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."

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 me with a

thought it'd be the safest place for me while

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

implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod

on? Looks like

up. "Indeed it is. I'm developing a communication device. Something smaller and more portable

genuinely curious. "Like a

Communication is 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 we have access to the latest

11:34

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Would

do you mean by

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

"Right. Gnomes can't

gnomes have always

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

Grand Sage 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

intricate, full of symbols I

Sage picks up his pencil again, tapping it against the paper. "The basic principle is to create a network of energy that can

wouldn't require any magical ability from the user. It would be like

on."

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 hold-up? Why isn't it

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