Time Warp: I Can Speak 6 Languages (Eli, Mii, Wil)

[Event !]

Training is everyone's favorite class! Except when the little runt who hasn't hit puberty before he graduates gets placed with your group.

[Willow Kovacs]

Tick.. tick.. tick.. tick.. tick.. tick..

The subtle sound of the second-hand twitching by on the plain clock was only accompanied by the occasional sound of flipping pages, and the steady hum of the air conditioner blowing a cool draft from the vents in the ceiling. A teenager sat in a lone chair, legs crossed, book balancing on her outstretched hand as her brown eyes scanned the text, drinking in the words. She tucked a lock of long, black hair behind her ear and continued to read, eyes only flickering up momentarily to study the hands on the clock. Two minutes past one. They were late.

Group training was not Willow's favourite class. In fact, it was something she dreaded whenever it came up. Not so much the training, no, she was headstrong about her training and did whatever it took to master her painful and complicated ability. But working with Midori... That was painful. The girl was actually probably fine... for anyone else. But in the raven's eyes, she was clumsy, and ditzy, and couldn't keep up with the elder. Not only would she have to be facing the younger, less experienced shifter, but also her own sort of rival. Elijah, a thirteen year old a grade above her. With the capability of all human knowledge. Oh how Willow envied him - what she could do with that sort of knowledge, with that power. Her eyebrows knitted as her concentration was lost from the text. A tight line formed from her mouth as she glared into the pages of the innocent book. No one chose their powers, and for some people it was a curse. That didn't mean she had to like the boy.

He was scrawny, too. Which made it all the easier to find flaws with him. Thirteen, without a growth spurt or his voice dropping, he was awkward and out of place in the sea of high school seniors. She had a few classes with him, advanced placement courses and such, and he always looked like the black sheep. Secretly, Willow was just glad she wasn't the only one left out anymore, even if she wasn't friends with the other outcast.

The door clicked, the teen didn't even look up from her book as she said tightly, "You're late." To whomever had entered the training room.

[Midori Hawkins]

Group training wasn’t exactly Midori’s favourite class, either. Though she loved her power, practicing always made her feel, well... inadequate. Why? Because she was often paired up with Willow Kovacs. Two years her elder, and utterly terrifying at times. And today of all days, she had the sinking feeling that she was going to be terrifying. Even on a normal day of training, Willow had a habit of making the young shifter feel two inches tall. She couldn’t always get the form she was aiming for on the first try, nor could she reverse the shift every time.

But today, Midori was running late. It wasn’t completely her fault. She’d been told to go and get one of the younger students, Elijah Morrison, to train with them. Why, she wasn’t sure, but she’d gone and tracked him down. He was a shy, gangly little thing, just a year younger than her, and cute, in a sweet sort of way. At least he hadn’t put up a fight when she’d collected him, and now she had him... well... now it was time to face the wrath of her classmate. And that was a scary though. She knew Willow took training seriously, and being late wasn’t exactly an option. She knew that, too, as she hurried through the hallway with Eli in tow (that had been fairly clear between them, he’d prefer to be called Eli). Please don’t be there, please don’t be there...

Yeah. Willow was there. Mii winced when the older shifter spoke. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, Willow. But I had to go and get Eli...” She trailed off, because it didn’t sound like a good enough excuse. “Can we just, um... forget about that and practice?” She was careful not to make eye contact with Willow, because if she did, she’d probably just get her into a worse mood. “Please?” The latter was tacked on in a half hearted near-whine. She had no hopes of actually getting Willow to agree, but she could try.

[Eli Morrison]

'Apparently, they don't know what to do with me.' Eli pondered this as he followed Midori, a year older and several years behind him in school. Honestly, there was no practical purpose served by putting him in with the shapeshifters, unless the powers-that-be were entertained by the thought of him being swallowed whole by a giant lizard woman, while a puppy watched.

Yeah, Eli didn't have a very high opinion of Willow either.

But he liked Mii well enough, so he trotted to keep up with her. They didn't talk, but he knew what was on her mind: they were late to the training session. And of course, Willow was already there. Because it wasn't going to be hard enough to figure out a way to train with the two shifters.

Eli caught the wince Mii made when she tried to stand up to the older girl, and was reminded very much of himself, as he had been when he'd been living with Richard. He'd never been able to do anything right to please his stepfather, and maybe that was why he disliked Willow so wholeheartedly.

"Sorry," the boy mumbled, then pulled off his backpack to rummage around inside it. It was heavy with books he'd taken out of the library, and planned on returning shortly, once he finished them. He saw no point in buying books, as he had very little need for them after reading them once. "I...I could read, and when one of you needs a rest? Um, I could recite it back to you?" He was nervous and uncomfortable around the other students, and he often felt like there had been some mistake and he shouldn't be there at all. So when he spoke, he sounded more like a nervous, not-particularly-bright child. (What he wouldn't give for his voice to break, finally. Eli thought he sounded like a little girl.)

[Willow Kovacs]

Brown eyes flickered up to give the two younger students an eerie stare. It was bothersome, that they continuously stuck Willow with children of completely different skill levels than herself. Was she meant to train them? She was nearly certain that Midori had already requested another training partner, and the raven couldn't have cared less. In fact, she hoped that request went through and she was landed with someone who possessed a similar skill level to herself. She listened to the two stutter out their excuses with an expressionless face. The book she held in her hand was snapped shut as the girl plead they forget her tardiness and just continued with the training session. Standing slowly, Willow let out a long breath and gave the girl a quizzical look, "Yes. Let's." Her voice was chilled, a biting sort of dominance in the tone.

She placed the book on the desk, leaning against it as she studied the children in front of her. The baby-faced genius and the stuttering kitten. Excellent. Closing her eyes momentarily, she resisted the urge to sigh loudly. Elijah didn't really help with his suggestion. Her eyes opened, she gave him a weird look. "That's... useful," The sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Don't you have any other training? At all?" She shook her head. Even basic self defense he should know. "Are you even useful in combat? What if you're attacked? Can you use your brain to figure out how to get out of that sort of situation?" She rolled her eyes, letting out a long breath. Exasperation, and they've only been in the room for a few minutes.

"Okay. Do what you think is fit. If you come up with some sort of offensive tactic, tell us so we can try it." Willow spoke with horrendous conviction, acting toward him like the child he was. Turning her attention sharply to Midori, she rose her eyebrows. "Have you practiced this week?" The raven said in a tone that suggested she believed that the younger hadn't. "Let's see if you can change to something a bit more... practical than a bloody kitten." She said the last part more to herself.

She despised these training periods with an undying passion.

[Midori Hawkins]

Really, Mii would have been happier in any other group than having to work with Willow. The older girl was downright scary, especially when she threw the eerie stare at them. She dropped her gaze from Willow’s, and she winced a little when the older student snapped her book closed. She had the feeling that this meeting wouldn’t have been any different if they’d been on time. Willow never seemed happy to see her, though Mii was never, ever sure if it was a personal dislike, or just because she was older, and more experienced, being put with someone younger and less experienced. Whatever the reason, she knew Willow wasn’t fond of her, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t fond of Eli, either.

Really, she thought Eli’s suggestion was perfectly fine. She’d trained with several other students, all with different powers. All it took was a little flexibility, and the group training went fine. But since she’d been paired with Willow, well… group training wasn’t so much fun anymore. But she was just fine with that idea. She was even about to tell him as much, when Willow spoke up. Though she’d been facing Eli, ready to tell him he had a good plan, she whirled to face Willow, looking surprised. Not all the powers were made for battle. “Willow!” Though the older student scared the hell out of her, she couldn’t exactly let this go. “Don’t… don’t be mean to him.” Eli hadn’t done anything wrong.

And then Willow’s attention was back on her. Mii glanced up at her, biting her lip. Had she practiced? Of course she’d practiced! She’d done really well the other night in holding her shift, and she’d even managed to shift back when she’d thought about it hard enough. “Yes. I practiced.” The second comment made her scowl a little. ‘Kitten.’ She sighed softly. “Puppy,” she mumbled, though it was quiet. Correcting Willow was never a good idea, and she knew that. Still, she stepped away and put down her backpack. It wasn’t her fault her shifting form was a fluffy little puppy.

Which was exactly what she shifted into. She hated the feeling of her bones shifting and shrinking, but in just moments, a little brown and white puppy nosed its way out of the pile of jeans and hoodie Mii had been wearing. She trotted to Eli’s desk, sitting by his foot with her tail wagging, and her head cocked to look at Willow. There was a slightly smug expression on her furry face. See? She could do this.

[Eli Morrison]

It would have bothered Eli immensely if he had known exactly what Willow was thinking. As it was, he assumed that she looked down on him for being small and terrified, while disliking that he'd jumped from the fifth grade to his senior year in high school since his powers manifested, only a little over a year ago. But he had an excellent grasp of his powers as they stood, and would have been offended had he known that Willow didn't think he did. His skill level was advanced for his age, thankyouverymuch.

The older girl's critique of his abilities didn't help things much either. The more spoke, drowning her words in sarcasm, the smaller he felt. What was the use of a bookworm? All he could do was remember things, and apply theories. If he ever was attacked, the best thing he could do was run away. And if he was exposed to combat...well, hopefully he'd read something about military strategy that would apply? Of course he didn't have any other training! This was his power, and it was all he could do with it. His chin wobbled as he tried to keep it together, but it did help when Mii stepped in. She didn't even know him too well, but there she went, defending him.

Of course, that meant that Willow turned on her, which wasn't cool at all. Eli wanted to say something, but he didn't know what would help and what would hurt. But Mii seemed to handle herself just fine, and shifted her way into... a puppy. It was all he could do not to crouch down and start petting her, but that would be weird, as she was still Mii and he didn't touch her when she was human, so why would he do it now? He smiled at her and then shrugged at Willow. See? Maybe she was underestimating the younger ones.

[Willow Kovacs]

Willow's eyebrows knitted as she stared down at the younger girl across the room. Her sharp comment had caught the elder slightly off guard - the girl was small, and clumsy, and they rarely spoke. And she had the distinct feeling that Midori was terrified of herself, which didn't quite bother her so much, but made for quiet group training sessions. Her eyes shifted between the two as the room was subjected to a choke hold of silence. She nearly sneered as she finally pushed away from the table and approached the younger students. "Listen here," She began with authority, "If you think I'm being cruel, I'm just fine with that. But he needs to know something - there are a lot of bad people in this world." Her eyes slid over to Eli as she spoke. "A lot of people that will want to take advantage of us because of our abilities. It is absolute that we know how to defend ourselves if ever the occasion arises where one might be trying to harm us." She spoke with conviction, looking down at the two with steely eyes. "Every ability comes with the means of learning a defensive or offensive tactic. Even Elijah's. Figure it out." Willow spat out the last bit, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

It was the quiver of his jaw that caught her eye, causing her eyebrows to pull back momentarily in slight surprise. She... nearly made him cry? Tilting her head to the side, she looked at him quizzically. He was a adolescent boy, of course he was hormonal enough to cry, but to think that she had actually been that harsh on him was slightly baffling. Willow hadn't seen anything too terrible in what she had said. A sharp huff as she spun on her heel and returned to the table she had been seated at only minute before. She snatched up the thick book and stalked up to the short boy, shoving the literature at him. "We'll go with what you said. Read it, give me a synopsis when you're done. We'll see how bloody good you are; I've read it twice." The slight raising of her upper lip in a momentary snarl as she shooed him toward the table, where she expected him to sit quietly and read.

The raven turned her attention back to the small girl, who mumbled out a small, defiant word before her body twisted and contorted into that of a small canine. Willow blinked, "Because that's so much more useful," Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She momentarily pushed her finger to her forehead where a migraine had begun to form from the continuous glaring. "Midori," It sounded almost... exasperated, "This isn't your only form. Test your limits, try something new. Like, oh, I don't know, a bloody horse. Or a lion. Or hell, a kangaroo, I really don't care. Just something other than a puppy." Her voice was forceful and challenging, but it was her job as the eldest of the group to take charge and try to train the younger two. Letting out a short sigh, "I mean, there are countless things you could think of to do with your ability, unlike some people." Willow didn't even try to cover up the stab at Elijah's lack of creativity with his ability.

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori didn’t stand up to others very often. Back home, it was easy. She had her oldest brother to help her stand up to their middle brother. But this wasn’t exactly a normal situation. Typically she’d let Willow walk over her during their training sessions. Willow was older, and more experienced. Why shouldn’t she have the power in the classroom? Well, exactly because of this. If Mii had her way, they’d all train quietly, and that would be that. But apparently Willow had other plans. The young shifter scowled a little at Willow’s retort, but the sneer made her think twice about standing up to her. Nervously, she stepped backwards, but kept herself between Willow and Eli. Though she wasn’t exactly good friends with Eli, she liked him a heck of a lot more than she did Willow. Really, she knew Willow was right. But it still wasn’t right. “Willow…” Her tone was quieter now. Less sure. “I know, but… could you be nicer about it? We’re not all fighters…” Really, she didn’t like the idea of fighting. She was too passive for that.

When Willow cocked her head, looking past Mii’s shoulder, she glanced back, wondering what Eli was doing. He looked upset, and didn’t fly with her. Willow could be mean to her, but Eli hadn’t done anything. (Neither had she, unless existing was a crime, now.) She just watched as the older girl stalked back across the room and shoved the book at Eli. She glanced at him, giving him an apologetic look, and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ at him. Not that it was her fault, but she knew for a fact that Willow wouldn’t apologize.

Really, being a puppy was a comfort thing for Midori. It was the first form she’d ever taken, and there was something familiar about it. New things scared her, because she hurt so much worse afterwards. And she was never sure exactly how to get out of it. She didn’t like to practice new things with Willow around, because if she got it wrong, she’d sure as hell hear about it. Once she’d gone puppy, she glanced up at Willow. But her tail ceased wagging, and a soft whine left her muzzle. She was good at being a dog. She might have considered changing form, had Willow stopped there. But she didn’t. Mii stood up, ready to shift into something else, when her ears caught the subtle insult. She growled, her hackles raising slightly. She’d asked her nicely to be nice to Eli. She hadn’t listened. Her head low, she stalked forward. There was one thing that she really enjoyed about being in animal form. She was instinctively braver. Showing her little teeth, she growled again, coming closer. She wasn’t as scared as she was in human form. Which was why she had the courage to close the distance at nip at Willow’s ankle. It wasn’t particularly hard, but enough to get her message across. … Hopefully.

[Eli Morrison]

Eli gnawed on the inside of his lip as the older teenager looked down on them and lectured about being prepared. He knew about the rampant anti-meta sentiment, hell, in the short time between discovering his power and the recruiter coming to take him away to Hammel, his stepfather had....well, he'd rather not think about the things Richard had said. He didn't have to live there any more, he was safe.

And that was the thought that gave him enough courage to squeak out, "Eli." He didn't go by Elijah, not ever.

Her stare made him step back, however, even more self-conscious, despite having Mii stand between him and Willow. Was there anything he could do right? At least he wasn't actually crying. (He had decided that he wasn't going to cry any more than the necessary, natural tears that lubricated the eyeball. It was impractical, and it made him seem even more like the child everyone thought he was.

Eli accepted the book from Willow, nodding silently. He could do this easily. He managed a small smile at Mii, when she turned to him and mouthed "sorry." He mouthed back, "Thank you," happy that she actually had tried to stand up for him, which he felt was a bit outside of his own capabilities. At least at the moment. Or when Willow was in her lizard form. (He hadn't seen it yet, but he had heard. Oh, he had heard.)

The boy had almost settled back with the book when Willow had slipped in her little insult. It shouldn't bother him as much as it did, because it really was just a one-note ability. All he could do was learn things and remember them.

But when the puppy trotted forward and nipped at Willow's ankle, he had to do something. Mii had been standing up for him, after all. So he put down the book and darted forward, before wrapping his arms around the little dog and pulling her close to him. He hadn't thought this through, he was in no position to stand back up, but he was a human shield, which was something.

Hopefully something more significant than a bookworm.

[Willow Kovacs]

Her arms crossed beneath her chest, head tilted to the side, eyes slitted with a look lacking amusement. "I don't expect him to be a bloody fighter. I expected him to know how to take care of himself." Another stab at his age, she glanced off toward him momentarily. Obviously he hand heard her comments from the tenseness he showed as he attempted to continue scanning the large text at abnormal speed. The sound of tiny claws padding against the tile floor brought the teenager's attention back to the small dog making its way toward her. Arching an eyebrow, she drew her head back a bit, wondering what the younger was doing. The tiny white fangs bared, a small, barely menacing growl escaping the small canine's muzzle. Her eyebrows shot up when she realised what the girl was about to do, but didn't draw back quickly enough to avoid the nip at her ankle.

Really, it didn't hurt. Not with Willow's high pain tolerance, or even to a regular person it would hardly be above startling. The small teeth of Midori's other form couldn't do much damage, she doubted it could even sufficiently draw blood. But it was the meaning behind the bite that made Willow's shoulders tense, her jaw lock and eyebrows knit in a glare. As Elijah very chivalrously trotted over and scooped the tiny dog up, her annoyance only increased. Midori hadn't even stood up to her before this moment; they had a perfectly content relationship of Willow's superior attitude and the younger's submissive attitude. They learned sufficiently, and never spoke outside of these sessions. But then the boy genius had to join, and suddenly the girl was a bloody vigilante. The brunette hadn't even shown ability to shapeshift into something of real use - for all they knew, the only thing she would ever succeed in was entertaining small children when they were upset. Her anger flared as she stared at the two, the boy quivering slightly, the dog's ears laying flat against her head.

Elijah must have heard stories. People talked in this school - everyone had to know at least something about their classmates. Willow was widely known for being dominant and bitchy. She didn't care for this title. She didn't care for friends, or for parties, or for someone to ever come over and defend her when things got bad. Because she couldn't expect that out of people, not ever. A low hiss from the back of the raven's throat, her shoulders pulled back, menacing glare on her face. She suddenly snapped forward - the shift took mere seconds, bits and flashes of pain shocked through her system as her skin pulled, jaw lengthened, bones grew and shifted. Willow's transformation had always been painful - it was just a matter of dealing with that sort of pain. Her reptilian form was... big. Not even fully grown yet, and it was nearly six feet tall. With long claws, sharpened teeth and a swishing tail, she made for one terrifying lizard. Her feet were loud as she dodged around the two, wrapping around them to encircle them with her tail. The yellow eyes were slitted, the wide jaw tight with frustration. She stood at Eli's level, putting her weight on her arms as she watched them with unblinking eyes. A growl from the back of her throat, her voice sounded scratchy and lower in this form as she hissed out, "I will not tolerate mutiny. It is against school rules to assault another student, no matter how small." Her eyes went swiftly down to stare at the girl intently. If they were perceptive, the two could probably pick up the ulterior motive - she was... sort of jealous of the sudden relationship that had grown between the two younger students. But mainly, she was pissed they were challenging her authority.

The large reptile straighted on her back legs and took a few steps away from the students before her structure contorted and twisted back into that of the normal sixteen year old's. There was a certain cracked structure to her skin now, small, deep scratches up the visible flesh on her arms from her transformation. A scowl remained on her features as she studied the scrapes. There was a long pause of silence in which Willow stood with her back to the two. Finally, she huffed again, looking sharply back at the two, "I apologise for my outburst. It was uncalled for," The words were spoken with a tight voice, strained as Willow never liked to admit she was wrong, in anything she did. "... Elijah, I'm sorry for hurtful words. Please continue with your... training." Eyes shifting over to Midori, a flash of undetermined emotion showing on the teen's face.

"I can put in a request for a different group for future training session, if you wish. For now, I suggest we finish this session as quickly and efficiently as possible." She just wanted to leave.

[Midori Hawkins]

Mii had known that biting Willow was a really, really bad idea. But the insults and poking she was tossing so easily at Eli made her feel... not exactly maternal, but something along those lines over Eli. She’d watched her brothers guard her from bullies at the playground when she was younger, and this was no different. Only this time, it was her trying to protect someone else. It felt odd, yet in her transformed state she didn’t have to own up to the blush she’d be sporting. It was easier to be brave as an animal. Their expressions were harder to read.

She only wanted to protect Eli because he was a sweet kid. He didn’t need to be exposed to Willow’s attitude. But it hadn’t worked, obviously. She was fool to think that she could make a difference, much as she tried. One on one, she didn’t have to worry. She could take Willow’s criticism and deal with it on her own. So it was a surprise when she felt arms around her, pulling her close to something warm. She made a small, surprised sounding woof and struggled for a moment before she realized that it was Eli with his arms around her. That was enough to calm her for a moment, enough to wag her tail twice.

Then she realized why he’d grabbed for her. She could see Willow (so much bigger than herself, even before she shifted into that... thing) moving, and she knew that look. It made a little shiver pass through her body, and despite her desire to protect Eli, she found herself pressing her little furry body against his, a little whimper escaping her muzzle. Willow’s other form scared her. It had scared her since she’d first met her classmate. And when she was this small, it made it that much worse. As Willow circled, Mii twisted in Eli’s grip to try and watch her, and was surprised when the lizard was right in their faces. Though what she growled out was true, it didn’t make the little shifter sorry. Not in the slightest.

Thank god when she finally pulled away. Mii felt like she could breathe again. Looking back at Eli, she gently licked his arm before squirming in a silent request to be put back on the floor. If Willow wanted her to practice, she’d practice. As soon as the boy let her go, she stalked across the classroom, back to her clothes. She gave them both a pointed look before shifting back (she never could tell if it hurt worse to shift into something else, or back into human form) and hurriedly got dressed again. With her gaze lowered to the ground, she came back into the grouping. At least Willow apologized. Mii crossed her arms and glanced up at the older student.

“I’m sorry for biting you.” (Was it just her, or did that sound... strange?) But she still wasn’t ready to entirely forgive her, so she glanced at Eli with a little smile before turning back to Willow. “What do you want me to try, then? Give me a different animal.” At least they were back to being semi-civil?

[Eli Morrison]

When Mii first struggled, he loosened his grip so she could slip away if she wanted to, but when she wagged her tail, he almost smiled. Eli liked dogs, even if he had never owned one himself. He'd just always been fond of them, and this helped.

But, of course, the situation wasn't conducive to him smiling.

At first, Eli kept his head ducked, as if anticipating receiving a blow, and bracing himself for the impact. But it didn't come, and so he looked up, only to be face-to-face with the lizardwoman. His eyes went wide, and he instinctively held the whimpering Mii closer to his body. He was afraid, moreso than he had ever been since coming to Hammel, and absolutely more than he ever thought he would be, now that he was in a school for people like him. And her words chilled him. Even though it was logical that she was referring to Mii and her brave, if stupid attempt to protect him, he couldn't help but feel that Willow was talking about him. Small, weak, young him.

But then as suddenly as the frightful sight had begun, it ended. Eli looked away when she transformed. It didn't look pleasant, and it seemed like a private matter.

He also turned his back as soon as the dog looked at him, blushing madly. It was bad enough that they put him with two older students who had powers so incredibly dissimilar to his own. It was bad enough that it was nearly impossible for him to even prove his training, unless he recited something or took a comprehension exam. But putting him with older girls, one of whom shifted out of her clothes was a bit much for him. He had the sudden realization that he'd been holding Midori while she was naked, which was just weird. Even weirder than her apology for biting the other girl.

When Willow addressed him, he nodded. Even if she was admitting she was wrong, she still cowed him. "It's Eli." was all he really could say in response.

[Willow Kovacs]

Transforming made her skin feel... creepy. The transformation from a mammal to a reptile wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience - which may have been one of the reasons she continuously pushed Midori to try new forms. She always transformed to a mammal, she wanted to know if she could handle a completely different sort of bodily structure and functions. She pushed her long hair away from her face, pushing her fingers against her forehead. The horrendous feeling was familiar; as if someone had ripped open her skull, pour nails into and shook it around until she couldn't think anymore. She ground her teeth momentarily, willing the migraine away before turning back to the two younger students. Midori still had a slightly defiant air about her, but Willow really just wanted to get this session over with. She could be pissed at her, it was a feeling the raven had gotten used to over the years.

Brown eyes shifted from one to the other, an eerie silence falling over the room as they just stood, a well distance away from each other. A sharp sigh in response to Elijah's small piece - she wouldn't ever call him Eli. Willow had never liked nicknames. She actually found them sort of bothersome, if someone went by names other than their given one. She had always called the students by their first, given names, instead of the ridiculous shortenings or unusual names they gave themselves. (Mainly, she hated all nicknames going with her name. "Willy Wonka" had been one. Creepy.) Glancing back at Midori, she tilted her head momentarily. "Elijah." She said, without a hint of emotion in her voice. "How about you suggest an animal for Midori?"

She was trying to be civil, at least. In truth, Willow hated losing the little control she had over her other form. Not only was she an all around pessimistic person with a short fuse, the lizard had a habit of showing herself when Willow got really pissed off. Luckily, she wasn't subjected to something as embarrassing as losing her clothes when she shifted, unlike most shapeshifters. She hadn't ever really figured that part out, but she wasn't complaining. Her fingers returned to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. On top of losing control, her skin had cracked again, making it bothersome to move. Wonderful day. "Maybe something other than a mammal, yes? You have an extensive mind Elijah, what do you think Midori here would be capable of changing into? It seems she can't go over a certain age or weight class, which we've yet to determine the specifics of..." She trailed off - not even being derogatory or mean with this information. She was just talking by this point.

---

Not that good, I'm afraid. And I just went ahead and assumed they haven't figure out that Midori can't go over 60lbs yet. 'Cause she does still have a few years of school left, sooo... yeahhh...

[Midori Hawkins]

Shifting back to human from a mammal was always... interesting. There was the pain associated with shifting, of bones shrinking, growing, and repositioning. And then there was the fur, which always seemed to leave an itching sensation as it disappeared, giving way to human skin again. But at least she didn’t go into a reptile, like Willow. Nor did she wish to try. She’d seen and heard enough to deter her from trying. Mammals seemed to be Mii’s limit, and she was okay with that. If she tried anything outside of that scope, she got confused, disorientated, and either went back to human faster, or she’d default to her most familiar form – the little brown and white dog.

Mii ran her fingers through her long hair, letting it fall in front of her eyes, as if that would shield her from Willow. She could feel the tension in the room, and though she was part of the cause for that, it didn’t mean she liked it. She didn’t like that Willow refused to call Eli what he wanted to be called. She’d switched gears the second he’d corrected her. Mainly because she wasn’t all that fond of her own name, so a nickname was usually preferred. As long as it wasn’t some strange concoction her brother Zach had come up with. Still, at least Willow was making an effort to include Eli. She turned to look at him, offering a little smile.

But the smile only lasted so long. Willow’s suggestion that she try something other than a mammal made Mii frown a little. “Willow, mammals work. Can’t we stick to them? Please?” The last thing she wanted was to have a shift go wrong, without a trainer here to help. She still didn’t know her limits to her power. So far, she’d managed smaller class animals, like cats, dogs, and once, a rabbit. Nothing huge, and everything she did seemed to be young. Her trainers had a theory that it was simply her age factoring into her shifts, but no know would know for sure until she got older. She glanced at Eli. “I’ll try a new mammal, okay?” Hopefully that would appease Willow somewhat.