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!.
Tre Constantine found himself sitting on a park bench, overlooking the what was probably the largest pond in the quiet town of Hickstead, mulling over his situation. It was still unreal to him that this is where he ended up. Tre supposed that's what he got for mouthing off to the Command Chain for the last training model at War College. He was now 'navel attaché' to the an Air Force base. Air Force! Which, really did put a whole new meaning on the catch phrase 'chair force'. It was funny behind here though, given that Tre had thought that War College had been the place that would be his career 'graveyard', only for Command to find a new place to stash him away until his eligible aka forced retirement.
As annoying it was being out in the middle of no where with a bunch of sheep, yes, they were literally outside the air force base, it was hard to complain about the trade off. Croughton was close enough to Hickstead, UK, where he could live there, and that had been what ended up being important to him. This little countryside and seaside town of England had been home to none other than one little farm to table bar and restaurant, Pirate's Bounty, which was own by none other than Grace and Quentin Constantine. His niece and nephew, along with another employee, Zola Constantine, his niece. A whole branch of his family had just been sitting here, working away and living their lives.
While his nieces and nephew had been delighted, Tre knew that his own sister and brother in law were simply thinking 'what have you done this time, tre'. The man couldn't fault them for that that way of thinking, it had essentially been Tre's tagline since, well, forever. Naturally though, and perhaps immaturely, Tre didn't really care on what his own siblings thought, or his parents, but it was different case when it came to the younger people in his life. Thankfully though all three of them, Grace, Quentin, and Zola, found no fault in his recent relocation. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the piece of printed paper, non classified of course, with his assigned orders for relocation to England.
The tone was strict and tight, as green eyes reread it now, already hearing the voice of RDML in his head. Sighing, Tre folded the piece of paper over and over, before it resembled a little boat. Pushing himself up to his feet now, Tre walked down to the edge of the pond and crouched. Gingerly, he placed the little paper boat on the water, and pushed it off onto it's own little mission to conquer the lake. Well, until the water took it to it's papery grave at least.
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Jeremy's parents had forced him to take a day off. He was starting to feel the burnout of running a Hotel full time, though with things slowing down and tourist season around the corner - he needed a mental health break.
He decided to head to the park, wanting some fresh air. Spending all day inside working didn't do him any good either. Jeremy had one thing on his mind - how he should ask Dahlia on a date and where he should take her. The gravel crunched beneath his feet as he debated. He had a crush on Dahlia since their days in University together. It wasn't long before he reached the pond.
Jeremy saw a man crouching by the edge of the pond, making his way over to him. "Did you lose something in the water? Or is the edge of the water interesting?" Another man he didn't recognize - though with work he didn't often adventure out of the hotel either. "I didn't mean to interrupt, scaring you was the last thing I wanted to do." He glanced over at the ducks in the pond, smiling softly at the sight of the ducklings swimming along with their parents.
Tre had been so enraptured with watching his little paper boat make it five feet out into the pond without sinking yet that he hadn't realized that he had a visitor until they spoke: "Did you lose something in the water? Or is the edge of the water interesting?" Well, that was unexpected. He glanced up and to the right of himself to see a rather tall man (although unfortunately everyone was tall compared to him, even his one niece). He must have been utterly unreadable through his aviator sunglasses since the stranger soon followed up with an apology for 'scaring him'. Well, that did it.
The man placed his hands on his knees before pushing himself up now. The height difference was even worse than he thought - this man was easily 6 feet tall. Still, Tre ignored it as always, whipping off is aviators now and flashed a smile, "Takes a lot more to scare me than just saying a hello unannounced." Truth be told, he knew he had always been lucky that he flew planes. While he had still lost friends in the field, Tre didn't suffer from PTSD that a lot of ground mission members got. Green eyes flickered to the paper boat now, looking like it was on the verge of meeting its inevitable watery grave, "I made a paper boat and was sailing it across the pond. Looks like she's taken her last voyage though."
His gaze flickered back to the man now, still grinning that stupid boyish charming look that got him around his whole life, "I'm Tre, new to town. You are?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
He watched as the ducks swam by, enjoying how peaceful it was. The quietness was a strong contrast to the loud, intense sounds at the Hotel. It made him wonder if this was what other people's minds sounded like. "Oh good, you never know who scares easily. It depends on the situation though, right?" If he was in the middle of a dance, he would be more disappointed than startled - but it often happened to him anyway.
"Ah? Are you a boat guy? I feel like we should give her a proper burial if we can." He wasn't really a boat guy, though he would never say no to going out on a boat - if someone offered. It was ironic as he worked and helped run the beach hotel, though he preferred his feet on the land. "I'm Jeremy. Nice to meet you, Tre. What made you move here?" It was always interesting to hear why people moved. Hickstead was starting to become a hopping place by the sound of it. His dark eyes flickered back to the boat, watching as it sunk down into the water.
Both men appeared to be distracted by the ducks as they swam by, silent for once. That was one thing Tre did have to say about this post, it was awfully quiet and peaceful. The man didn't find it a bad thing per say, not after a lifetime of shitty war zones with the occasional nice post, but it was certainly different. Green eyes looked to the stranger as he spoke - his words musing, "Of course," Tre said with a smile, "Something like that. I think having siblings makes one develop nerves of steel though. Gotta always be on guard when you're little."
The stranger's question made him laugh a little, "I'm more of a plane guy than a boat guy, but they're still nice," replied, watching his paper boat slowly start to sink, "As for the funeral, the pond might have just given her a warrior's funeral just now to a watery grave." The man before him looked fancy enough to appreciate boats, but Tre had learned to not judge a book by it's cover long ago. It was one of the worst things to do a person, lead to that individual to be underestimated and boy, did they often come back with an vengeance. At least now he had a name, "Pleasure to meet you, Jeremy," he said now, extending his hand out in a handshake, "Work brought me here, I'm stationed over in Croughton. A chunk of my family lives here though, and they own Pirates Bounty in town...I guess I kinda own it too." He mused out loud, "Judging by your accent, I assume you're from around here?"
He felt as the ones native to Hickstead appeared to have their own stork of brogue or accent, countryside almost compared to what he had heard in London when his father had been posted to the Embassy.
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
The few moments of silence made him realize that he should spend more time there on his days off. Peace and quiet were something he needed after a long shift of running the hotel. There was an endless amount of tasks to be done, but he was learning to let things that could wait to wait. He wasn’t a robot after all. “See and I’m an only child, so I didn’t really have anyone to scare me off. Are you the youngest child then?”
Jeremy nodded, planes were also intriguing. “I wouldn’t have thought that, I actually admire both. Though I haven’t ever had to pilot either of them unless you count a paddle boat. Then I’ve done that several times.” He doubted it counted as it didn’t have a motor, though maybe Tre would find it funny. “Do you fly planes for a living or something?” Jeremy watched as the ship sank more until it finally sunk in the water. “I do hope you can build another one. That was a very sad voyage if I do say so myself.” Though the pond was much too big for a small boat, it was something that was impressive nonetheless.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Tre.” Jeremy returned the handshake, dropping his hand once it was done. “Stationed? Like Military stationed? It must keep you busy.” It wasn’t something he considered doing, granted his father would have killed him if he decided to join the Army. “Oh nice, that’s the newer bar in town, right? I’ll admit I haven’t been there yet.” He would have to go explore it though if the owner seemed nice enough. “I am actually, born here in Hickstead and barely left. Other than to go to University, I needed to be on my own for a bit.” Jeremy smiled, he was glad he had some time alone to focus on his studies.
"Guilty as charged," Tre said with a grin now, "Got into trouble all the time. My parents were too exhausted to discipline me by the time I was born, so my siblings were annoyed how I always got off scot free." Actually, Tre was pretty certain that school and the military was really what disciplined him in life, but there was no need to bore the other man with that sort of thing, "Guess you couldn't get away with a thing if you were the only child." Although given the quiet nature that Jeremy seemed to have, the man doubted that the other got into too much trouble growing up.
It was tempting to joke that Jeremy Kirby looked a little too big to fit into an airplane, but thought better of it in case he was one of those guys who took words as is. He offered a smile at the paddleboat comment, "Hey, a paddleboat is still a boat, and it can carry you." Tre was pretty certain that he and Grace had gotten stranded back out in one of those American lakes due to the choppy waves and his niece tiring out given she had been no older than eight. Tre often liked to poke her about it and how they lived to tell the tale. At the question on whether he flied planes for a living, green eyes looked up at the man and said jokingly, "That's classified." After a beat though, he soon relented, "I did. I still do for fun. I'm grounded for now. At least at work - I can fly recreationally though."His gazed moved out towards the water once more, watching the sink officially disintegrate into the water now, "Guess I need stronger paper next time. I'll make a note." Hopefully though, the next time he would want to do this, it would be more than just sticking it to his papered orders.
"I have to say, you have quite the handshake there, Jeremy," Tre commented now as they broke it now, although perhaps it wasn't surprising given the other man's work in the hotel industry. He nodded a yes to Jeremy's question about military work now, "It does. Keeps me out of trouble and makes enough money to help my niece and nephew out with their bar. You should stop by it some time. If nothing else, stop by when I'm there because they keep on shoving more food at me than I can eat." Growing up overseas thanks to being a Navy brat, he found it a little surprising when people left their hometown merely to return to it after university or college, "Oh yeah? Why did you come back? Just the family business or didn't like what you saw beyond the boarders of Hickstead?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “Ah, the youngest are you? I’ve heard from other people that it’s a mixed bag in terms of behavior.” His own parents were just happy to have one child - even more so that he was born a boy. Jeremy’s parents were old school that way. “How many siblings do you have?” When he was a teenager, he often wondered what it would be like for him to have siblings. It had been a bit lonely for him, but he had made friends soon enough to make up for it. “Oh, I think I got away with more than you think. My parents were both never really home so I don’t think they knew when I broke something.” Mentioning being raised by a nanny would have made him sound as posh as he really was - not really something he wanted to mention to a stranger just yet.
“That is true, though I can imagine the ships you deal with are much more impressive.” He was honestly just happy at the time to be able to get it from one end of the shore to the other. Jeremy loved being outside and being active, though solid ground was a must for him. “Does that mean you caused trouble and got yourself grounded? Wait, if that’s too personal don’t answer that.” Jeremy used his hand and waved off his question. Sometimes learning why someone got fired wasn’t something people often shared. “That must be entertaining. Do you work at one of the bases nearby?” He didn’t know much about the Navy or Army but he had heard there was a base nearby.
As the boat made its final sink into the water he nodded. “Or maybe not even paper? There must be something else you could make it out of. Maybe some sort of plastic?” There were too many options for materials - though what people could make with 3D printers now amazed him. “Thank you. So do you. I feel like it’s something I needed to learn with all those stuffy business meetings.” Jeremy did love his job but even he got bored talking to investors and hearing their plans for the Hotel.
“They own the bar? Cool. I'll have to come get dinner there one night. Do you get free food as an investor or something?” Jeremy smiled again - he had heard about it from Hotel guests. It was often that he tried to listen to them as much as he could during his work day - they often gave him the best tips on where to eat. “Do you work at the bar too or just like to hang out there?”
Laughter escaped him when Jeremy managed to connect the dots on where Tre himself landed on the pecking order of his siblings, "Yeah. I'm the youngest. If you ask my siblings, I got away with everything unlike them." Techically, it wasn't his fault that their parents had been checked out by the time he accidently came along and they just let him run wild unlike Clio and Giorgos who were held to a higher and stricter standard, "I have two. I think we get along better now that we're older. Can't say we were the best of friends growing up." But Tre felt like that was always the case. It was curious to hear the other man mention that his parents often were not home, he knew people could go either way with that amount of freedom, "I'm sure teenage you enjoyed them being absent then," Tre joked.
At Jeremy's musings over the ships, the older man merely grinned, "Yeah. They're pretty majestic. I'm sure any of your properties could rival them on a grandiose scale." Well, Tre had no doubt they were certainly prettier than a war ship or a navy hauler, but everybody had their opinions. The follow up question certainly caused Tre to arch an eyebrow, Jeremy certainly was a curious fellow. He merely shrugged, non committal as always, "Eh. I probably said the wrong thing, or did something that ruffled feathers. Can't change any of that now." Well, Tre knew exactly what he did, but he wasn't about to get into it with a civilian over it. That shit was classified. Besides, the nonclassifed evidence was sinking and disintegrating as they spoke, "I'm over in Croughton. Long commute, but I find driving through the English countryside relaxing. I'm sure you have an easier one."
Green eyes stared across the pond, mulling Jeremy's options over future boats, "Man, 3D printers. Everything is just getting too advanced nowadays." Heck, even in the military, they pretty much used drones for everything now. All of these young kids don't know what a dog fight is. The change in subject caused him to laugh, "Yeah. Stuffy meetings are the worst. I bet you would find paint drying more interesting that some of the stuff you have to sit in on." Maybe he was wrong and Jeremy Kirby was all about those meetings, but his choice words didn't make it sound like it. As for the bar, "They give me free food when they feel like it, but most of the time I still pay. Don't work there though, too busy with my military stuff. Maybe when they force retirement on me, I can do it." Tre said with a smile, "You should come by some time, have a break from those stuffy meetings you mention."
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
Jeremy was glad that he figured it out for himself. “Oh, that must have been rough then? I’m an only child.” His parents didn’t want more - they were too busy with their jobs and the nanny already had her hands full with young Jeremy. “That seems to be what I’m hearing from friends who have siblings. I assume it has to do with people's different interests. Or did your siblings move away when you were young?” Families tended to be made up of different moving parts, he had grown up in a unique situation. “See, I was too busy with fancy events to get in trouble.” Jeremy was often called stuffed up by his fellow students back then.
“Depends on what you find majestic. But I am not in charge of what the buildings look like, my father is too stubborn to let me do that.” The people who knew the hotel well knew that Richard Kirby was a stubborn old man. “Well, you did what was right with your situation. Sometimes you have to make your own family.” Sometimes, he wanted to leave his family, but something kept him there. “Ah, do you have to go there often then? Is there somewhere for you to sleep then?”
He glanced at the water, wondering what would happen to the paper boat that sank. “I really don’t get it either. People are making 3D printer models of new buildings and it confuses me how it’s done.” Jeremy considered himself smart, but that was way too over his head. “You aren’t wrong on that one. I try my best to sit by the window so I can look out and at least get some sort of life outside.” Though some meetings were more interesting than others. “You don’t have many meetings in the Army do you?” He had a hard time paying attention, though writing things down tended to help.
“I definitely thought you worked there. That would be good. When is the best time to go anyway?”
Tre chuckled a little when the younger man commented that's what he heard often about people with siblings - they always got along better once they were older. Jeremy's question just made him shrug a bit, "I dunno, yeah, we had different interests but I just always was annoying I think. They didn't want their kid brother tagging a long and I did want to tag along." Their age gaps weren't too terrible, at the end the day, it was just that their personalities were all over the place. Tre suppose it didn't matter now though, they all got along decent enough. His eyebrow arched a little bit when Jeremy stated the reason why he didn't get into trouble, "Fancy events? When you were thirteen or fourteen? That doesn't sound fun at all."
He shrugged a little, "I don't know, anything above a double tree is majestic." Tre said with a smile, not like he had the money to go staying at Four Seasons or anything unless it was for a naval ball - and that was for reckless fun. Seemed best to stray away from work conversations though, seemed like they were tredding water a little too close to some personal stuff for Jeremy, and well, hey, they just met like twenty minutes earlier - no need to get into some territory, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Five days a week - so lots of commuting. It's alright - not all of us can have your commute," Tre joked now, "And, I don't know about you, but I only have to worry about myself - not dating or anything."
It was interesting to hear a younger person complain about 3D printing, but then again, perhaps the age gap between the two men was a little less than Tre originally thought, "Probably sorcerery." Tre said with a straight face now, one he might use on his nieces or nephew before allowing a smile to crack his lips, "Sit on a window sill and look outside? Jeremy, you sound like a princess waiting for someone to come to your rescue." Who knows though, maybe Jeremy was waiting on someone. Green eyes rolled at the idea of meetings, "Yeah, countless meetings. They need meetings to decide when the meetings are. I'm sure you have that a lot too though in a hotel business."
Best time to go? Tre had to think a little bit, glancing at his watch, still too early, "I'd say happy hour if you want to combined food and beer after work, but honestly, any time is good. And quite frankly, they still seem to be building their regulars." He gave thought for a moment, before asking, "Do you have a business card or anything?"
If you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you & I won't let go 'til the end ❦
