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!.
Ronan almost thought that the young woman might not follow after him, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he could hear her footsteps traveling behind him. Thank goodness too, because he hated dealing with the tack room door when his hands were full. Obviously, the young man could handle himself, but sometimes, Ronan just wanted to be selfish and have the door opened for him, "Ah, really? My dad is the one with the ranch," he said with a faint smile, "Must have been nice though. Probably had less chores than me." Emma probably had a loving mother as well, something that Ronan couldn't help but to feel a little jealous over. Not that it mattered, he was long over his mother and how she left, zipping in and out of his life whenever she saw fit.
They made it to his locker, and at her question, he merely shook his head in a 'no', waiting for her to open it up. Green eyes watched as Emma figured it out, jumping into their conversation topic with a jumble of words, "Ah, well, there's no shortage of nice competition horses over at the sale yard," Ronan replied, "Or a diamond in the rough, depending on what you're looking for. That was nice of you to look out for your horse though, between retiring him and not having him make the flight." The young man supposed he couldn't say the same thing about himself, he brought Max with him. But Max wasn't a competition horse, just a stock horse who wanted to have fun. Honestly, had he moved without the brumby, Ronan probably would have been a much angrier person in Hickstead.
He slid his saddle into the locker now, relieved to finally be free of holding it, "Hmmm? Oh, I swap between an American western and an Australian stock saddle." Ronan replied, clocking how Emma appeared to like to talk with her hands, "Both are nice and comfortable in their own way, sometimes, I think my ass just sticks better to the heavier one when Max is feeling frisky." Damn, he actually cracked a joke. He shut the locker door for her now, "So, I guess you've seen the tack room. Is there any where else you wanted to check out for your potential future horse? I have some free time left before I have to head home, and my horse is already out in pasture."
Ronan watched as the mystery girl's jaw dropped, although he really wasn't certain why. Granted, he was a teenage boy, Ronan supposed he was clueless to a lot of things. He did know that she was lucky to have run into him, unlike some others at Seven Oaks, the need to give a stranger the seventh degree was never in his bones, "It's fine. I grew up hauling them around." Cerulean eyes caught that embarrassed look on her face now as she covered it up in some mild embarrassment, stumbling through some words before offering her name: Emma Marie Brown.
Given the bundle of nerves Emma appeared to be, Ronan offered her a smile he usually only reserved for Piper Ledor-Kita, hoping that would calm her, "Nice to meet you, Emma Brown." He gestured for her to follow him now as they made their way to the tack room now, Ronan readjusting his grip on the leather western saddle while Emma continued to talk. The young man couldn't help but to wonder if all southern Americans talked a mile a minute, as he opened the door to the tack room, pausing at her question, "Me? I moved here a year ago from Australia. My grandfather needed company." It was more than that, but Ronan wasn't going to share too private information with a girl he had just met,"And I picked Seven Oaks cause it fit my personality. There are a few barns around here though."
After that, he stepped into the tack room now and walked over to his locker, "Mind getting my locker door for me?" Ronan asked, his cerulean eyes locking with Emma's gaze now, "So, if you 'literally' just got to town, I take it you're just figuring out everything in town and around it?" Maybe she had a horse in quarantine, but he didn't want to assume, "I take it you like horses though if you're here."
Ronan cringed inwardly a little bit with the girl hadn't been as lucky as him with the collision. Instead of remaining upright, she apparently ended up on the barn floor with a rather solid thud. That couldn't have been comfortable. Blue grey eyes peered down at her, "Are you--" But he never finished his question, because it wasn't long before the stranger was glancing back up at him with a wide grin on her face and giggling a bit - clearly, she was fine.
In fact, she might have been more than fine, she certainly hadn't lost her ability to speak. Maybe the blonde was nervous, but she started talking up a storm in a southern drawl that Ronan could only assume was American given she sorta sounded like Bailey Gallagher over at Blue Arces. She said her apologies, but then somehow got onto being both an energizer bunny and having, well, an ass. A snort of laughter escaped Ronan, like any nineteen year old boy would though, "It's no problem, really. I'm alive." He adjusted his saddle in his arms now, freeing up one so that he could help the mystery girl up now. Once she was settled, her blue grey eyes still stared at her and realize in all of her rambling, he still didn't know who she was.
While he often wasn't one for smiling unless he was with people whom he was comfortable with, Ronan still offered one if only to try and settle her, "I still don't know who you are though," the young man commented wryly though, "I'm Ronan though. Been here for a little over a year now, so I more or less know everyone. I need to get rid of my saddle though, you can come with me if you want." After all, the mystery girl wasn't exactly giving him a serial killer vibe or anything. He figured he'd live this encounter.
Ronan Slade had just finished up cooling down his horse and unsaddling him for the day. His brumby looked like he was ready to go out to pasture, and the teenager decided to be kind and not make him wait. Despite the impatience, Max walked for him quite nicely as they headed out to the gelding's pasture, with Ronan turning him around before pulling the halter. As soon as the halter slipped off, Max pulled back turned and let out a nice buck before running off. Blue grey eyes watched for a moment, before he shook his head - one would have thought that the pair of them hadn't just been put through their paces by Tobias Oliver a mere ten minutes earlier.
The young man headed back to the cross ties stall and cleared his grooming supplies, before heading back to grab his western saddle and bridle. Ronan slipped the bridle over his shoulder before bending and scooping his arms up under the saddle itself, hugging it close to his chest. With the school year nearly done, Ronan had a lot on his mind - mainly if he wanted to return to Australia for the summer or not. Part of him wanted to see his dad, but part of him wanted to remain, not only for his grandfather and the fact that he couldn't move Max for three months, but also because of Piper. The mere thought of her alone caused a heated fire in his cheeks, which caused Ronan to scurry off before people could ask questions.
He was making his way to the tack room the long way, and apparently the busy way, as he collided right into someone who...skipped there way in. Ronan felt a thud into him, and he braced his body and feet, remaining up right along with his saddle in tack. Blue grey eyes glanced over to see a girl now, who looked about his age, there, "Uh, hi." The teenager had never been the greatest with words, but figured he should offer more than than, and not bite off her head, "You new or are you looking for someone?" Either way, he didn't recognize the girl, and that alone meant a mystery to solve.
Ronan was tempted to point out to Sabrina that her and her sister tended to have a different idea of 'fun' compared to everyone else, but decided against it. Given the atmosphere of the party, this haunted hay ride would be fun. And considering he wasn't on horse back, Ronan didn't have to worry about falling off unless this trailer somehow hit a nasty bump, "Ah, I've been fine, Justin. Same old, same old. Hope you're doing good as well." The young man offered. He doubted they would have much time for conversation as the tractor lurched forward now.
He settled into his seat of haybales now, blue grey eyes watching out into the darkness. It wasn't long before he saw some 'skeletal' horses lingering about in the pastures. A good chuckle escaped Ronan upon witnessing them. If that was the start to this haunted ride, he could only imagine what would follow. Up ahead, he heard the sound of hoofbeats of an approaching horse. Funny. All the ones in the pastures had stopped running. Then out of the fog, came, no lie, a headless horseman, "Fuck! That guy has no head."
A snort of laughter could not help but to escape the teenager at Rory's words: "Honestly, don't tell Molly or Janie but I'm glad it's you out here." Truth be told, Ronan wasn't surprised by that comment. Brooklyn Hazelton would be an annoying one as well, "What? Can't handle some horse-obsessed teenagers, Rory?" He said jokingly now. God. Living here really has rubbed off on him if he could ask wry jokes like that. Granted, in the grand scheme of things, Ronan knew that he should be paying attention to the little foal in front of him.
Blue grey eyes watched as Radar's little tail and ears twitched about, as if he was trying to figure out how to best run away from the two humans now. It probably didn't help that he had Max hollering about, no doubt egging the little guy on. Ronan knew it wouldn't be long before other horses in his gelding's paddock decided to follow suit and watch the show, only to add more to the chaos. He nodded at Rory's instructions, shifting a little bit as he walked forward now, trying to edge the foal towards the fence line and Max, "Ah sure. We can go for a ride if this doesn't take up our whole afternoon." He didn't have much going on today given the summer heat, which hopefully would come to an end soon, "Glad to hear about Merlin. Max is doing well, as you can see. Took a while, but I think he's finally settled in. I think his last spook was in January."
Ronan took a few more steps, watching as the foal pawed the ground and whinnied again, "Ah, an escape artist and a dominate personality. You do have your hands full," he commented, taking a few more steps, "At least it's only him." He wasn't really sure how he was going to catch him for Rory, but he made sure to seem big enough to cover the ground. Radar dance a bit now, really thinking about what to do, and Max's head hung over the fence now, trying to get to the foal himself. Ronan took a deep breath, "Alright Rory, I guess it's now or never?"
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
Not that Ronan had been at Seven Oaks very long, but Leo White was shaping up to be exactly who everyone said he was - a good looking bastard who could charm the pants off of everyone. Even the teenager, who often had issues befriending people just due to his own sour mood, felt like he was striking some kind of connection with the older man, even if his quick wit often made him want to groan. Max, on the other hand, didn't seem to care for the pair besides him, if only for the fact that he was much shorter and needed to work a bit harder to keep up with the wired show horse, "You remember those words when I'm handing you over to the authorities."
Blue grey eyes looked to Leo now as he proclaimed that Ronan was quite right about his funeral, but it was the next comment that truly made him arch his eyebrows, "Completely understandable, and right you are. She's not one to be messed with, but I get a free pass for being blood related." The teenager wasn't so sure about that, not what he heard around the yard. Granted, nothing horrible was every said about Lily White, everyone loved her. She just wasn't one to cross, "I think that's your bravery talking there, mate." Ronan replied with a wry smile, although maybe he shouldn't be calling out one of the owners of the barn. That said, Leo acted like wanted to just be seen as 'one of the riders' so to speak, and if that was the case, the teenager was more than happy to oblige.
But perhaps he crossed a line now, and had been too friendly, as he stumbled upon something that maybe he shouldn't have. Ronan got it though, the past sometimes could be a hard thing to talk about. Not everyone had it easy. As much as Ronan hated his own childhood, he knew that was for teenage angst and mellow drama, and that was a far cry from something truly awful. He wasn't sure if he just ruined anything, but the the older man spoke, putting him at ease: "You'll be surprised at what people can survive when they want to, just make sure you do more than survive it. Thrive." The teenager eyed Leo curious, clocking that eyeroll, "Man Leo, I'm beginning to think that trickster stuff is just a joke, and you're really a wise sage." But perhaps that was the wrong thing to say, because now he and Max were being left in the dust.
They had finally caught up to Leo and Adonis, but something seemed off - as if the pair had slowed down. All that whooping and hollering must have done something, and Ronan had caught the large horse let out a good, joyful kick. Ah, no wonder they had gained grown. Max finally had caught up, but once more, like a fucking sports car, the older man gave rein to his steed and they took off. Ronan should have seen this coming due to the words that Leo let out, "Rule number one, never fight fair!" It took everything in his power to not cuss. The brumby's ears pinned back, annoyed yet again, and Ronan squeezed him forward. But the race was won, there was no arguing, and at the end of the line, Ronan slowed Max down to a walk, "I'm going to remember that rule the next time I'm out here with you." The teenager said, finally caught up as he looked around, "Where the heck are we even?" He really should have studied that map.
He didn't know why but her off-hand comment and wink caused him to flush a little bit, "I would hope not," Ronan managed to stammer out, blue grey eyes looking away from Kenzie now and locking on ahead of them. It was stupid really. The older girl wasn't flirting with him, and truthfully, he didn't find her attractive. But it was the attention, even just the friendly attention, was probably what got to him. It was so foreign to him. At least he wasn't like one of those losers who was just hanging on every lick of attention he got that wasn't harassment. Ronan stride broke a little, but that didn't seem to matter as the pint sized girl was half taking the lead as if she knew exactly which car was his. She was awfully confident for someone who didn't know everything.
At her declaration that her music would triumph over his, Ronan couldn't help but to roll his eyes and he certainly didn't bother hiding it, "Yeah? You have a killer cat-finding playlist on that phone of yours?" The young man asked wryly now. They were closer to the truck now, right part of the lot, now they just had to get to the road. His comment seemed to cause Kenzie some curiosity, he could see it in those pale green eyes. Guess he over shared, but Ronan wasn't sure how until her question came out: "And how do you manage that exactly?" He shrugged, "I ask myself the same thing. Guess I'm too prickly for my own good. Clearly you think I'm harmless though."
Arriving at the truck now, Ronan hoped it would spare any more conversation about him. Although his blue grey eyes clocked that look that Kenzie was giving his truck now. God. He felt an insult was coming on as he unlocked it, and she made her way around to the passenger side: "It's not going to fall apart on the way, is it?" A deep sigh escaped Ronan as she opened the door now, and got into the cab, and made sure to pat the dashboard, "She doesn't mean it, girl." He put the keys into the ignition, wanting to turn it on as the young woman settled in. Once Kenzie was good to go, he ignited the engine and it roared to life, "Alright. Well, I'll take your word for it." Then...a thought came to him, "There's not like...wild animals here that snatch domestics, are there? Cause...I thought a human taking her was bad enough." Granted, maybe he was jumping the gun here as he started them off now, leaving the university behind and city streets became country roads, "What kind of music is this?"
You and Boogey have been looking really good. But it's okay to be nervous. I think that's natural before any competition. Are you okay if I come cheer you on?
Character:DIANA NOELLE PERRY Barn they ride at: Neither Category: Police Extra info: Detective - Base Rank. Transferred from London recently to the Hickstead office.
*DM me if you need more suspects by a certain date. I can probably offer up Sabine.