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."

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

place for

eyes twinkle with understanding. "Ah, yes. It's always important to step away from new mates. Wolves don't have the

the implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on the table in front

you working on? Looks like some kind of

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

I lean in, genuinely curious.

a weak point for us 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

11:34

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Would

you mean

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

Yes. Obviously that's what that means. "Right. Gnomes can't

gnomes have always been deaf to

that work with werewolves?

says, his 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,

symbols I don't understand and diagrams that make my head spin. "So,

create a network of energy that can carry messages

"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 ability from the user. It would be

on."

why he works on magical technology, trying to blend the two things. "That makes sense.

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