Mabelle was unfortunately aware of the bartering and trading for services, always preferring when she got paid in cash instead... even when she inevitably wasted it on paints and hadn't the foresight to actually save what little was leftover. But then she never was able to get anything she needed from the system either, people pushing off unwanted junk on her and never in much of a position to demand more. "Hopefully they're offering you better things than they gave me," she frowned, but he seemed to be doing well enough for himself despite the times.
"Don't wonder," she disagreed, always admiring his pride. "At least when you know what you want, you don't have to settle. People can't push you around so easily, and you don't end up breaking into houses just so you don't have to spend another night on the street." Maybe she needed higher standards too.
"You think this is bad?" Mabelle laughed lightly, already expecting it to take awhile based on previous experience. Sure it was dirtier than she had ever allowed it to get before, but the tangling was nothing in comparison after trying to take it down from some ridiculous hairdo. "Do you even know what stupid things women did to their hair? They'd completely rat mine out and then powder it and throw feathers and ribbons and pearls and flowers in it. And then I had to sleep on it for weeks until some other stupid style was in fashion and I got to do it all over again." She hadn't complained so much in her life than today alone because it always felt futile, but Mabelle was finally at that breaking point where she didn't really care if it was trivial or offensive.