Chapter 96 19.2 Dialogue Options?

...

.....What?

"Don't give me that look, stranger! I'm the real deal!"

I almost wanted to do a double-take as I stared down at the kid in front of me. With their short white hair haphazardly bundled under their beret, their child-like stature did little to convince me of their supposed skill. I mean, sure, expecting a kid to be an expert mechanic was just asking for trouble, but I'd like to think that they're actually pretty damn good at their supposed job.

"Look, not that I doubt you, but your word isn't exactly the best gauge of your skill," I calmly explained, doing my best to stay polite despite the chuckles threatening to escape my throat. "How can I be sure that you're the right person for the job?"

As if looking down on me, the kid scoffed as they lifted their nose up to me. It would've been intimidating if it came from someone that towered over me, but their diminutive height just made them look adorable.

"Hah! Is that all?" the kid scoffed, rubbing their nose in their apparent self-confidence. "If I can see it, I can fix it. Anything!"

I raised an eyebrow at their broad declaration. Faintly looking around, I was starting to notice that we were getting a rather sizeable crowd while I was doing my impromptu job interview. I was starting to feel awkward. Meanwhile, this kid acted like nothing was wrong with the world.

And that was on top of their apparent overconfidence. Then again, maybe they were just that good.

"Oh? What's the largest thing you've ever worked on?" I dubiously asked, knowing full well that my question didn't really make sense to ask of someone that obviously never-

"Ya see that gate over there? That's me!"

...What?

"Surprised? That's all me, stranger!" the kid smugly boasted, their arms crossed over their chest as she let her pride out. "Like I said, if I can see it, I can fix it!"

I hummed in deliberation as I placed a hand on my chin. Looking back at the massive archway I just crossed under earlier, I could at least admit that it looked decently solid. It was made of scrap and old boats, of course, but it could always be worse. This was just solidly intact. Not even any sort of rusting or wobbling intact.

"Convinced?" the kid proudly asked.

I raised an eyebrow as I hummed in deliberation. As much as I wanted to believe this kid, the chances of them lying were simply too high to ignore.

"I'd like a more current demonstration," I politely requested. "If I'm going to recruit you, you should know your way around machines."

As if reading my mind, the kid haughtily snorted, puffing up their chest as they grabbed what looked to be a rusty old wrench behind their back. I didn't know why, but I found myself staring at that random wrench for a good while. Why? It was just a wrench.

"Watch and learn then, stranger," the kid scoffed as they walked towards the nearest bundle of scrap available. "With my trusty wrench, I'll make an engine out of this thing!"

I blinked at the incredulous claim this kid just spouted. Really? An actual engine made just from scrap? With just a wrench? "Won't you need a whole lot more tools if you want to make an engine?"

"Hah! I don't need any of em!" they proudly declared. "They'll just slow me down!"

Huh...

Shrugging at the kid's words, I decided to stop questioning the situation as I crossed my arms and waited for them to do their magic. Maybe this was just a kid playing mechanic that I inadvertently entertained. God knows I have a soft heart for random people selling their wares. I still remember the time I got talked into grabbing a dubious insurance plan while walking through the mall. I knew I was getting scammed, but I still allowed it to happen. I needed the insurance anyway, and it wasn't like I can't pay for it. At worst, I get scammed out of a few bucks. At best, I got a cheap insurance policy.

Anyway... where was I...

"Okay, here I go..."

Oh, right.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched the kid wield their wrench like it was some kind of weapon. Granted, it was a weapon, but I wouldn't compare it to an actual gun. Maybe I'd do that to a crowbar in terms of usefulness, but I didn't exactly expect much from a rusty-

"Done!"

-wrench... wait... "What?"

"I'm done," the kid proudly declared, standing up to their full height of 'just below my chest' as they twirled their wrench in one hand. "Told ya it was easy."

Oh? "Let me see then..."

Looking over the kid's shoulders, I spied what was supposedly a bunch of scrap metal lying on the ground. To my surprise, however, the pile had actually transformed into something resembling a small car engine. It was covered in rust and looked like it was about to fall apart, but it was still an honest-to-gods engine.

"Impressed, stranger?"

"Not gonna lie, that's pretty good," I nodded in appreciation. "Does it work though?"

"Dunno."

....

.....Eh?

"I never said I can make it work, ya know," the kid scoffed at me like I was the one in the wrong for expecting it to work. "If it's made of scrap, it'll fall apart no matter how many times I try to fix it."

I blinked at the kid's nonsensical explanation. I... I didn't know what I expected. Did I seriously think that an engine made in five minutes would actually work? Without fuel even?

"Fair enough," I tilted my head in resignation. "Still, how much do you know about engines anyway? And [Rigs] in general?"

For the first time since I met them, the kid actually hummed to themself in thought before they replied. "Engines are just generators. I can fix those easy. As for [Rigs]... Aren't they just fancy big boats?"

Oh boy... "That's... less than ideal."

Once more, to my surprise, the kid did something that I didn't expect from them after having known them for all of half an hour. Their eyes teared up, their hands shaking as they held onto their wrench like it was a lifeline.

"W-Well, it's not my fault I can't read!"

....Uhmm... Okay?

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛