Hearing the words Bianca had hoped to hear now for what seemed aeons, she was unable to stop herself from letting out a lovely-sounding child-like squeal, completely failing to keep her cool. She desired to hug her brother and kiss his precious head 1000 times; He did it! But then soft hawking up brought her attention back to Denton, who looked now not as hot as he did just before. Denton's eyes teared up and his swollen head sported now a soft green tan; The kobold let out a silent and pitiful-sounding scream but he didn't stop smiling back at Bianca.
"I think ... this might have been a bigger breakthrough than I anticipated. My head feels all ... sickly yet excited."
Denton raised his shaking paw to grab the mouldy book stack attempting to balance himself.
"Say, you otherworldly being with eight heads that all look like my lovely sister ... can you please call Bianca for me? I feel ... a tiny bit exhausted."
Bro is completely off the hook; he did it! I am dead sure of it! He had never before such grave hallucinations after successfully stretching his arcane mind. He had a breakthrough tonight, maybe having opened even one of the eight gates of the Veil. No, no, no, bad Bianca! No admiring my dear when he is in such a problematic state. I have to assist him with my powers. And that pronto.
Bianca's soft smile grew even more gently when she placed her arms, one at the albino's back and the other behind his feathery neck. She pulled him away from the bookshelf and guided him in a fluent movement reminiscent of an aristocratic dance she once witnessed close to her chest, Denton's head now smiling like a fool at hers. Bianca's paw at Denton's neck wandered upwards; it was now supporting the rear end of his long lizardkin skull. She pulled Denton closer to her until her snout was able to smell the soft scent of her brother's slightly sweaty forehead. Collecting a decent chunk of her healing powers in her salvia Bianca gave the thumping forehead a slow lick, trying to allow her natural healing salve to venture below his tiny scales. A few moments later, a thin and precise film of Bianca's faintly glowing spit decorated the patient's brows, and she set him gently down at her side, letting Denton lean on her bare shoulder. He let out a deep and satisfied sigh.
"Ahh, the pain is already retreating, thanks, sis. But tell me - " The now much better-looking eyes of his focussed Bianca with a mischievous sparkle glowing up deep below his blood-red irises. "Isn't this performance, you just went through, reserved for your ... paying patients? Never got to experience this before. It's awesome!" Denton froze his sentence to place his left paw under Bianca's eye feeling the growing moisture pouring out of it. "Are you crying? Who hurt you!? Nobody hurts my sis!"
A soft and healthy chuckle escaped Bianca's maw and quickly grew into bright cheerful laughter, healing tears of joy flying everywhere. She appeared blushing heftily, seemingly regretting her skipping act and then again not at all. She was happy from the tip of her tail all the way into the sharp claws on her paws.
"Nobody had hurt me, you big dummy. I am feeling my chest bursting from joy and pride; pride for my older brother. I am unsure what you did in the Veil, but you did it! And I couldn't be more proud of you." She glanced at Denton's forehead. "Is the pain now gone, bro?"
"The pain is gone, and I feel so oddly special due to how your performance completed the best Overstretch I have ever experienced. Way to apply pressure on your dear bro, eh?" He gave Bianca's feathery collar a hearty ruffling. "No worries, sis! I am positive I won't disappoint the set stage as I have everybody I hold close around; Able to witness the following. You, my all, your handsome bud Galen and my lovely partner Khõra.
"Speaking of her, she yearns to take over for a bit. See ya.~"
The red eyes of the albino began to glow, and the familiar purple glow of Khõra's presence started tainting the clear iris. Denton Peritil's bound symbiotic partner enjoyed the moment and looked down at their paws, giving them a quick warm-up. When Khõra began speaking, the manly voice of Denton was now underlaid with an even deeper female tune giving the bass-boosted tune of Khõra's voice the charming undertones of a noblewoman.
"Bianca-dear, we are back at last." Khõra started her round as if they had just woken up from their slumber, the soft smile of Denton was now replaced with an oddly comfortable deep smile twisting his charm into the extreme. "We are back from the Veil and unlocked one of the gates, the gate of winter; Your gate. And you won't believe what treasures we found behind that miraculous door elevating Denton and myself to new rights?"
"A way to utilize the target's body to guide your magic through watery canals before igniting it!? Right?" Bianca was jumping up and down, overjoyed and ecstatic hearing that they did it.
Khõra let out a deep sigh, suddenly they looked very tired and fully and utterly defeated.
"You hit the nail on the head ... Party-pooper."
After a moment of awkward silence, Bianca landed and stopped hopping. She looked as if she just landed in a pile of poo smelling the escaping stench rendering the joy foul.
"I ... Look, I am sorry, I shouldn't have ..."
Khõra looked down to the paper-covered ground, first sad, then however a dangerous grin widened on their face their purple eyes turning to slits. The symbiote charged with her lowered head into the unsuspecting kobold and tackled Bianca down to the ground pinning her arms with their legs to the surface. An evil glance ran across her face just to be wiped away by childish joy. She began laughing with that full and entrancing voice Bianca loved so much. She even heard a <Bravissimo!> from inside her mind, experiencing Galen cheering up his astonishing friend.
"You should have seen your face, Bianca, hilarious! Got you good, am I right? No worries, I am not hurt, far from it. I am glad that you understand your gate so well. Galen is lucky to have merged with you all these years ago, love."
They let go of Bianca, and Khõra sat down beside her, their left paw now playfully caressing her arm.
"But enough of the tomfoolery, friend. Let me tell it to you, now in my words. My time is limited as Denton-dear is excited to helm again for the presentation. Also ..." Khõra moisturized their currently dry snout with their long tongue before continuing. "We did it! We finally understood the missing link connecting our gate of devastation with your winter archway. A link whose details we sadly can't explain due to my contract with the Veil, my master."
<She is right, Bianca. We do follow the ancient ruling. Our knowledge of the Veil is meant for those having witnessed the Veil unveiling its secrets personally, and only them.> Galen intervened swiftly, expanding Bianca's background knowledge.
"Long things short, we understood how to transfer my powers of absolute destruction into a ticking timebomb using the dampness of our bodies to slow down the fuze. You know what that will mean?"
Bianca hugged Khõra swiftly before jumping up. Her eyes were wide like moons and at least as bright as them. The kobold's voice overcooked in excitement her heart beating fast.
"I will get us one of the dissection cubes we grew ages ago. To eventually test this new ability of yours out. Get yourself ready, Khõra! Denton? We will write history today!"
