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!.
Molly had been so impressed with her work, and possibly admiring it a little too much, that she hadn't even heard the arrival of her company until Maeve piped up behind her, "Wow!" The teenager turned to look and see her friend there now, a grin popping up on her face, "Looks like someone's been busy up here. Um... Cara left us some... things." Laughter bubbled from Molly as her dark eyes took another sweep of the hayloft, "Do you think it's too much?" Maybe it was, but she could not help but to think her set up was perfectly instagram worthy with a dash of magical. Also, maybe she should help Maeve out with her stuff rather then just stand there like a preening peacock over a room.
"Here," she said now, moving to her friend now, "Let me help you with that box. That was super nice of Cara to lend us these! In my opinion, one can never have enough lanterns and smores for Ghost Tales." And with that, she let loose her best witchy and manically laughter that she could without disturbing the horses below. Getting the box into a nice place, she quickly took out the contents now to add to their surroundings, "I still can't get over how we managed to convince Naomi to let us have this sleepover." Which naturally meant that nothing could go wrong. That statement sort of hung in the air as Molly thought it over for a second because nothing would go wrong. Both she and Maeve were highly mature young girls. They could be trusted. That was what they sold Naomi on, wasn't it?
Dark brown eyes looked back to Maeve now, figuring there was no way she could have just packed that lightly with just her clothes on, "Do you need me to help you grab stuff from your car?" She asked now, eagerly willing to help, "I figure once we get ourselves settled in, we can mircowave us some smores and then get to some story telling. I've certainly been researching."
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice with a Dash of Sass
thanks aofie!
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
Molly watched as the woman smiled at her, "Only for someone who knows what to look for." She offered with a shrug in response to the obviousness of it all. Brown eyes stared at her for a moment before sighing, "Fine. Keep your secrets then," she responded, figuring that a quote from the great Frodo Baggins was utterly appropriate when talking to a woman who is suggested to have magical powers. It just meant that she was some sort of Gandalf equivalent in the teenager's eyes.
At least she had been right about Serenity being Maeve's friend, or maybe by her response, acquaintance was more like it. It was hard to remember the specifics when she had other things on her mind in the heat of the moment, and Luna being tricky was always something that would get the best of the teenager. Thankfully though, it seemed that the older woman may just have the spell to trick Luna into coming to her - or well, maybe it was more of a matter of showing the mare who's boss, which truth be told, the teenager was not always the greatest at doing.
As Serenity launched into an explanation, Molly was certain that she was following along. Although, this seemed a little difficult to her, or at least, it had a lot of moving pieces that she had to sort out. It must have known on her face as well, given that Serenity was soon asking her questions, "Do you have any treats on you? Something to tell her she made the right decision, once she's caught." Molly was quick to nod, "Yup! I have a peppermint or two in my pocket." Funny how she had also forgotten about those in the heat of the moment, "I can catch her if you'd like a demo of what I'm talking about."
She nodded, knowing that this was a moment where it was okay to admit defeat to herself, "Yes please. I swear I am a quick study once shown. I just...I think my feelings are still getting the best of me. And I am sure Luna will catch on the moment she sees me again." Well, maybe that was overdramatic, but Molly felt like the horses always seemed to know her mood - whether it was on foot or in the saddle, and then acted accordingly as such which always had its pros and cons. It was wonderful when she was sad and they were comforting her, but it certainly sucked when they were on a challenging streak and knew that they were getting under her skin.
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice with a Dash of Sass
thanks aofie!
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
Molly couldn't help but to cock her head as she stared at the other woman, rolling her response over in her head. Cara had said it so softly and with a gentle smile, the teenager could not help but to wonder if she had managed to stumble into some personal territory. The kind of territory that sent up flags and made it clear to Molly that she should back right up out of it like a dump truck would out of a neighborhood. Still, it almost felt like it would be rude of her to just not acknowledge anything, "Well, no matter what, I know you are well loved here." And she left it at that.
It was kinda funny being surrounded by all of these adorable ponies as they investigated her, and yet it was so adorable. Molly attributed it to a non horse girl's dream of being surrounded by puppies or kittens. At Cara's admission that she does not carry treats on her unless it was for training, the logic of it quickly make sense to the teenager, "Oh! I guess that makes sense. So they still see you as mom or the leader verses just the treat lady." Maybe she would become the treat lady. Given that the young woman just gave her permission, Molly couldn't help but to fish into her pockets to pull out some peppermints, "I'm sure Luna and Major won't mind if I share with you guys." She commented to the ponies now, holding out her hands flat.
"Casey is helping me train Crystal. If you would like to help, I need a gentle rider, with soft hands, to help me with the others." Molly's heart almost stopped. Her dark brown gaze looked to Cara now, almost forgetting about the ponies now, "Casey? As in Casey Lloyd?" Funny out of that whole entire statement, she found herself zero-ing in on the name of the fellow trainer. Maybe it was another Casey. But what if it wasn't? Casey Lloyd was fucking adorable. Would she be able to concentrate? The thought made her cheeks burn. And yet, Molly knew learning from the woman would be great experience, maybe it would rub off when it came to working with Luna or Major, "Um, yeah! I'll totally help!" she squeaked, "Thank you so much, Cara. I'll give you my number when we're done here."
Okay, so it had taken a little bit longer than a month for her to convince Ms. Naomi Clarke on the idea for her to have a hayloft sleepover than she had thought. After her first rejection, the teenager had to go about it like a business proposal and class presentation in order to get her way. Perhaps it helped that technically the person on this sleepover was Maeve O'Doyle, a college aged girl that the Blue Arces Owner actually trusted more than a sixteen year old girl. Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick since Naomi finally relented, that and maybe she got tired of seeing Molly every time she walked into her office. The second she got the yes, she had gleefully texted Maeve the details and to get prepared for a night of fun.
The days leading up to that Saturday night seemed to drag on forever, but it was finally upon them. Molly had done her research on Ghost Horse and other haunted tales of the United Kingdom for the evening. She rearranged the small kitchenette area in order to melt marshmallows and chocolate to make smores. Yes, she went all out for this evening of giggles and ghost stories. She had even convince one of the stable hands to help her with rearranging the hayloft in order to fit two air mattresses up there with all the blankets and sleeping bags that one could physically need on a chilly night - along with a heavy duty flash light and a battery powered lantern.
Molly stood triumphantly over her makeover of the hayloft - if it hadn't been for the obvious walls of the barn and stacks of hay, one might have thought they were out in the woods or something without any fire hazards. She checked her phone - Maeve would soon get here and their festivities would kick off. The horses were all snuggly away in the stalls below them. The teenager couldn't help but to peer over and steal a glance at them dozing off from above before returning to the nest of blankets. A slight laugh escaped her as she let herself flop into them with a soft thud, a grin sitting on her lips. Absolutely nothing was going to ruin this night.
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice with a Dash of Sass
thanks aofie!
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
Molly noticed how the other woman's brow furrowed before informing her that she would not in fact be doing trick riding. Cara must have been trying to spend time trying to figure out if she was serious or not, and the teenager couldn't help but to laugh, "No worries." She'd let that air of mystery remain on whether or not she had really been serious about her statement.
"The Avelignese? I do have to say that is very pretty," it also took her a solid 30 seconds to realize that this was actually a real fact instead of Cara just giving her herd of ponies some sort of cool gang like name for simply referencing them. Thankfully, it had dawned on Molly before she could say anything stupid to the other woman this was simply about Halfingers. While she knew that Cara wouldn't take any offense to it, she wasn't certain if the joke would have been lost on her, or let alone Molly's seriousness later down the road when she would just ask her how the Avelingese were doing.
Some slight semblance of guilt hit her as she noticed how Cara cringed, "I guess?" Oh god, Cara was even questioning it herself. Man, she really did have to watch her mouth there, "Errr....forget I asked," she quickly sputtered out, trying her best to get themselves both out of this situation. Brown eyes quickly looked back at the ponies, and particularly Twist, who was still with her receiving all of the pets and scratches. Certainly they could get them out of this awkward moment. Thankfully they could as Twist investigated for treats and Cara's comment made her laugh, "I can't say I blame him. I too like to stuff myself during winter time." Another pony fact came up and Molly beamed her a smile as she playful bounced the palm of her hand on the thick fur, "I see what you mean, nothing getting past that." She looked to the other woman now, "Did you have any treats you want to give them? Or is it too late in the evening for that?"
At first, Molly became utterly convinced she had just annoyed this woman with her request as she turned to her and had a frown on her face. The teenager was taken aback, suddenly feeling guilty for disrupting her day for not being able to catch her own school horse. Before she could think about it too much though, the woman than spoke, "Hi. Sure I'll help you," she commented and Molly met her brown eyes, "Before we head back over there though, you need to close your eyes, take a deep breath in through you nose and then breathe out through your mouth, pushing your tension out with it." Those words made her face scrunch a little bit, unable to hide the contortion of her embarrassment, "Is it really that obvious?" Truthfully, Molly knew the answer to that one, but it was hard to accept it that Luna had gotten the best of her.
As the woman introduced herself as Serenity though, her eyes light up. She knew that name, mainly because it had been named dropped to her in the fall, "Oh! You're Maeve's friend." Molly assumed that was the correct label for her, although it was a little funny given that she was an older woman. Granted, Molly couldn't talk given that she had suffered from a school girl crush on her riding instructor Stephanie - who was also many years her senior. As the older woman gestured for her to follow, the teenager did so and it didn't take long for her to figure out that they were already retracing her path from the lesson horse pasture. Already that sassy fleabitten mare was coming into sight.
The horses were happily grazing, but it was as if Luna had sensed their presence, for the mare lifted her head again. Her ears twitched, pointing towards Serenity and Luna, and while she gave a gleeful whinny towards them, she did not budge. To Molly, it felt like another challenge from the mare, which made a dramatic sigh escape her. Besides the teenager, Serenity appeared to sense her thoughts but maybe that sigh gave her away,"Your job is to make Luna want to be with you, more than she wants to be out here. If she wants to stay in here, make her work, show her that being with you is so much more fun!" Dark brown eyes looked up at her, feeling a little bit uncertain given Luna's resistance to coming over and greeting her, "Really? Because she just seems to think this is a game...and it already feels like work chasing her around." Molly was already feeling sullen, maybe she should grab Major instead? So much for clearing her head for Serenity.
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice with a Dash of Sass
thanks aofie!
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
Molly supposed the woman had been right, had she combined the gymnastics and the love for horses into a singular sport - she might have been of more 'value' to any school. But the teenager didn't think that was the right way to carry on with a life - being nothing more than cog in somebody's greater plans. Granted, Molly had a different background compared to Cara, and she was still getting to know her, "I suppose," she replied before saying with a grin, "Well, I guess if you ever decide you want to take a stab at trick riding, I know where to get you hooked up." Despite the posh atmosphere and elegant barn, Blue Arces had riders of all disciplines and she knew that her best friend Janie considered herself a trick rider above anything.
Ooof, she saw that look that Cara had shot her - she had talked too much. The response to her rambling wasn't that much better, but knew better than to take it to heart. If she had for every time she got a look like that, Molly was certain she would have dug her own grave by now. As kind and considerate she often tried to be, it was hard to remember that not everyone was as talkative or extroverted as her. Given Cara mentioned that she had a daughter, the teenager just told herself that she was long term preparing the woman for what it would be like to have a teen in her life and unlike Molly, her daughter would be around twenty four seven.
Doppio was a drink? Man, she was learning all sorts of things today, "Huh, I didn't know that. I also didn't realize that Haflingers were Italian." For some reason, the country famous for their food and wine - despite being agricultural, did not strike her as horse country. It was crazy to here Cara go into her schedule and logic behind not being to own a horse. That is a lot of time with children, "So you're like a professional nanny?" she asked now, uncertain of what else to call her. Teacher didn't seem right if she was hanging around with the kids all day and not grade them - plus, Molly recognized those name drops. She knew for a fact that half of the parents mentioned in that group had children that were probably four or under, "Well, that sucks you have to budget your time so much. I had no idea that's what you meant by why you did it. I am sure the ponies still consider you their human."
It probably didn't suck for Cara, seeing as the young woman appeared to like being busy and organized, but Molly didn't think it was entirely fun to have a herd fully of ponies to ride and hardly any time until the evening to do so. She thought it was hard enough to visit Luna and Major - who weren't even her horses per say - and balancing life and school work at Willow Brooke. Dark brown eyes watched as a bay welsh mountain pony arrived to inspect them and likely shake them down for treats. Laughter escaped her when he soon finished with Cara and came over to her, and she could not help but to pet him gently and scratch his eyes, "Ah, I am sorry buddy, all of my treats are back with my bag." She also saw the little filly go over to Cara now too, "I have to say, I do love how winter turns them all into giant fuzzy teddy bears." That winter coat was always so soft, Molly was certain it rivaled the velvety softness of their noses.
There was something in the air alright, she had spent the last ten minutes trying to grab Luna in the school horse pasture but to no avail. The flea bitten mare did not want to get caught. Molly couldn't even remember the last time one of the school horses made her work this hard to catch her. Someone novice must have ridden Luna if she was this determined to stand out in the pasture, that or the mare had somehow known that the teenager had been cheating on her with Major, the other school horse that Molly loved. That was a ridiculous notion though, right? Horses didn't get jealous over each other, just moody, and even if they did, did they really remember to take it out on their humans?
As radical as it sounded, Molly was beginning to suspected that. She tried again for the mare, but Luna just danced away and turned tail and bolted down to the other end of the pasture, head and tail high with defiance. A loud groan escaped her as she threw her hands up in the air, "FINE! I give up. You find somebody else to groom you, you lunatic!" And with that, she left and marched away with her own furry at the horse. Secretly, she hoped that by leaving the mare, it would give Luna a second thought and maybe when she showed back up five minutes later, the mare would be more amenable to the thought of being taken out of the pasture for a groom.
Still, Molly thought it best to get some back up because she was frustrated beyond belief right now and that always wasn't the best mindset to have around a horse. So the teenager left the pasture and started to head back to the barn. Maybe one of the stablehands could help her, or Shecanna or Nat despite it not being their job. Worse case scenario, she could always head to Ms. Clarke's office to see if Maeve was hanging around there. Instead though, Molly found someone else and she didn't have very far to stray from the pasture, "Excuse me!" she asked the woman, "Hi! Do you mind helping me get Luna? She's being a brat and I cannot catch her."
Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice with a Dash of Sass
thanks aofie!
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
Huh, well Cara was certainly turning into quite the interesting person and that was after witnessing her shoot a bow and arrow from the backside of a running pony. She wasn't sure if she had accidently touched a sore subject with her father. Molly wasn't sure on how to read that little insight into how Willow Brook matched her father's desires. The teenager herself had only ended up at Willow Brook because they offered her the biggest scholarship. It felt like one of those statements that was best to not push - mainly because this was her first time meeting and talking to the young woman, "Gymnastics and horses are kind of all I am." Molly aimed her with a smile, "Well hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Plus, they clearly compliment each other in your life."
"My ponies are school masters, so they aren't exactly challenging, per-sey. They just need a rider on them every now and again that they don't have to babysit." Molly wasn't sure if she entirely believed the young woman on that front. After all, the teenager tended to believe that pony's had a mind and agenda on their own, and there were a ton of internet memes to back her up. And if the memes about moody mares were true, then how can one deny that logic with ponies? Well, easily, if she thought about it because it was logic with plot holes. Molly did laugh though, "Well, they certainly won't need to babysit me. They'd just possibly have to accompany me on a few adventures." She was certain she could dig up some ole legends on the Hickstead that might require travel by horse or pony.
"Well, if you ever need help keeping busy at the barn, let me know. I am here often and usually up to a few horsey shenanigan's. I like to think that I am part of an unofficial pony squad...even though we have horses, not ponies," she said with a grin now, thinking of her friendship with Janie. Maybe if she introduced her to Maeve, then they really would have some sort of pony club for adventuring since Oliver couldn't ride.
Dark brown eyes watched the ponies in the field while attentively listening to Cara discuss her ponies. She followed along pretty well and was quite surprised to hear that a caffeine named pony was in fact, the opposite of his name, "Were you being ironic when you named him?" she asked with a grin. Given Cara's seriousness, probably not, but it was still fun to poke the young woman on a lighter subject affair such as pony names, "How come you don't have a main steed?" Given how many ponies she had though, Molly was beginning to suspect that the young woman could only sit her butt in so many saddles per the day. She could see how owning this many would add up to a never ending carousel of ponies to ride, "You can come and say hello to them, if you want to." Her grin went even wider at the invite, "Girl, do I ever." She didn't need to be invited twice as she unlatched the paddock gate and snuck in before latching it behind her and headed to Cara, "Who is best to give my undivided attention to? When we're obiviously not talking."
Well, at least Willow Brook had not been all THAT terrible then, feeling a little relived when Cara had actually enjoyed her time there, "I'm glad to hear it. I mean, Willow Brook does have it's pros and cons, but I feel like it gets a lot of flack just because its a prestigious fancy school." Molly knew it was deserved, sometimes the academy did go a little over the top with their antics - foil plated dance tickets, anyone? But the teenager felt a little protective of the school when people - friends or strangers - poked fun at the school. After all, Willow Brook was willing to give her a hefty scholarship when they saw her testing scores on their entrance exam, and her parents were eternally grateful for it, "So, based off of your fancy riding in the arena, I take it your gymnastics lessons have become handy when training your ponies?" Considering the unique bending the young woman had been doing, it almost looked like Janie O'Hara's vaulting and trick riding days.
"You may regret that offer," Cara commented with a small grin. A snort of laughter escaped the teenager, "I bet not. Swallow looked like a lot of fun. Plus, sometimes there are just days where I love a challenge," Molly replied back. Not all the time, but there were times when she was in a very spirited mood when it came to riding and I mean, she would be heling Cara out - never mind the extra riding time, "You know Luna? The hauty, high energy flea bitten grey? She's my favorite but there are days where honestly she makes me feel like a kite. So I am certain I can take on your ponies." Boy, she was feeling awfully bold. If she had been a man, she probably would have been puffing out her chest. Hearing Cara speak of her days, Molly did feel a little floored by everything, "Oh wow, and I thought I had busy days with school work." Clearly, being an adult sucked, "But I do love a good mirco-managing. I swear, not everybody understands how important it is."
She followed the young woman and her pony out of the barn now. Taking the familiar path out towards the paddocks now. Once out of the barn, Molly found herself greeted by brisk air once more. It almost smelled like snow was on the horizon, but that was a little dramatic sounding. It wasn't long before they were in front of a pasture with what looked to be seven ponies all with cute and creative names as Cara rattled them off - probably used to their introductions by now. Dark brown eyes watched and Molly couldn't help but to squeal, "Ughs. Cara, they are so adorable. I do love how their winter coats are coming in to make them look like little teddy bears." Okay, maybe big teddy bears but they are adorable. She rested her hands on the fence line, watching them. That was indeed a herd of ponies, "Who's your mane steed? Is it Doppio? Also, I love the elemental theme you have going on for the exmoor ponies."
Molly simply smiled when Cara nodded her welcome, figuring that her gushing may overwhelmed her and the teenager decided to dial it back, at least for that topic. She had truly meant the words that she told Cara, since she never thought of riding and school horses like that. Maybe there was more to the quiet woman than she was willing to let on, which wouldn't surprise Molly, considering that Cara hadn't really started talking to her until it became clear that she wasn't going to leave her alone. Annoying status at it's finest.
"I was a fourteen year old doing work with students two years older than myself and the senior male teachers seemed to think that I wasn't as clever as I thought I was." An eye brow quirked at that story, "Really? They must have gotten rid of those guys. I can't imagine any of the teachers being that curmudgey." But what did she know? She was only sixteen and in year two of her stay at Willow Brooke, it's not as if she had experienced all of the teachers there yet, "Then again, I suppose most teacher's don't like their students surpassing them. Anyways, it's in the past. We don't have to talk about it." Not to mention, Cara seemed uncomfortable to discuss the matter anyways, and Molly wasn't going to push a subject like Willow Brooke. The school had its pros and cons for every one, for Molly, it was some of her fellow students that made life uncomfortable and annoying verses the teachers though. It had clearly been the opposite for Cara during her time there.
A ready grin split against Molly's features when the young woman said that she might take her up on the offer to be the pony rider sacrifice, "Oh, please do." Sparrow looked like a bundle of joy to ride after all, but she was certain that Cara heard that all. Her next statement however, nearly called the teenager to do a double take at her, "Eight ponies?" That is a heckin a lot, "How do you find all the time to ride and care for them?" After all, Cara was only one person although she supposed thats why there were at least 6 stable hands at Blue Arces, to help with such matters. Noticing that the other woman was putting away the brushes now and moving forward the lead rope, she stepped out of the way and then dramatically gestured towards the fields, "Lead away. Might as well let her enjoy the remaining few nights outside before it gets too cold." She was certain winter would be moving in fast now.
- Running Free – Masie Lennon - La Da Dee – Cody Simpson - Shake It Off – Taylor Swift - Big Bad World – Plain White T’s - Weightless – All Time Low - Ready or Not – Bridget Mendler - Good Time – Carly Rae Jepsen & Owl City
SEVENTEEN . STUDENT . RIDER AT BA STABLES . LGBTQ+
To Molly, the woman looked like she had been lost in thought for a moment before returning her with more sage wisdom: "Everyone started out on a schoolmaster at some point, even the Olympic riders." Now that had been logic that even Molly herself had never thought about, and she had always thought herself full of academic wisdom, "Man, you're right! I guess it's kinda hard to remember that sometimes." Plus, it was hard to remember that the riders she saw on television, the internet, or even at some of the bigger shows at Hickstead were just people, they were not gods or anything. In fact, they probably were no different than her. The teenager couldn't help but to smile now, "Well, I think that just became my new mantra in the ring whenever I mess up. So thank you Cara." Because no matter how much she prepared herself or practiced, even Molly knew she was prone to silly mistakes and was also prone to beating herself up dramatically about it.
At her question to her alumni status, Cara just seemed to shrug. She was beginning to notice that a lot about the other woman, she was characteristically unenthusiastic about a lot of things, not that it was bad, it was just very different. Molly figured she was far more used to the expressive dynamics of her friends and other teenagers at school verses a quiet composed adult, "I attended for a year and a half before getting my GCSE, and was on the gymnastics team. I think they were happy to see the back of me, so I haven't returned." Okay, now that got the teenager to quirk an eyebrow in astonishment at Cara. She found it hard to believe that Willow Brooke would be happy to see a student leave, mainly because that was lost tuition, "Man, you must have been a real rebel then," Molly commented, "Do you have some sort of legendary status that I should track down at school?"
At least the ponies made Cara grin, although, while biased, Molly liked to think that she was getting the woman to warm up to her. She thought this conversation was already going better than 20 minutes ago when she nearly caused the woman to be flung after witnessing her awesome archery skills, "She is very quirky. She just has trouble focusing on what she's doing at times, and remembering that her rider is the one who makes the decisions." Laughter escaped her, "Are you bossy, girl? Are you like Luna?" Must be a grey thing. She could understand Cara's description though, espeacially since she had only witnessed the pair earlier in the arena, Swallow had a moment where it looked like she was going to give Cara a run for her money until the woman expertly corrected her, "For now she will join my herd, though she could find a small person who needs her." Finishing up her petting, the teenager figured she shouldn't hog all the pets while the woman was finishing up untacking and probably wiping her down, "Well, if you ever want someone else to ride her so you can see her from the ground, I totally volunteer as tribute." She was so adorable, it was hard to not volunteer, not that Cara had asked. Dark eyes looked over to her now, "Wait, herd? How many ponies do you own?"
