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."

Elverly bicker. Their dynamic reminds me of an old married couple, though I'd never dare say that out loud. Elverly might

for me while Ava

away from new

implication. Desperate to change the subject, I nod towards the papers scattered on the

you working on? Looks like some

Sage's face lights up. "Indeed it is. I'm developing a

genuinely curious. "Like a magical

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

11:34

<

Lisa: Would

you mean

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

"Right. Gnomes can't use magic.

"We gnomes have

work with werewolves? I mean,

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 get back to the

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

create a network of energy that can carry messages across distances.

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

on."

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

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 the matter of testing and refining the design. It's a delicate process. But above all, we