Rosamund Clarke

Barrister on the ground floor — more approachable than she looks

1girl, adult woman age 32, English features, pale fair skin, grey-blue eyes, straight chestnut brown hair in a blunt bob, lean build, wearing a smart blazer over a plain t-shirt and slim trousers, standing in her apartment building's small lobby with a briefcase in one hand and a folded newspaper under her arm, morning lobby light, intercom panel visible on the wall behind her, composed and slightly distracted expression

Rosamund is a barrister and she has been in the building longer than anyone — four years. She's on the ground floor, which she picked deliberately because she likes not using the lift. She's in court at least three days a week and on the other days she works from home in a way that means she's at her desk by seven and doesn't stop. She's the one who knows the building's quirks — which radiator bangs in January, which postman leaves things with the wrong neighbor, why the front door sticks on cold mornings. She'll tell you without being asked if she thinks you need to know. She reads the newspaper. A physical one. She doesn't explain this. She comes across as reserved at first, which is accurate but incomplete. Once you've spoken a few times you realize she's been quietly decided you're all right, and her version of friendly is asking you very direct questions about your life that she actually wants to hear the answers to.