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 woman had just left the barn after a long day at work. She was driving home and slammed a fist against the steering wheel - frustrated at the fact that more people had neglected their animals. With a shake of her head, she drove off towards home.
She still had dinner to prepare before she could truly relax for the evening. In the back of her mind, she thought maybe Duncan would cook for them but she wasn't sure about that. It wasn't long before she pulled the car into her parking spot, taking a moment to take a deep breath.
Once she left the car and locked it behind her she took the few steps towards the pet store, opening the door before heading up the stairs. Using her key to unlock the front door, she could smell something cooking. "Hey, I'm home." She greeted before taking her barn shoes off. Candy came bounding from the kitchen towards her which caused Savannah to smile. "Hello to you too, little Miss." She crouched down and gave the Frenchie a scratch behind the ear.
He had kissed his girl good-bye that morning and waited until she was out of the building to set his day into motion. With work calling him to say they didn't need him was just an added bonus. It meant he could spend the day trying to do right by Savannah. He fed Candy her usual amount of food and left the Frenchie to her own devices whilst he tried his hand at the one thing he never thought he would attempt - house work. Normally Savannah took care of most of the chores on her days off while he was out at work, or if he was home, it was under her strict instruction so that he didn't break or damage anything, not that it was ever on purpose. He was just prone to it.
So he started it off with simple tasks like taking the trash out, dusting, vacuuming and washing the floors, did the dishes, put on a load of washing - making sure to separate dark from light and coloureds - before changing and making the bed and moved into the bathroom. That was where his luck took a step back, ending up with bleach stains on the knees of his favorite pair of black jeans. He should've known better than to continue, but with the shower cleaned, he moved to the toilet and used a little too much cleaner, resulting in a bubbly mess. It was extra clean, right? Re-stacked the loo roll holder thingy, took Candy out for a walk and toilet break, then came home and did the folding, chucking the washing he'd done into the drier before taking a brief smoke break down in the lane between the buildings as was a new habit he'd started, figuring that cigarette smoke was not good for the dog. Once he was sure Candy would be fine on her own for a little bit, he went for a walk to get some fresh flowers from a garden. Naturally he got told off and even chased by a German Shepherd which resulted in a few people getting knocked over.
Once he lost the dog, he resigned to throwing the now ruined flowers out and actually bought a nice bouquet and took those home, taking the slightly longer route home to avoid the man he'd angered. Back inside, he put the flowers in the nicest vase he could find and very carefully set it on the dinner table. Then he arranged some of the scented candles and left them unlit before proceeding to the kitchen to start on dinner. He moved around the kitchen like a blind man, uncertain as to what he needed or was even doing. Usually he left the kitchen alone, that was a place for someone with enough patience and skill to make food - Gods really - and yet he was trying to follow along to a very basic recipe on YouTube; how to make spaghetti bolognese. He should've known the moment he started he was doomed, but by hell was he going to try and make Savannah's life a little easier by having dinner on the table when she got home.
Things were mostly ok as the minutes went by, hope beginning to blossom. She's going to be over the moon with you Duncan, you domesticated dog! He was chuffed that so far things had been relatively smooth sailing.
"Hey, I'm home."
"Hey babe," he called out in return.
"Hello to you too, little Miss."
Luck ending in three, two, one...
He went to strain the pasta from its boiling water when it splashed up onto his hand, "FUCK!"
Not thinking he dropped the pot into the sink, pasta going everywhere in the sink and over the counter, "Hold onto the dog!"
He turned on the cold water and thrust his hand under it, muttering curses that could've only done Satan proud.
“How…” She started before she heard the next series of events. The woman got up quickly from the ground and sent Candy to her bed in the living room - the Frenchie trotted off and sat in her bed. Savannah rushed into the kitchen and saw Duncan had dropped the pot.
“Let me get the first aid kit from the bathroom. Just stay there.” She would clean up the spaghetti later - but for now her boyfriend was more important. It only took her a few moments before she went into the bathroom and got the antibiotic ointment and a bandage. She gently reached over him and turned the tap off. “Alright come here love, let me fix that for you.” Savannah smiled, gently grabbing his hand to see what the burn had looked like. It didn’t seem like a third degree burn, so she took the cap off of the ointment and put some on where the burn was. “I know this may sting a bit but it’ll help it heal.” She put a small dab on his hand and put the band aid on top.
The woman washed her hands in the sink before she began cleaning up the noodles that had fallen on the floor. “Dunc, are you alright?” She wasn’t mad at him at all as she knew that being domestic wasn’t really up his alley. It didn’t take her long to clean up the mess, throwing the noodles in the trash can. “Did you do this for me?” She glanced around the kitchen and saw the start of what looked like dinner. The woman wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back. “I can cook another box of pasta to go with the sauce. Or did you just want pizza?” She didn’t mind either way but she was getting pretty hungry.
“Let me get the first aid kit from the bathroom. Just stay there.”
Duncan didn't move, mostly because the burn had taken most of his attention and it didn't much register what else was going on around him. It just wasn't his day entirely. He hung his head in defeat as he pulled his hand from under the water, turning the tap off.
“Alright come here love, let me fix that for you.” Savannah smiled, gently grabbing his hand to see what the burn had looked like. It didn’t seem like a third degree burn, so she took the cap off of the ointment and put some on where the burn was. “I know this may sting a bit but it’ll help it heal.”
The burn was nothing major, thank god, but he still hissed at the ointment, "Damn right that stings."
“Dunc, are you alright?”
"Yeah," he nodded, "Yeah, I'm alright. Ego a little bruised, but eh. Should be fine."
“Did you do this for me?” She glanced around the kitchen and saw the start of what looked like dinner. The woman wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back. “I can cook another box of pasta to go with the sauce. Or did you just want pizza?”
"Mhmm, I did. I wanted to do something nice for you for a change rather than you chasing up my messes," he said gently, rubbing her arm as he let out a sigh, "I'm not sure if the sauce is any good, might want to give that a taste before cooking up more pasta just in case it's not the best. Not point in wasting more. I haven't even lit the candles, I knew I was forgetting something."
“So sorry. It should stop hurting in a bit.” She felt terrible causing him more pain but the intent was good. Savannah wasn’t in the medical field but she had done her fair share of helping with the wound healing process. Candy came walking over to the kitchen, wanting to see what the commotion was.
The woman smiled softly, knowing that what Duncan did came from the heart. “Tell your Ego I really appreciate the effort and thought. I know it’s not really your love language.” She let go of him with her arms after giving him a light squeezing hug. “Look, even Candy is here to check in on you.” She swore the Frenchie always knew how they felt - often cuddling up with Savannah if she was feeling down.
“You don’t make many messes so it’s easy for me.” She was used to helping clean at such a young age - usually being the oldest in her family’s group home as a child. “The fact that you are here with me is nice for me. Especially after what we’ve been through lately.” The woman had been more concerned about how he had coped with the drug bust, even though she was the one who was almost kidnapped.
She turned and picked up a small spoon from a drawer nearby, wanting to taste the sauce before she made a decision. It was a bit heavy on the salt, but other than that it was edible. “It’s really good! I’ll put on another pot if you want to sit down and relax.” She was sure he had a busy day. The woman moved around the kitchen with ease, putting on a pot of water to boil. “How was your day today?” She had hoped it was much better than hers.
"I know, I've had muffler burns ten times worse than this," he said gently, scowling at the back of his hand and the fact that he had been such an idiot in dropping the pot of pasta.
“Tell your Ego I really appreciate the effort and thought. I know it’s not really your love language.” She let go of him with her arms after giving him a light squeezing hug. “Look, even Candy is here to check in on you.”
He hummed gently at the squeeze of a hug, enjoying the fact she was close to him, "I'll do my best to relay the message, might be a short wait on that front," he sighed and then looked down to Candy, "You're a good girl Candy, you stayed out from under my feet as I whizzed about today."
“You don’t make many messes so it’s easy for me.”
“The fact that you are here with me is nice for me. Especially after what we’ve been through lately.”
He made a slight face, "I don't want to bring more trouble to you, once was more than enough, and if it ever happens again we're not moving, I'll make sure to punish anyone who threatens you again."
He'd gotten a hell of a lot more protective of Savannah since the bust and threats made against her; it wasn't too bad though, he wasn't banning her from going outside or having to be with her every moment of the day, he just worried more and listened more to what was going on around him.
“It’s really good! I’ll put on another pot if you want to sit down and relax.”
"How was your day today?”
He moved over to the dinner table and pulled out a chair, sitting down in it with a slight huff as he began to recount his day as it had happened - the successes and the failed moments, knowing that Savannah wasn't going to judge him too harshly for trying to steal some flowers.
"But that was all in all, my day. Nothing overtly crazy. And what about you, how was your day?"
“Hm, maybe I should go to the local lingerie store and get a nurse outfit for the next time I patch you up.” She winked at him, wanting the chance to check out the store anyway after hearing about it from one of her clients. Savannah usually wasn’t one to be open about being intimate but it was Duncan she was talking to after all.
Savannah glanced at the water through the clear lid, seeing that the water was about to come to a boil. “Don’t feel terrible. I really do appreciate what you did.” Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses and the two of them complimented each other well. Most people would have been surprised to see that her partner was a rough looking man but she knew strangers didn’t know him like she did. “I’m glad she behaved herself. I swear she follows me into the kitchen all the time.”
The woman walked to the pantry and pulled out another box of spaghetti and poured half of it in the pot of boiling water. “Aren’t you being protective? I’m hoping trouble doesn’t follow us here though I know how life can be.” She smiled softly. It wasn’t easy for either of them but it was easy for the two of them to be able to blend in especially in a small town. Savannah set a timer on the stove and kept an eye on the pot.
“Sounds like you had quite the adventure.” She stirred the pot with a wooden spoon. “Did you really get me flowers? Even after being chased by a big dog?” Savannah glanced over at the vase and smiled. She loved the sight of fresh flowers in the house.
“Oh where do I start? Work was alright, though I did have the unfortunate run in with two dogs that had fleas. I’m worried they are being neglected.” She bit her lip softly, trying not to get emotional about it. “It was so hard to see them like that but they were all cleaned up.” The woman stirred the pot again, keeping her eye on the time as well.
“But the barn was good, both horses behaved themselves and it seemed like most people had already ridden so it was quiet.” Savannah did enjoy the barn better when it was quiet as she could clear her head if work was stressful.
“Hm, maybe I should go to the local lingerie store and get a nurse outfit for the next time I patch you up.” She winked at him.
At that, Duncan's eyebrows rose up, "It would be nice to see if my blood pressure is doing ok, but what need of a nurse do I have if I already have the prettiest woman in the world?"
“Don’t feel terrible. I really do appreciate what you did.”
“I’m glad she behaved herself. I swear she follows me into the kitchen all the time.”
"She was good for me," he said, looking over to the Frenchie - having Candy around certainly did make each day slightly more interesting.
“Aren’t you being protective? I’m hoping trouble doesn’t follow us here though I know how life can be.”
"I hope it doesn't come here either, but if it does, I'm protecting what is ours, I'm protecting you," he said, getting up from the table to lean on the kitchen door frame.
“Sounds like you had quite the adventure.” She stirred the pot with a wooden spoon. “Did you really get me flowers? Even after being chased by a big dog?”
"Of course I did," he said, feeling a spark of pride come back, "I wasn't coming home empty handed."
“Oh where do I start? Work was alright, though I did have the unfortunate run in with two dogs that had fleas. I’m worried they are being neglected.” She bit her lip softly, trying not to get emotional about it. “It was so hard to see them like that but they were all cleaned up.”
He nodded and listened to her day and felt a slight surge of anger that he had to push back. Whilst he was used to dogs chasing him and cat's randomly jumping out of bins at him, it was another thing for an animal to be neglected. He hadn't gotten himself a pet because he knew that he probably wouldn't be good for the animal and didn't want to add to the growing number of inundated shelters for pets that were simply thrown away. He hated people like that.
“But the barn was good, both horses behaved themselves and it seemed like most people had already ridden so it was quiet.”
"That's good. Have to admit, I worry at times with you and those horses. I don't like the idea of you getting hurt if something goes wrong. I'm not saying you aren't capable with them, hell - you know more about the animals than I ever will - but still, it worries me from time to time."
He wasn't one for being too open on his feelings in general, but with Savannah it was easier to let that guard down. She'd kept many of his secrets and seen what he was really like.
She felt a blush come across her cheeks at being called beautiful. “I mean you keep injuring yourself by accident so I thought maybe it would help you feel better?” It wasn’t much longer before the timer went off, signaling to her that the spaghetti was done. She took the pot off the burner and picked up the strainer, putting it in the sink.
After straining the spaghetti, she placed it back in the pan with the sauce and turned the other burner on low heat to heat up the sauce again. “Glad you two are getting along.” She smiled. When Duncan had moved in she wasn’t sure how the dog would handle having another human around - but the black and white dog was happy with having more attention.
“Let me help though too. Trouble isn’t something anyone can control.” She stirred the sauce with the wooden spoon. It was hard for her to look back on their crazy life before they moved to Hickstead but she was starting to feel safer. “They smell wonderful. It’s made my day.” Savannah was starting to notice that the house looked cleaner than it was when she left in the morning. It wasn’t much longer before dinner was heated so she got two bowls from the cupboard and dished up two bowls of the pasta. “How hungry are you?” She didn’t know if he wanted one or two scoops of food.
“Oh, Monte and Poppy are harmless. If you want, you are always welcome to come with me. I’d be more than happy to help you learn about animals.” She knew it was more her thing but maybe if she taught him that they weren’t always mean that he would be less worried. “What would you like to drink with dinner?”
“I mean you keep hurting yourself by accident so I thought maybe it would help you feel better?”
He looked at her fondly, “Anything you do makes me feel better babe. One look and I’m in heaven with you.”
“Glad you two are getting along.”
He glanced at Candy and snorted. He wouldn’t admit it now, but when he wasn’t at work but Savannah was, he tended to hang out with the dog more than he let on. Some mornings the dog was the only reason he bothered to get out of bed some mornings if Savannah didn’t drag his ass out.
“Let me help though too. Trouble isn’t something anyone can control.” “You help more than you know,” he said gently, “Trust me, you do more than you know. And together, we can beat down any trouble that comes our way. I promise.”
“They smell wonderful. It’s made my day.”
“Then I’ll make sure to make your day every day,” he said gently.
He continued to just watch her with a small smile on his face as he wondered just how he’d gotten this lucky to have a woman like Savannah in his life. Without her he had no doubts that he would’ve wound up in a worse state. “How hungry are you?” “Pretty hungry if I’m honest,” he chuckled, “I spent the day running around, I didn’t really think about food.”
He had days like that where he could simply forget to eat something and feel fine until his stomach went on protest about the lack of nourishment. And now that his mind was on food, his stomach growled at him. He guessed it was just one of those things, like how he maintained an even weight and shape. “Oh, Monte and Poppy are harmless. If you want, you are always welcome to come with me. I’d be more than happy to help you learn about animals.”
He raised an eyebrow, “Well, maybe I’ll take you up on that offer. Never understood why people like them, or how people don’t get their heads taken off.” “What would you like to drink with dinner?” “That reminds me I didn’t go down and that nice wine you like,” he sighed, “Knew I was forgetting something. Sorry. I’m good with water tonight; I don’t want to drink the night before work.”
Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. She tucked her hair behind her ears and reached up to get two pasta bowls. “Oh shucks. You make me feel better too.” She set them down on the counter beside the stove. “I’m glad because trouble seems to follow us everywhere. Though honestly it gives a little spice to my boring life.” Savannah tended to live a quiet life before she and Duncan started getting serious about their relationship, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.
She opened the silverware drawer and picked up two sets of cutlery. “Oh only if you want to. These should last a few days at least.” Savannah made a mental note to give the bouquet some plant food in the morning. Flowers had always made the brunette feel cheery and the fact that Duncan had picked up on it made her heart happy.
“I’ll give you two scoops to start and you can always come get more.” She always worried he was never eating enough food - though that wasn’t surprising because she always worried about him. Savannah picked up a pair of tongs and picked the spaghetti up, making sure there was quite a bit in the bowl before setting it down and serving herself a bit less. “You really were busy, weren’t you? You are starting to make me feel like I was lazy today.” She laughed, bringing the bowl of spaghetti and the silverware into the dining room. Savannah set it down in front of him and headed back into the kitchen.
“Honestly, it’s all about building trust and a relationship with them. You haven’t had your head taken off by a horse have you?!” she joked, getting her own bowl and cutlery before picking up a small stack of paper napkins on her way back. “Last time I checked, they didn’t eat meat.” The brunette set down her own bowl and set the cutlery beside it, setting the stack of napkins between them.
Savannah shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I have some left but after the day I’ve had I’m also alright with water.” She opened the fridge door and pulled out the pitcher of water and brought down two water glasses from the cupboard, bringing them back to the table. She poured water into the glasses once she set them on the table. “Oh right. Where are you working tonight? Not another fight, I hope.” She sighed, finally being able to sit down. Candy waddled off to her bed and curled up on the blanket.
“I’m glad because trouble seems to follow us everywhere. Though honestly it gives a little spice to my boring life.”
"You can't mean that, surely," he said, raising a brow, "I'd have thought that you would enjoy things going quiet again."
“Oh only if you want to. These should last a few days at least.”
“I’ll give you two scoops to start and you can always come get more.”
He smiled and played with his bracelets that were around his wrists, finding an odd comfort in toying with the beads.
“You really were busy, weren’t you? You are starting to make me feel like I was lazy today.” She laughed.
"I was like Flash Gordan babe," he said, grinning, "Just wanted to do stuff so I wasn't being lazy and so you'd have a little less to do on your next day off."
“Honestly, it’s all about building trust and a relationship with them. You haven’t had your head taken off by a horse have you?!” she joked. “Last time I checked, they didn’t eat meat.”
"Not yet, you never know what's going to come around at me."
Savannah shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I have some left but after the day I’ve had I’m also alright with water.” She opened the fridge door and pulled out the pitcher of water and brought down two water glasses from the cupboard, bringing them back to the table. “Oh right. Where are you working tonight? Not another fight, I hope.”
"No, no - not fighting tonight; I managed to pull some low janitor's job with a crew that was down a man. I gotta meet them on a builders site other side of town by ten, won't get in until something like five or something," he sighed, "Kinda wishing I'd taken the fight tonight - I'd be home before midnight and have the money in cash."
“I know you do.” She said, as she poured both of them a glass of water. The woman laughed softly and nodded. “You are right, I was joking. I do love living a quieter life.” She would never imagine being in the middle of a drug bust as a child - but that’s a life experience she would never wish on anyone. “Though you were by my side the whole time.”
Savannah picked up the fork and began eating the pasta dish. “But you work so hard in the evenings that I want you to be able to relax too.” She really didn’t mind doing housework - it was something she could do while she talked to her parents on the phone or listened to a podcast. “I’ll have to call you Flash Duncan now.” She gave him a wink.
“It’s alright. They can be a little interesting sometimes.” She knew of horses who definitely had an attitude but there were riders who enjoyed those kinds of horses. Her own two were a little more level headed.
She nodded - it was a relief that Duncan wasn’t going to be in a fight tonight. “Oh, I know you are disappointed but you know I feel better when you take jobs like these.” Cleaning jobs weren’t fun but she was always worried about what kind of trouble would follow him. “Or do you just enjoy coming home by midnight so I’m awake when you get home?” Duncan was definitely more of a night owl than she was.
“You are right, I was joking. I do love living a quieter life.” She would never imagine being in the middle of a drug bust as a child - but that’s a life experience she would never wish on anyone. “Though you were by my side the whole time.”
"I do embrace the chaos from time to time."
Savannah picked up the fork and began eating the pasta dish. “But you work so hard in the evenings that I want you to be able to relax too.”
"It's fine sweet heart, I have to stay busy somehow so I can help out. I relax when I sleep." He mumbled in between mouthfuls of pasta.
“I’ll have to call you Flash Duncan now.” She gave him a wink.
"I'll show you what Flash Duncan does," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her in return.
“It’s alright. They can be a little interesting sometimes.”
“Oh, I know you are disappointed but you know I feel better when you take jobs like these.”
"I know," he sighed, "It's for your sanity alone I try to keep straight jobs where I can."
“Or do you just enjoy coming home by midnight so I’m awake when you get home?”
"Maybe," he smiled, "I'm just happy to see you all the time regardless."
"Just let me know the next time you plan to cause chaos, that way I'll be prepared." She joked, after finishing another bite of her pasta. It wasn't something either of them could control, other than being careful about what they got into.
She glanced over to look at Duncan's plate, wondering if she hadn't given him enough food. "Are we going to turn you into a homemaker yet? Or should I be like Cinderella and hire some forest animals to help you?" A smile crossed her face at the thought, though Candy did prove herself helpful around the apartment.
"I'll have to take you up on that. Maybe later tonight?" She blushed at the sight of her boyfriend wiggling his eyebrows. "Did you want another bowl full of food?" Savannah felt herself starting to get full, but she never wanted to stop him if he felt he wanted more to eat.
She finished off her bowl of pasta and set the fork gently inside the bowl. "I know you enjoy the fighting, but maybe the garage has a more permanent job?" In her eyes, it was the most safe "manly" job. She hated the feeling that she got when he was doing a dangerous job, it showed how much she cared about him. "I love seeing you all the time too, but I also want you do work the jobs you love. Even if it means being alone some nights."
