Part 1: The Calm Before the Storm
?As to the gods, I have no means of knowing either that they exist or do not exist. ?
(Pythagoras)
***
Glenn was sitting at the dining room table in the psuedo-dining room of his barn, his back to the cast iron stove that warmed the interior. He had a large paperback volume splayed open in front of him, and he was reading it silently, lips pursed and moving as his calloused fingers traced the page. It was late afternoon; in a couple of hours, he would have to light the magical lanterns he'd purchased in order to read further into the night.
Carley walked quickly, shivering at the light snow that fell. Her cloak was pulled tight around her body, hiding form and clothing. Boots sloshed and thunked through slush and snow as she headed down the path that led to Glenn's barn and eventually, the entrance. Bouncing on toes, she knocked at the door quickly. She needed warmth!
He heard the knock and pushed his book aside on the table before standing up. With a swift gait, Glenn headed across the barn towards the storage room and the large front door. He unlocked it and opened, peering out to see who was there. When he saw who it was, he futilely attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his white t-shirt and brush the sawdust off his canvas carpenter's pants. "Carley! Come in!"
Glenn didn't have to tell her twice! She thunked in, trailing snow and cold air. "It's super cold out there!" She didn't wait for further invitation, before she was thunking her way into the dining room to relish in the warmth of the stove. Cloak was shrugged off and hung over the back of a chair, and her outfit revealed: A brilliant blue button up blouse with darker blue denim shorts, pale blue stockings, and white boots. The beret was missing, though replaced by fuzzy blue earmuffs.
He followed right behind her, shutting the door against the winter cold. Before sitting, Glenn leaned down to press a quick kiss against the side of her cheek. He took the chair beside her and turned to face her, his smile glowing. "What brings you here?"
Carley couldn't help but giggle at the kiss, grinning brightly. "Do I really need an excuse to come see ya Glenny?" The fuzzy earmuffs were removed and set on the back of the chair along with the cloak. Weight shifted from foot to foot as she turned her back to the stove, warming herself as she regarded Glenn. "The only thing I got to offer is that I wanted to see ya. Last week was crazy, and this week I got more free time. It was visit you, or do my laundry..."
"Of course you don't need a reason," he said, returning her grin with a sappy smile of his own. "It's good to see you, though. Really good." Glenn's hand went to close the book he had been reading, but not before he dog-eared one of the corners of the pages he had been on.
Feeling warmer and in better spirits, Carley shuffled closer to Glenn and leaned down to wrap arms around him from the side. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she tilted her head a little to better see the book he had just closed, her cheek lightly brushing against his. "What were ya readin'?"
His eyes closed a little bit, sighing as she settled on his shoulder. "Just a bunch of different poems by a bunch of different people. Been reading a lot of different people to see if there's anything I can borrow from them in my poems. But they're a lot better than me." Glenn frowned slightly at that thought.
She rolled her eyes as a sound of frustration escaped her. "Ya gotta stop bein' so down on yerself all the time about that Glenny. And ya won't get better if you never write. And you can never write if ya work too hard or too much." She pulled away enough so she could turn and face him better, but arms remained just where they were. "Have ya tried writing anything recently?"
He nodded at her final question. "I've written a couple of poems. I can show you them?" He gestured across the room, to where his steamer trunk was.
"Really!?" Bright blues snapped to where indicated before she pulled away from him and did a little hop. "Yah huh, I wanna see them!" Carley was tempted to run over herself to open the trunk, but even she had some manners.
Glenn stood up and headed over to the steamer trunk, which sat next to his dresser and near the icebox. He unlocked it, reaching inside to pull out that black leather journal of his and a emerald fountain pen. He closed the trunk and locked it back up, then headed to the table. Carefully covering up one of the pages of his journal with a personal entry in it, he showed her the other page, which had a poem written on it.
Carley snickered quietly as she noted how he covered up the other page, but didn't comment as she wandered over, steps swift. Leaning over, she let her gaze move slowly over the words written, expression oddly thoughtful as she read his poem. Once done, she nodded to herself. "Sounds pretty." She turned her head to peer up at Glenn. "What's it about? You wantin' to learn elven? You've been practicin' that too haven't ya?" Eyes wide, she tilted her head as she rolled on the balls of her feet.
Once Carley had finished reading it, Glenn closed the journal with an audible *thump*. He started tapping at his temples with his right index finger, deep in thought, before he looked back to her. He answered her question in a round-about way. "I just feel so stupid sometimes when I try to talk in elvish. Really stupid. I try and I try and I know it's going to take a really long time but I wish it didn't. I wish I could just snap my fingers and be able to do it."
She chuckled a bit at that and clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head the other way as she studied Glenn. "I think that's the way everything goes. When someone wants to learn somethin', they want to learn it right then. But that's never the case. Unless yer really lucky..." She shook her head and took a step closer. "You are gettin' better though Glenn... yer pronouncin' stuff better than when you first started. It's not something you'd pick up on, but I do." She smiled brightly then as she straightened some. "Lle queli."
He responded in kind, the elvish tripping off his tongue a bit freer and more melodically than it used it. "Diola lle, Carley. It's one of those things I try really really hard at, but there really aren't that many people who speak it regularly, so I can't really practice all that much. Except with you." He turned away from her shyly, a bit of red coloring his cheeks.
Carley's smile brightened when he spoke elvish. "Well if that's the case, yer welcome to practice it with me whenever ya want. Amin sinome iire lle anta amin..." When she spoke her native tongue, the words were lyrical and light, softer in tone than the way she normally spoke.
Without the elvish-Common dictionary in front of him, he could only pick out some of the words she was saying. Glenn did so out loud, trying to follow along. "I...you...I...?" Then, he spoke again, switching back to elvish. "Mani?"
She grinned and chuckled quietly, before translating for him. "I'm here when you need me."
His voice lowered barely to a murmur, and he took the risk of looking directly down into her bright blues. He wasn't wearing the jade necklace, so his face was clearly elvish, as were his dark green irises. "Diola lle, Carley. Cormlle naa tanya tel'raa."
Her cheeks tinted with a touch of blush, and she sighed as if she might swoon. "Sai quel..." She moved to tip toes and leaned forward, tilting her head just a little as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
?As to the gods, I have no means of knowing either that they exist or do not exist. ?
(Pythagoras)
***
Glenn was sitting at the dining room table in the psuedo-dining room of his barn, his back to the cast iron stove that warmed the interior. He had a large paperback volume splayed open in front of him, and he was reading it silently, lips pursed and moving as his calloused fingers traced the page. It was late afternoon; in a couple of hours, he would have to light the magical lanterns he'd purchased in order to read further into the night.
Carley walked quickly, shivering at the light snow that fell. Her cloak was pulled tight around her body, hiding form and clothing. Boots sloshed and thunked through slush and snow as she headed down the path that led to Glenn's barn and eventually, the entrance. Bouncing on toes, she knocked at the door quickly. She needed warmth!
He heard the knock and pushed his book aside on the table before standing up. With a swift gait, Glenn headed across the barn towards the storage room and the large front door. He unlocked it and opened, peering out to see who was there. When he saw who it was, he futilely attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his white t-shirt and brush the sawdust off his canvas carpenter's pants. "Carley! Come in!"
Glenn didn't have to tell her twice! She thunked in, trailing snow and cold air. "It's super cold out there!" She didn't wait for further invitation, before she was thunking her way into the dining room to relish in the warmth of the stove. Cloak was shrugged off and hung over the back of a chair, and her outfit revealed: A brilliant blue button up blouse with darker blue denim shorts, pale blue stockings, and white boots. The beret was missing, though replaced by fuzzy blue earmuffs.
He followed right behind her, shutting the door against the winter cold. Before sitting, Glenn leaned down to press a quick kiss against the side of her cheek. He took the chair beside her and turned to face her, his smile glowing. "What brings you here?"
Carley couldn't help but giggle at the kiss, grinning brightly. "Do I really need an excuse to come see ya Glenny?" The fuzzy earmuffs were removed and set on the back of the chair along with the cloak. Weight shifted from foot to foot as she turned her back to the stove, warming herself as she regarded Glenn. "The only thing I got to offer is that I wanted to see ya. Last week was crazy, and this week I got more free time. It was visit you, or do my laundry..."
"Of course you don't need a reason," he said, returning her grin with a sappy smile of his own. "It's good to see you, though. Really good." Glenn's hand went to close the book he had been reading, but not before he dog-eared one of the corners of the pages he had been on.
Feeling warmer and in better spirits, Carley shuffled closer to Glenn and leaned down to wrap arms around him from the side. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she tilted her head a little to better see the book he had just closed, her cheek lightly brushing against his. "What were ya readin'?"
His eyes closed a little bit, sighing as she settled on his shoulder. "Just a bunch of different poems by a bunch of different people. Been reading a lot of different people to see if there's anything I can borrow from them in my poems. But they're a lot better than me." Glenn frowned slightly at that thought.
She rolled her eyes as a sound of frustration escaped her. "Ya gotta stop bein' so down on yerself all the time about that Glenny. And ya won't get better if you never write. And you can never write if ya work too hard or too much." She pulled away enough so she could turn and face him better, but arms remained just where they were. "Have ya tried writing anything recently?"
He nodded at her final question. "I've written a couple of poems. I can show you them?" He gestured across the room, to where his steamer trunk was.
"Really!?" Bright blues snapped to where indicated before she pulled away from him and did a little hop. "Yah huh, I wanna see them!" Carley was tempted to run over herself to open the trunk, but even she had some manners.
Glenn stood up and headed over to the steamer trunk, which sat next to his dresser and near the icebox. He unlocked it, reaching inside to pull out that black leather journal of his and a emerald fountain pen. He closed the trunk and locked it back up, then headed to the table. Carefully covering up one of the pages of his journal with a personal entry in it, he showed her the other page, which had a poem written on it.
Carley snickered quietly as she noted how he covered up the other page, but didn't comment as she wandered over, steps swift. Leaning over, she let her gaze move slowly over the words written, expression oddly thoughtful as she read his poem. Once done, she nodded to herself. "Sounds pretty." She turned her head to peer up at Glenn. "What's it about? You wantin' to learn elven? You've been practicin' that too haven't ya?" Eyes wide, she tilted her head as she rolled on the balls of her feet.
Once Carley had finished reading it, Glenn closed the journal with an audible *thump*. He started tapping at his temples with his right index finger, deep in thought, before he looked back to her. He answered her question in a round-about way. "I just feel so stupid sometimes when I try to talk in elvish. Really stupid. I try and I try and I know it's going to take a really long time but I wish it didn't. I wish I could just snap my fingers and be able to do it."
She chuckled a bit at that and clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head the other way as she studied Glenn. "I think that's the way everything goes. When someone wants to learn somethin', they want to learn it right then. But that's never the case. Unless yer really lucky..." She shook her head and took a step closer. "You are gettin' better though Glenn... yer pronouncin' stuff better than when you first started. It's not something you'd pick up on, but I do." She smiled brightly then as she straightened some. "Lle queli."
He responded in kind, the elvish tripping off his tongue a bit freer and more melodically than it used it. "Diola lle, Carley. It's one of those things I try really really hard at, but there really aren't that many people who speak it regularly, so I can't really practice all that much. Except with you." He turned away from her shyly, a bit of red coloring his cheeks.
Carley's smile brightened when he spoke elvish. "Well if that's the case, yer welcome to practice it with me whenever ya want. Amin sinome iire lle anta amin..." When she spoke her native tongue, the words were lyrical and light, softer in tone than the way she normally spoke.
Without the elvish-Common dictionary in front of him, he could only pick out some of the words she was saying. Glenn did so out loud, trying to follow along. "I...you...I...?" Then, he spoke again, switching back to elvish. "Mani?"
She grinned and chuckled quietly, before translating for him. "I'm here when you need me."
His voice lowered barely to a murmur, and he took the risk of looking directly down into her bright blues. He wasn't wearing the jade necklace, so his face was clearly elvish, as were his dark green irises. "Diola lle, Carley. Cormlle naa tanya tel'raa."
Her cheeks tinted with a touch of blush, and she sighed as if she might swoon. "Sai quel..." She moved to tip toes and leaned forward, tilting her head just a little as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.