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."

of an old married couple, though I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might actually bite my head off if I did.

place for me while Ava and Lucas are...

with understanding. "Ah, yes. It's always important to step away from new mates. Wolves don't have the same deep-seated urges for privacy as

cheeks burn at the implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on

you working on? Looks like some

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

lean in, genuinely curious. "Like a

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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Would

do you mean by

Grand Sage sets down his pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or

"Right. Gnomes can't use

have always been deaf

how does that work with werewolves? I mean, their

manipulate other forms of magic. It's a bit like how

nod, leaning in to look at his sketches. They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that make my head spin. "So,

it against the paper. "The basic principle is to create a network of energy that can carry

you might think. The device itself would be charged with magical energy, but using it wouldn't require any magical ability from the user. It would be like using a flashlight. The electricity makes it work,

on."

familiar the gnome is with our human world and its inventions, but I suppose that's why he works on magical technology, trying to blend the two things. "That makes sense. So, what's the hold-up? Why

to come by in our current situation. And then there's the matter of testing and refining the design. It's a