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!.
Damon had to admit he had a little bit of nerves for the evening. He had known James for quite some time now, having met Ashley so many years ago and been subjected to the terrifying family dinners from an early age. He had grown up well and matured somewhat, coming into himself with a little more confidence than he used to have. Being away from England and his asshole of a brother, and all that history and pressure had given him a chance to grow; and he had. Uni had helped too, and finding a profession that he enjoyed and wanted to thrive in. But, even though he was older and somewhat wiser, he still felt nervous. It was only natural given the type of conversation he wanted to have.
He had arranged to meet James for a drink at the local bar, under the pretence of wanting to catch up. He liked the guy, and got on more so with him than some of Ashley’s other family – though Chris was her brother, he reminded Damon too much of Leo sometimes and it felt like a struggle to know whether he was being serious and how to handle him. What he wanted to do, was ask for his permission to marry Ashley. Again, he knew really he should ask Chris – or both of them – but he thought James might be more likely to take him seriously, and that Chris might make up some ridiculous joking tests to send him through hoops instead of a straight up answer. Settling himself at the bar, he ordered a beer. He wasn’t sure what James would most likely want to drink and didn’t want to assume, so he paid for his own drink for now and perched on a spare stool; it was relatively early for drinking and the bar was fairly quiet – plenty of space to sit and chat when James arrived.
had he been a little surprised when damon had reached out asking him to come out for drinks that night. it wasn't like they didn't know each other and james would go as far as to call him a friend but it wasn't like they often hung out together outside of the family. damon was a fixture at family dinners and parties and he and james could and often did hold conversations that they both enjoyed but outside of the family, they ran in different circles. but he was the man that his sister loved and the father of his adorable nephew so he was family and family showed up for each other.
he'd snuck out after dinner time and after he'd been able to get rory down to sleep. he knew he was lucky to be able to be there for these quiet moments with her and he didn't pass up an opportunity to steal her from his wife so he could get her settled. he did have to admit he'd riled the boys up a little before he'd left because he'd felt bad about leaving them but he'd blown a kiss to lexi as tae and jare roughhoused in the living room and he'd made his way to the bar. he couldn't imagine it would be a late night or a night full of drinking so he'd driven himself, confident he'd be able to drive himself home and damon if he needed. he walked into the quiet bar and straight away spotted his not brother in law sitting at the bar and he crossed over to him, waving in greeting to a few of the people he knew in the place. he slid into the seat next to damon and he grinned a little. "what's got a man like you drinking alone on a night like tonight." he joked as he waved the bartender over and ordered a beer.
"Sometimes a horse has got to do what a horse has got to do!"
He was just taking a swig of his drink when his company arrived. He hadn't notice him come in, swept away in his own thoughts as he tried to consider his options for asking Ashley to marry him - and then playing out the scenario in his head, his negative brain jumped to her rejecting him. There was that fear, though he didn't think she would, or at least he liked to think she wouldn't give how long they had been together, how close they were and the life they had built together. He knew Ash wanted to marry and he had made it clear he did too, so it was a natural step.
Damon looked up as James slid into the booth and he smiled automatically. James was one of the good ones, and he was easy to talk to. Hopefully he wouldn't think this was weird but he'd agreed to it and shown up - so that meant he was happy to come, right? Damon had gone a long way with his confidence over the years but sometimes, in times like this, it crept back up on him to needle in some doubt. "what's got a man like you drinking alone on a night like tonight." Damon chuckled and shook his head, "Waiting for better company." He said and took a swig of his beer. "It was meant to be my shout," he said when James beat him to the punch and ordered his drink before Damon could ask what he wanted. "But, how have you been? How was your trip away?" He asked, having known that James and Lexi had just returned from Italy.
he did regret the fact that he hadn't made more of an effort to keep up communication with damon. even before he and ash had moved away he'd never really been that keen on getting to know his sisters boyfriend. it had been easier with lily because he'd known luke since he'd been a kid and at the time lily had been his cousin and while he loved her, she'd had two brothers to protect her. he knew the logic was flawed but he'd felt that he'd needed to stay this unknown entity in ashley's love life so that he could scare the daylights out of anyone that had hurt her. but now they were back he'd made more of an effort. he'd talked to him more, caught up with him with the kids and even without the kids and he'd really grown to like the guy. he also liked the way ashley looked so happy with him and how great he was with josh, that was the most important thing.
"and i'm better company? are you trying to flatter me or butter me up?" he grinned as he settled into the booth. he was sort of glad he'd beaten damon to the punch when it had come to ordering the drink. he knew that it had been part of the deal to coming out tonight but he'd never liked other people buying his drinks, though he had no problem shouting other people. "i promise i'll have more than one." he said as an offering, though he left out the promise to let damon buy it. that was a discussion for another minute. "can't complain. everyone is still kicking." he said with a grin as he leaned his arms down on the table. "it was brilliant. just what we all needed." he said with an honest smile. it had helped them more than anything and it finally felt like they were on the right track. almost back to how they were before jack had come into their lives. even tae was more relaxed, though his brothers and damon were helping with that, dropping in at randoms times to interact with the kids as much as they could. he owed his family everything for that, there was no price on the smile and the sense of ease they were giving tae. "has my sister driven you crazy yet?"
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
It had been tough, coming back to England after they'd been away - especially coming back to the place things had all gone wrong. But he understood why, and her need to come back. Unlike him, she got along with her family, and they were all here - the one's that mattered anyway. They were a good family too, and Damon had always found it crazy how in each other's pocket they were - how much they all talked and how they could comfortably just walk into each other's homes with a shout hello and be welcomed. It was daunting, becoming a part of that. He'd grown up with rarely a kind word in the house between his family. There had been odd moments of sunlight through the storm before it soon returned. Nobody would ever know that once upon a time his asshole of a brother used to protect him from their asshole of a father, used to take the beatings for him, used to look after him... used to care. But there was no point worrying about that now. It was what it was.
"and i'm better company? are you trying to flatter me or butter me up?" Damon gave a light hearted chuckle and shook his head. "No, I was hoping my girlfriend might suddenly appear." Which was only half wishful thinking. He loved her, and even more so when they surprised each other with a visit, but he needed this conversation to be private - between him and James. "i promise i'll have more than one." Damon smiled again and nodded, he hoped James would want to stay for another one after he said his piece. "can't complain. everyone is still kicking. it was brilliant. just what we all needed." Damon smiled again, "That's good, glad to hear it." He wasn't in the know enough to know what had happened but he had known something wasn't right.
"has my sister driven you crazy yet?" Damon laughed and took a swig of his drink for courage. That was a good opener. "Not just yet - close but I brought it back from the brink," He joked and then he cleared his throat. "Speaking of Ashley, I uh..." He shifted in his chair. "I know that tradition speaks I ask her father but given the circumstances I.. didn't think that appropriate. So I wanted to ask you instead, as her eldest brother." He tried hard not to fidget. "I would like your permission to ask Ashley to marry me."
james grinned a little and snapped his fingers slightly, looking down at himself between snaps and then he gave damon a dissapointed look. "sorry, no matter how hard i try i can't turn into her." he said with a little smirk as he leaned back in the chair in the booth. he was glad that the trip had gone well too, it had healed something in his and lexi's home. it had given them back something they'd lost and it was feeling well and truly like things were getting back on track and close to old times. there were still things they'd need to talk about, still things that needed to be said so they could both heal but they were both in a much better place than they had been. it was like the world had shifted on it's axis and things were slowly roating back into pattern. "if you ever piss ashley off, whisk her away to italy. it'll work wonders i promise."
well the main thing was he'd brought it back. he chuckled a little as he thought about it and it was true. he didn't know who he'd understand more if they drove each other crazy. his loyalty would always lie with his sister but he could understand why people went crazy, love was one of the best things to drive a person over the edge, it was such a fine line between passion and insanity that there were times it was a little difficult to see where the like was. "if you could find him, i'd ask you to shoot him." james said with a grin, knowing where this was probably headed from the moment damon mentioned his father. would he say no to him? not really. was he going to make him sweat a little. yes. it was his duty as a big brother to put the fear of god into the person who spent their life with his sister and he was going to do it.
he listened and then he put a careful look of concentration on his face as he brought his beer up to sip his drink casually before he licked his lips and set the glass back down onto the table. "sorry, but no." he said as seriously as he could. he tried to keep the face for more than a few seconds before he couldn't keep it up anymore and he let it fall into a grin. "i mean of course you can ask her, like she'd listen to me if i said you couldn't." he said with a laugh as he reached his hand out to shake damon's hand. "i'm fairly confident i'll know what her answer will be so i'll just shake your hand now and congratulate you in advance."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
"sorry, no matter how hard i try i can't turn into her." He raised a brow, "that's probably a good thing - might be a little weird." He admitted, though he smiled all the same at the joke. Sometimes, he wasn't too sure how to go about jokes, he often understood them but was not always as quick witted as some people were, which he found hard to avoid looking stupid or saying the wrong thing. "if you ever piss ashley off, whisk her away to italy. it'll work wonders i promise." Damon gave a nod and another small smile, "I will make sure to take note of that, though I work hard not to piss her off, she's quite terrifying." He admitted, not afraid to say it. Strong women used to scare him, but something about Ashley had drawn him in instead, and he loved that about her. He was glad Italy had been good for James and his family though, he knew how it felt to be at odds. "Sometimes, just the break of another country can be exactly what you need - get away from it all." He would know, considering he had dragged Ash away to America.
He took another sip of his drink. "if you could find him, i'd ask you to shoot him." Damon shook his head slightly but didn't comment. He could understand, given his own family history, and it wasn't his place to comment on it. Would he do the same in the same circumstances? He couldn't be sure. He had never been strong enough to stand up to his own father after all. "sorry, but no." Damon blanched slightly, his face draining. It wasn't as if he couldn't ask her anyway, but he thought him and James got along, and he couldn't see what he might have done to upset things. His mouth opened and shut promptly as he tried to work out the appropriate response to that. "i mean of course you can ask her, like she'd listen to me if i said you couldn't." Damon frowned slightly, confused when James then grinned and grabbed his hand. He shook it, if only to be polite, but he was still half in shock as he tried to figure out what the guy was getting at. "i'm fairly confident i'll know what her answer will be so i'll just shake your hand now and congratulate you in advance." He finally let out a breath as he understood, flushed red and feeling stupid for it. "You're messing with me..."
the second that he saw the colour drain from damon's face he felt a stab of guilt and wondered if he'd taken it a little too far. he was so used to taking the piss with his own family and having them just bite back that he'd assumed damon would do the same. he didn't plan on taking it any further than that but he was a little worried now about whether he'd have ashley knocking on his doorstep later that night wondering what he'd done to her boyfriend. though he had given up the joke almost as quickly as he started it, he didn't know what to say when it seemed that damon was struggling with a response.
"i am messing with you." he said as he leaned back in his chair and he picked up the beer that had been set down on the table and he took a sip while trying to work out if he needed to apologise to him. he felt like he should, had it been leo or one of his other family he wouldn't have bothered, it wouldn't have mattered but damon was different. he liked him well enough and he made ashley happy and that was the main thing, and he was there for josh which made him better than some. "it's a big brothers job." he said with what he hoped was a light grin as he looked across at damon.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
"i am messing with you." Damon let out a small breath and relaxed, deflating a little as he allowed the tension of panic to release from his shoulders. It was one of those things where you didn't really think they would say no, but there was that little bit of possibility and Damon was often pessimistic over optimistic. He gave James a look of relief and then shook his head slightly with a little chuckle. "Well, thank God for that." He admitted, giving another small chuckle as he relaxed further and took a few hearty swigs of his beer again. "You had me going there for a moment," He admitted, feeling comfortable enough to say it. He usually tried to hide his embarrassment but he had known James for long enough now that he minded less about the guy knowing his weaknesses.
He hadn't expected anything further, though he had to admit to himself he would have more anticipated a joking response from Leo, rather than James. Perhaps the humour was part of the family, or Leo's had rubbed off somewhat over the years. He had gotten better at handling it, though sometimes he still prickled on instinct or took a moment to work through the joke, but he did it for Ash. "it's a big brothers job." Damon gave a slight smile in response and a nod of understanding. "I get it," and he did, even if his own sibling relationship greatly differed from james' and Ash's. "I'll take good care of her though, anything she wants, I'll always be there for her." He swore, wanting James to know that he was serious about this huge commitment, and it wasn't just some whim or an empty gesture.
he chuckled a little and he shook his head slightly. he couldn't believe that damon had actually thought he was serious but then, sometimes he forgot that damon didn't have quite the relationship with his own family that james did. he could joke with logan and leo and they'd get it almost straight away. it had shocked him a little to be found serious when he was joking but he could understand it now. "in some ways i'm glad, it means i might be able to fool my kids when they're teens and i'm telling them something." he joked a little as he sipped his drink.
"oh god, no don't make that mistake." he said as he laid his hand on the table. "i trust you when you say you'll be there for her." he assured damon but he looked at him dead serious in the eye. "but never, ever, ever tell her she can have anything she wants." he said, a grin cracking onto his face. "unless you hate having money in the bank." he might have been joking again but there was some truth to it. he knew that he'd move heaven and earth for lexi but he could only imagine what their bank accounts would look like if they'd promised each other whatever they wanted.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
"in some ways i'm glad, it means i might be able to fool my kids when they're teens and i'm telling them something." Damon laughed at that and took another swig of his beer, anything to help calm the nerves a little as he relaxed from what he'd thought was trouble. "Oh I have no doubt. Not only because your poker face in on point, but I'm sure they already look up to you like you're God." He hadn't known James all that long, or at least not had that much time with him, but he was pretty sure his kids thought very highly of him, even as young as they were. No doubt that would only increase as they got older and grew up. He could only hope that he was doing as well for his son and could continue to be the dad he needed as his son grew.
"oh god, no don't make that mistake. i trust you when you say you'll be there for her." Damon gave a serious nod, feeling another sip of beer to keep his anxiety at bay when he noticed James' harder look, wondering what was coming. "but never, ever, ever tell her she can have anything she wants. unless you hate having money in the bank." He relaxed again, damn it was hard not to feel like a yo-yo with this back and forth nervousness. "Unfortunately I think she's already well aware I'd give her the world, no matter what it costs me." it was the kind of love he'd always hoped to have and he wanted to hold on tight to it.
james could only wish that his kids looked up to him. there were days he worried about whether or not he was even worthy of that. he looked at his kids and sometimes wondered how they'd come from him. he knew they were lexi's, they each had so much of her in them and he couldn't be unhappy about that. he wasn't sure his genes were any that a kid could rave about, his father had made sure of that. of course so had his mother and just about every other adult in their family, but his father was the one he was worried most about. that he would turn out like him, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. "i think the only one i have right now is rory." he said with a chuckle as he sipped his beer. "she's still my girl .. but the boys are being sucked into the superhero world." he was sure that taite's hero was captain america right now.
"then you my frie.. almost brother ... are royally screwed." he said as he raised his glass a little with a laugh. he was joking of course, kind of. he sat there for just a moment, quietly thinking about how most of his family had seemed to find functioning relationships despite the horrors they were brought up with. he knew that he and lexi had their moments and they might have been struggling the last few months, but it was still a far more healthy relationship that he'd seen growing up. he felt oddly proud of his family right then. "have you decided when and how you'll ask her?" he said as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward slightly and turning the glass in his hand. "if you want, lexi and i can have josh for the night or a few days when you do. give you two some time." he loved having josh around, he knew what a godsend being close to your cousins could be as a child.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
Damon swirled the remaining beer in his bottle before taking another swig. It was almost empty, and had started to get a little warm, not his favourite taste in beer. He wondered about ordering another, or whether he should switch to a soft drink. He didn't have the best tolerance, and he had a heavy day on tomorrow, but it was nice to sit here with a drink with James, and he wasn't ready to call it a day just yet. "i think the only one i have right now is rory." Damon looked up curiously, wondering why he would think that. "she's still my girl .. but the boys are being sucked into the superhero world." Damon chuckled a little. "I think you'd be surprised - when you're on the outside, you see a lot more." He could see how much the kids adored their dad, even if maybe James only saw the temper tantrums and tears these days.
"then you my frie.. almost brother ... are royally screwed." Damon chuckled at that and nodded in agreement, "oh I'm well aware," He agreed, but he would happily be screwed if it meant having a happy family. "have you decided when and how you'll ask her?" Damon nodded, he'd given it a lot of thought, being someone that couldn't help but overthink every situation and worry about it. "I was thinking the beach, at sunset... a nice dinner first to really sweeten the deal." He figured it would help if she wasn't hangry at the time. "if you want, lexi and i can have josh for the night or a few days when you do. give you two some time." Damon looked at him hopefully, "oh would you? That would be very helpful, not having to worry about childcare." He'd owe James of course, get him something in return for doing so, and Lexi of course.
