The Blue Rose is the bar where my best friend, Lorraine, works. I can’t get drunk off human alcohol, but it’s a good place to people-watch, and few people here give me trouble. I’ve even filled in as a bouncer a couple of times. The owner, Russell, has asked me several times if I wanted a job as a bouncer. I’ve refused right along, but recently, I filled in when he was short-handed on a busy night. Lorraine grinned when I sat down in my usual spot. She signaled she’d help me in a moment. I nodded. It looked like they were busy. Looking around, I didn’t see Scott, Lorraine’s boyfriend. They’d been dating since December. He was usually there on Fridays if Lorraine was working. Lorraine grinned as she took my order. “You’re back. Did you solve the case?” I frowned. “No.” “You’ll catch them,” she assured me. “I hope,” I started peeling the label from the bottle of beer she gave me in thin strips. She frowned. “What’s wrong?’ I shrugged. “They found out in chat what I am. “ “So? Did they kick you out?’ “No, they say they don’t care.” “But you don’t believe them?” “No, some probably mean it. But for others, I don’t think so. And I don’t want to be treated differently.” “Sean, you are different. That’s not bad. You are who you are and haven’t forgotten your people, but it makes you different. People will act accordingly. But we all do that. You treat me and Kara differently from each other. You’ve treated me differently since I started dating Scott.” “I have?” “You haven’t tried to get me to sleep with you in the restroom. You don’t even flirt with me.” “You’re with someone. That would be inappropriate.” I went back to shredding the label. “Yes, it would be. So you’ve adapted. You’ll adapt to this too.” I looked at her. “You think?” “Yes. You are the most adaptable person I know. Hell, you’re probably the most adaptable person on the planet.” “I don’t know about that.” “I do. How many other people do you know could suddenly lose everyone they know, go live with another species, hide what they are for six hundred years, and then when he is found out find a way to continue living among them as if nothing’s changed?” “Kat.” “Kat is still mostly hiding. And you’ve done it all without lying.” “As if I had a choice.” “You could have given up.” “That’s not an option.” “Not for you.” She stepped away for a moment to tend to another customer. I thought about what she said. She was right. I’d adapt. I had no choice. Either I give up on the chat or I deal with those there who don’t like me. I’d adapted when I found out one of my friends on there was Unseelie because I didn’t want to give up the group. I can do it again. I brushed the label pieces into a pile and scooped them into my hand. I was about to find a trashcan when Lorraine returned. She held out her hand. “Feeling better?” She asked as I dumped the scraps into her hand. She knew me too well. I only shred labels when I have a problem and don’t stop until it’s worked out. “Yeah, I can focus on real life until I know more.” She nodded emphatically. “Throw yourself into your work.” “I meant my personal life. I have a date with Kara tomorrow.” She laughed. “You on a date?” “I date. If I recall, I even asked you on dates a few times.” “We never went.” “You kept turning me down,” I reminded her. “You and I weren’t that kind of relationship. It never could be. We’re better as friends.” I nodded. “I know.” “So what are you and Kara doing?” “Hitchcock marathon at the community center.” “I never understood the appeal of those movies.” “I guess it’s something that only appeals to a select group. Is Scott coming in?” “Maybe. He had an errand to run.” “What?” I’ve never seen her with such a big grin. “Picking up my ring. We’re engaged.” I smiled. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “I just did. I wanted to do it in person, and then you were bummed by your chat friends. I didn’t want to seem like I was brushing that aside.” “Congratulations.” “Will you be my man of honor?” “What about your family? They hate me.” I had gone with Lorraine to Thanksgiving dinner at her parent’s house, posing as her boyfriend. Her dad had spent the time insulting her, so I told him off, and we left. A short time later, they found out I wasn’t human. That pretty much destroyed anything that was left of the relationship. “They aren’t invited.” “I don’t know the first thing about that. Maybe you should ask one of your female friends. They’ll do a better job. But I’ll help if you need me.” I grinned. “I can even be the stripper for your bachelorette party. I can use a glamour.” Lorraine laughed. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. Scott accepts that we used to sleep together. I don’t think he’d like you stripping for me. Besides, you’re dating Kara now. She might not like it.” I hadn’t thought about that. We weren’t anything official yet, but I hoped we could be. I nodded. Kara wouldn’t like that at all. Lorraine left again to help someone else. On her way back, she brought me another bottle of beer, even though I hadn’t asked for it. I usually had a few before switching to something else. “How’s Susie?” I asked. “Have you seen her?” “No. I told Phil that you were on a case, so you wouldn’t be able to help her.” Phil was Lorraine’s brother, and Susie was her niece. She has some magical abilities so I was helping her learn to control them. It gave Lorraine a chance to see at least two of her family. “I found another empath. He’s willing to help but doesn’t want to work directly with a kid. He had too many problems growing up. But he said I could call if I had any questions,” I told her. “Thanks.” Lorraine wiped the bar in front of me unconsciously. She often did that while in thought. Russell said the section of the bar where I sat was the cleanest, and she was starting to wear it thinner. “Good evening.” Scott sat next to me. “Congratulations,” I told him. He grinned at Lorraine. “You finally told him?” She nodded. “But he doesn’t want to be my maid of honor.” Scott laughed. “Not if he goes by that.” “She said man of honor. I said she needs someone who knows what she’s doing.” “He offered to be the stripper for the bachelorette party,” Lorraine added. “I have experience. I used to be a stripper.” Lorraine rolled her eyes. “Why does that not surprise me?” Scott frowned. “I’m not sure I like that idea. And what would Kara say if you ever get around to asking her out?” “He did that already. They have a date tomorrow,” Lorraine told him. “Lorraine already told me no.” “In that case, would you be one of the groomsmen? We really want you as part of this wedding. If it weren’t for you, I would have never had the courage to ask her out. And I doubt she would have agreed.” “I can do that.” I was touched. I’d seen Scott eyeing Lorraine last fall. He’d been hesitant to ask her out, assuming we were dating. Then she was kidnapped and he figured she’d never trust him. I’d asked someone at the station to do a background check on him for her. When Thompson found out, he did it himself, saying he didn’t want to risk me going off halfcocked again, like I had with her ex-husband when she’d gone missing. “Good.” Lorraine nodded. “We haven’t done much planning. We’ll keep you informed.” “We’re thinking in June.” “June?” I glanced at Lorraine. “Not the solstice,” she promised. “And we’ll watch the moon cycle.” Scott looked between the two of us. “Sean worships on the solstice and the full and new moons,” Lorraine explained. “You worship the moon?” Scott asked. “The moon is just a big rock,” I pointed out. “I worship the Elven Goddess of Loyalty. But rather than worshipping on the first day of the week, I follow the moon cycle.” “We’ll make sure we aren’t conflicting,” Scott promised. “Thanks.” “Will you have a problem if we marry in a church if we decide to go that route?” “No, why would I?” “It would be a different god.” “I’m a pantheist. I don’t have a problem with other gods. I don’t worship human gods, but I don’t have anything against them.” “Did you know this?” Scott asked Lorraine. “Yeah. Elves had several gods and goddesses. They usually worshipped one that suited their personality. Sean is loyal to a fault. His goddess loves him.” I stayed a while longer but then thought I’d let the two have some time to themselves.