A stretch of silence came from Nigredo's side of the couch. The boy blinked once, then twice, before his lips tightened into a single thin line. The water in his ear as well as the former conversation vanished from his mind as he realized that, yes, this particular power worked. Almost too perfectly.

Something like a choke finally escaped from the child's lips, only to have it be accompanied by a sound appropriate for this situation: laughter. A good deal of laughter, in fact. The kind that had him leaning back and grabbing his stomach in mock pain.