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."

I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might actually bite my head off if I did. "It's good

be the safest place for me while Ava and Lucas

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

burn at the implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod

on? Looks like

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

I'm trying to address that. But I'm working with limited options due to our lack of

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Lisa: Would a

you

face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device that anyone can

Obviously that's what that means. "Right.

smiles. "We gnomes have always been

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

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.

sketches. They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that

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

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, but you don't need to be an electrician

on."

our human world and its inventions, but I suppose that's why he works on

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