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."

of an old married couple, though I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might

for me

It's always important to step away from new mates. Wolves don't have the same

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

working on? Looks like some kind

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

I lean in, genuinely curious. "Like a magical

our lack of supplies." We're refugees, after all. It's not like we have access to the latest tech or endless resources. "Plus," he continues, "it

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Lisa: Would

do you mean

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

"We gnomes have always been deaf

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

an ability to manipulate other forms of magic. It's a bit like how some humans might have extraordinary physical abilities but no

nod, leaning in to look at his sketches. They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand and diagrams that make my head spin. "So,

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

with magical energy, but using it wouldn't require any magical ability from the user. It

on."

he works on magical technology, trying to

easy to come by in our current situation. And then there's the matter of testing and refining the design.