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!.
Amber couldn't help feeling like this was a terrible idea. She'd barely slept last night after making the call, even wrapped in Mik's warm embrace it hadn't been enough to starve off the anxiety. She hadn't been able to face eating this morning either, her stomach too turned over in knots to contemplate the idea of sustenance. A coffee was all she'd been able to choke down before standing under the hot spray of the shower for what felt like an hour, almost hoping it would drown her. She didn't like this one bit, but now it was all set she couldn't exactly back out. Everything was in motion, and she was already placing one foot in front of the other to meet Tristan.
He'd been surprised by her call, she could hear it in his voice, his attempt to smooth it over with cold threats that this had better not be a trap and how she was a good girl for admitting she was wrong and for owning up to her mistakes. Words she had not told Mik he'd said. Nor the part about how she would pay for all this bullshit he had put her through. She'd almost laughed at that. Almost. All the shit she had put him through. Laughable really. But he would never see his own faults. He didn't have flaws in his mind. How she had ever been stupid enough to fall for his crap she didn't know, young and impressionable seemed a pathetic excuse given the obvious asshole be presented himself to be. Stupid didn't cut it when she thought of her past self. But now it was time to rectify those mistakes. She just hated the fact she was using Mik's money to do it, putting his things on the line, but there was nothing she could do to stop this.
She'd told Tristan to meet them at midday. She had stipulated Mik was to come with her, even when Tristan had tried to argue. It was him or no money. In the end she'd won that small victory at least. It was the only thing keeping her together, a vice like grip on Mik's hand as they took step by step toward the dragon's den. Neural territory it may be, meeting at the park, but it still felt to her like she was being lured into the Pit. "I really don't like this." she finally admitted out loud, as if her face and her tense posture hadn't said it loud enough. She glanced up at Mik and then away across the park, scanning constantly for a sign that Tristan was already there. "It feels like a trap."
He'd hated putting Amber in this situation, but she'd had to make the call. It had to be her to set up this meeting, all he had to do was make sure the bag had all the money in it, all tidily stacked notes, with no dye, no tricks... well, nothing that could be see with the naked eye anyway, and he doubted the idiot had the brains to think about data DNA, as it wasn't something that was advertised widely, and you kind of had to be in-the-know, to know about it. See, his forensics degree came in handy for something.
As they walked through the park, he had the bag casually thrown over one shoulder as though they were headed home after a session at the gym, though neither of them looked like they had been working out. "I really don't like this." He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of her hand before giving her a reassuring squeeze, trying to pass some of his calm confidence through to her, though his eyes watched everything. "It feels like a trap." This would normally be the time that he'd crack a joke about having his bow and arrow, or his sword, but he was smart enough to know that his warped sense of humour wouldn't be appreciated right now. "He'd have to be wearing a ski mask and shoot us as point-blank range for him to get away with anything dirty." He said, though on second thought, his words probably gave her more to stress about than calm her frazzled mind. "We've got this in the bag, quite literally, we're just going for a walk in the park." His lips tugged in a playful grin before he gave her hand another squeeze.
She felt the warm press of his lips against the cold of her hand, a touch of heat against the ice in her heart. It felt like betrayal to do this, which seemed ridiculous, but her brain couldn't help berating her for all her damn mistakes. If she'd never met Tristan, never believed his bullshit and lies, never let him play her, then they wouldn't be here. She didn't understand, even now, how Mik could be so cool about it, so calm and collected, just casually handing over such a huge sum of money she could never dream to have, like it was nothing. Granted, the plan was to get it back but there was that chance it wouldn't - he had to know that, he was an intelligent guy.
"He'd have to be wearing a ski mask and shoot us as point-blank range for him to get away with anything dirty." Amber shot Mik a wary look, "I wouldn't put it past him." And she genuinely wouldn't. He could have anything up his dirty rotten sleeve, he'd played these games many times over the years, he had an advantage over them for that. Amber had always just done what he said, rather than learn to the play the game too. "We've got this in the bag, quite literally, we're just going for a walk in the park." She raised an eyebrow, unable to help but shake her head. "You make this seem like it's just part of a TV police show." Amber sighed, but Mik was Mik, and she knew he was trying to just make her feel at ease.
They reached the meet point a few minutes early, and she chewed her lower lip, standing still only for a moment before she began to fidget, shifting anxiously from foot to foot. He should be here by now, and every second he wasn't made her more concerned that he was up to something. Just as she was about to say they should leave and that he was clearly on a wind up, she heard Tristan speak from behind. "Hello Amber baby," Her hair stood up on end immediately and she shuddered. He barely spared Mik a glance, though he was only too happy to stare greedily at the bag he carried. "You got something for me, there?"
He knew that it was misogynistic, but there was a big part of Mik that wished he was doing this by himself, leaving Amber at home, and out of harms way. Sure, he didn't intend for anyone to get hurt today, but the psychological hold her ex had on her was painful enough, and he wanted to keep her as far away from him as possible. However, it wasn't going to work like that.
"I wouldn't put it past him." Mik chuckled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, neither would I. So at least we have witnesses." His eyes never stopped surveying the place, a technique he'd learned when he was barely out of nappies, always knowing how many eyes he had on him had kept his alive once or twice in the past, and other times it had helped him evade bodyguards who were paid to record his every move. "You make this seem like it's just part of a TV police show." He chuckled again, with a little more humour this time. "Nah, there are nearly enough bystanders for this to be a made-for-TV special. In my head, it's a lot more serious than I'm making it out to be." He added with an easy grin.
Arriving at the arranged spot, he moved the bag to their joined hands and stretched out the other, feeling that ever present pull on his ribs when he moved his shoulder back too far, and then took the bag back, squeezing Amber's hand when he felt her fidgeting. He was just about to give her a verbal reassurance when he heard the voice that he will forever equate to nails on a chalkboard. "Hello Amber baby," He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as they turned. "You got something for me, there?" Mik snorted as he hefted the bag he was carrying before he pitched it toward tristan, but intentionally went to the side to that the bag landed on the ground just to the side of the other man. "It's all yours." He wanted to tell the man to bugger off, but felt he should have a little more class.
His chuckle sounded a little flat to her well trained ears - she knew Mik well enough by now to know when he was only on a half level of his usual good nature and high spirits. "Yeah, neither would I. So at least we have witnesses." Which was true, but as Amber spared the passers-by a brief glance, it didn't do anything to ease the tightness in her chest. It would probably stop her ex from doing something too drastically stupid, there was that, but.. and this was going to sound selfish, she knew.. she hated the idea not that strangers would get hurt, but that they might end up privy to an embarrassing amount of private life drama. She was such a private person, preferring to do the arguments and struggles behind tightly closed doors, that it was hard enough to let a stranger see, let alone someone she loved and trusted.
"Nah, there are nearly enough bystanders for this to be a made-for-TV special. In my head, it's a lot more serious than I'm making it out to be." She tried to return his smile but it was more a wince and grimace than anything genuine. "It's a serious amount of money you're just handing over." She couldn't help but mutter, still sour that he was even doing this, whether the plan was it would be returned or not. It was another thing that made her feel uneasy about the whole thing.
She felt the squeeze of Mik's hand, it was the only thing that held her back from either running a mile, or trying to punch Tristan in his stupid smug face. "It's all yours." She saw the curl of her ex's lip as he watched the bag fall to the side. "Surprised you didn't dive for it." Amber commented, practically able to see the dollar signs wracking up his eyes. "Shut your mouth." Was his snap of a response, glaring at the both of them as he slowly bent to retrieve the bag, as if expecting one of them to whip out a gun or something ridiculous. "There better be no tricks. If this isn't real cash, and the exact amount I asked for, you'll regret it." Amber wanted to roll her eyes, but went for gritting her teeth again, squeezing Mik's hand for support. "Take your damn money and leave."
Mik's life had always been in the spotlight, even when he was homeschooled. His actions were always under the close watch of anyone who wanted to cast a bad light on the Antoniou family, the smallest hint of bad press that he cast upon the family would have had him locked up. Not in the dungeon, but the tower - his quarters - was just as bad. Then there was boarding school, which wasn't as bad as he was away from his parents, and then the Olympics, then the entire world had their eyes on him. Her though, he was as anonymous as everyone else, he could easily melt into the crowds. Mik Thanos was nothing more than a simple stable boy and a waiter that no one would look at twice and then move on with their day.
"It's a serious amount of money you're just handing over." He flashed her a grin, an actual one. "Yes, but it's only money." He replied. "Mom and Pops have enough to spare, and I'm sure that with our jobs, we aren't exactly short on money ourselves." They weren't exactly living on the equivalent of Park Avenue, and his rent was paid well in advance.
"Surprised you didn't dive for it." Mik bit down on his inner lower lip to stop himself from snorting, but he was kind of expecting the man to have done that. "Shut your mouth." His brows dipped and it took everything in his mot to pull the woman behind him, as he knew that Amber wouldn't appreciate that. "There better be no tricks. If this isn't real cash, and the exact amount I asked for, you'll regret it." He did roll his eyes, but held his sarcasm in check as he returned the squeeze. "Take your damn money and leave." He bowed his head toward Tristan, as close to a sign of defeat as he wished to show the other male. "You will find everything in there that we agreed to." He pressed his lips together in a smile, mostly to hold back any rude comments about leaving and not returning, feeling that it would be just like adding gasoline to an already dangerous fire.
"Yes, but it's only money. Mom and Pops have enough to spare, and I'm sure that with our jobs, we aren't exactly short on money ourselves." She shot him a quick look but kept her thoughts to herself. Only people who had grown up with money were dismissive about it. While Amber's parents hadn't been strapped for cash exactly, they'd never been rolling in it either. Her mother had a penchant for fancy things, and money that came in quite rapidly went back out. Amber had been shipped off to boarding school which she knew had cost a bit of penny, but it also hadn't been top of the range - especially going by the type of girls she'd come across there. After she'd been kicked out of that one, the schools quickly nosedived in cost - her mother wasn't going to waste good money on a shit of a daughter like her. Once she'd left home at fifteen, she was out on her ear with nothing to her name, and all her time with Tristan had done little more to get her any further into wealth. Now was probably the richest she'd ever been - not just from her bank account but what she had in life too.
She didn't blame Mik for his nonchalance about money, it was a common conception she'd learnt from people with the stuff, and she didn't begrudge him for it. The thing was, it was just one of those things for her she couldn't agree with the through away comments for - it wasn't only money to her, in the past it had meant the difference between eating anything for the day and going hungry for another 24 hours, or being able to afford a warmer coat because they couldn't afford to pay the heating bills during winter. She knew that money was part of the reason Tristan was the way he was - drugs was a part of that too, but that was all a mess tied up in money. At least he didn't question them, or start trying to count the bills there and then - but that was the bonus to being in public; people would start to question what they were up to if he did and the police might be in attendance sooner than planned.
"You will find everything in there that we agreed to." Tristan gave Mik a long look, and Amber almost stepped forward on instinct, wondering if he was going to try and swing for him. She'd never let Tristan hurt Mik again, she couldn't. Luckily he didn't, he took the bait and settled the bag on his shoulder. "Whatever. You're welcome to her, if that's the best you can really do." Tristan curled his lip, jerking a chin at them both. "I'll see you around." Amber bit her lip, holding back any further comments to encourage him to leave. She didn't take another breath until he turned and melted back into the crowd, and then she let the trembles happen, releasing a shaky breath. "Okay, what's next?"
Mik knew that he shouldn't be so casual about money, as the amount in this bag was nothing to sneeze at, but it was easier to brush it off than analyze what they were doing, and his parents really did have enough to spare. Which made him really lucky, never having to worry about his next meal, where he was going to sleep... any of the things that he knew many other people struggled with. Even after he ran, he still had enough money to in his personal account to keep him comfortable until he was settled and had a job.
Mik's brows rose at the look he was given, knowing he was being weighed and measured, though he didn't even flinch and kept the thoughts running through his head hidden from his face. "Whatever. You're welcome to her, if that's the best you can really do." He grinned in response, though held back from making any snide comments and making what had been a pretty easy handoff into anything messy. "I'll see you around.""Not any time too soon, I would hope." Mik muttered under his breath, the smile not shifting as he watched the other man vanish. "Okay, what's next?" He gave a wolfish grin as he gave her a quick kiss and then encircled her in his arms. "Hmmm, how about we head home and do something to erase this from our minds?" He suggested with a chuckle, though his eyes didn't stop moving over the park, making sure that the douche didn't circle back.
"Not any time too soon, I would hope." She heard Mik mutter and she looked from him to Tristan's rapidly disappearing back with a glower. Yeah she sure as shit hoped so too. Sadly she didn't think it would be unless Mik's plan worked. If it did then at least he'd be busy behind bars for a while - until he was released and would no doubt come looking for her again. She didn't want to think about that now, about where she might be when he came about again, she would deal with that when it came to it. The issue would be if this plan didn't work, if he made off with the money and wasn't caught, or got wind of the drama and made an escape. He would come for them then, she knew it without doubt. Honestly, she knew she wouldn't sleep well until she knew for sure where he was and how safe they were.
Amber was surprised by Mik's grin and the kiss, but her response was as natural as breathing, wrapping her arms around his neck and automatically relaxing a little as she always did with him. "Hmmm, how about we head home and do something to erase this from our minds?" She managed a slightly brave smile at that, finding it cute he was already calling this issue as solved and moving on with their life together, she wished she could do that. "That sounds intriguing, what were you going to do to make me forget?" She asked, momentarily distracted, and then she frowned slightly and gave a reluctant chuckle - how he managed to do that, she would never know. He'd taken her mind elsewhere for a minute. "But I meant about him and the money. Do you call it in now?"
"That sounds intriguing, what were you going to do to make me forget?" Mik gave a boyish grin and shrugged. "I was thinking about a movie, some pizza, maybe a foot rub?" Yup, he brought his feet into it, again, but only because he knew it got a rise out of her. A massage was definitely on his list of things to do, but she was going to be the recipient of the massage, not him. "But I meant about him and the money. Do you call it in now?" He shrugged and pulled a face. "Part of me thinks we're better off to wait until we're not here before we call the hounds. It's better to let him think he's got away with this before he can feel that someone's scenting his trail." He'd done enough case studies during his studies to know that as many things could go wrong, as the police being able to catch Tristan before the money vanished. "However, from what I know of him, I'll send the message." He pulled out his phone and hit send on a message that was already waiting to be sent; the bird has got the worm, and now it was out of their hands. He took her hand, bringing it to his lips with a warm smile. "Come on, love, let's go home."
