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!.
ahlia shook her head. “No, you can follow Sabine and help her put the food away,” she responded. “That will be easier to be done with two people.” Of course, there was more, but the teens couldn’t exactly avoid each other right now – and she had her system of bringing things in. Easier to do it herself than explain.
Dahlia slipped back outside and grabbed another cart of groceries, placing them near the entrance. After a third and final load, she locked her car and made her way further into the house. She entered the kitchen to see empty plastic bags strewn on the floor. It looked like Sabine had shown Justin the easiest way to deal with bags.
“How’s it going so far?” she asked, unloading some bags onto the table. Dahlia emptied bags and placed items into the freezer, fridge, and pantry. “I see no blood, so that’s good,” Dahlia teased.
Dahlia was extremely thankful that the holiday rush was over, even though the month of love was right around the corner. Today, she and her staff had mainly started to clean up and begin the process of drying flowers that weren't sold. They would be used for scent bags or for upcoming weddings as compostable confetti.
She was in the back when an employee let her know there was someone looking for her. Almost like an impish smirk on their face, which made Dahlia give them a suspicious look. But nevertheless, she was the boss and owner.
After washing her hands and drying them off, she made her way out to the front. Her rubber boots squelched a bit, and her apron covered in some dirt. A polite smile crossed her lips as Dahlia crossed the threshold. To see Jeremy, out of all people.
Dahlia grabbed a cup from a cupboard, just a see-through, green cup. There were glass ones, too - as a way to help children and teens take care of their things. She filled it up with ice and grabbed a pitcher from the fridge. Once full, she handed it to Sabine.
“In the age of the dinosaurs, my father lost his job when I was younger. There was a year and half we were living out of the car, four of us. It was tough, but we heavily relied on food banks and the soup kitchen. After some help and a low paying job, we got a flat. Probably not a legal one, with how haggard it was - but it was better than four people in a small car,” Dahlia replied, as she began cleaning up her space a bit.
Dahlia listened as Izzy gave off her prompt, and her idea. She mulled over thoughts as Izzy showed her blueprints. There was a bit of a hill, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Not wanting to draw on Izzy's print, Dahlia fished for a piece of paper and drew out the plan. She grabbed a green pen to make her suggestions stand out. “With how the land is currently, I think having the retaining wall directly against the garage would be too tight. You could do a border that sits lower, maybe with some dimension of curve. The building is already kind of blocky, so adding too many rectangles or sharp corners might not be the best idea. At least in the front. Tall grasses are always a good choice as they do well in different locations. Anything near the garage we would guess has a bit more shade.”
he lifted an eyebrow. “Do what? Be a kind person?” Dahlia scooped some of the veggies she had finished cooking into a bowl. She had more pork left and placed some of that onto the veggies. Her hands opened a drawer and grabbed a fork and knife, before handing the utensils and dish to the young lady.
I do it because I want to. “Also, I know what it is like – being homeless. No one asks to be homeless for the most part. Sometimes life deals harder cards to a few folks. There weren’t a lot of resources, so I created one.” Dahlia knew she wasn’t the bright knight, nor did she have a savior complex. It was something she had experienced and she knew that she wanted to return the help she and her family had received.
Sure, there were times Dahlia wondered if she was doing anything. But then she would see a family she had helped a while ago come up to her and say they finally had their flat. Or they graduated with some of the highest scores.
“Feel free to eat in the kitchen or the lounge. Would you like any water or anything else to drink with your meal?”
The question posed to Dahlia wasn’t one she was surprised about. But she also knew that there were some people who believed there was a hard line in gardening for commercial and domestic use. While the architecture was different, the formula was pretty much the same. “Oh, sure. Yes, I’ve done a lot of homes. Various designs and looks for each.”
She motioned Izzy to take a seat, since Dahlia had a feeling, this may take some time. “Did your professor provide a prompt of sorts?” she asked. “Like the style of the house or a blurb of what your supposed client would like?”
ahlia had been busy, busy! Summer had brought a lot of people to the safe house, something that she was grateful for. But also saddened by. There was some slow picking up, but that was understandable. It was a new, somewhat luxurious place. Teens and kids were always the wariest, but when they felt safe enough to stay overnight – Dhalia called that a win. Or that they felt welcome to come and eat.
She had run into a new teen, Justin. Dahlia had finally seemed to convince him to get some food at the house. While the soup kitchen did its job, there was often more food at the house. Since it was mainly for kids and teens. She had to hassle a few adults away – which resulted in Dahlia almost being stabbed. But thankfully Moses was there, and her brother was quite intimidating.
Running a bit behind, especially since the bulk store was taking forever – Dahlia managed to pull up to the house in her car a bit after 1 PM. She grabbed her collapsible wagon and opened it. After she loaded the first haul, Dahlia rolled it to the front door. She opened it to see Sabine holding a butter knife and Justin standing there like a deer in headlights.
“Good afternoon, you two,” she greeted. Her tone was a bit stern, making sure that she didn’t approve of what was happening or was about to happen. “If you’re going to waste some energy on a possible…duel, you can help put these groceries and supplies away. Sabine, do you mind showing Justin where the kitchen is?” It was said in a way that the teens had no choice but to interact with each other. Plus, everyone who stayed here knew that the Baker siblings were quite serious about maintaining a healthy space.
he nodded. I do! Multiple versions, so if there’s a preferred one you like, please let me know. When the man said he wanted food, Dahlia smiled. Of course! And no, never feel silly for asking. This is why this place is here, to feed and help those who need it. It’s very brave for anyone to come in and ask.
What kind of food would you like? Pre-prepared? Or ingredients to cook with? There were plenty of options here, and she hoped she was going to overwhelm him with her questions. But so far, he was talking with her. Even if it was all going to be yes or no answers.
e knows where I am,” Dahlia said. “We look out for each other. Knowing him, I’m sure he’s already on his way.” At least Cam offered and wasn’t a bit surprised that Cam knew of her brother. They both had a lot of cross-help from the kids they helped. So much so, that they both knew where each other’s so-called wards were located.
“Just a possible sprained ankle,” she added. “It’s painful, but nothing like the time I was pretty much body slammed at Starbucks. Never experienced a hold up onto it...” Dahlia sighed, leaning back on the bench. She felt the tracker in her pants vibrate under her weight. Moses was on his way. Or at least sending someone to fetch her.
“Have you received the last bunch of pencils I put in the box?”
ell, if you were part of Daz’s gang, it would be a pure surprise if you were even allowed anywhere out of his sight,” Dahlia snorted. Maybe it was because she had seen firsthand how Daz could be. She and her brother knew of him, as they had both helped people that wanted to and managed to escape from him. It was rare if anyone did, but there was no judgment if Sabine was trying to escape. There was something about being in what some could deem as either a weird cult or trauma bonding. For the most part, Daz had managed to stay away from Dahlia and Moses. She didn’t know what kept him away – but she was grateful for it.
“Of course!” She beckoned Sabine to follow her to the kitchen. The smells of cooking became stronger. Dahlia opened the freezer and grabbed a few neatly packed meals. They were sitting in the classic black and clear topped take-out boxes. “Do you have any food allergies? Or any preferences?” There was a high chance that the young girl didn’t know. Dahlia rarely expected any of them to know, but it was one of the reasons she was able to have a slew of Epi-Pens around if someone needed it.
he really didn’t know what had gotten over her. Maybe it was because the cashier was stabbed, and someone was pleading to help him. It was a distraction, right? It felt like her body was moving on its own. Dahlia was once hiding, but now, she had climbed over the counter.
An arm reached out, and in her fist – a massive bunch of fabric. But the forward momentum she had, was reversed. Like someone had pushed rewind. One of the goons had managed to grab Dahlia, pulling her back. But she refused to let go, pulling the hood of the attacker with the knife.
Her eyes caught the color of the hair, briefly before she was thrown down – back over the counter that she was originally behind. Her body ached – screaming coming from the shoulder that she landed on with a slam. But she had her phone. It was still tightly gripped in her hand. It hadn’t fallen or snatches from her, but she quickly stuffed it into her shirt. If they wanted it, they would be faced with a sexual assault charge.
ahlia frowned, not believing him. It was evident that he had gotten worse. Maybe it was because she had known his habits now. Even though Cam had tried to hide things from her, Dahlia knew how to read his body language. Something she didn’t know if he knew she could do. But she relaxed her shoulders.
He would refuse it, but she couldn’t allow him to not get food. Even if it was from a vending machine. She rummaged through her pocket and gave him some change. “Enough to get a snack and a drink.” She said, placing it in one of his hands and closing it. “And don’t you dare refuse it, you hear me?”
She could feel it, how much mass seemed to leave his hands, but she had released his hand quickly enough before he could pull away himself. It was hard not to cry more than she had. A twinge of pain crossed her face, and Dahlia absent-mindedly touched her ankle. It had grown. Shit.
ure! I can hold off planting until a siding is picked. Most of the flowers I’ve thought about come in multiple colors and patterns.” Dahlia knew Richard would allow her to go with the flow. She had scared him once, by allowing him to get everything he wanted and it was…not what he wanted at all. But she also knew that she didn’t want to push his buttons.
“Have you worked with this client before?” Dahlia asked, curious to see if Andrew had ever worked with someone like Richard. She was sure Andrew had dealt with a few people that were high maintenance. It seemed to be a thing that happened in their line of business. Dahlia always joked about who was worse, the rich and famous. Or brides? They seemed to be fifty-fifty, but she would never voice that out loud unless it was around people that understood it.
ahlia really hadn’t seen herself giving a presentation about her work. She like sharing, and training the younger generation per se. As someone that worked with teens and children, younger adults – like university age, felt a bit more daunting. Not in a bad way, but Dahlia never put herself in a way like a professor. She had given talks and whatnot, but most of her knowledge was given in more of a casual manner.
But her presentation had gone well today. A few students were engaged, which was better than none in her eyes. She knew a presentation on the garden design wasn’t exactly the easiest thing for people to digest. Especially, when it was based on local fauna and introduced ideas of urban gardening. Since she was being better about not hovering around the shop for so long – Dahlia agreed to stay a few hours as so-called office hours. To allow the students to ask a few more questions, to ask them.
She stayed in the classroom, as the professor she was helping – didn’t have classes for the rest of the day. So they would be able to stay around and gather some more info. There were already talks about a field trip to the shop, so the students could see the way Dahlia did her growing – especially see how hydroponics could be decorative.
As Dahlia began rearranging her files of handouts, she sensed being loomed over. Her eyes flicked up and she smiled. “Izzy, correct? Is there something I can help you with?” Dahlia asked.