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,

safest place for me while Ava and

eyes twinkle with understanding. "Ah, yes. It's always important to step away from

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

on? Looks like

lights up. "Indeed it is. I'm developing a communication

in, genuinely curious. "Like a

to address that. But I'm working with limited options due to our lack of supplies." We're refugees, after

11:34

<

Would a Watch

you mean

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

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

"We gnomes have always been

lean against the table, fascinated. "So, how does that work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting thing is

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. Now, let's get back to

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

the paper. "The basic principle is to create a network of energy that can carry messages across distances. Think of

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,

on."

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

"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