Ellie - used to the sudden, darting movements of her familiar and her brother - barely flinches when the small creature in the boys arms bounds across the grass between them and scurries up her leg. And as the animal curls up and begins to snore in her hand, she pulls it close to her body, feeling his little purr-vibrations. All animals should purr, Ellie thinks, and Flo nods her agreement. The cat settles herself, tucking her tail into her body and resting her nose on her paws. There is a sense of calm, of companionship in the air, and as the boy jumps up, a tingle of adventure too.
Ellie, still adjusting to her new life as a smuggler, hesitates just for a second before she shifts her weight forward, towards the boy and whatever that grin on his face means.

He takes the animal, tucks him away in his bag, and turns back to Ellie, a glint in his eyes. Improvisation - Ellie knows all about improvisation, with Draco for a father and Jasper for a brother, she had to improvise more parts of her childhood than not. But it has made her strong, and smart, and so when the boy shifts to wolf-form, his grin settles on her lips. Maybe he hopes to unsettle her, maybe he thinks that there aren’t many shapeshifters in Shaman. And perhaps he’s right, Ellie wouldn’t know - what she does know, is that she’s one of them. (She also doesn’t know how many other powers the boy has, but with Jasper for a brother, she will hardly be afraid of that. She is hardly unprotected, herself, anyway.)

She brushes her hands together, glances at Flo, then twists herself down into her otter form. Chittering, she runs in a few circles, around a growing orb of light. When it is as large as her, she turns her head towards it, and breathes out, freezing the light. It lasts only a few seconds, before the war between the two elements is won by the light, which disperses quickly, running along the ground beneath the group before dissipating entirely. But the trick is neat, and Ellie has been working on it for a long time. Flo rolls her eyes.
Ellie darts towards the wolf, a little unsettled at the size difference, the otter brain sneaking into her own thoughts. But she nips around him, before flopping onto the ground, chittering again.

Your move, she winks.