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!.
Though Adalia had come forward herself of her own accord, and hadn't ever been in a situation where she was in trouble to the extent of police intervention, it still felt uncomfortable being in the station. She shifted in her seat as she waited, one leg crossed over the other, and then changing legs and folding her arms. It was a little cold, and she hadn't brought a thick enough jumper - she disliked how long she'd had to wait given that she'd been told it wouldn't be long, and her eyes darted to the clock. How suspects could come into these rooms and not give away the game she didn't know.
"Adalia Herondale? I do appreciate you coming in. Did you happen to be at the barn before the fire happened?"She relaxed a little at the sight of the officer - unable to help but feel more at ease that she was female. She nodded, a little too quickly but the anxiety hadn't yet gone completely. "No problem, I felt it only right to come forward with what I saw - even if it doesn't really help," She bit her lip, knowing that probably sounded stupid, but she was still in shock that someone could do what they did, and angry that they thought they could get away with it. "I was there before the fire started but not by the barn, so I didn't see anything then - but a couple of nights before that, I did catch someone out the back who looked like they were doing something odd, and then when I shouted to them, they ran off. It seems liket oo much of a coincidence..." She had wondered since then if she'd stopped them lighting the fire that night - only for it to be lit the next night anyway.
when they first met, adalia was pretty curious about it - good looking and sweet, she was interested, but it felt that after a date or two, they moved more into the friend zone together than anything more developed.
it was easy for him to suck her in and hide his bad side, she knew he was some sort of trouble, she just didn't know what until she was in over her head, far too deep. unfortunately, her fragile little heart takes a real beating from this one - she'll come out the other side a little more guarded and careful with her feelings next time.
maybe it's a little cliche to have a crush on your riding instructor, but it is what it is. he's hot, he's funny and he loves his horses, what's more attractive than that? they've struck up a good friendship so far, and at some point she might come out with it, but for now she's not there. there are plans for the future with them, but they haven't crossed the line just yet.
adalia loves the little fire cracker, and if she swung both ways, she'd have hopped on zoe's disco stick years ago. as it stands, zoe is the first person adalia turns to in all walks of life, and she knows that no matter what happens, she'd always have zoe at her back. it works both ways though - she'd do anything for the woman, no matter what.
the perfect person to spend chill evenings with talking boys, sipping wine, and eating good food - or just good drunk food. another of her friends that she would always trust, and who she knows would always pick her back up when she's feeling down.
where do we disappear? into the silence that surrounds us and then drowns us in the end, where all these people who impersonate our friends say "come again, come again, come again."
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september 15, 2021
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adalia moved back to hickstead and got her own flat, began working on her business.
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december 02, 2021
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adalia runs into kellan again, they re-kindle their romance and start dating again.
There goes the siren that warns of the air raid, then comes the sound of the guns sending flak. Out for the scramble, we've got to get airborne, got to get up for the coming attack. Jump in the cockpit, and start up the engine. Remove all the wheel blocks – there's no time to waste. Gathering speed as we head down the runway. Gotta get airborne before it's too late. Running, scrambling, flying. Rolling, turning, diving. Going in again.
[attr="class","fraceshighltab"][attr="class","ion-locked"] THE INSIDES
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IN A NUTSHELL,
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] sweet natured. kind. honest. likes to see everyone smiling. comes across as rather innocent and naive however she's far from innocent and she's actually not naive or gullible in the slightest. gentle. easy going. intelligent. sharp. feisty. passionate. thoughtful. humbling. incredibly modest. finds pleasure in the smallest things of life
[break][break]
THE NITTY GRITTY,
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] LIKES: photography[break] , movie nights with friends[break] , sweet and salted popcorn[break] , kiwi's[break] , autumn[break] , beaches[break] , getting to wear shorts and flip flops[break] , ice cream on hot days[break] , american tv shows like friends and scrubs[break] , painting/drawing[break] , experimenting with her art and photography[break] , parties[break] , sleep in's[break] , travelling[break] [break] DISLIKES: users[break] , abusers[break] , gossipers[break] , bitchy people[break] , lies[break] , really hot days[break] , being too cold[break] , jeggings (jean leggings)[break] , seeing other people get hurt[break] , when others get involved in things they shouldn't[break] , nosy people[break] , rats[break] , meat - she's a veggie[break] , grapes - allergic[break] , idiots[break] , making a fool of herself[break] [break] STRENGTHS: photography[break] , art[break] , singing[break] , making people smile[break] , giving advice[break] , reliable and efficient[break] [break] WEAKNESSES: kiwi's - loves them[break] , ben and jerries ice cream[break] , picturesque settings - wants to capture them on camera/canvas[break] , jaegerbombs[break] , sport[break] , tall, dark and handsome men[break] [break] FEARS: death[break] , rejection[break] , that her paintings/photo's will be disliked/hated[break] [break] SECRETS: she once brought one of her own paintings at an auction[break]
[attr="class","fraceshighltab"][attr="class","ion-android-phone-portrait"] THE PAST
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FAMILY,
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] FATHER: robert james herondale - laywer[break] MOTHER: lauren mirander herondale - chef[break] BROTHERS: jeremy robert herondale - university student[break] SISTERS: none[break] OTHER FAMILY: none[break] OTHER HALF: ethan kasper lewis[break] CHILDREN: none[break]
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THE PAST,
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] her history isn't exactly very exciting if truth be told. she was born twenty-four years ago in hickstead, england, where she lived for the majority of her life. her parents named her adalia - after her father's mother, and lauren, after adalia's own mother. she had no sisters, her parent's had originally only wanted one child but upon finding how easy and how much they came to love their daughter, they tried for a second child and received a baby boy just two years later. the family were set for now and they had a good life. they had enough money to live in a nice house, never had to struggle for anything, but the children were not brought up to be brats or anything of the sort.[break] [break] at four years old, adalia met her best friend and one day to be childhood sweetheart. her first day at playgroup, a couple of the boys a year older than her had began to push her around, and too little and naive and innocent to know what to do she simply let them. then suddenly from nowhere a boy her age stepped in and got them to back off. kellan. from that moment on the two of them became the best of friends. they would go to each other's houses after playground and then school, they would meet up once they got older on their own terms rather than their parent, and hang out at the park with munch they'd brought from the corner shop..or they'd go into town or something. they were incredibly close, partners-in-crime, and people often made the mistake of thinking them to be a couple. they laughed about it but as the years went by, adalia began to feel something new for her bff that scared her. before she knew it she had a full on crush for the boy, and she spent the next several years wishing she could say something.[break] [break] when they got to year 11 they started to have a few difficulties. she was finding it harder to be around him with such a crush, hated seeing him with his girlfriends and yet found no satisfaction in the couple of relationships she dabbled in to try and forget her feelings for kellan. finally she came clean to him, and suddenly he was confessing the same and the two of them were kissing. after that things finally seemed right - they became a couple, and for several years they got to explore each other in a new way; romantically rather than the boundary of friendship. then, tragedy struck. her father got a promotion in london and the family were to move just after she'd finished her second year of college. she tried to persuade them otherwise but to no avail and suddenly she was saying goodbye to a guy she'd just realised she was in love with.[break] [break] they tried to make it work, but rumours - wrong rumours - reached them both and ate them up. they barely saw each other and soon busy lives kept them from even talking to each other days at a time. they broke it off mutually but it hurt like hell and for months afterward adalia was broken hearted. a boy by the name of ivan helped her to recover. she'd gotten into photography and did a short two year course in art and photography at the london university, where her and ivan got on brilliantly and soon became more than friends.he was a lovely guy but when she finished her course at twenty-three she said she had to break it off. over the years they'd transcended back into friends more than anything, and with her moving away again she didn't want to have the same thing happen like with kellan all over again. for a couple of months adalia went travelling before she finally came to settle back in her home town - hickstead.[break]
Adalia caught the grin from Emma and allowed herself to grin too - clearly the other woman thought it was funny enough and wasn't about to shush her. She'd been to a couple of places where the other students hadn't wanted to talk or share funny quips, they just wanted to watch the teacher and get on with things. She understood that, she was also there to learn, but she also found it boring - not reaching out to anyone else, making connections or anything.
Adalia's smile widened at the giggle - it was an infectious sound. “Deal,” Adalia joined in with the laughter as she watched Emma glance around in a suspicious manner, before they both looked back to their respective work. The model came out then and Adalia gave a faint blush, hearing a couple of other people make a noise. Their teacher told them to be quiet and start looking at the lines, and so Adalia picked up a piece of charcoal to get marking. Once she was in the zone and sketching, it wasn't actually quite as odd that the model was clothes-less, and she had to applaud their confidence; it wasn't something she'd be able to do, no matter how happy she was in her body.
“No, I definitely haven’t done one of THESE… I mean, my goodness, though, if my high school had offered one I definitely would’ve taken it. Of course, who wouldn’t have? I bet it would have been packed and everyone would’ve done their best to get an A. I mean, granted, when your mom is the music and drama teacher at your high school, not getting an A is rough. I mean, she wasn’t like harsh on us but if our grades were low she did everything imaginable to help us succeed. It was nice but sometimes overwhelming.” Adalia paused and looked over to her new friend, giving a little chuckle, "yeah I bet if they'd been doing this kind of art in school, everyone would have signed up for it for GCSE," She said with a slight shake of her head. "That does sound overwhelming, I bet you're glad you're past that point at least," She sympathised, although lucky for her, she had never had particularly pushy parents.
“Oh! And, Adalia, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Emma Marie Brown, or just Emma, or Em, Emby, Brownie… whatever floats your boat.” Adalia smiled back and reached out to shake her hand, the girl clearly liked to chat but Adalia liked that - she thought it was nice that people liked to chat, and she was one of them herself. "I'll start with Emma, and we'll see how it goes? Or maybe I'll come up with something new," She joked, giving her a quick wink before taking another few moments to sketch out an arm and terrible fingers.
Adalia finished setting herself up, just about - she tended to fuss a little when setting up, feeling jittery until she started painting. It was that odd itchy feeling she got when she wanted to paint or draw, but didn't know where to start and ended up faffing with her hand wandering around the page but unable to make a mark. She guessed it was equivalent to people not knowing where to start cleaning in a room full of mess. She riffled around in her bag for her favourite pencils and her other sketching tools, her eyes following the movements of the real life model as they began to arrange themselves in the way they wanted to sit for their first pose. Apparently he would move a couple of times so they could attempt different angles. Adalia wasn't sure if that was a good or dangerous thing with the view she had already been given.
She glanced up and smiled as someone started setting up next to her. She knew the art world could be a little bit uptight at times, depending on the circles you travelled. Adalia was freelance and aside from joining the odd class, she didn't have much interaction with other artists. Sometimes she regretted that, wanting to make more friends in a similar line of work to her, but sometimes when she'd reached out in the past, they hadn't had the same free spirited and chilled out nature as her, not understanding why she didn't take art 'seriously' because her work and her style was different, or they didn't think she took it 'seriously'.
“Make it a whole bottle and I’ll join you with a view like that.” Adalia blushed a little, not having realise she would have been heard and glanced up again, slightly embarrassed. "I'm sure that could probably be arranged. You distract them, I'll whip out to the corner shop and be back in five." She joked, checking she'd set everything up now before taking a step back and relaxing. "I'm Adalia, by the way. Have you done one of these before?"
Adalia wasn't sure what had made her sign up for the life model classes - she'd already done several in her years as a student, but that had been some time ago and she felt she needed to get some practice back in for drawing people. She supposed she hadn't needed to pick a naked life drawing session, but where was the fun in drawing people if you didn't get to see the whole form, right? Besides, there was going to be some draping of fabric over parts of the body, to work on the drawing of textures. The class wasn't too expensive, and it was nice and local, held at the university, so it wasn't far to go - and the teacher was meant to be really good. So, it was an obvious choice really.
Adalia had brought her own easel, though they had some ready for students to borrow if they needed: art supplies were expensive, and not everyone could afford it all. They did provide the paper to sketch on which was handy - and cheaper than a canvas, but it made sense given that these were just sketches today and nothing concrete. As the model came out - a guy, count her lucky stars, and not too bad on the eyes either - Adalia couldn't help but press her lips together to suppress a smile. No need to be creepy. "Now all I need is a glass of wine," She couldn't help commenting quietly, getting herself set up in the circle of easels.
”In all aspects of life.” Adalia laughed at that and gave a shrug, sipping her wine as she looked to her friend, seeing her mull over the words. She had no qualms with how anyone wanted to live their life, whether that be on their own or coupled up, or with someone of the same gender or other. She was open minded and willing to learn about other people's opinions and how they thought. Even if that wasn't the way she lived her life. ”True. . maybe in a few years.” Adalia sucked on her spoon for a moment then chuckled. "There's no time limit on it," She promised her friend. Damn, people got together well into their 70's and all ages these days.
”It’s scary but you’ve gotta put yourself out there sometimes. .maybe try one date with the guy and see how it goes? Adalia smiled gratefully at Zoe for her pearls of wisdom and nodded. "Yeah you're right, I guess I am jumping the gun a fair bit. He might be a complete asshole." She laughed, rolling her eyes. He didn't seem like one, but you never did know. Maybe on the first date he'd show some awful true colours and she wouldn't want to see him again anyway. She hoped not, he seemed like a nice guy, his artwork was incredible and ... Well... She couldn't help but notice his face wasn't too bad either. ZOE ISLA BLACKWOOD
"I must have missed the memo on the three month rule. Do people really get engaged that quickly?" Adalia laughed slightly and nodded as she swigged another mouthful of wine. "Some people really go by the word shotgun, it's kind of scary I think. I can't imagine getting married to someone so fast." She'd heard that you didn't actually get to know someone properly until about four months or so, when you finally caught each other on a bad day, or annoyed each other or similar. Heck, even the first year was usually all sugar and sweet and all things nice, she didn't think she could marry someone until she'd seen all their sides. ”No it’s the 3 month salary on a ring rule some men go by" Adalia raised a brow, "Guess you gotta hope he gets paid well..." but she was joking, never had been the type to care about money.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the attraction to marry a woman - I like what a man has to offer too much... well, the appendage attached to them anyway. That’s why I like both. .much more fun.” Adalia laughed a little at that, taking another sip of wine and realising she was almost out. "Maybe you'll have to become one of those progressive people that lives in a three? That way you can have one of each?" She suggested, it sounded bonkers to her, she couldn't imagine loving two people at the same time, at least not the same amount of love. She just wanted one person to spend her life with, that was enough. "I have heard of that happening, though I think it was done in a joking manner. Looks like you better sign up for Tinder, Zoe." Adalia snorted a laugh at that, glancing at Zoe to catch her expression. ”Oh I’m on them all already, don’t worry.”"Ah so that's what's been keeping you so busy." She teased.
As the cheese appeared, Adalia's mouth watered. "It smells amazing, nice job Cassie." She praise, reaching for a piece of bread and diving right in there. Call it a weakness of hers, but she didn't half love cheese. "Really? I'm shocked that happened. Though I ride Western, there seems to be more riders at Seven Oaks that do the same." Adalia shrugged, chewing her mouthful before she responded. "I have no idea, but let's hope things can stay settled for a while." The conflict sucked, and it has to be tough on the workers and owners too. She attacked the cheese some more for a moment as the other two discussed boxing. It wasn't that she wasn't interested but she didn't like talking with her mouthful and the cheese was too good to resist. "I don't know if I'd ever actually be able to hit someone though, if it came to it." She admitted, which would make self defence seem like a waste of time. After a moment she sat back to take a break from the food, hearing Cassie ask about the barn she smiled and nodded her agreement. "They certainly outdid themselves. I'm impressed they could afford it." Though perhaps they'd gotten a healthy pay out from the insurance.
”Hey, I’m a bartender and self-employed, you think I can afford the stupid 3 month rule for a ring?” Adalia chuckled and gave a sip of her wine and then a shrug, "I think you should be able to for someone like me - I'm worth every penny." She joked, though for her it wasn't about the money anyway - not that this was anything more than a joke. “Wait, did you seriously ask her to marry you?” ”Nah, I just said to marry me if we’re both still single at 40 but she said no.” Adalia laughed loudly and rolled her eyes, glancing back at Zoe from the corner of her eye. "Unfortunately, I don't have the attraction to marry a woman - I like what a man has to offer too much... well, the appendage attached to them anyway." She laughed, a cheeky grin on her face.
“I can bring the cake out first if we do want to start with that first. Though I did make baked brie if we wanted that next.” She gave a nod and an easy smile, "Mmm baked brie sounds amazing - but so does cake. Bring anything," She said with a laugh, unable to help herself - she loved food far too much. “I do think most people are set on the school schedule even if you don’t have children. The summers seem to make people a bit happier.” Adalia nodded, "Yeah that is true - plus the nice weather when you come out of the darkness of winter." She mused, having found it hard to draw enjoyment from Winter over the years.
”It usually is! I’m surprised there hasn’t been any myself.”... “Well, some of us are lovely but there are some that just seem…grumpy? I’m not sure that’s the right word.” Adalia smiled and sipped her wine for a moment, "yeah, I've seen plenty of those around - just like in every day life, you get the Karen's of the world." She rolled her eyes. ”I’ll come down and kick their ass if you need me to? I’ve been having boxing lessons” Adalia laughed and shook her head, "Honestly I think that'd be more likely to make it worse! I've got it." She promised, knowing her friend was joking all the same. “Oh, that sounds terrible. I wonder if they know about the fire than they let on? I seem to have more students though now that the two barns have merged. It’s nice though, being able to offer group lessons. It could be? For the most part, I think all the horses and humans came out unharmed. Though I don’t know about you, Adalia but my three horses took awhile to settle down after it.” ”well that’s a relief at least.” She nodded, musing over it for a moment. "Yeah, the horses were quite unsettled by it though i don't blame them - it was quite an event for them to get over."
”Try before you buy kinda thing.” Adalia chucked at that, unable to help but find the words coupled with her friends expression amusing. "It's a sensible thing to do," She returned, though for her it wasn't honestly about that. She was the slightly squishy romance kind of girl, but she understood how other people tended to work too. ”Maybe. . stranger things have happened. . could be nice.” Adalia smiled and gave her wine another sip, glancing at her friend. "I think it would be nice, just to meet that right someone, and have them there with you..." She grinned slightly, feeling like it sounded a little silly and so she trailed off instead, even though she was with one of her best mates. ”Well you’ll only know if you try.” She nodded at that, thinking back to Mal and his ridiculously good looking face. "Yeah it's true, it's just a scary thought, that whole possibility of getting hurt."
“Ha, you’ll have to stand in line after my boyfriend.” She laughed at that, too true, the damn man came first. Lucky man at that, she hoped he continued to treat her right - or he'd have several angry and vengeful women after him. “I’m sure you are the perfect wife material, Adalia.” She beamed at that and inclined her head in a joking thank you, only for her smile to fall as Zoe's response - ”Well you keep turning me down every time I propose to you, so no.” She looked a-gasp at the retort. "Well, you just don't have a big enough ring. I've told you before." She teased. “Let me know what you ladies think of the wine. If we like it enough I can get her to order another case.” Adalia nodded as she took another sip, "I would not say no if it was offered again," She admitted, though she wasn't exactly a wine connoisseur.
“I made a German chocolate cake with buttercream icing and I used shredded coconut on top.” Adalia's mouth started to water at the thought and she quickly shoved some more food into it instead. ”Okay, now I want desert for starters” She laughed at Zoe's comment and nodded in agreement, "Yeah me too, you can't leave us on that and not expect us to need to taste test.." She joked, settling for more savoury humus instead. “Other than my students starting to get restless because school is coming to an end I have no hot gossip.” Adalia smiled at that, "I remember that feeling myself," It was a shame when you got to adulthood and didn't get breaks like that unless they were unpaid; well as self employed anyway. “Definitely. I teach Western basics at Blue Acres and I would have thought the fire would bring people together…but now I’m not so sure.” ... "The bar has been unusually ungossip worthy this week and my photography clients are mostly harmless. I’ve only been there once to shoot a horse and their owner seemed lovely. .why what are these new people like?”
Adalia sighed and gave a slight shake of her head, "They just seem a bit..standoffish, and there's always tension. It's hard to feel very harmonious, I almost had someone bite my head off the other day because I touched their tack. I was only moving it to get to my own." She sighed and shook her head. ”I forgot about the fire. . how is it over there now?” Adalia glanced to Cassie, "I think it's doing well, everyone returned to BA pretty quickly, maybe because of the tensions?"
"I'm a commitment phobe. . I like getting myself out there with different people." Adalia laughed and gave a shrug, sipping her wine as she got a little more comfortable in her chair. "There's nothing wrong with that either," She figured people should be allowed to live how they lived; if they wanted to sleep around she saw no harm in it, but for her, she wanted that romance, that silly romcom kind of love and sweetness. She just couldn't help herself. "Maybe one day, one will be good enough to wiggle their way in past your defenses. Defeat them all." She joked, as if it were just a fairy tale like that; so easy.
She grinned in response to her friends laugh. Adalia was comfortable in her own sexuality, and she didn't care what other people liked, she knew Zoe was playing with her, but that her friend was a friend and would never push boundaries - so she had no issue with a joking flirt every now and then. "Ah being hung up on an ex is a no go. . and I can't give great advice on the hot ones. . they're usually trouble but I love them." Adalia bit her lip as her mind wandered to the two lads, and then she shook it off a little. "No, I don't think Aaron's ready for anything, but if nothing else I think he'd be a good friend. Mal... I guess I'll have to see. Maybe I shouldn't judge a book by it's ridiculously good looking cover." She gave a dramatic sigh. She wished she could be more casual sometimes, but she found it hard. She wanted the cherry pie family kind of life and she wasn't going to achieve that by screwing around or bed hopping.
Adalia clinked her drink to her friends as it was held up. Zoe was a serious catch, and she knew that she was leagues above the men and women she allowed into her life. She sipped her drink as she waited on her friends opinion, wondering if she'd made a hash of explaining herself. It wasn't like she wanted a bad boy - they were a nice idea in the books and TV shows, but in reality did you really want a guy who'd been convicted of killing his girlfriend? Probably not. ”Oh I completely agree, I could never date someone who couldn’t banter with me." She grinned and gave a small nod, pleased she understood. "Just, sometimes you need a bit of friction right? Some back and forth!" Plus who didn't love a back handed compliment to keep them guessing.
Zoe's smile almost seemed secretive and Adalia wondered if there was something she was missing. ”Well hopefully Mr Right will come knocking soon enough.” A small grin at that and a shrug, "Maybe he already has, who knows." but she was joking really, sometimes she thought maybe she would know, that there would be that instant connection - something to make her stop and look twice, but she also knew that was another thing the books tended to lie about and that sometimes it took time to make these connections.
Adalia grinned as Zoe put a hand to her chest, ”Aw babe, , same to you too. We are wifey material and deserve the best. . and you best believe I’ll be grilling your future bae.” She laughed at that and raised a hand in the air like a fist pump, "Absolutely, we are wifey material!" She agreed, though she laughed at having to hand them over to Zoe to grill. She liked to think that when she found her prince charming, he would be good enough to pass all the tests of her friends and hopefully not break her heart. It was scary, to think that you were giving your heart to people who might just crush it in their hands.
”I mean I need some spice in the bedroom too so I get you.” Adalia laughed and shook her head slightly, "I didn't mean it like that exactly, not just in the bedroom but... I don't know, a guy that just agrees with you all the time, and doesn't know how to banter or tease, I don't know. Nice guys just seem to lack personality sometimes." She wrinkled her nose - it sounded silly but she didn't know how else to explain it. ”I know you’re not. . I meant there’s not always a catch with nice people. . “ She dug her spoon into the ice cream and took another mouthful, shrugging slightly. "Maybe not, but I'm yet to find the proof of that."
