149. An Awkward Encounter
"What should I wear for this?" Kaylee asked as she stood in front of our closet dressed in nothing but a bra and panties.
A moment later she glanced at me and frowned, "And what are you going to wear?"
"I'm wearing this," I shrugged. I was already dressed in a pair of navy blue leggings and an oversized grey tunic top, with a pair of sneakers on my feet.
"What?" she frowned at me. "Cass you can't go like that, we're meeting another goddess! It's a special occasion!"
I tried not to cringe or anything, but I really wasn't looking forward another meeting with Amethyst. Not so soon anyways. She'd texted us back on Monday asking if we wanted to meet up right away, but that was the day after my birthday and I definitely wasn't feeling up to it then.
Now it was Saturday and I was doing a little better. We'd all spent most of the past week getting ready to head back to school, which would be starting up again in just a few days. This was the last long weekend of summer, and come Tuesday me and Sasha would be going to college while Kaylee went to university. And the rest of Club Luna would be returning to high school to start grade twelve.
"Cass?" my girlfriend was still frowning at me. "You need to put on something nice."
"We're not going anywhere fancy," I replied with a quiet sigh. "It's just a bar. Same as last time, I got dressed up nice thinking it was a big deal then May just took me to some pub."
Then I mumbled to myself, "I don't know what it is with goddesses and pubs. Maybe there's some kind of weird tradition thing, like gods always meet at bars or pubs or something? I should ask Sasha if she knows anything about that."
Meanwhile Kaylee stated, "We're still meeting another goddess though. Isn't that like, I don't know, it's like meeting royalty or something? We should be dressed up, it's a special occasion."
"Goddess aren't royalty!" I sputtered as I blushed. "Amethyst's just another normal girl like me. She looks like a college coed, but with silver hair. And she didn't dress up special last time, she was just in a sundress or something?"
My girlfriend sighed, "Well I want to wear something nice. I think it's important."
It still took her another minute or two before she made her decision. Then she stepped into a short black pleated skirt and pulled on a loose orange scoop-neck blouse. Some folks might have thought the colours were a little too 'halloween' but the top was a good match for the tone of her hair and fur. And the skirt was short enough to be a little sexy.
Finally she slipped on a pair of black sandals and announced, "Ok I think I'm ready to go!"
We'd both already done our hair and make-up, although she put a lot more care into that than me. I mostly just put on a bit of subtle lipstick and brushed my hair, while she'd done everything up nice like we were going out on a fancy date.
"All right," I stated. "Cassandra can use her divine magic to teleport us right to their front door without anyone seeing -"
My girlfriend interrupted, "I want to teleport myself! I need the practice. And it's fun!"
I grimaced, "Ok then. But we can't pop in at the front door, people will see if we use demonic magic. So um, I guess I'll teleport into an alley out back where no-one will notice? Then you can teleport to my location, right?"
"Sounds good!" Kaylee replied with a grin.
"All right then," I nodded slowly. "Here goes."
I'd never been there before, but Amethyst texted the address and I'd already had a look at the place on a map as well as satellite view and street view. And even though I hadn't checked the street view for the back alley, I was pretty sure I could get there without any trouble.
It only took a second or two of focus, then I teleported myself. And sure enough I appeared in behind what I hoped was the right restaurant. It was more like a staff parking area than an alley, but the main thing was nobody else around to witness my arrival.
A moment later Kaylee appeared by my side, with a big grin and her tails all swishing around in excitement.
"I love that!" she enthused. She wrapped her arms around me and stretched up to plant a kiss on my lips then stated happily, "Thank you so much for teaching me how to teleport! And for making it possible in the first place!"
I kissed her back then smiled awkwardly, "You're welcome Kaylee, I'm glad you're happy. But we're going to be late, so we should probably get moving?"
"Of course," she nodded.
There was a narrow laneway that led alongside the building to the sidewalk out front, then we went in through the main entrance. And as soon as we stepped inside I felt that tingly energy thing that told me another goddess was nearby.
Cassandra announced out loud to both Kaylee and myself, "Amethyst is in the third booth on the left."
"Ok," my girlfriend responded as she set off in that direction, while I followed behind.
Like usual everyone who saw my girlfriend had to stare, and there were more than a few whispers and murmurs as people commented to each other about the tiny kitsune walking past their tables. Meanwhile I couldn't help noticing this place seemed much more posh than the pub in England, like there weren't any TVs showing sports and the staff were all dressed a lot nicer than I was.
Kaylee stopped when she reached the booth, and a moment later I was there standing next to her. My eyes swept over the petite silver-haired goddess, then my brain practically seized up when I looked at her girlfriend sitting beside her. At the same time she looked over at me, and her eyes widened in shock.
Seated next to the goddess Amethyst was none other than my therapist, Theresa Fuller.
I had no idea what to do or what to say. I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I wasn't sure if I should pretend we'd never met before, or if not then what would I say when Amethyst asked how I knew her girlfriend. I was so lost in shock and panicked thoughts I nearly missed it when the other goddess started to speak.
"Hello again Cassandra," she greeted me. "It's nice to see you. And this must be your girlfriend? I'm Amethyst, but you can call me Amy."
Amy gestured to my therapist as she added, "And this is my girlfriend Theresa."
I was still completely frozen in shock, but luckily my other self wasn't. I felt her calm confidence flow over me as she took control, and she responded with a smooth polite smile as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Hello again Amethyst," I heard us greet the silver-haired goddess. Then we addressed her tall redheaded girlfriend, "And Tess, it's a pleasant surprise to see you again so soon."
Cassandra slipped an arm around the tiny kitsune's shoulders and guided her into the booth as she continued, "Allow me to introduce my girlfriend Kaylee."
"Hello Amethyst, Theresa. It's nice to meet you both," Kaylee greeted them politely as she slipped into the booth while expertly manoeuvring her three tails. One wrapped over her left hip and the other wound around her right, while the third went straight up so the tip came over her shoulder.
Once our girlfriend was seated Cassandra slid us into the booth beside her. Then she focused on the other goddess again and asked, "I hope Kaylee and I didn't keep you two waiting long?"
Amethyst obviously hadn't missed the part where Cassandra said it was nice to see Tess again. She was looking back and forth between us and her girlfriend with a confused expression as she frowned, "Hold on, how do you two know each other?"
Tess still hadn't said anything yet, and I got the distinct feeling she was as startled by the situation as me. On the other hand Cassandra didn't seem the least bit concerned.
My other self explained calmly, "Theresa is my therapist."
That seemed to finally shake Tess out of her silence. She grimaced, "Hello again Cassandra, and sorry for the awkwardness. Thank you for clearing the air though? This is the first time I've run into a client in a social setting and I really wasn't prepared for it."
"It's fine," my other self responded. "And I suggest we leave that topic behind, since it's not relevant in this setting?"
"Of course," Tess nodded. "Sorry."
By that point there was a waiter next to the table. He stared at Kaylee for a few seconds before asking both of us, "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to see some ID from you two."
I would have been cringing again, but Cassandra took it in stride. And our girlfriend just grinned as she fished her drivers license out of her purse.
The waiter frowned at that, then stared at our health card for a few seconds. I figured he was doing math or something, like Kaylee had been legal drinking age for a few months already but for me it was only six days. Not that I was going to order anything alcoholic anyways, but I figured it was a bar so they had to check anyone who was inside or something.
The guy handed back our cards after another couple seconds and asked, "What can I get you both to drink?"
Cassandra just ordered water for us like usual, while Kaylee asked for orange soda. Except they didn't have that, so she got a lemon-lime soda instead. And Amethyst asked for another bottle of wine for her and her girlfriend. There was a bottle on the table, but it was already empty. Which made me wonder if wine was another goddess thing, since both Amethyst and May seemed to drink a lot of the stuff.
The waiter went off to take care of that while the four of us had a look at the menus, and by the time he returned with the drinks we were all ready to order.
Amethyst ordered a 'steak and stout' meat pie, which left me wondering if she had a thing for that. Then again May seemed to like meat pies too, and that made me question if it was yet another strange goddess tradition or something. Honestly it was starting to feel like there were a dozen different goddess-things that everybody else knew about except us, and it made me feel really self-conscious like all the other deities would know we were frauds or something.
While I was worrying about that Tess ordered fish and chips, which actually sounded like a good idea. Then Kaylee ordered chicken fingers, and that seemed like a nice option too. Except Cassandra copied the other goddess and went with the meat pie instead. I figured she had the same thoughts I did, like about not going against divine traditions.
Then Amethyst suggested we could all share an appetizer to start with. Theresa and Kaylee both liked the idea, so the silver-haired goddess ordered a spinach and artichoke dip and pita chips.
Once the waiter finally left we all kind of relaxed and enjoyed our drinks, while my girlfriend and Tess both started to get to know each other a bit. Kaylee talked about starting university next week, while Theresa said she just graduated from college back in the spring.
Cassandra joined in the conversation as well, saying how we were starting college and stuff too. And it turned out I was right about Amethyst, she didn't just look like a coed she actually was one. She'd completed one year of college but would be returning for her second year next week.
"Oh wow!" Kaylee suddenly exclaimed as she stared at Amy. "Do you know an enthusiastic little cambion named Jinx? She told me about a silver-haired goddess attending college, that has to be you!"
Cassandra and I were both surprised to hear that, so was Tess. We all looked at my girlfriend as my other self asked, "Who is Jinx, and how do you know another cambion?"
The little kitsune shrugged, "It was two or three weeks ago? When your sister and I drove you to an appointment with Tess? Nina and I were having frozen yogurt in a park, and suddenly this little cambion came running up to say hi. She saw my tails and was excited about meeting a kitsune. She was already friends with a catgirl named Tabby and a human girl? And she told us about a goddess who went to college, an angel who worked at a cafe, and an underworld nymph who ran a bookstore."
We were all just sort of staring at Kaylee in various degrees of not knowing how to react to that, when Cassandra suddenly smiled. My other self sounded amused as she commented, "I love that you said all that as if it was a typical everyday thing. Like of course it's completely normal to run into a half-demon who's excited to meet other supernaturals the same way birdwatchers get excited about spotting new species."
That actually got a laugh out of Amethyst. The silver-haired goddess had a smile on her face as she replied, "It's pretty wild when you think about it. Then again, so is this? It almost sounds like the lead-up to a joke. Two goddesses a kitsune and a cleric walk into a bar..."
Kaylee started giggling at that, while Tess looked like she wanted to laugh but wasn't sure if it would be rude. And Cassandra just smiled, same as Amethyst.
The other goddess had a sip of her wine then commented, "I'm glad none of us are taking things too seriously. It's good when we can still laugh at ourselves, you know?"
"Indeed," my other self agreed.
After that the mood actually seemed lighter. There was some more talking and more joking, even Tess let go of whatever tension she'd been holding onto since our arrival. For that matter I felt myself starting to finally calm down as well. In fact by the time the waiter delivered our appetizer I was ready to take over again, although Cassandra stayed nearby so she could step in if I needed her.
I could tell Theresa noticed the shift, as we got a little quieter and maybe we started acting a little less confident. Amethyst didn't seem to notice anything though, and I was positive Kaylee didn't either. Our girlfriend had been trying, she'd been making an effort over the past week to be more attentive and understanding, but both Cassandra and I knew it would take time. The fact that she was trying was enough for now anyways.
Neither Kaylee or I had too much of the spinach dip thing, it was tasty but neither of us ate much anyways and we didn't want to fill up on the snack before our dinner arrived. Tess and Amy both enjoyed it though, and it wasn't long before they finished it off.
Then the waiter took the empty dishes away, before returning a few minutes later with our main course. He also topped up my water and Kaylee's soda. Amy and Tess hadn't finished their second bottle yet, but the waiter used it to top off their glasses too, which was enough to empty it. Then he left again while we all got started on dinner.
The food looked pretty good, except the meat pies here came with mashed potatoes and gravy instead of fries. I figured that was because this place seemed fancier than the pub in England. Then again Tess and Kaylee both got fries with their meals, so maybe not. The food was ok, but I had to admit May was right. The other pub made a better meat pie.
The four of us continued talking over dinner, although it was mostly Amethyst and Kaylee who carried the conversation. Since there was no reason to hide supernatural stuff from either Amy or Tess my girlfriend brought up the subject of Club Luna, then ended up bragging about some of our recent exploits.
The little kitsune didn't name any names or reveal any other club members, but she did talk about plenty of other stuff. Like our encounters with fairies last summer, and running into vampires last autumn. And she mentioned our experiences with ghosts, like the Island Lake stuff from two years ago, the fake haunting last year, and the haunted chalice and possessed teacher situation from this past spring.
Tess and Amy both seemed amazed and curious about all that stuff, but I couldn't help wondering if my therapist was making mental notes or cataloguing all the details Kaylee told her that involved me. Like Theresa had to have figured out that Club Luna was the group I wandered into that triggered my sudden transition and supernatural awakening and all that stuff.
"That's amazing," Amy finally commented, after hearing about how Diane and Eirys agreed to remain together. She smiled as she added, "It sounds like you've had..."
Just then she got a distant look on her face as her voice trailed off. Then her expression hardened and she set down her wine glass with a sigh. The silver-haired goddess took a deep breath then apologized, "Cassandra, Kaylee, Tess, I absolutely hate to do this but something's just come up and I have to leave right now. Hopefully this won't take too long, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Before any of us could respond the silver-haired goddess simply vanished from the booth without another word.