Tangled

Unshift 311

Unshift 311

311 Lisa: Would a Watch Work?

LISA

"You've gotten fat. Elverly greets me, in that traditionally hateful way of hers.

Does the fact that I missed her toxic tongue mark me as abnormal? Probably. But I hug her anyway, smiling when her body doesn't tense, even as she grumbles at me for touching her without permission.

The rest of the night with Kellan was nothing but awkward silence. Being away from him is a blessing right now. I just keep thinking about how he smelled-yeah. No. Not thinking about that. "I'll ask next time. How have you been?"

Elverly's snort could mean anything really, but I choose to interpret it as I've missed you too.

Maybe I'm psychotic. Or delusional. But I'm pretty sure that's what she means.

"Their food is terrible," she mutters. "Not a cook among them."

"They are refugees from war," says the Grand Sage, sounding rather resigned. "It isn't as though they would gather the kitchen before escaping."

"Food is important, the old gnome woman snaps. "Eating well is an important part of recovery."

""Yes, yes."

an old married couple, though I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might actually bite

for me

yes. It's always important to step away

implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on the table in front of

are you working on? Looks like some kind of

face lights up. "Indeed it is. I'm developing a communication device.

lean in, genuinely curious.

like that. Communication is a weak point for us right now, and I'm trying to address that. But I'm working with limited options due to our lack of supplies."

11:34

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Lisa: Would a

you mean

down his pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device that anyone can

means. "Right. Gnomes can't use magic.

gnomes have

that work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting thing is pretty

question," the Grand Sage says, his eyes lighting up. "Werewolves do indeed have a form of innate magic that allows them to shift. But that doesn't necessarily translate to an ability to manipulate other forms of magic. It's a bit like how some humans might have extraordinary physical abilities but no talent for, say, mathematics. They are unrelated. Now, let's get back to

in to look at his sketches. They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that

Sage picks up his pencil again, tapping it against the paper. "The basic principle is to create a network of energy that can

magical energy, but using it wouldn't require any magical ability from the user.

on."

world and its inventions, but I suppose that's why he works on magical technology, trying to blend the two things. "That makes

the devices, and they're not easy to come by in our current situation. And then there's the matter of testing and refining the design. It's a delicate process. But above all, we would need a way