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."

dare say that out loud. Elverly might actually bite my head off if I did. "It's good to see you, Lisa," the

it'd be the safest place for me while Ava

yes. It's always important to step away from

to change the subject, I

working on? Looks like some kind

I'm developing a communication device. Something smaller

I lean in, genuinely

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 tech

11:34

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Would a

do you mean by

face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device that anyone can use,

Yes. Obviously that's what that means. "Right.

"We gnomes have

work with

shift. But that doesn't necessarily translate to an ability to manipulate other forms of magic. It's a bit like

They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that

Grand Sage picks up his pencil 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 radio waves, but powered by a

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."

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

come by in our current situation. And then there's the matter of testing and refining the design. It's a delicate