbling to pull out the chair for her. "Please, join me, Miss CC. Can I order you a drink?"

"I might join you in a martini but it could be a tight fit," She motions for another seat from a server so he can keep his own, but lets him slide her into the temporary one "Still one for me too. "A smile "You're one of the new faces I was talking about. Does a name come with the face?"

He offers her his hand. "I know your name after all, and it would be rude to leave a lady wanting. Julius. Julius Georgiou, if being formal, but I'm not here on business."

She takes it gently, "A pleasure to meet you, Julius. I hope not intruding on your pleasure? I just try to say hello to kith and kind, if you know what i mean" A wink

"No, not at all. Not a lot of pleasure to be had." He sips his drink moodily, and then realizes, and clarifies, "That is to say, your place is great. The music, the drinks, ambiance... I'm just in a bit of a funk. Getting better with every drink though."

"I noticed the liquid diet" CC chuckles but there's sympathy in her eyes "Want to talk about it, sailor?"

"Not much to tell. My lady... if she still is my lady... I just don't understand her. I thought we had a good thing going, but she's so... hot and cold, one minute she's happy, the next she's furious, and I can't seem to figure out what it is she wants from me."

"what , men can't read our minds? why didn't anyone warn me?" She takes a sip, "Won't help to tell you you're not alone in this I know. Tell me, this hot and cold, mercurial thing... would you change it, change her if you could?"

He sips his own drink. "Women are one thing, but this one is a pooka. She's..." He sighs, watching the liquid swish in his glass. "I don't know... I love her, you know? She's sincere but has sharp edges... and graceful, but can be silly... gentle, and fierce, and all wrapped up into one. I just can't seem to step right with her lately. Maybe it's not her, but me." Mood drooping into morose.

"Sounds like you like that she's full of twists and turns, you've just had a few more rough spots figuring out the maze lately," CC observes, "Pooka girls are frustrated, you know? They want to be understood, yet their kith encourages them to obfuscate. Kind of like how our mood swings hit like hammers then rebound later and we wonder why folks are staring at us after. Doesn't everyone have a rant burst out of them or laugh out loud in otherwise quiet settings? that kind of thing. But the pooka women I've known find a guy, and he seems to get her.. she finally feels that someone can see past the lies she can't help tell... then she lowers her guard, and... he misreads. It's not his fault. Not her fault. But it feels like the universe is stealing from her. And she can get frustrated. But it doesn't mean she doesn't love you. Hell, the way you say it, she loves you a lot. And I can tell that torch you're carrying is burning pretty bright."

A deep sigh. "You're not wrong... but I just don't see how to make things right. I try, and she just gets angrier at me. I don't try, and she turns cold. Maybe this is her way of drawing away. She should be with someone who wants what she wants..." Finishing his glass, he sets it down with a wobbly. "Another, please." Julius says to the nearest passing waitress.

"My goodness, you're awfully generous with her .. who were you planning on giving her to? "

He blinks, a bit blurrily. "I don' own her. But she don'... doesn't seem happy with me. My little bluebird, should be set free."

"Then you have a problem" CC raises her glass, of her own refill, "Because she doesn't want to be free. She wants to be strapped together with you. She's just hoping you both zigg and zag in sync. And you don't want her free either. You want her happy. Well, seems to me you're forgetting you've made her happy a lot more than you've made her mad or so it sounds. you're forgetting that just because you get a bit of bitter with the sweet doesn't mean the sweet is gone. Jules.. can I can you Jules? Maybe she's to blame for this, maybe you are, more likely it's both of you. But the secret is, blame is the last thing you should focus on. When your house is on fire, do you go 'gee, was it arson?'... no, first you deal with the fire, put it out. you can comb through the ashes later. You and her. You love this woman right?"

"Erry time.." He sips again. "Erry time I try to put out the fire, it's all... whoosh. I threw on more gasoline!" He flings out his arm haphazardly, barely missing spilling CC's own glass.

She tuts sympathetically and gets him a refill, "You should check your buckets before you throw them. Sometimes water and gasoline look a lot of like. What the name of this adorable bit of fluff that's got you drinking your worries?"

"Don't be blue... My pretty bluebell... Don't you fret... Although you know that we must part? Don't be blue, My pretty bluebell... You will always be the flower of my heart.." He hiccups, singing softly. Only his Satyr nature manages to keep him on-key...

Turning maudlin now in his cups.

"Oh that's a lovely name" CC tuts and strokes the fellow's hair "What went wrong specifically? I mean, if you're willing to push past the metaphors? what did you and Bluebell fight about?"

A well-dressed boggan trundles out from the kitchen and around the edges of the dining room towards the hostess stand.

"I'm not enough for her anymore." He says, gloomily. "She wants a kid... a kid! Since when did that ever make things better? Noisy, expensive, smelly, and not even a person for three years..." Perhaps exaggerating a bit in his intoxication. "...an' I even tried to tell her I'd think 'bout it, and she SLAPPED me..."

And now CC feels sympathy ... for the pooka, "I had a kid. He turned out all right.... a handful I'll grant you. Let me see if I ggot this right... you got seriosu with her, like true heartinng or marriage level serious.. she aggreed... And THEN found out you didn't want a kid?"

"She never brought it up!" He argues back. "If it was that important to her, you think she'd mention it... ONCE...." hiccup. "And not turn on me when I try to make amends..."

"Even got her this... " He gropes for the word in mental fog, even as he reaches for another drink. "Coot... cyooo.. cutest lil' bunny... for her..."

"I think she had the idea that kids would eventually be part of the package, annd you, didn't share that idea. By then she was in love.. and alarmed because she doesn't just want kids." A refill "She wants YOUR Kids. Yes, it would have helped if she mentioned it but then maybe she did and you just didn't have a channce to understand the subject- Pooka. " A brow mentioned "You didn't want kids so you got her a pet instead?"

A nod! "Yeah! No... no." He shakes his head. "I thought... maybe we could start wi' a pet... see how it went... b'fore rushing into a whole... whole person...."

"If you made her angry then tried that while she was defensive, I can see why she might react badly. A shame and I'm sorry. You were trying to build a bridge and her drawbridge was up. Look, do you hate kids?"

"I don' hate 'em.... had... lil brother grown' up. Lil shit... sibs, right?" A laugh, as he drinks again. "And that...s'when they're..." He hiccups, and blearily peers around the room, then gestures to himself and CC vaguely. "When they's us, and nots them..." He wavers a bit as he sips, but steadies.

"Oh thems are useful, teach them to dream, not so bad. but I hear you..did you mention you would have been fine with a us but were worried of the troubles of having a them?"

He stares into his drink moodily. "It'sh all trouble. We were happy... I thought. Got a good place, good jobs, a good lord... add a 'them' to it, you gotta move back to sh..sh...shuburbia. Else you mess 'em up, and mess y'self up. Kids... they cause trouble. Mesh up a good t'ing."

"or they can make a ggood thing better. But no, it's not easy. Look, you're talking to a mother so I'm biased. But I raised my kid alone, and on the move. It was hard, but it was worth it. You and she? you have each other. or can. Let her know you donn't hate kids. Confess you're scared to her. "

"That is what this boils down to, you're scared, and with some good reason. Scared for you. Scared for her. Even scared for this kid who you think you might fail"

"I jush... want my Bluebell... is that so wrong..." He drinks again, getting teary eyed.

"It's not wrong at all. Like I said earlier, you and she can work this out. " A refill

In fact, a glass pitcher of dirty martinis is delivered by the waitress, with a dish of olives and another of lemon peel.

CC smiles, already Emerson is ahead of her. Let this poor guy pass out and take care of him.

He drinks, and listens to the music, and occasionally mumbles to himself, but doesn't really make a nuisance of himself.

And, eventually, his head lowers to the table, and he gets a bit of fitful peace in drunken slumber.

*** Later****

the Cellphone was flushed out, annd if possible, a contact list checked. CC had him moved to a hotel room with EBG paying the tab

Nevertheless, she paid for it (Againn likely with EBG's card). She's not out to rob anyone. If she finds a Bluebell on the contact list, she calls it

The Number you are calling is out of service. Please check the number, or try again.

THAT raises a brow. She looks for other names numbers on the conact list.

Oh, there are plenty. Many are organized by nickname - though CC could have likely guessed which one was his significant other, by being listed as "Honey-Bunny". They are lucky in that he has 'Touch ID' activated on his phone. Technology these days... so secure, and yet so vulnerable.

Boss
Sarge
Lil' Bro
Mom ❤️
Dr. Greene
'Work'
'Salon'
and others

Almost all of the numbers have an upstate New York area code.

She calls 'mom' being a mother herself

"Hell-oo----ooo?" The lady's voice sounds a bit sleepy, but then again, it's fairly late. A muffled question, and response, "It's the phone, dear. I got it." "Yes, yes, hello?"

"So sorry for the late call." She says "I tried to reach Bluebell, but trouble with her number. I'm a recent aquaintance of Julius? This is his phone obviously. He's recovering and currently at the KS Arms Hotel... is there away to get inn touch with his girlfriend or Fiance?"

"Julius?" She sounds confused. "I think you have the wrong number, miss. We're up here in Minnetonka, and I don't know any Julius. Well, the only Julius I know is Orange Julius." A small laugh, and then, "Oh! Dear-" A masculine voice, muffled, "Go back to bed, dear, I'll handle the spam caller."
"Oh, you give her what FOR, calling at this hour."

Muffled noises, a click, and another extension picked up in another room. Landlines? Jeez!

"Roman speaking. You're calling for Julius? Who is this?"