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!.
He must have been ignoring this date in the back of his mind, the first day of college. Kasey secretly had considered himself lucky when Fall Semester had been too full and his daughter got deferred until the winter semester. But it was here now, that final day of that final weekend with his daughter and he was moving her into her dorm. It was a strange feeling, and the man knew it would probably only get worse the closer he got to leaving here behind at school and he returned home alone. Given that he doubted the university allowed dogs on the campus, or at least, outside dogs, he had to leave Dog behind at home. So he would have no comfort for the long ride home.
While he had similar feelings when it came to Rex's first day of college, Kasey had Tally to return with when they said goodbye. And he and Rex had a different relationship than he did with Tally. She was his daughter, and it just felt like there was something different about leaving behind his seventeen year old daughter to live on her own verses Rex. Sure, he had taught her well, she knew how to handle herself around stupid boys and jealous or mean girls, but he had always been there lurking in the background. Now he would no longer be unless she decided to come home on the weekends, no, when she decided to come home on the weekends.
It suddenly occurred to Kasey that this had not been a subject that he had been willing to explore prior to today. When people had brought it up at work, or June or even Emelia, he had just grunted them off, refusing to acknowledge the end of the world. Now it was here. Movement from the door dorms caught his attention as Tally came out, check in paperwork in hand. Apparently the student herders wanted that taken care of before they could start moving all of those boxes into her room. Speaking of which, "Are you sure you brought enough stuff?" He asked her wryly, his cerulean eyes casting glance to the numerous large boxes in the bed of his truck.
Carolina knows why for years I roam, free as these birds, light as whispers, Carolina knows
Tal had to admit, she was excited. For as much as she loved her family and spending time with them at home, she was fully into the idea of the full college experience - and that meant staying in Halls. She knew that it wasn't an issue to live at home, and quite a few of her course mates still did and had said it wasn't a problem, but she knew that the real deal would be being in dorms with everyone else. It was the best way to meet more people, especially as she was coming in late to everything. She'd been able to meet people she'd be on course with when taking a look around campus, and in usual social butterfly fashion she had thrown herself out there to figure out the lay of the land, but she still felt a little nervous about being behind everybody else. They had a whole term ahead of her - friendships already made, cliques already formed. She wanted every advantage she had to get stuck in.
She had tried to hold in her excitement to a point, having seen the sadness on her father's face over the past few days leading up to this - but she couldn't help the big grin, or stop herself from fidgeting with that buzz sitting in her stomach. She was just relieved he'd allowed her to come, not that he was particularly a strict parent but he was protective, and this was a big deal. It probably helped that home wasn't far from campus, and she'd already made a silent deal with herself to make sure she went home regularly. She was sure she'd get sick of instant noodles and soup soon enough, and go running home for a proper home cooked meal. Tal knew she would miss home too, even if she wasn't going to mope about like her knew her father was going to for the first few days. She hoped he didn't mope too much. She'd told him not to.
Once everything was sorted with the house mother and Uni officials, the grin only widening to know that everything was done and official, and she'd be moving in today. "Are you sure you brought enough stuff?" Tal's eyes followed her father's to the stacks of boxes in the truck and she laughed, looking a little sheepish with the thought that he was going to be doing a lot of the lugging to her room. "I promise I left at least one kitchen sink behind for you?" She joked, tucking the paperwork into her pocket and instantly forgetting all about it. "Luckily, I'm on ground floor - so no stairs for the pack Donkey." She teased, glancing at her dad for his reaction.
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It was hard to ignore the wide grin on his daughter's lips as she had come out of the dormitory building then. As Kasey stared at her, he couldn't help but to be taken over a complex sort of emotions, given in that moment, she reminded him too much of Morgan. He could see her mother in her smile, the similarities in their features striking as Tally just seemed to glow at the prospect of starting University. And while the man still felt htat lingering sadness that she was officially growing up, and leaving him to a degree, he also couldn't help but to feel happy for her, in his own gruff sort of way. Like the boxes comment.
As soon as the words left his lips, he could see her brown eyes gaze to the boxes before that infectious laugh escaped her, "I promise I left at least one kitchen sink behind for you?" She joked now, "Luckily, I'm on ground floor - so no stairs for the pack Donkey."Kasey just stared at her before shaking his head, "What? You don't think your old man can handle carrying a few boxes up the stairs?" Truth be told, he was secretly glad. Not because he was weak, that was far from the case, but it would have been annoying - especially with some of these other parents who did not look like they could handle dragging stuff up the stairs for their offspring, "I do appreciate you leaving a sink for me. Otherwise, Dog and I might be in trouble. Haven't exactly gotten my dream cabin in the woods yet."
It was funny to think about that dream cabin though, with Rex out of the house, and now Tally following suit, it was an option that Kasey could eventually start to explore. Speaking of his son, "Sorry I couldn't convince Rex to come and help." The outcome of that request to his son hadn't really surprised Kasey, knowing that he probably had already said his words of wisdom to Tally in private, and likely wanted to escape any opportunity of being stuck with Kasey when they had to drive away from campus. Truth be told, the man was a little thankful that he would have the alone time for realities of the empty nest to hit him. Cerulean eyes glanced back over to the boxes now before asking, "Where do you want me to start with lugging this?"
Carolina knows why for years I roam, free as these birds, light as whispers, Carolina knows
Her smile wavered just a little at her dad's face, knowing that he was holding onto his sadness and trying not to show it. But she knew him, she'd spent all her life with him for God sake, and as much as parents tried to hide the tough stuff from their kids, it wasn't always possible. Tally hadn't seen her father go through the grief, not exactly. She'd been too young. But she'd seen how it carried it as the years went on, she'd seen him sad, and so she knew what it was and how it wore it - she saw it all the more when he tried not to show it. This was good for them though - the both of them. Her first chance of freedom, or close to it, but not too far from home, and he could finally have his own life, to a degree. She hoped it would give him the nudge or encouragement to get out there and do things for himself again, perhaps even find another someone he might like to share his time with. Not that anything was ever said but Tally knew having her around didn't lend itself to him doing those kinds of things.
"What? You don't think your old man can handle carrying a few boxes up the stairs?" Tallulah tilted her head and if considering her answer, deciding to humour him. It might keep them both from crying. "I think you're forgetting the way you get up from the sofa, let alone the way you clutch the rail when climbing stairs." She teased, both were completely false, but it did give her a pang to think of the day her dad really would be that old. "I do appreciate you leaving a sink for me. Otherwise, Dog and I might be in trouble. Haven't exactly gotten my dream cabin in the woods yet." Tallulah laughed at that. "You'd actually have to go looking for one for that to happen, dad." She said pointedly, she knew that she was a big reason he hadn't but perhaps now he would, with his kids somewhat out of his hair. "Sorry I couldn't convince Rex to come and help." She shrugged at that and turned her face away under the pretence of fixing a strap on her bag. She hadn't expected him to come but she loved her brother and it would have been nice for them to be together as she said goodbye. She knew her brother had his issues with their dad, but she couldn't help but want them all to be a happy family, even just for one day. "I'm sure he had better things to do." A little harsh and a little bitter of her, she wrinkled her nose at how it made her sound - whiney baby. But unavoidable.
"Where do you want me to start with lugging this?" Back to the task at hand, she shifted the bag on her shoulder and smiled quickly, nodding as an indication to the area. "Right this way, if you please." She joked, picking up a box that wasn't labelled something heavy and going to take the lead to her new accomodation.
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He watched as his teenage daughter cocked her head, and Kasey knew all too well that she was mulling over how to best respond. It always seemed to be the dead giveaway, that headcock, that something either really cheeky or really sweet would be coming his way: "I think you're forgetting the way you get up from the sofa, let alone the way you clutch the rail when climbing stairs." Ah, so it was cheeky this time. Kasey wryly smiled at her, "Oh come on. Name one time you witnessed that, Tally." It was a teasing response, mainly because she would have no memories to back it up, but it was always fun to see what she would come up with as a response.
Kasey smiled at Tally's rebuke to his cabin. That was true, he did have to go hunting for a cabin. Techically, there was nothing hold him back now - Tally moved out of the house, Rex moved out of the house, yet, Kasey lingered stubbornly despite what he wanted. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew his daughter wasn't gone forever, only 9 months or so out of the year and he wasn't quite ready to subject her to return somewhere where she hadn't grown up, "True. Time is something I never seem to have." Maybe the man would have lots of time now, but that wasn't something he felt like bringing up to Tally - it felt wrong.
Speaking of wrong things though, the man realized he made a blunder by bringing up Rex now. Cerulean eyes watched as his daughter simply shrugged and turned her back towards him, busying herself with something that didn't quite exist. Kasey felt a little guilty, even more so after her choice words: "I'm sure he had better things to do." The tone wasn't one he was used to hearing from Tally, harsh, even a little bitter. He wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, to comfort her, unfortunately though, that wasn't Kasey's strong point, and he also had a heavy box in his hands, "I'm sure he has his hands full with work. The three of us will get together soon. I promise." And Kasey meant it. He was willing to die on any hill for Talullah Sloane Caufield.
She seemed to have recovered now, grabbing herself a box and leading the way now. He followed behind her closely, making sure to not knock over some poor unsuspecting college student or their worried parents. Upon entering the assigned room, cerulean eyes glanced over it for a moment and couldn't help but to be surprised by how bare and sterile it felt, "Did I send you to a prison?" he asked now, before adding on, "Where should I set this down?"
Carolina knows why for years I roam, free as these birds, light as whispers, Carolina knows
She grinned when he smiled, knowing she'd cracked the crying mood at least for a minute, and was pleased to see she hadn't offended him at least. "Oh come on. Name one time you witnessed that, Tally." She pretended to look casual, giving a little shrug and looking away, playing along. "Just last week for sure," Tally teased, knowing as he did that it was crap. He could still run rings around her if he wanted to. It might just hurt a bit the morning after. "True. Time is something I never seem to have." Tally raised a pointed brow at her father, "Well, now you will." She said, knowing he was likely to just glance over that fact and find himself something else to do as a procrastination.
She looked at her dad, pausing for a moment. "You will get out and do things with Dog, promise?" She pleaded, trying not to sound scolding, but she didn't want to be sat here, not knowing if her dad was getting out and finally doing things for himself or if he was moping at home or taking on too many shifts. She loved the poor bastard more than anything, and just wanted to see him happy. "I'm sure he has his hands full with work. The three of us will get together soon. I promise." She smiled quickly at and gave a nod, shaking it off. "I know." She said with a quick smile, not wanting to talk about it anymore than they had already - she didn't want to ruin the day by feeling annoyed or sad and she was sure her brother would make it up to her at some point.
"Did I send you to a prison?" Tall rolled her eyes but gave her dad a sly smile, "I've heard it's all the range." She joked, "very minimalist." but she didn't mind it. Sure, it was quite plain and bare, but she was already thinking of ways to improve it. "Where should I set this down?" Tallulah turned on her heels, "uhhhhh..there?" She suggested, pointing to a spare space next to the empty bed. She would be moving it all around in a few moments anyway so it didn't matter too much. Placing her hands on her hips, she surveyed the beginning of the mess, already itching to start.
17 - ART & DESIGN, ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDENT - STRAIGHT - SINGLE
"You will get out and do things with Dog, promise?" Kasey was caught a little off guard by his daughter's request, actually, perhaps it was more than a little. Perhaps he had gotten too used to Rex's mood with refusing to call him or feeling the need to call him 'Kasey', but the idea of his daughter worrying about him, well, he found it sad. Perhaps it was because it took him back to the past where he was a checked out father after their mother's death. The man knew very well that he wasn't father of the year for quite some time, he was lucky enough to come out of it with one child still loving him. He offered her a soft smile,"I'll be fine Tally. It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around." He thought about someone for a moment, and then carefully added on, "I have more than just Dog and work to keep me company."
The man was a little grateful that his daughter allowed the conversation of her brother naturally drop off, dealing with the idea of Rex was not something Kasey wanted to humor today. Today was all about her as far as he was concerned, that and this very sad room that he couldn't fix, "I've heard it's all the range." Tally joked besides him, "Very minimalist." A snort escaped Kasey, his cerulean eyes taking in the bare walls and student furniture, "Well, I have no doubt that you'll make it your own." One look at his daughter, and he could already tell that she was re-arranging and decorating in her head. He placed the heavy box down as designated before standing back up, hearing his spine crack as he did. Kasey cringed inwardly, "I'll go get your last two boxes and then I'll help you with sorting until you want to kick me out. Anything else you might need while I'm outside the walls of this building?"
Carolina knows why for years I roam, free as these birds, light as whispers, Carolina knows
