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!.
Erin hadn't been down to this part of the city for sometime. It was an old haunt of hers, and she'd deliberately been avoiding it to stop dredging up old memories. Whilst her life had improved ten fold, and she was happier and healthier than ever, there was still a part of her that she had yet to address, that she wasn't ready to confront. After leaving the home and trying to find her way in the world, she had somewhat failed. Unlike her friends back at the home that seemed to have landed on their feet, she had only succeeded in landing on her ass - in the alley ways and corner shop door fronts, homeless and alone and starving. She'd spent several years wandering the streets, managing to beg food from those with a heart when she wasn't able to pull together scraps or money to buy something fresh.
She had liked coming down to the docks because there were rarely other homeless down there - it was often cold and blustery from the wind across the sea, with not much shelter and most of the place damp with salt water and brine, it wasn't ideal. She had found a corner of the docks that wasn't as bad and had settled there when she needed a reprieve from others. Weak and feeble and unwilling to fight back she had frequently been the brunt of attacks, losing out on her stuff, her shelter and sporting black and blue bruises. It was there she'd once met Perry, and though she hadn't been there for nearly two years, she hadn't forgotten him - his surprising kindness had helped her through many a tough day, and he'd filled her cramping stomach when she had thought she'd be going through another sleepless night whilst her stomach begged for food.
It was partly morbid curiosity to return, she was anxious to be back down here, but she had felt like facing her past, and today seemed to be the perfect day for it. She was not the same person anymore, she was strong, she was brave, she could do this. All she needed to do was take a little walk along the docks, and then she might take a wander through the market before heading home. Erin didn't mean to look out for him, but she couldn't help herself, her bright eyes naturally glancing from face to face as the workers hurried past her.
Perry grumbled as he began chewing on his lip. This morning was interesting, as he was almost caught sewing a quilt. Not like he should care, right? But it was men that almost saw him. He made sure he wasn’t so careless next time, closing the shades of the bedroom window.
Needing some fresh air, Perry took his phone and wallet. The docks of Willow bridge weren’t a place he had been in a moment. He found the place a bit more depressing than the marina in Hickstead. While his attitude was easier to get away with, Hickstead had given him some more time with sailing.
Listening to his podcast, Perry found himself staring at a store window front. There was a sailboat in a glass, something that always intrigued him. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating after seeing a familiar face in the glass. But he shook that off. “Maybe the fumes are getting to me,” he murmured to himself.
She had all but lost hope, thinking perhaps Perry no longer worked here, that maybe he had moved on or found pastures new or something to that effect. She hadn't been here for a while, and she knew from before that people moved on all the time, it was quite frequent for them to find better jobs or opportunities - quite ofte on the boats that docked there, tempted by the call of the open water and higher wages. She was beginning to think he must have been the same, only hoping that he had found something better for himself and that he was happy and had good fortune when her eye was caught by a familiar face.
A slight squint as she peered at the guy, watching him for a moment as he looked into the window of a shop front. Thinking maybe she was wrong and that she had imagined his face because she was thinking of him and hoping to see him, and then after a moment she believed that perhaps it was true after all and he stood there in the flesh. "Perry?" She asked, her voice was slightly hoarse, an effort not to shout out too loudly. She didn't want to draw attention to herself - stupid considering it didn't matter now if she did or didn't, she wasn't hoping to find a corner to sleep in anymore, nobody was going to chase her away. She took a few steps closer now she was certain it was him and she smiled shyly, worried he might not remember. "It's me, Erin?"
It wasn’t a fever dream or a high. The voice was as familiar as the wind on his back. He turned and looked at the person next to him. Erin had grown up, just like he had. If anything, he was surprised she was still around. Not like there was anything wrong with that, but it felt like so many people were growing up and leaving town for bigger and better things.
“Oh, wow, Erin. Hey!” For once, he had a hint of excitement in his voice. Erin was one of the very few people that Perry ever showed his true self. He was ashamed though, of his own personal development.
“I wasn’t expecting to run into you here. I..uh..how’s life been?” Ew, he really needed to maybe listen to those YouTube videos his sister told him to watch.
She was concerned in that moment that he didn't remember her. She could understand him not recognising her - when he'd last see her, her face had been gaunt and hollow, pale and dirty. Her hair had been lank and usually unwashed, dull and limp around her face. She'd been skinny and weak and looked a pathetic mess. The streets had never been kind to her, she was not made for them. But now, she was different - her hair was freshly washed and trimmed and glossy, her face filled out, her eyes bright and she was smiling, even shyly. But if he didn't remember her? Now that would really hurt.
“Oh, wow, Erin. Hey!” The relief that shot through her was hot and immediate, he knew her. She grinned, her lips pulling wide. "Hey," She said, relaxing a little now that she knew that he remembered her. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you here. I..uh..how’s life been?” Which she understood - even though this was one of her old haunts, she hadn't been around for some time and he probably thought that she'd long gone. "No, I know I haven't been here for a long while but... things changed for me." She smiled, as if it wasn't obvious enough. "Things have been going really well. I.. ran into an old friend a while back, and he took me in. Things have.. I have a daughter now. We do, I mean. And dogs.. and.. well life is good." She laughed, realising she was bursting with all sorts of word vomit. "How have you been? What's been going on?"
Perry could feel himself relax a bit. “That’s great!” He did have to admit she looked healthier and happier. Not in a weird way, but he had remembered seeing her as something that always looked lost. Even though happiness wasn’t something that Perry often showed to people, Erin was an exception. She was one of those people that had witnessed his softer side.
So she really changed. A kid, a partner, dogs. Perry couldn’t help but feel a bit behind, a bit envious. He was still in limbo – trying to figure out his own shit. “Wow, that’s fantastic!” was all he could muster, most definitely sounds like a broken record. But what else could he say? That work has been a shit hole, mainly because of his own actions?
“Oh well…nothing too exciting on my end,” he shrugged. “Just been trying to keep busy. Elodie is the one with the most stuff going on,” he chuckled. It was true though. Elodie had her life figured out, and he was just…there. “But I uh…started a new project. Gram got a new quilting arm...”
She relaxed when he did. It was always awkward running into someone from the past and it always felt more so for her - it depended on who it was but given her history some people didn't even recognise her, which gave her the opportunity to disappear before they saw her if she wanted. Perry was different, she felt shy to see him again but not ashamed. “That’s great!” She smiled again, always quick with a smile these days. She had always been too soft for the streets, too kind; it was why she had looked so awful until Dylan had finally picked her up from the pavement and taken her in. Smiling had been tough those before, when it was so much easier to consider giving up instead.
“Wow, that’s fantastic!” Erin grinned again and then flushed slightly, "It didn't all come at once, and..it hasn't been easy..." She had been in love with Dylan since she was a child and had first met him, she'd had trouble believing he was in love with her in return once she was on her feet properly and back up to health. Add in his nut job of a twin brother who had managed to fake being Dylan to get her into bed- she was still getting over that, and a part of her would always feel the cold shadow of that experience, of that terrifying moment she'd found out what he'd done to her. That the baby her and Dylan raised was actually his brothers. Now was not the time to talk about those things, but she didn't want him to think that it had been easy breezy for her to get to where she was.
“Oh well…nothing too exciting on my end, Just been trying to keep busy. Elodie is the one with the most stuff going on, But I uh…started a new project. Gram got a new quilting arm...” Erin smiled, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. "Oh really? What project? That sounds exciting enough!" She encouraged. Life to her was not about competition, but more just being happy and healthy in whatever you were doing, with people who loved you and took care of you.
“Well, you’ve seen the star ones I’ve done, yeah?” It had been a while, but Perry could imagine that she did. “You know, the ones that kind of burst out in the middle,” he further explained – adding some possibly understood hand gestures. “Anyway, I found a new pattern with them in it, but with some other designs added, like with smaller block borders.” For once, Perry had that signature, hidden smile creep on his face. Something only a few people saw.
“There’s another competition my grandma wants me to enter with it, but if I can get to where I want – maybe? Have you been by the shop lately? I’m sure everyone would like to see you again.” Erin was always welcomed when she and Perry met. But once she kind of disappeared, it was a bit of a somber moment at Seven Sirens. Mainly due to the fear of the worst happening.
"Well, you’ve seen the star ones I’ve done, yeah? You know, the ones that kind of burst out in the middle,” Erin gave it some thought for a moment, wanting to make sure she knew what he meant rather than just agreeing. After a second she nodded, an image coming to mind of the things he had done before. “Anyway, I found a new pattern with them in it, but with some other designs added, like with smaller block borders.” Her eyebrows went up slightly in internet and she smiled, a response to the small one on his own face. "Oh that sounds like fun, you'll have to show me some time." and her enthusiasm was genuine. Erin's heart of gold meant she loved seeing other people's creations and what they could do. Especially considering she wasn't so great at being creative herself. For someone who had been so trodden on in life, so beaten down, it was always a wonder she still had such light for other people and their talents.
“There’s another competition my grandma wants me to enter with it, but if I can get to where I want – maybe? Have you been by the shop lately? I’m sure everyone would like to see you again.” She hesitated a moment, that age old fear of her past and the things that had happened to her resurfacing, even though their group had been nothing but decent. "I can't say that I have, actually." She admitted. It seemed silly not to, she was in a good place, and they had been good support. Perhaps it would help her reconnect with people and have friends, or make new friends. She didn't have many of either. "You should do the competition though, I have no doubt you'd win." She added, before he could think he'd gotten away with sneaking that little fact in.
A small “Ah” escaped him, but he knew that history was never easy for anyone. Especially a history like Erin’s. But Perry decided to leave it at that. He couldn’t help but scoff when Erin mentioned he would for sure win. “I don’t know, there are some very talented people out there. There are thankfully groups of skill, but the one grandma wants me to enter is super advanced. I mean, I think I make some cool stuff, but Mary, a customer always enters and her stuff is hard to beat.” It wasn’t an uncommon thing for him to talk down his skills. It was hard for him to understand that his interest in quilting was okay. He didn’t need to hide it, but he was still worried. Worried about the stigma.
“I’m honestly…still trying to find myself. It sounds silly, I’m sure. I don’t know.” He was rambling now, words just kind of vomiting out. Maybe it was because Erin was someone Perry was comfortable around. Even if they hadn’t seen each other in a minute.
She flushed at Perry's “Ah” feeling like perhaps she had given away more than she'd meant to in her words. Despite having accepted her life as it was when she'd still been on the streets, it was hard to accept her history now that it was the past. She would get there, she knew she had to if she wanted to move on - and not be ashamed of it forever - but she kept putting it off, one day at a time. She was relieved he didn't push it or speak further, just let it go.
A smile broke out at his scoff - of course he wouldn't just accept her at face value. “I don’t know, there are some very talented people out there. There are thankfully groups of skill, but the one grandma wants me to enter is super advanced. I mean, I think I make some cool stuff, but Mary, a customer always enters and her stuff is hard to beat.” Erin shook his head, "Have a bit of faith in yourself." She teased slightly. "If you didn't have the talent for it, you wouldn't be part of it - just remember that." She said, hoping she hadn't put her foot in anything.
“I’m honestly…still trying to find myself. It sounds silly, I’m sure. I don’t know.” Erin nodded, understanding exactly how he felt. "I don't think there's a timeline or time limit on that," She said, not wanting him to worry about being left behind. "Peoples lives change all the time - relationships, careers, homes... I don't know if people ever really 'find themselves', and if you do then you're lucky. Always trying to figure it out. It's not silly." She promised, meaning it.
