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."

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

place for me while Ava and

Sage's eyes twinkle with understanding. "Ah, yes. It's always important to step away from new mates. Wolves don't have the same deep-seated urges for privacy as humans

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

on? Looks like some kind

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

in, genuinely

like that. 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 tech or endless resources. "Plus," he continues, "it needs to be independent of

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Lisa: Would

do you mean

Sage sets down his pencil and turns to face me fully. "Not everyone in our camp can utilize or sense magic. We need a device

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

have always been

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

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

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

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

energy, but using it wouldn't require any magical ability from the user. It would be like using a

on."

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

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 the matter of testing and refining the design. It's a delicate process. But above all, we would need a way to charge