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!.
The Seven Sirens had finally slowed down for a brief moment. Perry was ready for a well-needed break. Between the hustle at the docks and the upcoming state fairs, Perry was ready for a chill day. Teddy was off on a class until the afternoon, but the mornings at the shop allowed Perry to do what he wanted. Well, other than his projects.
They had gotten a new quilting arm in, as well as a few new machines. His grandmother had insisted he set up the home machine out front. Since Gertrude Lorton would for sure buy it come the weekend. Perry didn't know how true that was, but it was a brand the old bird was babbling about for months.
Perry had gotten the machine set up and locked in place. He was beginning to read the instructions when he heard the jingle of the bell. The young man turned his head with his retail smile on. “I'll be right with you!”
Perry made sure he had put everything away into the box and locked it away into a cabinet. “Welcome to Seven Sirens. How can I assist you?” He greeted the patron who walked in.
Emma slipped off her plaid shirt and tied it around her waist. She had recently moved to Hickstead but hadn’t seen much of the town just yet. When she woke up this morning, she decided to change that. While the local stables are what drew her to the area, she was excited to explore some of the city and see what all it truly had to offer.
Emma had seen the sign for The Seven Sirens and was intrigued by the name. She wasn’t a big quilter or anything like that but she appreciated the art. Her mother was a music and drama teacher, so Emma had done her share of helping make set pieces and character costumes, but most of her free time was spent on the back of a horse.
Emma decided to check out the store. She heard the twinkling of the bell as she walked in and after hearing the clerk call out, took a moment to glance around. As soon as she heard the man, Emma twirled around and gave him her sweetest southern smile. Her twang came out thick as she replied, “Well hi there handsome, I’m new and couldn’t help but be curious. Can you tell me about The Seven Sirens?”
“Ah, well welcome to Hickstead, happy you found the time to walk in. Seven Siren’s has been around a long time, about thirty-ish years? Family-owned and operated. We carry a lot of different supplies, catering to those who don’t want to venture into the city. You can find anything from sewing supplies to painting, embroidery, drawing, and so on. It can get a bit overwhelming – but it’s always well stocked and organized.” Perry didn’t often give a spiel like that. Most of the customers he had were regulars or people who already knew what they wanted. He had a feeling his grandmother may scold him over a few things, but she was busy on the long arm today – so she couldn’t critique him too much.
“Are you in the search for anything specific or just browsing?” He asked, not knowing if the young woman needed any kind of help. Some customers preferred to just go on their own after the shop spiel. While the sewing machine was on his list, Perry couldn’t resist talking more about his grandmother’s hard work. Granted, Perry put a lot of work into the space, too – but the shop was his grandmother’s pride and joy. He and Elodie always joked that Marina would save the shop over something else.
Emma bounced a little and listened to the man talk, nodding her head to what he was saying. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about the place. She guessed either he was part of the family that owned it, perhaps he’d been working there a while, or maybe he was just really good at his job. Either way, he sounded smart about the place.
As soon as he asked her, she immediately jumped to respond, her fast-talking country twang coming on strong… “Um, well, no I wouldn’t say anything specific really. I mean, I don’t know a whole lot about a lot of crafty stuff but I mean I”m not a complete ditz either. See my momma’s a teacher and she teaches music and drama so she’s always doing plays and musicals and as her daughter I’ve gotten roped into all the different things - from nailing wood, to painting backdrops, to sewing costumes. I mean, really, just whatever my momma needed help with. I’m always up to help her because ya know she’s my momma and all that jazz. But me? I guess I just like to explore and learn and whatnot and I saw the name and I was super curious and I’m always up to tackle a new hobby or learn something new whether it sticks or not but I do enjoy trying it all out and –” Emma immediately stopped when she realized she was quickly rambling like a Gilmore girl after five cups of coffee. She giggled and grinned at the young man. “I’m Emma, by the way.”
Perry couldn’t help that his eyebrows were expressive. He hoped that it didn’t come off as judgmental. The girl’s voice and pace of speaking were a lot different compared to the slower pace of the older English women that he often dealt with. There were still plenty of fast talkers, but it was something that Perry was used to.
“Ah, that’s a pretty neat background,” he complimented. “There's a pretty solid costume department at the local university, so I have a somewhat decent understanding of what is needed. Clothing and costume aren’t my forte. But it’s fun to see what they’re up!” It was true that he had a bit of a jealous streak towards what some of the theatre and fashion students could make. A few were the same way about him and his quilting. The way they each saw patterns was new and different.
“Nice to meet you, Emma. I’m Perry. I don’t know if you’re into lessons, or learning anything new – but we do offer a few classes if you are interested in seeing the schedule?” He responded, offering a hand for a handshake.
Emma was used to throwing people a little off guard. She wasn’t too aware of it until she met her late fiance. He had called her out and made fun of every little bit of her fast-talking southern twang or the way she just kind of tornado’d her way through everything - except she was a tornado of bubbles and confetti and not a natural disaster, exactly.
Emma shook his hand happily in greeting. ”Oh, goodness I’m not like super talented or anything. I mostly did minor seamstress duties and my painting was always the bigger stuff - like when a door needed to be blue instead of yellow, or black skyscrapers with yellow windows for a one act play about superheroes in the big city. Momma wouldn’t trust me with anything too complicated.” Emma giggled and shrugged, giving Perry a sheepish look.
”Oh my gosh, yes!” Emma squealed softly and gave Perry a quick hug before realizing what she was doing. ”I would LOVE to take a look at that schedule!” Emma exclaimed excitedly. What a great idea. That might just give her a chance to get to know her new friend Perry - yes, she had decided he was going to be her new friend - and perhaps let her make even more. She looked at him with wide, expectant eyes and a happy grin.
Perry wasn’t prepared for the hug, so he just let it happen. Not out of fer or anything, just a delayed reaction. Thankfully, Emma managed to rein herself in and Perry just brushed it off as excitement. She had a lot of energy, like the herding dogs he had seen around town. It was as if Emma had the energy to burn, which an artful hobby seemed like a decent start. Or maybe not.
“Great. Wait right here and I’ll grab you a schedule.” Perry scurried off before Emma could blink again. He grabbed a paper schedule and returned. The schedule was printed on white paper, with a cute border of sewing supplies clip art.
“We mainly offer sewing classes, but we have knitting and crochet. With a few other specialty ones that happen with visiting artists. We also have a yarn circle. People come in and sit around in our lounge. Gossip, craft, and so on. Good place to meet folks if you want!”
Emma watched as Perry hurriedly went off to grab the schedule of classes. Emma couldn’t help but blush - she was used to being a lot for people and was still working on taking herself down a notch… it wasn’t going very well.
Emma looked at the schedule as Perry listed it all off for her. It was absolutely adorable and she was excited about the prospects. She could get into a hobby and learn something new while also meeting new people and making friends. Both were excellent reasons to join up for a class.
“Oh my gosh, I heard you say gossip - I bet the yarn circle knows all the gory details of everyone’s life here, huh? I’m not into drama myself but I do enjoy a good show.” Emma gave bit her lip and gave Perry an innocent grin. “Sooooo what would you suggest - are you teaching any of the classes or part of the yarn circle? I bet you’re like, a super-pro and everything since you work here. Well, I mean, maybe not - just because you work here doesn’t mean you’re an expert, well, I mean, except maybe an except on like your inventory and classes, but ya never know, right?”
“Oh yeah, there’s a lot to be heard,” he laughed. It was always the older men and women that had the craziest shit to say. Heck, even at his other job – there was a lot to be said. It was a different type of crazy, but it was still crazy.
“No, I don’t teach anything. But probably sewing since you grew up with it? But honestly, there’s so many I can’t tell you what to take,” Perry smiled. “How about beginner sewing and maybe crochet? I hear crochet is easier to learn than knit.” Perry had attempted both, but they were on the back burner as he got too frustrated with them. Amy, from the circle, was determined to get him to at least get a scarf out.
Emma smiled and nodded as she listened. She knew some basics of sewing - doing minor stitching for costumes or tears for her mom, but half the time she tried to hot glue first (until she got burnt too many times and her mom made her stop). Emma had never tried knitting or crocheting, though. That was a new interest that she had zilch experience with. She thought Perry had good sense, though, so she agreed to go with his suggestions. “Sounds like two great classes to me - and I’d like to come to the yarn circle, too. I need some good gossip in my life, especially if it’s not about me.” Emma laughed and winked at Perry as she said it.
Emma was still a little curious about a couple of things, though, and she usually wasn’t one to shy away from much. “So, I have a couple of questions, if ya don’t mind? Why is the store called Seven Sirens? It’s a fun name but where did it come from?” Then, she took a deep breath and braced herself for the next question as innocent as she could, “aaaannnddddd if you don’t teach, what do you do when you’re not helping a damsel in distress in a craft store?”
He pondered on the best way to answer her, without him bragging about his lineage. But the history of the store was because of his grandmother after all. Maybe not say anything about his relation? But lying about that didn’t seem like a good option either. If Emma kept frequenting the place – she would surely find out soon enough. “Ah, my grandmother,” he laughed. “She’s one out of seven sisters. Since Hicsktead has a solid mariner history – it felt fitting for the coast.” He gave another small shrug. “I think it fits, and people like the logo of the Siren on the sign-out front.”
“I work at the docks. I work for the Dorsey family down there. Have you been to the docks yet? It’s neat if you’re looking for a spot with some neat wildlife!” The ocean was one of his favorite spots. There was something about it that was calming. Perry knew there were plenty of people in Hickstead who thought the same as well.
Emma listened as Perry spoke about the shop and how it got its name. She honestly thought that sounded pretty neat - what a cool idea to incorporate family and the town into it. She was definitely drawn into the shop by its name and logo. “I can definitely attest to the fact that the name and logo were part of the charm and reason I came in today. Your grandmother sounds like someone I’d really like to meet and I’d love to learn more about Hickstead’s history as well as hear all the stories I’m sure you and her have got stored away.”
Emma’s eyes lit up as he talked about the docks. She’d been to the lakes several times back home for camping trips, family outings, or day trips with friends. But, she’d rarely gotten to go to the ocean as she lived in Tennessee - an inland state. The docks sounded like an inspiring place. “Actually, I haven’t been yet. It sounds neat. I’ve only been to the ocean a few times, but it was all on the other side of the ocean,” Emma joked as she smiled up at Perry with genuine hope and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. “Would you maybe possibly sort of just a little bit mind showing me the docks sometime? I could use a friend in town.”
