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."

help but 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, Lisa," the Grand Sage says, turning to me with

the safest place for me while Ava and Lucas are...

step away from new mates. Wolves don't have the same

I nod towards the papers scattered on the table in front

are you working on? Looks like some kind of

developing a

genuinely curious. "Like a

"Something 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

11:34

<

Lisa: Would a

do you mean

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

"We gnomes have always been

that work with werewolves? I mean, their whole shifting thing is pretty

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 bit like how some humans might have extraordinary physical abilities but no talent for, say, mathematics. They are unrelated. Now, let's

look at his sketches. They're intricate, full of symbols I don't understand

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

but not in the 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, but you don't need to be an electrician to

on."

always surprises me how familiar the gnome is with our human world and its inventions, but I suppose that's why he works on magical technology, trying to

devices, and they're not easy to come by in our