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!.
Sam didn't know what it was, but there was just something that was always relaxing about having out with the cows in the barn. Maybe it was because the large animals provided extra heat, or the fact that they were secretly cuddly animals, but Sam always preferred to spend his break time with them over people. One thing was for certain though - cows never sassed him unlike some of his human or equine partners in crime while working on Diesel Ranch. They were always just happy to be with him. Which is why he found himself hiding out with them now - chilling in a bed of hay amongst the large animals. Some where standing, but a majority appeared content with laying down and chewing their food absent mindly.
One of the cows, Daisey, didn't seem to mind as Sam leaned against her side, sprawled out as if he were on his couch back at his little cabin, "Don't mind me girl," he mumbled to her as he leaned his head back against her now and closed his eyes. His hat tilted forward to shield his eyes as he already felt his body start to relax from the morning's hard work. Sam's mind was already wandering, thinking about something, someone. It was always about someone though - someone specific. That golden hair in the morning sunlight. Those sharp blue green eyes watching everything.
It was as if Daisey knew where his mind was going, because on que, she let out a deep groan that cut through his thoughts like that of a knife - jostling him out of some dreamy haze, "Really?" he mumbled, lifting his hat just slightly to give her a glower. It would also seem as if they were not alone, since even the state of the cattle barn could not mask the footsteps of another human being. Sam listened good, waiting, before someone appeared. Someone he knew well enough since his arrival from Texas, "Forrest," Sam greeted now, refusing to move from his comfy spot against the cow, "Something up?"
What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.
thanks aofie!
Twenty Nine . Ranch Hand . LGBTQ+ . It's Complicated - TENAYA SYDNEY HOLLAND (unrequited crush - 2 years)
Work hadn’t been grinding his gears, due to the fact it was still winter. Forrest, if anything, was busier dealing with the possible heartbreaks of his children when they were probably rejected in two days. Valentine’s Day was never a fun time for kids their age. Nevertheless, he helped pick out candy and cards.
The ranch had been a bit boring lately, as the cattle didn’t too much move. His hours now were more about making sure all the stables were cleaned out and the cows fed. Since the temperatures weren’t terrible, Forrest figured he could deep clean one of the pens before he left for the day. The task would take him a bit, especially if he took his time.
He made his way to grab some of the supplies needed and saw Sam asleep against Daisy. Forrest smirked at the sight and was about to go on his way until Sam called out to him. “Ah, Sleepy Beauty is awake, eh? Nah, nothing is wrong. Just prepping to deep clean a pen.”
Sam frowned at being called 'Sleeping Beauty', uncertain on how to take that other than he had been caught taking a nap with one of his favorite cows. Still, he knew not to really take fault with the tease, given this was the ranch after all and it was just the way of life - teasing that is, "Yeah yeah, Daisy barely let me get any beauty sleep." That or she barely let him dream about a certain Diesel Ranch farrier. He wasn't about to voice those thoughts out loud though.
At the mentioning that Forrest was going to be doing a deep cleaning, Sam weighed his options of the day. He really didn't have much of a full plate himself today and given that the other man had just stumbled upon him dozing off meant that he couldn't get away without offering to help. There were worse people at the Ranch than Forrest Palmer to work with though, and he typically tended to make the list of people that Sam was willing to tolerate for more than five minutes. Pushing himself up now, he brushed any remaining hay and wood chips off himself, "Here, let me help you. One less thing standing in the way of you and your kids."
He was fairly certain the man had his kids today at least, or full custody. It sounded like a weird situation if he remembered the vague details, but unlike his own divorced parents, Sam knew that Forrest and his Ex-Wife co-parented with relative ease, "Your family prepping for Valentine's Day?" he asked, grabbing the last of the gear so there wouldn't be a second trip back before the deep clean started.
What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.
thanks aofie!
Twenty Nine . Ranch Hand . LGBTQ+ . It's Complicated - TENAYA SYDNEY HOLLAND (unrequited crush - 2 years)
“They’re spending time with their mom today. Even though I helped with candy and cards, she comes from the vein of baking cookies and something nice for the teachers, for any public holiday.” There was nothing wrong with it, but Forrest figured Juillian could handle that aspect. It was something she and the kids did, and things got more advanced as the kids got older. Like the time they insisted they had a cookie thon for Christmas.
“I’m just ready to be around for when they may possibly get rejected. They know that a strict No means no. I know they sometimes think they should chase, but I’m hoping Jillian and I hammered to not chase in their heads.” His kids were smart, but they were still teens. And teens sometimes didn’t think straight.
Forrest unlatched the empty pen and propped the wheelbarrow to keep the door open. He stepped in and began sifting out the old straw, hoping to get to the cement bottom to give a good scrub. “What about you? Finally, ask Tenaya out?” While Sam could pretend that no one knew, Forrest was a dad, and that made things easier to observe.
When Forrest explained his situation and how his ex had the kids for the evening, Sam couldn't help but to wryly smile, "Really? And here I totally had you pegged for a guy who decorated pink sugar cookie hearts with sparkly sprinkles." He joked now, hoping to have gotten even for that Sleeping Beauty comment. He followed after the older man now as he lead the way to the pen with his scrubbing materials, and continued to explain his family situation. Sam frowned for a moment, "Your kids are old enough to care about being rejected?" Not that he could judge, that very fear was why he was still single.
Sam grabbed a pitch fork from the wheelbarrow now, assisting with grabbing old hay and chucking it into the wheelbarrow, figuring that was the fastest and easiest way to get to the real target of the cleaning: the cement, "Either way, sounds like you'll have quite the evening." He thought that might be the end of the conversation, but clearly Sam should have known better: "What about you? Finally, ask Tenaya out?” Suddenly, the cement floor was looking really interesting right about now, "Why would I ask out Tenaya?" He grumbled.
Although, he did to one thing and he wasn't sure if the news traveled through the ranch fast enough. He loved working here, and living on site, but the one thing he didn't like was how everyone seemed to know what was going on. He paused, glancing up now and his blue eyes looked for Forrest, "We're hanging out on Tuesday, whatever date that is...but...just as friends. I'm building her a bonfire under the stars." Okay, that sounded corny. And just like, he went back to work, "But it's not a date."
What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.
thanks aofie!
Twenty Nine . Ranch Hand . LGBTQ+ . It's Complicated - TENAYA SYDNEY HOLLAND (unrequited crush - 2 years)
“Yeah, sure…” Forrest stated, continuing to shift away. Once the wheelbarrow was full, he began racking what was left towards the entrance. What was supposed to be a simple clean, was now becoming a bit more difficult than he thought. But it ended up being quite the conversation.
“Are you sure? It’s a one-on-one adventure, no?” Forrest inquired, putting his tool down to move the full wheelbarrow to be emptied. Once it was, he moved it back to be filled with the debris and he moved closer to the entrance. “Let me guess…you asked to hang out?” Forrest snorted.
It looked like that their time together was soon going to fall into the stereotypical ranch hand conversation of grunts and two worded answers - not that Sam minded, he tended to prefer conversations that went that way. The sounds of their shuffling work was the only thing spoken between them, until a real lull came when both men seemed to realize that the underbelly of the pen was a little more filthy than planned. A sigh escaped Sam, "We might as well strip the whole thing and grab the hose. I can talk to the manager to make sure the herd is going into a different pen and pasture tonight."
Of course, work seemed to be the least of Forrest's worries - he appeared more interested in Sam's dating life, or perhaps, lack of therefore, "Yeah...it's one on one...but I've been with Lani and Violet on a one on one status, and nobody seems to question it. Heck, I'm with you right now." Something told the young man though that Forrest viewed those hangouts differently than what he had planned with Tenaya, but for now, the argument could mask the feelings. Forrest, however, did not seem to mask his feelings when he let out a snort accompanied by a playful tease. The reaction caused Sam to bury his pitchfork almost a little too violently, as a few of the plastic tines threaten to snap, "Yeah...that was exactly what I asked her to do."
Because that's all what it was, right? A hang out? Blue green eyes looked to the older man now, right after he finished stripping the pen and couldn't help but to ask gruffly, "How did you find out anyways? That I asked her...to hang out."
What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.
thanks aofie!
Twenty Nine . Ranch Hand . LGBTQ+ . It's Complicated - TENAYA SYDNEY HOLLAND (unrequited crush - 2 years)
Forrest couldn't help but laugh at Sam's reactions towards his playful statements. “Okay, and? Do you not know what your eyes do when you see Tenaya? It's called a sparkle. You're more dull with everyone else.” It's that meme Forrest saw the young folks talk about. How they wish they had someone like Eugene from Tangled look at them the way he did to Rapunzel. In reality, they had people looking but they never noticed.
He grabbed a bucket and squirted some soap into it, before finding a water source. “People talk. There's no secrets here,” Forrest responded, turning on the spicket. “And you two don't hide it well either. Or maybe we are just so used to paying attention due to the cattle. You're just lucky Dean could give zero shits about us. I think it could be way worse, but inter work relations are always happening. No matter where.”
He haule the bucket over, and poured some of it over the ground. Forrest grabbed a brush and began scrubbing. “I mean, she didn't say no, right?”
