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!.
Like always, Sabine Radley casually walked onto the campus of Hickstead University. No one seemed to pay her any mind, with her baggy clothes and her hood up. She probably looked like just any other student verses some little street urchin coming onto campus for food. That was the problem with a college campuses, people could just walk right on in and nobody would know until they started trouble. But Sabine wasn't here for trouble, she was here for food like always. One of the cafeteria ladies took pity on her, an accidental discovery, and since then, Sabine sometimes would show up for a box of leftovers that was going to be donated anyways. Usually, the young teenager hated pity. She didn't need it, she had been living on her own for a year, she was an adult. But she wasn't stupid, she needed food and so far, she hadn't found a job willing to pay her under the table, they wanted a home address, so free food was where it was at.
Despite there being nothing supisicious about her, she still hurried along as fast as she could. With the autumn slowly turning into winter, the nights were getting colder and she was going to have to return to her hideout soon enough. Plus, a few days ago, she had a moment of stupidity and visited a notorious individual, so Sabine needed to lay low for a while and remain out of sight if she wanted to keep her head. With that motivation in mind, her feet carried her quickly across the quad and down the back steps to the cafeteria where she hovered by the door. Blue green eyes occasionally glanced around, watching students and facility pass her by like she was nothing more than a shadow, hardly paying her any attention. The squeak of the door opening besides regained her attention now and dear ole Agnes was there handing her her little box of food, "Sabine, are you sure you are okay with winter coming?" The young teenager nodded her head, "Yes ma'am, I am at the shelter and set up with a social worker." The lie came easily, natural. This was the one annoying thing about food charity, they felt like they could nose into her life but Sabine felt guarded about that, she didn't need anyone to take care of her.
Saying her thank yous as she grabbed the box, she noted her next pickup and wished Agnes a lovely evening before turning around and heading off. Darkness was really starting to set in, and she was in no mood to play aggressive 'find the lie' games with Agnes. She had a place to be and she had to be there before darkness could hide some dangerous people. Sabine had been in such a rush, that she hadn't been paying much attention to basic space between her and people, before colliding with someone, her craton of food hitting the ground, "Shit," she hissed, hoping it could be salvaged as she dropped quickly to the ground to inspect and shove everything back inside, "Five second rule," she muttered mostly to herself. Then, feeling a hovering, she looked up. It was a blonde lady, probably five years older than her, give or take, maybe a bit more but she was still young. Sabine knew she couldn't start anything so instead, she apologized, "Sorry. I should have watched where I was going. I'll pay better attention next time."
Erin was still settling into her new job. It sounded ridiculous but she'd never had a job before. Growing up in the kid's home she'd just picked up whatever scraps she could get, and then she hated to admit it, but she'd helped her friend's to steal. Following that she'd been on the streets for a very long time, and nobody wanted to employ a homeless girl. Off the streets with a roof over her head, a family and a man who loved her, she actually had the chance to consider the rest of her life and what to do with it. It had taken time, she had been at home looking after the flat, just getting the courage to go outside once a day to pick up shopping and such. In the end, she had decided she wanted to help people, and in particular people like her - kids like her. Who didn't have anyone, or felt they had no option. So far, she was only a week in and she was trying hard not to drown.
There was a lot to learn, a lot about laws and legislation that she should have expected but hadn't. Her colleagues were kind though, they went easy on her, they were patient when she asked them to go through things again or to explain further so she understood. She had just started taking on the odd case to get the ball rolling and the idea was terrifying. She wanted to help, but she also did not want to go and fuck anything up for someone; this was a child's life she was handling, it mattered. Her work found her coupling with the local university, and as she was learning and absorbing as much as possible she had gotten in touch with the on site counsellor in order to discuss a few topics of interest and get a general handle on uni students and their trials and tribulation for Erin's understanding.
It was a few hours later, with a pile of reading to take a look at and a lot to think about that Erin found herself leaving campus. She had her head down and was trying to organise the stack of books in her hand when she collided with someone. Taking a few staggering steps, she accidentally dropped her books. "Oh no, I am so sorry!" She said automatically, taking the blame whether it was her fault or not. "Shit," Erin heard the other girl hiss, just as she bent to retrieve her books. "Five second rule," Erin glanced over to the girl to see what she was muttering for and then saw the food scattered on the food and instantly felt guilty. Well damn. "Sorry. I should have watched where I was going. I'll pay better attention next time." Erin stood, books just about in hand again. "No, no it's my fault, sorry I wasn't looking. Are you alright?" She looked at the food and bit her lip. "You can't eat that now, let me get you something else as an apology."
There was a thudding of books near the vicinity of her dropped books when she heard a "Oh no, I am so sorry!" Truth be told, Sabine wasn't really sure who was at fault but she wasn't about to go and start to make a scene, "No, it's mine. I wasn't looking where I was going." She informed the floating voice. She had to be fast, she had to scramble to get out of here and back to the safety of her hideout. Naturally, the young woman made the mistake of looking up at the other young woman now, who had managed to collect all of her books rather quickly. Blue green eyes watched as that wave of emotion run over the blonde as she stared at Sabine with her carton of possibly dirt contaminated food. She knew that look. Full of pity, remorse, and guilt. Or maybe she was reading into the look since that's typically what the teenager expected out of people now, "No, no it's my fault, sorry I wasn't looking. Are you alright?"
Grabbing the last of her food, she snapped the container closed and pushed herself up now to standing once more, "I am perfectly fine," Sabine replied. Her words came out a little more gruff than she meant to and immediately regretted it, "Really. It's fine. I swear."Come on Sabine, get out of here. She thought to herself, looking for the opening in a gracefully cutting off the blonde in order to go running for the hills. Maybe she should just lie and say she had to get back to her dorm - unfortunately for her though, she couldn't figure out if Ms. Blonde here belonged to part of the university in any capacity. If she lied that she had to get back to a dorm room, there was a very strong chance that she'd offer to walk her back which required an ID to get it. As she watched the other woman's blue eyes travel to her carton again, Sabine was ready to hedge her bets when something unexpected came out of Blonde's lips: "You can't eat that now, let me get you something else as an apology."
Well, considered her floored seeing as that girl looked like the sort of girl who wouldn't give the likes of her any attention. Guess everyone was full of surprises. Before Sabine could say that she didn't need her pity food, her stomach growled. As much as Sabine hated to admit it, clean food sounded nice, "I mean...I won't say no," she relented now, "But...the cafeteria is closed." And she didn't want to get this girl in trouble with the school or with any weirdos who may have been keeping tabs on Sabine since she had the dumb idea to tag a stupid warehouse belonging to Daz Pricard, "Look, whatever your name is, I don't want to keep you from anything important."
"No, it's mine. I wasn't looking where I was going." Erin gave a quick smile and shook her head, knowing it would be silly to argue against it again but also not wanting the other to think it was true. She'd had her head down and also not been looking, so perhaps it was an even split of blame. Either way, it was stupid of her to have been drifting about in her own world when the campus was full of busy students and professors rushing from place to place. She made sure the pile in her arms was in a more organised and sturdy form so that they didn't spill out of her arms again as she stood. Her gaze caught the eyes of the stranger, and she tried to look warm and welcoming, knowing that she probably looked young enough to be a student but old enough to be part of the teaching band too, and she didn't want the young woman to think she was in any trouble.
She watched her snap everything closed and tried to keep her expression neutral, having a feeling she was about to get turned down. "I am perfectly fine," The tone didn't alarm her, she'd spent too many years on the streets and she knew when someone was just being defensive, as opposed to being awful. "Really. It's fine. I swear." Erin chewed her lower lip for a moment, glancing away as she often did in social settings - she had improved a lot with social skills but there was still an issue when it came to awkward conversations and making small talk or eye contact. She wanted to improve on those things, and she had been since getting on her feet and away from the streets, but she still struggled to maintain looking at someone as they spoke, and to avoid fidgeting when it was a slightly difficult conversation. This wasn't even difficult, but it was unorthodox.
"It's not, I've ruined your lunch. If I were you, I'd be annoyed." She said with another quick smile, showing that she wasn't in the slightest annoyed or anything like it. The hesitation when she offered to buy her food though was good, and it felt like a way in. Erin tried hard to hold herself back and not leap too much at it and scare the woman away. "I mean...I won't say no, But...the cafeteria is closed. Look, whatever your name is, I don't want to keep you from anything important." Erin shrugged and shook her head. "I was only going to go home and read these so you'll be saving me from that," She said kindly, her smile widening a little. "We can go and get something off campus, if that doesn't feel too weird to you? You really shouldn't eat that now, and it's the least I can do." She offered, shutting herself up before she could go too far and start rambling about how she didn't have to sit and eat with her or anything. "Besides, I could do with something too, so company would be kind of nice. I don't know many people here." She blinked as she realised she hadn't offered her name yet. "Oh, sorry I'm Erin, by the way."
"It's not, I've ruined your lunch. If I were you, I'd be annoyed." For the first time in her life, Sabine thought herself perfectly capable of murder because she wanted to strangle this young woman before her. All what they did was dance around each other trying to not piss each other off when clearly both of them had an agenda. The teenager knew her own agenda, it was to get the fuck out of there and go eat her ruined food. This blonde lady's agenda? Well, she wasn't quite certain other than she loved to apologize. And maybe...to help feed her. She certainly didn't want t trust blonde lady, who knew who she worked for or who she was friends with, but none dirt cafeteria food sounded so fucking good, it was hard for Sabine to agree with the logic of telling her to fuck off.
"I was only going to go home and read these so you'll be saving me from that," she said, with a smile, "We can go and get something off campus, if that doesn't feel too weird to you? You really shouldn't eat that now, and it's the least I can do." Okay, so Sabine had to admit that blonde lady had a nice smile. A trusting smile. Nothing creepy or dangerous about it unlike some other people whom she had run into recently. Blue green eyes narrowed at her, still thinking over her offer, "Besides, I could do with something too, so company would be kind of nice. I don't know many people here. Oh, sorry I'm Erin, by the way." Okay, well at least she finally had gotten a name out of blonde lady - wait, Erin, her name was Erin now. She didn't look dangerous, she certainly didn't seem dangerous other than possibly killing Sabine out of insanity by sorry. So Sabine did the unthinkable, she relented.
"I'm Sabine," she responded, still watching her, "I don't mind going off of campus," in fact, it would get her closer back to where she needed to go. But then a thought hit her, an unfortunate thought, "Um...we can't eat near that abandoned part of town..." Erin did not look like the kind of lady who ventured too close to Daz's area, but people had moments of stupidity, the teenager included, so it felt safe to voice her thoughts. Plus, regardless of how Sabine felt about what happened to her food, she didn't need to be dragging innocent people into her shit. Given that she had managed to escape Daz and his merry band of brainwashed by terror street kids, Sabine figured that left a dangerous mark on her back. And another thought hit her, that she was stupid to even set down ground work that elluded that she was in trouble, "We can do that Pizza place." The teenager said quickly, hoping to cover up anything about herself that she had just left exposed.
Erin wondered if she might have overstepped a mark somewhere, but she wasn't quite able to figure out how or why. She was good at reading people, and emotions, she had to be good at it given where she had come from, but her hopeful and sweet nature had still gotten her into trouble more often than it should have. Never able to give the first punch, or even retaliate to it. It was what had eventually gotten her into this path. If she could help even just one kid avoid going through any of the crap she had, it would feel worthwhile to her, and perhaps her journey had led her through the shit for this very reason - to help others avoid it, or get out of it sooner. She didn't want to take her offer back, if anything she knew she was pushing it a little, but something in her told her to keep the pressure on, even if it made them feel a little uncomfortable. If the young woman then got pissed off, she'd let it go.
It felt like an age that the woman considered her offer, and for a moment Erin had to wonder what exactly she was having a complex about. Not in a horrible way, but just that she knew something must be going through the woman's mind to have her question Erin's offer so intently. Hopefully she didn't look like some kind of murderer or psychopath. "I'm Sabine," Erin gave her a reassuring smile, "Nice to meet you," Had she already said that? Suddenly she couldn't remember. She hoped she hadn't made herself look silly by repeating herself. "I don't mind going off of campus," Erin nodded, another easy smile, relieved she hadn't had her offer thrown back in her face. "Okay, I know somewhere nice that's not too far. They do the best tuna mayo sandwiches I've ever had." Which people would care about if they liked tuna, and not many did. Maybe she'd fluffed it again in her enthusiasm.
"Um...we can't eat near that abandoned part of town..." Erin blinked, and paused mid motion of making sure she had all her stuff together. An odd sentence. Most wouldn't really think anything of it. But Erin had lived some time in that area, the few places on the street that people didn't care about you loitering. Because of that, she also knew who owned those streets. Though she'd never been part of his gang, or against him, she still trembled to think of his name, well aware she'd gotten off lightly by keeping well out of his way whilst he went about his business - and lucky he'd never considered her as having anything worth him taking. "We can do that Pizza place." Erin nodded, having been trying to think over her best answer without prying into how Sabine might know about Daz. "Sure, pizza also works for me."
Sabine found herself simply staring at Erin Thorne like she had three heads. Nice to meet you? This was so strange. It would be even stranger if the young woman knew what Sabine was, but there was a look in Erin's blue green eyes that suggested she already knew, and the teenager didn't know how she felt about it. She knew though, that she had given herself away the second she had turned down Erin's offer for the best tuna sandwich ever, signaling that she was uncomfortable with that part of town, because it was his part of town. Stupidly enough, Sabine didn't quite regret what she had did, but it was annoying that she had to keep an eye out on her back now which pissed her off. Never before did Sabine ever think someone would have this much power over her and she was neither dating them nor related to them.
"Great, pizza it is," the teenager confirmed now, uncertain of where to go from here other than assuming they could walk there. She motioned for Erin to follow her now, as she stuffed her hands into her over sized hoodie and started shuffling along. This was certainly not how she imagined her day going, getting picked up by some nice do-gooder. A frown settled into Sabine's features, wondering if she had somehow gone soft and forgotten on what it was like to survive out on her own given how often she had been tripping up in Hickstead. She had been doing great until this fucking town, "How'd you know I needed to eat off campus?" she asked now, blue green eyes looking to Erin curiously, "What gave me away?" Well, the teenager was neither going to confirm nor deny her own status, but clearly, the pretty blonde had been onto something, "Did they teach you fancy things in London to look for?"
Erin looked right back at Sabine, mostly like a deer in the headlights, as was her instinctive response unfortunately. Some people fought -either physically or verbally- and then there were people like her, who just froze. Was something wrong? Had she upset Sabine or something? It was funny, but something about living rough gave you extra senses, and they seemed to help you recognise someone who was or had been in the same position. Whether Sabine was figuring out that Erin knew about Daz, or knew about living rough. Erin probably didn't seem like it anymore, now she had new clothes, a new life - she was clean and washed and well put together, even if she was a bit quiet and soft still a lot of the time.
"Great, pizza it is," Erin nodded, and then filed in to step beside her as they headed for the restaurant. "What's your go to choice?" She asked in effort to make a conversation. She wasn't good at awkward silence, she tended to fill it with random things, sometimes more successful than others. "How'd you know I needed to eat off campus?" Erin glanced at Sabine, seeing her frown and wondering how careful to tread. Would Sabine run if they spoke too openly? "What gave me away? Did they teach you fancy things in London to look for?" At that, Erin gave a small smile - imagine, her in a fancy London college or something like that. If only. She'd never gotten college qualifications and it was only now she was looking to gain them with her part time work as a youth worker and student support. Thankfully, they had agreed her experience and her personality had been enough to begin with and they would help her gain what she needed to further succeed.
"I never went to a college or anything," She said slowly, unsure how much exactly to give away about herself without Sabine thinking of her as a phoney. "I know because sometimes there are just signs about a person that let you in on their secrets without either of you knowing how." She couldn't explain how she had known about Sabine, aside from the fact that she saw things in Sabine that she used to do, or had seen others do. The way people acted - like her attitude to dropping the food - people didn't care if they could just go get something new. "Especially if you come from the same streets..." She added after a moment's hesitation, giving Sabine a look that she hoped would convey enough. The restaurant wasn't far, and when they reached it she pushed open the door, holding it open for the young woman with her and then following the waiter to a table for two in a booth near the back.
Erin seemed to freeze up on her - like a deer in the headlights, and Sabine knew she was onto something. They both clearly were doing some sort of dance that neither wanted to admit to. Thankfully, the promise of food always seemed to get te job done, at least for Sabine, as it snapped the slightly older woman out of her funk and motioned that they should get going. Sabine locked step with her, side by side, "Hm? Oh, I'm weird I guess. I like meat AND veggies on my pizza...plus olives which I suppose makes me a monster." Everyone in her family, well back when they were happy she supposed, hated them and always made fun of her when she ate them. Guess she didn't have to worry about that any more though, "You? And no, I won't judge you if you say ham and pineapple."
Blue green eyes clocked that small smile when Sabine had mentioned 'fancy college at London', wondering if she had been onto something with Erin now. Instead though, the blonde gave her quite the opposite, slowly stating now that she never went to college or school - that she learned from signs that lead to secrets - which came from the streets. Erin dragged that last part out slowly, her own blue green eyes meeting Sabine's. Ah. So they were the same - to a degree at least, she wasn't sure what put the girl out on the streets, but Sabine doubted it was the same as her's. Still, Sabine found herself staring, "I'm not with that mothereffer, Daz, if that's what you're concerned about." God, she had that stupid scar from him, "I nailed him in the balls so hard I hope he's permanently damaged." A mild pause before Sabine added, "I hope you weren't with that asshole." Sabine didn't really know what to say after that - was she suppose to offer up her background? Quite frankly, she didn't feel comfortable about that now - not when she didn't know where Erin's allegiance lies.
"Hm? Oh, I'm weird I guess. I like meat AND veggies on my pizza...plus olives which I suppose makes me a monster." Erin gave a small smile at that and then a little shrug, "hey, call it a balanced meal right? Carbs, meat and dairy all in one." She considered, "You? And no, I won't judge you if you say ham and pineapple." A soft chuckle at that, "well I would," she joked, though she could never judge anyone for their choice in food if it meant getting to eat - she had eaten all manor of things in her life just to stop the pain in her stomach. "I'm a simple girl, pepperoni does it for me." She admitted, "and as cheesy as possible." She loved the stuff, and now had a habit of coating it on absolutely everything the way some people did with mayonnaise.
She saw the dawning of understanding in Sabine's gaze and she gave a slight nod, confirming the suspicions. She knew she didn't look like it - not anymore. Though she was far from polished, she was fit and healthy, her hair shone and was freshly cut, she wore a little make up which hid the early signs of age that malnutrition and street living gave a woman but her skin glowed with health - hydrated and cared for. You would never had known. "I'm not with that mothereffer, Daz, if that's what you're concerned about." The sudden turn in conversation took her a moment and she almost missed a step in surprise. "I nailed him in the balls so hard I hope he's permanently damaged." With a blink, Erin managed to blurt out, "well I'm glad about that.. both parts." though the guy deserved more than just a kick to his favourite parts.. or were they even his favourite parts? It would be for most guys but .. Daz was something else.
"I hope you weren't with that asshole." A slight frown as Erin shook her head - at the thought of being with that douchebag more than anything. "No," She said quickly, "I was sure to stay clear of his territory once I came here, I didn't need the hassle." She had been quick and clever to keep of his radar, though it had helped he'd considered her too weak to be of any interest; not pretty enough at her worst, and not with it enough or strong enough to be an asset. He'd left her alone and she'd slunk to the shadows as far out of his reach as possible. She'd never been the kind of fighter that was worth anything to him.
Settled into her seat, Erin opened up the menu and took a look, her eyes immediately drawn to pepperoni special and her mind was made up. A simple girl indeed.
That really was a basic choice for pizza, but who was Sabine to judge? She liked olives on her pizza. Besides, there were bigger fish to fry, or should she say, bigger pizza to fry - like Erin herself. Everything clicked about the girl, snapping into place in Sabine's head. The young woman all but confirmed it to her without saying anything out loud - just a simple nod. Still, the teenager got defensive and when she started spewing shit about Daz, she expected Erin to blush, instead, the opposite happened: "well I'm glad about that.. both parts."
It left the teenager flabbergasted for a moment, and it took a lot to leave her shocked. But just like that, she laughed - incredibly loud and obnoxious, and she felt her guard go down just a little bit. Maybe Erin Thorne wasn't as terrible as she thought. Even more so that she confirmed that she hadn't been with Daz. Blue green eyes stared at her for a moment, before finally saying, "Huh. You're smarter than me I guess. I have this problem where I don't like bullies so I go for the fight." Her dad may have been a gang member himself, and no father of the year, but at least he taught her to stand up for herself and her beliefs - even if his had sorta been trash from time to time.
She followed after Erin into the pizza shop now, slinking into the booth. It felt odd sitting in its cushy confines, or even eating inside of a restaurant. Sabine hadn't been able to do that for a few months now since leaving Dublin and her home behind. Erin studied the menu, even though it seemed simple given she knew what she wanted. Sabine didn't even bother, "So...besides giving me food, what is the point of hanging out with me? You seem to have your life figured out." After all, she looked nice and fancy, plus had the money.
She could practically feel the young woman trying to work her out, and she let her draw some of her own conclusions. Erin's rags to riches story wasn't for telling, not now at least. She was only just getting accustomed to life on the other side herself, only now finding a place she felt right in the world for her, only now realising she really was safe and that the past was staying in the past. She struggled to revisit the person she used to be, like she had removed herself from that other self as a separate being, but she knew that was a lie and she couldn't avoid facing the emaciated, weak willed homeless teenager she'd been only a few years ago. People looked at you different when they knew things about you, intimate details about you that might not seem intimate but ultimately were. Because knowing that Erin, this well put together and healthy looking blonde used to eat out of garbage bins she was that hungry, and was regularly chased away from shelter like a stray dog, had a way of reducing people's respect for her.
The laughter took her by surprise but she was glad for it, smiling softly. It was such a natural sound and unconcerned for who might hear her. Erin thought everyone should laugh like that in life. "Huh. You're smarter than me I guess. I have this problem where I don't like bullies so I go for the fight." Erin shook her head slightly, but it wasn't meant as an abolishment. "You should always stand up for yourself... But," She winced to be saying it. "Be careful with that one, he'll kill you for it." Though what was better, saying no to Daz or falling in line? She'd hate to see yet another child under Daz's 'leadership'. More children and teens were lost to him every day and his tyrannical scheming. There was also the truth of the matter that Erin had never stood up for herself. She had allowed herself to be beaten down again and again, and paid the price for her cowardliness.
Erin closed her menu. "So...besides giving me food, what is the point of hanging out with me? You seem to have your life figured out." It was Erin's turn to give a laugh, though hers wasn't with quite as much abandon. "I am glad it looks like I have everything together but I can assure you it's not quite that simple. " She liked that she was proof anyone could get off the streets and still make it in life but she wasn't stupid enough to ignore how that had been achieved. Dylan. "I didn't have a motive to be honest, I just felt bad for ruining your lunch and then when I realised how important that food was for you, I felt I owed you a proper meal. God knows I remember how it feels to be hungry, and if I can help, I want to." Erin leaned forward slightly, though she couldn't help lowering her gaze a little in the shame it still brought her as to the only way she was able to start living a normal life. "I was only able to make a life off the streets because of a friend. If I can help in any way, please tell me. This is not pity I'm offering, before I offend you, but from my years of understanding, it was never easy to get a foothold to normal on my own." Half of her expected Sabine to tell her to piss off and do a run for it, but the other half hoped she was hear her out and take her up on the offer. Not that she had much she could offer, but she'd do what she could.
