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!.
Somewhere along the last couple of months school had stopped being a priority. Okay, who was he kidding? Education had never been a priority to Nash but it had been mandatory and something he just did because that’s what was expected in society. It was what he had been taught, it was conformity as well as the rhythm of family life.
These days were different though. Things had become unfamiliar and time had become a blur, days seemed to drag even though the weeks and months since mum’s passing kept ticking by faster and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it. The memories of her physical presence fading even though he tried to hold on as tight as he could. Nothing lasted in this graceless age.
History class, lame. It was one of the last periods of the day but who actually did any work during the end of the school day anyways? Nope, it was useless and brains were fried by then, it was enough of a reason for Nash to decide to skip the class. He had been a nuisance in most of the classes lately, barely paid attention and being more rowdy than he needed to be, so he was basically doing them a favour by not being there. What was the worst that could happen to him? The worst had already happened, nothing could be worse than losing a parent.
Nash kicked against the big oak tree before he leaned his back against it and slid down to the ground. Gee, this wasn’t necessarily the good life either but he tried to tell himself it was better than being stuck in class. He pushed his earbuds into his ears before blasting the music through the tiny speakers as a distraction from the world around him.
aorn had the last period of the day as a spare, meaning he could use it to mark the most recent exam. He needed to stretch his legs first and get some fresh air before he got back to work. After dismissing the class as soon as they finished playing their music, hearing a sigh of relief as soon as the students realized the class was over. As the class shuffled off to their last class of the day, the blond man quickly cleaned the top of his desk and grabbed his keys - walking over to the door after the last student had left.
After exiting the classroom, he turned and locked his door - making sure his personal items were locked as well as the instruments. He stepped out and put the key in his pocket and headed out the back door of the school, pushing the door open and headed towards his usual hangout spot. He was shocked to see a student sitting at the base of the oak tree, wondering if the student had a spare. As he approached, he realized who it was, knowing for a fact that he didn't have a spare - as it was something reserved for older students.
"Nicholas, how are you doing this afternoon? Have a free class or are we skipping?" He raised his eyebrow, trying not to look threatening towards his student, trying to be understanding - but he knew skipping class wasn't exactly something the school was happy to hear about.
’Just a scar. Somewhere down inside of me. Something I cannot repair. Even though it will always be’.
The new Linkin Park song was blasting through his earbuds and if Nash was being honest, maybe it wasn’t the best music to listen to right now. Maybe he needed to find some happier stuff, music that made him feel better instead of even more emo than his brother Jace was on a day-to-day basis. Didn’t Miley Cyrus have a song out? That probably wasn’t all bubblegum and happy go lucky pop anymore either.
The sudden words directed at him broke his train of thought and caused the teen to look at the shoes that were in front of him. Nadh casted his eyes up at the figure standing near the old oak. Ah. Shit. Busted. He popped out one of his earbuds and the cord fell down before it dangled over chest. Nicholas. Pfft. He hated being called by his Sunday name. Usually his automatically short, and clipped, reply would be ‘It’s Nash’ but this was a teacher and he should have been in class so he wasn’t sure if he was in a position to enforce nicknames he preferred right now.
Nash liked Mr. Stonehouse a lot, the man knew his music as well as his area of expertise and he was fun to be around in class. The raised eyebrow made the boy shrug, he could tell a fib but it wouldn’t do him any good, ”It’s just history, sir, ‘s not like I’ll miss much. All the events covered in class already happened anyway and I can read up on it later?” It was a good and impressive excuse even if he said so himself.
s Aaron waited for a response, he wondered what was going through the student's head. Skipping school was something he also used to do, though more because of peer pressure now that he was able to look back at his youth. It was something he didn't think about until now. "Sir? I actually haven't heard that one before. Just Mr. Stonehouse is fine." The name made him feel like an old man, though he knew it was something that was required to be called at private schools. To him, it made the schools old-fashioned and with all his tattoos and piercings - he wouldn't fit in there anyway.
"History is one of the more important subjects. I know from the staff meetings that the teacher can be harsh." Some of the other teachers were definitely different, though that's what made the World an interesting place. "Just remember, participation is part of your grade. That's all I'm gong to say." He gently scolded the student. Aaron glanced around the outdoor area, realizing that the other students weren't there. "Is...there a particular reason you are skipping History in particular?"
Aaron smiled softly as he was asked if he was skipping teaching. "Oh no, it's my free block. I figured I would get some fresh air before I got to marking. Gotta show a good example anyway."
’Always be respectful.’ That was something Nash had heard pretty much his entire life from his parents and while it was hard at times it could never hurt when getting caught in the act of skipping class. No matter how old the teacher or adult in question was. Nash was good at being polite when he felt like it and it usually helped so he wouldn’t get yelled at.
”Fine, Mr. Stonehouse it is,“ he nodded, a lazy smile tugged at the corner of the teen’s mouth, ”if you will call me Nash?”Bingo. Buy one get one free. ”Nicholas makes me feel like I’m in trouble, which I’m not, right?” Hey, nobody could blame him for wanting to make sure before he continued the conversation or scurried off.
This man didn’t only look cool but he appeared to be such as well. Hopefully it wasn’t just an act to get the fifteen year old to listen to him. Nash could definitely live with that comment and would certainly take it into consideration next time he opted out of being bored to death by his history teacher. No promises though. "...No?” he replied, ”Just a long day and my brain was fried?” That was easier than saying it was just one amongst many he had been skipping lately and that the class being lame didn’t really help.
Free block. He needed to get his hands on those things. ”How do I get one of those? A free block? Sounds wayyy better than marking stuff, you sure you even want to go back today? I bet you have way more interesting things to do than dedicating all of your time to the educational system of doom.”
t was always curious to hear people call him Sir. He had been called it a few times in his short teaching career and it always made him feel like an old man. Sometimes at the Bank or somewhere more formal he was often quick to correct them by giving them his last name. "Thanks, that's better. Still makes me feel like my dad, though let's not get that personal." Having a student call him by his first name would prove that he had favorite students - and that was inappropriate. "Nash? Where did that nickname come from?" He would have expected Nick more, though nicknames weren't always that obvious.
"I can ignore your skipping class just this time, though next time I see you I'll have to report it." He wasn't one to be harsh, though the school still had rules that needed to be followed. Rules that he needed to implement if he wanted to keep his job. Aaron let out a soft sigh, he knew what a long day felt like. "I do understand that though skipping class is no excuse." There - that was his extent of being angry at the student. Nash was good at paying attention in his class, though he had heard through the grapevine that it wasn't like that in other classes. "Listen, I don't know what's going on that's making you skip...but if it's something is bothering you...there are resources for you." He wished there was that kind of help when he was younger or even when his fiancé had died.
A smile crossed his face when the free block was mentioned. "Now you need to be a bit older for that. Usually, if you get one it's more a study period." And the teachers were pretty strict about taking attendance for those as well. "I do have to mark, unless you don't want a grade for this part of the semester?" He joked, he was pretty good at keeping on top of it though but his weekly free period was always welcomed. "Do you really not like school that much?"
“We could make it more informal by making it ‘Mr. Stonehouse, the dude’?” he grinned, “Sounds good, right?” It definitely had a ring to it according to Nash, it was still respectful enough and less old fashioned for the teacher to feel like Mr. Stonehouse senior. “Nicholas James” he huffed, his eyes smiling as he made a face. It was his name but it was a name he really didn’t want to hear all that often as it usually meant there were issues. His mum had used it often to scold him but also in affection when he needed to hear it, needed her to make him feel better. Feel safe. It spelled big trouble whenever his father used it though. “I like Nash better, obviously” he made it known, “I think it has some Irish roots somewhere”, that wasn’t all that hard with their family history ascending from the Emerald Isle.
He would definitely settle for the music teacher not reporting anything this time, next time was something he wasn’t even going to think about. Live by the day had become a very important motto in the teen’s life. Who knew if there was a tomorrow after all. At least he wasn’t being told off in a longer extent than just the man stating it was wrong. Oh, he knew that. He also knew there were resources but there was no way he was talking to any guidance counselors or therapists. Nash shrugged the offer off, he had lost his mum, he hadn’t gone off the rails like his brother Jace had.
A study period didn’t sound as fun as a ‘free block’ had though, neither did being a teacher with having to mark tests and stuff, “No grade would mean it wouldn’t be good or bad, always a silver lining in any of that. Would be easier for you too”, he huffed before eying the man again, his question one he had to think about. ”It’s not really school that I don’t like?” he admitted, ”I like drama class and the theater stuff, your class is fun too but the rest is just soooo boring and I hate being told what to do.”
aron laughed at the dude comment. "Alright. You win. I'll call you Nash. The dude sounds a little not professional." He tried to be relatively respectful of the nicknames of his students. They were all old enough to know if they liked their legal names or not. He didn't mind his name though his true friends all called him AJ.
"Oh come on. Your name could be a lot worse. Nicholas James sounds nice." He knew of a lot of people who had names no one could pronounce. If that happened, he did try his best to talk to the student and get as close to the proper way as he could. "Do you not like it or something?" Names were hard - parents having to give names to their children before their true personalities came out.
Aaron shook his head, assigning no grade would be easier but that wasn't something he could control. "There has to be some sort of scale so that Universities know how well you did in your courses. If that's what you choose to do." It wasn't something he thought he would do, but being a musician full time wasn't feasible financially. "I appreciate you enjoying my class. I had the same problem as you, though I wasn't much of a drama person. Honestly, you just have to suck it up and chug through the material." He shrugged his shoulders, lucky that his teachers were understanding and helped him through the subjects he struggled with.
”I always win” he grinned, trying to remember he was talking to a teacher instead of one of his fellow students or brothers. The smile he gave the man should be one Aaron had seen before because Nash wasn’t one to hide his impishness in class either. Cocky in a likable way, that’s what he was and he knew exactly how to use it to his advantage too. ”’The dude’ could be cool though but I guess the majority of teachers here are too old and wouldn’t have a clue how awesome a nickname like that would be”
’Nicholas James sounds nice’. Oh, Nash was sure it sounded nice, it really did have a ring to it. It was just way too formal for him, he was fifteen after all, not Besides, the times it did get used were formal occasions or telling offs anyways. ”It’s not a bad name or anything but it’s way too proper and official for me. I’ll stick with Nash.”
Nash made a face, the word university made him shiver just at the thought of having to sit through more classes after he finished secondary school. Sucking things up and chugging through the material didn’t sound like a good perspective for the next couple of years. ”I’ll try and rely on my acting stills to get me through then” he said, his statement ambiguous to the core. ”It only takes one breakthrough to get famous after all”
Haven't you heard, it's not all about winning. Learning to lose and accept it is more difficult." There was his teacher advice for the afternoon - he realized quickly after moving to Hickstead that he wasn't like the other teachers. Some of them were just plain harsh to their students and as his school days weren't exactly easy - he decided to be different. The impish smile that graced the younger man's face made made the bleach blond smile. He didn't know what Nash had gone through, but it was nice to see some emotion. "The dude? Maybe I'm not ask old as I think I am. I remember my friends calling each other that when I was in school." Maybe he didn't feel so old after all. "Nash might be more unique though. What do you want to be famous for anyway?"
His wanting to be famous days were over - though he was happy helping his friend's back home become famous through their music was much more his speed. "Your parents call you that when you are trouble, don't they?" It sounded like it was a huge reason why most people didn't like their name - though it could be easily changed. "I don't exactly like my name either if that helps." Aaron was boring - it didn't suit him. His friends all called him AJ back in school. That was much cooler in the eyes of his younger self.
"I do hate to break the bad news. But sometimes that opportunity never really comes. You could focus on acting and theater classes." He eventually realized that he needed a real job, and teaching music was the next best thing. Teaching was a lot more steadier than making music in terms of financial income. "What kind of movies do you want to be in anyways?" He tried to be more curious about the futures of his students - there was always something he could help with outside of class.
Nash tilted his head slightly to the side at the words about how learning to lose and accept that was much more difficult. ”Hmm, exactly, that’s why winning is the easy route to take” he grinned, thinking he was pretty smart to figure that out. Losing was for babies. ”Yea, the dude” he countered, the feeling of triumph still lingered, ”You aren’t old, you’re like, what, ten years older than me?” Yea, Mr. Stonehouse could definitely still pass for a university student if he wanted.
”Yea, I would hate it even more if my first name was Mister too” he joked, referring back to their earlier conclusion that Mr. Stonehouse was a better way to refer to the man than ‘Sir’ was. ’Your parents call you that when you are trouble, don't they?’ Shit. ”Yea..my dad, my mum…” his voice trailed, ”...but she’s gone as you know.” The man was right that his nickname was a unique one and while he loaded his given name at certain points in time, he always loved when people commented in favor of his nickname.
He hadn’t even considered starring in movies to be honest. Sometimes you heard about stage actors taking on supporting roles in TV shows or things but the big leagues was something Nash never figured was possible. ”Oh, I honestly hadn’t thought about big movies yet? I was aiming for West End, maybe Broadway someday but yea, movies could work? Like, you only have to perform once and wait for the money to come in!” It sounded ideal in a way but then again, where would the feeling of accompaniment be without an actual audience?
aron raised his eyebrow, he didn't think Nash was someone who was cocky, but he also didn't know the student very well. "But you do know you have to learn how to lose before you learn how to win." That was cheesy of him to say, but it was something he had learned. Winning wasn't everything, despite some people thinking that. He wasn't much of an athlete and when it came to music - he was just happy to play. "Yeah, that's not something I'd like to be called thanks, just Mr. Stonehouse or even Mr. S." He had to be professional - being a teacher meant it came with the job - even though he swore his Father went by that name and he never would.
"You are sixteen aren't you? I'm more than ten years older than you." Asking a teacher's age wasn't exactly appropriate either, but they weren't in the classroom right now either. He wasn't going to admit his age as it would make him feel old. "Ah, I get your joke now. I sure hope my parents didn't call me Mister." He didn't know what to think about the name Aaron either, but at least it was something not as common. "Yeah, I heard about that. You know you have help at school if you need help. Grieving can take longer than you think. Do your siblings call you that too?" He sympathized with him - Megan had died almost three years ago now but he was just now getting over it.
He was amazed that movies weren't something he had thought about. "So musicals then? or more traditional pieces?" Aaron hoped it was something musical as Nash was in his class, but that didn't mean anything. "If you really want money, more than one show would be your best bet. I know it means more work, but the money will be flowing."
Nash frowned, of course he knew the man was right, you had to learn how to lose before you could win at anything. That just wasn’t something he was good at. He has always winged it, had always pretended to know exactly what he was doing even if he hadn’t mastered whatever art it was he was engaging in. He had to with all these brothers around him at home not to get walked over completely. Always get that poker face out if you weren’t confident enough. ”Yea, I think I know that, Mr. S” he admitted while using a name the man was more comfortable with.
God, how he would love to be sixteen already but nope, always trailing behind. Link was sixteen and it seriously looked so much better than being fifteen. ”Nope, fifteen” the scowl was there even when he tried his best to hide it. ”Mister would be a weird name for a baby and yea, they all call me Nash” Nash was glad for the humor hiding in their conversation or else he would’ve hightailed it out of here, it was hard to talk about stuff while not actually talking about the deeper meaning of it all. ”Grieving blows”
”Musicals, traditional pieces, yea both, just like being on that stage either way?” Was that stupid to admit to?
aron wasn't much of an athletic person, but he knew how to compete. There was more to Sports or any sort of competition than winning. He didn't understand why people were so invested in winning, just doing well with the skills a person had were good enough for him. "I need to remember you have brothers and I don't. That must have something to do with your competitiveness, don't you think?" He was actually happy he just had a younger sister - brothers would have been too much to handle in his mind.
He felt his eyebrows raise. Nash had made him feel old. Aaron knew he was still pretty young for a teacher, his colleagues being at least in their 30s by now. "Ha, to be that young again. By your reaction, I feel like you want to be an old man already?" He knew kids often wanted to be adults faster than the year went by, but there were adults that wanted to be young again. It was a never ending cycle. "I don't know, I've heard some strange baby names. Mister wouldn't be as bad as the ones I've heard." His friends were off having babies back home - deciding on some more modern names than he was used to.
"As long as you get called Nash. Do your siblings call you something weird or bad though?" He was lucky his sister had always been kind and loving towards him - granted, he was much older than her to begin with. "I wasn't expecting that answer from you. My mind thought that you'd enjoy doing more modern acting pieces. So you've done Shakespeare then?" Aaron glanced at his watch, realizing he would have to leave soon to return to marking projects from his students.
