Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
Brandon was up earlier than Eva and his mother. It was either due to the fact that both of his jobs were required him to be up at the crack of dawn. Today was an odd day off for him, which meant he actually had time to cook his family breakfast.
He rolled out of bed, making it before he got dressed - never knowing what to wear while he was at home as both of his jobs required a uniform of some sort. Choosing to stick with sweat pants and a white long sleeve shirt before walking out into the main area of the apartment. It was quiet and all the lights were off which confirmed that the two women he lived with were still asleep.
Making his way into the kitchen, he flicked the lights on - also turning in a lamp in the dining room. He opened the cupboard and pulled out a cutting board, thinking he'd make French Toast with scrambled eggs and sausages. He was thankful that his mother had made a fresh loaf of bread as he was useless when it came to baking anything. He pulled out the fresh loaf of bread and began slicing it, lifting his head as he heard one of the other bedroom doors open.
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
How could it be six a.m. and she was wide awake? Wasn't the point of having a room of your own and a schedule of your own meant that you could sleep in as late as you wanted? And yet, her body and mind was saying something else: Eva, You Should Get Up. A groan escaped her, could she just throw a pillow over her face and hope that meant that it would lull her back to sleep? The idea seemed stupid to her, and yet, the teenager was willing to try it. The pillow didn't help though, the black out to her eyes did nothing and the cotton felt weird against face, like it was smothering her even though it wasn't.
Eva punched the pillow off of her face now, and it went flying into the air before falling with a thump onto the floor. She tossed and turned, rolling every which way her queen bed would allow and yet nothing settled her. There was nothing to do but admit defeat. Sitting up, she wiped the sleep from her eyes as her big hazel eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Stumbling out, she flipped her fairy lights on to cast the room in a warm glow before sneaking out to go use the restroom. It was while she had been in there did she hear another door open out in the hallway and the thudding of feet. She knew exactly who was up at this hour.
Taking care of her business, Eva finished up and headed out into the hallway. She cocked her head, listening and the dull thud of a knife on a cutting board could be heard. Brandon was making breakfast. Eva shuffled down the hallway now and soon entered the kitchen, blearily staring at her older brother - well, adopted brother? Eva wasn't sure how to describe him considering that she had been the one adopted into the family, but he felt like a brother, enough to where Eva would do anything for him and shank any woman who broke his heart. It was a weird feeling, but maybe that's what having a real family was all about.
"Come on Brandon," she commented now, not bothering with the pleasantries of good mornings, "I love bread but how come you didn't start up the coffee pot yet?" Despite her body was still catching up to her mind for waking up, she had delivered that quintessential teasing tone before heading over to the kitchen counter that held the coffee maker. Pouring the water in and starting to measure out the coffee, hazel eyes cast him a curious glance, "Why are you up so early? I thought you had off today."
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
Brandon smiled when he saw his sister. It was odd for him to have a sibling, but he was very protective of her. He had gained her trust and friendship by helping her at the Sale Yard. "Wow, not even a good morning from my own sister?" He laughed, continuing to slice the loaf of bread. Brandon would freeze whatever the two of them didn't eat after Breakfast.
"Since when do you drink coffee? Sometimes he felt he didn't know her that well, though realistically it hadn't quite been a year since she moved in with them. His dark eyes glanced over to the blonde, watching her actually make coffee. "I do have the day off, but you know me I'm always up early." It was a curse for him. No matter what time he fell asleep, he was always awake at the crack of dawn. His body clock not wanting to adjust on his days off. "And you? Don't tell me I woke you?"
He finished the bread, setting the cutting board to the side as he gathered the rest of the ingredients. "French toast sound okay for breakfast? And did you want sausages or bacon?" He moved his way over to the fridge to pull out the egg carton and the carton of milk, setting it down on the counter.
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
The laughter should have given away that she was about to be schooled, "Wow, not even a good morning from my own sister?" Eva made a face. Busted. The teenager waved off her older brother, "It's too early for that," she mumbled, and yet, she put on a faked chipper tone and shot back, "Why good morning, my wonderful brother?" Sarcastic? Yes, but Eva did mean those words. The Garnets had somewhat turned her a little bit into a softy since taking her under their wing a little over half a year ago. She returned her attention to the coffee pot as it brewed as her brother asked her a question.
Eva had to think on that one for a bit, "I think I developed a taste for it back when I first got the community service job at the Yard?" That seemed right actually, since her detention center didn't actually offer coffee. Since it was hot, it could be dangerous if a fight broke out, "Auggie gave me some when parole officers weren't around, and I possibly developed a slight addiction." After all, it got her through the hard days of work at the Yard where all what she did was muck, feed, water, and groom horses. Until then, Eva hadn't been accustomed to hard labor.
As the coffee finished, she listened to Brandon admit that he did actually have the day off, he just had a bad habit of being attuned to a schedule now even when he didn't have to work, "That sucks," Eva commented now, filling up two mugs of black coffee before carrying them over to the island. She slid easily into one of the bar stools and watched Brandon work on slicing that home made honey wheat bread that Jessie killed at making. Already, she could feel her mouth watering just eyeing it, "Hm? No, well, maybe? I am not sure, it was one of those mornings where I just happened to be wide awake at 6 am. Your shuffling just encouraged me to get out of bed since going back to sleep was not happening. It's okay. Just means I can annoy you."
And boy, was it an excellent past time. The query of breakfast light her up, "That sounds great," Eva confirmed now as she blew on her coffee, hoping to will it to cool down at least a little so she could actually take a drink. Hazel eyes watched as he gathered the ingredients now, "Do you want help with any of that?" Not that she knew what she would be doing, and would likely leave a huge mess in her wake that would look like World War 3 happened in their kitchen, but Eva was always willing to try.
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
"You do know you can go back to bed, right?" Just because he was awake didn't mean everyone else had to be - though he didn't mind the company. "That was so sarcastic but I'll take it." At first, it took him awhile to understand the teenage slang and sarcasm. He had an idea she enjoyed his company, but it wasn't cool to admit you liked being with your older brother.
Brandon nodded, coffee was something that was readily available at the yard as the staff usually started before the sun rose. "I'll have to have a talk with Auggie about it. You are done growing so no need to worry about it stunting your growth." He didn't know if it was a myth or not, but it was the reason that Jesse stalled his coffee drinking until he was an adult. "How do you take your coffee anyway? Black?"
He pulled out a bowl from the cupboard above the fridge and brought it down carefully, setting it on the counter next to the egg carton and milk. "It's fine honestly. I go to bed too early anyway. Though it comes in handy when it is a work day." Being tired was something he was used to by now anyway, as it depended when his employers needed him to show up. "Does that happen often though? And you are just here to annoy me? I definitely thought you were here for the food." He grinned as he put a splash of milk in his mug of coffee.
"Sure, if you want. You can crack three eggs and put a splash of milk in before you whisk it."
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
Eva couldn't help but to shoot her brother a look when he pointed out that she could go back to bed, "I tried but it wasn't happening." Then, she added on, "Sounds like you're trying to get rid of me." It was a joke, given that the young girl liked to keep Brandon on his toes. Unlike their mother, the twenty nine year old had an issue at grasping her sarcasm and moody teenage language, which truth be told, was hilarious. Although on bad days, Eva did her best to cut him some slack. Working two jobs didn't exactly sound easy, and at the end of the day, it was Brandon who had convinced Jessie to take a chance on her, not the other way around.
She was a little surprised when he offered to talk to Auggie for her about letting her near the coffee machine on a daily basis at work now, "Uh, sure. I certainly won't say no to that...thanks." Thanks seemed to be a given word in her vocabulary nowadays, one that she had barely used prior to coming to the Garnets. She almost certainly never used it prior to her time at the Juvenile Detention Center, and during her time there, she only used it with trusted adults and other girls. As for how she took her coffee, "I like it black. Unless I'm feeling dark and moody, then I like to have some cream. But this morning, I am feeling happy...so black coffee it is."
At Brandon's declaration that he goes to bed too early anyways, the teenager couldn't help but to ask, "I mean, if you need help staying up on a non work day, I can most certainly help with that." For a moment, the young woman was tempted to point out that if he never went out, he couldn't meet any girls, or guys, if that was his sort of thing. But as the thought crossed her brain, Eva decided that she didn't want to bring that up because truth be told, she just wasn't ready to share him with a potential significant other just yet. Even though it had been quite a few months now since her adoption and she had been settling back into being a 'normal' teenager just fine, it was hard to unwrap Brandon from around her finger.
A snort of laughter escaped her at his joke, "Okay okay, maybe it's also for the food. But annoying you is always my number one priority as your official little sister." She reached for the bowl now and slid it over to herself now, followed by the carton of eggs. Flipping it open, Eva carefully cracked each egg into the bowl now, "So is this Jessie's secret recipe?"
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
"I do hate that when it happens, though no pressure if you want to go back to bed." There were days he felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to bed, but often one of his two jobs called him. "Me? Get rid of you? I don't think so, I thought maybe you'd want to get rid of me? There were times where he questioned how Eva felt about living with them, though he thought it would be better if she lived with them and not out on the street somewhere.
He used a teaspoon and stirred the milk around in his coffee, watching it turn a lighter brown. The taste of pure, black coffee wasn't exactly his thing - it was much too strong. "You are an adult after all and I know Auggie keeps you in check. His daughter is about your age though, right?" He tried to talk to his coworkers as often as he could, though he tended to keep to himself. "See I thought it would be the other way around. I can't stand black coffee." Clearly, he didn't know his sister enough, though it was fun for him learning more and more about her.
Brandon turned and opened the drawer under the oven, pulling out two frying pans - setting them on the stovetop. "What did you have in mind? Taking your old brother out clubbing or something?" He joked, knowing that those days were over for him. Partying in his youth wasn't exactly what he had done anyway, his father's stalking it was the last thing he wanted to do. "I knew you only woke up for food. You really think you annoy me? You know who I work with at the fire station..." The young firefighters kept him and Jamie on their toes - continuing to bother him to fix the firetrucks when needed.
"No actually, this is mine. I came up with it in my college days. I made it so often that people came running from the dorms to get their slice." He was more like the dad in his friend group, always giving help but never asking for it. "I'll get you some vanilla extract and cinnamon. Then you can add a bit." Brandon turned from stove and got the two ingredients - gently placing them beside the bowl.
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
It was a little weird to hear Brandon profess that maybe she had wanted to get rid of him. Eva actually arched an eyebrow, unable to hide the mildly insulted look on her face, "Why would I want to get rid of you?" Her words came out a little more defense and accusatory than she meant to. Eva took a deep breath now, she had to remain calm. It was too early for this sort of drama on her hand, and Brandon deserved better than that from her: he was the reason why she was living here now, "Sorry," Eva grunted now, uncertain if she wanted to discuss feelings on a deep level at 6 am. Her coffee was probably about to become really interesting.
At least she knew her adoptive brother cared about her enough to consider her old enough to drink the coffee at the Yard, "Thanks. I don't know what Auggie does with the drip machine, but when he makes it, it's on point." Probably some sort of wise old man skills, not that her boss was truly old, but Eva was certain that he was older than Brandon by at least ten years. Speaking of Auggie, his daughter was brought up, "Izzy? Yeah, she's a year older than me. I don't see her often at the Yard now since she has a new job and...her own horse. I'm not sure if we entirely got along anyways." There wasn't even any bad blood between them, it was more so that both girls were just aloof? And Eva had grown to find that she needed a bold personality to bring out the best of her on a friendship level.
Laughter escaped her over the coffee comment, "I'm just full of surprises." Hazel eyes watched the older man get to work in the kitchen, knowing his way around it just as well as their mother did. At his question on the matter of clubbing, Eva just grinned, "Maybe. How else am I suppose to get you a girlfriend?" Although the clubs weren't exactly her scene either, not unless she had someone. It was funny, the two and a half years in Juvie really had changed her perspective on what would be fun. Prior to that, she had always been trying to sneak in when she could. At Brandon's comment about who he worked with, a sigh could not help but to escape Eva as she intentially said dreamily, "A bunch of hot, annoying people." That was probably not what Brandon thought, but she could not help herself.
She arched her eyebrows when Brandon professed that this french toast recipe was actually his, "Color me surprised, I was not expecting that. Here I thought Jessie was the professional cooker in this household with the skinny on everything." When the ingredients appeared before her, Eva put down her coffee and went to work now with adding them and stirring them into the batter, "You know, if this is how you picked up friends and chicks in college, I expect this french toast to knock my socks off after the first bite." Finishing her stirring, she then followed up with, "What's next?"
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
Brandon shook his head, he didn't expect himself to be talking about emotional things this early in the morning. Though, with both of his jobs requiring him to be awake and aware early in the morning, he wasn't shocked. "I really just meant, it feels nice to know that you enjoy living here." He was more worried that the only reason that his mother had agreed to adopt a teenager was to get over the fact that his father was abusive. It was working though, Jessie was happy - working and having a new person in her life.
"I feel like he has more experience making coffee than the rest of us. I usually just take my own out of habit. Though, I've complained to Jamie about getting a better machine at the Fire Station." The fire chief took his coffee seriously as well and Brandon didn't blame him. He couldn't imagine what it was like running a fire station and raising a child on his own. "I haven't seen her in ages either. She used to hang out at the yard whenever she had the chance. What makes you think you both don't get along?" There was nothing wrong with not getting along with someone, if it wasn't a silly reason. He tended to keep to himself, so he wasn't one to talk about making friends. "I really shouldn't be surprised, though I have my surprises too." Being coworkers and being family were two different things, there were still things Eva didn't know about him.
He took a pause to take a sip of his coffee, smiling as the warm liquid touched his lips. It would take awhile before the caffeine kicked in. "I really don't need a girlfriend. And at the club is the last place I want to meet someone. I work too much to support an alcoholic and those usually end up in one night stands." There were too many weirdos out there - and no way was he going to join an online dating platform either. "Alright, which one do you find attractive?" They were all too young for him anyway. That and they were too annoying for him - usually ragging on him to fix the engines.
"Don't get me wrong, she makes a good one too. Though she has never reviled her secret ingredient." She never let him in on her secret - meaning he had to come up with his own. "Yeah, this is not how I picked up chicks or friends. It's how I fed myself during those days." He usually made enough to freeze some - throwing it in the toaster if he needed a quick breakfast. "We can throw in some orange zest and then start dipping the bread in the mixture and start cooking." Brandon turned around, setting his mug back on the counter before grabbing an orange from the fruit bowl and the zester, setting them beside where Eva was standing.
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
Watching the older man shake his head, Eva couldn't help but to feel a little guilty for her attitude just moments earlier. He hadn't deserved that. At least she recognized it enough to say sorry before staring moodily at her coffee now. Maybe she should have kept her coffee black like her apparent soul: "I really just meant, it feels nice to know that you enjoy living here." Hazel eyes glanced up now, staring at him, before offering a slight smile, "I do. I'm lucky that you and Jessie took a chance on me. I honestly can't say that for very many adults given my...record and family history." But that was growing up after all, learning from your mistakes, and Eva had some big ones.
She couldn't argue that Auggie Flores didn't know how to make a mean batch of coffee - she wasn't even certain what witchcraft, soccerercraft, he used. Maybe it was the beans. Maybe it was the brewing. But somehow, that nobody, not even starbucks, could hold a candle to that man's coffee, "It's probably some secret of his trade," Eva commented now, cocking her head, "What happened to the coffee machine at the Fire Department?" On rare occasions, the teenager had swung by the station to deliver lunch or something from Jessie to Brandon, and from what she had seen, it had looked fine. But there was always a chance that she was mistaken - and the Fire Station held many of distractions. Her brother's inquisitive question about Auggie's daughter through her for a loop, even though it was probably his job as her older brother to ask these sort of questions, "Huh? Oh. She and I have cracked heads a few time...and she's stubborn and loudly opinionated, and I'm just...aloof...and stubborn."
It felt like a decent enough explanation. She certainly wasn't crying over in a corner of the Sale Yard wondering why Izzy Flores wasn't her bff or anything. Maybe it was from juvenile detention, maybe it was leftover animosity over Ripley Mistenya, who had been the reason why she ended up in juvie, but lately, Eva had been finding herself a guy's girl more than a girl's girl. Sounds like she wasn't the only one who needed a special sort of girl though, although Brandon's sounded like he was strictly only for the romance department. Come to think of it, Eva wasn't even sure who her older brother hung out with, "I'm sure not all girls at the clubs are alcoholics," she chortled now, taking a swig of her coffee, "But I get it. Brandon Garnet is a soul who can't be tied down, destined to walk this earth alone...along with his trusty younger sister." And then came the million dollar question - who did she find attractive, "One? Oh no, there are many. Like...Jamie, Wren, Mason, Ronan, Lucas, and maybe...maybe Cayden." And all but one punched above her age, but who says she couldn't admire?
It wasn't surprising to hear that Jessie wouldn't share her secrets with either of them, she didn't become a top rated Michelin chef by giving away her secrets. Still, it was a little disappointing to hear. But Brandon thankfully had also been a decent cook himself, so Eva knew she couldn't go wrong with whoever was cooking for her that day. "Hey, that guy who owns Justin's Peanut Butter created it in his college dorm room supposedly," she said now, "That could have been you and a french toast waffle house." With the batter done, she listened intently to her brother as he placed the orange and zester by her, "Ughs. Zesting," she muttered, but for flavor, she was willing to do the most annoying task in baking and cooking history, and with that, she went to work, "I don't think I've ever had french toast with zest before."
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
Brandon didn’t know what kind of reaction to expect from Eva. He knew she wasn’t the showing affection and gratitude kind. The answer he got from her came as a bit of a shock to him. “Oh, thank you. I like to think I knew we’d be a good fit for you.” He didn’t want to admit how hard he had to fight after Brandon found out about Eva’s situation. He was relieved the day she moved in with them.
“I don’t think it’s a secret. You know him, if you ask I’m sure you can get his secret recipe.” Auggie was kind enough of a person to show one of the employees how to make the coffee at the Yard better. Brandon had never asked as he was usually always there when Auggie was. “Ugh, don’t get me started. I think the second shift broke it. I’ll have to look at it next time I’m working there.” Yet another thing for him to fix, as if there was nothing else for him to do. The Fire Engines kept him busy enough - though there was promise of hiring more staff to help him out.
Brandon began gathering the dirty dishes as Eva worked away. He would rinse off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher when they were done eating. “The two of you are really stubborn. Not that I think the two of you need to be besties or anything, just curious if you two had hung out or anything.” He felt like he barely knew Eva some days, though he didn’t know Izzy that well either. The other teen seemed nice enough though, only seeing her when she came by for a visit. “Who do you hang out with anyway?” He felt odd using the name, but it seemed to be what the kids were saying these days. The man now took a sip of his own coffee, trying not to spit out his coffee after the romance comment. “No, I don’t think so either. Though for me that’s the last place I want to find a partner.” He only really went out when Jamie invited him, and even then the conversation usually revolved around what needed to be done around the Station. “Yep, that sounds about right. I’ll find someone eventually. I’m not in a huge rush.” Brandon shrugged his shoulders as he set down his coffee mug.
He raised his eyebrow after Eva had mentioned who she found attractive. “Hm, interesting choices. They are all too old for you and cause chaos. Okay, maybe not Jamie but the others.” The Fire Chief had been through way too much lately to cause chaos - but the man certainly was way too old for Eva. “Huh, I didn’t think about that. I think I’ll stick to fixing things and taking care of horses for work.” He also knew there were people who made French Toast better than he did, leaving the professional cooking to his mother. “You could do it though if you wanted.” Brandon would be happy to help, though he’d leave the cooking to her. “If you don’t like it we don’t have to put it in. It just adds a different flavor than just vanilla.” Once it cooked, it wouldn’t have the bitter taste either.
“What do you usually have in French Toast then? The bread is ready to be dipped and fried now.”
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
The awkward seemed to get a little awkward after sharing her feelings. Eva probably should have known better since neither her nor her brother seemed to handle feelings and emotions very well - that was Jessie's job. She let it go, and just nodded her thanks - if that was even the right feeling - after Brandon's words that he thought they'd be a good fit. Clearly, both of them were ready to move on to easier topics such as Auggie's secret coffee recipe and B Shift at the Fire Department. The teenager merely shrugged, "I feel like adults are weird about their secret recipes...maybe I can ask Izzy if she'll spill her father's secrets." It was doubtful, Izzy Flores didn't strike her as such, but if Brandon wanted her to try and befriend some girls, well, that seemed like the best place to start. The idea of fixing the coffee machine seemed silly to her, "Isn't a drip machine? Can't you just replace it for like 20 £? Or better yet, make B Shift replace it since they broke it?"
Eva wasn't sure what to make of the idea that she and Izzy Flores would get along merely because the both of them were stubborn. That truthfully sounded like a recipe for disaster in any friendship when an argument came up and quite frankly, both girls were the type who were ready to argue. She thought it over as Brandon slowly made the dirty dishes disappear before her, putting an end to the idea that there was secretly a cleaning fairy around the house that ignored her bedroom, "Hmmm? Oh. Well...nobody really. I think I just made some friends though...maybe. I'm not sure. Nash Breckah from school, and then...a Tanner Scott. I think he said he's related to that family that owns the hardware store in town." And of course, neither one of them was a girl, so Eva was a little curious to see what Brandon's reaction might be.
Laughter escaped her when the older man noted that R&R was not the place for him to meet a girl, "Guess I'm not surprised. Maybe you'll meet your future love by rescuing her cat from a tree. Anyways, you can stay single as long as you want." Eva was fine that he didn't have a girlfriend nor appeared to be looking. While she never admit it, given that she had just gotten him and Jessie in her life, Eva would probably get rather jealous of any new additions to their life as a family. Yes, it wasn't fair, but given all the shit she had gone through, was it really that wrong of her to just want this family unit to herself for a little bit? Hazel eyes watched as Brandon made a face over whom she found attractive, and couldn't help but to laugh, "Yeah yeah. I'm sure they're all too old for me." Eva joked now, rolling her eyes, "Got the protective big brother act down already, I see."
She nudged the mixing bowl towards him now, "Nah, you can add your zest." As they were dumped in and then mixed together, the bread pieces came next. It was rather methodical, watching Brandon get to work before announcing that they were finally prepped and ready to go, "Not very British of me, but I like adding peanut butter to my French toast, but only after they're cooked. So you are good to go with frying them. I'm not gonna get in your way. I'm starving now."
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
It seemed as if their sappy family conversation was over. Brandon knew neither of them expressed how they felt about each other, but that was as close to an I love you as he knew he would get. Part of him wondered if they were truly related as parts of their personalities matched up. “Are you sure? I don’t want to stir up any teen drama that might happen between the two of you. I feel like you’ll get along eventually.” Being a teenager was awkward and weird enough anyway - let alone needing to make friends with people who were equally as awkward.
He waved off her comment, knowing his sister should know him better by now. “No, no. It gives me something to do at the Fire Station. It keeps the firefighters off my back if they break something else. I swear they are cranky about having to use a French Press.” Realistically, Brandon was happy with just filter coffee. He was old-fashioned that way and there wasn’t any technology for him to deal with. “I’ll have to talk to Jamie about that. I don’t have proof it was B shift but I have a suspicion.” Brandon pulled out a kitchen towel and began drying the dishes - he actually enjoyed cleaning. He quickly discovered that Eva did not. His eyebrows raised as Eva actually answered him. “Ah, two boys then. When can we expect to meet them?” It wasn’t like his sister had admitted to dating or anything, but there was a thin line between being friends and being in a relationship. There was nothing wrong with having friends of the opposite gender in his eyes - he had Lilith after all. “Oh! I know Tanner’s family. You know I basically live at the hardware store after work. Does Tanner work there too?” It was a store he knew well by now, often not needing to ask for any help when he went there.
“What you think I’m a firefighter? I feel like if a woman had feelings for me she better hit me with her car first.” He shrugged his shoulders - not even knowing if anyone had those kinds of feelings for him. Everyone else he worked with seemed to feel differently after meeting Lilith, though he continued to wave it off as if she was just being friendly towards him. “Just making sure you don’t do anything illegal in terms of your romantic relationships.” Okay, that might have been a bit harsh towards someone who did go to juvie, but he hoped Eva would take it as a joke. He busied himself by putting the clean dishes away before returning to the cooking task at hand. The dark-haired man nodded, poring the zest in before giving it another quick mix. “Listen, cooking takes time. Not everything gets made in a microwave. How toasted do you want yours?” He asked, before putting the first two slices of French Toast in the frying pan.
“Why peanut butter? I honestly just put butter and maple syrup on mine.”
thanks aofie!
thirty - part time firetruck mechanic & Sales Yard Stable hand - single (hetero)
Eva just waved her brother off - literally, when he mentioned the words 'teen drama'. He didn't know what he was talking about - neither one of them were teenagers, she and Izzy were practically adults. Surely, they could handle talking about coffee together without knocking heads. Well. Maybe. Eva knew she didn't do well with stubborn people, given the teenager herself was stubborn, but hey, anything could happen. Besides, she rather talk about firefighters than Izzy Flores. A snicker escaped her over the thought of grown ass men being annoyed over french press coffee, "Is that so? I may have to pay you a visit at work to witness this."
She leaned back a bit now, as best as she could with the island stool without toppling over, thinking, "Well, maybe we just need to get you some evidence." Granted, Eva wasn't sure if any of her ideas were legal or not, and Brandon sometimes felt like a more sensitive soul than she was. It's not like she wanted to get him in trouble - she'd weighed her options though and see what he said. Besides, the topic shifted just a bit, mainly because she had been stupid enough to mention her friends. Hazel eyes rolled, playfully though as she smiled, "Yes, two boys. Don't worry - I'm not dating either of them." It's not like she'd ever date Nash, but Tanner...well, he was a different story.
Her eyebrow arched at Brandon's comment now, "Did you just say that the best pick up line for you is a traffic accident? Now that - I have to see in action." Truth be told, her brother didn't really seem like a smooth talker, but she hadn't seen him out in the wild with a girl quite yet. Not that she wanted to. A - that was gross and B - Eva didn't quite feel like sharing Brandon's attention quite yet. He did, however, hit her with a freight train of a reaction to dating any of his colleagues. Her jaw tighten as she stared at him, weighing on whether she wanted to light up to him about that illegal comment, but then backed down, "I won't."
Damn. At this rate, she'd be taking her french toast back to her room like a dragon hoarding it's treasure. Her brother had taken over the prepping now, as it was just about ready to get cooked. Hazel eyes watched the toasts get drenched before getting flipped to the pan. Her stomach growled, signalling that with coffee now down, she was ready to eat, "Toasty - not burnt...but close." Her gaze flipped to Brandon now and just shrugged, "I find protein and fat tastier," before countering, "Why do you like maple syrup so much?"
“I’m not saying that everything is survivable. Just that everything except the last thing is.” - John Green
