"Oh... You're a real mechanic out in the world, huh?" Mel couldn't say she had ever officially held the title. Besides, there weren't really any cars here -- or vehicles of any sort that she saw. Mechanics out in the real world fixed cars. Mechanics here could fix...everything else. It sounded a lot more professional than saying you were the town tinkerer. "Tell you what. I'll relinquish the title to you if we find a car. Sound good?"
Now that the matter of who was what was taken care of, she said, "Actually, I was...really just that bored. But, while I'm in here, I might as well clean it up...if I can get this thing off my lap to get cleaning supplies without breaking it." She paused, admitting readily, "Yeah, my plan wasn't really thought out...like, at all."