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."

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.

the safest place for me while Ava and

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

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

Looks

developing a communication device.

in, genuinely curious. "Like a magical

lack of supplies." We're refugees, after all. It's not like we have access to the latest tech

11:34

<

Would a Watch

you mean by

Sage sets down his pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device that anyone can

that means. "Right. Gnomes can't use magic. Or wolf

smiles. "We gnomes have always been deaf to

work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting

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

They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that make my head spin. "So, how exactly would

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

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.

on."

always surprises me how 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

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