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!.
"Hm? Oh, I'm weird I guess. I like meat AND veggies on my pizza...plus olives which I suppose makes me a monster." Erin gave a small smile at that and then a little shrug, "hey, call it a balanced meal right? Carbs, meat and dairy all in one." She considered, "You? And no, I won't judge you if you say ham and pineapple." A soft chuckle at that, "well I would," she joked, though she could never judge anyone for their choice in food if it meant getting to eat - she had eaten all manor of things in her life just to stop the pain in her stomach. "I'm a simple girl, pepperoni does it for me." She admitted, "and as cheesy as possible." She loved the stuff, and now had a habit of coating it on absolutely everything the way some people did with mayonnaise.
She saw the dawning of understanding in Sabine's gaze and she gave a slight nod, confirming the suspicions. She knew she didn't look like it - not anymore. Though she was far from polished, she was fit and healthy, her hair shone and was freshly cut, she wore a little make up which hid the early signs of age that malnutrition and street living gave a woman but her skin glowed with health - hydrated and cared for. You would never had known. "I'm not with that mothereffer, Daz, if that's what you're concerned about." The sudden turn in conversation took her a moment and she almost missed a step in surprise. "I nailed him in the balls so hard I hope he's permanently damaged." With a blink, Erin managed to blurt out, "well I'm glad about that.. both parts." though the guy deserved more than just a kick to his favourite parts.. or were they even his favourite parts? It would be for most guys but .. Daz was something else.
"I hope you weren't with that asshole." A slight frown as Erin shook her head - at the thought of being with that douchebag more than anything. "No," She said quickly, "I was sure to stay clear of his territory once I came here, I didn't need the hassle." She had been quick and clever to keep of his radar, though it had helped he'd considered her too weak to be of any interest; not pretty enough at her worst, and not with it enough or strong enough to be an asset. He'd left her alone and she'd slunk to the shadows as far out of his reach as possible. She'd never been the kind of fighter that was worth anything to him.
Settled into her seat, Erin opened up the menu and took a look, her eyes immediately drawn to pepperoni special and her mind was made up. A simple girl indeed.
Erin looked right back at Sabine, mostly like a deer in the headlights, as was her instinctive response unfortunately. Some people fought -either physically or verbally- and then there were people like her, who just froze. Was something wrong? Had she upset Sabine or something? It was funny, but something about living rough gave you extra senses, and they seemed to help you recognise someone who was or had been in the same position. Whether Sabine was figuring out that Erin knew about Daz, or knew about living rough. Erin probably didn't seem like it anymore, now she had new clothes, a new life - she was clean and washed and well put together, even if she was a bit quiet and soft still a lot of the time.
"Great, pizza it is," Erin nodded, and then filed in to step beside her as they headed for the restaurant. "What's your go to choice?" She asked in effort to make a conversation. She wasn't good at awkward silence, she tended to fill it with random things, sometimes more successful than others. "How'd you know I needed to eat off campus?" Erin glanced at Sabine, seeing her frown and wondering how careful to tread. Would Sabine run if they spoke too openly? "What gave me away? Did they teach you fancy things in London to look for?" At that, Erin gave a small smile - imagine, her in a fancy London college or something like that. If only. She'd never gotten college qualifications and it was only now she was looking to gain them with her part time work as a youth worker and student support. Thankfully, they had agreed her experience and her personality had been enough to begin with and they would help her gain what she needed to further succeed.
"I never went to a college or anything," She said slowly, unsure how much exactly to give away about herself without Sabine thinking of her as a phoney. "I know because sometimes there are just signs about a person that let you in on their secrets without either of you knowing how." She couldn't explain how she had known about Sabine, aside from the fact that she saw things in Sabine that she used to do, or had seen others do. The way people acted - like her attitude to dropping the food - people didn't care if they could just go get something new. "Especially if you come from the same streets..." She added after a moment's hesitation, giving Sabine a look that she hoped would convey enough. The restaurant wasn't far, and when they reached it she pushed open the door, holding it open for the young woman with her and then following the waiter to a table for two in a booth near the back.
Erin wondered if she might have overstepped a mark somewhere, but she wasn't quite able to figure out how or why. She was good at reading people, and emotions, she had to be good at it given where she had come from, but her hopeful and sweet nature had still gotten her into trouble more often than it should have. Never able to give the first punch, or even retaliate to it. It was what had eventually gotten her into this path. If she could help even just one kid avoid going through any of the crap she had, it would feel worthwhile to her, and perhaps her journey had led her through the shit for this very reason - to help others avoid it, or get out of it sooner. She didn't want to take her offer back, if anything she knew she was pushing it a little, but something in her told her to keep the pressure on, even if it made them feel a little uncomfortable. If the young woman then got pissed off, she'd let it go.
It felt like an age that the woman considered her offer, and for a moment Erin had to wonder what exactly she was having a complex about. Not in a horrible way, but just that she knew something must be going through the woman's mind to have her question Erin's offer so intently. Hopefully she didn't look like some kind of murderer or psychopath. "I'm Sabine," Erin gave her a reassuring smile, "Nice to meet you," Had she already said that? Suddenly she couldn't remember. She hoped she hadn't made herself look silly by repeating herself. "I don't mind going off of campus," Erin nodded, another easy smile, relieved she hadn't had her offer thrown back in her face. "Okay, I know somewhere nice that's not too far. They do the best tuna mayo sandwiches I've ever had." Which people would care about if they liked tuna, and not many did. Maybe she'd fluffed it again in her enthusiasm.
"Um...we can't eat near that abandoned part of town..." Erin blinked, and paused mid motion of making sure she had all her stuff together. An odd sentence. Most wouldn't really think anything of it. But Erin had lived some time in that area, the few places on the street that people didn't care about you loitering. Because of that, she also knew who owned those streets. Though she'd never been part of his gang, or against him, she still trembled to think of his name, well aware she'd gotten off lightly by keeping well out of his way whilst he went about his business - and lucky he'd never considered her as having anything worth him taking. "We can do that Pizza place." Erin nodded, having been trying to think over her best answer without prying into how Sabine might know about Daz. "Sure, pizza also works for me."
"No, it's mine. I wasn't looking where I was going." Erin gave a quick smile and shook her head, knowing it would be silly to argue against it again but also not wanting the other to think it was true. She'd had her head down and also not been looking, so perhaps it was an even split of blame. Either way, it was stupid of her to have been drifting about in her own world when the campus was full of busy students and professors rushing from place to place. She made sure the pile in her arms was in a more organised and sturdy form so that they didn't spill out of her arms again as she stood. Her gaze caught the eyes of the stranger, and she tried to look warm and welcoming, knowing that she probably looked young enough to be a student but old enough to be part of the teaching band too, and she didn't want the young woman to think she was in any trouble.
She watched her snap everything closed and tried to keep her expression neutral, having a feeling she was about to get turned down. "I am perfectly fine," The tone didn't alarm her, she'd spent too many years on the streets and she knew when someone was just being defensive, as opposed to being awful. "Really. It's fine. I swear." Erin chewed her lower lip for a moment, glancing away as she often did in social settings - she had improved a lot with social skills but there was still an issue when it came to awkward conversations and making small talk or eye contact. She wanted to improve on those things, and she had been since getting on her feet and away from the streets, but she still struggled to maintain looking at someone as they spoke, and to avoid fidgeting when it was a slightly difficult conversation. This wasn't even difficult, but it was unorthodox.
"It's not, I've ruined your lunch. If I were you, I'd be annoyed." She said with another quick smile, showing that she wasn't in the slightest annoyed or anything like it. The hesitation when she offered to buy her food though was good, and it felt like a way in. Erin tried hard to hold herself back and not leap too much at it and scare the woman away. "I mean...I won't say no, But...the cafeteria is closed. Look, whatever your name is, I don't want to keep you from anything important." Erin shrugged and shook her head. "I was only going to go home and read these so you'll be saving me from that," She said kindly, her smile widening a little. "We can go and get something off campus, if that doesn't feel too weird to you? You really shouldn't eat that now, and it's the least I can do." She offered, shutting herself up before she could go too far and start rambling about how she didn't have to sit and eat with her or anything. "Besides, I could do with something too, so company would be kind of nice. I don't know many people here." She blinked as she realised she hadn't offered her name yet. "Oh, sorry I'm Erin, by the way."
Erin was still settling into her new job. It sounded ridiculous but she'd never had a job before. Growing up in the kid's home she'd just picked up whatever scraps she could get, and then she hated to admit it, but she'd helped her friend's to steal. Following that she'd been on the streets for a very long time, and nobody wanted to employ a homeless girl. Off the streets with a roof over her head, a family and a man who loved her, she actually had the chance to consider the rest of her life and what to do with it. It had taken time, she had been at home looking after the flat, just getting the courage to go outside once a day to pick up shopping and such. In the end, she had decided she wanted to help people, and in particular people like her - kids like her. Who didn't have anyone, or felt they had no option. So far, she was only a week in and she was trying hard not to drown.
There was a lot to learn, a lot about laws and legislation that she should have expected but hadn't. Her colleagues were kind though, they went easy on her, they were patient when she asked them to go through things again or to explain further so she understood. She had just started taking on the odd case to get the ball rolling and the idea was terrifying. She wanted to help, but she also did not want to go and fuck anything up for someone; this was a child's life she was handling, it mattered. Her work found her coupling with the local university, and as she was learning and absorbing as much as possible she had gotten in touch with the on site counsellor in order to discuss a few topics of interest and get a general handle on uni students and their trials and tribulation for Erin's understanding.
It was a few hours later, with a pile of reading to take a look at and a lot to think about that Erin found herself leaving campus. She had her head down and was trying to organise the stack of books in her hand when she collided with someone. Taking a few staggering steps, she accidentally dropped her books. "Oh no, I am so sorry!" She said automatically, taking the blame whether it was her fault or not. "Shit," Erin heard the other girl hiss, just as she bent to retrieve her books. "Five second rule," Erin glanced over to the girl to see what she was muttering for and then saw the food scattered on the food and instantly felt guilty. Well damn. "Sorry. I should have watched where I was going. I'll pay better attention next time." Erin stood, books just about in hand again. "No, no it's my fault, sorry I wasn't looking. Are you alright?" She looked at the food and bit her lip. "You can't eat that now, let me get you something else as an apology."
Erin smiled as she wandered from one stall to the next. She didn't have much money, she was still struggling to find work - with not much of an education and quite a few gaps in occupation, not many people were looking to hire her. She had no idea what she wanted to do, and she was trying not to feel downtrodden by it, but she was toying with the idea of going to college - she just didn't know what for. For now, she spent time volunteering at the local homeless shelter, having once been one of the people who had used it, it felt good to give back.
Dylan had baby Rae for now, giving Erin a much needed break. Unemployed meant looking after the newborn was easy but she was also home 24/7 and it had begun to drive her a little crazy. She paused at one of the set ups that had cages, her heart drawn toward the cute animals and she wandered over. They did have a scrappy little dog at the flat, and with a newborn she had enough to look after... but... she wandered from cage to cage and then saw the staffy cross sat under the table and her heart gave a squeeze. "Well, hello there little guy,"
GENDER: lady AGE: twenty-three D.O.B: 15th march SEXUALITY: straight STATUS: dating PLAY-BY: kate upton HEIGHT: 5ft4 HAIR: blonde EYES: blue
"WHEN YOU'RE FAST ASLEEP, IN DREAMS"
TATTOOS: none SCARS: many DRINK: not really SMOKE: nope DRIVE: nope GLASSES: reading glasses HOME: dylan's flat BORN AND RAISED: london, england
"YOU WILL LOSE YOUR HEARTACHE, "
gentle, wise, 'an old soul', kind hearted, a soft nature, optimist, believes in enjoying the finer things in life - like the colour of the sunset over the roof tops, or the cuteness of a lone cat curled in an alleyway alone, not much fight in her, soft, honest, manages to see the best in everyone, no matter what, isn't one to complain or be bitter and have regrets, tries hard, likes to fix things, bit nerdy
LIKES: the finer things in life , fixing things , chocolate , sci-fi movies , reading , people , watching the world go by , being safe , learning , kind and generous people , starry nights DISLIKES: violence , knife and gun crimes , being forced into things , losing people she loves , the unfairness of life , having to sleep without shelter , horror movies , selfish, self centered people , liars , being in pain STRENGTHS: imaginative , compassionate , optimistic , honest , good painter (used to do graffiti anonymously) WEAKNESSES: physical fighting, she's good but she hates it and often yields - pacifist , not street smart , can't lie , see's the best in everyone , seeing people she loves in trouble FEARS: being alone for the rest of her life , not being able to protect people she loves SECRETS: she's been in love with dylan since they first met , wants a family of her own
"WHATEVER YOU WISH FOR YOU KEEP"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: lower class OCCUPATION: youth worker/student support at the uni EXPERTISE: hiding from people who want to kill her , nerdy - has extensive sci-fi knowledge , has a knack for fixing things WEALTH: nothing PROUDEST MOMENT: it might sound a bit odd, but the first time she read a book by herself. she never had a very good education because she was constantly being moved from place to place, and there were no adults who gave enough attention to her to care how she was getting on. so she sort of ended up teaching herself how to read and though it was slow progress, and she wasn't always very good at it, she eventually finished her first book when she was nine years old. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: she had the biggest crush in the world on dylan, and so most of her embarrassing moments relate to being around him. There was one time when her joggers - which were a couple of sizes too big - slipped down whilst she was playing with dylan and kat and boom, her pants were on display. very embarrassing.
"HAVE FAITH IN YOUR DREAMS AND SOMEDAY"
FATHER(S): unknown MOTHER(S): unknown STEP-PARENT(S): none OTHER HALF: dating - DYLAN SAMUEL HUNTER - 22 - manager of r&r's nightclub SIBLINGS: none CHILDREN: Rae - under 1
erin never knew her parents. when she was born, they gave her up without a second thought. all she knew was that her parent's had been young - teenagers probably - because the minute she was born, her mother wrapped her in an old piece of cloth and placed her in the waste bin in an alleyway. it was a day later she was found, barely alive but she made it nonetheless. a survivor they called her.. and survive she would have to for the rest of her life. she was placed in a foster home as soon as she was deemed healthy enough, and she remained with a rather cold couple for several years. they were nice enough, but they refused to get themselves attached, and therefore they simply observed erin and gave her what she needed, but they lacked love for her, and erin grew up lonely and craving for the love people were yet to show her.
when she was four she was taken to a children's home, where being one of the youngest, she was quickly picked on. it didn't matter than she was pretty much still a toddler, she was forced to involve herself in the scraps for whatever she wanted or needed - food, a bed to sleep, a certain toy...all of it. she wasn't a fighter, she hated fighting, was too sweet, because despite everything she still used to laugh and smile, find the simple things in life, enjoy the smallest of things... she was someone who truly lived 'on the bright side of life'. she fought if she had to but generally if something was taken from her she went without, never complained. she was in and out of foster care. couples who thought they wanted her then figured they wanted an older child, some found her too quiet - she was withdrawn and shy, some had considered her a mute for her lack of talking, but really she was confused by the idea of affection, had been so devoid of love that those sorts of things confused her.
by the time she was eleven she'd been in and out of five different foster homes before finally she was settled at a children's home more permanently. there were older children here - previously she'd never been in a home where there were children all that much older than her, but this place was rougher, filled with violence and terror. she was picked on and bullied the moment she arrived for being so weak and small, a little blonde thing. she quickly banded together with a girl named cat of the similar age, who was a fiesty thing and managed to keep the two of them out of everyone else's way and soon they became best friends. erin struggled in the home, struggled to see the good in life, struggled to keep on surviving. she might have been a survivor, but she was not a prosperer. others were good at getting what they needed, at winning things in fights or simply scrounging. she was not. it wasn't that she wasn't smart - she was great in school, loved classes and all, but she just couldn't deal with the mess of the children's home.
she grew up there, with cat by her side, looking out for each other. erin learned to fight, and actually she could be a damn decent fighter, she just never fought unless cat needed her help. when they got older, cat met dylan...and the moment that erin met dylan she fell in love with him. she didn't know what it was about him, but her heart beat for him. the only thing was... cat got there first - ever the fliratious, confident woman she was becoming, and erin that shy little thing, she got the guy and erin could only watch on as her best friend got the love of her life. she was not bitter, but it hurt. she tried to put it out of mind, her best friend deserved a good guy in her life, and she kept at her side even whilst cat discovered she was pregnant. that was like a punch in the gut for erin but she could do nothing about it. she tried to support her...and then something bad happened.
cat was stabbed on an attempt by several of the teenagers to escape. erin had wanted no part, she hated the fighting, wanted to stick it out until she could legally leave, but some of the other's didn't like it. everything was working until one of them - some kid, arrow - stabbed cat...and right there in front of erin, her best friend died. she was distraught, her friend had been the only stable, good person in her life, and out of blind terror, she ran. unlike most of the others she barely made it through every day. whilst they managed to get themselves together eventually, she never managed that. she couldn't get a job, she often got caught when she stole or she felt guilty and gave the thing back. the places she slept were never nice enough, never clean or enough shelter. she barely found enough company and in the end she got herself into a gang only for the need of self preservation. she found herself wandering into hickstead where she soon learnt of daz's gang when he cornered her a couple of times. she was beginning to loose hope, think that one day she just wouldn't wake up...
HEY THERE! my name is clips/admin lily and i'm eighteen years old. i'm a wiminz and i've been roleplaying for many years. but enough about me, here's my character. =]
[/color]:[/b] erin jade thorne
nicknames: jezza, e.j
age: twenty-one 15th march
religion: none
sexuality: straight
marital status: single
occupation: street kid, currently unemployed
playby: kate upton
hometown: london, england
parents: unknown
siblings: unknown
brief history: erin never knew her parents. when she was born, they gave her up without a second thought. all she knew was that her parent's had been young - teenagers probably - because the minute she was born, her mother wrapped her in an old piece of cloth and placed her in the waste bin in an alleyway. it was a day later she was found, barely alive but she made it nonetheless. a survivor they called her.. and survive she would have to for the rest of her life. she was placed in a foster home as soon as she was deemed healthy enough, and she remained with a rather cold couple for several years. they were nice enough, but they refused to get themselves attached, and therefore they simply observed erin and gave her what she needed, but they lacked love for her, and erin grew up lonely and craving for the love people were yet to show her.
when she was four she was taken to a children's home, where being one of the youngest, she was quickly picked on. it didn't matter than she was pretty much still a toddler, she was forced to involve herself in the scraps for whatever she wanted or needed - food, a bed to sleep, a certain toy...all of it. she wasn't a fighter, she hated fighting, was too sweet, because despite everything she still used to laugh and smile, find the simple things in life, enjoy the smallest of things... she was someone who truly lived 'on the bright side of life'. she fought if she had to but generally if something was taken from her she went without, never complained. she was in and out of foster care. couples who thought they wanted her then figured they wanted an older child, some found her too quiet - she was withdrawn and shy, some had considered her a mute for her lack of talking, but really she was confused by the idea of affection, had been so devoid of love that those sorts of things confused her.
by the time she was eleven she'd been in and out of five different foster homes before finally she was settled at a children's home more permanently. there were older children here - previously she'd never been in a home where there were children all that much older than her, but this place was rougher, filled with violence and terror. she was picked on and bullied the moment she arrived for being so weak and small, a little blonde thing. she quickly banded together with a girl named cat of the similar age, who was a fiesty thing and managed to keep the two of them out of everyone else's way and soon they became best friends. erin struggled in the home, struggled to see the good in life, struggled to keep on surviving. she might have been a survivor, but she was not a prosperer. others were good at getting what they needed, at winning things in fights or simply scrounging. she was not. it wasn't that she wasn't smart - she was great in school, loved classes and all, but she just couldn't deal with the mess of the children's home.
she grew up there, with cat by her side, looking out for each other. erin learned to fight, and actually she could be a damn decent fighter, she just never fought unless cat needed her help. when they got older, cat met dylan...and the moment that erin met dylan she fell in love with him. she didn't know what it was about him, but her heart beat for him. the only thing was... cat got there first - ever the fliratious, confident woman she was becoming, and erin that shy little thing, she got the guy and erin could only watch on as her best friend. she was not bitter, but it hurt. she tried to put it out of mind, her best friend deserved a good guy in her life, and she kept at her side even whilst cat discovered she was pregnant. that was like a punch in the gut for erin but she could do nothing about it. she tried to support her...and then something bad happened.
cat was stabbed on an attempt by several of the teenagers to escape. erin had wanted no part, she hated the fighting, wanted to stick it out until she could legally leave, but some of the other's didn't like it. everything was working until one of them - some kid, arrow - stabbed cat...and right there in front of erin, her best friend died. she was distraught, her friend had been the only stable, good person in her life, and out of blind terror, she ran. unlike most of the others she barely made it through every day. whilst they managed to get themselves together eventually, she never managed that. she couldn't get a job, she often got caught when she stole or she felt guilty and gave the thing back. the places she slept were never nice enough, never clean or enough shelter. she barely found enough company and in the end she got herself into a gang only for the need of self preservation. she found herself wandering into hickstead where she soon learnt of daz's gang when he cornered her a couple of times. she was beginning to loose hope, think that one day she just wouldn't wake up...
[/ul]
[/color]:[/b] the finer things in life chocolate sci-fi movies reading people watching the world go by being safe learning kind and generous people starry nights
dislikes: violence knife and gun crimes being forced into things losing people she loves the unfairness of life having to sleep without shelter horror movies selfish, self centred people liars being in pain
strengths: book smart compassionate optimistic honest good painter (used to do graffiti anonymously)
weaknesses: physical fighting, she's good but she hates it and often yields not street smart can't lie see's the best in everyone seeing people she loves in trouble
secrets: she's been in love with dylan since they first met
fears: death being alone for the rest of her life
habits: picks at the fraying edges of her clothes when she's nervous avoids eye contact when she doesn't want to lie but has to chews her lip when she's thinking, bored or scared
overall personality: despite everything that has happened to erin, she's always been a rather gentle, wise soul. people who believed in witches and supernatural on occasion would have believed her to be 'an old soul' simply for the fact that she could seem as though she'd seen more than her years would suggest. she's kind hearted, with a soft nature that would have faired better in a softer life, without the violence. she has no bloodlust, no desire to kill, no passion for fighting and she somehow remains an optimist. she believes in enjoying the finer things in life - like the colour of the sunset over the roof tops, or the cuteness of a lone cat curled in an alleyway alone...she doesn't really have a second side. there's not much fight in her, there never has, and whilst if she's really riled she might muster a bit of fight, generally she's gentle, soft and honest. she somehow manages to see the best in everyone, no matter what, and isn't one to complain or be bitter and have regrets...[/size][/ul]
I REFUSE! XD
credits! template by MOLLIVER ! @ Caution 2.0. lyrics are from "one more time" by the epically awesome daft punk.
