Please don't post but feel free to follow along!

this is a private rp between Danno and I.

The (crappy) ranch overlay

The forest has many trails and campsites in it, none too close to the water, seeing as how it floods almost as much as it rains.

Maybe fifty thousand acres of land(more than just what the map shows).

Plenty of ranch hands and cattle caretakers to go around. Plenty living on the property seeing as how there was 28 bedrooms in their seven cabins but some had three. Men and women both lived there, though respectfully most of them (unless of course they were married) lived separately.
There were plenty jobs going around but it was very loose and everyone got paid the same for doing whatever so most had settled into a common routine, some with the horses and most with the cows.

Dante is a lean and- slightly- broad shouldered young man, somewhere around 6'1. Having a lightly muscled build, someone fit for working with animals. Scars to show for it. Thankfully his face diamond shaped face was mostly pristine other than some freckles on his tan complexion. Though he did have a scar along his jawline. He had generally prominent features that would be generally seen as youthful and charming surrounding his rich and deep brown eyes.

They matched his hair to a degree. Which was a dark brunet wad of hair he sort of forgot about after a few hours at work. When the sun was out it could have tints of red in it. It usually shifted off into a middle part that drooped over his forehead. Once it reached his eyes he would trim it. Usually by himself.

He has a more welcoming demeanor about him most of the time, good but relaxed posture, a not intimidating resting face, a cheery smile and crows feet to show for it. Usually found in jeans, mud or cowboy boots and a tee or tanktop depending on the weather. But he usually keeps flannel on hand.

So far he has only gotten two tattoos. A horseshoe on his right shoulderblade(the size of it too), placed like a horse had walked toward his feet down his back and a smaller one on the inside of his bicep of a name in a loopy but not exaggerated font that can be hard to read. But it read Archer. He intended to get more. Eventually.

Usually smells like horses, fresh hay and dirt.

-

Dante is an open arms kinda guy, cursed with the southern kindness passed onto him by his mother but he hasn't really channeled them yet. Tending to be a bit impatient when it comes to things he forgets things aren't as easy for others as they are for him. Going hand in hand with his problems with authority that happen to be on high alert since the change in owners of his barn, he is a stubborn brat sometimes that will have his way just out of spite even if he knows its a bad idea. Some would call him a bit reckless.

He has his redeeming qualities though. He would stop for anyone who was pulled over on the side of the road in need of assistance. He is a total animal lover who had dreams of being a veterinarian but realized after a bit of an ..incident that he was too squeamish for a job like that. So he turned to being a farrier for both horses and cows. He went to school for it and everything. So he uses his knowledge to keep this farm healthy and gets paid for it as if he didn't already work there, happens to not really care about money either.

He does happen to not sleep very well most nights and spends them with the horses, drawing, reading or playing a board or card game alone til he passes out.

Despite how mistrusting he might seem at first, he's a ride or die kind of guy. Possibly an adrenaline junkie. As far he's concerned currently, he wouldn't wish death on anyone and never would no matter how much he disliked them.

•Yes his middle name is Junior.

•Dirty Nails, scarred, calloused hands

•SQUIRREL?!

•Insomniac

•Rock n' Roll lover

•Love language is Physical Touch

•Can move his ears

•Slight Southern Dialect, less accent

•Theme song Brother - Kodaline

•Amazing with kids

•Squeamish

•Blunt

-

He grew up peacefully on another ranch with his parents. But as they got older- his mother was about fourty when she had Dante- they have decided to move away from the ranch life and retire with a couple horses and a dog near a small town about an hour away from where he is now. He has an older brother- by older I mean by eighteen years. They don't talk as much as they used to now that Dante has a sustainable job and education.

Now he's on his own, perfectly at home on the ranch. Though sometimes it gets lonely.

Elowyn is generally considered pretty- if you saw her at a bar, there was a good chance people were running to get number. She has high, somewhat defined cheekbones and generally sharp features. Her eyebrows are well trimmed and shaped in a slightly sharp arch, giving her a faint aura of haughty authority just through her looks. She stands at 5'5", and enjoys heels to a fault (so it may be marked up to 5'9"). She has rich, naturally red colored wavy hair that falls a bit more than halfway down her back. The color of her hair directly contrasts the green in her eyes, and complements the ivory color of her skin. She has a lean figure, an athletic runner's build at that with faintly defined muscles. There are sparrows etched on her collarbone in black ink, which follow their path of flight over her right shoulder and down her spine. The closer they get to her tailbone, the more the sparrows crumble and fade until they are gone. She also has a pair of feathers, again silhouetted in black ink and empty in the middle, crossed in an X, with Gaelic phrasing in the center- this is on the underside of her left wrist.

~

Elowyn can most definitely come across as a bitch. She is cocky in almost all pursuits, and generally disdainful toward everyone and everything except old people and animals. While she isn't scared to work or get her hands dirty, it's easy to think that she is at first glance. She can easily come across as snobbish (which, maybe she is) but not quite so much that she's utterly intolerable. Most importantly, she takes pride in her appearance and keeping a cold, rude front up at all times. If no one gets close, no one can hurt her.

Right?

Maybe at one point, before all the shit, she was a funny, happy-go-lucky girl with a sarcastic sense of humor. Maybe she still is, just under a thick, rock hard crust of hate and wariness.

Guess we'll find out.

•Severely dislikes people using nicknames for those they aren't close with.

•Absolutely will not ask for help even if she is actively dying.

•Don't touch the hair. Or face. Or... anything on her body. You will lose body parts.

•Will only cry when watching sad animal movies/sad scenes to do with animals.

•Genuinely would die of happiness if she saw a mini pony.

•Get this woman some old school classic rock.

•Always humming something when she thinks she's alone. Anything from the Irish prayer to Highway to Hell.

•Very good at Irish accent imitation.

•Will break into an Irish accent when angry.

•Very little accent.

•Not squeamish in the slightest.

~

Elowyn had a shitty past- but that starts after the beginning.

She lived with her single father because her mother died after complications with birth (A second child, Elowyn was 2 when this happened), in an Irish centered community in New York city. He was a police officer, and she was a happy, good-going kid. Always took care of herself at parties if she went at all, didn't drink, didn't smoke. Volunteered at animal shelters, got straight As. The perfect, go getter girl seen in most Disney movies. Always aspiring for more.

Then, her dad died when she was 19. A year into her path of being a veterinarian. Everything was a blur afterwards- things crashing and burning in the aftermath. Struggling not only with living alone for the first time in her life, but also being truly, indubitably alone. No family (No one left.). No high school friends (They didn't give two shits.). No boyfriend (It 'Wasn't his problem.'). She struggled her way through college for a year more before she called it quits, taking on the world with a bachelor's degree and a need for therapy.

One thing led to another. She ended up on the streets, too broke to afford rent and too inexperienced to find money anywhere else. She turned where most women do in unfortunate situations such as those, trading her innocence for money. By a simple coincidence, she was in the wrong car at the wrong time with the wrong, high class, married man. Witnessing that same wrong man get shot by the wrong people. She went to court and testified for money rather than justice, desperate to escape whatever her current life was.

Unfortunately for her, some don't trust that money is a strong enough motive to stay quiet.

And here she is.

Elowyn had been scrolling anxiously on her phone for a little bit on the ride there, but she ceased when they started down the long, twisting drive to Woven Willow Ranch. Or, her ranch, now. She shifted nervously, swallowing and letting out a slight breath. She managed to... attempt to pull herself together. She slid her phone into her somewhat nice looking bag, adjusting her black pencil skirt with a sigh. She did the same to her ivory colored blouse and checked the black chunky heels she was wearing with a sigh. They were a horrible choice and she knew it. Her whole outfit, really, but the scramble from the airport to somewhere safe, then to a safe delivery service, to the ranch, didn't facilitate time for changing. Or shopping, because she had absolutely no usable attire for a ranch. Hoping not to look like a total idiot, she slid her sunglasses on and clutched at her black purse with a Gaelic curse under her breath as she toyed with her hair. She quickly adjusted her it so it looked... exactly the same as it had before. If she were about to walk into a skyscraper as the CEO of a corporation- she looked drop dead gorgeous. As the owner of a medium sized cattle ranch? She looked dumb as fuck. Then again, she was hoping to be too terrifying for anyone to care for. The black SUV came to a stop at the front of the ranch house, and the driver looked at her like she was insane. Before he could speak, she tossed two hundred dollar bills in the front seat and slid out of the car easily. "Luggage." She said simply, slamming the door before she could register the excited look on his face. She looked around as he raced to the trunk to grab her singular suitcase and set it beside her. It was pretty. Not like the city, but it was peaceful. And not insanely hot. The main house in front of her seemed in good enough condition.

Dante was unsure of how he felt about being the one showing the new owner around. All he had been told it was a woman but that didn't have near as much of an impact than it did once he saw her.

The pencil skirt, blaringly bright shirt. He was sure at least half of the other employees had already noticed her.

He'd been sitting in a janky position on a decorative grey block wall, shaded by some ornamental pears, waiting for her. Wearing what you'd expect. Clothing covered in dust, hay and shavings, a semi-clean red and black flannel, a slight glaze of sweat on his forehead and a pair of leather work gloves in his right hand.

He stood up after her bag had been moved. Approaching, the dirt covered gravel crunched under his boots. "Afternoon' miss." He addressed the woman in sunglasses. Going for a handshake, he switched the gloves to his left hand. "uh, I'm Dante. Tour guide." He maintained an even look, his demeanor a little more apprehensive now as he stood in front of her. He was half trying to figure out if it was the skirt or the heels that worried him most about how she was going to survive on a ranch.
He was trying not to make assumptions but it was hard not to when she looked like she was here to turn the place into a condo rather than ride horses.

Elowyn knew she was noticed on sight. There were blatantly curious gazes coming at her from most directions as the SUV took off, but she kept the grip on her purse loose none-the-less. She raised her eyebrows slightly as a ranchhand approached her, looking him over appraisingly beneath her glasses. She didn't respond to his first comment, simply giving a small nod in return and glancing around again. Her stance was somewhat relaxed, maintaining good posture even though one of her hips was popped out. As he held his hand out for a shake, her gaze flitted from his face to his hand and back again. Not that he could tell. Despite the fact that she hated touching people in most, if not all capacities, she reached her hand out and took his loosely, giving it a quick shake before she dropped it. She had an air of authority despite the fact She was a solid 8 inches shorter than him. "Elowyn. Your boss." She stated. It wasn't clear if it was joking or completely serious. She glanced at her hand after the shake, trying to clear off the dust he had gotten on her palm and taking a light, steady step back from him in an attempt to get more space. She was sure footed in her heels, despite the uneven gravel of the driveway. "So. Let the tour begin, I suppose? Starting with somewhere I can put this." She said lightly, waving a hand at her luggage.

Elowyn's weak grip and soft hand were slightly amusing compared to Dante's unwavering hand. For a moment his attention came to the glance at her palm. Deciding if she was a germaphobe or didn't like him. The superiority she announced herself with immediately made his cold shoulder come into play. Though he did find her name intriguing.

"Well lets head to the farmhouse. Do you want me to carry your bag?" He asked expectantly, figuring she would say no. "I'm sure you've seen pictures but behind it are seven cabins for employees housing, there are about twenty-four people living in those, and a few live in the main house uh but they're usually cooking for the ones who live here or cleaning." He looked over at her to see if she was comprehending his quick explanation.

"I would strongly advise that you change shoes at least for when we get closer to the animals. They're uh messy." Trying to find a more considerate way to put the fact that all of their animals crapped whereever they wanted to.

Life on the farm hadn't changed too drastically, the animals had the same routines. But the people seemed a whole lot more on edge recently, new owner, wondering about the schedules and if they would change. Basically most if not all were stressing about if they were gonna get fired. Dante was trying not to participate it that 'cause he honestly could go buy his own house, someday a ranch or something or live with his parents. The tension was getting to him though.

Elowyn let out a slow breath as he continued, choosing not to survey him in an attempt to see if he liked her or not. She already knew the answer and didn't mind it one bit.

"No. I've got it." She said quietly, quietly grabbing her luggage and listening to his quick explanation. Her gaze flitted upwards in an attempt to think through what he just said, and she got what she hoped was the important part. "Mhm." It came from her quietly, a small hum of acknowledgement while she wasn't even looking at him.

He got her attention again when he spoke on her choice of shoes, and she blew out an annoyed huff. She simply stared at him for a few moments. "Do you think I would be wearing 3 inch heels on a ranch unless I absolutely had to?" She responded, her face deadpan. "I'll have to live with them for now." She finished quietly, turning and gesturing for him to start walking.

She hadn't planned on firing anyone- yet. That could obviously change with circumstances. But of course, she wasn't that heartless. Overall, she just wanted life to go on as it had before. A seamless change for the employees there while she adjusted to a new life. Even if it would be temporary.