"'You know children and their phases' and pretending you're naturally tall invites the least questions. 'She has sensory issues and this helps' invites slightly fewer or more questions, depending on the person we're talking to. I could possibly rig up some kind of pretend medical prosthesis if you want to pretend to have polio and be in essentially a full-body prosthetic."

"Don't wanna pretend it's medical. Phase or sensory stuff works I guess..." She sounds put out.

"You are technically taller than me now."

"Heh."

"I'd win every tickle fight, too."

"You would."

She slouches, metal clanking.

"Yeah..."

She hugs her sister.

Hug.

"I - "

"I think I'm more okay when I can see you reacting to things, so tickle fights might still be fun, just... I guess they'd be different."

"Nobody stays the same forever."

"Yeah."

She sounds more wistful, at least, less sad.

"...But we'll always have each other. That's a forever."

"Forever and always."

Hug.

"Best sister."

Hug.

She makes a pleased noise.

"Wanna go practice circle-less alchemy?"

"Yeah!"

"Bet I'll get it first!"

"Bet you don't."

She lets go of her sister.

"Race on three?"

"One, two... threego!"

She laughs, clapping her hands together -

The first attempt creates sparks but no visible reaction.

She's quickly on her second attempt, then her third - the third one works, making a misshapen lump more like what they were doing as small children than their current talent -

El takes a little longer on her first attempt, still doesn't get anything.

On her second, she gets a slightly-more-than-vaguely cat-shaped lump.

Which means she beats Bellona by a smidge.

"You're really great at this!" Bellona says with a laugh, keeping going until she's refined her lump to be more distinctly cat-like.

"I'm great at everything. Known fact."

She giggles. "The absolute best there ever was!"

"Don't you forget it."