Eric tried to calm himself down, maybe relaxing would undo the changes. Though he knew he was sitting stiffly, and that seemed to draw Clyde's concern. "Is everything okay? They making you uncomfortable." He whispered into Eric's ear, arm sliding around behind him to his waist. Eric felt his tail twitch and slap against Clyde's arm.
Clyde was probably used to feeling tails behind people, but the oddity seemed to dawn on him after a moment. He leaned back a little to peer behind Eric. "You know, you've got a cute... tail.." His words drifted off as he realized what he was saying. "That's not usually there is it?" Clyde actually sounded a little unsure.
"Not without the collar." Eric answered honestly. The seriousness of the situation penetrated Clyde's mind, distracting him from other things, so when he stood it was on completely human feet.
"Come on." Clyde helped Eric up and the two left the sauna, leaving the giggling of the elves and the snoring bear behind. He handed Eric a towel, which he was only too happy to wrap around himself until he could get back to his clothes. No matter how worried he got or how much he tried to calm himself down, he could feel that tail behind him. At the locker rooms, Clyde got quickly dressed and motioned for Eric to do the same, rushing out into the sauna's reception. Eric trailed behind but could hear Clyde's furtive words to the attendant as he stepped out of the locker rooms.
"I need the doc to come to cabin 23." Clyde was tapping on his head where his antlers normally would have been sprouting from, looking more than a little agitated, or maybe worried.
"Any reason in particular?" The fox asked as he picked up the desk phone.
"Um.. haywire magic." Clyde sighed as Eric appeared and looked him over from head to toe as if fearing more changes.
"He's on his way." The attendant said with a smile. Clyde nodded and pulled Eric back out into the snow, putting one arm around his shoulders to quickly rush him to his cabin.
"Clyde. You're worrying me." Eric said when he finally worked up the nerve.
"You should be. That's not supposed to be there without something doing it to you. No collar, no tail." Clyde bit his lip but kept Eric right on track back to the cabin. Pushing inside and taking Eric's coat for him.
Eric barely sat down when there was a knock on the door. Clyde motioned him to sit and answered it himself. "You're the resort doctor?" It was really more rhetorical as Clyde stepped aside to let in a wolf, naked other than a white doctor's coat.
"No, I dress this way as a fashion statement." The joke was light hearted however as he stepped inside and looked between the two men. "I'm guessing from the way the big guy is fretting that you're the one with the problem." He motioned to Eric as he came closer, setting his bag on the table. "So, I was told haywire magic? Care to explain?"
Eric gave him the basics, feeling a little worked up in the sauna, the appearance of the tail, and even shifted to show him the appendage, twitching in response to Eric's own nerves.
"Is this spontaneous, or have you transformed before?" The doc pulled out a circular piece of glass that seemed to shimmer with a rainbow of colors along the surface. He held it up to his eye and looked Eric up and down, then shifted the gaze to Clyde. "You're one of Santa's aren't you?" Clyde just nodded. "Did you give him an transformation object?" Clyde nodded again, looking a bit sheepish. "That must have cost a pretty penny."
"They gave me a payment plan." Clyde admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Wait. I though you said it was a gift from the Workshop?" Eric interjected, looking at Clyde, who looked even more embarrassed for a moment.
"Technically I work for the Workshop, so kinda?" Clyde sat down nearby. Attention going to the doc who was still looking between them with that odd glass.
"Did anything else odd happen?" The doc asked, looking interested in whatever he saw.
Clyde shook his head but then Eric spoke up. "The antlers. The first time I turned back my antlers fell off instead of disappearing."
The doctor made a noise as if he completely expected that. "Your innate magic is entwined. Don't look at me like that, everything has some, even you humans. Though very little and that's the problem. He has so much." The doc gestured to Clyde, then to Eric. "And you so little that his is overriding yours, but yours is allowing it, sucking it in like a happy little sponge. It's rare, very rare, two individuals have to be on a very similar magical wavelength for that to happen."
"So, you can undo it?" Clyde asked, head tilting to the side. "Stop it."
"Nope." The doc smiled. "Only remedy is to stay apart. The more time you spend together the more he's going to change, until he's completely a reindeer like you." The doc put the glass back in his bag. "I'm afraid that's the only solution, and two individuals entwined like you usually have a very hard time staying apart. So if you really want to stop this, I can write you a note for the resort to send you home, otherwise, I give it about three weeks." The doc nodded his head. "I'm sure you need to talk." He picked up his bag and Clyde stood to let him out of the cabin.
Clyde turned guilty eyes on Eric. "I'm sorry, I.."
"I don't think it's really your fault, we're both kind of doing it, aren't we." Eric leaned back in the couch with a small sigh.
"I guess I should go, let you pack and all." Clyde moved to grab his scarf but Eric jumped to his feet.
"No!" Clyde jumped at the vehemence in Eric's tone, but left his jacket where it was. "I mean, I want to think, and it would help if I had some company for the night." Eric sat back down and looked at Clyde, who looked strangely hopeful. He wanted this, this was what he was going for anyway, right? Trying to win Eric over to stay. As Clyde sat down on the couch next to him he had to wonder if he didn't want to just give in.
"So, I guess I'll order dinner in?" Clyde said with a cheery tone as he picked up the cabin's phone. "Heard this place has great room service." Eric just nodded as he leaned in against Clyde, smiling as he felt one strong arm wrapping around his shoulders.