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!.
The shop was mostly quiet, as he liked it. It didn't mean much, he knew that - not everyone was going to rush in that day for something he did. He was new, a small timer in a city that didn't know his name, so he knew it was going to be a touch quiet for a while yet. Even so, he worked silently behind his counter on a pair of boots, stitching in the soles to the worked leather, double checking and rechecking the alignment of the leather so that it wasn't warping on him. He'd spent a week alone to add decoration to the leather - all manner of sweeping lines and painfully detailed skulls, the painting, the superficial embroidery - all of it taking so much time he should've been ashamed for how long it was taking. And yet, he found it relaxing. Mostly because these were to go on the shelf when he was done with them, and not because they were a custom commission from a picky client.
Clients aside, the work was always interesting. Some days it was simple things - make a dog collar or replicating something that was on the boarders of impossible to repair. Some how he made it work and as a general rules, his clients were happy with his efforts. He explained it and often found that they didn't understand the intricacy of his work, so what he said fell on deaf ears. No matter.
The background noise of people outside went well with the soft music playing from the laptop beside him - a compilation of music from 'Cry of Fear', a game he'd played recently. It left him with profound thoughts, but he often brushed those three am thoughts aside and got up, too awake to simply nod off again. The music was oddly fitting for the shop now that he thought about it, how ominous it felt when you walked through the doors. Maybe it was the hand painted walls he'd spent far too long on - a monochrome walls depicting forests under moonlight with the occasional deer or other such animal tucked away. Far too many details, far too dark, and yet the customers came in when they wanted to or simply called the shop number.
Glancing up, he surveyed the room, as if reassuring himself that the room was actually empty and that he hadn't zoned out and ignored someone, but in so far he had not neglected to offer his assistance to the three patrons that had come in several hours ago. Minor transactions, minor questions, the sale of some leather conditioner - simple things that he jotted down in his journal to make sure that his stock numbers were accurate. Once assured, he readjusted his glasses and position on the old bar stool he liked before putting his attention back onto the shoe - one stitch at a time, taking his time, doing things right.
"Oops!" Jessie frowned at herself as the reins over her shoulder slipped and then dangled into a dirty puddle of rain water. As she bent down to retrieve them before they could be too soiled, one of the stirrup leather slipped from the top of the saddle she was carrying and joined the reins in the puddle. "Oh gosh damn it," She sighed, awkwardly managing to bundle both up and put them back when they belonged before standing. The saddle was sat on her broken arm, the awkward cast providing a perfect rest for the tack to sit on, and with it almost being time up for the cast to be removed, she couldn't feel a damn thing anyway. It was easier that way than having the tack resting on her good arm and trying to use her fingers like an awkward pincer to pick them up.
She hurried for the shop before she could lose anything else and nudged the door open with her hip - considering both hands were rather full and not much use to her. She hadn't used the shop before, usually she was in the habit of throwing things when they broke - which was unfortunately quite often for a clutz like Jessie. But these bits she had accumulated were all relatively knew and she was reluctant to throw them. She had heard good things so far about this place and the lone man that ran it, and she was keen to offload her items and see what he could make of them. Managing to slide inside with the door only shutting on one of her legs - "Ow" she muttered to that - she headed over to the counter where someone; she presumed to owner, was bent over some leather, already at work. "Hi there," She called out with a grin, slightly out of breath with all her awkward bumbling about.
"Hi there," She called out with a grin, slightly out of breath with all her awkward bumbling about.
Enver was so in his own head, in the method stitching that he almost didn't noticed the lady that came into the shop. He looked up with a look of mild concern on his face and immediately got up from his stool.
"Good morn-" he stopped and looked at his watch for a moment before nodding, "Morning. Yes."
Seeing how much she had in her hands, he moved around, "Let me help you with all that."
He gingerly took some of the items out of her hands and laid things out on the wooden top of the counter before he went behind it, tilting his head as he surveyed what was in front of him. Definitely an equestrian this one.
"How can I help you today?" he asked, briefly looking about, double checking there was nothing else he should say in that moment.
Then remembering the game sound track that was playing in the background, he ducked over to his laptop and hit pause on the video before gently half-closing it and returning to the counter, moving things around so there was enough space to work at.
She grinned easily as he hurried to help. "No rush, it's okay!" She said quickly so he didn't panic, he seemed concerned at her juggling and she could understand - her juggling skills were not up to par, and she'd already proven by dropping half of the things outside. Jessie always said to people - never to throw things at her - because although she'd made some fantastic catches in her time they were always a fluke and she was prone to dropping. "Good morn-Morning. Yes." She nodded, "It's just about still morning, were you in your own world?" She asked brightly. She had a habit of drifting into her own mind unless she was focused on something in particular.
"Let me help you with all that." Her eyebrows went up slightly as she looked back down at everything in her hands as if she'd forgotten she was holding it all. "Oh yeah! Uh, yes thank you." She wouldn't have minded normally but with her broken arm, she was very awkward. She tried to gently put it on the counter but he managed to grab a fair bit himself. "How can I help you today?" She looked at her assortment of stuff and blushed faintly. "So these are kind of bits and bobs in need of fixing, if you're able to help with any of it at all? I was thinking if you could take a look and just see if it's possible to mend or if I need to chuck them." She watched him turn the music off and smiled easily, "Oh it's okay you could have left it playing."
She grinned easily as he hurried to help. "No rush, it's okay!" She said quickly so he didn't panic.
She nodded, "It's just about still morning, were you in your own world?" She asked brightly.
"I lost track of time, I've been in the shop since five this morning, it's hard to keep track of things when there's not much going on," he said softly.
"Oh yeah! Uh, yes thank you." She wouldn't have minded normally but with her broken arm, she was very awkward.
"So these are kind of bits and bobs in need of fixing, if you're able to help with any of it at all? I was thinking if you could take a look and just see if it's possible to mend or if I need to chuck them." She watched him turn the music off and smiled easily, "Oh it's okay you could have left it playing."
Enver nodded as she spoke and began going through the pile items, adjusting his glasses slightly, "Can certainly see what I can do. Oh, I knew what was likely to play next and it's... well, not something I think would be decent to have playing in front of other people if I'm honest."
He looked at the saddle first, checking over the stitches and the leather itself, "I'm going to take it that you ride, and these items are being put into use, yes? Saddle isn't an issue to fix - I can do it in my sleep, give it a full check over, replace anything thinning, or close to breaking, make it like new," he said, before moving onto the stirrup leather, "I can fix this, but I wouldn't use it for riding - it's easier and safer for me to make a replacement. As for for the reins, another easy enough fix."
He nodded as he went over the leather, turning it over in hand as he did, "Saddle will take me three days on average to go over it completely, maybe a little quicker if you want it sooner. Stirrup leather, that's thirty to forty minute job - always recommend to do both at the same time to match, otherwise you end up lop sided, but that's your call. Reins same sort of time as the stirrup leather - easy enough."
He looked over to a side shelf where he had large hides and other cuts of leather laying out for use. He picked up a large piece and a few tools, beginning to take measurements.
"I lost track of time, I've been in the shop since five this morning, it's hard to keep track of things when there's not much going on," Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "5am? Why so early?" Probably a little personal of a question, but that was quite a time to be up, she figured most people for that time in the morning were bakers or post workers, or emergency services. She was used to early mornings having grown up working on her families farm, and 5am wasn't too abnormal, but generally they could get away with half past or even 6, depending on the day. It was strange being able to get up later if she liked and sleeping in, but she savoured those treats for special days and still tended to wake with the dawn.
"Can certainly see what I can do. Oh, I knew what was likely to play next and it's... well, not something I think would be decent to have playing in front of other people if I'm honest." She half smiled, "Oh well, now I'm intrigued." She laughed lightly, wondering what exactly had been about to start playing. She watched him take a poke at the items she'd brought, hoping he might be able to do something to help. "I'm going to take it that you ride, and these items are being put into use, yes? Saddle isn't an issue to fix - I can do it in my sleep, give it a full check over, replace anything thinning, or close to breaking, make it like new," Jessie nodded, "Yep, they'll be in quite heavy use, but I try to keep it in good condition." She did her best to look after her tack, to avoid having to buy new. "I can fix this, but I wouldn't use it for riding - it's easier and safer for me to make a replacement. As for for the reins, another easy enough fix."
It was a shame about the straps and she sighed. "It probably won't be worth the fixing then, I'm not likely to use it for anything else." Unless he could do something with the leather - like recycle. "Saddle will take me three days on average to go over it completely, maybe a little quicker if you want it sooner. Stirrup leather, that's thirty to forty minute job - always recommend to do both at the same time to match, otherwise you end up lop sided, but that's your call. Reins same sort of time as the stirrup leather - easy enough." She frowned slightly, "I hadn't thought about the stirrup leather in pairs thing..." She admitted, tilting her head. "I didn't bring the other with me... but then if I can't use it after, I should probably just take it back. That's no problem for the other bits though."
"I can't sleep a lot of the time, so I'm awake at stupid hours," he said, offering a smile.
She half smiled, "Oh well, now I'm intrigued." She laughed lightly.
Jessie nodded, "Yep, they'll be in quite heavy use, but I try to keep it in good condition." She did her best to look after her tack, to avoid having to buy new.
"It probably won't be worth the fixing then, I'm not likely to use it for anything else."
She frowned slightly, "I hadn't thought about the stirrup leather in pairs thing..." She admitted, tilting her head. "I didn't bring the other with me... but then if I can't use it after, I should probably just take it back. That's no problem for the other bits though."
"For stirrups, it's always best to do pairs so you feel off center, and to bring in the saddle it belongs to as every saddle has differently sized bars - and so that they can be colour matched at the same time."
He nodded and moved over to the shelves behind himself and pulled out some papers and tags from a draw, before sliding back into his seat. He slid over the paper to her after putting a series of marks on the ID line.
"If you put your fill this out with your contact information, I'll get to tagging your items and getting this all sorted out for you," he nodded, "If I find anything that is of concern, I will contact you and talk about the issue and what can be done - I'm not in the habit of just shocking people with the bill. This lot will only cost you about eighty to ninety pounds unless I find anything that needs more attention."
"I can't sleep a lot of the time, so I'm awake at stupid hours," Jessie smiled back, "Oh, I can understand that. I got so used to getting up to help with the milking back home on my parent's farm that it's just a given that I wake up with the dawn - or before it," She gave another easy grin, "At least it means you make the most of the day," She said, always one to look at the brighter side of things. Besides that t was true, it did mean that she got the chance to make the most of her day as there were more hours in it than someone waking up at midday.
"For stirrups, it's always best to do pairs so you feel off center, and to bring in the saddle it belongs to as every saddle has differently sized bars - and so that they can be colour matched at the same time." A crease became visible between her eyebrows as she took in what he was saying to her. "Yes, I suppose it's the same for why you should swap your leathers and avoid getting on from the same one each time," It might be minor if you used a mounting block but it would mean an uneven stretch of one side more than the other so she regularly swapped her leathers over. Jessie took control of the papers as they were slid over, looking down at the questions.
"If you put your fill this out with your contact information, I'll get to tagging your items and getting this all sorted out for you, If I find anything that is of concern, I will contact you and talk about the issue and what can be done - I'm not in the habit of just shocking people with the bill. This lot will only cost you about eighty to ninety pounds unless I find anything that needs more attention." She nodded along to what he said as she grabbed a pen and began to scribble in her details. "That's great thank you, it's happened before when people have carried out work before checking and then you have to start googling how to sell your kidney," She joked.
"Oh, I can understand that. I got so used to getting up to help with the milking back home on my parent's farm that it's just a given that I wake up with the dawn - or before it," She gave another easy grin, "At least it means you make the most of the day."
"I suppose that is a nice way of looking at it," he said with a slight nod.
"Yes, I suppose it's the same for why you should swap your leathers and avoid getting on from the same one each time."
He nodded again, "Very much so. I don't ride, but I've seen some pretty wrecked leathers whilst working."
She nodded along to what he said as she grabbed a pen and began to scribble in her details. "That's great thank you, it's happened before when people have carried out work before checking and then you have to start googling how to sell your kidney," She joked.
He pulled out a bunch of tags, beginning to fill them out with dates and repair short hand, "I can't imagine having to do that," he chuckled, not quite getting the joke, "I've made it a strict policy to only do what I'm asked to, and if I find other issues, to bring it to my clients. I'm aware that some things are cosmetic, and I always like to provide a through check off the bat."
"I suppose that is a nice way of looking at it," Jessie gave another easy grin and a nod, "Got to enjoy the little things - keep things positive for the day." She had always been a look on the bright side, silver lining kind of gal and tried to appreciate the small things, to enjoy one thing about a day even if it's bad. She didn't like the idea of wasting her life or focusing on the negative - there was too little time for it. She saw him nod at her next words, knowing she was right in that respect at least. "Very much so. I don't ride, but I've seen some pretty wrecked leathers whilst working." Jessie pulled a face slightly, "I guess it's hard to remember sometimes how much we have to look after them, for them to look after us." She gave a guilty chuckle at that, knowing the state of her own tack sometimes when she was feeling lazy.
"I can't imagine having to do that," Jessie's grin widened, "I've made it a strict policy to only do what I'm asked to, and if I find other issues, to bring it to my clients. I'm aware that some things are cosmetic, and I always like to provide a through check off the bat." She thought maybe he didn't quite realise she was joking but figured it best not to draw attention, instead she smiled again brightly and nodded. "That's good, I've known people before to care a lot less and go ahead with work anyway then hand off the bill and shrug at it being an issue." Luckily it hadn't happened too much to her; occasionally on the farm it had with her parents, but they had their usual contacts for help and such and tended to stick with the same people who were reliable and trustworthy. "Thank you though, this is great" She added as she watched him get all the tags and such sorted and in order.
