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!.
“Hey Danny, I hope you’re doing well.” Gideon probably was a bit more surprised at the fact Danny had made himself come over. While the two knew of each other – it didn’t mean that knew, knew each other. Gideon was friendly, of course. But he didn’t think Danny would ever want to talk to him without the presence of his girlfriend.
“I am, yes. Well deserved. Everyone needs a good break. Mina and I made sure we forced each other to sit down without being bent over a super magnifying glass. Did you have a good holiday season?” Gideon offered, not knowing how much Danny would give. If Danny didn’t want to talk, Gideon figured he would’ve just nodded and walked away. But with the way he approached – Gideon had a feeling the man had something he wanted to talk about.
Gideon gave a nod, appreciating the honesty of a man not wanting to go with the wind. Jewelry wasn’t always for everyone, but Jon seemed to know his partner well enough. It helped that she was a quirky individual, at least to him. Art folks always liked something fun, from the ones that Gideon worked with.
“Great, let me set these pieces aside,” Gideon smiled – putting away the non-turquoise items. “I think silver is always a classic look. Gold is nice too, but I think silver would be more fitting. Ultimately, it’s up to you, of course.” He often did his best to reiterate that his word wasn’t the final word. The person buying the gift was the expert on the receiver after all.
The holiday rush was over and Gideon was ready for it. The shop was closed for a week after New Year's Eve. Of course, they had the holidays and certain days off, but it was now a solid week off. No clients, no working his hands too hard. Gideon didn't know when the last time he had a massage was. When he did finally get one, it was welcomed. He was sure his masseuse had a field day with all the knots in his shoulders and back.
While his body was in relaxation mode, Gideon's brain was far from it. He had this nagging feeling that Mina was a ticking time bomb. Same with her current boyfriend. Mina's energy was always over the place, but it was worse now—a thunderstorm of great proportion.
His fingers tapped as he sat in the cafe of the Book Nook. While he wasn't an avid reader, the calmness of the place was easier to handle than Parker's. A lavender latte perched on its saucer. He was about to take a sip when his peripheral picked up a family face. A very handsome one. It was Danny.
Gideon didn't quite remember how he and Mina met. He just knew they had been together for a few years. Gideon, while he hated to admit it, was a bit envious. How could Mina be so questionable about a man like Danny? Good looking, caring…was he too overbearing? Gideon only knew bits and bobs. But he wasn't going to deny that he had fantasized.
He lifted his hand and gave a friendly salute with a smile. Gideon didn't know if Danny would approach or not, but they were friendly enough to acknowledge each other's existence.
“I don’t have a sample of it in the ring, but I can show you some turquoise stone options. You can flip through this book since I don’t have any that are cut to that size specifically yet.” Gideon handed off the book grabbed a small notepad and began taking a few notes, things he remembered from the top of the conversation. He quickly jotted size 7.
“The process is quite easy. Pretty much, once we find the style and parts and pieces you want, you just need to let me know what your timelines look like. We have a minimum four-week turnaround but can be longer if things need to be sourced or cut. Fifty percent downpayment which will be deducted from the overall final cost. The final product can be shipped or picked up, whatever is the most convenient for you.”
Gideon watched as Jon began examining everything in front of him. He wasn’t one to brag, but Gideon did manage to know how to read someone – or investigate something quite well. It was like a personal tailor that was able to size someone up without measuring them.
“No, they don’t go together, unless she is someone that mixes metals together. We have a lot of blue options, same with turquoise. Did you want to remain a bit safer, or did you want to go past that?” Maybe the option of playing a bit of risk wasn’t the best, but Gideon knew that sometimes a risk yielded something. More of a specialty piece. “Did you want to get something that she would feel comfortable wearing all the time, like an engagement ring – or more special?”
“Sure, sure.” Gideon grabbed another book out and found a few examples in the same setting. “Here are two options. One is just a grey moissanite and then there’s the standard diamond. We can customize it to anything, really. We have a few champagne diamonds and lighter strains of salt and pepper. We do have some turquoise and opal, too – but those aren’t as strong. Especially for everyday wear. If there isn’t anything in stock, we can work with our supplies to find something as well.”
He turned the book towards Christian showing the two examples, before grabbing a book from one of his suppliers to show possible options.
“I think that’s fair. I mean, people can agree that it is something they both want. I mean, it makes sure you’re both on the same page, right?” People often always say that women and men would act surprised – but Gideon was often sure that some type of hint, or conversation was had. “Well, you were thankfully smart enough to see the blinking sign. There are some people that need a verbal saying…”
He nodded when Christian mentioned the ones that he liked. “Great! Did you like the original stones, or did you want something different? We can make it more customizable to whatever you would like. We would need a few weeks to make it that, or can just the stone.” He would happily do whatever since a sale was a sale. Granted, being custom would add a lot more cost versus ready-to-buy.
Gideon nodded. “Ah, lovely! Does she wear anything quirky, or anything you’ve noticed her wearing?” He could be stereotypical and find some weird setup, but Gideon didn’t want to do that. She could be a young woman who had a bit more simple taste compared to a Miss Frizzle type. Of course, there was nothing wrong with that – as there were plenty of pieces that sold, that fit that personality.
“We do have some more colorful pieces. Things that look more casual, versus formal.” Gideon grabbed a key from the set he had in his pocket, opened a drawer behind him, and grabbed a few options. He placed them in front of Jonathan. It was a bracelet, necklace, and earrings that his mother and mother made and designed together. His mother’s ideas weren’t for everyone, but she fit that Avant Garde type.
“Do these look like anything she has worn before?”
Gideon smiled with a small nod. “I won’t tell, I promise.” At least Christian wasn’t someone that was trying to propose to their side piece. Gideon had that happen once, and he often refused – but sent them to another shop. Maybe it was his morals getting in the way of a sale, but he didn’t like the idea of his name being attached to something like that.
“Oh, so there was a bit of a clear hint then?” he laughed. “Well, at least it makes things a bit easier then?” Gideon opened the lookbook and nodded as Christian continued to mention taste and options. He took everything in before finding a few options.
It was a bit of a mixture of random, but so far Gideon only knew the metal type. Which was better than nothing! But he wanted to help weed out a few other things, to mainly see if it was a solitaire or something different like a halo. Also cut. Baguette versus pear.
“Out of these options, what screams out more to you?” Gideon asked, placing the four options in front of Christian.
“So more than a few years, I presume?” It wasn’t something new for Gideon. People often stayed dating for a few years, while some knew after a few months. He never judged and would happily work with anyone. If they wanted something flashier, he sent them to Mina. So far, Christian was matching Gideon’s vibe on design. Granted, he could do flashy – but there was someone else that loved that stuff.
He wrote down silver and simple and thought for a moment. “Okay, great. Do you have an idea of a stone you would like to consider? There’s the obvious choice of diamonds, but there’s also a lot of colors in that spectrum – along with other gems like sapphires, emeralds, and so on.” As he let Christian mull over that question, Gideon grabbed his design book – preparing to show him a few other customs he had done for a few of his clients.
Gideon was met with a large man, someone who screamed blue-collar work. But Gideon knew not to judge anyone about it, since sometimes money could come out of nowhere. It was evident that the giant of a man was Gideon’s client, and he hoped nothing insulting escaped his mouth. Gideon was not in the mood to be pummeled by a client today.
“Good afternoon, that’s me! Christian, correct?” Gideon greeted, offering a firm handshake. “If you wouldn’t mind following me to my office, we can start.” Gideon stepped from behind the counter space and walked over to the hallway that had the separate offices of the artisans. Once the burl of the man was inside, Gideon softly closed the door.
He took a seat at his desk and smiled. “So, let’s start from the beginning, shall we? A love story, maybe even what you want to be presented in the ring?” Sometimes that was a loaded question, but Gideon knew an engagement ring was something that people liked to represent their love for each other. The taste was also important, but it helped Gideon understand a bit more of what was considered important.
It was if there was some weird rush of the holidays approaching, that made people want to hit the store like a hurricane was coming. Thankfully, the gifts people wanted, allowed them to pick straight from the case. Custom work was about to take a lot longer, as it could be a few months or weeks – depending.
Gideon had an appointment today, with a gentleman. He didn’t quite know what this Jonathan fellow was hoping for, but Gideon would do his best to offer his guidance.
As Gideon was organizing some of the stock behind the counter, he heard the front door go off and someone walked in. The man introduced himself and Gideon gave a polite, professional smile. “Hello, I’m Gideon. Jonathan?” he responded, offering a hand for a firm handshake. “What can I help you with today?”
Gideon had an appointment today with someone named Christian. He was excited to hear that there would be a possible new project for him soon. There was something about custom work, and Gideon hoped he made a good enough impression to take the project on.
He made sure the shop was clean and set the appointment up for when they had all the time to chat. His father was handling a few other people, but it wasn’t busy. Gideon nervously stood behind the counter and waited patiently for this person to show up. He hoped his nerves weren’t noticeable.