Tangled

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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."

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

safest place for me

step away

the implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered

on? Looks like some kind

Sage's face lights up. "Indeed it is. I'm developing a communication device. Something smaller and more portable than what

I lean in, genuinely curious. "Like a magical

now, and I'm trying to address that. But I'm working with limited options due to our lack of supplies." We're refugees, after all. It's not like we have access to the latest

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Lisa: Would a Watch

do you

pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need

means. "Right.

have always been deaf

table, fascinated. "So, how does that work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting thing is pretty magical,

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 the

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

picks up his pencil again, tapping it against the paper. "The basic principle is to create a network of energy that can carry messages across distances. Think of it like your human radio waves, but powered by a different kind of energy." "Magic," I

magical ability from

on."

that's why he works on magical

to come by in our current situation. And then there's the matter of