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."

smile as I watch the Grand Sage and Elverly bicker. 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. "It's good to see you, Lisa," the Grand Sage says, turning to

thought it'd be the safest place for me

important to step away from new mates. Wolves

subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on the table

you working on? Looks like some kind

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

lean in, genuinely curious. "Like

right 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 tech or endless resources. "Plus," he continues, "it needs to be

11:34

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Would a Watch

do you

everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device that anyone can use, regardless of their magical

"Right. Gnomes

smiles. "We gnomes have always been deaf to

table, fascinated. "So, how does that work with werewolves? I mean,

to shift. But that doesn't necessarily translate to an ability to manipulate

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

is to create a network of energy that can

in the way 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, but you don't need to be

on."

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.

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 to