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!.
"It is actually, can't wait to return." He expressed a small smirk as he adjusted the rear-view mirror in order to see her. ”I’m sure they’ll welcome you back with open arms.” He responded sarcastically. He glanced up at the sky as the heavens opened; releasing the rain it had been clinging on to all day. Perfect. He flicked on the window wipers as he drove down the carriageway, his brows furrowing into a frown as the rain beat down harder, making him turn the wipers on to the highest setting. He wasn’t keen on driving in a complete downpour, it meant visibility was at a minimum and there was a higher chance of somebody crashing. He turned the radio up slightly to hear the news; warning of high winds and flash foods. Brilliant. He glanced in the mirror again, wondering whether it would be better to turn back or keep going. He pressed on since they were half way there and there wasn’t a safe place to turn around. His hands gripped the steering wheel as the growing wind hit the car, making it rock a little. ”Hope you’re not a nervous passenger.”
”I’m sure they’ll welcome you back with open arms.” She rolled her eyes in response and for once didn't talk back. She didn't see the point, and she wasn't particularly in the mood. Blaise's attention turned to the sky instead, curious to see the weather turn so bad so quickly. As the rain pelted down, thunder and lightning quickly follows and she frowned at the increase of the downpour. The wipers were struggling to keep up with the lashings, turning her head slightly to catch the news as Brook turned up the volume; a glance at his face showed a frown that meant he was at least mildly concerned.
She felt the shudder of the car and frowned slightly too, thinking back to the make and model and what she knew of it. ”Hope you’re not a nervous passenger.” Her gaze flickered back to Brook and she shifted, leaning forwards slightly. "Depends if you know what you're doing. I prefer to drive," And she was damn good at it too. She loved cars, had always loved cars, could take them apart and put them back together and knew how to drive like an absolute mad woman. Water was a dangerous game though and she frowned. "This car isn't exactly built for these kind of conditions, just take it easy. Steering'll be pretty heavy if we aqua plane," Her frown deepened, this car was solid for a police vehicle given it's weight and handling but it'd be a bitch to hang onto if they hit surface water.
He smirked in satisfaction when the blonde refused to respond for a change. It wasn’t often she kept her mouth shut and he’d take the win while he could. Brook flicked the wipers onto the highest setting and slowed down slightly as the water began to cover the surface of the road. He’d driven in all kinds of weather and living in England, rain clearly wasn’t normally a problem to drive in but high winds with rain was a different story. No visibility and fighting to keep the car steady. Another frown creased between his eyebrows as a car came speeding up behind them, unaware the driver in front was an officer. If he hadn’t had Blaise in the car he would have pulled them. He moved to the outer lane, allowing the idiot to pass – flashing his lights in warning as he continued to speed along the road. If they didn’t end up killing themselves it would be a miracle. His eyes glanced up at the rearview as Blaise spoke again. "Depends if you know what you're doing. I prefer to drive," He gave a small smirk and shrugged. ”I’ve been driving since I was fifteen, I know what I’m doing.” He’d gotten into the habit of joyriding in his dads car while he was passed out on the couch. "This car isn't exactly built for these kind of conditions, just take it easy. Steering'll be pretty heavy if we aqua plane," He spared another glance in her direction before keeping his eyes on the road as the car began to sway from the battering the wind was giving it. ”Are any cars in England built for these kinds of conditions?”
She snorted as he flashed his lights at someone when they overtook, "yeah cause that'll stop them," if anything they were already long gone before they even saw the lights - or weren't even noticed. If they were an idiot fast driver they wouldn't have been observant enough to see the officer they'd narrowly avoided. ”I’ve been driving since I was fifteen, I know what I’m doing.” Blaise made a point of rolling her eyes so he could see the gesture, "Doesn't matter how long you've been driving. You can still drive like a backwards moron." She raised a brow, "it doesn't automatically make you Lewis Hamilton."
”Are any cars in England built for these kinds of conditions?” She shot him a look, "I hope that was sarcastic. If not get out and we'll switch." It was the tires that made the difference, and the driver - not really the car. She was about to say something else to poke the bear when something suddenly dashed out in front of the windscreen. "Brook, look out!" Not like he might miss it but she couldn't help herself as she braced against the seat.
"yeah cause that'll stop them," He rolled his eyes and shrugged. ”I wasn’t trying to stop them”. If he’d have been in a normal patrol car instead of his unmarked one, he still didn’t think they would have even slowed down. Drivers like that were the ones who were more likely to cause an accident. "Doesn't matter how long you've been driving. You can still drive like a backwards moron. it doesn't automatically make you Lewis Hamilton." He snorted and rolled his eyes again. ”when did I say I was like lewis Hamilton? I’m a damn good driver and its part of the job requirement.” He took the slip road off the carriageway and headed onto the road that led into the city. "I hope that was sarcastic. If not get out and we'll switch." He glanced at her again, giving her a look of his own as a response. "Brook, look out!" His attention turned back to the road in time to see a deer dash out from the trees, launching its way across the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel as he turned it quickly whilst slamming on the brakes. The car swerved to the left, colliding into a tree before he could manage to stop. Brook felt his body slam forward, his head hitting the steering with a thud, leaving him dazed for a few moments. Seeing as the airbag hadn’t deployed, he was hoping the damage to the car wouldn’t be too severe. ”Blaise? You okay?” He asked.
”I wasn’t trying to stop them” She rolled her eyes, she figured as much or he'd be speeding off after them already. Still, it wasn't like he was Mr. Perfect, it wasn't as if he didn't speed himself. Everyone sped when they drove, unless you were old - they seemed to barely be able to get out of first gear. ”when did I say I was like lewis Hamilton? I’m a damn good driver and its part of the job requirement.” She didn't comment on that, not as in the mood for their back and forth banter as she usually was. She was aware that they took driving tests and similar, they had to be able to drive with the sirens on and all that shit. Still, she knew how to drive to escape the sirens, which in her opinion made her the better driver.
Her attention was stolen by the flash of the deer. If the roads hadn't been wet, they probably would have been fine - or maybe if he hadn't taken a second to give her that look. She braced as they skidded and then swerved, grunting at the impact of the car hitting the tree. She was thrown forward and then yanked back by the seatbelt, a loud exhale of breath forced from her as her head hit the back of the seat in front of her. She shook it off, feeling lucky that the seat was padded, but it took her a minute to consider her other injuries. ”Blaise? You okay?” She gave a nod, ignoring the way her head swum a little, it was mostly the shock of the crash. "Yeah I'm okay," reaching to unclip her belt she winced, sucking in a breath of pain. With a confused frown she looked down at her right hand and saw why - it was stuck at definitely the wrong angle and she made a noise halfway between frustrated and pained, not bothering to tell him. She clutched it close to her chest to protect it until they could fix it, and unclipped the belt with her other hand, shifting forward to peer into the front. "Are you alright?" She looked him over with a critical eye.
He felt something hit the back of his chair as the car smacked into the tree, flinging him into the steering wheel with a grunt. "Yeah I'm okay," He heard Blaise and gave a slight nod of his head. "good. ." He unclipped his own belt then put a hand to his head as it began to throb, a slight frown appearing on his face when he felt something wet on his fingers. "Are you alright?" He kept his fingers pressed against the gash on his head to try and stop the bleeding. "Yeah i'm fine." He wasn't but she didn't need to know that. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, his frown deepening when he saw there was no signal. Either the wind had knocked out a tower or they were in a dodgy service area. He turned slightly to face her as she leant forward in the chair. "Has your phone got any signal?" He asked looking at her, catching sight of the arm clutched to her chest. "You're not fine, how bad is it?"
"good. ." She didn't feel an iota of guilt for lying, she was essentially fine anyway, she could handle having a broken wrist, it wasn't life threatening and it was annoying but it would heal. She needed to figure out how they were going to get out of this. "Yeah i'm fine." She rolled her eyes. Alright, so they were both lying. She knew it came from that whole 'lone wolf' bullshit they both had going on but sometimes it was a bit stupid. As she leaned forward between the front seats she spotted the blood on his head a mile away - that wasn't nothing, head wounds could be serious. "Liar," She called him out as she looked pointedly at his head, but from this awkward angle she couldn't do much about it.
She watched him turn to face her and she took the time to look him over properly in the half light that was available. The rest of him seemed to be in one piece and it astounded her to feel relief for it. "Has your phone got any signal?" Reaching with her good arm, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed the lock screen. Nothing happened. Frowning, she tried holding down the power button but to no avail. "Either the battery died or the crash killed it." Though she saw no obvious reason as to why it was dead. "You're not fine, how bad is it?" Blaise looked back to Brook, seeing his gaze on her cradled arm she moved it out of sight behind the chair again, as if that would make it go away. "It's just a break, it doesn't matter." She'd had worse anyway and she frowned. "You'll have to let me out of the back." She added pointedly - she couldn't open the doors from the outside but it was worth seeing if she could do anything to try and fix the cars; she was an expert at them after all.
"Liar," Even with the pounding headache and the sharp pain in his ribs, he managed to get out a snort. "Likewise." He muttered, nodding to her wrist. "Either the battery died or the crash killed it." He pursed his lips with a frown, biting back the urge to swear. Where were the good brick phones when you needed them. You could throw them off a cliff and they would still somehow manage to survive whereas phones of today, all you had to do was hold it wrong and it found a way to break itself. He picked up the police radio and held down the side button as he spoke into it, his eyebrows furrowing further when nothing happened. "fuck sake" He grumbled as he noticed the cord had snapped. "You're not fine, how bad is it?" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and simultaneously ignore the fuzziness in his brain.
"I'm fine, it's just a knock." Most likely a concussion. "It's just a break, it doesn't matter." He half smirked, picking up on the stubborn trait they both shared. "You'll have to let me out of the back." He looked at her, taking a brief second to debate it before reaching for the handle and opening his door. Yes, she could run but he didn't think she would be stupid enough to be out alone in a storm and he hoped she wouldn't want to leave him for dead. Brook pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, pausing for a moment to catch his breath as shooting pains ran through his left side. Gritting his teeth, he turned his body towards the car and wrapped his hand around the back door handle to pull it open. He stepped aside to give her room to get out, only offering her a hand to grab if she needed it.
"Likewise." She raised a brow but then relented and gave a slight smile - and not even a sarcastic one at that. She couldn't deny he was right. Sometimes, it was almost horrifying how similar they were. She watched him try the police radio, waiting to see if that was going to play ball. From the sound of the silence - no. "fuck sake" She sighed, "guess we're out here on our own for now." She gave a slight frown, wondering how far it would be to walk. The storm was still raging outside, and it was dark - she didn't like their chance of walking right now. She waited for him to deny it again, her eyes on his face. "I'm fine, it's just a knock." Blaise's lips pressed together but she gave a small nod, not pushing it any further. Just the way she had waved it off, she knew he would say if it got that bad - or he wouldn't and she'd catch him about to fall over.
She held his gaze when he looked at her, and then she sighed. "You really think I'm going to do a runner right now?" She wanted to make a comment about how stupid did he think she was, but knowing him, he'd come up with some smart assed answer. "I'm resourceful, but not that resourceful. Besides, I figure if something comes to eat us, it'll want you first as there's more meat on your bones." She gave him a sarcastic smile and then finally saw him climb out. It was tempting to run just as a joke, to be an asshole. But she didn't. She awkward clambered out with her good hand, taking his offer without a second thought, and then paused, taking a look at the mess of the car to see how bad it was. She frowned and wandered over to the crumpled hood, tilting her head. She was good with cars but this might be too much of a mess. "Do you think you could try and help pop it? There might be less damage than we think..." Maybe enough to drive it carefully a little further. She crouched down to look at the driver's wheel and sighed at the sight of the axel. "Actually, there's no point..."
He almost missed the smile on her face it was that small, but he had caught it, just about. . or maybe it was his head playing tricks on him. "You really think I'm going to do a runner right now?" He didn't actually. "No. I don't." He for some stupid reason, trusted her. The head wound was definitely getting to him. "I'm resourceful, but not that resourceful. Besides, I figure if something comes to eat us, it'll want you first as there's more meat on your bones." It was his turn to smile sarcastically but only briefly. Right of course. . don't worry, if a big bad deer comes out of the woods, I'll scare it off." He let her use his hand as leverage to get out of the car before leaning against the door frame while she inspected the damage, his eyes closing for a few seconds as the pain pulsed behind them. "Do you think you could try and help pop it? There might be less damage than we think..." His eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice and he pushed of the car to move to the bonnet. "Actually, there's no point..." He caught sight of her face as she looked underneath the car and let out a sigh himself. "We're not driving anywhere in this thing are we?" He asked, pulling out his phone to try for a signal again.
"No. I don't." His answer almost surprised her as much as it seemed to surprise him. She had expected a sarcastic response perhaps, or some kind of grumpy retort - but he seemed sincere as he said no. Good. Trust was hard earned and all that, and she didn't expect either of them to have any in each other, but it seemed somehow they did. She was going to prove that she wasn't about to abandon him for once, they were stuck in this together whether they liked it or not. She caught the smile but only rolled her eyes in response, but didn't bother to say anything further, her brain busy working out their situation. She was good at this kind of shit, not that it happened often, but she knew how to live of very little, how to get through a shit situation, how to tough it out and use what resources she had to make it through a night.
"Right of course. . don't worry, if a big bad deer comes out of the woods, I'll scare it off." She snorted at that and spared a glance to their dark surroundings. "Oh please do, Bambi is a terrifying film and I don't need to relive it." She retorted, a half assed attempted to joke as she checked out the car. She sat back on her heels for a moment as she looked at the state of the car and pursed her lips. "We're not driving anywhere in this thing are we?" Blaise was quiet for a moment, considering their options and whether she could do anything to fix things, before she pulled a face and shook her head, going to stand. "Nope. It's fucked." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, shivering slightly as the cold and damp began to settle in her bones. "We need to find somewhere to wait out the night, no point trying to walk in the dark and this weather is going to get worse." She suggested. The car was a state but it would at least be warmer than standing outside.
"Oh please do, Bambi is a terrifying film and I don't need to relive it." He snorted and side eyed her, somewhat amused by her sarcasm. Bambi may have had a dark turn at one point but it was far from terrifying. "Nope. It's fucked." He sighed and hit his hand on the car door in annoyance. ”Fuck sake.” He muttered, pissed at himself for deciding to drive his unmarked bmw instead of taking Blaise in one of the station patrol cars. Hopefully the garage in town could work their magic and have it fixed sooner rather than later. He glanced up at the sky, wondering if the rain would eventually let up but the clouds were still black which didn’t look promising. "We need to find somewhere to wait out the night, no point trying to walk in the dark and this weather is going to get worse." He nodded, catching the time on his phone as he slipped it back into his pocket. ”Wait in the car or try and find somewhere?” He asked. The car at least was off the road so they wouldn’t be at risk of anyone crashing into them but anybody passing by probably wouldn’t be able to see them in the dark.
She raised a brow at his side eye, challenging him to come back with something shirty in response. The snort at least made him seem amused but he was hard to judge and even harder to read. Her brow oy rose further up her forehead at the smack he gave the car. ”Fuck sake.” It was her turn to snort and she glanced at him. "What did that accomplish? It's not a woman, you can't spank it into action." she didn't have to make it sexual but she felt like making him uncomfortable. He was always too easy to wind up and this was exactly the kind of situation that would encourage him to be on edge. It wasn't just for that reason, but more the fact that this wasn't her ideal situation either. She was just more accustomed to these instances, having spent plenty of time living on the streets in all sorts of weather.
"We need to find somewhere to wait out the night, no point trying to walk in the dark and this weather is going to get worse." Talk about obvious. It was pitch black and the storm wasn't even close to relenting. Of course it couldn't have been a beautiful sunny day to crash. "Don't happen to have a torch in there or anything?" She asked, nodding to the car. It would help something but probably not enough. She was already drenched though and she knew it wouldn't be long until the cold set into her bones. ”Wait in the car or try and find somewhere?” Blaise looked back to the pile of junk and shrugged. "It may as well be a roof as it's useless as a car right now." that thing wasn't going anywhere fast but it could keep them dry. No matter the fact they'd just spent enough time trying to get out the fucking thing in the first place.
"What did that accomplish? It's not a woman, you can't spank it into action." He looked at her again, raising a brow. "Spank? Really." He shook his head at her choice of words before moving around to the boot of the car and opening it with the push of a button. "Don't happen to have a torch in there or anything?" He grabbed the first aid kit and looked around in his emergency kit for a torch. "Yeah, got one." He said, fishing it out. "It may as well be a roof as it's useless as a car right now." He closed the boot and moved back to the side of the car to hand the blonde the torch. "True..back inside then." He agreed, getting back in. He rested the first aid kit on the arm rest and rummaged inside for a bandage. "Here. . might help your wrist."
