The Cosmos, The Arrivals, Book 1, Chapter 5, Babs & Tiffany: Dining Room, Backyard Scratch, Bath, Day 1, Section 6, Tiffany Tells Babs: The Life of a Whore ¶ Babs feels badly that she may have overexerted herself when she hears Tiffany ring the Bell a second time and present herself nearby the Back Door Landing ¶ The Cam surveys her muddy face and broad expanse of scr.atched belly and back. And hands and feet. Because Tiffany’s deep flat belly and lower back really are the only parts of Tiffany’s body not covered. Her only skin exposed to the air. Tiffany stretches her arms up in a little dance; the shirt bottom rides up and exposes even more of her ribcage, expanding her belly-up. ¶ Babs appears on the Landing, and gasps as she considers Tiffany’s muddy face and scr.atched belly and back The protection afforded by Tiffany’s clear vinyl shirt and stretch slacks make BB believe, somehow, that maybe these Garments are useful after all. And so she demands them immediately and unthinkingly, almost on impulse. “Strip naked, Pledge. Hand over what you got.” ¶ BB stands and watches awkwardly as Tiffany breaks surrender position and strips. She realizes, {Duh. This is dumb of me. All I am doing is advancing Tiffany’s nudity for the Cam, Automatron, and the Prefecture.} ¶ A naked Tiffany ascends the step to the Landing and extends the transparent top and stretch slacks to her Monitor Boss. “Ma’am, the Garage door is unlocked, and there is van inside. There are seven Posts. And you can see mud on my face.” ¶ Babs blinks, and a wave of guilt engulfs her. “You run upstairs and draw yourself a deep bath. Enjoy it. You deserve it. You’ll find soap and shampoo and bubble bath” ¶ Tiffany feels like scratching her tummy and comparing her scr.atched and muddy parts with the rest of her body. She resists this temptation and darts inside the Back Door. ¶ Gamers know that walking naked from the Bell to the Back Door doesn’t count as a streak, nor does romping anywhere in the Backyard. ¶ Babs feels awkward holding the two Garments, so she drapes them over her forearm and lets air out of her lungs as she discovers the Cam canvassing her own bikini-clad body. She discovers herself pushing her lower lip forward with her tongue, and with apparent leisure follows Tiffany inside. No blush this time. ¶ Monitor Babs hurries upstairs lest Tiffany steal an opportunity to play with herself. She hangs Tiffany’s croptop and slacks in the Bedroom locker, and curls into the Bathroom to join the Bathroom Cam as a naked Tiffany descends into the bubbles, her long red hair up in a knot so it doesn’t get wet in the tub. ¶ Tiffany lounges into the warmth and watches BB sit off to the side as the Bathroom Cam shoots at Tiffany from over BB’s shoulder. Before it settles to rest, the Cam manages to Babs’ beautiful back and spine. Three hooks on her bra back. Collar and shoulder blades. And yes, her dimples and rhombus. ¶ Tiffany will tell any Gamer her life story, but she talks to the lingering Cam as much as she does to BB. She absorbs Babs’ discipline of her for pretending to not recognize Janet—the warm water does soothe her scratches—but also relishes the opportunity to languish for the Cam. ¶ Babs’ curiosity overtakes politeness, and BB queries, “So, what was it like being a Whore?” ¶ Tiffany lets water stream off her shoulders. “I want you to know I was a very classy Whore. I escorted, fucked hotel pickups, and when I was not on the set of a porno movie or visiting the Nugget as a Feature Dancer, I was stationed at the ‘notorious’ Flesh Ranch. It was the most stable of ‘my’ environs—although nothing was actually mine, of course. It’s strange not having your own place. I found security in the work, and I enjoyed the camaraderie with the other Whores and the simplistic business relationships with the Patrons. Line up, get picked out, and get fucked. And I’m a workhorse!” ¶ Impulse drives Babs to ask another question. “So are Whores real or an act?” ¶ Tiffany laughs, “I wish I knew. Yes, Whoring involves the creation of fantasy. Gamers can think of me as a wife, a girlfriend, a Porn Star, a dirty low-class tatterdemalion. It doesn’t matter. I’m here to find love and share love and experience. With anybody. With you.” ¶ Babs startles; she finds Tiffany’s enlightenment scary. BB gathers her thoughts, inventories her own senses, and audits her costume. All accounted for. ¶ Tiffany lifts her body up so that her Eraser Heads bob in the bubbles. “I know I’m not allowed to turn tricks here, no sex even. I was a Pledge once, a long time ago, and back then about the only thing I wanted to do was get laid. I guess I still do.” ¶ This is almost more than Babs wants to know, and she discovers herself hunching over and drawing her arms close around her. She shakes her shoulders, straightens in her sitting position, and attempts to steer the conversation. “So that left you 12x7 to sle.ep eat, and go out. Shopping. Clubs. Whatever.”