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!.
"Grace, this is far too much food," Tre Constantine commented now, staring at the loaded platters of food set before him to sample. It was an early afternoon at the Pirate's Bounty, where the staff lay in wait for business lunch rush hour to officially kick in. Green eyes flickered up to the young brunette woman now, a look of sheer determination and stubbornness resting on her face, "Well, you have to try it all. The seasonal menu is changing to all of this soon, and I need to make sure it's perfect. Quentin just told me everything's great and I don't believe him." And with that, she disappeared behind the bar in a huff towards her office. Tre watched her leave before returning to the food now, a sigh escaping him.
It was shocking to think that he was here, in the United Kingdom. Between Croughton and Hickstead, this felt like a career death sentence. Tre could see the writing on the walls, he was being put out to pasture in a graveyard, the Navy finding the last place to put him before they could force retirement upon him and his rank. Tre also knew that he ended up here because of his big fat ass mouth and the need to get the last fucking quip in. The thought made a sigh escape him, the man closed his eyes for a moment, reentering himself back to the now before opening his green eyes back up to stare at the food that that his niece, Grace Constantine and driving force behind Pirate's Bounty, left for him.
He had to give her and her head cook credit, it all looked wonderful and was presented in such a state that any foodie would drool over. Tre knew that every ingredient before him was organic, hand selected between a dozen of local farms in Hickstead. Farm to Table is what she proposed it as, all of those many years ago when she and Quentin brought before a business plan for his by in, because unlike his brother and sister, Tre would be wild enough to believe in them to pull it off in a brutal world. His gaze flickered to one of two people now behind the bar since Grace's vacancy, "So, why does your sister not want to take your word on the food?" He was met with a lazy grin, one Tre was certain he taught Quentin himself.
"'Cause she thinks I just like to agree with her so I don't have to deal with her," the young man commented now, filling up a flight and setting it before his uncle, "I'm was telling the truth though, everything's great."
And just like that, Tre was left alone again as his nephew when to go joke with the remaining bar tender. His gaze flickered to the flight sampling of beer now also. Was this was he was going to get subjected to every time he stopped by? Food and beer? Not that it was something to complain about, Tre knew his niece and nephew knew exactly what they were doing, but he had a figure to maintain and hearts to break with it. He may possibly be his last tour, but command be damned if he wasn't going down without having any extra circular fun. Still, this was far too much. Just when the man found himself resigned to having to small sample everything, there was movement just a bar stool one or two over now.
Tre turned slightly, green eyes looking to the individual now, "Want to help me sample this? It's on the house, you'll need your own drink though." After all, he probably couldn't fully rob Pirate's Bounty of a paying customer.
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Moses wasn’t one to snob on other bars. It just wasn’t his thing. He saw it as friendly competition, but he knew there were things that Esther could do better than he did. As a nightclub, he still had decent mixed drinks and a massive selection of shots. Esther was more of the fancy – mixologist type. Moses, while he appreciated it, didn’t have the time to allow that type of artistry. Especially, when the dancing began.
Pirate’s bounty was new, not even a year he felt. But there seemed to be a great amount of interest. He had stopped in, more as someone to support a local business, not as a saboteur. Moses walked in and nodded at the young woman at the stand before walking towards the bar. He took a seat and turned his head when someone’s voice called out to him.
A polite smile crossed his face. “Not as young as you were to finish off the float?” Moses teased. Moses, while more of a hard liquor person, still wouldn’t say no to free beer. “What are we trying today?” He had time today, as the kids were still in school and would be picked up by Courtney.
Laughter escaped Tre at the stranger's introduction line, "Sadly no, plus I am sure her mother has her convinced that I live off of, god forbid, processed food." That actually was not the case, and the man was quite proud of himself for that. Growing up with a Greek mother and a polish American father had lead to a stable of interesting foods over the years, but naturally, women always win in the kitchen which often meant that fruits, veggies, lean meats, and lots of whole grains to include pasta typically where what were up for grabs in the Constantine household, "What's your poison of choice for beer? I'm sure whatever it is, we have it on tap."
As for the menu, Tre's green gaze returned to the curated platter she had placed in front of him, "Let's see...looks like Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Bites, Brie, Asparagus, and Bacon Bundles, Faux-tao Chips...I'm guessing radish, Antipasto Bites, and to round it off, Avocado Humus." Although, he was certain that the last one was main for him since the season just ended and she was trying to pawn off her avocados. Tre figured he'd keep that to himself though as green eyes looked back over, "I feel like there's a significant lack of meat." Maybe this stranger was a vegetarian though as he pushed the platter between them.
Then, Tre stood up for a moment and leaned over the counter as best as he could to swipe two snacking plates and divided them between himself and his new friend, "I'm Tre Constantine by the way," he introduced himself now, "Uncle to the two behind the counter as well as their wallet for this place when they need it."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
“It sounds in season,” Moses, offered. He offered similar platters when the dining area of the club was open. “Once the farmers are prepping their meat, I’m sure it changes. Which will happen if this place is a farm-to-table?” Maybe Moses had been in the business long enough to know. But it also seemed to be what the restaurant around here were like. There was a plethora of farmers willing to provide food. Granted, Moses wasn’t exactly a fan of butchering anything himself – he was there to pay his respects. Also, he and Esther were two of the highest-paying clients, so they would get first dibs on meat cuts. But he wasn’t going to let that slip.
“A pleasure to meet you Tre,” Moses responded, holding out his hand. Once the firm handshake was hard, Moses placed the napkin in his lap. “I’m Moses Baker. Ah, I see. Well, all good places often need some support when needed. When did they officially open?” Granted, he kind of already knew the answer. But once again, Moses wasn’t about to let all his secrets slide. Not right away at least. Call it gatekeeping, but he wanted to get a feel if people were serious or not.
“What do you know about this place? Is it considered high-end, more casual?” he asked, taking some of the offerings that were presented to him earlier.
Tre listened to the man talk, and boy, did it sound like he knew a thing or two about the restaurant business in Hickstead. The talk about the farmers and the change of meat selection might actually be above Tre's alley. Yes, he paid attention to his food groups and selections when he went out grocery shopping (when he could) but sticking to what was in season had never been something he had been good at, "That's the plan, farm to table. I admit I didn't realize that meat was the same as fruits and vegetables with seasons, but that's not my job here." Guess he could learn a thing or two though in case Grace or Quentin ever needed him to fill in and step up his game.
"Pleasure is mine, Moses," Tre replied, not surprised in the least by the firm handshake. Moses Baker. That name sounded vaguely familiar to him, and as his green eyes glanced towards the end of the bar, he could see that his nephew was casually trying to watch the conversation. The man frowned for a moment, wondering if his niece would somehow reappear out of no where. Shrugging it off though, he returned his attention back to the man, "They never did an official opening, just a soft open three or four months ago. I admit I missed it." It would also explain why Grace was trying to shove food down him now, she and her head chef must be figuring out the new menu.
And then there was another follow up question. Tre simply smiled, "You ask a lot of questions, Moses Baker." It wasn't an accusation, merely a statement, "They're aiming for high end casual, they don't want to be a college bar but they also don't want to exclusively cocktail. I'm pretty certain they are trying to find a balance inbetween...shit, what are those two places...R&R and Luna?" Tre himself hadn't scoped out either place yet, felt weird to do so - partially because it felt like an insult to his niece and nephew and partially because he felt like he didn't match cliental base for either. Speaking of his niece, she had reappeared from the back now, waltzing over to speak to Quentin in hushed tones as they both peered back. Green eyes had watched for a moment before he reached over to his flight a beer to take a tasting glass, "You must be pretty famous if you're catching their eye just by sitting with me, Moses," Tre joked now, glancing back over, "I have to say, I feel like I've heard your name before."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Moses shrugged. “If you think I ask too many questions, then you’ve never met the rest of the locals,” he laughed. It was true. When he first took over R&R, a lot of people were confused. Almost avoided the joint for a bit. But it only took a few months of adjustment for people to come crawling back. While some people would’ve been offended by their food being called casual, Moses didn’t bat an eye. It just meant they hadn’t put their research in. Casual was for the late nights, high end was during the day.
Fingers gingerly picked up a glass, gave it a swirl, and took a sip. The sample was sour, heavier – an IPA. “Famous, eh? Well, I don’t think that’s the case. I do a lot of community work with my sister. Also, the resident reptile wrangler,” he laughed. “My sister owns a floral shop. They may know her from her community garden outreach. If they don’t, they should consider it. She’s set up a few herb gardens for some local places.”
Moses's remark about the locals made him arch an eyebrow, "Can't say I've met many locals yet, but I'll keep that in mind. They know when someone new is in town?" Granted, Tre couldn't help but to feel like any town, any building, any job, all what people did was talk. It was like that in all of the schools he had been in growing up, at the academy, and certainly on bases - he supposed a small town like Hickstead would be no different, "Guess I can say I live in a quirky town then like all of those soap operas then." Although, given most of his family lived in Hickstead, he wasn't sure whom else he could inform of this discovery.
He followed the other man's lead now with taking a glass of beer, but unlike the fellow next to him, Tre didn't bother to swirl his glass, he just wanted a swig of it. The golden liquid was smooth though, unlike any beer he had had before, so maybe he'd give Quentin props for that, "Reptile wrangler? I feel like there's a story there," Tre said with a grin, "As for your sister, I'll make sure to pass the information along." He wasn't entirely sure who his niece and nephew were using as suppliers - it was probably in the business plan that he hadn't fully read - but either way, Tre figured it didn't hurt to pass the information along and Grace could do with it what she pleased.
"So if you do community outreach, does that mean you were born and raised here then?" Tre asked now, "And you stayed?" A concept that he never understood, but perhaps he had his childhood and work to thank for that logic. Maybe he was coming off as rude, so just in case, Tre quickly added, "Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just didn't grow up that way. Work didn't change that way of thinking either really."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
“Unfortunately, not as you’d like. I have a collection, and not many people – other than the zoo folks, tend to know how to work with them. Saved the local police station from an escapee." The story was entertaining, but Moses knew that not everyone was a fan of the scales and the slime. He knew his sister already got a lot of flack for her hairless cats.
Moses took another sample of beer, eyeing the color and the head – before taking a sip. It was fruitier than the first. A light one, like a blue moon. Not a citrus base though. A bit too fruity for his taste but was probably a hit for those who liked it. “Wasn’t born here but did grow up here for a bit of time. I was gone for a bit but came back. There was still a need to help people and decided to just do it – instead of waiting for people to do it for us. Mainly to help the teens and kids off the streets and give them a responsibility of sorts.”
He gave a small nod. “It’s not for everyone. There’s a level of patience needed for it. But my sister and I get a lot of support, so we like to think we’re making a difference.”
