Come Sail Away (Cass) - Bathtub Beach

She shook her head.

"I didn't say you had to see it. I asked if you loved him enough to let someone torture him to free him."

She started at Cassiel for another few minutes.

"Cass, I need you to listen to me. Oriella is a whore who doesn't believe in love. It's really that simple. If I tell her that he might need a friend, she's going to go on being a whore and expecting Alex to eventually knock on her door. Do you really, honestly think that he would rather be with a whore than with you?"

She stared at Cass.

"You're going to ask me that, Cass? Because the truth is that while she's a whore and she sucks as far as relationships go? She's a fucking amazing friend. You should talk to her and see that for yourself. But the other thing? She cares about you. She cares about Alex. She cares about most people, actually. And I can't very well be there for Alex; he doesn't talk to me anymore. So yeah, I'll tell her that there might be some friendship needed -- because it's not fair to drag her into what is, very clearly, marital problems. I didn't bring her into this; you did."

She just stared... and didn't say a word.

Phone: "Jake's Pool Hall."

There was a laugh at the other end of the phone.

Phone: "It's me. What's up?"

There was a pause.

Phone: "Uh... wait, slow down. Are you okay, Cass?"

Confused Tremere was confused.

Phone: "Wait. Hey. You're not a selfish bitch. Cass, what the hell is going on?"

She truly sounded concerned.

"I am with Griselda right now. I asked a question that I shouldn't have, not for purposes of anger or revenge, but for help in figuring out the best path to take in order to make sure Alex was where he wanted to be and was with the person he wished to be with. I asked her if he loved you. I shouldn't have asked her and dragged her into it. And I shouldn't have dragged you into it. I'm sorry, Orie. I am sorry."

Phone: "You... Cass, you don't need to apologize to me. I'm more worried about what would make you ask that question at all. Alex and I? We're just friends. That's all, honest."

Phone: "Wait. No. No, you should not do that. Don't, just don't. You're with Griselda, you said? Ditch the psycho bitch and let's go get a drink."

Phone: "Because the way you sound to me? You're not even sure what you need to talk to him about, Cassie. I don't know how I came up at all, but there's got to be a reason for that. But if you aren't really sure why I came up at all and you 'guess' that it's 'just marital problems', then you're not really sure what you need to talk to Alex about. I don't want a fight to start because you aren't sure what's up and you're having a hard time relating it to him."

Phone: "Okay. Okay, good. Where? My place?"

Phone: "Okay. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."