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!.
Well, at least he knew that he was not the only one feeling utterly floored by the situation he just walked in. The look on one Brielle Ivy Loates face said it all. If it weren't for the fact that he too was feeling utterly flabbergasted, Tre might have poked fun at her. Now that the initial shock was over, at least for now, his green eyes really took a good look at his old flame. Time served her well. Not that she hadn't been beautiful before back in her youth, but somehow, she looked even more gorgeous. Tre wasn't sure how that was possible, unless Bri had somehow stumbled upon the fountain of youth.
He watched now as she blinked, finally reeling herself in from the shock and a cool steely expression came up complete with a tight lipped smile, no doubt followed by mental walls. Well, guess he would be in for a night. While he wondered if it was best that he should just step out and find himself another bar, the man decided that Atreus Constantine was no coward - certainly not before the former love of his life. Well, she might have been the only one really, but fuck if he was getting into that mind space and head games, "Your bar?" oh yes, he would definingly have to keep his wits about him.
Tre soon offered up his best defense mechanism, his smile. And boy, he did not hold back. That boyish, charming watt smile lip up his face - the sort of smile that got him through everything in life - the good, the bad, the getting out of mischief. He wasn't sure, if after all of these years, it was still a match for Brielle Loates, but he could hope that it could crack that steel armor she had up, "Well, I consider myself lucky then I walked into this bar, Bri Loates, cause I get to lay my eyes on you." Laughter escaped him, god, he couldn't even take himself seriously, "Really though, I can't believe you're here. In the flesh. I hope you're still willing to sell me something on draft."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Tre did nothing but shake his head, still grinning, "Come on, Andrew. Since when have I given you an excuse to not trust me unsupervised?" Actually, he was fairly certain a lot, but hey, semantics. Grabbing himself a spare cutting board, he took himself a bell pepper or two and started working on it. Unlike his niece, Tre was doing some rougher chops, but who the fuck needs julienned bell peppers? Or cucumbers for that matter? Still, the man figured he should check in with the boss, "If you need these smaller, just let me know."
Green eyes watched his brother in-law leave the kitchen now, and it wasn't long before it was just him and his youngest niece. Zola's question prompted him to look back to her now, and smiled, "Croughton. The land of sheep and about nothing else. Nothing exciting." That was the truth, they really did stick him somewhere to stay out of trouble before forced retirement, "I'm over in civilian. I didn't want to be stuck on base or in some shack surrounded by sheep." Tre realized that some people might actually like that, but not his cup of tea, "Besides, if I was suck over on base all the time, I'd never get to see any of you."
The commute was annoying enough, well, mainly long. He didn't mind it, especially in nice weather so he could use the motorcycle. But it would appear that England preferred its rain and cloudy days over sun, "What about you? What trouble have you gotten into now that we talk freely? Seeing any one?" Truth be told, Zola was the tamest out of his nieces and nephews, and likely the most straight laced, but Tre figured it didn't hurt to ask. And honestly, he was one of those uncles that tended to be genuinely interested in their lives.
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Laughter escaped him when Jeremy managed to connect the dots on where Tre himself landed on the pecking order of his siblings, "Yeah. I'm the youngest. If you ask my siblings, I got away with everything unlike them." Techically, it wasn't his fault that their parents had been checked out by the time he accidently came along and they just let him run wild unlike Clio and Giorgos who were held to a higher and stricter standard, "I have two. I think we get along better now that we're older. Can't say we were the best of friends growing up." But Tre felt like that was always the case. It was curious to hear the other man mention that his parents often were not home, he knew people could go either way with that amount of freedom, "I'm sure teenage you enjoyed them being absent then," Tre joked.
At Jeremy's musings over the ships, the older man merely grinned, "Yeah. They're pretty majestic. I'm sure any of your properties could rival them on a grandiose scale." Well, Tre had no doubt they were certainly prettier than a war ship or a navy hauler, but everybody had their opinions. The follow up question certainly caused Tre to arch an eyebrow, Jeremy certainly was a curious fellow. He merely shrugged, non committal as always, "Eh. I probably said the wrong thing, or did something that ruffled feathers. Can't change any of that now." Well, Tre knew exactly what he did, but he wasn't about to get into it with a civilian over it. That shit was classified. Besides, the nonclassifed evidence was sinking and disintegrating as they spoke, "I'm over in Croughton. Long commute, but I find driving through the English countryside relaxing. I'm sure you have an easier one."
Green eyes stared across the pond, mulling Jeremy's options over future boats, "Man, 3D printers. Everything is just getting too advanced nowadays." Heck, even in the military, they pretty much used drones for everything now. All of these young kids don't know what a dog fight is. The change in subject caused him to laugh, "Yeah. Stuffy meetings are the worst. I bet you would find paint drying more interesting that some of the stuff you have to sit in on." Maybe he was wrong and Jeremy Kirby was all about those meetings, but his choice words didn't make it sound like it. As for the bar, "They give me free food when they feel like it, but most of the time I still pay. Don't work there though, too busy with my military stuff. Maybe when they force retirement on me, I can do it." Tre said with a smile, "You should come by some time, have a break from those stuffy meetings you mention."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Moses's remark about the locals made him arch an eyebrow, "Can't say I've met many locals yet, but I'll keep that in mind. They know when someone new is in town?" Granted, Tre couldn't help but to feel like any town, any building, any job, all what people did was talk. It was like that in all of the schools he had been in growing up, at the academy, and certainly on bases - he supposed a small town like Hickstead would be no different, "Guess I can say I live in a quirky town then like all of those soap operas then." Although, given most of his family lived in Hickstead, he wasn't sure whom else he could inform of this discovery.
He followed the other man's lead now with taking a glass of beer, but unlike the fellow next to him, Tre didn't bother to swirl his glass, he just wanted a swig of it. The golden liquid was smooth though, unlike any beer he had had before, so maybe he'd give Quentin props for that, "Reptile wrangler? I feel like there's a story there," Tre said with a grin, "As for your sister, I'll make sure to pass the information along." He wasn't entirely sure who his niece and nephew were using as suppliers - it was probably in the business plan that he hadn't fully read - but either way, Tre figured it didn't hurt to pass the information along and Grace could do with it what she pleased.
"So if you do community outreach, does that mean you were born and raised here then?" Tre asked now, "And you stayed?" A concept that he never understood, but perhaps he had his childhood and work to thank for that logic. Maybe he was coming off as rude, so just in case, Tre quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just didn't grow up that way. Work didn't change that way of thinking either really."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Tre supposed that he wasn't surprised to hear his niece inform him that she figured this out all on her own with the help of youtube - then the three of them worked together to perfect it to the bar. They certainly were a curious group of siblings, they all got along. It often seemed like Zola needed a challenge to keep herself busy, not that she would get into trouble if bored, but something to just keep her brain flexing, "Well, it's quite good, so thank you for the preview."
Speaking of flexing her brain, the eighteen year old seemed to have a rather pointed observation as to why she didn't have many friends, "Well, that's pretty observant of you," Tre commented now before musing, "But I'm sure we can still find a sudoku solving roller skating friend for you." There was no doubt in his mind that some of the analysts over at the base had some teenagers that were into that sort of thing. Then, his brow furrowed, "When did roller staking become a thing again? I thought that went out of style after the 90's." God, he was getting so old now that everything from his youth and young adult life was coming full circle.
Green eyes watched as his niece mulled over his question now before she launched into a detail explanation - something she probably wouldn't share with Grace, not yet at least. It was a little surprising to hear about all the competition - he knew about the two clubs more or less, but he didn't know about some of the others, "Well, nothing wrong with being the scrappy underdogs of the culinary scene." Although he was certain that Clio did not agree with him on that one, "I'm sure they'll find a niche," and hopefully a steady return on money, "But enough about business. That's boring adult talk." Tre waved his hand now, like a topic could be dismissed like a human or a dog as he took a another sip of his water.
The man grinned now when his niece agreed to a day at the beach, "Excellent. We'll just put you on the back of my motor-" but he cut himself off now, realizing that his brother-in-law was still in the room, "car. We'll go for a ride my convertible." Tre corrected himself, offering a wink to Zola just in time for the cutting board to be unceremoniously plopped in front of them. Green eyes stared at it, raising an eyebrow before looking over at Andrew: 'If you’re going to sit and chatter, might as well make the salad.' Touché, touché. He looked over to see a spare knife and nodded to it, "Here Zola, pass that me that knife. I'll help you. I'm sure since the two of us are legal adults, we can handle this without any overlord supervision," He said jokingly now, grinning, "That is, if your dad here thinks we can be left alone to our own devices."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
"Guilty as charged," Tre said with a grin now, "Got into trouble all the time. My parents were too exhausted to discipline me by the time I was born, so my siblings were annoyed how I always got off scot free." Actually, Tre was pretty certain that school and the military was really what disciplined him in life, but there was no need to bore the other man with that sort of thing, "Guess you couldn't get away with a thing if you were the only child." Although given the quiet nature that Jeremy seemed to have, the man doubted that the other got into too much trouble growing up.
It was tempting to joke that Jeremy Kirby looked a little too big to fit into an airplane, but thought better of it in case he was one of those guys who took words as is. He offered a smile at the paddleboat comment, "Hey, a paddleboat is still a boat, and it can carry you." Tre was pretty certain that he and Grace had gotten stranded back out in one of those American lakes due to the choppy waves and his niece tiring out given she had been no older than eight. Tre often liked to poke her about it and how they lived to tell the tale. At the question on whether he flied planes for a living, green eyes looked up at the man and said jokingly, "That's classified." After a beat though, he soon relented, "I did. I still do for fun. I'm grounded for now. At least at work - I can fly recreationally though."His gazed moved out towards the water once more, watching the sink officially disintegrate into the water now, "Guess I need stronger paper next time. I'll make a note." Hopefully though, the next time he would want to do this, it would be more than just sticking it to his papered orders.
"I have to say, you have quite the handshake there, Jeremy," Tre commented now as they broke it now, although perhaps it wasn't surprising given the other man's work in the hotel industry. He nodded a yes to Jeremy's question about military work now, "It does. Keeps me out of trouble and makes enough money to help my niece and nephew out with their bar. You should stop by it some time. If nothing else, stop by when I'm there because they keep on shoving more food at me than I can eat." Growing up overseas thanks to being a Navy brat, he found it a little surprising when people left their hometown merely to return to it after university or college, "Oh yeah? Why did you come back? Just the family business or didn't like what you saw beyond the boarders of Hickstead?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Tre had been watching the clock hands go by, ticking down to 18:30 and his freedom from the base. It had been one of those days where the man had been convinced that four hours had gone by when really it had just been two minutes. People really hadn't been lying to him about how they sent him to an early grave stationing him out in Croughton with a heck of a commute back to Hickstead. But commuting was better than sitting, and as soon as both hands of the clock rested on 6, he was up and punching out of base. Cool chilly air hit him as he left the warmth of the building, but that didn't bother Tre at all when he could taste freedom. Bundling up in his bomber jacket, he lifted his helmet from his motorcycle and placed it over his head before igniting the engine and getting the hell out of dodge.
The drive back to Hickstead was peaceful, zig zagging along the quiet roads as moonlight lit the backdrop of the English countryside and the occasional glimpses of the sea. While the cottage core quiet living would never be his thing - in this moment - Tre could understand why people craved such a life. Time passed before he saw the sign for Hickstead, informing him that it was 6 kilometers away, but that Willow Bridge was a mere 4. His hands flicked the handles of the motorcycle now, sending power to the engine so he could stop in either city soon for not only was he hungry, Tre was convinced he needed a drink. He didn't make it very far though, deciding that Willowbridge would be his destination for the night - at least for that beer. Parking his motorcycle, Tre headed out downtown to figure out just where to get that beer.
An illuminated sign caught his green eyes now, causing the man to stop and stare, "Ivy's Poison," he mused out loud. The name hit a note, long locked away in his memory bank, but Tre shook it off before any feelings or sentiments could snare him. God. He really did need that drink. With that in mind, he pushed the door in and walked right in. The interior was quite lively with cliental and music. Tre carefully weaved his way through the thinning crowds before he ended up at the bar now, just hearing the last of a bar tender's comment on the electricity bill. While his green eyes had been on the taps, Tre couldn't help but to feel as if he knew that voice well, and yet, he still pushed it aside, "Well, that's great about your electricity bill, but more importantly," Tre started now, "What do you have on-" and then his green eyes fell on the speaker, leaving him pratically speechless for the first time in thirty four years, "Bri?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
He watched Zola go to work with prepping him a citrus water, noticing a skill or two that must have rubbed off from working with her older siblings at the restaurant, "Did Grace and Quentin teach you that or did you just decide to figure it out on your own?" Tre inquired now. It wouldn't surprise him if it turned out to be the latter, Zola had always been...a bit different. It wasn't a bad thing, she was just always matter-o-fact and appeared to like solving things on her own rather than ask for help. Speaking of matter-of-fact, the teenager gave him just that sort of blunt answer he was expecting from her: “Eh, it’s been a little rough. Meeting people..is hard.” Andrew must have ducked out, since Tre had not been expecting such a truthful answer in front of a parent.
Tre mulled the best way to ask why, but realized perhaps with the youngest of his nieces, she was the one who often did best with direct. She wasn't exactly like her older siblings where the answers needed to get milked out of them, "Yeah? Sorry to hear that. Is work just getting in the way? Or something else?" The man was willing to bet it was a bit of both, but it was still curious to hear her thoughts on the matter. He took the glass from the table once it was slid in front of him, and took a good swig from it as he listened to Zola continue to talk, "Ah, well, I think they know what they're doing. I wouldn't have helped them out otherwise...are you worried about it being a restaurant?" Tre knew Clio had been - given the failure rate, but Grace and Quentin were adults, they had to learn and start somewhere.
Although it was hard to concentrate on the worries of the older two when he thought back on Zola's earlier comments, "You know Zola, if you ever want to blow this joint, you can always text me. I'm generally free in the evenings. Despite what Giorgos thinks and what your mother tells you, I am the cool uncle."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Tre listened to the man talk, and boy, did it sound like he knew a thing or two about the restaurant business in Hickstead. The talk about the farmers and the change of meat selection might actually be above Tre's alley. Yes, he paid attention to his food groups and selections when he went out grocery shopping (when he could) but sticking to what was in season had never been something he had been good at, "That's the plan, farm to table. I admit I didn't realize that meat was the same as fruits and vegetables with seasons, but that's not my job here." Guess he could learn a thing or two though in case Grace or Quentin ever needed him to fill in and step up his game.
"Pleasure is mine, Moses," Tre replied, not surprised in the least by the firm handshake. Moses Baker. That name sounded vaguely familiar to him, and as his green eyes glanced towards the end of the bar, he could see that his nephew was casually trying to watch the conversation. The man frowned for a moment, wondering if his niece would somehow reappear out of no where. Shrugging it off though, he returned his attention back to the man, "They never did an official opening, just a soft open three or four months ago. I admit I missed it." It would also explain why Grace was trying to shove food down him now, she and her head chef must be figuring out the new menu.
And then there was another follow up question. Tre simply smiled, "You ask a lot of questions, Moses Baker." It wasn't an accusation, merely a statement, "They're aiming for high end casual, they don't want to be a college bar but they also don't want to exclusively cocktail. I'm pretty certain they are trying to find a balance inbetween...shit, what are those two places...R&R and Luna?" Tre himself hadn't scoped out either place yet, felt weird to do so - partially because it felt like an insult to his niece and nephew and partially because he felt like he didn't match cliental base for either. Speaking of his niece, she had reappeared from the back now, waltzing over to speak to Quentin in hushed tones as they both peered back. Green eyes had watched for a moment before he reached over to his flight a beer to take a tasting glass, "You must be pretty famous if you're catching their eye just by sitting with me, Moses," Tre joked now, glancing back over, "I have to say, I feel like I've heard your name before."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Both men appeared to be distracted by the ducks as they swam by, silent for once. That was one thing Tre did have to say about this post, it was awfully quiet and peaceful. The man didn't find it a bad thing per say, not after a lifetime of shitty war zones with the occasional nice post, but it was certainly different. Green eyes looked to the stranger as he spoke - his words musing, "Of course," Tre said with a smile, "Something like that. I think having siblings makes one develop nerves of steel though. Gotta always be on guard when you're little."
The stranger's question made him laugh a little, "I'm more of a plane guy than a boat guy, but they're still nice," replied, watching his paper boat slowly start to sink, "As for the funeral, the pond might have just given her a warrior's funeral just now to a watery grave." The man before him looked fancy enough to appreciate boats, but Tre had learned to not judge a book by it's cover long ago. It was one of the worst things to do a person, lead to that individual to be underestimated and boy, did they often come back with an vengeance. At least now he had a name, "Pleasure to meet you, Jeremy," he said now, extending his hand out in a handshake, "Work brought me here, I'm stationed over in Croughton. A chunk of my family lives here though, and they own Pirates Bounty in town...I guess I kinda own it too." He mused out loud, "Judging by your accent, I assume you're from around here?"
He felt as the ones native to Hickstead appeared to have their own stork of brogue or accent, countryside almost compared to what he had heard in London when his father had been posted to the Embassy.
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
As his niece pointed out that at least he had family in the United Kingdom, Tre felt a little guilty at coming off so nonchalantly about the reassignment. Technically, family might not be the only thing that he had in the United Kingdom, but the man was quick to banish that thought as soon as it crossed his mind. This wasn't London, this was Hickstead and Croughton was no London either. He smiled warmly, "How very right you are, Zola. Good thing I have you and your siblings to remind me what counts." While his niece's voice was as straight and narrow as always, granted, he come to learn that was just her personality, Tre couldn't help but to feel like he detected something there - like sadness. A question best saved for when Andrew wasn't around.
He was very startled at the height announcement, "Five Eleven?!" Shit, that was taller than he thought, "Well, at least I know who to ask to help me raid the baklava if Clio decides to put it up high like she did w hen we were teenagers." Tre commented now as he followed after Andrew into the kitchen, the smell of dinner prepping greeting him, which was always a welcomed smell, "Water and whatever citrus you have to stick in it. I'm fine with tap since supposedly UK has the best tap water in the world." And he was ready to judge that for himself. He sat himself down at the island counter now, green eyes watching Zola get to work, "How are you liking it here, Zola? Your sister tells me you're a hostess at the pub."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Laughter escaped Tre at the stranger's introduction line, "Sadly no, plus I am sure her mother has her convinced that I live off of, god forbid, processed food." That actually was not the case, and the man was quite proud of himself for that. Growing up with a Greek mother and a polish American father had lead to a stable of interesting foods over the years, but naturally, women always win in the kitchen which often meant that fruits, veggies, lean meats, and lots of whole grains to include pasta typically where what were up for grabs in the Constantine household, "What's your poison of choice for beer? I'm sure whatever it is, we have it on tap."
As for the menu, Tre's green gaze returned to the curated platter she had placed in front of him, "Let's see...looks like Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Bites, Brie, Asparagus, and Bacon Bundles, Faux-tao Chips...I'm guessing radish, Antipasto Bites, and to round it off, Avocado Humus." Although, he was certain that the last one was main for him since the season just ended and she was trying to pawn off her avocados. Tre figured he'd keep that to himself though as green eyes looked back over, "I feel like there's a significant lack of meat." Maybe this stranger was a vegetarian though as he pushed the platter between them.
Then, Tre stood up for a moment and leaned over the counter as best as he could to swipe two snacking plates and divided them between himself and his new friend, "I'm Tre Constantine by the way," he introduced himself now, "Uncle to the two behind the counter as well as their wallet for this place when they need it."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Tre had been so enraptured with watching his little paper boat make it five feet out into the pond without sinking yet that he hadn't realized that he had a visitor until they spoke: "Did you lose something in the water? Or is the edge of the water interesting?" Well, that was unexpected. He glanced up and to the right of himself to see a rather tall man (although unfortunately everyone was tall compared to him, even his one niece). He must have been utterly unreadable through his aviator sunglasses since the stranger soon followed up with an apology for 'scaring him'. Well, that did it.
The man placed his hands on his knees before pushing himself up now. The height difference was even worse than he thought - this man was easily 6 feet tall. Still, Tre ignored it as always, whipping off is aviators now and flashed a smile, "Takes a lot more to scare me than just saying a hello unannounced." Truth be told, he knew he had always been lucky that he flew planes. While he had still lost friends in the field, Tre didn't suffer from PTSD that a lot of ground mission members got. Green eyes flickered to the paper boat now, looking like it was on the verge of meeting its inevitable watery grave, "I made a paper boat and was sailing it across the pond. Looks like she's taken her last voyage though."
His gaze flickered back to the man now, still grinning that stupid boyish charming look that got him around his whole life, "I'm Tre, new to town. You are?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Now that he was finally settled in, Tre Constantine figured it was time to do the thing he might have been most avoiding since coming to Hickstead: seeing his older sister. She wasn't that much older than him, but she had enough years on him to still lecture him should she feel like it. But it was a risk that Tre was willing to risk, for while he had managed to pull off seeing Grace and Quentin Constantine without running into his sister, he hadn't been able to see Zola, who had been absence from her hosting duties that day. The man also prided himself in being the cool uncle, so no matter what, Tre knew that he was going to make it happen and preferably sooner rather than later.
So he left his small little abode that the Military had provided him and pulled his Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle out of the gargae, and left. The speed of the bike, as well as Tre's quick reflexes, got him to their little (read big) abode in Oldaker without any issue and record time. Pulling up to their house, the man came to a stop, resting the weight on his leg before killing the engine. Through the tinted lenses of his aviators, he glanced out the spacious mansion and for a moment, wondered if he should have called ahead to warn the St. Germain and Constantine family that he was coming, "Nah," Tre voiced out loud to his thoughts before getting off.
Walking up to the door, he ran the doorbell and braced himself. Instead of Clio Constantine answering though, it was her husband, "Andrew, hey," Tre greeted now, putting on his best infectious grin to win him over. Andrew, to his credit, returned the smile but kept his own cool façade up, "Tre! We were not expecting you. Please come in." And just like that, Tre was offered access and in he stepped, while Andrew called out to Zola to come and greet him. Being left to his own devices for the short time, his green eyes staring over the wall, or shrine, to the family photos throughout the years - both forced and natural.
Hearing footsteps on the wooden floor, he turned to see his youngest niece now and was rather shocked. Had it really been that long since he had seen her? Given her height, it felt like it had. And it felt even more awkward when she had to bend down just slightly to give him a proper hug. Well, this was utterly embarrassing, followed up by her own question. Andrew, no doubt, was hovering somewhere to eavesdrop for the answer to that very question, "Oh, Navy reassigned me here. New assignment," he replied nonchalantly, leaving out the bit about how he pissed someone off to get sent here, "More importantly, when did you become a weed? A...very tall, weed."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦