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!.
"only one arrest in my life." An eyebrow rose at that, not having expected anything to come out of her joking. At least she couldn't fault him for being honest. There was a tiny part of her that said he could be telling her a partial truth - hiding something else and it seeming like he'd told her everything because he'd said something. She tried not to entertain the thought, it wasn't good to go down that route. "but it was more of a show for other kids my age." She was going to ask him to explain, unsure what exactly he meant, when he did so anyway. "i was mouthing off to one of the local cops at home, who also happened to be one of my dad's best friends. i was sixteen and stupid surrounded by other sixteens and stupids. got the cuffs slapped on me, booked at the station then made to walk home when my parents refused to come pick me up." Beth chuckled at that and nodded.
"I see, so it was a case of teaching you a lesson then," She guessed it was probably a good way to do it, better that way than actually being a stupid kid and getting into proper trouble later down the road. "it wasn't the first time i'd been to a place without any idea what i was getting myself into." Beth took another swig of her beer as she mulled over his words. "Not many people would do something like that." She certainly wouldn't, not without at least a place to stay and a means to live. "trust me, when i got here i thought it was perfect." She could accept that, giving a small nod. "It has a certain charm to it," Beth agreed, it was perfect for her, she loved it here and had no intention of leaving. "i don't think so. home wasn't good for me after ...it just wasn't good for me." Beth noticed the hiccup, something went unsaid, but she didn't feel it was right to push in that moment. There was a time for it, for more truths and deeper understanding, but it wasn't now. For tonight, she was getting a better feel for him, for why he was here, for what he was about, and it was enough for now. She glanced up as she saw the waitress returning. "Just in time, I'm starving."
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)
Beth watched the vet for her reaction to the animal, knowing well that you could judge how things were looking based on the reactions another person had. People's thoughts were very often on their face, even if it wasn't very loud. At least the vet wasn't giving the 'this is something really bad' look, with Beth couldn't help but feel relief about even though they still weren't sure on the issue yet. “alrighty then let’s get a weight, I’m glad to hear that you didn’t see anything to obvious and just taking a glance at him standing then lifting the paw I don’t see anything to obvious yet either.” Beth nodded in reply, scratching the animal gently behind the ears to try and keep him calm as the vet spoke.
Once the weigh in was done, she helped the animal back into the examination room, watching quietly as the vet continued her work. The dog gave a little whimper at the squeeze of his paw, but it wasn't much of a reaction and Beth frowned slightly. “ Well nothing feels broken so I would say he has sprained it and may have also bruised the tissue, so a deep bruise that we can’t see, I would still like to take an xray to see how bad it is. either way he will be going home with some pain medication , a splint and strict instructions for rest for the next few weeks, he shouldn’t be playing or jumping and leashed walked until he is starting to use it more.” Beth nodded as she listened, taking it all in. "Okay, well I guess that's good news at least." Hopefully if it wasn't broken then it wasn't anything too awful and a few days of rest would help. "It'll just be keeping the boy calm for a few days that'll be the hard part, he loved to play." But if it was for his own good, she would figure out a way.
“alright kiddo should we go get an xray of that leg for mom? My techs are really nice.” She smiled, at least the vet was nice and had a way with dogs. She had expected more dramatics but so far things had been pretty relaxed which was the best situation. "Thank you, shall I wait here or ...?" She asked, unsure if she was to come with them or go back to the waiting room or what.
Her eyebrows raised as Logan leaned forward, finding herself leaning toward him instinctively, curious as to what he was about to say. "well i can promise you, i've never had a grand theft auto charge." Beth rolled her eyes but gave a small chuckle at that, tilting her head a little. "And what about the rest of it?" She asked, joking - or at least she hoped it was a joke and he wasn't about to admit to having several charges of another sort against him. She leaned back against her chair once again, but the smile remained on her face. She was beginning to trust him, or at least she had more trust in him now than she had when she'd first met him.
Beth smiled as he touched her bottle to his and then took another swig, relaxing further as they settled into their easy going conversation and things began to flow. She was quiet for a moment, as they both fell into a temporarily lull - but it didn't feel awkward. Beth didn't feel the need to talk all the time, and when she was with the right people it was easy to sit and just enjoy each other's company for a while. Though, she had more questions for Logan, and had a lot of curiosity about his life and what had brought him to this little town exactly - and into her life. She glanced at him, waiting for his answer, and as the quiet stretched on she wondered if she'd asked the wrong thing, upset him somehow. A faint trace of almost unease filtered into her gut. "when i got home i needed some space, so i picked a spot on my nephews globe and flew there." Her brows went up again in surprise and she put her drink down. "That's very bold... to just .. pick a place and go?" He struck her as a home bird, as the type to settle roots and stay put, it was odd to her that he's randomly pick Hickstead of all the places. "When you picked this place did you not wrinkle your nose and try to pick again?" She cocked her head as she thought on his words. "Will you go home again to your family, once you've had your space?"
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)
She continued to entertain the young pup with head scratches, being sure to get her nails in behind the ears as the animal liked most of all. She gave a soft chuckle as he let out a low growl of enjoyment and tilted his head to offer Beth a better access. "Well, at least you seem less sorry for yourself now." She murmured, allowing herself a little smile to see him looking better. She loved the dogs, every single one of them, whether they came in for five minutes or five weeks, and it was always a worry when something happened or something wasn't right for them. It wasn't even the fact that they weren't hers, it was just that she cared. Dogs had been her life for as long as she could remember, one of the many constants, and they were her sanctuary.
Beth glanced up at the sign of movement, seeing a file in one hand and assuming that this woman must be the vet. A quick look to the clock showed that it had been a pretty quick turn around time since she'd walked in to being seen, which was always nice. “hello I’m Ila and you must be Beth and this here must be mister Dash.” She automatically smiled in response, taking an instant liking to the woman. "Yes it is, nice to meet you," She said, confirming both questions there even though they weren't exactly that. “is he able to stand so we can get a weight on him?” Beth gave a nod, "Yeah, should be okay to do that - he suddenly started limping on our walk and was unhappy to put weight on the paw. I did take a good look but couldn't find anything obvious," she explained as she carefully - and somewhat awkwardly - lifted the pup from her lap. Dash looked a tad put out, glancing around with those big, baleful eyes as he was taking from the warm and safe place and placed gently on the floor. He stood, a gangle of long limbs, for a moment and then shuffled, lifting his sore paw after a few moments of placing weight on it.
She didn't like having to take a dog to the vets. Beth prided herself and her Kennels on their animal management, and her expertise. It was a rare occurrence, generally the dogs were healthy and Beth and Logan were careful to ensure the dogs didn't suffer any injuries or illnesses. Not only because this was her business and livelihood, but also because she loves animals, particularly dogs, and respected them. She was a good trainer, and she had a decent base knowledge of ailments. She never mixed dogs without supervision, she was careful depending on the dog's temperments who mixed with who. They rarely had any fights or similar, naturally it happened occasionally - a dog correcting another - but she had an excellent reputation for a reason.
Today, she'd brought one of the longer term boarders in to get checked out. She'd taken young Dash on a walk yesterday and everything fine, and then again this morning as per her routine, and the pup had begun limping quite soon into it. She'd picked him up and carried him home, no matter the two year old Lab was getting heavier by the day as he filled out. Once back, she'd used her grooming table to sit him down and check through his fur and his paws for any obvious reason for the pain. Nothing she could see but he yelped twice, and with nothing obvious, she worried he might have done something serious. So she found herself sat in the vets with Dash sprawled on her lap, his big eyes looking a little sorry for himself as she waited to see who would be available to help her today.
"so too much mystery is bad, i'll remember that." She smiled slightly, "You don't have to go around spilling your darkest secrets, but it's nice to know that your co-worker isn't an axe murder or wanted for grand theft auto." She joked, though she had to admit that his quietness had been an allure and a concern for her at first. She had worried, this strange man from absolutely nowhere, not talking about himself over than his name and that he liked dogs. But it was hard, to let that be enough, to let that in when you had a child to think about, and an ex husband who had broken some of her trust in men. She wanted to know more about him, to figure out what made him tick. The more she'd worked with him, the more things had snuck through, but she didn't know many things about him.
She tilted her head slightly and listened as he spoke. "i didn't want to lie. i couldn't bend the truth enough to please my professors so they gently steered me towards the door. it wasn't because they thought i couldn't do it, just that it probably wasn't my calling." She smiled in response. "There's something to be said for having a calling," she felt like sometimes there was a lot that could be said for fate. "well i can see why you wanted to stay. i've only been here a little while and i never want to leave it either." Beth blushed faintly, it was on the tip of her tongue to say he didn't have to, and not even in a sexual sense but more that if he wanted the job forever, it would always be there for him to have. She didn't plan on going anywhere. "It's just always felt right to me, I couldn't imagine doing something else." She thanked the waiter as their drinks appeared and she picked hers up, gently touching it to Logan's. "cheers.""cheers." She echoed, taking a long drink before she put it back down. "What was it that drove you here, in the end? I don't feel like you really said." She asked curiously - it was such a random place to settle, when he had come so far.
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)
I'll get everything ready for the steaks haha to negate the effect of the vegetables? Just not one of those ready made salads with a tonne of mayo in please!
thanks aofie!
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)
"oh no, no not two." She raised an eyebrow, feeling her heart flutter a little when he leaned forward, coming closer. She had always felt a little off kilter when he was around her, but she hadn't been sure what it was until the waters had been tested; and shen she realised it was attraction. It had been so long for her since she was attracted to anyone, and every time he was near she felt that surge of adrenaline, that curling of her stomach at the idea of him being so close. "you'll need three. if you go home without a disgustingly wonderful lobster for ben, he'll give you the silent treatment." She chuckled and leaned back too, shaking her head and relaxing again. "I don't think he'd really mind if we didn't bring back lobster, but desert might be another matter altogether," she admitted, though it would depend on what deserts they had to offer.
"i always thought mystery was intriguing?" Bet half smiled and looked away for a moment, "It is up to a point, its always nice to know who you're working with." His story was intriguing, and he rarely gave much away. She couldn't fault his manners or his work ethic but she wanted to know more about who he was and what he wanted out of life. "i grew up in a small town in colorado." She listened attentively as he spoke, nodding slightly to tell him to go on. "i liked the idea of being a lawyer, almost went to law school but changed my mind. i come from a military family." Tidbits, it was what they were. Not a full story, nothing too comprehensive. But at least it was something. "What made you change your mind?" She asked, unable to imagine him as a lawyer. "my turn." She smiled and waited for his question. "what did you want to be when you grew up?" Beth's smile widened, that was an easy enough one to answer. "What I do now. I grew up on the farm, and I never wanted to be anywhere else."
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)
"that'd be the lobster." Beth leaned forward as if to check what he was pointing at and then gave a serious nod. "So it would seem," She tried to keep a straight face, "I might order two, I am feeling really hungry.. and then one for breakfast tomorrow," She teased, having no intention of eating a lobster let alone a second one - and fish for breakfast? God no. "speak for yourself, mrs ketchup." She laughed at that and gave a small shrug, "Okay, touche." She conceded, though she didn't honestly care what he wanted on his chips. She was just glad they were finally doing this, she hadn't been sure about taking that step - between her over-protective ex and her son, and the fact that Logan was a stranger and she didn't know that much about him, plus he worked for her and there was that line too. But there was attraction there, for the first time in some time for her she was curious, she wanted to dip her toe in the pool.
She only smiled at the way that the waitress eyed Logan; she knew it was bound to happen, he was a good looking guy and he had this strong, quiet order about him which was mostly what drew her to him in the first place. "i'll have the same thanks, but with a side of ketchup and mayonaise please." Her smile widened and a faint blush stained her cheeks at his wink - such a school girl thing, but she couldn't help herself. After the waitress had gone, Beth leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and placing her chin in her interlaced hands. "I feel like I don't know much about you, even though we've been working together for months." She admitted, though it was his choice whether to tell her about his life or not. "Where did you grow up? What did you want to go when you were a kid? Did you always want to be a marine?" She knew it was a bit of an interrogation but she wanted to know about him.
<3 LOGAN JAMES FAIRCLAW | ONE SON (BEN - PREVIOUS MARRIAGE) | TWO HORSES (COPPER & AZTEC)