Bluebell sends a message in response back to Julius, tapping it thoughtfully into a text before taking her dive into the trod.
...
Julius awakens in an unfamiliar place. This is not his bed. He groggily reaches over, and... no one in the bed next to him. A sigh of relief.
Sitting up, he winces as the dozen martinis crash around inside his head, playing cymbals.
Reaching for his phone, he finds a note and reads it over... "CC... Bluebell... mom?" A baffled look, as sets it back down, rubbing at his eyes as he moves towards the bathroom.
A quick interlude, splash of water on his face and blessed aspirin later, he goes to check his phone for the time, and sees a message from Bluebell.
TXT: "I should have listened. I spoke to someone and it will all be alright. Going to find the answer. Dr. Smythe, 3pm. Will talk to you after. Love, Bai."
It includes the address of a Planned Parenthood clinic.
Julius reads it several times over, and goes pale. "She... she isn't. She can't be." And then he goes stark white. "No... She can't think I'd make her... that I'd want her to... she WOULDN'T."
He checks the time - it's early yet. Thank you, CC.... the satyr thinks as he rushes out without having to worry about checking out and settling the room tab - only to realize once outside that the Trod he took in is closed for another week. He swears loudly, causing a lady walking down the street to cross to the other side warily, and turns - dashing instead towards Firnost. There are always trods there, and will get him home, or close enough, in time to stop his beloved from making a terrible choice that she may forever regret. It has to.
----(cliffhanger)----