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!.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriving at Hickstead Local Airport in approximately twenty minutes. Please have your table trays put away and your seats in the upright position." At the announcement, Tiffany Matthew could not help but to suck in her breath. In twenty minutes, she would be touching down in Hickstead, England. In thirty minutes, since it would probably take her ten minutes to grab her stuff, she would see her brother - who selflessly retired early from the Navy to go live near their parents, and then likely in an hour, she would see her parents...and the thought made her want to squirm in her seat. Chocolate brown eyes had been staring at the Ritter Sport chocolate bar she clutching the whole flight since making the transfer in Heathrow from a big commercial air flight to a puddle jumper. The woman was surprised that her white knuckling hadn't broken the chocolate bar in half, but that was a good thing, since it would be a travesty in her mind to break a bar before it was even out of the wrapper.
She was coming to Hickstead out a sense of duty, if Bradley could do it, then so could she. But the difference was that her older brother had a great relationship with both of their parents, whereas Tiffany could only say the she got along with her mother. It wasn't as if her dad didn't try with her, he did, all the time, she just rejected it out of spite and anger from something that happened almost over 11 years ago. The young woman knew it was petty, she had a bad habit of she-hulking out in her personal life, it was shocking that she could handle the stress of a work environment just fine. Some might say that she needed therapy, but Tiffany had issues with the idea of walking into a therapists office to say she had daddy issues over the fact that he PREVENTED her from joining the U.S. Naval Academy. It just sounded weird, off, and how would a therapist understand what she had been denied by her father and what her mother just shrugged off?
The jostling of the airplane landing broke her out of her thoughts, and that Ritter Sport bar snapped beneath the wrapper. Chocolate brown eyes stared in horror at the bar. What the hell had she just done?! "Uh, officer," officer? Oh right, her. Tiffany looked over, trying her best to not look sullen as a flight attendant smiled meekly at her, "The others have gotten off the plane..." Hastily, she undid the seatbelt and gave her apologies. Tiffany did her best to grab her rucksack quickly before heading off the plane and onto the tarmac before being shuffled onto a bus. 'Get a grip, Tiffany,' she thought to herself, 'Five minutes til you see Brad and you can't look like you're walking to a funeral. Dad's not dead yet.' For some reason, that 'Yet' hung over her head. The bus stopped outside the terminal and she went in, grateful that customs had been taken care of in London as she went the carousal to grab her luggage.
Popping her phone on, she waited as it blew up. She had to remember to get herself a local sim and update her number since she'd be living hear for a while. Tiffany shot a quick message to Brad, hoping that he was already outside waiting for her so she wouldn't be left alone with her thoughts. Spotting her suitcase afterwards, she grabbed it and made the walk to the arrivals gate. Clearly, a pro to living here was how quiet it was, even the airport. Chocolate brown eyes scanned the crowd and then she spotted her brother. Her face lit up and yes, that was a genuine smile, "Brad!" She expertly wielded her suitcase through the small crowd and dodged around people before stopping in front of her older brother, "I could see that big nose of yours from a mile away." She joked now, deciding to ignore the idea of asking how their parents were yet.
[attr="class","brad-text"]Bradley didn’t know what brought Tiffany home. Well, newer home. He was excited, of course, but also nervous. He understood she and Dad didn’t have the relationship he had. It bothered him, a lot. While Dad had voiced concern and guilt, Brad knew that it wasn’t the apology and concern for him to control.
It didn’t take long for him to get to the airport when Tiff landed, and of course, she joked about his nose. If his height wasn’t a dead giveaway, it was his face. He didn’t know why it was so...out there, but probably the game of genetics that hit every male in the family.
“I just had to look for the scowl,” he responded back. Bradley knew she would be happy to see him, but he knew his sister enough that parents weren’t the topic she wanted to say right away. He respected that, despite worrying that they would never patch anything. Dad was okay, for now. But he had an odd feeling that Tiffany couldn’t wait for him to just keel over.
“How was your flight?” he asked, giving his sister a strong hug – and sneakily grabbing her suitcase. She could yell at him about it later.
"Scowl?" Tiffany asked in response, "When did you become an aura reader?" Talk about a brotherly love verbal sucker punch to the face though. She should have expected it though, nobody knew her better than Bradley. That was the best thing about having a sibling, they somehow understood you more than your own parents. Tiffany was beginning to think that the telepathy link really was a genetic given when people had more than one child. Despite his initial greeting, the young woman accepted the hug from her brother, and when he broke it, she noticed that her bag had disappeared from her side and was suddenly in his hands.
A sigh escaped her, how sneaky of him, "For the record, the army made me a strong capable woman and I could carry my bag, but...thank you." She gestured the way, asking him to lead as she started to walk, "Flight was good. Heathrow was chaotic and I wasn't expecting the puddle jumper, but it was nice enough." These all felt like avoidance questions though, which just went to show that Bradley knew her just that well as a sister. She couldn't help but to wonder how he felt about her being here though, at least in conjunction with their parents. Figuring it was best to just rip off the proverbial band aid now, Tiffany dared to ask, "How are Mom and Dad? Is it...really that bad?" Of course it had to be. Bradley discharged honorably from the Navy and that was saying something. Still, Tiffany wanted to hear the actual confirmation.
[attr="class","brad-text"]“Well, I’m your brother. The man or woman that ends up with you forever can fight you on that one,” Bradley smiled. – as he led her to the vehicle. He wasn’t expecting her to ask about the parents so quickly, but she brought it up. Which seemed to be better the way to go about it, it felt. He had heard what Dad did, something that soured his taste then. If anything, it made Bradley take a step back from his parents – disappointed in what their father had done. Maybe he was a bit more forgiving in the end, but it still rocked him to his core.
“He was rushed to the ER a few days ago and is still at the hospital. He wasn’t peeing and there was a major blockage in his bowel system. They’re thinking it was the new meds. I don’t know Tiff…I just wish he could let himself die. He’s been running mom ragged, and I think him being at the hospital…is giving her a well-needed break.” It was morbid, yes. But there was only so much fight one could for a cancer that had a low survival rate.
Bradley lifted her luggage in and got into the driver's side. “Mom’s happy to see you though. She’s probably the one that missed you the most. I would argue with her about it, but it’s mom.”
Tiffany couldn't help but to crinkle her nose when Bradley pointed out the obvious - he was her brother. She always hated when he used that logic with her as his excuse to do something, mainly because there was nothing that she could use to argue against it, and as it stands, he would forever be her closest family member. So the only response Tiffany had was to wave him off and allow him to take her luggage as she just followed in step now, besides him enough to feel like an equal but just a step or so back for him to take the lead to the car.
The young woman wasn't sure on what she expected to hear when she prompted Bradley about their father, but it hadn't been that explanation, "Shit. I didn't...I didn't know it was that bad." Although stage 3 or 4 cancer should have said it all, and yet, it didn't feel real to Tiffany, she didn't know why. Well, she did. Denial was a powerful thing with a family member, even one where you didn't have the greatest relationship with. Chocolate brown eyes looked over at her brother curiously though, a little surprised to hear him say that he wished their father would just die and be put out of his misery, "I think Dad is too stubborn to die," Tiffany replied wryly, trying to make the best of Bradley's current mood.
It wasn't surprising though to hear that their mother was feeling burn it. That was certainly a thing with home caretakers - a very real thing, that people didn't quite seem to understand. Tiffany was finally willing to share that burden with her mother, and the army granted it to her, along with some part time work to keep her active. She got into the passenger seat and shut the door now, buckling in when the driver's side open, "Ha! Well, I missed you the most. But Mom was second place. We'll see how she feels about me after a few months," Tiffany said with a grin now, as she clicked the seat belt, "What's new with you anyways? Besides mom and dad." She felt a little guilty that she hadn't exactly been the greatest at keeping up with her older brother's life - but they both had been in active duty with different timezones, so it felt reasonable to drop the ball every once in a while.
[attr="class","brad-text"]“Honestly, not as much as I’d like. I’ve been talking with Stephanie a bit, but we’ve been so busy. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you as well!” Maybe it was a good thing, or maybe it was a bad thing that Brad had a bit of his schedule.
It was to help care for Dad, go to work, then come back home and help care for Dad. Brad was stuck in a vicious cycle, and he didn’t like the idea that he felt guilty for asking his sister for help. He knew he shouldn’t feel guilty, but he knew that Tiff’s relationship with their dad was not the greatest. It was a shame and disheartening to witness. While Bra knew he would never fully understand it, he could at least try, right?
After surviving escaping the pickup lane and getting onto the main road, Brad opened the window of the truck a bit to get in some of the fresh air. “Are you hungry? There’s a side-of-the-road place we can hit up. Y’know, help prolong the new battlefield”
