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!.
“Ah, the lavender is for you,” Moses smiled. “I insisted my sister keep some of her best batches aside for you. I may have to cat sit in return, but she knows you have a string around me.” He matched her impish smile when Reni answered Julia’s question. Thankfully she answered, as Moses didn’t know he could have cut it shorter than she did. He could’ve made it sound a lot scarier than it was by accident.
Julia and Issa knew of the reptiles in the house and were never unsupervised when down there. Everything was locked up as well, as a keypad code was needed to access it. Moses was tall enough to still hide the code from the girls and changed it up twice a month.
“What do you say, Julia? We have some time before we need to head home and cook dinner.”
Moses knew the answer but he wasn’t going to give Jeremy an inkling of an answer. The man shrugged and opened the reservation portal to check a few people. There were a few, but not too many yet. Mainly for the next weekend or the next few days. A lot of traveling would be happening for a few folks, but nothing too bad.
“You can always ask her, you know? The worst she could say is no, right?” Moses didn’t know if he had any right to tell Jeremy what to do. He hadn’t exactly found the courage to ask Reni out, but with Reni – she could read him. Jeremy and Dahla didn’t quite have that going on for them. If anything, it made Moses more nervous about his situation.
“Unfortunately, not as you’d like. I have a collection, and not many people – other than the zoo folks, tend to know how to work with them. Saved the local police station from an escapee." The story was entertaining, but Moses knew that not everyone was a fan of the scales and the slime. He knew his sister already got a lot of flack for her hairless cats.
Moses took another sample of beer, eyeing the color and the head – before taking a sip. It was fruitier than the first. A light one, like a blue moon. Not a citrus base though. A bit too fruity for his taste but was probably a hit for those who liked it. “Wasn’t born here but did grow up here for a bit of time. I was gone for a bit but came back. There was still a need to help people and decided to just do it – instead of waiting for people to do it for us. Mainly to help the teens and kids off the streets and give them a responsibility of sorts.”
He gave a small nod. “It’s not for everyone. There’s a level of patience needed for it. But my sister and I get a lot of support, so we like to think we’re making a difference.”
To be truthful, Moses didn’t know if that fact was true or not. “Apples and Carrots are quite popular. But if we did, we shouldn’t feed any horses we don’t personally know. Some of them may have an allergy, or their owners may not like strangers feeding their horses.” He only knew this info from hearing conversations at work or out and about. The best thing he heard someone say, was horses were bigger versions of dogs and cats. They all had their personalities and needs.
Moses was going to offer to take a closer look until the familiar voice of Reni broke through. The man found himself wondering if he looked okay. He wasn’t one to wear a suit jacket while driving to wrinkle it up. But he still found himself wanting to look his best for her, sneakers or loafers. “Hey, Reni,” Moses greeted, with one of his big smiles. She looked beautiful as always. Almost like a druid near a spring.
“Julia, this is Ms. Serenity Delca. A close friend of mine.” In practice, he had hoped to ask Reni out today. But having Julia around prolonged the process. “Reni, this is one-half of my foster daughters, Julia. We’re here to drop off a bundle of dried lavender. And she also expressed interest in hand-feeding a horse or two.”
Moses started the coffee machine, prepping everything while it heated up. It didn’t take long for him to return with the coffee in hand. He took a seat at his own computer, sipping his coffee – mulling over Jeremy’s words.
He couldn’t help but chuckle at Jeremy’s views on his father. Granted, Moses and Dahlia never had a parent that loomed over them like that. At least, Mrs. Kirby was different. There were times Dahlia wondered how Jeremy’s parents ever got married with their personalities. But their marriage seemed happy enough.
“Probably because he knows she will be future family,” Moses joked. It was something that almost everyone knew around them. How Jeremy would look at her, talk about her. “Unless you’re seeing someone else and he’s not happy about it. As for him storming out, no. Though there are times when he’s had to hold his tongue.”
Moses shrugged. “If you think I ask too many questions, then you’ve never met the rest of the locals,” he laughed. It was true. When he first took over R&R, a lot of people were confused. Almost avoided the joint for a bit. But it only took a few months of adjustment for people to come crawling back. While some people would’ve been offended by their food being called casual, Moses didn’t bat an eye. It just meant they hadn’t put their research in. Casual was for the late nights, high end was during the day.
Fingers gingerly picked up a glass, gave it a swirl, and took a sip. The sample was sour, heavier – an IPA. “Famous, eh? Well, I don’t think that’s the case. I do a lot of community work with my sister. Also, the resident reptile wrangler,” he laughed. “My sister owns a floral shop. They may know her from her community garden outreach. If they don’t, they should consider it. She’s set up a few herb gardens for some local places.”
It had been a year already that Isa and Julia had been under Moses’ care. The year was full of lessons, and the good and bad of it all. It was nice though. Moses had enjoyed being a dad. Granted, he was privileged with a lot of help. His parents and his sister made it known they would easily play fight for time. Granted, it meant Papa and Popop often won, since Dahlia was equally as busy as Moses could be. But Moses made sure to keep his life calmer compared to what it was.
Since school was starting soon, Moses had treated the girls to get some ice cream at the pier. Almost as a last-minute goodbye to summer. He had planned on dropping the girls off afterward since there was a delivery, he wanted to give to a special person. But when Julia learned that Moses would be stopping by horses, she insisted she wanted to go. And due to her starting school soon, he agreed to her coming along. Isa was tuckered out, so Papa came over to look out for her while Moses and Julia went to visit Reni.
The visit wasn’t a surprise, but Julia was. Dahlia had some lavender that had been dried, along with some bee balm. Two things that she knew Reni would appreciate. Sunday was the day they had planned to make work.
It wasn’t a long ride to Blue Acres and when they arrived, Moses made sure Julia’s hand was in his, the bag for Reni in the other. “Wow, Julia look at all the horses that are out!” he smiled, guiding her to one of the pasture lines. Moses didn’t quite know what Reni was doing at the barn that day, but he wasn’t in a particular rush. Well, until Julia would throw a fuss.
“It sounds in season,” Moses, offered. He offered similar platters when the dining area of the club was open. “Once the farmers are prepping their meat, I’m sure it changes. Which will happen if this place is a farm-to-table?” Maybe Moses had been in the business long enough to know. But it also seemed to be what the restaurant around here were like. There was a plethora of farmers willing to provide food. Granted, Moses wasn’t exactly a fan of butchering anything himself – he was there to pay his respects. Also, he and Esther were two of the highest-paying clients, so they would get first dibs on meat cuts. But he wasn’t going to let that slip.
“A pleasure to meet you Tre,” Moses responded, holding out his hand. Once the firm handshake was hard, Moses placed the napkin in his lap. “I’m Moses Baker. Ah, I see. Well, all good places often need some support when needed. When did they officially open?” Granted, he kind of already knew the answer. But once again, Moses wasn’t about to let all his secrets slide. Not right away at least. Call it gatekeeping, but he wanted to get a feel if people were serious or not.
“What do you know about this place? Is it considered high-end, more casual?” he asked, taking some of the offerings that were presented to him earlier.
Mose caught the glance and quirked an eyebrow. “Would you like me to make you an iced coffee, boss?” There was a fancy machine in the back for this reason. Had to keep the staff happy, right? “They come tomorrow,” he added. “So really twenty-four hours,” Moses laughed, with a bit of nervous laughter. He was excited though. Moses had to trust the others that his house was indeed ready and that he was going to be a great person.
“No, sir. Didn’t have the time before and will most definitely not have the time now.” Granted, he would have to make time if the girls showed any interest in horses. The expense was not the issue. Moses couldn’t help but release another smile. “I’m sure Dahlia shot that down quite quickly. Knowing her, I would say your father is...scared of her?” There was an inkling of a feeling that Moses wanted to pry out of Jeremy. Maybe it was how the other man’s face got a bit pink and shy when Dahlia was brought up
Moses wasn’t one to snob on other bars. It just wasn’t his thing. He saw it as friendly competition, but he knew there were things that Esther could do better than he did. As a nightclub, he still had decent mixed drinks and a massive selection of shots. Esther was more of the fancy – mixologist type. Moses, while he appreciated it, didn’t have the time to allow that type of artistry. Especially, when the dancing began.
Pirate’s bounty was new, not even a year he felt. But there seemed to be a great amount of interest. He had stopped in, more as someone to support a local business, not as a saboteur. Moses walked in and nodded at the young woman at the stand before walking towards the bar. He took a seat and turned his head when someone’s voice called out to him.
A polite smile crossed his face. “Not as young as you were to finish off the float?” Moses teased. Moses, while more of a hard liquor person, still wouldn’t say no to free beer. “What are we trying today?” He had time today, as the kids were still in school and would be picked up by Courtney.
“It’s all good, Jeremy,” he smiled. Moses logged into the computer in front of him and took a sip of his coffee. He wasn’t one to drink it that much, but he was nervous now. His sister told him coffee and nerves weren’t a good combo – but that was rich coming from her. “Oh, yes, very excited. I’m having someone come in today to help deep clean the place.” Moses was a tidy person, but he wanted the house a nice, deep clean before well – the children got to it. It was something he could afford, and honestly – would need until the children found them forever. Or maybe became his, officially.
Moses took a seat on the rolling stool behind him, glad he didn’t have to stand all the time. He did that plenty at R&R. “Hmm, I haven’t heard of one coming up. If there is, some of my employees haven’t brought it up.” Moses had a few horse-riding folks that worked for him. Some were casual and some were competitive riders. He would maybe text Reni about it, as she was in that circuit.
“We did have a lot of people overall in the summer. I’m sure that the new addition your father has commissioned will bring in a few more people when it’s done. I guess he’s trying to leave a legacy...on the Lost Shore.”
August was coming to a close, and Moses was ready for his upcoming week off. Tomorrow, two little girls would be joining him in his house. Dahlia and his parents were very supportive of it, and so far – his boss at the hotel was understanding of it as well. Though, maybe Moses at work was a distraction from the looming crush that Jeremy had for Dahlia. It was a bit funny to Moses, even though he had his own crush to deal with.
Dressed nicely, as always, Moses walked into work and was greeted by his boss’ friendly, but still a bit tight voice. “Just me,” Moses smiled, walking behind the desk, after swiping his access card to the small gate. “Just warming up the vocal cords for the rushing crowd of the last-minute vacationers?” he added, making sure his personal name tag was adjusted.