Things were moving at a faster pace now that breakfast was being cleared away, and people were becoming energized and alert. As Rose finished placing the dishes in the washer, Alexia returned from her trip outside, accompanied by one of the farm dogs. Rose's mouth pursed and slightly twisted, a microsecond of displeasure. It wasn't that she didn't like dogs, or that she had a traumatic experience with one as a child, she just... didn't quite trust them. Horses she understood completely, every movement and signal. They responded quickly to her commands, and were extremely useful. Dogs, she felt, weren't as reliable. Sheepdogs did their job well, but Rose had never met a dog that didn't cause a mess in the house at one point in their life. Dirty paw-prints, breaking her mother's vase, things that Rose had to deal with and clean up. Those variety of instances added up to classifying dogs as outdoor creatures. But they made Alexia happy, and it seemed that she needed a canine companion, especially at that particular moment.<br/><br/>"Nothing much, sweetheart," Rose replied in reference to Alexia's question, "just horse talk." She shoved down here feelings of jealousy, instead glancing over at Conor, smiling at his offer of a piggy-back to his son. It was something David had always done with Alexia, until she had become too big for his back to carry.<br/><br/>Brought back to Alexia by her suggestion, Rose nodded. "Sounds good. A light lunch to make up for that big breakfast." Rose felt here daughter's awkwardness, as family often reads emotions so well, and gave her a quick<span style="font-style: italic">are you okay?</span>look, followed up with an<span style="font-style: italic">are you sure?</span>just to be safe. She feared the day that Thomas would eventually pick up this skill of non-verbal communication, and be more in the loop with the serious matters that faced the household. Then again, she was the granny, not the mother. Her job was to buy gifts and sneak him into places his mom would never allowed. "Would you like to start now, or should we digest a bit first? I think there's already some sliced melons in the fridge, if we just want to add some berries and yogurt to it. For the sandwiches we can just grab a loaf like usual, and everyone can bring what they'd like." Rose's sandwich ideal was the simple peanut butter and jelly, with a few bananas to keep it interesting.