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."

couple, though I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might actually bite my head off if I did. "It's good to see you, Lisa," the Grand Sage says,

safest place for me

understanding. "Ah, yes. It's always important to step away

to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on the table

on? Looks like some kind of

"Indeed it is. I'm developing a communication device. Something smaller and more portable than what we

in, genuinely curious.

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 tech or endless resources. "Plus," he continues, "it needs to be independent of magical

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Lisa: Would a

you mean

his pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can

"Right. Gnomes can't use

gnomes have always been deaf to

how does that work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting

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

intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that make

is to create a network of energy that can carry messages across distances. Think of it like your human radio

"Yes, but not in the way you might think. The device itself would be charged with magical energy, but using it wouldn't require any magical

on."

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

Grand Sage sighs, running a hand through his beard. "Resources, mainly. We need certain materials to construct 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