it's a HARD KNOCK LIFE;; [open]

[Forte!]

Rowan was watching carefully as the horses ate their morning grain. Part of her job was to make sure the feed was rationed perfectly and that they were all getting the right sort of supplements to support the massive workload of a race horse. This was her first day on the job, and she hadn't gotten a chance to assess the horses yet. Clipboard in hand and a pencil stuck behind her ear, she was attempting to do so now, making mental notes of who was picking at their food, who gobbling, and who ended up scattering most of it on the floor. she was a perfectionist, and knowing these things, in her mind, was essential. A horse who eats quickly is prone to colic. One who picks at his food may be hard to keep weight on. And one who lost most of the grain that went into his mouth might need his teeth floated. It was her job to notice these things, and it really was the perfect job for her.

She set down the clipboard on a nearby bench. She didn't really need it at this point - her excellent memory was serving her well. There weren't a ton of horses here yet, anyway, so it wasn't really a challenge. She walked over to Dare's stall, watching as the stallion ate his food. He really was a beautiful horse. And her's, too! She could hardly believe that she had gone so far out on a limb, that sort of purchase was normally one that she would have shied away from innately. But he was being boarded for her work here, and she enjoyed this sort of work immensely. Hopefully she would get out of college to go and be a vet for a large racing stables or something along those lines, because it was a challenge that suited her in any light. Rowan was, for once, happy with her life and her work. She had found her purpose.

"How're you today, Daredevil?" she queried, as Dare raised his head and snorted nonchalantly. He wasn't a one-person horse, certainly, but he did have the first kindling of a lasting relationship with Rowan. She wasn't always the first to give kindness or praise, nor to fondle over him like some girls did their horses, but she was sane and thoughtful, and that is a great comfort to a horse who had known many riders. Dare had been a lesson horse at a jumping stables, although with more training he would have been capable of much more, perhaps even becoming a show jumper some day. "Oh. I see. Go back to your breakfast, then." Dare had beaten her to the punch, and was already back to eating his food, swishing his tail proudly as Rowan set off again on a survey of the stalls.

[I Am Agent Z]

Axel walked out of his house, and stretched his arms over his head. He was getting ready to check on Snap, and he'd recently hired a Vet intern, so, he basically got a cheaper version of a horse medic. Heh, oh well, once she was out of college, he'd start to pay her in the same amount as a normal vet or horse medic. He chuckled softly as he wondered who was the new medic, the name 'Rowan' sounded like a boys name, but, according to the application the person filled out, he was a she. He then shrugged and walked out to the stable to see the new medic. When he saw her, he smiled and said "You must be ze new medic, Velcome aboard. How are you, Zis fine morning?" He asked, smiling kindly at her. He was a good boss, and payed fair wages, but he tended to be picky when it came to employees, and since Rowan was the only vet that worked for next to nothing in the town, he figured {Why not?} so he had hired her, but now he needed to talk to someone, wherever Skye was, he had no idea.

[Forte!]

Rowan noticed Axel out of the corner of her eye from a long way off, but continued about her work. She hadn't actually met the owner yet, which she considered odd, and thus she didn't register the fact that the man walking down the road was, in fact, her boss. She thought that he was probably another employee, and thus it would be in their mutual interests to say good morning and go about their business. She brushed a curly lock out of her eyes, stopping at one of the stalls to study the occupant, who was taking their time over breakfast. Rowan, at the moment, had no idea who any of the horses were by name.

She turned around as Axel came near, grinning as he greeted her. The accent gave her a mild shock - she knew it was German, but she hadn't expected it. She realized, in a calculating sort of way, who exactly she was speaking to, and nodded. "Yes, I am," she said lightly, forming a rapid opinion of the man. First impressions always counted. "Pleased to meet you. I'm fine, albeit a little confused." She decided, for once, to let his bad grammar go. After all, employees were supposed to be respectful... "Rowan Kennis," she said lightly, extending a hand to shake.

[I Am Agent Z]

Axel smiled at her, grasping her hand with his firmly, but not bone-crushingly so, just firmly enough you could tell he was a good boss. "Vhat are you confused about?" He asked, smiling as he let go of her hand after shaking it for a few seconds, keeping eye contact. "I could probably help..." he said, obviously with no clue what she was confused about. He walked over to Snap's stall and patted his neck. Then went a couple stalls down and did the same with Knight, his only riding horse. He then smiled over at Rowan, keeping a calm look, still wondering what it was that she was confused about. He knew he could probably help as long as it wasn't too difficult. But still, he smiled at her his cute and adorable smile that reminded you of an innocent child and leaned back against a support beam, waiting for her answer to his question.

[Forte!]

"I just got here. I have every right to be confused," Rowan said quickly, wondering how she had so thoroughly perplexed him with such a simple statement. "Is there anyone in particular you want me to look at today?" She queried. There hadn't been anything left for her, and all morning she'd been wondering what she was supposed to be doing here. So she'd watched the horses eat. No big deal. It wasn't until she knew how that was effecting them that she'd know what to tell Axel about feeding them. And she hadn't gotten to really look at them very closely yet.

"How many of these horses do you plan to actually use in races, by the way?" she asked lightly, watching as he went about his rounds. Dare, who had finished his grain, stuck his head out of the stall window and snorted at Axel curiously. There were quite a few horses here, six including Dare, and Rowan had no idea how many Axel actually owned, or how many were actually race horses. Dare certainly wasn't, and Rowan was glad for it. She knew personally the risks that race horses faced daily.

[I Am Agent Z]

"So far, ze only one I know of zat is a race horse is zt zroughbred right there, Good ol' Snap." he said, nodding at the thoroughbred he had just patted. "Alzough, I am also training a fellow employee to race, she owns shawnee there, and zat is ze other horse I am training to race. So, I am guessing two horses I plan to race, so far, anyvay. I specialize in zoroughbreds, however Mudslyde zere is a paint horse, also owned by ze employee I am training. As for Knight here, he is my riding horse. Nozing more, nozing less, but stil as valuable to me as ze greatest race horse. Just as Snap is just as valuable to me..." Axel said, smiling. "As for which horses to look at, whichever you think needs to be looked at, I'm afraid I am not good at spotting minor problems or anyzing, zough I can spot major problems from a good distance. Zat is why I hired you as a horse medic, you did say you were trained in veterinary medicine, I was only trained in racing fields, not medical. So," he shrugged and said. "So, look at vhatever horses you zink need to be looked at." He said, smiling over at her.

[Forte!]

Rowan nodded, eying Snap. "He's gorgeous," she said with a little grin, and then turned to the other horses with a nod. "Well, if nobody's having a serious problem, I'll just get a good look at them later. Right now I think I'll have a poke around the stables, see what's going on." She said, but didn't dash off immediately. Instead, she kept her eyes on Axel, studying him. He didn't have a typical German appearance, to her knowledge. Then again, people were highly varied no matter where you went, so she accepted it without trouble. His eyes were really funny, though... Probably the result of a DNA mutation. "Look. I know I'm not the most qualified person around, but you can trust me," she said, noting some skepticism in his voice or the air or... something... "I know what I'm doing. And when I don't, I won't do anything stupid. Horses mean too much to me for that."

[I Am Agent Z]

Axel tilted his head slightly. He didn't recall being skeptical, or even rude in any other way. But he mentally shrugged it off and said "Not to vorry, young one, I vas just making a statement..." He said, smiling, but holding his hands up at shoulder height as though he wanted to say 'Easy, girl...' but he said nothing. He then shrugged and put his hands down, saying "Well, I suppose since you have everyzing under control, I shall go and leave you to your vork, zen?" He said, tilting his head again and smiling. He looked cute when he did that, but he was taken, sadly, so he couldn't get involved with anyone else. He simply nodded and turned and started to swagger away, He then turned so he was walking backwards and called "I'll talk to you later, zen?" and then smiled and turned back around so he could see where he was going.