Ari stared Dolphus down with a puzzled and slightly annoyed look on her face. She finally opened her mouth to respond, when suddenly an unfamiliar voice cut her off.
She started turning to face the owner of said voice as she spoke:
“Ah, so you’re in charge of conducting the repairs?” This was the first time she was able to get a good look at the man. There was nothing too special about his appearance, he looked more or less normal, the only notable thing was the fact that his armour seemed vaguely familiar, even though Ari couldn’t quite remember where she had seen it. However, despite his ordinary appearance, something about his presence didn’t feel quite right, giving her an uncomfortable feeling. Chills went down her spine when an idea appeared in her mind.
She confusedly turned to Dolphus, lowering her voice, but not realising that everyone could still clearly hear her: “Is that what a ghost sailor is like?” She sounded curious, but there were slight notes of disappointment in her voice. If that was indeed a ghost sailor, then ghost sailors were much less exciting than she had imagined them. Even that bandage guy looked more ghostly when she first met him in the forest.
Finally, she recollected herself and faced the ghost sailor, straightening up and clearing her throat:
“It’s impressive that you made the repairs in such a short time.” She didn’t want to admit just how impressive it was. They’ve been away from the beach for what, four hours, and these sailors have already accomplished so much?! Did they never get tired? She continued: “But what makes you think that they’re going to hold? Without any shipbuilding knowledge, how do you know that it all won’t come undone as soon as you set sail?! This is not about the speed, this is about the quality of work!”
Ari was starting to get annoyed. What slights was he talking about? She just stated the facts based on what she had seen.
She grit her teeth. That’s it. He clearly has no idea what he’s saying. What had been slight annoyance moments earlier turned into burning rage. She lashed out:
“Laughable matter?! Most craftsmen wouldn’t even attempt to repair damage like this! Do you know how important a ship’s keel is? The entire vessel is built around this part, and it bears the biggest load in the entire structure at all times. If it’s not sound, then the ship is at risk of snapping in half at any moment! This is why ships with a broken keel get sent straight to the scrapyard, not a shipyard!” She stormed up to Caeseus and was now standing uncomfortably close to him. “You can doubt my skill as a shipwright as much as you want, but don’t you treat this job as if it’s something so trivial. I will repair your keel, and it will hold together for as long as you travel, that I can guarantee, just show me where my tools are at.” Saying this, she threw a glance at Mako.
She seemed to forget that she technically wasn’t allowed to work on the ship until the decision was made by the entire crew, according to Alexis. Her pride as a craftsman was on the line, and she wasn’t about to lose an opportunity to prove her worth.