Penelope offered a small sympathetic smile to Lita. In a way, she looked up to the woman. The surgeon was confident and could handle herself. She had a lot on her plate and somehow managed to power through it all, and more.
But Penelope's smile wavered a little at the mention of the cigarette. She hadn't found any kreteks, but still had other cigarettes in her inventory. Penelope looked down at what was left, remembering Lita's comments and advice over the network. Finally she shrugged and looked back at her, "The odds of this thing bein' what kills me are rather low."
She relaxed, however, when Lita promised to not tell on her. True, if Lita did tell on Penelope, she'd guess that Lita would have to explain why she was up on the roof herself. Penelope's smile grew again, this time reaching her eyes. Moving over to the edge of the building, Penelope sat down on the ledge and tossed what was left of her cigarette over. She watched as it fell and landed on top of a blob. Those things grossed her out.
"Needed a break from everythin' in there," said Penelope. "Sometimes even my optimism can't break through bleak moments like blobs fallin' out of the sky. Everyone is just...understandably scared. And the roof is a good place to just step away for a moment."