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!.
"We could continue with the wonderful movie plot and have him followed?" She was so in a muddle, she didn't know if he was joking anymore or not. She didn't think he would, given her last response to him cracking jokes. "That would mean having to bring someone else in on it.. he'd notice if it was one of us." Plus, she didn't have a car, so she'd have to borrow one or use Mik's anyway. She bit her lip. "Is getting a tracking device possible? And putting it in the bag?" She knew that also might be too much of a movie thing, but she felt like surely it was something Mik might be able to pick up. He seemed to know about this whole money trick too.
She felt him kiss her head again, but not argue. She probably wouldn't accept it right now anyway, unable to help but argue back. "If you left though, who would make sure I take care of myself?" She gave a small shake of her head, "You're a g-grown ass m-man." She hiccuped, "Y-you'd be fine." She didn't make a comment about him only having her around to look after him, she knew that wasn't true. "How about I go make us a hot chocolate and then we go to bed? If you still feel you need to go in the morning..." The tears slowed as she started running out of them, and she scrubbed at her face before giving a slow nod. Maybe it was going to be better to sleep on it, and then she might be able to leave when he wasn't home.
She glanced at him, not wanting to sound negative about his idea but it felt far too simple for that to work - after everything that they had tried, everything that she had done to get rid of him, if that was all it took she would feel such a fool. Granted, she didn't have several thousand pounds to spend on this kind of plan, but if it had meant getting rid of him she probably would have found it somewhere. "In short, yes, that's the plan... Well, more I go to the police and tell them that a large sum of money went missing from my vehicle the night I was attacked." So really, it wasn't quite as simple as she made out. "We'll need to know where he takes it. If he fucks off and disappears, he'll still win - he'll have taken the money and be long gone." She didn't know his hide outs anymore, it had been too long.
Amber didn't expect him to comfort her, she thought he probably would, because it was who he was, but she didn't feel she deserved it, and a small part of her was still considering running out - which would be easier if he didn't hold her. But of course he did, and suddenly he was there beside her. She let him pull her in, though she felt she shouldn't, it was too hard to resist. "It's okay, love." She sniffed and tried to take a breath. "It's not." She argued. It wasn't okay, this was all just bullshit. "We'll get through this. We could both leave this place behind, move somewhere new, start over again." She shook her head, "No, the idea was that I left, not you."
"I know it's not a game, love, and I'm making a mess of trying to explain my method of handling things to you." She watched him take a breath, she'd rarely seen him frustrated, they didn't tend to argue and she didn't often see him get mad at the club - he had eternal patience, but then she guessed he probably cracked jokes instead of doing what she did and fly off the handle. "I'm sorry. I am taking this seriously, I just have a warped way of demonstrating that." She considered it for a second and gave a small nod, it wasn't what she was used to. The anger was, that bag throwing had been something she'd known how to handle - you made yourself smaller, weaker, so that they might not hit you this time. They normally did. But it worked better than to puff out your chest and talk back. But jokes and chuckles she didn't quite get, especially when she did know he loved her. No words came in response, she didn't know if there was anything left to say.
"You know how they use microchips on animals so that they can find their way home if they get lost? Well they have something a little like that for personal property too, they're called DataDots, invisible to the eye and unique, like DNA, to the owner. All we'd have to do is spray some on the bag you hand to him, and on the money itself because we both know he'll ditch the bag the first chance he gets." She felt stupid as she shook her head to his question, not being an animal person she had no idea what he was talking about. The closest she could get was from a few movies she'd seen when the money had ended up being stained, or something to that effect. "That sounds too simple. Give him money with some spray on it, and then what.. call the police?" It couldn't be that simple. Things didn't work like that in her life. Running, or just running him over with a car still seemed like her easiest options.
Something flipped inside Amber again as she tried to work through it, tried to understand the angles, and what Mik was talking about, and her brain just couldn't handle it anymore. She burst into tears. They had already threatened plenty, and some had escaped, but all of a sudden her eyes were flooding, and they were pouring down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them as great heaving sobs came out of her chest. Too much. It was all bloody too much. The bed was right there but she dropped the bag and sank to the floor where she was, her palms going to cover her face.
She watched him raise his hands, looking at the cautious way he held his palms out to her. "I just wanted to talk it through." She looked at him for a moment and then nodded, not making a further comment. She got it, at least he hadn't hurt her.. and then her mind reminded her that that was not Mik, he didn't do that to her. She carefully picked her way over to the bag and picked it up, finally managing to finish zipping it up properly, hesitating. Now she had the bag and most of her stuff, she felt a bit stuck. Did she just... walk out? They were still in the middle of talking, she didn't feel like she could just leave. It would have been so much easier if he hadn't come home yet.
As she watched him drag his hand through his hair, at least maybe she'd finally gotten through to him that she wasn't playing, that this wasn't some silly joke to her. This was her life, and his as well. "Call it a knee-jerk reaction. When I was growing up, situations never seemed as dire, or punishments as painful, if I acted like it was all a game I was part of. Your feelings have never been a joke, even before I admitted to my own." She nodded again, deflating a little with his explanation, her head was coming back down from the heavens but instead, other emotions were settling in. Dread, fear, depression of the idea of being apart from him. "I know you have a sense of humour, it's one of the things I love about you, but this isn't a game." Her voice softened slightly, a strange sense of calm settling over her. She knew what she had to do.
She noticed the slight sign of pain on his face and she bit her lip, wanting to go to him but torn by her own inner turmoil. "We can get the money back though." She frowned, a slight shake of her head. "I don't understand, how are you going to get it back?"
"You may have thought about it, but this is the first time you've acted on it. And the fact you were in the process of doing it, tells me how much you care." Amber looked at him a little like he was nuts, she couldn't help it, her impatience was showing. "Of course I care! It's why I have to do this... we're just going around in circles now." She sighed and glanced at the bag again, "If I go to pick that up are you going to throw it again?" Her nerves were shot and she didn't think she'd be able to handle the anger, even not directed at her in the first place.
"I think the jury's still out on him being as stupid as he looks." Amber frowned, "He's gotten what he wants so far, he's been a step ahead the whole time." Like hurting Mik and getting his keys in the process, getting Amber out of the house so he had it to himself to search. "I'm just saying that with the cameras, even if he's wearing a cap and hides his face from all the cameras, our body shapes are different enough that it will be enough proof that's it's not me." Even that logic wasn't enough for Amber to believe it would be fine, misery had set in - with the idea of what she was doing, of how much she was going to lose. "He targeted me because I have something he wants. We could almost take it as a compliment, that he feels so threatened by us." Amber gave Mik a hard look. "Why do I feel like you're not taking this seriously at all? Is this just a joke to you? My feelings are a joke??" She felt like a fool, standing there terrified and heartbroken and Mik was cracking jokes about taking it like a compliment.
"I haven't told anyone who I am, because I'm hiding from my parents. Who cares if they know where I am? I'm an adult, it's not like they can tell me I have to come home." She shook her head, "I care. Because you're only doing this because of me. This hasn't come off the back of your own choice." She didn't want him to be forced, that was awful. "This could have actually been the push I've needed for a while now." She shook her head but his dark grin caught her off guard, wary as to what he was going to come out with. "Because, love, you're going to offer him a good sum of money. I was thinking somewhere around five grand, cash. Maybe the idea that you could throw the ring he is so keen on reclaiming into the offer too could tempt him. Yes, I know you've sold it, but can you describe the ring enough so that we could get something made?" Amber's brow furrowed. "I told you, I can't take your money." They'd had this conversation before after all. She was going to cut him off there before he could get ahead of himself.
"I've been ready to run at a moment's notice since I moved in here. We aren't that different." She shook her head sadly, "You are different. You wouldn't be thinking about leaving the person you love all the time." And yet didn't have the guts to do it half the time - selfish, because she wanted one more day with him, because she wanted to get to keep something she wanted for a change, because she knew she should go so that he could find someone else who deserved him and yet she was only now trying to leave - when everything had already gone to shit and his life was slowly falling to tatters around him. She glanced at the bag he'd thrown, but a part of her was too scared to go for it again, even if she knew it was irrational.
She shot him a look at his laugh, frowning. "You're laughing at me now?" She didn't understand him and what he was thinking. "There are now enough cameras around the barn that I think they'll know it wasn't me putting the stuff in the locker. And how did I become the golden boy?" Amber shook her head, thoughts coming so thick and fast it was hard to push them back. "Because you're the shining star, the one that can do no wrong. If you think he doesn't realise they'll be camera's... he'll have found some way around it. He's not as stupid as he looks." At least a little stupid but he had a few more brain cells than she liked, it was why she'd struggled to get clear of him for so long. "This isn't on you." She didn't know when it happened but suddenly he had her hands, and she looked down at them. "Yes, it is. He would never have come here otherwise, and he'd never have targeted your life."I was thinking more along the lines of no longer hiding from my past. If that douche really wanted to ruin things for me here, as he obviously knows everything about me. He could have just dropped to the media who I am."
She shook her head adamantly and tried to pull out of his grip. "No, see if you go and do that, then I've fucked up your life again." How he didn't see it, she couldn't figure out. "You haven't told anyone else that secret, and you didn't intent to, doing that will just ruin everything, and it'll be all my fault. That's why this is the only way. I have to leave." Amber felt his thumbs on her cheeks and she turned her face down, once again unable to look at him. Even now, so sweet, to try and comfort her. She shook her head when he sat and tried to get her to join him. She didn't trust herself not to be drawn into him, to forgo her plan to save him. "I've got an idea. You're totally going to hate it, but it's an idea. You need to call him, and arrange a meeting." Amber frowned, pausing for a moment in her crisis to try and figure out his words. "Why the hell would I do that?" She would lead him away but she had no intention of letting him catch her whilst doing it.
It felt like there was a moment of stillness as she looked at him, practically seeing the way he brought himself under control. She'd never seen him angry before, she didn't know what to do with it, or how he would respond to things. It was new territory for her and she felt her stomach clench in worry. His soft smile made her worry less though, despite the ache to know that he had expected her to run. "The fact that you knew that... what kind of person does that make me?" She scoffed and shook her head. "A not very nice one, clearly." She rolled her eyes. You don't run out on the people you love, although the irony was that is what she was doing right now. It still didn't make her feel better about herself.
"My locker key for BA was on my keyring, I wouldn't be surprised if a few expensive things that I don't own turned up in my locker." She shook her head slightly, "I don't know what he's done, but to bring you under question? The golden boy? How he's done it I can't imagine but if that's true he's not just trying to get you fired, he'd trying to get you jailed. Fuck," She raked her hands through her hair, even leaving Mik would still have to clear his name. "Maybe it's time to take my life back." She could feel herself spiraling, it felt like she was losing her mind, or her emotions, she didn't know how to hold onto it. "And the only way you can do that, is if I'm not here, fucking it up anymore for you."
His gentle kiss was heartbreaking, and her eyes filled with tears, spilling in quick succession as his words followed. "You are my life." That wasn't fair, how was she supposed to argue that. Amber trying to take a step back, needing space from him. It was too easy to cave when he was right there. "I shouldn't be. I'm not deserving." And he was hers. He was her entire life, and leaving him would break her but she couldn' see another way out of it.
She stopped for several seconds, managing another glance Mik before she turned back to the bag, once again trying the zip, trying to steady her shaking hands as her eyes misted. His snort of laughter caught her by surprise though, and she paused, frowning as she looked at him - why was he laughing? What the hell was that about? He was moving toward her before she could realise, and she tensed, knowing he was going to try to persuade her against it. "No." And then the bag was gone from her hands. She couldn't help it, despite knowing Mik would never hurt her, she flinched. In that moment the way he stalked, the throwing of the bag, it took her back to before, and she fumbled a step back from him before she even knew what she'd done. This was Mik, gentle, sweet Mik who would never...
"You aren't my prisoner, you've always been able to leave whenever you wanted. However, don't let that piece of pond slime make you run." She let him take her hand, watching him kiss the palm. "I thought about it before." She admitted, "This is not a light decision." She needed him to know that. She had never lied to him about her feelings, about what she wanted. She loved the man, she actually saw a future with him, but that couldn't happen with her ex always a step behind. "He's having way too much fun destroying you by messing with me. I'm thinking he's at it again, from the looks I've had at work, and the fact that I'm not often left alone." So he hadn't heard yet then, it made her feel worse, "He's working on getting you fired, I don't know exactly what he's done but there were rumours of inquiries at work. It's bullshit, Mik. He's not just having fun, he's ruining your life! I am ruining your life." Her voice caught, snagging on the words and she swallowed hard again.
"However, love, if you run, you're letting him control you all over again. Don't give him that power. She shook her head, "He can have it," She shrugged, she no longer wanted to have to fight so hard just to have a life - it was exhausting. "I can't stay here and let it carry on, you don't deserve this, Mik, you deserve better. At least if I leave, it'll take him a moment but he'll move on too, he'll leave you be and you can move on with your life. I'll be fine, I've been here before. I should have known better, should never have settled in this damn town."
It was wrong of her, awful of her really, to have hoped that she could have been packed and out the door - gone - before Mik returned. After everything, he deserved much more than that - then again, he deserved much more than her in general. Sometimes, she wish she'd never caved, that she'd moved on before the feelings had hit her, because it would have saved him so much - he deserved a nice girl, with a good family and a good heart who didn't have this shady ass past trying to ruin his life. It wasn't that she didn't love him enough, her heart ached with how much she adored this boy, this man really. His only faults being that he tried too hard, that he was too good of a guy. It was why she had to go, to save him - it was all for him. And once she was gone and she'd taken Tristan away, he could meet another girl who would be able to give him everything he needed.
Of course it was too much to hope for, fate intervened and she cursed as she heard the front door. He didn't call out, which was a little unusual - did he know something was wrong? Perhaps work had told him what was going on, that things were being questioned when they shouldn't be. Maybe he was mad at her? As he should be. She didn't dare stop or look up, even as her body screamed at her to stop, even as she felt him behind her in the doorway. "Are we both packing, or is it a solo holiday?" She nearly crumbled right then, she loved him too much to run away - right? But that was why she was running, because she loved him so much he needed to be saved from her. She swallowed hard as she finished stuffing her stuff into the bag and spent a minute trying to zip it, giving up for a second as her shaking hand made her angry and incapable of completing the simple action.
"No, it's just me." She swallowed again, past that heavy lump in her throat, but that only made it worse. Her eyes burned hot as tears threatened. She straightened up and turned to look at Mik, then away - unable to meet his eyes. "I'm going to go." Terrible way of explaining things, but how could she do this without the hurt? "I need to leave, Mik. So, I'm moving out and I'm going to leave Hickstead." Simple sentences, that was the best way.
Amber didn't know what to do with herself. She hadn't for the last couple of hours, ever since she'd found out Tristan's latest play. At first on hearing the news, she'd pounded several shots. More than several actually, enough to sink a good man's liver. Un-ironically, she had been sent home early. Not for drinking on the job as such, the bar had been closed by the time anyone had realised why Amber's pupils had blown up like bug eyes - but she was told to leave and sort her head out whilst they fixed up the place for the next day. Moni hadn't made a big deal out of it, she'd kept it from the boss and told Amber she understood. It didn't make her feel any less miserable. Following the drinks and leaving work, she'd spent some time walking. It sounded stupid but she'd needed time to think and the cold nightly October air had been a great shock to the system - particularly having forgotten her jacket at work.
Tristan had gone after Mik's work. Both of them. He'd twisted words, made complaints, turned ears. Mik was a good man, the best she had ever known, and she couldn't stand for this shit. He didn't deserve this. It hurt, to know that she had thrown his life upside down since admitting she loved him; all she'd done is fuck up the life he had made for himself. She couldn't do that to him anymore. Really, she did know what to do. It was just going to hurt like hell. She didn't think she would love someone like Mik. It sounded ridiculous, and impossible, but she'd lived through a lot in her young life and she knew she wouldn't feel like this for someone again. But she'd ruined it. Her past had caught up to her, as she had worried it would eventually, and she was scared at what it would do to Mik in the end. She'd imposed on Mik's life, thrown herself at him, moved into his flat, taken over his space, and then her ex had beaten the crap out of him, learnt about his hidden past, and now was trying to get him fired and ruin his reputation. It was too much.
She arrived home without any knowledge of the time, all she knew was that the door was locked, and that Mik was out. It was ideal really, she didn't know if she could do this if he was still home. She had to go. She had to get out of here and run. It was the only way. She needed to save Mik from herself, and if she went then she could lead Tristan away and Mik would be safe. That was all she cared about - not herself or what happened to her, not anymore. She had this coming. She deserved this. Grabbing her to go bag from the wardrobe, tucked beneath a load of her shoes, she started haphazardly shoving her clothes into it. Somehow she'd accumulated more things than when she'd first come to town, but she unceremoniously stuffed in each drawers worth of stuff, panic rising as she tried to choke down the emotions threatening to overwhelm and drown her.
She gave Mik a brief smile at the thanks and then turned away to hand out another couple bottles to people as they passed by. It was kind of boring standing there in the warming sun as the worker bees flitted back and forth with debris and stuff to be saved. She didn't understand half of what they were carrying away that was considered 'salvageable', but then it wasn't surprising - she didn't know horses. She frowned too as everyone started toward a small group of people, the numbers growing. Curious, she knew she didn't need to get involved and it would be best to hang back, but she wondered what was going on. She grabbed a bottle for herself and popped the cap, wandering toward the edge of the crowd in time to hear someone say it was a Seven Oaks jumper. She didn't know what that meant but everyone didn't seem particularly impressed with it.
A couple of people paused in their work to come over for a quick drink. She handed the water bottles out gladly, keeping herself busy to avoid having to deal with the family members loitering around, and the awkwardness she felt about being here. She saw Leo glance over and she caught his eye, narrowing her gaze slightly. She dared him to come over, he could go get a drink elsewhere.
"I'd love a chilled bottle of water." The other reason for her awkwardness. She glanced over the Mik, the recent argument rising to her mind. "Sure," she said without one of her usual quips. Turning around she reached for one of the coolers, she'd tried to fit as many as possible in there and whilst it was open she added more from the packaging to replace those she'd already handed out. "Here you go," Straightening up, she offered up the cold bottle.
Amber wasn't exactly what you would call thrilled to find out she was going to be lumbering refreshments over to the stables. When her boss had asked for volunteers to help take some drinks over to those helping with the wreck, she hadn't had the presence of mind to put 2 and 2 together and realise he meant the stables. She'd been here a couple of times to bother Mik but otherwise, she kept well away. Luckily for her, it wasn't her family's yard - though as she pulled up she saw their blonde heads from afar, too recognisable to miss. Collaborating with one of the coffee shops in town that were providing snacks, Amber helped heft a few crates to a table set up for the workers. She really regretting saying yes now as she caught one of her cousins eye across the yard and couldn't stop herself grimacing. She focused on setting up the selection of choices - mostly bottles of water and two flavours of J2O, and some of the cheaper beer. No point handing out the expensive stuff. "Anyone thirsty?" She asked as a few volunteers walked past, looking a little grimy after hefting about the wreckage.
GENDER: lady AGE: twenty-three D.O.B: 31st may SEXUALITY: straight STATUS: dating PLAY-BY: kayla ewell HEIGHT: 5ft7 HAIR: dark brown EYES: chocolate brown
"SO OVERDUE I OWE THEM"
TATTOOS: a small tattoo of a phoenix, lower back SCARS: too many to count DRINK: yes SMOKE: when she drinks DRIVE: yep GLASSES: nope HOME: woodbain flats, number nine BORN AND RAISED: paris, france
"SWEPT AWAY I'M STOLEN"
confident, sexy, flaunts what she's got, enthusiastic, usually more optimistic than pessimistic, witty and likes to banter a little, can take and give out jokes, street smart, intelligent when it comes to some things, a party girl, mellower now that she's met chase, feisty, a bit of a firecracker, especially if you piss her off, hot headed sometimes, stubborn too and determined, passionate and also protective and honest.
LIKES: hot chocolate with marshmallows , open fires and bonfire nights , cuddling on the couch with a film when she's tired , fruit salad , black coffee - no sugary shit , being inside when it's raining , lie in's , dressing up , warm chocolate chip cookies , massages , long phone calls with people she likes , bad movies , pay day , funny customers. DISLIKES: rude customers , guys who don't take no for an answer , users and abusers , arguing with friends , horror movies , ignorance , fat on meat , sushi or raw fish in general , thunderstorms , being alone for too long , being undermined STRENGTHS: has common sense , confident , good at mixing cocktails , witty , strong emotionally , brave for the most part , street smart , quick thinking , has a good aim when throwing and good at catching too speedy on her feet. WEAKNESSES: a pretty face , strawberry ice cream , chocolates , cuddling up with a film and blanket , not very physically strong , self conscious , painting and drawing she sucks at. FEARS: tristan coming back for her , trusting a guy again , losing people she loves , losing the life she's built for herself SECRETS: she used to help her ex deal drugs (coerced) , she hasn't spoken to her parents since she was fourteen.
"LET THE SKY FALL"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: working class OCCUPATION: waitress and bar woman EXPERTISE: mixing drinks WEALTH: not much, verges on poor PROUDEST MOMENT: escaping tristan - she never thought she would be able to manage to get away from him and the life that he had forced her into. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: being rejected once by someone at school - the guy really tore into her in front of everyone and said he would never touch her because of how many other guys she had been with by then. Everyone laughed at her and called her names for months afterward.
"WHEN IT CRUMBLES"
FATHER(S): martin arthur white - 62 - retired company director MOTHER(S): anne-marie lenia white - 55 - flower shop owner OTHER HALF: dating MIKHAIL THANOS ANTONIOU - 25 - barn hand/waiter SIBLINGS: none, many cousins though
Amber's life was not always an easy one, she was born in London, England however was moved to France at a young age. Her father was brother to Lily, Leo, James and Logan's, and also to Chris and Ashley's, meaning that she was their cousin. Amber's father was different from his brothers and met a French woman who he fell in love with, moving away to Paris just after Amber was born. She spent her first six years there and learn pretty good French, however her mother was strict and disproved of her being under foot all the time, sending her away to a boarding school.
Amber soon became the rebel, through lack of love she developed a need to please people, and quickly grew into parties and boys, alcohol and the like. She got chucked out of several boarding schools, causing concern for her absent father who did love her though somewhat distantly. But she came to hate her mother who cared little for her and often wished she'd never had her. She tried to reach out to her cousins on a couple of occasions as they never went to family gatherings, but never never heard back. Amber's parents moved back to London for some time to keep a closer eye on her, but her mother and father fought endless, screaming at each other and soon Amber and her mother turned on each other too, until one day Amber's mother slapped her.
Amber wouldn't stand for it and she left home without looking back, meeting a man called Tristan. She was only fifteen at the time and they grew close quickly, helped by Amber's naivety. When she turned sixteen he begged her to marry him, and far too trusting, she agreed to. They spent a year living in a crappy flat, just about getting by when things slowly began to go downhill. By the time she turned seventeen he started getting violent, using and abusing her, he coerced her to drink excessively, do drugs with him and started trying to get her into dealing with him. She couldn't do it, one day she looked at herself in the mirror and realised she didn't recognise herself. Once again, she attempted to reach out to her cousins, but again heard nothing. From that, she swore she'd never try to rely on family again.
When she got her chance - Tristan being out one evening - Amber took the bare essentials and ran. She tried to leave no trace behind, getting as far away as she could and finding herself alone and starting afresh in Hickstead. She sold the crappy ring he'd given her - surprised to find it was worth at least something - and picked herself back off the ground, getting a job at the bar and slowly and carefully beginning to rebuild herself a new life. She let herself trust again in Chase Anderson, who helped her put aside some of her habits of falling back on getting black out drunk to forget a bad day, and falling in with bad crowds - but not long after she realised she was falling for him, he upped and left town. She swore off guys, choosing to build on her self-love and confidence before making the mistake of falling in love again.
PETS
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