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!.
Cal rubbed his left side. While he had been good about keeping still since the accident, there was that lingering pain. Eli hadn’t left his side, same with his mother and grandfather. His nieces and nephews weren’t allowed to be as physical around him as they used to be. Christmas was rough, as he wasn’t fully healed. Honestly, Cal didn’t know if he was fully healed now. PT had been a godsend. There were times he wanted to quit but Eli refused to let him sit home and do nothing.
His gramps was still refusing him to get on a boat to do any runs, or if there was a fishing thing – he couldn’t be by himself. Cal felt like a child, but he was beaten up by the crash. Still gave him the chills, every time he thought about it.
He was working the shop today, maybe helping a few boats come in and go out. The sun was out, and honestly – he wanted to sit outside for a moment. He was technically done for the day, but he rarely left right away. Perry could handle the shop for a bit. The young man had improved quite a bit with his attitude. Still a bit snarky, but it was often with people that deserved it.
Cal grabbed his water bottle and made his way down the dock to sit on the bench that was there. But when he got there, someone else was there. Not that was a problem or anything. But his managerial side came out, and Cal put on a professional smile. “Hello,” he greeted. “Have you been helped yet?” he didn’t look familiar, but there had been a lot of new people that came in when he was out for a few months.
It wasn't Luc's first time down on the docks, but it was his first time of popping into the fishing shop. It wasn't something he'd done much of over the years, in fact he had only been fishing twice in his life, both times with his father as a young boy, and it had been surprisingly short lived. He'd had patience, but not enough to want to sit there and stare at the stillness of the water, hoping for a bite. His head had been too full of dancing and Kara and her siblings to want to be beside his old man, waiting. He regretted those thoughts often, how quick he had been to run away from his family in favour of another who had managed to entice him so much, for a passion of quick feet and fancy costumes that consumed his waking thoughts. It was too late to turn back the clock, he would never get those quiet moments with his father again. No matter how much he regretted it.
He'd decided on a whim to try again. Not really for his father's sake, he'd done enough of that over the years that he wanted this to be for him. But a small part thought that maybe it would bring him closer to his dad's memory if he did it. He wanted some peace in his life. Good, honest to god peace, and be wondered if sitting on a river bank or a sea wall and just watching the roil and sway of the water might do it for him. He could be wrong but it was worth a try. He hadn't decided he was ready to deal with the fishing yet, instead he found a comfortable bench and took a seat, taking a few moments to watch the scurrying of workers back and forth. “Hello,” he hadn't meant to, but the voice startled him out of a reverie. It was a sign of how much the army was finally wearing off of him that he didn't jump in alarm at someone being able to catch him off guard. “Have you been helped yet?” Luc gave a polite smile to the older man, he certainly looked like a fisherman if ever Luc had seen one - grizzled and weather worn. "Good day, not yet but I hadn't made an approach to the shop yet anyway." He explained, wondering how the man had discerned that he might be a potential customer.
“Oh no worries at all, mate. We have a lot of new people coming and going around these parts. Classic retail spiel,” Cal smiled. It was something that he had to deal with and learn at an early age. Though, he had a feeling that the man in front of him wasn’t that interested in the newest gear. But he decided not to pry.
“Was there anything in particular that drew you in?” Cal asked. He often got some solid answers from that question. Either it was a gift for someone or themselves, were traveling and wanted to get something from a local on their travels, or just to see what they wanted to save up for. There were always some new lures and the newest model of reel and rod.
“Oh no worries at all, mate. We have a lot of new people coming and going around these parts. Classic retail spiel,” Luc gave a little laugh, his head nodding slightly in understanding. "I stick out just a little then," He mused, but there was nothing behind his words, even if he wasn't quite used to sticking out still. It was normal here it seemed, either people seemed to sense that he wasn't English or something about him seemed different.
He watched a young man and his son wander past, the young kid's arm stretched to full capacity as he dragged his heels and stared back over his shoulder at something. It made Luc chuckle a little at the behaviour, despite the tiny tug at the back of his mind about how much he wanted to be a father some day. “Was there anything in particular that drew you in?” Luc turned his attention back to the stranger, giving a little shrug. "I just wanted to give the fishing another attempt. I haven't since I was young and impatient. I thought it might be nice." His English had improved tenfold over the years here, despite the thickness still of his accent, but sometimes he knew he sounded a little stilted.
Cal nodded. Fishing did indeed take patience and all that fun stuff. There was something about it humbling a person. “Ah, fair enough. I hope things in life are…or will improve once you pick it up?” Maybe that was a stretch, but in the world of Cal – people didn’t pick up fishing for the fun of it. There was always a reason for it. Sometimes, it was for fun – but most of the time, something was going on.
“I guess it should start with you deciding what you want to focus on. Freshwater versus salt water. There are some decent beginner styles for each in case you don’t want to spend a fortune on it!” Hopefully, asking the classic sales questions would help redeem the slip of his tongue from earlier. Maybe he was becoming his grandfather after all.
