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!.
It was only lunch time, but it was actually the end of Leonie's day - and she was glad for it. There was a function on tonight, and whilst she had perfected the art of getting ready in a moment's notice, she much preferred being able to take her time, ensure there was not a hair out of place and that her make up was perfect. She was nothing if not diligent in making sure her appearance was more than just up to par - exceeding expectations as always. It sometimes amused her friends that at uni, she was a jeans and hoodie or jumper kind of girl - it went against the grain, surely, when they caught sight of her at home or around her parents that she wore only designer labels, fabulous ball gowns, prim and proper professional attire when handling the business. Her wardrobe was a collide scope of colours and fashion from one extreme to the other. And if they knew that she wore tracksuit bottoms and ratty jumpers and tops with holes in to the yard, they would have been mortified. Sometimes, it was exhausting having two persona's, but Lee made it work.
She could have gone home to eat, but it was pizza day at the cafeteria and goddamn if she didn't want a slice of grease and cheesey goodness. She rarely ate it, even when she wasn't home she made an effort with her diet. Though she seemed prone to keeping her weight down she was well aware that it didn't take much for her to pack on a few pounds and appearance was everything; she couldn't afford to lose control. Besides, at least when she ate here she didn't get that judgement. She knew her mother meant well, there was no malice in it, it was practicality - but she knew those looks, when Leonie reached for another bloody potato or a piece of chocolate. The glance to her mid section, the knowing eye. She would ignore it and continue anyway, she wasn't that receptive to it, but it was enough to sit at the back of her mind; a reminder.
Leonie settled on a bench in the middle. It was a little too close to the popular crowd for her liking, the type she liked to avoid - not out of fear, but for her own sanity. She despised the bitchiness and the pettiness, and she wasn't here for it. She preferred to avoid it and stick to her own crowd - her to put her head down and pull her weight. She took a swig from her water as she picked up her knife and fork to dig into her slice of pizza; hey she might like the grease but it didn't mean she'd eat like a complete savage.
It was funny, when Leonie had not shown up at home for lunch, his mom had panicked and packed him a lunch to take to her - never mind he had also been hungry. And yet, when he arrived at the Hickstead University campus to try and find her, Leonie texted him that she was at the cafeteria. A sigh escaped Archie when he read the text before taking a side eye at the Kate Spade lunch box in his hands. Guess he would be stuck eating whatever his mom packed his older sister. Knowing her, it was probably some grilled chicken Caesar salad wrap with reduced fat dressing and something else disgustingly health. Green eyes took in the university grounds for a moment, trying to remind myself which way exactly was the cafeteria before it came back to him. That and some student saw how confounded he looked and pointed him in the right direction with instructions.
Archie managed to slide right into the building without a student ID and when he came to the lunch lady with the scanner, he managed to BS his way past her with that Wagner charm - something about misplacing his ID but happy to pay for literally a meal and headed on his way in. Green eyes kept peeled for the one familiar face. Or maybe two faces since his discovery of Alexi being alive and well. Then, he spotted her because what other girl eats pizza with a fork and a knife just like how they were taught. Laughing a little to himself, he went over to join her. The young male slid in across from his sister and her pizza now, plopping that stupid Kate Spade bag right in front of her before speaking in German, "You know, Mom thought you were dying of starvation and here I find you with a wonderful slice of pizza."
He unzipped the lunch box now and playfully knocked it over and sure enough, some sort of healthy chicken wrap came tumbling out along with carrots and celery. Archie started at it before sighing and popping hte container lid off, "Although now I see why you choose to eat here instead of at home with me and Mom."
i find it hard to say the things i want to say the most
thanks aofie!
EIGHTEEN . POLO PLAYER . STUDENT . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
The arrival of her brother should have surprised her, in her own little world as such she was as she relished the hot stringy cheese and grease galore, but if anything she knew it was rather inevitable that he had appeared. She had almost expected him sooner; not because she didn't enjoy his company, but because she knew why he would have been sent. Even here, there was no escaping their mother or their duties - her far reaching fingers had easy grasp of the university campus and it's surrounding area. There was little rest for the wicked, or for those born with the silver spoon in one's mouth. Sometimes she couldn't help but think it was a bitter taste, as much as she had enjoyed stepping up to the task with her older sister's failings.
Her eyes alighted on the damn lunch bag with a small sigh and a well knowing raise of her eyebrows. "You know, Mom thought you were dying of starvation and here I find you with a wonderful slice of pizza." As if to make a point, Leonie cut another slither and folded it into her mouth with a blissful smile, chewing thoroughly and swallowing before she dared to speak. Manners first even amongst family. "Mum would quite happily have me starve if the side effect didn't include 'dying'." She retorted, slipping naturally into German to respond, and then immediately felt guilty for her words and shaking her head at herself. "Feel free to help yourself though," She indicated to the box and withdrew her plate a little from his reach with a knowing look, "the box, not my pizza slice." She warned, raising her cutlery in a fashion that threatened retribution for any attempt to steal her cheat meal from under her nose.
"Although now I see why you choose to eat here instead of at home with me and Mom." Leonie gave an unladylike snort, one of the few places she felt safe to do so without a reproving look from another adult. "Well, it wasn't for the stellar company," she waved to the empty bench around her, taking another bite of pizza. "Was mum upset?" She asked, feeling that familiar surge of guilt once again and battling not to let it win. This was her selfish indulgence, not something she did very often, and she refused to give it in just because mum wanted her to come home to eat protein and rabbit food.
"Mum would quite happily have me starve if the side effect didn't include 'dying'." Oof, someone was feeling a little sassy over their mother. Truth be told though, Archie wasn't surprised. He was lucky being the baby of the Wagner family, it meant that his sisters took the brunt of their parent's demands for perfection - especially Leonie now as heiress apparent to the empire, "I'm sure she doesn't mean to starve you per say," he offered now, seeing the look of regret pass across his sister's face, "Plus, she can't hear you. You know you can say anything freely with me." Archie could not help but to lighten up when Leonie commented that he was free to help himself. Naturally though, it would appear that as he reached for her pizza, she was quick to snatch it away, "the box, not my pizza slice." And for good measure, she threatened him with a fork.
A sigh escaped the young man, rolling his eyes, "Really?" he asked, but even in this moment of denial, he could not help but to grin, "Fine. Fine. I'll be respectful. I'll cover for you by eating your food. Really, you should be thanking me." His stomach certainly thanked her. Once he hit fourteen, it was like he was always hungry and nothing could fill him up. His mother actually complained about the amount of alpine milk jugs that he went through in a week. Laughter actually escaped him at the snort that escaped his sister, mainly because it was not one he heard very often was rather, by their parents standard, undignified, "Well, it wasn't for the stellar company. Was mum upset?" Archie did his best to feign an insulted look, pulling back from the table and placing a hand on his chest, "Am I not stellar company? Don't I cancel out Mom?" And then, the joke was up, as he relaxed and took a huge bite out of his new lunch, "Huh? Nah, nothing I couldn't handle. Maybe just warn her next time. You are the future after all," he said jokingly, "Do you like it here then? Have you...met anyone interesting?" In the back of his brain, he could not help but to wonder if Leonie had run into their cousin.
i find it hard to say the things i want to say the most
thanks aofie!
EIGHTEEN . POLO PLAYER . STUDENT . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
Bitter perhaps, but there was days when it just felt a little too much for Leonie. Sometimes she wished she could have had the luck of being youngest, or perhaps back into a time when men trumped women regardless of age. "I'm sure she doesn't mean to starve you per say," She raised a delicate brow and gave him a deliberate look. "Semantics." she simply replied. Call it what you want, it still felt like starvation to Leonie on days she had to watch people wolf down a burger when she was stuck there sucking on celery. "Plus, she can't hear you. You know you can say anything freely with me." The smile she flashed him was genuine. At least on one half of the sibling tree she knew she had someone she could rely on to a point, there was only so much she'd allow herself to admit outside of her mind. She was too obsessed with control to release every little anxious or frustrating tidbit. She couldn't help brandishing the fork with a little more vigour at his look of disappointment, just in case he got another clever idea.
"Really?" She felt the look she gave him needed no extra explanation. "Fine. Fine. I'll be respectful. I'll cover for you by eating your food. Really, you should be thanking me." Leonie laughed at that, "Oh it's all yours, Arch." Gratefully too. At least she wouldn't have to let it go to waste. She wasn't one for wasting food if she could help it. Besides, it wasn't that the food didn't taste good, in all fairness it could definitely be worse. But sometimes grease and fat and sugar was required to make it through the day. Their mother wasn't the only household member to have picked up on how much her brother was now putting away. A growing lad indeed, she'd complained to Leonie a few times that they would surely be eaten out of house and home in a matter of weeks. All in good jest really, she knew her mother enjoyed watching Archie pack it all in. There was a different attitude, however, to seeing Leo doing the same.
"Am I not stellar company? Don't I cancel out Mom?" Leonie rolled her eyes at his playful hurt but smiled too. "Even on your very worst day, you beat mum hands down." She promised, and it wasn't even a lie. Though she did love her mother, her brother trumped. "Huh? Nah, nothing I couldn't handle. Maybe just warn her next time. You are the future after all," Her expression clouded a little at his words and she frowned. "Like I need the reminder." it occupied almost every waking moment of her day, that knowledge, and everything that came with it. She knew she was brooding and she sighed, quickly smoothing over her expression with another small smile. "Sorry," she hadn't meant her words to be a reprimand, Archie was just trying to lighten her up. "Do you like it here then? Have you...met anyone interesting?" She took her a bite of her pizza, revelling in the beauty of it whilst she thought over his question. "Should I have?" she asked, wondering who he had met to ask her something like that. "I do quite like it here though. I think it has ...character." She shrugged, not sure how else to explain it. It was nice, the mix of countryside and town, and she felt like she had somewhat a little smidge of freedom here.
Archie could understand where his sister was coming from when she coolly played off his opinion about their mother. As the baby, and perhaps the only boy, he seemed to be spared a lot of the trifle that his two sisters got. He wasn't entirely sure as to why, but at the same time, Archie knew better than to question it or bring it up to his parents. If he did, well, that would be an invite to something that he did not want. So he let the conversation end there without any more argument or defense of their mother. Besides, there were more important things to consider - such as the free food he was being given now, even if it was Leonie's discards.
He took her food the second she gave him permission too, and unwrapped the chicken salad wrap now and took a huge bite into it, figuring that he could be a little savage given the current company was merely himself and his sister. Green eyes could not help but to notice how thoughtful Leonie looked as he ate, and he had no doubt on what was going through her mind - how they could behave the same way and yet get treated so differently. The teenager did feel bad about it, he even felt bad when it was directed at Frankie, but at the end of the day, Archie was clueless as to what to do about it, "You know, you can ditch the fork and knife."
Somehow, he doubted she would, but it still felt right to tell her - even if it was merely for brandishing at him now instead of the freedom to eat with her hands like a normal twenty something year old. A grin played on his lips given her confirmation that he was far better company than their mother, "Even on my worst day? Wow, now that is certainly a compliment." But the fun and games between the two Wagner siblings only seemed but to last a minute before Archie appeared to have put his food in his mouth. A dark and stomry look clouded over Leonie's features, and immediately, the young man felt guilty about it: "Like I need the reminder."
Her words made it even worse. Archie wasn't sure on what to say, so all what he did was take another great mouthful of that wrap. It was down to a quarter now, and it hadn't even been five minutes. He found himself mulling over how to best express his regret when Leonie was already saying sorry. An eyebrow arched, before the teenager merely shook his head, "Nah, don't be. I overstepped." And that was certainly the truth. His middle sister didn't need a reminder that she was the future face of their family's fortune - Frankie's escapades made that certainly clear. At least they could move onto new topics now - freed from the topic of their mother, and that of Hickstead.
Green eyes watched as Leonie looked over her pizza once more, appearing to revel in it before asking a curious question: "Should I have?" It was a good counter question, one that gave Archie some pause in his chewing, "I don't know. It's just a question. You have a whole giant campus to meet people on." But perhaps he was also just pondering it merely because it felt like he had met someone at the barn - what it might be, Archie had no idea, but it felt like something. As for Hickstead, he smiled, "Character? Do you mean quaint?" the teenager asked with a grin, "I don't mind though, for the record. Its kinda nice compared to gothic looking Bremen. I think my horses might actually enjoy it too."
i find it hard to say the things i want to say the most
thanks aofie!
EIGHTEEN . POLO PLAYER . STUDENT . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
She watched him pick up her leftovers without further complaint, hiding another smile at the way he practically devoured the sandwich. "Mum been starving you too or is this some kind of teenage boy side effect?" She joked, waving her fork at the him, motioning the animalistic way he took on the food. "You know, you can ditch the fork and knife." Leonie did grin that time and she shook her head. "Mother would have an absolute fit if I ate like that, you savage." She teased, continuing to persevere with the cutlery all the same. Old habits died hard, and it seemed a bit ridiculous but sometimes she couldn't help but have her mothers voice nibbling in her ear, directing her, even when she was miles away.
Her brother had the kind of smile that made other people smile back, and Leonie was no stranger to his charms. "Even on my worst day? Wow, now that is certainly a compliment." She gave him an award winning smile in return, making sure to finish her mouthful of pizza first. "You can wear it on a badge and everything." Leonie offered, tucking into her pizza whilst she didn't need to speak for the moment. "Nah, don't be. I overstepped." Leonie rolled her eyes at his words and gave him a gently nudge with her elbow. "You're my brother, it's impossible to overstep." With Archie's personality anyway, she was sure in other families comments would absolutely cross the line, but he was a good kid with a kind heart, she didn't think he had it in him to be horrible. Some days she was just a little bit more bitter than normal and she had to be fairer.
"I don't know. It's just a question. You have a whole giant campus to meet people on." She tilted her head as she thought about it, then gave a small shrug. "Nobody that's stuck out to me just yet," She responded in the end, but she hadn't made all that much effort to get out there just yet either in all fairenss. "Does that mean you have?" She asked, a sly smile finding it's way onto her face as she glanced at Archie. He had to have asked that for a reason. "Character? Do you mean quaint? I don't mind though, for the record. Its kinda nice compared to gothic looking Bremen. I think my horses might actually enjoy it too." Leonie laughed, finishing up her slice in only a couple of bites, and then feeling a slice of sadness it had gone so fast. "Quaint? Sure, I guess it is. Hopefully we'll get to settle down with some roots."
Archie looked up from his sandwich warp, staring at her and there was no doubt in his mind that he must have looked like an overstuffed chipmunk. He managed to swallow now, figuring that talking with his mouth full would earn him a look from the classy Leonie Wagner now, "It's a side affect of being a teenage boy," he said with a grin now, "Don't tell Mum, but I have been raiding the pantry when she goes to bed. I'm somehow always hungry." Thankfully between two forms of polo and a metabolism, Archie appeared to be fine for now. Thank god too, he wasn't sure if he wanted to end up on a diet like either of his sisters or whatever stupid beliefs their mother seemed to have. The young man rolled his eyes, still playfully grinning, "Mum's not here to judge us on our savagery, Leo." Knowing his sister, it was probably easier said than done though. He felt like he had an easier time cutting loose when they weren't around their parents unlike Leonie, and Frankie, well, she was a special case.
At least his smile was winning her over - that was one thing the Wagner children were good at, it was smiling. All flash and award winning, the dangerous sort that could melt hearts. Leonie's was just as dangerous as his even after finishing off a piece of pizza: "You can wear it on a badge and everything." Archie chortled, good thing that he hadn't taken another bite of his food or else he would have been very very ungentleman like, "I defilingly will as soon as I meet a graphic arts student." He promised, finally allowing himself another bite of his wrap. Too bad his mouth hadn't stayed full enough for him to have made an idiot of himself to Leonie though. The teenager really did feel bad about it, like, kicked puppy bad. Clocking his sister roll her eyes made him feel a bit better though as she followed up with a nudge, "You're my brother, it's impossible to overstep." A weak smile played over Archie's lips now, "Yeah. I suppose so. I just...forget sometimes how I've had it easier compared to you and Frankie."
It was almost welcoming that they were back to bantering now, or at least, somewhat bantering. Green eyes watched as his sister tilted her head, thinking over his words before commenting that nobody had caught her eye. Archie couldn't decide if he was surprised by that statement or not. But Leonie didn't give him long to ponder it as a sly smile appeared on her lips: "Does that mean you have?" Suddenly, his wrap had become incredibly interesting, "Uh...maybe. Not on campus though. I met a guy at the barn. He, quite literally, ran into Mokka's ass." Although it was the horse's fault, and maybe Archie couldn't be mad at the polo 'pony' per say, given that at the end of it all, he ended up with a phone number. As for the chatter about Hickstead, a laugh couldn't help but to escape Archie, "Roots? You're making us sound old and frail. I feel like we don't have to worry about roots yet." Granted, he didn't have the weight of an empire sitting on his shoulders.
i find it hard to say the things i want to say the most
thanks aofie!
EIGHTEEN . POLO PLAYER . STUDENT . LGBTQ+ . SINGLE
She took one look at Archie's stuffed face and let out an unattractive snort that would have meant a scathing look from her mother. Luckily, she was only in Archie's company and didn't think he'd mind. Boys really couldn't help themselves could they - growing lads and food. It made it hard to imagine her brother in his finery at the dinner table behaving like the nobleman he actually was. "It's a side affect of being a teenage boy," Leonie raised a brow, taking in another piece of pizza. "Why do boys get all the good side effects? All you can eat without gaining a pound." She rolled her eyes, "and women get hormones and gain a pound just looking at a piece of pie." She was teasing him of course, it's not like it was his fault.
"Don't tell Mum, but I have been raiding the pantry when she goes to bed. I'm somehow always hungry." Leonie gasped and put a hand to her chest in horror. "You're the midnight food thief?" She tutted, "You know mum's on the war path about where the snacks have been disappearing. She definitely blames me!" It was no harm though, she thought it was a little amusing but every time her mum mentioned something going missing she always gave Leonie a suss look up and down, as if expecting to see the pounds visibly added on. "Mum's not here to judge us on our savagery, Leo." She gave Archie a look as she finished her pizza slice, gently laying her knife and fork down. "That's what you think... she's got spies everywhere." It was a joke, but knowing her mother she wouldn't put it past her.
She returned his smile, feeling a little tension ease away from her at their gentle back and forth. "I defilingly will as soon as I meet a graphic arts student." She pondered that for a moment, "I doubt they'd be too hard to find around here, especially if you use that charming smile of yours." She pushed her empty plate away, looking longingly at it as if that might make another slice of pizza magically appear. She probably shouldn't have another anyway, best to leave it at one. "Yeah. I suppose so. I just...forget sometimes how I've had it easier compared to you and Frankie." Her lips pursed at the mention of Frankie, a naturally disapproving crease appearing between her eyebrows to think of her sister. "I'd forget too, it's easy to." She shrugged it off, she didn't expect him to understand it all the time - if you didn't live it, you couldn't, and she didn't blame him for it.
Her eyes alighted on her brother as he suddenly studied his wrap and a slow grin blossomed. She'd caught him! Now she was double interested to find out what she'd missed in her brother's life. "Uh...maybe. Not on campus though. I met a guy at the barn. He, quite literally, ran into Mokka's ass." She leant forward in interest. "Okay you can't just leave me hanging like that.. what's his name? His age? Is he a student or working?" Leonie knew the pressures of dating when it came to her and her sister, and who they should or shouldn't touch... but things were a little freerer for her brother - for now anyway, likely not forever. He had to carry on the family name after all. Her brother was not without his own pressures but she was a romantic deep down and she liked to encourage him to be himself whilst he could. "Roots? You're making us sound old and frail. I feel like we don't have to worry about roots yet." She shrugged, "It'd be nice not to have my whole life uprooted again, to just be set in one place." She found it hard to make new friends when they'd be up and away somewhere else again in a short while. She wanted to make a home and have some stability in her life.
