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!.
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
There was snow! Piper couldn’t believe there was another snowfall. While January wasn’t as snow filled as Massachusetts, it still provided a beautiful landscape. Plus, living by the trails had its perks!
The backdrop provided the best composition for Piper and her mom, Yui. They had all been on this red riding hood obsession and the poster for the movie. The bright red cloak against the white – how could they not recreate it? Piper, obviously, handled the costume. She made this flowy black dress and a long, blood-red cape with a perfectly pointed hood. And in classic Piper nature, put blood on her face and hands, as well as some yellow contacts. Kind of as the idea that Red was the killer and not the wolf.
Piper and Yui found a patch in the trails that were off from the property. Close to home, but still far enough to get the snowy background in. After making sure the coast was clear, Piper made Boogey go into a canter. The snow kicked up from behind him, as his black figures weaved through the woods. Yui stood waiting at the clearing, camera on hold.
When Piper emerged, she had released the reins, hands in a weird cackling motion – her hood behind her. Fake blood dripped from her mouth and hands. But shortly after the click of the camera, a commotion could be heard near the fallen down tree close to their property line. Mother and daughter looked at each other for a brief moment before guiding their horses that way.
They found a horse without its rider, and Piper moved closer and peaked over the large, dead tree. “Ronan?” she said. “Are you okay? Can you get up?” Piper hoped he was fine. Getting a broken leg out here by yourself was no fun. She dismounted Boogey and walked him over, forgetting the fact she was covered in fake blood.
Ronan couldn't believe there was snow on the ground. It's not as if he hadn't seen snow before. His native home of Scone got it every year to a degree and he could always see snow caps on the mountain. But there was something different about seeing snow for the first time in England. It sort of felt like a winter wonderland - both in town and at Seven Oaks. The white stuff also proved to make Max just a little bit more friskier than usual, but thankfully the brumby was still willing to settle down to go for a hack. Plus, even Ronan found it hard to deny that he wouldn't mind taking a few snowy pictures for IG and sending back home to his dad.
No one else that he knew seemed interested in going out for a ride, so Ronan saddled up and he and Max hit the trails alone. Truth be told, the young man didn't mind. More often than not, he was happy to be left alone to his thoughts. It was kinda strange how in Hickstead, silence hadn't really been a thing since befriending Leo White, Kenzie Solo, and Piper Ledor-Kita. He stirred Max towards the forest trail now, still thinking. Piper. Ronan's thoughts wandered to his class partner for a moment, the cute girl with an air for macabre flair. She was very different from all the other girls he knew, maybe that's why he just couldn't get her out of his head.
A snort escaped Max, his ears twitching over something. Before it could register with the young male though, his mind obviously still distracted, the brumby flipped out. And for the second time in the past six months, Ronan felt the crest of Max's neck slammed into his face. Stars boomed and everything went black as he hit the snowy ground. Snow was kicked up as the chestnut brumby danced away, blowing hot air and panicking over something. Ronan could feel himself go in and out of consciousness. Damn, Max had gotten him good. He didn't move for what felt like the longest time.
"Ronan?" Funny. Was that his name? It sounded a lot like Piper, "Ronan? Are you okay? Can you get up?” He had no idea what was going on, but all of the sudden, there was none other than Piper Ledor-Kita hovering over him with a billowy red cape and a lacy black dress that, had he been more presently aware, would have made him blush. Blue grey eyes blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden appearance of Piper blocking out the grey skies, "This is a really weird dream," he managed now, god, it hurt to talk, "I don't I've ever dreamt about you in blood before." He also hoped this was a fucking dream considering he was just blabbering away right now.
He tried to sit up now, his head spinning now as he felt the presence of his own blood on his face from the crack. Not even his helmet protected him from the front face blow that Max had dealt in his moment of panic. Speaking of Max, who looked slightly calmer now, was standing off to the side peering at him, and looking just a little bit guilty, while holding onto his spookedness, "God, my head is killing me."
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
A light shade of pink crossed Piper’s cheeks, as she gave him a sympathetic smile. “Well, to be fair..I’ve been hiding my blood lust a bit.” Hopefully, that joke would be forgotten – or just ignored.
Yui rode over and grabbed Boogey before he decided to bolt. “Hey, Pip, I’m going to bring Boogey back and grab, more help, okay?” Piper nodded back in response before she crawled over the log and knelt by Ronan.
“At least you had your helmet on. It could’ve been a lot worse if you didn’t.” Not like she could talk at the moment, as she didn’t currently have one herself. “Don’t move too fast! Sit still a bit, okay? Can you tell me what day it is?” Piper asked. It was evident that Ronan and Max would need some guidance getting back. She was sitting now, risking the cold on her skin, but it was more comfortable than kneeling now.
Her home wasn’t too far either, making the trek back easy. She guessed a sled of sorts would be grabbed, or the supped-up golf cart to help carry Ronan back. Piper just hoped Max would behave himself.
Ronan was certain he was hallucinating now because he had been quite certain that the young woman's cheeks turned a shade of pink. Maybe just for the briefest of seconds at least, but he found himself more distracted by his throbbing head, her smile and her choice words. Bloodlust? Somehow though, Ronan could only latch onto the dorkiest of references, "Wait. So you're Edward and I'm Bella? I don't know how I feel about that." Granted, he did just fucking bite it on the forest floor - but the young man was inclined to blame Max for that particular incident.
There was another voice there with them now. Someone who called Piper 'Pip'. Okay, this most certainly was not a dream then. Fuck. And here he was babbling about Piper Dreams and making references to Twilight. Ronan already decided that if he had a concussion, that would be taking the full blame for his words. His stomach twisted in knots, the world still spinning. If it weren't for the fact that Piper Ledor-Kita was here, he probably would have rolled over and hurtled by now. This felt far worse than back in October when he bit it in similar fashion, but that had been in the plush sand of the Seven Oaks arena.
A huffing sound escaped the Brumby as the young woman crawled over the log now. Blue grey eyes watched the horse for a moment, willing him to not be a big idiot. But Ronan already found himself distracted by the proximity of Piper's closeness and her concern, "Eh, I might have to replace this helmet now. Second time this has happened. Clearly, it's cursed." It was funny, he had never fallen off Max this much in short a short span in his life time of owning the horse, but Ronan had to remind himself that England was a different beast compared to Australia, no matter how bomb proof you think a horse is, any change in the environment could always get the best of them.
He made a face as Piper barked orders at him, "Piper. I'm--" oh god, he stopped, willing himself to not hurl. Ronan closed his eyes, breathing deeply before re-centering himself, "Day?" What kind of question is this, "I don't know. Tuesday, yeah? End of January?" He unclipped his helmet now, taking it off and reached up, first to his nose, to make sure it still remained upbroken before running his hand up to his hairline and then, well, grimaced. There was something sticky there. Had Max really hit him hard enough to bend the helmet? Or maybe it had been the fall, considering that he thought he had missed the log, "Piper...am I bleeding?" Not that this was a date, Ronan hadn't really figured his situation out with Piper yet in his own brain, but this was certainly not how he imagined hanging out with her after class.
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
“Well, that’s a good sign. You know that day and month,” she smiled. The snow was getting cold on her legs but her body wasn’t bothered by it. There was something weird about this situation. Ronan bent over hurt – and Piper there looking like she killed him.
She snapped out of it when Ronan asked if he was bleeding. "Looks like your helmet caved and left a mark on your forehead. It must’ve been released when you took it off,” Piper replied, as calmly as she could. Head wounds always tended to gush hard, even if it was a simple cut. It started to kiss the white snow a bright red, but thankfully – the sound of the four-wheeler was heard.
“How’s he doing?” Yui asked, walking up close with Tegan in tow.
“Just bleeding a bit at the head but knows what day it is.”
Piper’s mum nodded and instructed Tegan to help Ronan up, with Piper following, grabbing the discarded helmet and Max. It wasn’t long until everyone was inside the Ledor-Kita home. “You’re quite lucky, Ronan,” Yui smiled, pressing a thick towel to his head scrape – and instructing him to hold it in place. “Shame we had to meet you this way. Piper has talked a lot about you. All good things of course,” she winked. “Is there anyone we could call to let you know where you are?”
Ronan had never heard Piper Ledor-Kita sound so calm before, not even during that stupid sewing class where he did nothing but bitch and sulk whenever she forced him to do something with his own hands. Given the likely amount of blood that seemed to be streaming down though, and hitting the snow, the young man was a little relieved that she chose the calm tone. Whether it was for his benefit or her benefit more though, Ronan wouldn't question it. Blue grey eyes just stared up at Piper now, looking for the right words as he could have sworn he saw a look of worry pass over her face. Before he had the courage though, there was the sound of a four wheeler arriving.
Thankfully, whatever seemed to have upset Max, he was officially over now as the brumby walked over to the pair of them, lowering his head to nose Ronan's boot as an apology. Ronan lightly shook his head, which was a mistake, because it throbbed like no other. The notion made him wince, and then a woman appeared next to him. It took a moment for him to register that it was Piper's mom, or well, likely Piper's mom. And some other guy that - well, Ronan didn't know what to make of him other then he was there to help. In the back of his mind, there was some little voice nagging him to watch him interact with Piper. But maybe that was the pain talking as the guy helped him up.
"She talks about me?" Ronan asked, slightly startled by the notion, as his gaze took a quick sneak at Piper to try and get a read on her, "Well, I'm glad it's good things then. Otherwise, this might have been awkward." As for a phone call, the young man could feel him grimace, "Uh, my grandfather is my guardian here...I can give you his number. Cell phone's in my saddle bag." God, this was awful, he hadn't even thought about his grandfather finding out about this. The thought totally escaped him. And then, another awful thought, was he going to be left alone with Piper's mom? He glanced back over to his...what was Piper anyways? Classmate? Friend? ...Crush? "You're coming back with us, right?" What an utterly stupid question.
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
Yui tilted her head and looked at Ronan. “Piper followed us home,” she said. “We’ll make sure we call your grandfather once your bag comes in. Try not to move too much.” Yui released some of the pressure on the towel.
It didn’t take long for Piper to come striding in, everything that was important to Ronan in her hands. “Hey,” she smiled. “Are you feeling a bit better?” Okay, maybe that was a mute question. Piper walked over and placed his personal items onto the kitchen island. The makeup she wore was now more evident in the bright lights of the kitchen.
Despite the Halloween obsession of the family, their home was quite tame in the sense of the first impression. At least, the second floor – did the craziness appear. Minus the master bedroom that is. Yui wanted to not be a night terror on her way to the bathroom.
Yui removed the towel and placed it into the sink, noticing the bleeding had stopped. But she grabbed another towel and instructed Ronan to hold it in place. Piper looked at him, pitying him in his sorry state. “Can I get you some hot chocolate?” she offered, as she watched Yui grab Ronan’s phone, ushering him to unlock it so she could call his grandfather. "Max is getting looked after right now. Teagan got a blanket over him, and he took some water and some hay." Maybe the news that his horse was doing well, would lighten the mood.
"Alright," he said dejectedly to Mrs. Ledor-Kita now, not looking forward to the aftermath of his grandfather finding out about this fall, "Thank you, Mrs. Ledor-Kita." Given it drew blood, there was no doubt in Ronan's mind that he'd panic call his father in Australia, and knowing his father, he'd probably call him up lecturing about letting his mind wander too much in the saddle and putting too much trust in Max. All in all, the next twenty four hours were going to suck. At least he had Piper, who must have been in sync with his inner thoughts as she came striding into the house now - still in her full on vampire getup.
Even in his annoyance about this whole situation - the fall, Max freaking out, needing rescuing - Ronan still could not help but to smile at the young woman, "Thanks to you and your mom, I'll be fine. Even though it hurts my ego, I was lucky you where out in the woods." It suddenly occurred to him, in all of the months of knowing Piper Ledor-Kita, he had actually never stepped inside of her house. In fact, he hadn't even known where she lived, only that it had been within the Hickstead countryside and the property was big enough to hold a horse barn, "You know...your house is a little, uh, more neutral than I thought it would be."
He winced a little when the towel was removed, but hey, at least the bleeding stopped. Ronan managed to absorb what was being instructed to him as he took the new towel and firmly put it back to his head - his head giving another throb of disproval. The young man wryly smiled at Piper now, "I must look pretty pathetic if you're offering me hot chocolate," he commented now, unlocking his phone for her mom, "But I think the occasion calls for it. Is this like...special hot chocolate?" It felt like a valid question, given that the family runs their own teashop.
A sigh of relief did escape him when she informed him that Max was fine and being taken care of, "Thanks. He's an easy keeper, so he shouldn't be any issue for Tegan." And all of the sudden, Ronan felt a stab of jealousy, mainly because the young man just realized that he didn't know who this Tegan was nor what his connection was to Piper. The thought made him frown, and unsubconiously, he pushed the towel in a little harder now, only for the throbbing pain to knock him to his senses, "So, were you doing a photoshoot out in the snow? I can't help but to notice your makeup lacks some sparkles." He joked now, remembering vaguely when he was little, there was this fast obsession going on with the female population about sparkling vampires.
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
“Well, I think hot chocolate often makes everything better,” she smiled. “It could be made special, but I think it would knock you out. But I can make a peppermint version if you don’t want it plain, per se. We make our own mix here, so it’ll be a bit richer than the store-bought!” Piper stood up from sitting down and went and grabbed a hefty-looking pan from a cabinet, placing it on the stovetop. “Is regular milk, okay? We have oat milk if you’re dairy-free.” Piper herself would make hers with oat milk. It tastes richer to her for some reason.
“Max was quite worried when you went away. I think he was feeling a bit guilty, but he’s quite content in the warmth right now. But he’ll be excited to see you,” Piper reassured, pouring some oat milk in a separate pan.
“Hmm? Oh! Yeah,” Piper laughed, completely forgetting the state she was in. “I had this wild idea, and my mom humored me. Instead, we got you hurt,” she frowned, as she reached for the two mixes of hot chocolate. “Shining, huh? I’ll make sure to put on some body glitter if I want to make a teen girl’s dream come true!”
He couldn't help but to laugh a little bit when Piper pointed out her belief that hot chocolate makes everything better, "I suppose you're right. Anything is better than tea," he teased her now. Between his head and the cold though, the idea of hot chocolate sounded just perfect. Being in the house had warmed him up considerably, especially since he managed to shed the layers that had gotten wet, but his insides still craved something more. Ronan wasn't surprised to hear that the Ledor-Kita's had their own special way of making the chocolate-y drink, "I prefer regular milk but I'll have whatever's easiest for you," Ronan replied, blue grey eyes watching her pull out an aggressively heavy looking pan, "Although, if you make it white chocolate peppermint, I may just sell you my soul."
It was reassuring to hear that Max was doing fine in their barn, and that the brumby did appear to feel a tad bit guilty over the dump. Well, his horse always seemed to be guilty when Ronan was dislodged, but this case had been especially bad. It was hard for the young man to entirely fault Max though, the elements and sudden movement probably would have startled him as well had he been a horse, "Alright. Well, I appreciate your family's help with him. Unfortunately I might need help getting him back to Seven Oaks," but that would be a bridge crossed saved for later. He already knew he wouldn't be riding Max back to the barn, his head wouldn't allow it and neither would his grandfather once he came out to pick him up.
He listened to Piper laugh, and it warmed him just a little to see how she had completely forgotten the state that she had been in. Although, it didn't surprise him one bit. The young woman always seemed natural and happy no matter the outfit she was in - even if it was on the wilder side. Blue grey eyes watched as her smile turned to a frown though as she busied herself with the hot chocolate: "Instead, we got you hurt." Looks like Max wasn't the only one who felt guilty, "Piper. It was pure accident. It's not like you knew I would be out there. And quite frankly, I should have been paying more attention. Just because I'm not out on the outback doesn't mean I should let my guard down when riding." And that was the truth. Ronan knew he could trust Max 99% of the time, but he always had to remember that there was a 1% chance that things could go horribly wrong - no matter how well trained and conditioned his horse was.
At least, the sparkling humor seemed to make up for the fact that the conversation had nearly gone into some deep territory. Her words made her smile, and Ronan absently replied, "I'm sure you'd make anyone's dream come true." The words came out before his brain could register them, and suddenly, he felt very silly. Already, he could feel his face tingle just a bit, and it wasn't because of the towel becoming cold.
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
🔪
The concoctions simmered away. She had managed to find some white chocolate morsels in the fridge. It seemed to be a constant thing to have with the tea shop and everything. Cookies of all kinds were made for the bakery, and Piper was sure her parents wouldn’t mind if she finished off a half-open bag for some beverages.
It didn’t take long for things to be done, and soon enough two bigger than normal mugs were filled. One with Ronan’s specific request and Piper’s somewhat normal one. Well, she had extra peppermint added to hers. Piper gingerly moved the mugs over to Ronan.
“Yeah, I know. But it’s not every day that there are people jumping across the trails, in the wrong direction. But I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sure your grandfather will understand.” Piper picked up her mug and gently blew on it before sipping. “We have plenty of trailers to use for transport, so that won’t be an issue. We must move around all these horses somehow.” Granted, while most of the transportation was for the Ledor-Kita girls to travel to and from their respected barns – it was to also help move rescues. There was so much action now, it was as if a third trailer was needed – but Yui wasn’t going to move on until possibly the spring.
Ronan’s words lingered in her brain space, making her rest a hand on his leg. Maybe that was an aggressive move, but it was seen as a comforting motion in her family. She gave a gentle squeeze, before smiling again. “Well, there’s one person I would like to make their dreams come true. But I need his head to heal up first so he can remember when I do it.”
It wasn't long before the air was wafting with the smell of hot chocolate and peppermint - the second beset smell to a fresh brew of black coffee. The scent alone warmed Ronan to his core, and it wasn't long before a large mug was place before him on the sturdy kitchen table, "Thanks, Piper." He managed to grunt out now, although he wasn't even certain he was thanking her for the mug, saying she'd trailer Max back to Seven Oaks, or reassuring his grandfather that he was alive. Placing the head towel down, the young man wrapped his hands gingerly around the mug. To a normal person, the mug must have been piping hot, but after getting thrown into the freezing snow, Ronan Slade welcomed the tinged warmth to his hands.
Blue grey eyes had been staring into the depths of the hot chocolate now, like it held the key to all of the answers in the world, and it was his excuse to hide his gaze from Piper now. I'm sure you'd make anyone's dream come true. That kind of dumbass thing was that to say to girl before him? He had sounded like a love struck fool...even if he had meant those words. Ronan hadn't been paying attention to Piper's movement, not noticing she gently leaned forward until her hand was resting on his thigh, a gentle yet comforting squeeze soon followed. It was a fucking miracle that he didn't jump out of his skin.
His gaze snapped up to her now, away from the hot chocolate and catching her dark brown eyes staring at him, "What?" Holy shit. His heart beat racked up a notch, his head felt light. Was he going to fucking pass out again? Recover Ronan. Fucking recover. His face felt like it was on fucking fire now, and he wasn't even drinking the hot chocolate, "I'd...I'd like that." Ronan didn't have very many friends, but what few he had, he was certain they would have certainly groaned at that. Even Max would have groaned and he's a fucking horse, "Shit. I- I mean," was he stuttering? "You sure? I bet - I bet I can remember even with these wounds."
What was he suppose to do? Kiss her? He wanted to. But he had never kissed a girl before. What if he was awkward. Well fuck, he was already awkward. Maybe Piper was having second thoughts after this displace. What if her mom walked in? Or her dad? He should just go for it, right? Yeah. That sounded right. Ronan leaned in now, his hand coming up shakily as his thumb gingerly brushed her lower lip before cupping her jaw. His eyes closed, he was ready to commit. And then, a sound came outside the kitchen, and Ronan then did jump out of his skin. Hitting the table, with such force, it was a miracle that the mug didn't topple over now, "Shit. Sorry. I...Maybe I..." He didn't know what to say. Fuck. Too bad the ground was frozen over, or else he would have gone and dug himself a grave.
"People ought to quit worrying so much about whispering to their horses and just start listening to them." —Greg Darnall
