The engineer looked with gobsmacked bemusement at the terribly rude little girl. Either she didn't have a family, or Foreigners were just bad at parenting. "We're working," she explained, not as shortly as she might have if Sonja were an adult. Foreigner or not, children had to be given some leeway, even one as old as Sonja if they had been so badly raised. "It's delicate. We can't stop just to chat. If you have any questions, ask someone on staff in this building."

With that she turned back to continue setting the goo-globules that would grow into the console's biomechanics with every intention of not turning around again, even if the girl did try to engage her again. Some of the others had glanced up, but none had stopped, and likewise were intent on their tasks.