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!.
“See, it would feel weird for me. My family had dogs growing up but with my job and having Rosa, I don’t have time for a dog.” Rox smiled in understanding, "It's a lot of responsibility," She agreed, knowing that you needed to be there just that little bit more with a dog than a cat. “I assume by your high rating of cats that you have one yourself?” Rox smiled, unable to help it when she thought of her own little one, "yes I do," she nodded, "I have a ragdoll called Nala, she's still young but she's lovely company." Rox had found it was the easiest way to have company when she came home at night from a long day of work, without needing to worry about the cat being without her. As long as there was food, water and plenty of toys, Nala kept herself very well entertained. It was always relaxing coming home to the happy meow of the Ragdoll, making sure she was fed her dinner and then playing with her before they settled down for the night to watch TV.
“That was going to be my plan. Surprise Rosa while she is at daycare. Though, I don’t think she’ll know about it until she is old enough to realize we have a new addition to the family.” She smiled at that, "I'm sure she'd be delighted with the surprise." Not that she knew kids, but most of them seemed to like that kind of thing from what she'd seen. Especially if it was a surprise of the furry sort. “Thanks, it’s not the easiest job, to be honest. There are lots of moving parts and different personalities to deal with. And of course, all the work politics fall on me too.” Rox gave an understanding nod, "ah work politics, unfortunately not something you can avoid no matter where you go," She said, people might call them office politics but an office had nothing to do with it - sure, she felt they were probably more blatant in the office, but you got them in any job. You just had to know how to handle them - Rox had certainly learned.
“I do enjoy the rescuing people part. Not that I’m always the hero, but we work together as a team to ensure that as many people as possible can be saved.” Rox gave a small smile, "So you don't have a hero complex?" she joked,knowing most men usually did. They couldn't help it, it was in their nature to want to save, especially if it was a female that needed saving. “I should consider joining social media to see if there is one here. I’m far too old for groups that go clubbing or something.”"I don't think you can say that until you're on mushy food and zimmerframes." She joked, knowing the sort of crowds that tended to go out were older than you thought. She wasn't a clubber, but she still liked a drink and good music. What happened after that was another matter entirely. “Oh, so you get to travel for work then? That does sound fun.” Rox smiled and nodded, "yeah, sometimes it's very inconvenient, other times it's nice, but it's not all as glamorous as it sounds - lots of meetings in tall buildings." Often with middle aged bald men trying to tell her how to do her job.
She chuckled a little with his laugh. “I know it’s an obvious one but, some men can be real gems. Not that I’m Mr. Perfect. Everyone has their flaws.” Rox gave him a bit of a look at that but it was in jest - she knew some guys were great, but it was rather tough to find one that wasn't an asshole at some point. “I hope you do too. Sounds like you work too much.” Rox shrugged, "it can't be helped," because the place would fall apart without her, and she'd been working this way so long now, she didn't know how else to do it. “I think she’ll have a wild imagination. Her daycare is right at one of the barns, so she may want a pony before I know it.” She chuckled, "nothing wrong with a great imagination, it'll take her places," as long as the world didn't drag her down with it. “I do actually. I think I need to make myself some time for myself. Get a babysitter and go do something, you know. I don’t ride either. My mother does but she lives back in the States. Have you thought about trying it out?” Rox shuddered slightly, "no, horses definitely aren't for me," too out of control for her. "but you should definitely take some time for yourself, it's healthy." Pot, kettle, black Roxanne.
"Come on, I know you secretly want to." She gave her friend a quick wink, "I would love to," she agreed, if only she could change the way her brain worked. "I don't know how you do it. If I had a job that required pumps, I might just commit a crime to get out of it." Rox laughed at that and gave an understanding nod, "I wouldn't blame you either, sometimes I wonder if I couldn't just swap them one day and dare anyone to question it. But I have to admit, the sound of heels do make men straighten their spines a little." She joked, though it did give her satisfaction when she saw the change that game over people as she strode through the office - a power walk, a call to war.
She took a sip from her flute, watching the pensive look on her friend's face and wondering what she was thinking about. "I would hope you wouldn't lie to me." Rox playfully rolled her eyes, "I don't have the time for it," She promised, knowing her friend knew this anyway but saying it all the same. She was too blunt for her own good at times - less so with friends, as she cared about them in a much different way to her clients, but she didn't feel the need to beat around the bush or sugar coat things. It took too much time, and she genuinely didn't have the free time for it. "Or else we may have a problem." She snorted at that and chewed on a bite of strawberry. "As if we've ever got a problem," Knowing her good friend knew that too - too many years between them.
She took another strawberry, relishing in the taste, "These are ridiculously good," she indicated to the almost finished one pinched between her fingers, and then helping herself to another. "Ah well, I can't argue with you there. But I can say the same of you. Not that you were born here, but big personality for this tiny town." Rox laughed along with her and gave a slight nod, "yeah that's fair, I'll take that compliment," She grinned, loving how girls supporting each other when men would see the confidence as a bad thing. "Guess no city, no matter how small, waits around for any one. Besides work, what have you been up to here? That can't be the only thing keeping you busy." Rox pursed her lips in thought for a moment and a blush slowly crept over her cheeks as she thought of what she'd been up to aside from work - much to her embarrassment. Not that she would keep anything from her friend but she wasn't always great at talking 'personal life'. "Well.." She uncharacteristically chewed her lower lip then took a sip of drink. "I might have met someone..."
“Yeah, I can imagine with your job you are super busy. At least you don’t have to walk a cat, right? I’m thinking about getting a cat though, any suggestions on where to adopt one around here?” Rox nodded with a quick smile, "I can't lie, they're much lower maintenance than a dog but you get the same amount of company. They're so independent, you do your thing and they do theirs, and when you're home they're only too happy to come and spend time with you." She thought for a moment, back to when she'd adopted her kitten. "There's a local pet store which do actually take in rescues as well as new, so you can adopt rather than shop if that's more your style." She suggested, having had no issues with adopting hers from the store, plus it had been handy to pick everything up from the store whilst getting the animal.
“No, I get that. Honestly, to get through the tough calls I try my best to be optimistic, but I have seen things that make me think otherwise.” She smiled politely, seeing some internally struggle in him that made her wonder if this was not the best topic to be discussing. “It’s not something I’m used to though. The first job being the Fire Chief, so I’ve always just given my personal number before this.” She nodded, "Well, you clearly care a lot about your job, and that can really make or break a person." Rox knew that when you dedicated your life to something and really put everything into it, if you didn't care then it was never going to go well.
“I appreciate it. Maybe there is a group of single parents that meet around here?” Rox gave a little shrug and apologetic smile, "There's likely something, seems to be a lot of groups and such though I couldn't tell you about single parents." That one wasn't her expertise sadly, he'd have to do some digging on his own, but she had seen an awful lot of social things for all kinds of people in town - single parent's would be hot on the list for sure. “Do you work with companies who aren’t in the UK then?”"Sometimes I do, it's unusual to only be dealing with UK clients." She couldn't go too much into detail with confidentiality but she could give the basic answers about her work. “Yeah, be careful of other men who say that. They really are often slimy.” She raised a brow, "oh really, is that your top tip for dealing with men?" She joked, meaning no harm in it.
“It really is, though it has its downfalls unfortunately. Though, we are starting to get more help when it comes to the traumatic calls.” Rox nodded, "that's good, it's important to take care of yourself too." She agreed, knowing that some work places could do more to help with mental health of their employees. “That’s what I’m hoping anyway. She just seems so curious that I don’t want to take that away from her.” Rox smiled and looked the young woman's way again, "Curiosity is good, it just helps to learn from it too." She chuckled, knowing that it was impossible not to at times. “I do hope you take time for yourself though. Do you ride horses like I hear a lot of others do around here?” She shook her head with another laugh, "Time for yourself is always hard, you must find that. No, oddly enough I don't ride - I feel like one of the few in this town. Do you?"
Roxy took a sip of her champagne, enjoying the fizz of bubbles on her tongue. There was a lot to be said for the stuff, as much as some people would consider it overpriced, she would argue it was worth it if you paid for the good stuff - the same went for wine. Then again, some days all you could handle was buying a cheap ass carton of the stuff and sticking a straw in it. "You know, I'm sure if you're sneaky, you can get away with slipping your feet out of those pumps," Rox laughed, glancing down at her heel glad feet and pretending to look scandalous. "Out in public with bare feet? My God who do you take me for?" She teased, because she absolutely would love to... but she also couldn't quite break the social code.
"Ah, well, I appreciate it. I'm surrounded mostly by men during the workday and a temperamental teenager at home," Rox gave a little chuckle at that, "That sounds like hell, I can't lie." She teased, and though it wasn't quite that to her she also knew how difficult and fragile the male ego could be, and how troublesome teenagers were, even if that wasn't first hand experience. "So my Roxy Reed time always is a breath of fresh air." She chuckled at that and raised the glass to her in acknowledgement of the truth. "I feel exactly that with you," She agreed, already sinking into the ease of which it was to socialise with her friend, how little effort it took from her social battery.
Rox looked hopefully for the strawberries, and miraculously they seemed to appear before her. She took a bite out of one after a sip of bubbles. "Hey, small fry? I was born and raised here, you know, And cheers to you as well." Rox grinned a little sheepishly as she finished the juicy fruit. "Sometimes you just don't seem like you are - it's all that personality, very big city." She chuckled. "Small fry life aside, it seems to be doing you some good getting away from all that London traffic. I know it has for me at least." Rox tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah I can't lie it's been a bit of a breath. Even if it is still all a rush most of the time. People are generally less in a hurry in this neck of the woods." She admitted.
"Good. .I'd rather you tell me straight. .I think i'm a decent cook though." Rox grinned slightly at that and raised a brow, "With you usual critic being... Yourself" She stabbed a guess, considering he said he thought he was a decent cook, not other people. She was not culinary expert herself but she knew good food. She had to know to a point when she took clients out to lunch or dinner - of course restaurants were a bit different to home cooking but she felt the same rules applied. It only took a couple of bites to know he was a good chef though, probably better than her, though she felt she could take a decent stab at it in return to his effort of breakfast.
"thanks." She smiled quickly and took a couple more bites before taking a sip of her drink as she waited to hear what Rafe was up to for the day. It was unusual for her to push back work for someone, let alone a man. After her previous experiences with guys, she'd made a vow to put her work first. She was trying not to think too hard about why she had been so willing to move her clients, and how it didn't make her feel guilty in the slightest, as it would have done in the past. "I have a client this evening and a meeting with the fire chief this afternoon." Her eyebrows rose at his words, "That sounds important," she commented, more in relation to the chief than the client. "Is it a client you like at least? Or do you like all of them?" She asked, knowing most people tended to have a varying amount of like for their colleagues and clients. She certainly did.
"I assume people say that so people learn responsibility before the child is born? Though, from having a dog as a child I can tell you it's not the same." Rox gave a small chuckle at that. "Yeah I bet, I've never had a dog but a cat is enough responsibility for me." She could only imagine the amount of work a child was, and whilst she'd given up on the idea of a family years ago, she'd at least been brave enough to pick up a cat. A dog wouldn't have a good enough life with her, she was always working, long hours that were too much to leave a dog on its own for. But a cat was independent, just needed feeding and love when they decided it. Perfect for her and her lifestyle. "I just have a cat though, my life doesn't allow for anything more." She gave a slight smile, answering his follow up about pets. Maybe one day when she was older and wiser and stepped back from work she'd get a dog for extra company, to get her out the house.
"Yikes. And why do you think everything is cynical then?" Rox smiled again to take the sting out of the words, she knew some people walked around a little bit all rainbows and sunny days, but that wasn't her style. She didn't see the negative in everything, not at all, but she did see things as they were, not necessarily that they were rose tinted. "Just the way the world works for me." It was a bit of a heavy topic to get into with a stranger she didn't know, on the beach. Now wasn't the time for optimist/pessimist kind of debates. "Then it would depend. Realistically, I'm usually at the Fire Station or I'd give them my phone number. Depends on the stage of friendship though." She nodded at that, "Understandable, She was used to giving out her business card more than her personal - her work phone burned through its battery at twice the speed of her own phone, which was generally much quieter. "Most of my friends are back home though as I haven't been here long enough to make a new group of friends." "I can't imagine it'll take you long, you seem nice enough to me." She admitted, having met plenty of both types in the town, enough to know when she was meeting one or the other.
"Not a early riser I take it? I'm not either, though with a baby and work, I've learned to be a light sleeper." Rox chuckled and shook her head, "I wish I could say I wasn't but alas work always calls." and then even when it didn't, her body clo l gave her an unwelcome nudge all the same. "I do promise we aren't all jerks. Just depends on who you meet unfortunately." Rox gave a light shrug at that. "I've heard the line before, but it's a nice one and I believe it." She joked a little, trying to prove she did have somewhat a sense of humour. "Everyone has their fair share though and as long as the victims get out alive, a house or building can be rebuilt." Her smile fell a little at that, she could only imagine how that felt to be a part of. "I bet that's incredibly rewarding. As you say, a house is one thing but a life is much more precious." She didn't know if she'd want that kind of responsibility, the job she had was plenty tough as it was.
"I do try to get her out to see things. I'm not sure how she learns best yet but experiencing things teaches a lot." Rox glanced to the child with a kindly smile, "Anything is better than nothing, it's all learning at the end of the day." She knew, despite not having a child, that having experiences was important. "Sounds interesting actually. Lots of pressure and intense meetings? Or is it not too bad?" Rox gave a small laugh at that, her mind immediately jumping to her over filled calendar and never ending list of high priority clients. "Yeah, it's quite a demanding job, can't deny that. I try not to get too stressed but sometimes that's wishful thinking." She gave another chuckle at that but the longer she'd been there, the better she'd gotten at setting her work aside for the day and not letting it ruin her outside working hours time.
Rox smiled warmly as she saw Diana turn in her chair to find her. She instantly felt guilty for not having made time sooner to see her friend. That feeling she was hit with to see Diana there was like a sudden hit of 'relax'. She just felt all the stress melt away, like taking off a heavy coat and letting it drop to your heels. She needed to do this more often, that much was clear. She couldn't quite remember when they'd last gotten together, which made her feel all the worse for letting it go so long. Her smile widened at Diana's grin, pulling her into a hug. "No worries! I'm so happy you were able to come." Rox nodded, releasing her friend. "So am I," She admitted. She put her bag down as Diana nodded to the empty seat on her left, gratefully sliding into the chair and relieving her tired feet. They might be well used to heels but it didn't make the end of the day any less painful.
"I wasn't sure if you'd be able to come. I know how busy you can get." Rox waved it off and shook her head. "I always have time for you." She said, even if she was flat out she tried to make a point of setting time aside. At some point anyway. Of course there was a lot of times she got bogged under and didn't realise how much the time had flown by. It was why she had such good friends, dragging her out from under the mountain and making sure she saw the light of day in a social way. "I ordered champagne and chocolate strawberries for starters, since dessert is always best before dinner. I can't believe you're here in Hickstead of all places." Rox nodded, chuckling a little. "That is the best idea I've heard all day. I should have known you'd have it sorted." She grinned, and the said items arrived just as Diana had promised. "It does seem a little out the blue I'll agree, but it was just the way it worked. It's been nice moving somewhere a little more small fry. Cheers." She added as she took up a glass and raised it toward Diana.
Rox had purposefully ensured her day was as easy as possible so that she could actually finish early - not even just on time for once. She was excited, and it wasn't often she had something to look so much forward to. That sounded bad perhaps, she looked forward to seeing her other friends, and Rafe, of course, but it had been such a long time since she had seen Diana, and she could feel a little perked up for it. Work had been tough and stressful recently, and she'd pulled in a lot of overtime and a lot of extra hours to cover things and pick up things, trying to fix the shit that had gone wrong. She had mostly sorted it now, and she had worked twice as hard so that when time came around for her to leave, she actually could.
She was fast to pack up, and she gave the other workers a friendly goodbye. They didn't begrudge her the early finish - she was usually the last one to leave the office anyway, and a lot of them told her she worked too hard. She did not blame Diana for losing touch, it had been her fault as well for not trying harder, but her career had somewhat come first for a long time, and with her divorce and fallout, she'd let herself get absorbed in things outside of her friends. She'd then moved away, and lost contact with a lot of people, something she hadn't even given herself time to feel guilty about until she'd started talking to them again. But now, she was determined to find that balance, and to find out everything that her old friend had been up to.
Finally they had found a mutual time and date that worked for them, and Rox didn't even bother to change. She dressed smart for work every day, it was important to her to look her best at all times, in her industry it went a long way, especially as a woman fighting against the glass ceiling. She wore a simple black dress that hugged her full figure and finished at her knees - she didn't want to give people the wrong idea at the office, but she'd always felt it a power play to look feminine and show off her curves rather than hide them in lumpy jumpers. She checked her phone and winced - a little late. Damn typical she was always on time for her work but with friends it was a struggle. She owed Diana an extra drink for it. Hurrying into the bar, she spotted her friend immediately, even after all these years. She grinned automatically as she approached. "I'm so sorry I'm late, but it's so good to see you!"
"I did appreciate the joke." Rox smiled at that and gave a nod, at least he seemed to be the type who could take a joke. She knew many who couldn't. "I understand, they really do put a wrench in your plans. Don't tell Rosa though, I do love her to death." Rox chuckled at that and glanced down at the young kid, then mimed zipping her lips. "Well it's not quite the same as having a dog or a plant. I'm not sure why they say you should use a plant or puppy as a child tester to check if you won't kill it." She laughed a little at that and shook her head. She did think it a ridiculous notion that people believed if they could water a plant, they could look after a human.
"Exactly and the hope is that others are more sympathetic towards people during tough times." Rox nodded, "You would like to hope so, but I must admit I am somewhat of a cynic." She admitted, knowing that some would call it pessimistic. It depended on the circumstances - at work she was generally positive, but it was because she put in the hard work and the preparation, so that it should run as smooth as possible. "If people need me, they tend to call 999 and get ahold of me that way." Rox smiled and gave a slight raise of an eyebrow, "and what if they want to get hold of you but it's not an emergency?" She asked, alluding to the idea of friends or something similar.
"It's not like fires just happen during the day, though my sleep pattern wishes they would." Rox wrinkled her nose slightly. "Yeah that must be tough, I can't say I would appreciate the wake up call, how rude that they don't wait for the hours of 9-5." Though she did have to wake up at odd times occasionally for meetings with clients in other countries. "Most people take offence to the American accent, though it may be the places I've visited before." She shook her head, "I'm sorry if that's true, people are so fast to judge, it's sad that that's the world we live in." She never understood the need to judge by a cover, though it was such a part of life, she'd gotten used to it.
"Especially when the town relies on you to keep the town safe. No pressure there though, right?" She chuckled, "No pressure at all." She agreed jokingly. It was funny to think how much pressure each job demanded and in what way. She had her own pressures, but they weren't in the same court as Jamie's clearly. "That's fine, she gets enough activity at her daycare. They do so many things, I can barely keep track. So, what do you do for work?""That's good to hear, at least it gives her exposure to lot's of things. I am the CEO of an investment company," She smiled briefly, wondering if it was about to send him running - a lot of guys usually did, powerful women were terrifying after all.
“I mean, the mere fact that you made sure we were okay makes me think otherwise.” She chuckled at that, and gave a small shake of her head, "Well, I couldn't help myself." She might not be the most warm person when first approached, due to her business-like nature, but she wasn't a monster, and she felt any normal person would stop and do the same given what she had seen. “Do you have kids?” Rox shook her head, "No, no I don't." She wasn't even sure they were on the cards for her anymore. Once, she had thought it, but then with the divorce, and the lack of luck since, her age was creeping along and she wasn't much closer to the right time. There was Rafe now, of course, but he was young, and this was new. She wasn't even thinking about kids. “It’s true, the world isn’t an easy place. Even though, I wish it was.” She smiled again and shook her head, "No it's not, but then I suppose the good stuff would not be quite as good, if there was no counterweight to balance it."
She smiled and took back her phone once he was done. “Thank you, I don’t have a business card. A business card is not something the Fire Chief carries around with him.” Her eyebrows rose slightly, "That surprises me a little," She admitted, having thought he might be the type to carry one. Perhaps she was out of touch with how things worked outside the business world. “I am both of those, new and alone. I probably work way too much to get to know people.” Rox laughed softly at that, "don't we all - but I imagine you have a very good reason for working as hard as you do," She glanced toward his daughter with a pointed but friendly look.
“Of course, I feel that I’ll always have the accent to give it away.” She gave a quick shrug, "There's nothing wrong with that - keep a part of where you came from, makes you different from the rest." And that aside, nobody here really cared where you came from. She'd found the town pretty welcoming compared to other places she had visited. “I’m right there with you, I also am a workaholic. It’s something I want to work on though, having more free time.” Rox nodded, "it's important, to remember to take a breath, but sometimes it's hard to do so when you feel obligued to keep your head down and busy." Her work rarely allowed her a moments peace, and that was partly her own fault for the terrible boundaries she had set. “Thank you, I’ll have to check those out. I’ve taken Rosa to the Zoo and she has several outings with her daycare. I swear she’s seen more of the town than I have.” She smiled again, "you're welcome. It really is a decent town, with quite a lot of activities for the kids, though I can't say I know all the secrets without having one myself." She admitted.
Her smile widened as he smirked at her words. She might be a first class business-woman with a lot on her plate, known to be a bit of a ball buster in the office, but a firm but fair hand, Rox actually did like to have fun and had a decent sense of humour; she just only let her hair down with the right people. It surprised her how easy it felt with him, how she slipped into being relaxed around him, not having to put on a front. She settled into the chair opposite him, going to reach for the salt and adding a little, before doing the same with the pepper. She trusted his cooking to be good enough, he hadn't poisoned her yet, but she liked a bit of seasoning.
"Hopefully it taste just as good" She chuckled, "If not, I'll be sure to let you know." She teased, not one to beat around the bush for saving someone's feelings. She took a swig of coffee, and then another for a decent hit of that caffeine drug before she dug into breakfast. Two bites in and she smiled with a nod, swallowing before she spoke, "Okay, it's good enough." She complimented, taking another swig of her coffee and glancing over to Rafe when he asked, "Have you got any plans for today?" She considered her schedule and gave a small sigh. "Alas, working this afternoon. I've got a couple of meetings I pushed back so I could enjoy my morning. And you?" She asked.
“That is true, some people do tend to hide their true motives later on.” She gave a small nod, having met many people who liked to put on a front; that was partly was business was all about. Putting your best self out there so people wanted to hire you or your company. “So, what you are saying is I should be careful?” Rox gave him a sly smile and a quick wink, "That is exactly right, you never know what you're walking into." She joked back, but it was sadly true - you did have to be careful in the world, people were full of surprises, both nice and nasty.
She watched him settle the child with her teddy, and her expression softened. She wasn't a mother, and wasn't sure she wanted to be one, even as time was running out for her, “Definitely, some parents think it’s a tough way of raising a child but it did teach us to be nice quickly. I mean, obviously abusing a child over their behavior is a little too far.” She gave a small chuckle at that, "It's important for people to grow up tough, to be able to face the world." Rox didn't agree with any kind of abuse, but kids had to learn thick skin to be able to handle life.
“Oh of course. Do you have your phone on you? It might be easier for me to type it in. I’m not sure how much the police can do. It’s worth a shot though right?” She nodded and quickly pulled out her phone, "of course!" She handed it over to him to input his number, "it really is, they probably can't do anything but it's worth lodging anyway. They might have had a few logs of this incident before."“It’s nice to meet you too. It’s always nice to meet new people. I feel like I’m always meeting new people when I’m out and about.” Rox smiled kindly, "it can be hard to meet people sometimes, especially if you're on your own and new. The town is pretty friendly but I like branching out," She had no issue connecting or networking and was happy to meet with people to make new friendships and such if she got along with them, most of her interactions ended up being business related.
“Is it the accent that gave it away?” Rox chuckled, "unfortunately yes, that would give it away a little." She joked. “I’m from Ohio and Rosa was born there too.... What’s your favorite part about living in Hickstead? I’m always looking for new things to do around here.” Rox tilted her head in thought; that was a tough one. She was quite the workaholic and rarely did much outside of it. "I admit I am somewhat a recluse... I work a lot of hours.." She pulled a face, "but the local bars are pretty friendly for an adult evening out. Otherwise, I can't promise kid friendly but there's the local pool and a play area, a zoo.. I imagine they make nice days out?"
”Maybe just a little. .” Rox rolled her eyes, but it was in jest as she watched him turn back to the stove. She took a moment to watch him whilst she could, the lean lines of his muscles, the easy concentration on his face as he cooked - his relaxed and easy going aura. Yeah, she was definitely in trouble. He was young, and she knew that, but he had a surprisingly mature head on his shoulders and he was ridiculously attractive. It was his personality too - some would raise their eyebrows and go 'mmm sure it is', but Rox wasn't all about looks. Looks were trouble, and people thought they could get away with having a shit personality just because they were hot. That wasn't the case with Rafe though.
She stopped staring as she was given a task, and he turned to look at her. ”I think you can handle it.” Rox chuckled, "I guess so, after all there are some things I handle very well." She teased, as she worked on getting everything set for coffee. She was an adult that could actually look after herself, unlike some, so cooking and coffee making were in her repertoire, it just depended on time for her. She smiled a thanks as he put down the milk, pouring in the hot water as the kettle finished boiling and finishing off their coffee. She headed over to the table with him, a mug in each hand, and placed them on the coasters. "It smells lovely, thank you." She said as an inhale brought the smell of delicious food and her stomach rumbled.
"We don’t know many people in town yet, so it’s nice to know there are some decent people here.” Roxanne gave a small chuckle and raised a brow slightly. "Well, if you mean me we've only just met so I've got plenty of time to prove you otherwise." She joked. She just liked to treat people the way she liked to be treated, and there was generally no need to be rude unless something happened to change that. She was nice and all but she was a firm person who didn't stand for any attempt at things like mansplaining or disrespect or arrogance. She didn't get to CEO by patting people on heads and smiling sweetly.
Rox was relieved when the child stopped crying, feeling better to know that she was alright. Rox didn't have kids and she was creeping slowly closer to a point where she wouldn't be able to have them but it didn't mean she didn't feel for a kid when it was hurt or upset. “She’ll need a bath tonight anyway; I’ll have a better look at her then.” She nodded, taking leave from the child's father that everything was okay. He knew best after all, and if something was wrong she was sure he'd have noticed and decided to leave. “If I acted like that, my parents would have sent me to boarding school!” Roxanne's answering smile was tight, still a little frustrated that the guy had knocked someone over and just run off. "You just didn't behave like that when I was younger - if your mother caught wind of anything of that sort you'd be getting a proper clip behind your ear." she shook her head, not that her mother had done so to her - she'd never needed to.
“Shame because if you did, I’d use my Fire Chief powers to press charges.” her eyebrows rose in surprise, though really anyone could have any profession these days and she couldn't say she knew what a fire chief would be expected to look like - older perhaps? "I'll have to take your card or number for if I do manage it." she mentioned - if they could bring some justice it'd be worth it. “It’s nice to meet you, Roxanne. I’m Jamie and this is Rosalie. Have you always lived here?” she smiled and gave the child a small wave. "Lovely to meet you both, despite the circumstances! I have indeed, whereabouts in the US are you from?" she asked. Having worked with many international business people she was good at pin pointing accents but she didn't like to presume.
"Thanks for checking on us. I do appreciate it." She gave a brief smile, "No need to thank me, it's what any decent person would do." Ignoring the fact that other passers-by had not stopped to check either. She honestly wondered about people these days - they could be so selfish and 'in a hurry' to get on, that they forgot about common decency. She saw it all the time these days, people rushing through life and not bothering to say thanks or please or hold a damn door open for someone anymore.
"She is a tough girl. I'm sure she will have a bruise somewhere in the morning, but I don't see any blood." Rox's smile was a little tight as she nodded, the thought of the child bruising over the ordeal unpleasant but hopefully would not be a long lasting effect. "I hope she doesn't," She commented, she knew kids fell over and bounced back pretty well, and that they were going to get bruises and such - even if she didn't have her own - but it still shouldn't have happened. "It seems like the younger generations are always in a hurry. You would think they would teach people manners in school... Do you know him by chance?" Rox sighed and shook her head, "Honestly I hate to agree with you but I certainly did not behave like they growing up - in a hurry or not. I don't know him though, I'm afraid." If she did, he would have wished she didn't. Rox was a confident, strong woman who had no trouble speaking up for herself and others.
He seemed like a nice man, especially to have cared about her given his daughter was the main concern. "Glad to hear you are alright. Did you want to walk with us? I don't think I'll run until later now." She thought on it for a moment and then gave a small nod, "Sure, company is always welcome." Most of the time, but for now she'd take it - why not. "I'm Roxanne, by the way. Sorry it wasn't better terms on which we met."
