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!.
we have been having more vegetables that normal .. nah, he's just getting lazy in his old age. maybe he's decided you're starving him so he's supplementing his diet with cotton and synthetic?
he had to bite his lip and he had to bite it hard as he saw the grumpy look on his sons face. he knew it wasn't the time but it was so adorable and it was so much like looking in a mirror. jare was his spitting image and he'd been born with the same ability to be cranky more than most. even though jare was an easy going kid he had his moments and getting up early to fly to italy was more than enough reason to be cranky. he'd put up with so much the last few weeks and james was so proud of him. he'd taken james and lexi being so worried about tae so well. he seemed to know that his brother needed his parents and had let them do what they needed with his brother, but that didn't mean james was about to take it for granted, or punish him when he finally showed a little unhappiness. they were just so lucky he'd been so chilled until now. "please?" he added softly as he crouched down next to the case jarad had put down onto the ground and he opened it, rumaging through it until he found the bathers his son would need to get into the pool. "here bud, put these on and we can head down to the pool." he said as he stood up and he ruffled his sons dark hair.
he looked over at where lexi and tae stood next to the wall, pointing out the animals on the wallpaper. he smiled softly as he watched the two golden heads bent together as they looked at the different creatures there were. he walked over to tae's suitcase and crouched down at it, rummaging through it for his bathers just like he had for jare and he set them down on the bed tae would be sleeping in, reaching his hand to touch lexi's lower back lightly to let her know he was there. he watched as she bent to put tae down and he could see the lip start to quiver and he grabbed the bathers off the bed, crouching down and pulling the waist band of the shorts over his sons head with a smile. "is this how they go?" he said as he looked over at jarad with a smile and then back at tae, who as grumpy as he was, let out a soft giggle as he tried to push the pants off his head. "nooo." james grinned as he pulled them off his sons head gently and he handed them to him quickly. "you show me how they go then." he said as he stood up and he stepped around him to stand next to lexi.
tae didn't want to go into the pool, he was tired and he wanted to go to sleep but he knew that jarad really wanted the pool. the animals had been a good distraction for him until his mother had lowered him to the ground and his lip had quivered without him being able to help it. it was a strange place, even though he'd been here before. the memories were fuzzy and he couldn't see it all clearly but there was something familiar about it. he giggled, despite himself, when his dad pulled the short over his face, trying to push them off as he did. he looked up at his dads smiling face and he relaxed a little. his parents were more relaxed here and that made him relax a little too. he wasn't worried about why they were worried, why they were scared and why they were snapping at each other. it had left him unsettled and upset with no way of knowing why. he scratched at his forehead where his hair bounced against it and he did what his dad said and he put the new clothes on so they could go into the pool. "ready."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he did regret the fact that he hadn't made more of an effort to keep up communication with damon. even before he and ash had moved away he'd never really been that keen on getting to know his sisters boyfriend. it had been easier with lily because he'd known luke since he'd been a kid and at the time lily had been his cousin and while he loved her, she'd had two brothers to protect her. he knew the logic was flawed but he'd felt that he'd needed to stay this unknown entity in ashley's love life so that he could scare the daylights out of anyone that had hurt her. but now they were back he'd made more of an effort. he'd talked to him more, caught up with him with the kids and even without the kids and he'd really grown to like the guy. he also liked the way ashley looked so happy with him and how great he was with josh, that was the most important thing.
"and i'm better company? are you trying to flatter me or butter me up?" he grinned as he settled into the booth. he was sort of glad he'd beaten damon to the punch when it had come to ordering the drink. he knew that it had been part of the deal to coming out tonight but he'd never liked other people buying his drinks, though he had no problem shouting other people. "i promise i'll have more than one." he said as an offering, though he left out the promise to let damon buy it. that was a discussion for another minute. "can't complain. everyone is still kicking." he said with a grin as he leaned his arms down on the table. "it was brilliant. just what we all needed." he said with an honest smile. it had helped them more than anything and it finally felt like they were on the right track. almost back to how they were before jack had come into their lives. even tae was more relaxed, though his brothers and damon were helping with that, dropping in at randoms times to interact with the kids as much as they could. he owed his family everything for that, there was no price on the smile and the sense of ease they were giving tae. "has my sister driven you crazy yet?"
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
after the weight i put on in italy, i'm surprised she hasn't. if anyone ate it it's phoenix cause some of it was still around his neck. did you forget to feed him last night? lol
he liked lexi's parents well enough, thought of them as family now. he'd fought them when he'd first joined their family through lexi. they'd been warm and loving and over the top and he hadn't known what to do with that. it had scared him at first, that it was all a ruse to build his trust so they could crush it by telling him that he wasn't good enough for their daughter. it hadn't been rational but it was his reality. he'd never had parents who had done that, the hands that had been supposed to comfort had hurt him instead, their words instead of loving had been harsh. so he for a long time he hadn't known how to accept it, how to take their words as truth rather than a lie, that when her father reached for him he wasn't going to knock his block off and the kiss her mother offered him wasn't one with a hidden meaning. it had taken him years to see they loved him just the same.
he wondered whether lexi had told them about the last few months. told them everything that had happened between them, with the man pretending to her brother and then everything that had happened between his arrival and now. he knew that he hadn't acted the best throughout but he'd been trying to protect his family the only way he'd known how, by barring his teeth and holding onto them as tightly as he could. it had shattered them, everything that had happened over the last few months. they were working through it but there was still something there that was broken. they didn't hold each other like they used to, their passion for each other was smaller, the conversations sometimes awkward and instead of spending every night wrapped up in each other's arms they slept apart, together but apart. he didn't know how to fix it but he wished he did. he missed having her in his arms, having her hair almost suffocating him at night, feeling her breath on her neck while he listened to her breathing in the dark, her soft hands running over his back when she couldn't sleep. it was the little things he missed most of all, he just missed her.
he chuckled as jare grabbed his case and he stepped forward, reaching over his son's shoulder to take the weight of the case for him. he saw the pointed look his son gave him and he held up his free hand in surrender and he grinned down at him. "i'm hurrying, lead the way boss." he said as he rested his hand down on jare's shoulder softly as they made their way up the stairs to where the boys would be staying. they'd have their own rooms here too, just like at home. he wasn't certain they'd stick to those rooms but he knew jare was more independent than tae was, so if anyone was going to stay in their own room all night it would be their oldest. "isn't this cool kiddo?" he said as he opened the door to the small rom jare would be in, glancing around at the animal paper, the bed with the matching bedspread.
tae was close to tears as he held onto his mother's neck, so desperate for sleep yet so unsure about being in a place he hardly remembered that he couldn't nod off against his mother's shoulder. he sniffled as he watched his brother and his dad head up the stairs without him and lexi and he held onto the heck of lexi's shirt a little tighter. he listened to his mother's words, focusing on the softness in her voice and he lifted his little face to look up to her and he twisted his mouth a little as he thought about what she said. he brought one hand to wipe it against his nose as he sniffed again and he nodded a bit. "otays." he said, the grumpy tone still there but more willing than before to listen to her. he held onto her neck as they walked up the stairs and he looked around a little curiously as the walked into the room and his gaze followed his mother's hand to the animals that were painted onto the wall. he reached his own little hand out to touch one of the face of the tiger that had been painted there. "tiger."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
well that was something that would take a heck of a weight off their shoulders. he spotted the little red car in the drive and he smiled at the thought of lexi being a teenager, running around in that with the music blaring, not a care in the world as the wind whipped the hair around her face with the hot sun baking down on her. it was a stark difference to the memory he had of him driving around when he'd been a teen with the rain, snow and grey skies of ireland. "thank you." he said with a genuine smile as he thought about how easy it was going to be to get around now. although he was going to check the tank when they were gone and if it was full he was going to need to find a way to thank them for that.
he saw his oldest perk up a little at the mention of the pool and he nodded quickly. "oh yeah there's a pool." he said with a bit of a chuckle as he reached to ruffle his hair gently. he'd known the idea of that would perk jare up more than a little and when tae was more awake and less cranky he'd be happy about it too. rory also but she had a little less freedom in the water than their other two did. as he stepped through the door he shifted rory in his hands so he could grab the stroller lexi's father had already got from the back of the car and he flicked it open carefully and then he leaned down to settle rory into it so she could keep napping while they got settled into the house. she was usually a good sleeper so it wouldn't matter if she slept and then had to sleep again later tonight.
james rested his hands on jare's shoulders gently as he watched lexi bid goodbye to her parents and he nodded his own as they left the small villa. it was then he took a quick moment to breath and just enjoy the fact they'd made it with all their luggage, all their children and not a squabble between any of them. even though james wasn't sure that would continue he was going to count it as a win that the three kids didn't try to kill each other while stuck in a metal bird. "alright!" he said as he looked down at jare. "if we get everything unpacked really quick, we can find your swimmers and you can go for a swim?" he wasn't against using bribery to get the boys to help unpack. "no packsing" he heard tae grumble sleepily from his mother's shoulder, his arms still hugged around her neck. "i sweepy." he saw the yawn and he looked at lexi quickly. it was going to be a fine line of keeping the boys awake long enough so they slept tonight and risking letting them nap now.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
there was something comforting about the chaos that filled the air around them right now. there were kids running back and forth, happy laughter and joy from the kids and there was about ten pounds of sugar per kid being consumed at an alarming rate but it was all in good fun. with everything that had happened over the last few months he was glad to see jarad running around, having fun with his cousins and being more like himself than he had in a while. it was still a journey with tae, he thought to himself as he kept his hand against tae's back gently, just to offer some extra security to boy. if there was a child in the family that took longer to work his head around situations it was tait but the family understood and would do whatever they all could to help him feel safe and secure again. he chuckled as he watched logan pull out a fake pad and he nodded a little, reaching into his pocket and pulling out fake bills. "$1000 on two minutes, odds almost certain." he said as he looked down at tae and bounced his son a little with his shoulder. "because we all know uncle leo can't help it .. and uncle luke won't give up without a fight, don't we?" he said softly with a smile as he saw the shadow of a smile cross tae's face and he considered it a win.
he shifted a little on the chair as more people came to their little corner to join them. he watched lexi come out of the house, their daughter in his arms, and he couldn't help but watch her for a few seconds. the time away had done them all the world of good and while it hadn't been a long trip it had been so worth the time for both of them and the kids. he was already planning a surprise trip over for christmas this year, since the last few had been spent in england with his family he figured it was time they celebrated family with lexi's. he knew that ash and damon had arrived before they'd even walked out of the back door. his nephew burst out of the back door with the unmatched energy of a child and he couldn't help but smile wider as he watched him join in the chaos. he hadn't lived here his whole life but he'd taken to being part of a large family like a duck to water it seemed. he lifted a hand to wave to his sister as she came over to join them. he reached the arm that wasn't holding tae up over his head to give her a hug and he smiled. "sup? trying to be young and hip still are we ash?" he teased as she kissed tae on the head.
he sat up all the way now, feeling a little rude while he was all stretched out and lounging. it didn't make it easy to participate in conversation and as much as he saw his family all the time, they didn't really run out of things to say to each other. he felt tae squirm a little and he let him go, wondering if he was going to go sit with lexi now she'd joined them but he was a little surprised when tae clambered onto the chair next to chance and he pulled himself up all the way onto the chair and leaned against his older cousins side, eyeing the soda in his hands carefully. normally the kids didn't drink soda but it was something of a treat today. "yeah ashley, how're things going?" he said as he looked up at her, he couldn't pin it but there was something slightly different today.
james listened to them talk as they drove away from the airport, the traffic getting thinner and thinner the more they drove. while it was stressful travelling with the three kids, he did know that they needed to make the effort to come across more. it wasn't all that fair, the amount of time they spent with his family while lexi's parents didn't get to see them as much as they'd have liked. it had been hard for james to remember lexi's family at one time or another, because he was so used to just having his siblings they were the only family he'd had to think about. now there was lexi and the kids and her parents, it was a failing on his part and he knew it.
he heard them mention dinner and well it wasn't hard to see where their kids got their love of food from. he pulled himself from looking at the places they were passing and he shifted in the seat a little, making sure rory was still comfortable and he looked over at lexi and nodded lightly to her. it was fine with him if they went to her parents to eat tonight. that meant they could tuck the kids up early and settle into their first night there without too much stress of deciding to order in or go out to find food.
when they got to the villa james smiled a little and he nudged jare softly with his elbow, just to gently make sure he was awake enough to walk into the villa by himself. if he wasn't then james would come back and carry him in, because he doubted tae was going to let go of lexi for a little while. he hoped that being somewhere new would help him but there was going to be that time he took to get used to being there and james wasn't sure how long it would last. as he climbed out of the car, he heard lexi's father claim the bags as his job and he just looked over at him and smiled his thanks, adjusting the sleeping child in his arms as he walked to the door with lexi, going through the gates and trailing behind jare. "did you know it has a pool buddy?"
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
james knew in that instance that he could learn more than a thing or two from lexi's father. when he took the three kids somewhere on his own, it seemed like it took him forever to wrangle them all into the car. but her parents made it seem easy as pie and within the blink of an eye they were in the car and all strapped in, kids in their places and even a smile crossed jare's grumpy face. he kept his arms around rory, holding her securely against his chest as the car pulled into traffic and he couldn't help but smile as he felt her sleeping against his neck still. he took the moment to look down at his daughter and he leaned his head against hers softly. he could hear lexi and her parents talking in the car behind them and his untrained ears picked up some of the italian being spoken in the car. he lifted his head and grinned before he looked across the car at his mother in law. "sono contento di essere qui?" it was clunky and spoken with his usual accent but he tried. he hadn't been as strict with his learning of italian as he should have been over the years but he had tried to brush up on his skills before they'd came.
he couldn't wait to get to the villa and change out of the clothes he'd been in since they left england. it hadn't been a very long flight but flying was always grotty and the kids had been all over them, spilling drinks, food and of course the fluids that still flew out of their daughter like lightning had gone everywhere. so a shower, some clean clothes and a meal ladden with carbs, tomato, meat and gelato called his name and then sleeping till noon the day after. he knew the kids would be tired and that would make them hard to settle tonight but once they were down, he had plans to take lexi out onto the balcony, with a bottle of wine, some chocolate he's grabbed while they had been in duty free and to just take some time staring up at the stars.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he laughed at lexi's teasing and he shrugged slightly. "you never knew?" he watched as jare frowned at his mother's jokes and he laughed just that little bit harder but he tried to disguise it with a cough in case it upset jare. it hadn't been a long flight but any kind of flights were rough. and it seemed that jare took after him when it came to flying. rory had been a dream, tae had clung onto lexi which in reality worked because they'd had enough hands between them to deal with any problems.
he watched as they greeted each other, smiling a little as jare waved to his grandparents and tae lifted his head away from his mother's shoulder long enough to wave at his grandparents, following his brother's lead. it pained him to still see tae was so unwilling to let lexi go most of the time. they'd finally just managed to get him to start sleeping in his own room again, though it had been a long and tough process. but during the daylight hours it was a struggle sometimes still. he didn't argue with lexi's father as he took the luggage, knowing that it wouldn't be one he'd win. he thanked him quickly as he turned his attention to rory in the stroller.
"sounds like a good plan. if they go flying, at least they'll bounce" he said with a grin as he unstrapped rory and he lifted her out of the stroller carefully, trying his hardest to keep her comfortable as he felt her head drop against his neck as he folded the stroller down so it would hopefully fit into the car easier. "there we go." he said as he handed it to lexi's father who had played a brilliant game of tetris to get everything to fit into the boot. "alright jare, into the middle." he said as he opened the door to the backseat and he held his hand out to jare to help him into the car.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
sitting in one of the chairs next to logan, james looked at the kids running all around him. he was keeping track of jared, who was so desperate to one up his older cousin that he was for sure about three seconds from giving himself away and coping a heap of water in the face. when it happened, james would only laugh. it was all in good fun and he knew it might bother jare for a second to lose but he would get over it quickly. tae however, the more reserved toddler that he was, was sitting on his lap and resting back against his chest. he was more than happy to sit and watch the rest of the world go by, taking everything in, playing when he wanted but being just as content to watch the other kids. james has his arms wrapped around him lightly as he lounged back against the chair and he looked at leo. "oh dude, uncool." he joked as he looked at logan. "i want to put money on two minutes, especially since lily just walked out with more meat." he said with a grin. his brother was known for many things and being protective of the bbq was one of them.
honestly he was surprised that luke had managed to beat his brother in the first place. normally it was the most guarded possession leo owned but maybe luke had been sneaky. he'd gotten here after the fact so he had no idea. he reached his hand down and reached to pat kye just after logan had. "what you doing old boy?" he said lightly as he watched bear go bounding down to go play with the kids. he'd left his own dogs at home today. there was going to be enough chaos without adding his two into the mix. mis was okay, but roamer would be in everyone's face, trying to get into everything and making trouble so he'd thought it best. "i'd rather burnt than raw. remember last time?" he grinned as he looked over at the bbq, watching lily and luke together.
truth be told, james had never liked flying. he tended to avoid it as much as he could. it was why he'd come across the ditch on a boat when he'd made the journey from ireland to england. but he would fly for lexi and seeing as he family hailed from the warm and sunny italy, he'd do it as often as she asked him. at least when he could. he made sure to keep a count of the amount of little heads he could see bobbing by lexi, tae in her arms and jare by her side. rory was safe in her stroller, fast asleep as she had been for much of the plane ride. he was thankful that she was so much quieter in comparison to her brothers and most of her cousins. she was chill as far as most things went, though she did have her moments and that was when james was sure his family was coming out in her genes.
with one hand on the luggage cart and the other on the stroller he made sure to watch where he was going and to keep an eye on jare while he did. being tired and cranky might make him more prone to pushing his luck and trying to pull away from lexi so he was ready to drop his hands and run to grab him if needed. he didn't blame jare, flying was hard work and tiring, especially for kids. "glorious and hot." he said as he walked next to his wife, grinning a little as he looked up at the sun that was shining down on them. "i might burst into flames, just warning you." he joked as he spotted her parents just ahead of them as she did.
this trip couldn't have come at a better time. things had been harder since the whole jack episode, it had driven a wedge between him and lexi and they were still trying to figure out how to sew things back together. then her parents had offered them their villa and they'd jumped at the chance. some time away, in a different setting with just them and the kids and no worries of home. those problems would be there waiting when they got home but they'd be more recharged so they could deal with them better. he embraced lexi's parents as they came over and greeted them, kissing her mother's cheek and shaking her father's hand. "it's good to see you guys too." he said warmly as he watched jare greet his grandparents with all the enthusiasm a tired and grumpy child could. tae as shy as he was, smiled at them from around his thumb but he made no effort to stretch out to them. the events of the past few months had worked a number on him and he was still a bit clingy towards his parents. but he knew that lexi's parents wouldn't mind. just seeing him would be enough.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
