"And then to get the right consistency of the snails you add a bit of salt."

A bit of salt?

It had Cter halting her spoon just before her lips with a furrowed expression taking over her face. "Salt?" she uttered with her lowered brow shooting high. "On snails? Doesn't that mush them up? It turns them into a gooey liquid, don't it? Why did Queen Toriel ask you to do that?" Several scenarios as to why ran through Cter's head, but none really stuck as probable. "Because of like how it would mix into the dough or something?"

While Cter did her guesses Idyll took the opportunity to enjoy another spoonful of her vegetable soup. "No, actually," she answered before having fully swallowed. She quelled a hiccup before tapping on the still-warm pot with a knuckle. "It's actually to evaporate more of the liquid. The salt drags it out, but you can't use too much otherwise it'll interfere with the texture of the dough. You gotta add just enough so that it becomes more liquid and evaporates faster. It's a balance which Toriel seems to have perfectly between her fingers. Like she counted out each pebble of salt as they were her own children."

"You think she learned that from Krygino's tavern?" Cter interrupted Idyll taking another bite with her question. "Maybe you'd learn that too if you'd worked there for a bit more?"

Idyll tapped her full spoon against the rim of her bowl as she pondered for a bit. Each tap had the contents of the spoon shaking a bit too much for Cter's comfort. Idyll was sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of Cter's bed, and while Cter enjoyed Idyll's cooking inside her stomach she wouldn't really appreciate having it on the outside of her stomach while sleeping on it. "Actually I doubt that," Idyll finally spoke with her lower jaw angled outwards. "Cause you see, I think she would've mentioned that then. I'm not that aloof that I would've missed talking about the tavern had she brought it up in conversation. I mean, perhaps I'd learned that at Krygino's tavern, who knows? However I don't think that Queen Toriel did. She must've either picked that up before she worked there or after she became the Monster Queen."

Fair enough.

"Then when everything was laid on you she shoved the pie into the oven? Or did you use flame magic?"

"Oven for the cooking of the dough and slowly evaporating the snails." Idyll snapped a finger and let it lit ablaze with a red flame. "Then broil the top of the pie to get rid of the moisture from the evaporation and to give it a more darkly golden sheen. Set to cool for half an hour or so." She lifted up her bowl with a smiling tilt of her head. "Serve." The flame on her finger went out with a bassy cough before she took her next bite. "And it was really good, by the way."

Cter realized that she'd been stirring in her stew while listening and that it had made a colored streak on the rim of the bowl from a cracked tomato. "I can imagine." The swirly tomato lines reminded her of the magical lines on her sleeve. "Hopefully I can taste it and stop imagining it in the future." She dragged the tomato lines out to try and make fractals out of them. "You know the recipe by soul now, yes?"

It took but a moment for Cter to realize that she said a mistake as Idyll took out her greased journal from inside her apron which Cter had first insisted on Idyll covering up with a towel and then covering it up herself with stasis magic. A few cyan-colored clamps held the rest of the greasy stains on Idyll's loose sleeves and pants away from the white cover of the bed. With the greased journal held haphazardly in Idyll's hand while she smiled without perfectly discernible intent though, the fate of Cter's bed was quite literally out of her hands and only in Idyll's.

"I have it written down with the corner of the page folded." To Cter's immense relief Idyll pocketed the journal again inside her apron. "Now I have a starter, main course, and a dessert for Sarbor when he finally visits!"

Guess that was Cter's cue to turn around and fetch the letter on her study desk. She did it just before Idyll could point with her empty spoon towards the letter that laid on the study desk behind Cter. While it would've been quicker for Cter to use stasis to move the letter it would've also given the letter a bit of an aura to it, even if Cter could make it as untraceable as possible. It would've still been less untraceable than the slight and indistinguishable aura left on it by Sarbor. If Cter and Idyll had a bond close enough to overcome any magic then the bond between her and her brother would've been even stronger. It was a human letter from a human brother to his monster sister. Human means of writing, human means of transportation, via a monster courier. Maybe no magical aura to it, but the aura between two siblings surely.

So for the last leg of its journey Cter chose to be human about it. "Here," she said as she held a corner of the letter between her fingers for Idyll to reach and grab. "You don't have to read it out loud for me. It's from your brother to you. I don't need to know about it."

"Again with your formal formalities, Cter," Idyll scoffed as a chuckle as she took the letter in her outstretched hand with less of a stunned gasp which Cter had expected. It meant that the excitement of it won over in her friend though, so the Monster Mage was fully content with her wrong guess. "Of course I'll read it to you. You've experienced him as your brother too, remember? It would be rude to deny the part of you that's me. If it's too much for me to read out loud I'll just let you read it afterwards, alright?" With her pinky claw that looked considerably sharper than the rest of her claws Idyll sliced the wax symbol featuring the upside-down soul and unfolded the contained letter to read it. Three times she had to unfold it.

Her eyes narrowed and opened as she made her way down the many lines that were visible through the written-upon paper. While Idyll's eyes ran from side to side her mouth angled just as much in a myriad of directions. Closed with her lips pouting, jutted to the side with her lips dragged in, opened just briefly before closing shut hard. At the end Idyll looked over the head of the letter's letterhead to her Monster Mage friend sitting on a wooden chair of monster-make eating as quietly as possible as to not disturb. "Looks like Sarbor's been working hard." She returned her eyes to the middle of the letter to reread. "He writes about how he's been making progress about the disease which took our parents."

It surprised Cter that there weren't really a lot of emotion in Idyll's voice. What she said were more statements of the content of the letter rather than anything else, like the feelings behind the words.

Idyll's hair slid off the back of her head and cascaded down her cheeks, flanking the paper in a bright veil that reflected the sun shining through the opened window. "Something about having found a remedy, but also that while developing that he's come to think that it's not spread via miasma."

Wait, what? Not via miasma? Cter caught herself leaning forwards after hearing that. "What does he mean by that?"

"That there might be something else to the epidemics rather than just bad air and miasma." Idyll turned the letter just to check if there was something on the backside, but there wasn't. "Nothing solid just yet, but a hunch of sorts from studying the diseases on the second floor?"

"There is a three-storied house up on Clinic Hill," explained Cter to her friend's unknowing furrow. "On the second floor there exists miasma of the deadliest diseases known."

"Oh..." Idyll's furrow went through an array of emotions. "I...see..."

"For study," Cter clarified, but it did not help much.

After a steadying breath and a vexed shake of her head, Idyll continued. "He's not told Bonny Sallus about it yet."

That had both Cter's eyes and sleeve perking up. "Not told Bonny?" She looked down onto her sleeve as if waiting for it to say something. "That's strange. Bonny usually shares everything he knows with his apprentices. Why not the reverse? That seems a bit rude in a sense?"

The top of the letter bent down as Idyll pointed it towards Cter's sleeve. "You'd know about that better than I would." With a quick flick she straightened the paper back up again. "And also he writes later here a bit further down about you, Cter."

That could've been either bad or good. "In which way?"

"The way that has him writing that you softened your eyes the same way I did when we last spoke about our parents together. The angry leer that didn't want to be angry. The same look I gave him when he told me that he'd chosen to help the world rather than help me, his little sister. A sacrifice that he so desperately prayed would hurt him more than it would hurt me, but in his heart of hearts he knew that it hurt me more than he could ever imagine. You looked at him the same way, Cter. A way he'd never forget, or ever be forgiven for."

Oh…

"Which is understandable since," Idyll shrugged, "you know. Same experience and all that."

"Sorry."

"No need to."

"Still wanted to say it."

"I know."

She knew.

"Anyways," said Idyll with a tone that was clear that she wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. She didn't really expect the letter to be about Sarbor planning his trip to see her, Cter figured. Because then he'd just have come along rather than send a letter. It saddened Cter that Idyll didn't feel much about the letter more than just...her being used to it. Used to him being so far away. She appreciated the letter, and would keep it and probably read it again, but she would not weep over it.

She had ran out of those tears way, way back when.

"Apparently Bonny is a bit mired in his ways about the miasma theory. While he's open about a lot there's still a substantial slice of that lot made out of pride within him about the miasma theory. His miasma theory. Bonny can look forward in all regards except that one, and since you, Cter, are getting, or has gotten, his magic with the mission to familiarize yourself with it enough that you can change his magic..."

As Idyll inhaled to continue Cter intercepted with her reaction before Idyll could get to continuing. "Your brother wants me to change Bonny's mind while I change his magic?"

Idyll tapped her thumb's claw against her lips. "Between the lines, maybe? What he writes is that he wants you to familiarize yourself with Bonny's magic and emotions to a point where you can help him get through to Bonny. Not convince yourself, but give advice as to how to bring it up to Bonny. Maybe then you can make it up to him about mages."

Okay now! That was pushing it a bit too much!

Idyll agreed to that too. "I'll have to have a talk with him about that when he decides to meet me," she muttered with a couple of waves of the letter to air out the sour tone. "He seems to have understood that you and I are close friends though since he's addressing you directly in the letter or asking me to relay it to you. Guess he predicted that I'd be reading it with you nearby." A brief snicker thinned her lips for a second. "Still knows me to a degree. I'm glad that's the case."

So was Cter for her friend. "Anything more besides me being the retribution for mages in his eyes?" Perhaps even? "Nothing about him actually wanting to meet you? It's what I told him."

"About me wanting to cook for him too?"

Did she? Cter's memories about her visit to Clinic Hill were a bit fuzzy. Some of them had lost detail about what happened exactly. Some were mixed with Bonny's. She would eventually get them sorted out with more usage of her new magic, but at the time with Idyll it was still a bit foggy. "I think so?" Cter said without a lot of confidence behind her words. "Let's assume that I did. Anything written about that?"

"Not really, no. Again this seems to be more about him having an excuse to slink past a letter, it seems. Definitely how it reads. Maybe he saw something in you besides me, Cter? Could've been the me he saw that gave him some trust in you, despite you being a mage. Guess that means that he still values his little sister?"

"Let's assume that as well."

Idyll nodded. "I'd like that." Then she smiled. "I'd like that very much." Her voice began to quaver. "And there I go." And her head fell forward with a deep and quivering exhale. "Cter?" she asked through her first of many sobs. Her friend knew exactly what she meant, and within a second Cter had her arms embracing Idyll as securely as possible.

It took a while for Idyll to become the estranged little sister again. So long had she been her own monster that her old self as Sarbor's little sister had to bubble up gradually. Once it reached her surface though it exploded into a cry that only siblings could summon. "He still loves me!" she coughed over Cter's shoulder. "Sarbor." With a gentle brush Cter moved away Idyll's hair from her eyes so that she could cry freely. "He wants to see me again."

Cter had to make sure Idyll wasn't overwhelmed with emotion though. "The letter, Idyll," she gently reminded as Idyll's hand began to clench. "Do you want me to take it?" If it was destroyed while Idyll was crying with relief who knew how she'd react. Cter wasn't gonna take that chance. The cry would do nothing but good for Idyll, and Cter had to make sure about that. "I'll put it here on the pillow." It rested easily on the soft pillow without even a dent in it while the combined weight of Idyll and Cter sank deep into the mattress. "Now you can cry."

And Idyll did. Her hands balled together on Cter's back as she lost control over her weight. The light from the sun was drowned by the heavy strands of Idyll's hair wettened with tears flowing over and around Cter. It was...too much.

It was too much for Cter to handle. Too much weight! Her back and spine began to bend awkwardly underneath the weight of Idyll. "Idyll," Cter forced out in a strained exhale. "Idyll that's too much." The rush of relief up Cter's back was cold and refreshing as Idyll leaned back. "There, there. This I can handle."

"I've lost track of how long it's been." Each syllable had Idyll's jaw chafe against Cter's neck. She'd weather it though. "I lost track even more when I met you, Cter." Despite the choice of words the tone was uplifting. Hopeful. Thankful. "I could think about something else and not have it feel like I was betraying Sarbor while doing so. I could cook for someone else."

"You could experiment on someone else, you mean?" replied Cter with a chuckle. She felt that it was good to snark a bit. Show Idyll that things were okay.

"Your mouth's gotten smarter too," Idyll chuckled back with a soft buff of her head against Cter's. "You're a sister to me, Cter. I hope you know that."

Of course Cter did. Idyll was as a sister to her too. It had been a feeling without words. It wasn't needed to be said. It was saved between the two for when it was needed. "In both my heart and my soul, Idyll." And there couldn't be any more needed time than that.

"In my heart and soul too, Cter."

Two worlds, one family.

Although the line between those worlds had been blurred to the point of not being able to tell the difference sometimes.

Just like the blurred white underneath the stewed stain on the bed next to Cter and Idyll.

It took until the smell managed to sneak up between the two that the two sisters in soul and heart detached from their hug and looked down. "Oh..." they said in unison.

And the moment was over. Not that it was cut short, but it was a good reason for it to be over. Whether or not it was good in a good sense though was up for debate.

"Fang Shuey's gonna be pissed."

A debate which Cter shattered immediately.

"Oh no, I didn't notice," Idyll said with her hands cupping the end of her muzzle. "I'm so sorry. I said that I wasn't gonna spill." Her otherwise-friendly-mixed-intimidating presence was wiped away completely leaving only a little sister accidentally spilling stew all over the white bed. She bounced back away from the stain like it was poison, which only had the cut celery and broccoli jump with joy and fling dots of soup and stock further away. "No! I didn't mean!"

"Just move slowly," recommended Cter while gently shifting her own weight. "Freeze it when you're off the bed and I'll pull it away with stasis." She rolled backwards over the edge of the bed, landing in a deep squat on the floor below with her mantle dramatically flapping behind her as she landed. With her hunkered stance peering over the edge of the bed as if she was measuring the flatness of the carpentry Cter waited for Idyll to even more slowly make her way off the bed. The dense floor still shook as she rolled off with all of her weight. "Alright, you freeze it, Idyll." Cter's ice magic at the time was more in terms of constructing intricate ice cubes to explore how detailed she could make them as a limit test of her abilities. She barely remembered how to make something as basic as a flurry of cold.

Not that it was too trivial for her proud and noble Monster Mage magic.

But because she'd been so high up for so long that the ground gave her vertigo for being just her length below her.

Idyll, on the other hand, her other hand, made the flurry of cold look effortless and devoid of any inverse-vertigo-induced sweats. The stew froze immediately into a cold solid with some gentle plumes of frozen smoke reaching up from the pile. It glimmered beautifully in the sun, but Cter couldn't really appreciate it for long otherwise it would melt again and make an even worse mess.

Having to carefully separate the soup and vegetables from the fabric of the bed cloth was enough of a mess. While Fang Shuey would appreciate the gesture it was still necessary for the fabric to be cleaned. Although Cter probably saved it from being discarded fully with Idyll and hers magic. She deposited the frozen pile into the pot with a crashing clonk while Idyll reached over to get the bowl and the letter.

"Do you want me to request something for you to keep the letter in, Idyll? Perhaps a safebox of sorts? Just ask and I'll get something for you."

Idyll shook her head. "I'm fine, Cter. I'll figure something out about it." She held the letter out for Cter to see the rather-awful writing. "Did you want to read it yourself first?"

Cter was quite familiar with reading chicken scratches from her grandma's writing, or crow's feet, as her father preferred to calling Romrom's handwriting, but a doctor's penmanship was too much for her. Idyll was probably familiar with Sarbor's style before he became a doctor so that must've been why she could still read it. How many of her reactions during reading was her trying to parse the words and sentences and how many reactions were to the meaning of said written words and sentences Cter would never find out. "I'm good," she respectfully declined with a nod. "I promised Sarbor I wouldn't read it, so I'm not gonna. If I'm gonna get on his good side I should begin with that."

"Fair enough," declared Idyll before folding the letter into the middle of her journal. "Just let me know in case your curiosity has you breaking that promise."

"Will do."

"You know," Idyll began as she made her way to the opened window. She leaned outside it with her head pointing towards the where the sunset would begin in a couple of hours. To where Xoff laid. The wind played with her hair in such a way that Cter cursed the lack of a portrait artist in the room. It would easily had been worthy of being hung among the previous kings and queens, if not being awarded a room all by itself. The way the strong and golden rays weaved through her bright hair like glittering braids had Cter both awestruck and jealous to her very core. Her hair would never be that beautiful.

She was very happy that her friend had it though. Even if a lot of the glitter was due to the greasy vapors thick in the Royal Kitchen it was still a sight to both behold and remember.

"I do wish him the very best, my brother." Idyll's teeth gleamed with a different texture to their reflecting sunlight luster as she spoke. As her scaled lips came down to cover her teeth the room seemed to darken. "Just a short while now. I can feel it."

Cter had some suggestions to that. "Time to preheat the oven then? Sharpen the knives?" She sat down on the monster-made chair at her human-made study desk. "Gotta be ready."

Idyll nodded, as did her flowing hair behind her. "Gotta be ready."

The two friends sat in silent for a long while just enjoying the quiet time they afforded the other. It was nice.

It was really nice.

It was nice enough that they did not mind the knocking on Cter's door interrupting the moment. It was nice enough to not have that sour the moment.

"It's unlocked," Cter informed the knocker. It was really rather strange that people still dared to knock on doors considering that one in the castle moaned seductively when knocked on. Really weird.

But not weird enough to spoil the moment!

The one at the door was Kry, who entered his tall and imposing frame through the human-sized frame with not but a slight negative space around his head and shoulders. "King Asgore has requested your presence at the Royal Garden, Cter," he informed with both hands behind his back underneath his long, purple cloak. His glasses slid down a bit as to his surprise he found Idyll sitting in the stone window filling it out as much as he did the door frame. "Miss Fech," the First Monster Mage addressed as he pushed up his golden glasses and let them settle back where they belonged. "Seems like you were telling the truth after all." The First Monster Mage still kept one eyebrow raised in suspicion despite the physical proof. "I'll inform Sir Gerson about this then." With his raised eyebrow lowering to join his other lowered and slightly graying one he bowed gently to Cter. "Would you kindly, Cter?"

"Why does King Asgore want to see me?"

The question struck a nerve at Kry. His otherwise-soft flair to his sharp facial structure hardened like thorns. "It is a Royal Summon by King Asgore himself, Cter," Kry emphasized through his gritted teeth. "You do not ask why. You don't ask at all. You simply follow me to him."

Alright, alright. Spoiled the moment and all that. "Can I instead ask what you'll be informing Sir Gerson about?" Cter inquired as she hoisted herself up standing. "Something about Idyll?"

Kry nodded with mechanical precision. "Miss. Fech has been supposedly cooking a lot of private meals for you, Cter. Even during the time when you were gone in Xoff." He presented his last sentence like it was incriminating evidence in a trial, but it quickly deflated with his exhale which he tried, but failed, to not to have sounding disappointing.

Cter glanced over to Idyll who had lost all color in her scales. "I needed them."

"For what?" replied Kry instantly.

"My new magic."

Kry's gaze was hard and difficult for Cter to hold against, but she managed. Kry admitted defeat by turning around and walking down the tower hallway. The large, white Delta Rune on his back was the last to leave the door frame suddenly agape in his absence.

Cter took the opportunity to angle Idyll's stunned posture and figure inwards the room. "I'll see if I can't mention you, Queen Toriel, and Krygino's tavern to King Asgore while I'm talking to him, I suppose." The blue monster's joints creaked like wood girders about to shatter and splinter. "Scream into a pillow, why don't you?"

The door barely had time to close before a muffled yell filled the tower.