"Well, that'll be a fun project, when the book comes in. If. And something to put on, like, college applications, too. Magic research, robotics club, building your own engine..."

"Ooh, yeah. We are both going to get into so many colleges. I'm hoping for Stanford or MIT, if I'm really lucky. How about you, if you could get into anywhere where would you go?"

"Somewhere with a good reputation for engineering. I'm not actually sure. I vaguely suspect that Ivy League might be... Overrated."

"Maybe. I think the important thing for how much you learn in college is how hard you try and how good you are at picking classes. But the prestigious places have big research budgets, so it's probably easier to get an engineering lab job there than somewhere else."

"Yeah. And there's also - Do I want to learn a lot? Do I want to have a good college experience? Do I want to have good career prospects? Do I not want to spend a boatload of money? Do I want to get internships and stuff? How do these things weigh against each other? I'm gonna make a spreadsheet this summer, and start applying for every scholarship I can find. Only one year left."

"Yeah, scholarships are important. My parents will take out loans if I get into somewhere really good and really expensive, but I'd rather they didn't have to. I wonder if there are any spirit-bearer scholarships I can apply for along with the essay contests and the women-in-engineering ones."

"I wouldn't know. The internet does, after all, exist, however."

"Yeah. But hey, never mind that, want to go to the junkyard and see if they have any good pistons?"

"Maybe not. Homework's building up, I spent too much time on the genie spreadsheet last couple of weeks."

The junkyard, when she visits, contains a monster. A horrible looking little lizard-dog-thing, two feet high and with far too many teeth. It wanders the stacks of junk, not particularly standing out unless you happen across it.

She's scanning everything for is-it-a-piston and doesn't notice until she's practically on top of it. "Ack!" She says, and jumps backward.

It squeals and runs away a bit, then seems to think again and stops and turns around and hisses.

"Go away! Shoo!" she makes a little jet of flame as a warning.

It runs away.

She tells the junkyard owner about this, in case it comes back.

"Oh, shit. I'd better call the police."

He does that. The police will send a 'bearer to have a look around.

She can stick around long enough to give them a description and tell them which way it went, and incidentally to watch them investigate in case it involves anything interesting. She doesn't really know anything about detective work other than probably-wrong stuff from mystery novels.

Before the monster eradicator arrives, four of the little things come barreling out of the stacks of junk towards them!

"Oh hell - get inside!"

She almost does that, but actually how about instead of a door between her and the things there's a jet of fire between them instead. Also now she has claws. "Go! Away!"

They don't slow down at all. Two go to each side of the fire jet and they all try to bite her.

"Aaah!" Fire out of both hands and into two of their faces and also she'll try to kick that one!

Two of the critters are on fire now and wailing loudly! They barrel into her anyway and knock her off balance.

One is kicked away. The last one gets a bite in on her calf before the junkyard manager throws a crowbar and nails it in the head.

Two on fire writhing, two recovering, and she's on the ground now.

"Ow ow heck you!" How about the one that's not on fire or crowbarred get to being on fire! She tries to scramble to her feet but with one leg missing a chunk and one arm trying to aim she only gets as far as her knees. At least her calf is healing.

The healing is very fast, but not instant. Also, it hurts a lot.

Now three of them are on fire and crowbarred monster is getting back up.

More fire! But only out of one hand because the other hand is grabbing her leg. Grabbing it doesn't actually help, of course, but ow. She really hopes junkyard manager guy has another weapon or something but she's too busy to look.