With little fanfare, Glenn took the necklace off and handed it to her. If she looked carefully at his hands, she might've noticed the jade ring she had given him long ago was no longer on his finger. Within moments of removing the necklace, his appearance changed. His nose shrank, his lips became fuller, his eyes widened and shifted to an almond shape. He wasn't terribly manly in the first place, but he was downright androgynous now. Though his ears were covered by shaggy light brown hair, those who had seen elves before would clearly recognize him as one by his face.

Dolnar wasn't completely as taken aback as Cy was. The mage tilted his head at Glenn in a curious manner, but only for a moment. Cy was quite confused. Had he been disguising his appearance? He was unsure. Shaking his head, he moved near one of the metal bars and stared at the temperature gauge. "Soon as he's in the middle you can start charging it, Dol."

Small fingers enclosed around the arrowhead as Carley glanced over it. After a moment, she snorted almost disdainfully before dropping it into her pocket. She didn't want to look at it. Her gaze lifted, meeting Glenn's for only a moment. "Quel marth*." With little else for her to do, she folded her arms and walked a small distance away from the focal box. Leaning hip first into the railing of the airship, her gaze lazily drifted amongst Glenn, Cy, Dolmar, and the focal box.

Glenn nodded to Carley. "Thanks." He walked over to the focal box and positioned himself in the middle of it. He nodded to Cy and Dolnar as well. "I'm ready when you are." He closed his now darker green eyes and braced himself, teeth gritted in anticipation of a painful experience.

Cy looked toward Glenn a moment and nodded. "This might be pretty uncomfortable." Dolnar needed no further instruction. He lifted both arms up and held them out straight. The ends of his sleeves were flared toward the end and thus drooped as Dol spoke some magical words. Two blue streams of energy shot from his hands. As they touched the metal, it began to glow brightly. Crackling was audible. Arcs of energy leaped between all of the metal rods and began to form a white barrier around the entire contraption.

Carley straightened somewhat, a frown threatening to form on her lips. All there was to do was watch. Watch. Wait. Worry.

Uncomfortable was an understatement. He grimaced as the current and magic coursed through him. The energy made his hair stand on end, finally revealing his ears. Where the pointed tips that would have clearly denoted his elvishness were, there were only scars. Near the top of his ears were stitching scars, and above those were uglier, pinker, less structured ones.

"More, Dol." Cy spoke up. The crackling was beginning to get louder. Dolnar narrowed his eyes. The streams of energy feeding the metal became larger. The barrier began to concentrate more and more, shrinking in size as it did so. Cy closed his eyes slightly and watched the temperature gauge. It was slowly climbing.

The frown that had threatened revealed itself when Carley saw Glenn's ears. Reminded of them and the story behind them, she turned her gaze away from him to watch Dolnar and Cy. Rather than fidget, she was unusually still.

The additional energy turned that grimace into a rictus, as it lifted up the skin on Glenn's face and seemed to threaten to tear it right off. The strain was enough that it drove him to his knees, head bent down as low as it could.

The mana stabilizer was inside one of the metal rods. It wasn't visible, but Cy knew exactly where it was. He moved over toward that particular rod. He could actually feel the energy vibrating in the open air. He glanced toward Carley, then at Glenn. The barrier all of a sudden collapsed and disappeared completely. Cy held up a hand toward Dolnar. The mage lowered his arms. The streams of energy quit flowing from his hands. The crackles grew much quieter.

Carley's gaze shifted from Cy to Glenn. Brow furrowed upon seeing him collapsed the way he was, she started walking towards him, between those rods, figuring it was safe now. "Glenn? Are you okay?" The concern in her voice and eyes was quite apparent.

His green irises had darkened so much with the pain that they almost seemed black. With the mana stabilizer shut down, Glenn's hair fell mostly back into place. However, he could feel the air, the lack of cover on his left ear. Slowly, he lifted a hand to touch it. Bare, exposed. They'd seen it. Horrified, he tucked his arms over his head and hid, still crouched. "Dammit..."

Dolnar stepped forward and toward Glenn. He kneeled down and asked a question similar to Carley's. "Are you all right, friend?" The mage had seen Glenn's ear, but he made no comment about it. Cy stepped away from the rod he'd been standing near. He watched Glenn, Carley, and Dolnar. Silent once more.

Crouching down, Carley extended a hand towards Glenn. Ready to assist him up, if need be.

"I'm alright." He didn't look okay, though, or sound okay. He certainly didn't feel okay. Despite that, he took Carley's hand and attempted to stand on wobbly legs.

"The pain'll go away." Cy commented and immediately asked a question. "Do you feel more... solid?" He couldn't think of a better way of putting it. Dolnar stood up, but remained nearby, just in case further assistance was going to be needed.

"Yer a bad liar." Quietly remarking to Glenn, Carley gently tugged his hand to assist him to his feet. "Easy does it - don't overdo it."

"I feel...better in control, now." Glenn turned to Cy as Carley pulled him up. He looked just about to whisper something in her ear, but suddenly pulled away. Instead, he spoke aloud. "It's not the worst pain I've felt. Close, but I've felt worse."

"Sorry." Cy's tone was flat. It probably wasn't hard to guess that the apology lacked feeling. "It wasn't really avoidable." At least that had the ring of truth to it. Dolnar spoke up not long after Cy. "The pain should not linger for too terribly long."

Carley blinked a time or two as Glenn had leaned so close, only to pull away so suddenly. Looking somewhat confused, she was quick to pull her hand from his, then took a step away. Silent, for now.

Glenn glanced over to Cy, a curious look on his face. The pattern of behavior earlier had been odd, but the tone of voice was odder still. Rather than question him on it, he adjusted the hair around his ears to make sure they were covered. With Carley pulling away, Cyrail evidently not being friendly towards him, and barely knowing Dolnar, Glenn was hit with a sudden wave of loneliness. He decided to lean against the edge of the ship, looking down at whatever was below him. His eyes shut, and he almost seemed to be sleeping on his feet.


*Good luck.

Cy watched as Glenn went. Anger was still foremost in the elf's mind. He looked over at Carley and spoke, doing his best to curb the edge that lingered near the surface. "I'm going to take this apart and get out of here. Won't be here tomorrow."

Carley continued to stare at the ground beneath her feet. Glenn had seemed less than thrilled with her, but she was doing the right thing for him, right? She heard about the various goings on around town, and that it wasn't safe at night. Glenn had no business trying to sleep amidst it all. She didn't look up upon hearing Cy, even. Was he angry with her now? Her eyes watered but she dared not move. She didn't want to start crying. Not again.

Wrench removed from his pouch once more, Cy was getting ready to go back to the task at hand. He looked over at Carley again. Had she even moved? He couldn't help but frown. Concern pushed anger aside, at least temporarily. His steps took him right next to the shorter elf. His?words were?quiet. "Hey. It'll be all right." He assumed she was upset by Glenn's behavior.

She cried. It was silent, but the tears fell. Carley hated it. To feel weak. To be weak. To allow such things to affect her so. She brushed her tears away quickly with the back of her hand before glancing up at Cy, somewhat hesitantly. "Yer not.. mad at me too?"

"At you? Nah. You gotta do what you think is right. Not saying I agree with it, but that was your choice to make." His features softened some. He was hoping the night would go smoothly. Not just with the actual stabilizing. He leaned forward and opened his arms, intent on giving Carley a hug. He figured she might need one.

Carley certainly could use that hug. Her own arms opened as she leaned against Cy, squeezing tight. "Okay... that's good. I thought maybe you were. Thought maybe that's why ya didn't plan to show up tomorrow..." She still spoke much more quietly than usual.

Cy held onto the shorter elf for a long moment. "It's not that. I just don't want to be around that guy until I calm down. Might come late instead of not at all, okay?" He slowly released his hold on her and stepped back. Eyes directed down at Carley.

Leaning back, she nodded and peered up at Cy. "Okay." She smiled, just barely. "I don't imagine he'll stick around very long." Thoughts wandering, her gaze soon followed suit. Glancing towards the focal box, the trace of smile on her face faded. "I hadn't realized just how much time and work ya put into that thing, CyCy." To help someone he didn't like, no less.

"Wasn't that bad." Which was a lie, naturally. He'd spent a lot of time working on the focal box. "Shame it really doesn't have another use, though." He turned his eyes toward the machine.

"Yeah, shame." She didn't believe that lie, either. Carley turned her gaze back up to Cy, studying him. "Ya gotta tell me how I can make it all up to you. Not just somethin' like cookies or food. Something.. more." She had every intention of finding a way to make it up to him, regardless of his answer.

He almost looked sad at the prospect of taking the focal box apart, but he didn't voice it. His expression changed into a smile as he turned to Carley again. A genuine one. "You don't have to make anything up to me, sunshine. Just go back to being happy. That's all I really want in return." Stepping away, Cy once again took up his wrench. Back to dismantling.

Carley stared at Cy's back for a few long moments. Go back to being happy? She wouldn't have minded that herself... She snorted. "That's such a lame response, CyCy." Her tone suggested she didn't mean what she said. "I'll think of something without you." She nodded to herself in the affirmative. There likely had to be something she could do for him. Something she could get him? "It wouldn't be right if I let you go so out of the way for me without doing something in return. Glenn might not appreciate it, but-" Her face twisted in annoyance at her inability to articulate her thoughts.

Cy chuckled a little. "You do. I know." He was making quick work of the various bolts. He had a lot of practice with his wrench after all. Another tool was pulled from a pouch. He used it to loosen a very stubborn bolt he'd just encountered.

She made a face at his back when he chuckled. "It's not just that, CyCy. I'm not used to... to this. People don't just- they don't- ugh, forget it." Shaking her head, she stepped forward, standing near the tall elf. "I can help?"

"Used to what?" He was curious, so he asked his question despite what she had said. "Hold this, yeah? Just keep it steady." He tapped the metal beam he'd been working on getting the bolts out of.

"I can do that." With a nod, Carley stepped closer to the metal beam and wrapped her arms around it to hold it steady as possible. It was a few moments before she bothered to respond to Cy's question, as she had to think of how to word it. Even then, the words sounded terribly lame to her. "I'm not used to people doin' such nice things for me, I guess. I mean... they do nice thing, but nothing like this?" She hoped he would understand. "I worked a long time by myself, real hard, so it doesn't phase me much. I'm used to having to earn things myself, or do somethin' hard by myself. A lot of times, when people do somethin'? It's only because they want something in return."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. People usually do want something in return for whatever they might do." Cy reached up pretty high and loosened the bolts that connected two of the beams together. "Ease it down." He grabbed hold of the beam Carley had her arms around and started to pull it towards him. "I don't mean to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but you're my friend, Carley. I'll do whatever you need me to. That's part of being somebody's friend."

Carley did as told, and began to ease the metal beam down, slow as she could. She waited until it had been lowered before she resumed talking. "I didn't think you were doin' that." She pondered something momentarily. "The things you asked him? I wanted to know too. I mean... I care about him, but not in the way you probably think I do. It's nothin' like that. It's just after all that time together, I can't shut off a desire to .. to.." Once again, she found herself unable to put her thoughts to words. That was vexing, particularly for one who liked to talk as much as she did. "Whatever. Doesn't matter." Carley shook her head.

The second beam only needed a couple of bolts loosened before it was ready to be pulled down as well. Cy was quick to do just that. He spoke shortly before he began to bring the second metal beam down. "No explanation needed. Think I know what you mean."

Nodding to his words, Carley quickly looked up at Cy, bright blues wide. "Oh. And CyCy? It works both ways. Like I said before, we're friends before anything else. If you ever need anything from me-" She raised her hand, palm to her chest. "I'll do my best to give it to ya."

"Wouldn't doubt that for a second, aier*." He smiled in an easy manner at Carley, as was usual for him to do. He glanced at the remaining two beams and stepped over to them, getting right back to work. "If you want to go home, go ahead. I can handle it from here. Shouldn't take much longer."

Carley rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Yeah yeah..." The idea of going home at such an hour wasn't appealing, but neither was sleeping aboard the Luinista, with Glenn so near. The latter choice was much more practical, however. "Think I'll stay here and sleep in my room. I still don't wanna be walkin' through WestEnd at night, just yet." Looking over the beams, she wrinkled her nose. "Sure ya got it? I don't wanna leave you with a lot of work to do."

Cy was already starting to bring the third beam down. He gave Carley another smile and nodded. "All right. And I got it. No problem. Just get some rest, yeah? I'll be here tomorrow sometime."

She perked a bit at hearing he would indeed return tomorrow. "Okay!" With a smile, she waved to Cy before turning to head for the cabins. "Nauva varna, kallo'amin!**" And with one final snicker, the small elf was gone.

Cy held onto the fourth beam as Carley went. He chuckled at her parting words. After a slow shake of his head, it was back to work.


*small elf
**Be safe, my hero!

((Edited and Adapted from Live RP))

In the end, Glenn couldn't even read the note that Carley had left him.

He had spotted the short missive while picking through the items she had left on the tray with his breakfast. He'd taken the necklace and put it on first, feeling the familiar rush of the glamour that hid his appearance from the world. He stared at the note throughout his breakfast, feeling like a prisoner awaiting his sentence or execution. Despite the nerves, he plowed through the eggs and sausage, lingering on the orange slices. Sygil, for all the strange and marvelous foods it did have, did not have much in the way of citrus, especially oranges. It had been...how long had it been since he'd eaten an orange? He wanted to smile, at the thoughtfulness of Carley's gesture, but he couldn't force himself to do so. Once he had eaten, he picked up the pouch and looked over the coins she had given him. Quickly, he set aside the gold and silver, pocketing only the copper. Finally, there was nothing left to do but read the message.

Amin hiraetha, amin ere'merne tue. Glenn knew it was elvish, but he didn't understand it. Two years of learning the demanding language of magic taught at his school, combined with the side effects of being bounced back and forth in time and space, had completely erased his memory of elvish. If this had been Glenn when he had first arrived in RhyDin, or Glenn when he had been dating Carley, it might have saddened him to have lost this knowledge. This Glenn, though, just sighed. He would have to go to the RhyDin Public Library and ask for help translating. He left the tray uncovered, the orange rinds neatly stacked to one side on the plate with the silverware beside it, and the pouch with the remaining coins next to that. Silently, he slipped out of the cabin and made his way off the Luinista, thankful that he hadn't run into any of the crew again.

***

The young woman working at the reference desk that day had frowned at Glenn slightly when he handed over the note and asked for a translation. It wasn't just the fact that she'd had to climb half-way up a bookshelf ladder to retrieve an Elvish-Common dictionary from the reference stacks behind the desk. It was the fact that she instantly recognized the handwriting on the paper as being a female's. And terse messages from ladies were never a good thing. Once the book was down off the shelf, she headed back to where Glenn was standing. She flipped to a section near the back of the book, where common elvish phrases were, hoping it would make her work easier. It partially did.

?Amin hiraetha means 'I'm sorry.' I'm not sure what the other sentence means yet.? She looked up at Glenn, trying to gauge his reaction. His face was placid, emotionless. She frowned a little more, shook her head slightly, and brushed a curl of dark brown hair off of her face, before continuing the translation. The rest of this would be rougher, word by word. The pages sung their crisp song as she turned from letter to letter, piecing together the last phrase painstakingly.

? 'I'm sorry, I...only...want...' ? The flipping became more frantic, as the last word eluded her. ?No, that's not it...aha! 'to help. I'm sorry, I only want to help.' ? Again, she looked up from the dictionary and note, searching Glenn's face for some kind of emotion. None was forthcoming.

?Thanks,? he said flatly.

?You're welcome. Was that it?? The words were clipped, and she was very close to scowling. She wanted to pry, figure out the context of this message and why Glenn had hardly reacted to it, but she instinctively knew it would be pointless to try.

?Yes. No, wait. Do you have a pen and paper and an envelope I can borrow??

She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, calming herself before responding. ?Yeah. Give me a minute.? She fetched what he asked for quickly, and was thankful when he left for a study carrel soon after.