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!.
NICKNAMES: mase, masey, loon - only wren GENDER: male AGE: twenty four D.O.B: 22nd january SEXUALITY: straight RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single HOMETOWN: bakewell HAIR: brunette EYES: brown HEIGHT: 5ft PLAY-BY: hugo philip
PERSONALITY/LIKES/DISLIKES
mason has and always will be a hard worker, his parents instilled that into all of their children and he was never one to give up easily. he loves to have fun and is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, whether thats driving fast, jumping off a cliff, climbing a mountain or throwing himself out of a plane. if it gets his heart pumping and gives him that summersault feeling in his stomach, he'll do it. his thrill seeking side can also bring out his impulsive side which can often lead him to ignoring commands in work, if there's a slight chance he can save someone, he'll do it; whether that means running into a burning building or driving like a maniac to get to a patient.
he's always been a confident guy, growing up with three older siblings and a feisty twin, he kind of had to be. he has a good sense of humour with a cheeky streak and enjoys making people laugh or smile, turning into a massive kid when he's with his niece/nephews. he's a pretty empathetic person, particularly towards his twin and likes to think they have twin-tuition, somehow always knowing when the other isn't feeling right. he cares a lot which can often make his job hard, especially when he can't save someone, which can often lead to him internally spiralling, going over and over how he could have done things differently. when it comes to friends or family, he's fiercely loyal and will protect them with is life. if you get on the wrong side of him, he'll probably let it slide, but if you do anything to the people he loves, his temper will probably flare.
LIKES: calisthenics, horse riding, tennis, camping, sky diving, rock climbing, baking, getting a tan at the beach, watersports, a beer after work, binging tv shows, his niece and nephews, fast cars DISLIKES: spicy food, cocky/ignorant people, bad tv shows, romcoms, sitting still, being rejected, being hungover, waking up early, bad coffee STRENGTHS: working/calm under pressure, good memory, intelligent WEAKNESSES: wren, his twin, crying girls FEARS: something happening to skye or his family, losing wren as a friend SECRETS: in love with his best friend, actually likes romcoms HABITS: drinking coffee
LIFESTYLE
STATUS IN SOCIETY: middle class OCCUPATION: firefighter/paramedic/part time model WEALTH: very comfortable TATTOOS: none SCARS: one on his leg from falling out of a tree as a kid DRINK: most weekends SMOKE: nope DRIVE: yeah HOME: oldaker avenue
mason was the fourth oliver born in his family, only a few minutes ahead of his twin sister skye. he had a good childhood, got along well with all of his siblings but was always extremely close with his twin. they were inseparable and did almost everything together as kids. she was his favourite person. his second favourite person was his best friend who he met on his very first day of preschool. skye had been sick but his parents had sent him in anyway, not realising how important it was for him to have his twin by his side. he'd been upset and hadn't wanted to play with anything until he saw a girl looking at firefighter uniforms in the dressing up corner. he went over and asked to play with her, not knowing she'd become his closest friend and living round the corner from each other made it easy to have sleepovers or playdates. as they got older, wren spent more time at his house and he was the shoulder she cried on when shit was hitting the fan with her parents.
as he got older, his feelings towards wren began to change, he was falling in love with her more and more every day but he couldn't risk telling her. he didn't want to lose her as a friend. so when his sister told him she was moving to hickstead and wanted him to come, he couldn't turn her down. one, because he couldn't stand to be half way across the country from him and two, because it was a needed distraction from wren. at seventeen, he said goodbye to the north west and headed south with skye. mason kept in touch with his bestie over face time, texts and would try to visit her when he could, which was often difficult as she moved around a lot. while in hickstead he attended the local college/university and did a paramedic science degree since he'd always enjoyed helping people which also drove him to become a part time firefighter at 19, still feeling drawn to it ever since his first day in nursery. as soon as he joined, he face timed wren to tell her, only for her to tell him she'd done the exact same thing. more years passed and after learning how unsettled wren was in her current location, he told her to come and try out hickstead.
PETS
Cool Under Fire - Vulcan - 12 - Thoroughbred - Gelding
"Invested, huh? I'll keep that in mind. Guess I'll have to come up with something epic then." He winked and gave the kid a cheeky grin. ”No pressure.” He joked. ”Just nothing that’ll get you into trouble mind. .” He didn’t want him blowing his chances with the fire chief before he’d even applied but he knew the boss wouldn’t mind a harmless prank. ”Noted on fitness level. What do you recommend I work on in the gym?" He paused on washing the truck for a moment so he could give Ronan his full attention. ”Cardio and weights. Have you heard of the bleep test? Make it your best friend. You need to reach level 8 for the exam. Weight wise, start working on shoulder press and pull downs. You need to be able to lift 30kg above your head and pull 45kg.” He said, recalling what he’d needed to do when he had taken his test years ago. ”Pulling the prowler will help simulate pulling the weight of a body too. . and get used to heights. You’ll have no time to be scared when you’re racing up a ladder.” He added. Mason liked to boulder and rock climb to hone his skills.
"Oh yeah? Where are you the two of you from? Come here for Uni then?" He went back to washing the truck, moving to start on the front. ”Bakewell, a little town up north by the Peak District. . yeah she didn’t want to go alone so I went with her.” He smiled. His twin was like his left arm, if she hadn’t asked him to come he probably would have offered anyway. "Ah, from down under, Scone. Australia's 'horse capital' as they like to say there and put on all of their signs. Quite different from here, but still nice. Sometimes I miss it, sometimes I don't" He poked his head back around the side of the truck and grinned. ”Thought I recognised an accent. . didn’t want to offend you and call you a kiwi though.” He half smirked, playing on the rivalry of the two countries. "Do we have to do the top of it also?" He finished the front and dropped his sponge into the bucket. ”Nah I’ll just spray it with the hose. . it’s usually pretty clean up there.”
” "Good to know I'm onto something then. I'll see if I can propose it after a month of being here. I'm stubborn enough to play the long game." He grinned as the kid laughed at his suggestion. ”Well I’m invested now so you’ll have to keep me in the loop.” If the kid could get photographic evidence that would be even better. "It's funny, I grew up on a ranch so I never really needed to work out. Now I have no ranch work and it's making me lazy being a student." A soft laugh escaped his lips as he remembered his own student days. He had spent his first year in a drunken/hungover state and had to get his ass swiftly into shape once he’d applied to the fire academy.
”Yep, student life will do that you. .take it from me, get back into a decent level of fitness before becoming applying, it’ll help your chances.” It was hard enough getting into shape for normal life, never mind when you had a shitload of kit to wear. Mason ran his sponge over the door of the truck, taking time to get into the awkward spots behind the handle and wing mirrors. "Did you grow up here in Hickstead or are you a transplant too?" He glanced back to the teen, listening as he gathered more soap/water into his sponge. ”Nope, moved here with my twin sister when we were eighteen. . then half the family eventually followed” He grinned. ”Where are you from?”
"You know, if you want in on it, I'll allow it." He let out a soft chuckle at the boy’s offer and shook his head. ”Unfortunatley I can’t risk getting fired if it backfires. .but. .I’ll happily lend an ear and steer you in the right direction.” He offered. As much as he loved pulling pranks on his friends at work, there was still a level of professionalism he had to stick too. He knew his friends could take it but he was unsure with the other guys. "Remind me to ask Jamie to put in a request for a bunch of squirmy kittens then when he's scheduling with Sparks Kennels potential adoption animals." He smiled when Ronan took on his idea. ”Now you’re talking.” Payback was a bitch.
"I don't mind...I can help finish the truck. Maybe all of that scrubbing will build up my scrawny body for the calendar." He snorted a laugh and smiled again. ”If you’re looking to build muscle you should hit the station gym in your spare time, we have a decent amount of equipment here.” He said, nodding towards the main building. "So...when I come off of the call and switch boards, does this mean you think I'm cool enough to adopt onto your shift?" He moved to pick up a sponge and tossed it towards Ronan. ”I think you just might be” He grinned then grabbed another sponge to start cleaning the truck.
"Alright, was he wearing his helmet?" Mason’s eyes landed on the male who’d made his way through the gathered firefighters. ”No, we were just doing a training exercise and I hadn’t planned on falling today.” He said, his eyes darting to the firefighter who was stood off to the side looking slightly guilty. The guy must have been new or just sloppy at his job. "I'm Raf, nice to meet you,” He gave a stiff smile in response, still annoyed at the fact he was still laying horizontal on the ground. ”Mason. Are you new to the hospital?” He asked. "Your crew are just concerned, and they're right to be - even from a small height a fall can be a serious injury. Does anything hurt? Can you wiggle your toes and your fingers okay?" He supressed a sigh, knowing the guy was right but it still didn’t change the fact he hated being a patient. ”I know. . but they can all get back to work now.” He said, directing it towards the hovering men, his eyes lingering on them until they all moved away. ”I’m fine, just some bruised ribs and a knock to the head, probably a concussion.” He said, wiggling his fingers and toes to show he was fine.
"Hey now...Just because you haven't see me in a while, doesn't mean you get to be mean to me, maybe I should have gotten a taxi." He angled his head a little in her direction and grinned, happy they could still banter back and forth like they used to. ”I mean, there’s still time if you’d like me to pull over” he countered, knowing she’d refuse. "Yeah I know. And you know even when I say I hate it I don't mean it," He looked over at her again with a meaningful smile. ”I know and I don’t take it to heart. .anymore.” He rolled down his window and went to reach for his phone when Wren leant across to tap her own phone against the card machine. ”heyy, coffee was my idea, it was my shout.” He protested before taking them from the drive through operator and placing them in the cup holders.
"No need for violence? No need? Since you seem so keen to gamble..." Mason’s eyes narrowed in response to the guy’s words - he was sounding unhinged. They were the worst, harder to reason with. He inhaled sharply when Ben was stabbed, his eyes lowering to the pool of blood that began to run out of the wound. He’d need a closer look to see if the location of the knife had hit anything vital. "His life is now mine on a whim. So - sit. The fuck. DOWN!” Mason stayed standing but backed off slightly to where he could still keep an eye on Ben and the wound.
He glanced briefly at the guy with the baseball bat as he moved closer to the blonde and her boyfriend – who looked like he could hold his own. The kid was trying to look menacing but the lack of muscle wasn’t doing much for him. Flashing lights of police cars outside caught his eyes briefly before a commotion to his left captured his attention; another woman was being thrown back of the counter, drawing eyes towards her which gave him the opportunity to edge back forward, flicking the loose lid off his hot coffee and throwing it in the direction of Cameron’s face, hoping it would distract him enough to loosen his hold on the knife while Mason charged forward to tackle him to the ground.
Mason was laying on the ground slightly out of it but a little pissed off at the same time. He'd been taking part in his shifts weekly training drill when the guy he was partnered with (an on call firefighter who was covering for a member of his team) hadn't set the ladder up properly and as he'd began to climb it fell backwards, sending him straight to the ground and landing on top of him. Thankfully he hadn't climbed too high when the ladder began falling but 30kg of metal coming down on him hadn't been fun. He'd tried to save his head on impact but he may or may not have hit it which would probably explain the wooziness he was currently feeling.
He had been laying on the floor for the past ten minutes - minus the ladder, as the idiot had kindly removed it from him while one of his proper crew mates called for an ambulance even though he protested he didn't need one. He was a paramedic, he could sort himself out. "Hi, someone call for a paramedic? What's the problem?" He heard a voice he didn't recognise call out and he tried to lift his head to see who it was. He was familiar with most of the medics at the hospital but he couldn't recall this one. "yeah, he fell from a ladder which then fell on him from about 8 or 10ft" He repressed a sigh as one of his team spoke to the paramedic. "I'm fine guys. ."
Mason watched as Wren got out of his car, heading into the station while he pulled down the visor to double check his hair was still styled. He'd used enough gel to make it look like it was still wet in order to pull off a pose he had in mind for his page of the calendar. Satisfied, he pushed open the door to his car and stepped out, pulling his bag out with him. It had felt like a lifetime leading up to the shoot but it was finally here - the day of the charity photo shoot and he was pretty excited to see what ideas the photographer had. He was used to posing for clothing shoots and online campaigns but he'd never done a calendar. He'd seen a couple of other charity calendars from different countries when looking up what they'd signed up for with Wren & Jay and it seemed like fun. If anything it would be hilarious watching everyone try to strike their best pose.
He entered through the doors, not long after his blonde bestie, smirking as he heard her response to their chief. "Morning boss, I'm not sure about chaos but I'm set. Are you oiled up already? Done your quick press up pump up? He pulled out a bottle of baby oil from his bag and waved it with a grin. "I have extra if you haven't." He dumped his bag next to the table and reached out to pour himself a coffee. "Hey don't knock the pump till you've tried it lark." He'd be doing his own set before his turn in front of the camera.
"Okay so I wasn't a swat...but I could have been if I'd wanted to be!" He snorted and gave her a side eye as he drove. "Suree. .course you could have." He said, unconvincingly. They'd both had to spend hours upon hours studying to even get decent grades while others could just look at a book and understand instantly. Training to be a paramedic had been tough academically but he'd somehow managed to come out of the other side. "How about you just send me the bill at the end of the week," He gave her a grin. "Will do." He agreed.
"Hey now I am a strong independent woman and I can totally do it on my own... But I still appreciate this all the same." His lips pulled into a wider grin at her words. He'd have held his hands up in defence if he wasn't driving. "Oh I know you're capable of handling it by yourself but I still won't let you." He was too chivalrous for that. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel when a familiar song from their playlist played through the speakers as he turned into the drive through. He rolled down his window to ask for their typical orders then pulled up to the next window to pay the cashier and take the drinks.
Mason smiled again as the younger guy sighed as he realised he'd been punked and used. He'd been there himself when he had first joined the crew. Not matter how many decent people worked as a firefighter, there was always at least one asshole in the house. "Yeah, I feel a little stupid that I fell for their antics." He shook his head, feeling a little bad for the kid. "Ah don't be, it happens to all of us." He said with a half shrug, hoping to make him feel better. "Nah, they didn't scare me off. I'll just have to exact my revenge," His smile spread into grin. "That's the spirit." He probably shouldn't have been condoning 'revenge' but hell, he'd do it himself so who was he to judge.
"Maybe if that calendar event happens, I'll get 'em with the hose when they're stripped...er as long as they aren't holding puppies or kittens." He let out a snort at his idea. "I hate to break it to you but that would probably make them look better in the shoot. ." Already shirtless firefighters with water glistening on them was bound to be a hit. His eyes twinkled a little as he came up with an idea. "If i'm right in thinking who put you up to this. .I know for a fact they hate cats. .it'd be such a shame if they were to end up holding one in the shoot." He grinned, a little mischievously. "So...what should we do about the truck?" He glanced back towards the truck with a shrug. "Well. .b-shift have finished so my team will have to finish it. . care to stick around?" He asked, looking back to Ronan.
Mason didn't bother to hide the slight grin that appeared on his face the second the younger man tossed the sponge at the truck. He was definitely pissed off that somebody had palmed off the shitty jobs on him. He'd have been pissed off too, especially if he wasn't getting paid. His grin widened at the look on ronan's face when he found out he was doing the probie's work. "Those motherfuckes." He let out a laugh and glanced towards the firehouse to make sure his captain wasn't around. "yeah b-shift have a few assholes on their crew." He agreed. "I didn't get a name...explains why he was so fast to leave me here though. Nice to meet you, Mason. And yes, I'm Ronan. Guess I should have realized I was being hazed, huh?" He smiled and clapped him on the back in a friendly way. "The newbies always get hazed, those idiots just forgot we don't haze the volunteers. . tends to scare them off becoming future probies."
"I prefer the term, nerd actually." He snorted and lifted a brow as he looked at her questioningly. "You were not a nerd." He hadn't been one either in school but he hadn't been in the popular crowd or a troublemaker either. He and Skye had formed a friendship group along with Wren which had been nice and it gave him the opportunity to look out for them. "Hmmm, how about an IOU? Payment was definitely not on the confirmation text." He tapped his finger against the steering wheel while he pretended to think about it. "hmm. .fine but the interest gets bigger the longer you wait." He teased. "Ah sorry I didn't realise, you should have said - you didn't have to come pick me up,"
He rolled his eyes and gave her a look. "Like I was going to let you get a taxi and move in by yourself. Besides, I can sleep later." There was no way he was not going to be there to greet her. He was thrilled she'd decided to move there and he wanted to help her get settled in smoothly. "Absolutely yes, I had to miss out on my usual this morning as I ran out of time." He grinned and pulled into the starbucks on the way into town. He'd managed to down an espresso before he left work but he needed another pick me up to keep him going. "What do you want? Usual?" He asked, unsure if her usual would still be the same.
As Mason surveyed the room, he tried to get a read on people and how they were feeling. It was situations like these when people's flight or fight tended to kick in and he didn't want anyone doing anything stupid. Not until the situation was assessed properly. If the guys just wanted the money, they'd hopefully take it and leave. If they had something to prove then things could get dodgy. He clocked the couple at one of the tables who looked like they were keeping their cool. He noticed the stance of the boyfriend and figured he'd only jump into action if any threat were to come the girlfriends way. Next was a younger girl who looked ready to smack someone over the head with her handbag, not the smartest move but could come in handy to distract them.
His eyes landed on a solo male who seemed to be keeping a low profile from the guys at the counter which was probably best. Not far from him was a woman crouched down taking pictures. Hopefully the guys holding up the shop would be too distracted to notice her. "Can we let the others go, and then I'll give you everything we have." Mason turned his head back to the barista at the sound of his counter offer. "No. You'll do as I say. Open the till, or you'll be meeting your Gods early. Now stand and behave." His grip tightened on the coffee cup as things unfolded in front of him.
He didn't know Ben personally but he'd been served by him enough times to know he was a decent bloke who definitely didn't deserve what was happening to him. His eyes narrowed as he took a few steps forward, unable to stay quiet. "Oi, that's enough. He said he'd give you the money, there's no need for violence." He reasoned. He nodded towards the spectators who had gathered around the window to see what was going on. "The police will already be on the way, just take your money and go."
Mason stepped out of his car then grabbed his duffel bag from the back seat. He was a little early to be starting his 24 hour shift but he'd wanted to make sure had had enough time to run into Starbucks on his way to grab a coffee. Luckily the queue had been miniscule and he hadn't had to wait long before being served. Mason turned with his coffee in hand and bag slung over his shoulder after locking the car and headed inside the firehouse. Once he reached his bed, he dumped his bag down then decided to see if any of his shift mates were around while he still had time to kill. He sipped his coffee as he walked through the building and out into the garage area where all of the trucks were kept.
Hearing the sound of water hitting one of the trucks, he moved around the front of an engine to find the source. He watched the kid wash the truck for a moment while he tried to remember his name. He did remember his boss saying they had a new volunteer but he hadn't met him yet. "Hey, Ronan right? I'm Mason." He introduced himself before moving a bit closer. "Who's got you washing the truck? That's the probie's job not a volunteers" He said with a slight grin. He didn't know who'd put the kid up to it on the previous shift but he'd be having words with his chief. Ronan was there to help out and learn. If he decided that he wanted to become a firefighter eventually, well that's when he'd get all the shit chores thrown at him, like every other probie had.