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!.
Stephanie had a rare day off from the barn - she needed breakfast before she ran her errands. The brunette put her keys in her purse before she opened the door to the bakery. It was somewhere they served a good vegetarian breakfast.
The line was quite long but she didn't mind waiting. There were some impatient people that left the bakery, which made Steph roll her eyes. Some people were just plain rude.
About ten minutes later, she was at the front of the line. The woman behind the counter apologized profusely - apparently they were short staffed. "Don't worry about it. Just a vanilla iced coffee and the oatmeal please." The woman nodded, glad to have an easy order.
Stephanie paid for her order and stepped to the side - waiting for her order. She was in luck because it was finished quickly - the woman glanced around the bakery and found the last empty table for two - running towards it before anyone else could take it.
Ezra stood in the long line at the bakery, his stomach rumbling as he peered into the glass of baked goods. He was having a hard time deciding what he wanted considering everything looked delicious. It was hard to come by decent french pastries in england but the ones here had been great so far. He moved up to the counter when it was his turn to order and gave the flustered barista a smile. "I'll take a cappuccino, a croissant and two macarons". He had a bit of a sweet tooth this morning. Ezra tapped his card against the reader by the till then moved to the pick up area. He didn't need to wait long before the coffee and baked goods were handed to him on a tray. He thanked the server then glanced around for somewhere to sit, spotting a table near the window. He began making his way over pausing briefly on his way over to grab some sweetener, only to see someone snag it as he resumed walking. bonjour mademoiselle, do you mind if I take a seat until another table is free?" He asked, giving her a friendly smile.
Stephanie was clearly lost in her thoughts. It was her only day off from the barn this week and she felt guilty about it. Naomi was getting stricter about everyone getting at least a day off a week.
She lifted her ceramic mug and took a sip of her hot drink - testing to see if it was too hot to drink. The brunette winced as the hot liquid touched her lips - quickly setting it down on the table.
"Oh! Have a seat." She could hear the accent coming from the stranger when he spoke. "I really didn't think it would be this busy today." The woman smiled as she moved her bowl of oatmeal closer to her, so the man had more room.
"Have you been in England long?" She didn't want to assume anything. It was probably quite obvious to everyone she met or heard her talk that she wasn't British either. Stephanie picked up her spoon and started eating her breakfast - not realizing how hungry she was.
"Oh! Have a seat. I really didn't think it would be this busy today." At the invitation, Ezra smiled and pulled out the chair to sit down. "It seems everybody had the same idea." He said, glancing around the busy cafe before tearing off a piece of his croissant and popping it into his mouth. He'd never get tired of eating them - or anything sweet really. "Have you been in England long?" He took a sip of his coffee and lifted his gaze back to the woman across from him. "I've lived in england for a year or so but recently moved here a few weeks ago for a new project. . and yourself?" He asked, picking up on her own accent.
"I didn't think there would be this many people. I'm always happy to see this place busy." She was often caught stopping in before work for that last morning coffee and snack. It was often the only thing she ate until she got home from the barn in the evenings.
Stephanie took a bite of her oatmeal after mixing the brown sugar in - making it melt. "A project? That sounds secretive. Can you tell me about it?" She hoped he understood with a joke, enforcing it with a soft smile.
"Is my accent still that obvious? I moved here about five years ago now from Florida because of my job." She set down her spoon, resting it against the bowl. The brunette picked up her drink and took a sip. "You could say a friend of mine bribed me to move here to work for her." She explained. Naomi had invited her to come visit Hickstead on vacation and after they started talking about work - she convinced her and her three horses to move across the pond to start a new life.
"I didn't think there would be this many people. I'm always happy to see this place busy." He nodded, glancing around the cafe with a smile. "It does seem to be a very popular place." He agreed. Ezra found himself drawn into the shop every time he was in town which luckily wasn't every day or he'd be growing his waistline at an alarming rate. "A project? That sounds secretive. Can you tell me about it?" He took a sip of his coffee while the woman spoke then placed it down with a small grin. "Nothing secretive. .I'm just renovating one of the properties on oldaker avenue with my sister." The pair had found a large 5 bed that needed gutting which was one of their favourite types of renovations. "Is my accent still that obvious? I moved here about five years ago now from Florida because of my job. You could say a friend of mine bribed me to move here to work for her." He smiled and gave a slight nod of his head. "It's not that obvious but you can still hear it. . sounds like she made an offer you couldn't refuse."
"I think I need to stop coming here so often, maybe actually eat breakfast at home for once." It was hard for her to cook for one person, making her lean more towards getting takeout when it came to meals - if not skipping them all together.
Stephanie raised her eyebrow. Oldaker Avenue wasn't exactly the cheapest place to buy a house to renovate it. "Sounds like a fun project! Is that what you do for work? Or is this more like a hobby?" Stephanie wasn't creative at all. If she wanted to change something in her apartment, she just did small DIY projects - never something that required her to break a wall or anything. "Did your sister convince you to move here? or did you convince her?"
She nodded, knowing her American accent would never truly go away. It wasn't something she was embarrassed about, other than the reason why she left the States. "I really thought I would have grown out of the accent by now. Yeah, she knew I was in a tough spot so she let my three horses move into her barn." It was the simplest answer she could give, without having to go into too much detail about what happened.
"I think I need to stop coming here so often, maybe actually eat breakfast at home for once." He smiled, thinking it would be wise for himself to do the same but the café was so convenient and really did make delicious food paired with great coffee. ”I think for the sake of my waistline, I’d better start doing the same.” He joked. "Sounds like a fun project! Is that what you do for work? Or is this more like a hobby?" Sebastien ate a little more of his croissant while it was the woman’s turn to talk. ”Very fun. Yes it’s our job. . we move from place to place flipping properties. I do the renovating, Mads does the interior design.” He smiled. "Did your sister convince you to move here? or did you convince her?" He sipped his coffee to clear his throat whilst the woman continued to ask questions. ”We both wanted a change from France and decided to pursue our career in England, moving to wherever the next worthy house is.” He answered. "I really thought I would have grown out of the accent by now. Yeah, she knew I was in a tough spot so she let my three horses move into her barn." A small grin turned the corners of his lips upwards. ”I think an accent is hard to grow out of fully. . that’s kind of her, she must be a good friend.”
"That's what fitness classes are for though. Do you attend any? Or are you more of a gym person with no instructors?" Stephanie tried her best to attend a yoga class once a week now, realizing she didn't really have a life outside of the barn. She took another bite of oatmeal and nodded. "That must be fun and a lot of hard work. How long have you been doing it for with your sister?" Stephanie was lucky and rented a flat, meaning the landlord was in charge of any repairs that were needed - meaning she didn't need to worry about hurting herself with a hammer. She knew she wasn't creative enough to do any DIY projects herself. "The nice thing is that you aren't to far from the rest of your family. Most people I've met who have moved here say it's because they needed a change. Maybe it's a good spot for new beginnings?"
Or were people just saying that? Stephanie didn't think she would ever find out. It was the excuse she gave, a simple internet search of her name would let people know what happened with her previous employer. "So I'll never have a true British accent? Darn, that's why I moved here.' She laughed, taking a sip of her iced coffee. Her accent didn't really bother her, unless she was self conscious about it. "We competed together when we were younger so I feel like she has known me forever. I'd be stuck with the job from hell if she hadn't pulled me out." Actually, she would be jobless as Kent closed down his barn after the drug scandal was made public.
”Yeah I’m a do my own thing kind of gym guy. . weights, swimming and the occasional yoga class my sister insists on dragging me to.” He smiled. He didn’t mind the yoga, it was nice to clear his mind completely every once in a while. ”It is very fun. About four years. .we’ve been in the UK for just under a year or so.” They had spent the first few years moving around other countries in Europe before setting their sights on England. ”Not far enough” He muttered, more to himself than to her. His relationship with his parents was strained and he had no plans on changing it. ”It does seem like a pleasant town.” He agreed. ”Maybe a in a few more years? If that fails, you could always fake it.” He said with a soft chuckle. He nodded in understanding and smiled. ”Well it seems like you ended up where you belong.”
Stephanie nodded, those all sounded like things she enjoyed doing too - though on her own terms. "Wow, you do way more than I do. Though honestly, with the work I do with my three horses I really only attend Spin Class when I can. Is it something you've tried?" She tried to attend twice a week, though six AM was a bit early for her. It was nice being part of the regular group though.
"Nice, did you design the house you live in now?" Stephanie often wondered what it would be like to build her own house from scratch. She was honestly used to living out of a hotel room - so she really didn't have a choice about what her living situation was like. Though honestly, she really only had the hotel room to sleep and get ready.
She raised her eyebrow as she caught the quieter comment. "Do you not get along with them?" Stephanie hoped it wasn't too much of a personal question - they barely knew each other after all. Though what better way to get to know someone anyway. "Are you serious? I think faking it would be worse. I always shudder when I hear a fake one. It's not as easy on the ears." She grinned, remembering that one of the announcers at a smaller show she used to compete at tried to do.
"I do think so too, and my three horses have seemed to settle in as well. It's like they know this is horse country."
"Wow, you do way more than I do. Though honestly, with the work I do with my three horses I really only attend Spin Class when I can. Is it something you've tried?" He smiled and shook his head. ”No I can’t say I have. . that’s the bike class yes?” He asked. "Nice, did you design the house you live in now?" He shook his head. ”No we’re just renting a place down the street from the house we’re currently doing up.” He explained. Sometimes they would live in the property and do it up at the same time, if it didn’t need a lot of work but their current project had been a total rip out. "Do you not get along with them?" He exhaled with a shake of his head. ”Occassionally.” He said before taking another bite of his pastry. "Are you serious? I think faking it would be worse. I always shudder when I hear a fake one. It's not as easy on the ears." His lips turned into a grin, letting out a soft laugh. ”Okay, maybe you are right. .”
"Yeah, a stationary bike class. It's cardio and weights all in one class." And the teachers all had different music styles, so there was a class for everyone. Morgan's 6 AM class always fit her schedule, so she tried to attend at least once a week. "Call me crazy, but I do get up at 5:00 to go to a specific teacher's class." That was nothing compared to how early she got up for horse shows, especially if she was braiding for her clients. "Do you enjoy fitness classes or do stuff on your own?"
Stephanie noticed her drink was getting empty as she took another sip. "That does make sense, have you ever lived in a house you've renovated?" She had only ever done so when the landlord was putting in a new stove, though that really didn't take them too long. "I feel that's the way with a lot of people. My parents haven't moved here yet, but they keep threatening to." That and they wanted to visit Bradley - she swore they wanted to adopt him ever since they met. "That's the last thing people want to hear. It might sound better if you faked the accent though."
