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!.
Cal woke up next to Eli again. It was a welcome sight, not taking the moments for granted. The night before was a nice one, had dinner and came to his place. They were intimate, still getting comfortable with each other. If he didn’t have work, he would’ve stayed in bed. But alas, the ocean called. The weather was predicted to be sunny today and the waters were calm, despite the late November chill.
He left a kiss on Eli’s head before making sure his alarm was off. It would be rude to startle his guest with a 6 am blare. Cal slipped on some sweats and a t-shirt before sneaking into the kitchen to start the coffee pot. The sky was still dark, but the sun would be up soon enough. It had been a moment since he had been out, and he was looking forward to having the ocean breeze in his hair again.
His task for the day was to meet some people on the small Isle of Perkin to drop off some goods. Maybe catch some dinner for himself, too. Christian and Perry had done the run last week, and not wanting to force the two together again – Cal volunteered.
Coffee poured, and Cal hummed slightly to himself, getting some eggs and mini sausage links out to fry up. He thankfully didn’t get a sick stomach, so Cal was able to eat a full breakfast before hitting the water.
Eli stirred slightly at the kiss on his forehead but it wasn't quite enough to rouse him. He woke later, roughly by half an hour, naturally opening his eyes to the slow rise of the sun. He rarely slept in, when he did it had to be a miracle or he was exhausted; after a child and grandchild, and having been in the Navy - none of those things were inducive to sleeping in. He had to admit that he felt more rested and relaxed than he had in a long time, without even realising it. This was not the first time he'd spent an evening with Cal and then spent the night. It felt surprisingly natural to be with him, not something he had expected - in every way. His son was thrilled, he had not qualms about it being a man his father had found comfort and solace in, he was just happy his dad was happy.
He rose not long after he woke; having turned over sleepily to an empty bed, he'd been curious as to where Cal had disappeared off to so early. The clock told him it was before 7am, not as early as he often got up but not late by most people's standards. Pulling on a pair of joggers and a fresh t-shirt, he padded through the place. "Cal?" He called out as he wandered through to the kitchen. The coffee pot war barely warm, but the fact that it held some warmth gave him an indication that Cal had grabbed a mug. Guessing he must have gone out as he was unable to find a note or a text on his phone, Eli pondered what to do with his morning. He guessed he could go for a run, and ring his son to check in with him and make sure everything was okay at home - and then by that Cal might return. He could have just left, but there was a part of him that wanted to stay there until he got back, just to make sure.
It was a few hours later when he returned to the home to find it still empty. A slight frown adorned his features as he took the liberty of showering and donning clean clothes, feeling good after his run. The weather had just begun to turn as he was close to being back, and in the time between him showering and going back to the kitchen, a storm had rolled in. Eli found himself hovering in the kitchen, looking up at the moody sky through the window as he clutched a mug of coffee. It hadn't been that long since he'd seen Cal but something felt off to him about this - he had left earlier than Eli had woken, which meant it had to be a good three or four hours he'd been out without any contact. Eli checked his phone for the 100th time just in case he'd missed something, but as the last time he'd looked, radio silence.
Perry had almost began falling asleep at work. He was on shift with Christian since their boss had went and did the run of materials for Perkin. Perry almost volunteered himself but staying warm felt more important than avoiding people.
Did Cal leave him something to do? What was it? Oh, right, call this dude named Eli to let him know where he was going. Perry didn't know what that meant and why he had to do it, but whatever. Perry knew reception on the water wasn't ideal.
Perry picked up the phone and dialed the phone number Cal left him. His boss usually had a good wits about him but he appeared to be in a rush. Almost too rushed. The phone rang and Perry just hoped the person wouldn't pick up. He was better at leaving a message.
But when the call was answered, Perry bit his lip. "HI, This is Perry from the Marina. I have a message for Eli Acres from Caleb Dorsey. He had to do a supply run to Perkin. He should be back by-" He stopped to look at the time. Fuck, he screwed up. This message was supposed to happen hours ago. "Roughly 13:00 hours (1 pm)." That was an hour away. For once, Perry felt guilty. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that he rarely ever felt. His natural reaction was ro hang up, but he stayed on the line - wanting to hear if he even had the right person.
Some people didn't believe in gut feelings, but Eli felt that those that didn't were people that had never had their life in their hands. There were times when you had nothing else to rely on but yourself, the people at your back, and your instincts - they were what told you if someone was round the corner, if something didn't feel right. It went right back to basics, to your human nature, when you were fighting for your life. Eli had relied on his instincts for years and they had seen him through, he trusted them now. Even when it felt like everything should be fine - like now - something itched in the back of his mind, a feeling of unease in his gut as he stared out the window, searching without thinking for something to show of Cal's return.
The ringing of the phone brought his attention elsewhere and he frowned, hesitant to pick it up at first until he thought perhaps it would be Cal ringing in himself. He answered with a quick, "hello?" but couldn't help the disappointment thrum through him when it wasn't who he'd hoped was ringing. "HI, This is Perry from the Marina. I have a message for Eli Acres from Caleb Dorsey. He had to do a supply run to Perkin. He should be back by-" Eli frowned, he had heard of Perry in passing from Cal but had yet to meet him. Eli glanced at his watch. "Roughly 13:00 hours (1 pm)." Eli's frown deepened and he glanced back to the approaching storm, the gathering of dark clouds above. "I don't like the look of the weather. It'll be worse out to sea, shouldn't he have come back by now?" He asked, concern growing. Cal was smart and knew the sea, more than Eli did, but even he knew enough about the way the world worked to know that the sea was the worst place to be when the weather turned rough. "Can you make contact with him to check on his return? Or is there any way of spotting him off shore?" He might be doing overkill, but damn if he didn't worry.
Cal hated the fact he had left Eli alone with no message. But he had this weird feeling that he had to get out as he could today, which meant he left without a word. By the time he had gotten to work, he had thought about leaving a note – but it had been too late then. He verbally told Perry and texted him to call Eli for him. Cal told himself he would make it up to Eli with a nice dinner and a nice bottle of wine.
The ride to Perkins was great! The weather was amazing and the sky was clear. But how did mother nature need to humble him? It was as if the universe was about to show him the true meaning of karma for his mishap this morning.
Clouds began to form in the sky, making the sun disappear. Cal could see the horizon line of the inlet where his house was. There was about an hour and a half left now. He could feel his body tense as a cold wind whipped at him through the windows. His boat began rocking, forcing Cal into a stronger stance. Cal rarely ground his teeth, but they were grinding now, at with how fast the waves were picking up. Despite knowing the waters and being a strong swimmer – he was alone.
One hand on the wheel, Cal attempted to reach for the radio – but he was thrown. He swore under his breath, as the rain began hammering hard – regaining his balance. The boat began moving between left and right, tilting hard.
Darkness became pitch black, and Cal didn’t know what was happening until he felt the water hit him with a heavy hand. His eyes began to sting, and his vision went blank.
That guilt feeling was gnawing at Perry. Yeah, it was clawing now – drawing blood and if it was real, Perry knew he would’ve been dead with blood loss. He stayed silent, hoping that the sound of him chewing his lip wouldn’t be heard. Perry was about to say something before the sound of rain pattering on the water could be heard.
“The staff here will do our best to reach out to him.” Perry wanted to promise, but he knew better. “If you could please hold, I will get someone to try and radio. And we will attempt to use the telescope to spot him. He should be visible by now.” The young man didn’t even bother to let the man named Eli say yes or no. He put the office phone on hold faster than a teen boy found his dad’s adult magazines.
“Hey, Christian!” Perry called, visible panic on his face. “Can you try and get boss on the radio? The weather just-“ A loud crack of thunder shattered through the air. “Fuck, fuck!” Perry wavered, fumbling to find a telescope. But he knew. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see anything.
“The staff here will do our best to reach out to him.” Eli frowned, it sounded like some silly placating kind of waffle - the type they were trained to spit out when they didn't have an answer or were unwilling to find them. Not that he thought so badly about the stranger at the end of the line, but this was a man's life he was querying, not whether he could have a refund on a pair of worn out trainers. "You need to do better than your best," He warned carefully, his tone was even, he wasn't cross, but he didn't like the way this was heading right now. “If you could please hold, I will get someone to try and radio. And we will attempt to use the telescope to spot him. He should be visible by now.” Before he could answer, hold music filled his ear and he sighed, releasing a slight growl at the end of it.
As he waited, his eyes watched the weather, the clouds gathering thick and fast, the gloom of the sky as the sun fast began to disappear. It made him wary, and he was in land. God knew what was happening out on the ocean. The longer he waited, the more anxious he got, until he should his head and made to grab his coat. One more minute. The kid on the line had one final minute before he was hanging up and going out there himself. His gaze alternated between the clock on the wall and the outside, before he finally gave up. Hitting the end call button with another noise of frustration, Eli caught sight of the flash of lightning. "Fuck this," He muttered. He wasn't going to sit in like a worried housewife and wait for bad news. He'd handled shit weather before, he'd handled worse circumstances before. Donning his coat and grabbing his phone and keys, he scribbled a quick note to Cal just incase he returned and left - hurrying for the docks as quick as he could. Within seconds, he was almost soaked through, despite the thickness of his jacket.
Christian had heard there was a storm coming when he left Ama that morning. Winter was coming, which meant rainy season. He kissed his girlfriend goodbye and left for work. There were a lot of boats to work on - the most difficult on his list being one that had recently gotten into an accident. It meant Christian had to basically dismantle, order parts and rebuild the whole front end.
With the local radio station blasting away, he drove off towards the marina. About twenty minutes later, he pulled his car into his usual spot - glad that no one had ever dared to park there. It wasn't like he was rude if someone had parked in his spot, it just seemed to make the work day much better.
After locking up his car, he headed towards the main building in the marina, greeting his coworkers with a simple hello or good morning. The burly looking man picked up his tool kit from his locker and headed towards the boat that needed major repairs. He connected his phone to the small bluetooth speaker nearby, started his music and began his work.
He lifted his head from the bow of the boat as he heard his name. Christian recognized the panicked tone from Perry's voice, dropped the wrench and ran towards his younger coworker. "Coming!" He called, not bothering to zip up his jacket as he ran into the radio room. Without a greeting to Perry, Christian switched the stations on the radio to the one Cal had, raising the microphone closer to his mouth. "Cal? Come in Cal."
Crash. The sound sent a chill down his spine - it meant the weather was getting worse. "There's nothing else to do. I'll grab a boat and go get him. I don't think anyone's radio is going to work in this weather." He turned to Perry, zipping his outer layer up - preparing to go face the elements.
“What? Are you a fucking idiot? No, you’re not going out there. I can't be having you disappearing on you me either.” God, he really was sounding like a son crying over his dad going back to war. While Perry rarely showed it, Christian and Cal meant a lot to him. Like, a lot.
Perry was going to say more, but the front door of the shop opened with a loud slam. Mainly due to the slappy creaking in the wind, and the howling of the rain following the person in. “Oh, uhm, hello..?” Perry said, maybe not as confident as he needed. “Can we help you?” It was evident, the man was drenched. While Perry’s eyes were stinging, he knew it wasn’t Cal. He would’ve used the back door. Always did when he came back from a job.
Then it dawned on him. “Are you Eli?!” That was the only person Perry could think that was crazy enough to come out in the rain.
Visibility was shit. It didn't put Eli off. With his background, he was used to shit, and he'd had worse. He hadn't survived all those years in the Navy for absolutely nothing - he had firm sea legs, he'd handled boats in a crisis, ships in the thick of a horrendous storm. Granted, it had been some years, and he recoiled a little to return to those kinds of days after several years of a much more cushy life, but he knew how to handle Mother Nature. Cal was surely in some kind of trouble or needed help, what was all his years of training for if he couldn't go out there and help the man he was falling for? He shielded his eyes against the pouring rain, looking for the shop where he knew someone would at least be waiting. He couldn't just go ahead and take a boat, he had to go through some kind of procedure, he knew that. He regretted not grabbing a cap though as he ducked his head and opened the door - a background thought that perhaps someone would have a spare he could borrow.
“Oh, uhm, hello..?” Eli spared the man a glance, taking in the scope of the room and it's two occupants in a moment. Vaguely, he recognised the voice as the person he'd just spoken to. “Can we help you?” That was the aim of the game. "I need a boat. Now." He said firmly, offering no room for argument as he approached the front desk. "Doesn't matter what kind of boat, as long as it floats." He could figure it out quick enough if it wasn't one he was familiar with. “Are you Eli?!” He sighed, glancing at the window to see the storm somehow, impossibly, picking up all the more. "That would be me. How long until the boat is ready?" He prompted. Rude maybe not to mention the other man's name but he felt the urgency in his blood. Something was wrong, he could feel it, he needed to get out there now.
"I'd rather it be me than you. Someone has to go get him." Christian was slightly shocked that Perry was acting so caring towards him. Usually, he was cold and standoffish. "I appreciate your concern, but he can't be out there alone." Christian had years of Navy experience under his belt - and unfortunately, he had to deal with his fair share of grief as well. The two of them were important to him and he would much rather sacrifice himself over the other two.
He heard a voice he didn’t recognize and turned. When Perry spoke first, he took a moment to look at the stranger, who he now knew as Eli. “Ah, Eli? I’m Christian. I don’t think it’s safe for anyone to go out on the water right now. We will just have to wait for the storm to pass and then go out and look for him.” He assumed the two of them were friends - though maybe more was going on behind the scenes. “I know he means a lot to all of us, but it would be foolish if we did.” Christian felt like such a dad at the moment, but it really wasn’t safe.
God, this day was already awful – but Perry did have a feeling it was about to get worse. Christian was right, the weather needed to chill out before anyone could do anything about finding Cal. Cal was a solid sailor. But mother nature was unpredictable. Thankfully, he hadn’t headed out towards the direction of the North Sea. That sea took everyone and everything with it.
Perry fumbled with the radio again, but nothing. Thankfully, the storm was disappearing as fast as it came. It was still bad, but the horizon appeared clearer. He grabbed a telescope and looked out the backdoor. It didn’t take long for the carnage of the boat Cal was on to be seen. At least, the silhouette on the horizon.
“The boat is 8 kilometers away. C’mon,” he demanded. “We can beat the tide if we run out now.” Panic was holding Perry by the throat. Was he breathing? He didn’t know. But this was their chance. Perry fumbled putting on his raincoat as he ran out of the back door. A normal person would’ve slipped, but Perry’s natural knowledge of the land formations made him quick across the docks, rocks, and pebbles.
“Ah, Eli? I’m Christian. I don’t think it’s safe for anyone to go out on the water right now. We will just have to wait for the storm to pass and then go out and look for him.” Eli shook his head, "not an option, I'm going out there now, before the storm worsens and we know nothing for days." If they waited any longer, anything could happen - it could be days or weeks until Cal... washed up. Eli swallowed. “I know he means a lot to all of us, but it would be foolish if we did.” He didn't think Christian was going to understand, perhaps he'd be on his own after all. "I know how to sail, I've got good sea legs, just let me borrow a boat." He insisted. “We could try reaching him again?” A frustrated sigh, "he's not going to answer." Either something had broken or something was wrong, trying over and over with no change to the result was dumb.
Eli was too busy trying to figure out a plan to grab a boat and do a runner when he heard Perry. “The boat is 8 kilometers away. C’mon, We can beat the tide if we run out now.” Eli was out the door before the words were even out of his mouth properly. He didn't waste time speaking - he was already dressed for the occasion and soaking wet anyway, and the rain seemed to have eased since he'd been outside in what felt like a moment ago. "Cal hold on, I'm coming." He promised - to who, he didn't know, but he put everything into that 8 kilometre run. The sand dragged at his feet, trying to hold him back, but with adrenaline on his side, he couldn't help but push on through it all. As he approached the wreckage, he tried not to look too hard at the state of it, half worried of what he'd see, he just wanted to know Cal was okay.
It was an arm he saw first, just peeking out from a large dislodged plank of wood. "Cal? Cal!" The first was a question, because he couldn't be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks, and then it was an exclamation as he realised - yes, it really was him. He went to rush forward and then paused a moment, looking at the state of the boat. "Watch it, this thing's a mess!" He called back to whoever was behind him. One wrong step and there could be another injury, or make things worse for Cal. He stepped carefully, one foot testing out the footing beneath him as he almost crawled to Cal. One he finally could touch him, he knelt at his side and put a hand to his neck. The warm beat of a pulse sent a shock of relief through Eli that nearly made him cry. "Oh thank God." His voice cracked, he couldn't do it again, he couldn't go through death again. "He's alive."
The man couldn't believe what was happening. No one in their right mind would go out in a storm to rescue someone, but Cal wasn't just someone to the three men. Christian owed a lot to Cal after taking him in as an employee - they were becoming more and more like family as of late. "You are a bit crazy, but he means a lot to all of us so let's go then."
He looked outside and it seemed as if the storm was starting to pass. The man walked over and put on his rain gear on, prepared to face the storm head on. "Okay but no one is going out there without the rest of the.." Before he could finish, the two of them had already left. Christian let out a sigh - so much for them all sticking together. The long haired man followed suit, closing the door behind him before starting his eight kilometer run. He was thankful he kept himself in shape, swimming for exercise for emergencies like this.
As he approached, Christian could hear that Eli had found Cal. He fixed the hood of his rain jacket as he got closer. "He's alive? Well someone must have wished for a miracle. We can carry him back together and get him safely inside. Someone can call an ambulance so he can get looked at just in case." It took him a few glances to realize Cal was in fact still breathing - the storm hadn't blown him away or worse drowned.
Cal kind of woke up, but not really. It felt like a fever dream but he had no idea what was going on. He wasn’t on the water anymore. He wasn’t smelling the air filed with salt and fresh fish being gutted. Cal did feel like a herd of elephants was sitting on his chest though. His eye lids blinked slowly, the sterile white paint of a hospital room coming into view.
The desire to move was there, but his muscles wouldn’t allow it. His vision finally managed to clear up and he saw three figures. Cal couldn’t quite figure out who they were, but they weren’t dressed in medical staff outfits. “W-what? Wh-ere…” he managed to mumble, hoping to get answers. Did he jump in time? All he could remember was the boat and that was it.
