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!.
The Spanish dance hall was bumping and Mal loved every minute of it. Music was blasting from the band, and couples oozing sexiness left and right. While some people didn’t find ballroom dancing attractive, Mal disagreed 100%. There was something about watching a pair dance the Argentine tango. Hands all over each other, legs moving and hips swaying.
Granted, Mal knew she stuck out like a sore thumb. A redhead, freckled face girl in an area like this was uncommon. At least from where she was from. Willow Bridge appeared to be very open to all walks of life. She needed to release some energy and maybe hook up tonight. Man, woman, or even both. The sweetness Mal often had, was gone now. She was a hunt and wasn’t about to stop.
After a sensual dance with a young gentleman of twenty, Mal gave him a peck on the cheek. If he wanted her later, he knew how to find her. She ordered herself a refreshing shot of tequila and downed it before finding her next prey. Her eyes landed on someone with a very handsome face. His head was topped with dirty blonde hair and Mal couldn’t help but learn his story.
A playful smile graced her lips and she swayed over. “Mind if I join you, stranger?” she asked. It wasn’t like she was signaling him out of an empty room. There was limited table space, so it felt polite enough.
It had been a while since he'd been out social dancing. It had taken him time to figure out where to go exactly in this part of the country, but once he'd been to a couple, he managed to get in with some people and they liked to let him know when they were going out dancing and if he wanted to come. It was nice, to have branched out like that a bit, and it was all just easy going and friendly. They had included him in their group chat and so, when they found a new club or someone was putting something on, they popped it into the chat and they all said whether they were going to come along or not. He'd felt like he needed to dance and let go for an evening. With the return of an old friend, and recent feelings stirring for another, his head felt a little all over the place.
He grabbed a quick water for refreshment, before he returned to the dance floor. He grabbed one of his friends for a moment, spinning the girl around and then bringing her into a closed hold to do a few moves, before he released her back into the wild of the crowd again and went back to dancing on his own. He loved this, it was so easy to let go and just enjoy the music. It was always good to practice social dancing, it was a way of trying out moves you had learned, or getting into the flow of putting moves together, of learned to lead without a fixed dance. “Mind if I join you, stranger?” Luc smiled as he turned to a new face, and gave a quick nod. "Sure," He said, though it wasn't often someone asked you, usually people just grabbed each other. He reached out to take her hand, and then pulled her into a secure hold, going to turn them and start off with a few basic moves, testing out her capabilities and her ability to follow. He always got a feel for his partner's abilities before going too far with the moves, he didn't think it fair to overwhelm someone and he didn't care what level they were - he would dance with anyone.
When the man took her hand, Mal couldn’t help but smile even wider. A gentleman for sure. She could feel swooped up into his arms, and her feet matched his. Despite her younger age than some of the people here – Mal could keep up. The music blasted, and she could feel her body getting more sensual in its movements. While the steps weren’t too advanced, it didn’t mean the basics couldn’t look attractive.
“I can be pushed a bit further,” she said, taking a deeper look at this man’s face. He had nice stubble and well-kept hair. Mal assumed he also had a few dance partners already, but it didn’t show. Something about that made something tingle inside of her.
He gave her a quick and friendly smile as she took up his hand, commanding her into his arms in the polite but firm way he was used to doing as a leader. He'd taken time to be a follower too in his dancing career, and it had helped him to gain a better understanding of how to be a better leader. It made it easier for him to understand the small nuances and subtle suggestions of his hands and body and how they influenced the person following him. He felt it had made him a better leader, but he had to admit he found it fun to be a follower for a while, to not have to think ahead to which move he was going to pull next. Naturally however, he had found it hard to switch off his mind from trying to guess the next move coming.
“I can be pushed a bit further,” Luc chuckled at that and looked down at Maelle as he swept them around the floor, keeping a careful eye on the space he had available and changing his movements accordingly - bringing the woman closer and bringing their movements smaller, and then opening up again when the space allowed. "All in good time, there is no rush," he countered, "sometimes even the most basic can be the most impressive." Sure, everyone hated repetition and he agreed to a point, but he was the meticulous type that liked to drill in conditioning and perfection. Besides, it was a nice way to get to know his dance partner, to get to know their rhythms, the way they moved; to get in sync with each other. He saw no need to rush into the complicated moves, but he slipped in a couple of more interesting ones - Sombrero, Setenta, El Dedo. Swirling her round and keeping time to the music.
Her heart couldn’t help but pound against her chest. Mal could take the smell of the young man in front of her, his cologne. Maybe the hair spray he had used to keep that head of blonde hair in shape. She didn’t know how old he was, but that didn’t really matter to her. Mal was of age, so any age really. Sure, she had her cut off, but Mal secretly liked the older partners. Something about their experiences made the time in the darkness a bit more enjoyable.
Mal followed her partner, using his movements as her guide. She was thankful that the place was busy, making her keep concentration. If there wasn’t, Mal was sure she would’ve melted in his arms. A smile was still plastered on her face. The music picked up, and the people around them began to become a blur. “You’ve obviously been dancing for many years. Or if not, you’ve picked it up fast!” Mal complimented. “My name is Mal. And you?”
He spun her again, allowing his muscles to guide him in their remembered knowledge of the way he was meant to move, the way he was meant to lead his partner through the rivers of people. It felt easy to him, as natural as breathing, even with the years out of dancing he had taken. That old phrase 'like riding a bike' sprung to mind and whilst he understood the turn of phrase he also didn't think it quite did the feeling justice. There was a small part of him that missed the fact it wasn't Kara in his arms. Not because he still held a candle for her, not really, those feelings felt like ghosts now, memories of the emotions he had had for her before, but more because of her familiarity in his arms, how simple it would be to slip back into their old patterns and routines despite the years. He knew she still danced, not that he'd seen it but just in the way she moved. You could tell when someone was a dancer, there was no possible way to hide it. This young woman was good nonetheless though, and he made it a point not to drift off into old memories - that would be rude.
“You’ve obviously been dancing for many years. Or if not, you’ve picked it up fast!” He chuckled slightly and gave an easy smile, always easier for him when dancing to be more relaxed with strangers. She must have been relatively new, to guess that he might also be new, there was a distinct difference to those who had been dancing a long time if you knew what you were looking for. "Oui, a long time for me, but a long break from it too. And you?" He asked, guessing that she had been dancing for a little while at least for she was out of beginner stages for sure. “My name is Mal. And you?” Luc inclined his head politely, nimbly twirling them past a couple who weren't concentrating on their surroundings as they should be. "Nice to meet you, Mal. I'm Luc."
If there was a so-called break, it was hard to tell it was there. Mal hoped she could be the same way if a break was ever needed. She danced as much as she could, but with school, work and everything in between – it made things a bit difficult. At least she had class, that made her dancing a bit easier. While it wasn’t a constant, everyday thing – that was better than most.
“Ah, what a beautiful name. I’m Maelle. But you can call me Mal. Tends to be easier on the tongue. Not too long, but long enough. If that makes sense,” she smiled. Mal was lucky she never felt embarrassed while dancing. She was sure that she looked like a young woman with puppy eyes. Allowing herself to melt in his arms, as she was guided. The song ended after felt like a year of bliss. “Shall we hydrate?” Mal offered. Might as well chat a bit more, if possible.
It did feel a bit like a gem, having this place here, especially when they put on themed nights. He'd started to branch out a little bit recently, looking a little further afield than the tiny town of Hickstead, and started to venture to new venues that were holding Salsa specific dance nights. It was odd, he forget sometimes how well known him and Kara had become in France, with how long it had been, but some people still recongised his name, surprising him by calling out his name as if he knew them personally, and then complementing him on a dance he'd done many years ago. It made him consider the idea of teaching again properly, perhaps some guest teaching. Who knew. It was nice to dance for fun again and to get back into the swing of things, but he just wanted to enjoy it for now.
“Ah, what a beautiful name. I’m Maelle. But you can call me Mal. Tends to be easier on the tongue. Not too long, but long enough. If that makes sense,” He smiled in return and inclined his head a little, "It's a lovely name." He complemented, hearing the music come to a dramatic close he directed the final move into a dip and then returned her upright gently. “Shall we hydrate?” A sight raise of a brow at the turn of phrase but he took a moment then nodded. "Sure, what can I get you?" He asked, thinking just water for himself with the beginnings of perspiration, but he didn't want to presume for the young lady.
