>>129220She places both hooves near her mouth. She seems to be nibbling on the filter, or otherwise doing
something with that cigarette besides the recommended use. Her eyes are locked on the far wall
"Thank you. That really helps me. I don't have anywhere else to go, and I couldn't afford to strike out tomorrow if I didn't. I need to send a telegram to my mother. I would send a letter but it's slow, I would rather a telegram. But even getting a telegram to the right place through security is difficult. I need to send my mother a telegram and let her know I am still alive. She probably thinks I am dead. She probably had me declared dead a year ago, and distributed all of my stuff to my siblings. What little I had, I mean. I suppose she'll be happy I am alive, but it will be like 'how did you get caught?' and "can you get back to work?' But I am not sure I even can. If I even still have it."
She takes another puff, before finding it doesn't burn. She flips out the lighter, and flicks it one, two, three times before getting a flame that stays. She places it up to the end of the cigarette, just to find that she's smoked it down to the filter - a filter that is chewed and useless anyways. She flicks the filter away, and frantically searches for another cigarette
"Don't give me that load of shit" Strangely, it's like she has only just now started actually talking to Iron, rather than thinking outloud. She finally finds a cigarette in her pack, and pulls it out
"I
know you you think of me as a floozie, or a tramp. You only want that zebra and her jazz. Or something like that. Well I'll tell you. It's about service! It's about serving and living to serve. Whether it's the elderly, or getting the drinks of the rich, or mother!" she jabs her hoof towards Iron, and loses her cigarette in the process. She dives her hoof over next to Iron's body
"And you have to do it, because you know they cannot live without you. So you do it, however
disgusting it is to you. And however inane or boring it may appear to others. Because it gives you purpose."
She pulls the cigarette from near Iron, and immediately begins to try to light it. Though she gets a light several times rather than holding down on the fuel, she flicks it again
"It's much harder than you think just being pretty" She seems to finally remember how a lighter works, and inhales for a
very long time. Then she starts coughing. Loudly.