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!.
A chuckle escaped Diana at her friend's joke, "I know you're joking, but I can honestly say I am not surprised by that." Pumps were too foreign in her own world, but she was certain they were more common in the corporate world - a world where men seemed to puff out their chest and think they could dominate but fell like playing cards at the hands of a powerful woman, or in this case, Roxanne Reed. As her mind went elsewhere though, she could feel her friend's blue green gaze resting on her. She should probably snap back to reality, verses think about old memories that didn't quite matter anymore.
"Never," Diana confirmed with a smile, "The earth would freeze over if we did." That was just how strong their friendship was. Blue eyes watched the strawberries slowly disappear between the two women, at the rate they were going, they might need to order another plate. Her lips twitched a little, pondering if she was the only one out of the two of them who could possibly devour another plate of strawberries before Roxy said something that caught her attention: "Well...I might have met someone." All thoughts of strawberries suddenly disappeared, and Diana found herself back in the conversation, strawberries be damned!
Blue eyes studied her friend, Roxy chewing her lower lip as if she was still pondering if she had made the right move to say anything. Diana knew that look well, both on her best friend and a perp behind the desk, "Roxy! You better tell me everything. Right now. Do I need to get another flute of champagne in you?"
when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer
thanks aofie!
Forty Five . Detective . Hetero . Single Mother of Azura Hope Perry
here was little to no doubt in Diana's mind that her teenage daughter was up in her room. The scratching of the chair sliding across the floor boards overhead said it all. A sigh escaped her as she settled the take out onto the kitchen island now of the small farm cottage. Truth be told, while Azura had always been a bit of a book worm, Diana didn't remember her daughter always hanging out this much in her room.
Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention now, as blue eyes sharply looked to see Azura there, stopping short in the kitchen door frame as her gaze eyed the take out before announcing: "Gee, mum, did I forget to tell you? I'm vegan." Followed by a rather dramatic sigh. Diana's brow furrowed, "Over my dead body that you're a --" She didn't even finish her comment though, as she caught the mischievous sparkle in Azura's hazel eyes, "Get in here and enjoy your chicken." Diana commanded now, but she wore a smile on her face, "You nearly had me there - I thought some hippie from school corrupted you into veganism." Perhaps that was mean, "Not that there is anything wrong with being a vegan."
With that, she tore the paper back open to reveal its contents, and she carefully took the containers out now and lined them up, "I think its just you and me for the night, by the way - so you know what that means - girl talk." And no doubt that would earn her a eye roll and dramatic groan to boot.
iana chortled when the man just about balked at the idea of looking at her. His eyebrows arched, practically flabbergasted by the mere idea that she suggested that it was okay to look at her. Talk about a boy scout, "I was looking at you," the woman informed Hudson now with a smile, "But don't worry, I was just looking." She tucked her legs underneath herself and pushed herself up now, finalizing her last stretch, "I don't teach yoga. I just picked it up to relax myself because I have quote unquote anger issues. I'm actually a detective with the city." Hey, at least she was being honest today.
As they were discussing the core, Diana nodded and smiled, "Precisely - you need to strengthen your core in order to have good balance. In fact, its good for a lot of things - not just yoga. A strong core is good for every day life." At least, that was how she saw it. She laughed when Hudson got a little bit defensive when she teased him about how he had thought it was boring, "It's okay, I understand. Until after a life change, I used to think it was overrated as well. But I realized I didn't quite now how to relax and quiet my mind back then either." Diana wasn't sure how chaotic being a real estate agent was, but she assumed it came with its own stressors and trials.
The two of them were going through the motions now of the sun salutation, their backs rolling with the movement as their feet pressed firmly into the ground. Diana could feel herself already clenching the core, ready for the next part, "Well yeah. Sorta hard to not know you when your face is plastered over town and houses." Diana said with a smile, before moving herself into a lunge, "Now we do warrior." She informed him, waiting for Hudson to follow her movement. She mulled over whether she loved London or not, and the woman supposed it was a complicated answer, "Well, I think when I was young, I loved London because it was big and bustling and full of adventure. I miss it, but I think I was ready to return to my roots for a bit. Maybe I'll have a change of heart in another few years." Although, she probably shouldn't - her daughter would kill her.
Blue eyes watched her friend laugh and take a look down at her feet, feigning herself a mock scandalous look which merely caused Diana to snort into her champange now. How very lady like of her. She supposed they must look like a strange pair - a detective and a posh CEO, but the woman didn't care what people thought, it was only their friendship that mattered, "Come on, I know you secretly want to." She said with a grin now, finally taking a swing of her flute, "I don't know how you do it. If I had a job that required pumps, I might just commit a crime to get out of it."
Roxy seemed to get a good chuckle out of Diana's own life though - between the men at work, and her daughter at home, well, it always seemed to be world war three in the woman's life. At least she didn't have to deal with her ex too much now, granted, that's what the move to Hickstead had been about. Sure, London was a big enough city, but everything that happened would follow her around, and unfortunately for Diana, there were too many reminders of how happy her married life used to be, "I would hope you wouldn't lie to me." She said with a soft smile, taking a bite out of her chocolate covered strawberry now, "Or else we may have a problem." Diana teased now, knowing full well that Roxy would never do a such a thing. Their friendship ran too deep for that after all.
Thankfully, more strawberries appeared now and the other woman seemed keen to dig in now. Gosh, even the way she ate a strawberry seemed so eloquent compared to Diana. Not much she could do about that, "Ah well, I can't argue with you there." She replied with a grin, "But I can say the same of you. Not that you were born here, but big personality for this tiny town." Diana supposed they were both too big for this little city personality wise, it was still so shocking to have run into Roxy here like she did. Still, they picked their friendship up like there had been no breaks, and sometimes, that was the best kind of friendship to have. Laughter escaped her at the thought that even in a small city, they were always on the run, "Guess no city, no matter how small, waits around for any one. Besides work, what have you been up to here? That can't be the only thing keeping you busy."
when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer
thanks aofie!
Forty Five . Detective . Hetero . Single Mother of Azura Hope Perry
second interview of the day, although Detective Diana Perry knew this interview was classified as an interrogation. Unlike her earlier interview of Casey Lloyd, her boss made it clear that one Leonardo 'Leo' White was indeed, a suspect. While nobody saw him at Blue Arces per say, various interviewees proclaimed him both a troublemaker and a prankster, with numerous Blue Arces students complaining about him especially. Per town gossip, and quite frankly, his file, Leo White had a seriously short temper and a habit for bar fights. There was not enough coffee in the world that could prepare her for this.
Still, Diana Perry didn't mind a challenge. And this cold case wasn't going to solve itself. It seemed like with the new information brought to light, her boss wanted it closed and shut so the town could move on. It was funny, growing up here, Diana didn't remember the horse and stables scene being quite so competitive, but it had been nearly twenty years since she lived here in town. Grabbing the file she needed, Diana left her desk now and headed to the interrogation room where she could see behind the one way glass, he was already sitting there - looking cocky and cool as ever. Sighing slightly, she grasp the door knob and opened the door now, stepping inside.
"Good afternoon Mr. White. My name is Detective Perry. I assume you know why you're here," Diana informed him now, taking a seat across from the young man as she dropped the file on the table with a satisfying thud.
iana Perry never took joy in interviewing teenagers - they were either scared shitless to be in the room with her or they were snarky and absolutely annoying. The woman wasn't sure what she would get in Casey Lloyd, but given he had been adopted by Naomi Campbell, she figured it was a good lad. She would make sure to press to him that he was not in trouble, that he was merely in the interview room as a witness and not as a suspect. That was an interview saved for later in the day.
Grabbing her travel mug, she glanced over her notes once more, before heading to the interview room. Blue eyes peered through the glass window, staring in at Casey Lloyd - a fifteen year old boy. Only one year younger than her own daughter. She wondered if they knew each other. Diana cursed herself for not asking around more for information. A backgrounder only gave herself so much. Still, cracking this open shouldn't be too hard. Glancing to her chief, he gave her the nod, and Diana grasped the door handle and walked in. Stepping inside, the woman smiled, "Casey, thank you for coming in. My name is Diana, and I'll be interviewing you today."
She walked across the room now, pulling the chair out and gracefully sliding in, "I want to confirm that you know why you're here," Diana commented lightly now, putting a pad of paper in front of herself along with a pen, coffee sitting next to her, "You know this is not an interrogation, correct?"
ods. What a day it had been. It felt like there hadn't been one quiet morning in her day - between front desk duty because they were short staffed and then having to go do some interviews, Dianna Perry felt as if she hadn't had much time to sit down and settle, much less enjoy her coffee. But thankfully, the day was now over, and after some serious overtime, the woman was heading home to what hopefully was a quiet house. Her parents were off on a small cruise, leaving the house to Diana and her teenage daughter, Azura.
Oh Azura. Truth be told, Diana wasn't sure how much her daughter had been fairing since moving to Hickstead. It felt like she never had much time to sit down with her - their schedules never seemed to line up. While her daughter was inquisitive and full of life, the woman knew that Hickstead was much different from London. It clearly had been one thing for Azura when it came to visiting grandma and grandpa for a short visit, it had been another thing entirely to live in the small township and under their roof indefinlently. Thankfully though, Diana thought the latter part would be coming to an end soon. She had been saving up since their move, and hopefully they would be able to settle for a little cottage soon, because Diana certainly never wanted to live in a flat again.
Pulling up to the house now, she turned off the car and got out, not bothering to lock in their remote like village, and headed inside. A light was on up on the second floor, and Diana knew it meant that her teenager daughter was home, instead of out with potential friends. It was a sad thought really. At least she had enough Indian food to feed an army. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside and was greeted by a dimly lit kitchen. Flicking the lights on to full blast, Diana called out, "Azura! I'm home. Come get some buttered chicken!" Did her daughter still like buttered chicken? Double guessing herself, she then added on, "I have tandoori style also!"
aughter escaped Diana at the young man's question, "I like to think it's true. But it's only true if you believe it." For someone who looked at least nearly fifteen years younger than her, her new acquaintance certainly seemed to act older. As Hudson returned his pleasantries, Diana's blue eyes caught how he averted his own when she started stretching. So much for showing off the goods. Still, the woman could not help but to tease him, "You don't have to look away. It's okay to admire." At this rate, she might have a game on her hands: how long does it take to make Hudson Easton blush, "And I'm not a teacher. I work for the township."
The continued their stretching now, focusing on their own goals and points of stiffness. Apparently his was his calves, while hers was her full body. After all, Diana wanted to be limber enough for what was coming up, "Hmmm?" Blue eyes snapped to him once more, mulling over his question, "Strength comes in many forms. Yoga relies on core the most, and I believe that is our greatest weakness in humans. That, and strength of mind if you find it boring." Her tone was still teasing though, after all, Diana was here to enjoy herself, not work and lecture. She cocked her head when Hudson mentioned that he had a showing and his image clicked into place, "Ah. Now I see why you look familiar to me. You're a housing agent. No wonder you need some yoga. And perhaps, meditation."
At least he was willing to follow her lead and hardly question her, as they moved into pressing their hands towards the skies before bending over. She allowed herself some slack as she hovered above her knees before gently lifting her spine back up, stacking vertebrae to repeat, "Same. Although I moved to London for university and work." Granted, now she was back, "Did you ever leave? Or did you stay here for university as well." Diana wouldn't be surprised if that was the case - after all, real estate tended to be a family business and they could teach you everything. And if she remembered his picture correctly, he was an Easton, which was its own small dynasty - at least in the Hickstead and Willow Bridge market.
Please DM me (Forever) on DISCORD if you have any thoughts on either of the two below characters. You'd be doing me (and Diana's muse) major favors with either of these characters!
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[attr="class","character-clouds-h"]---- Perry TAKEN
Please see Azura Hope Perry 16 • High School Student • Suggested FC: Kiernan Shipka
The last year has dealt a rough blow to Daughter. She and Diana walked in on her father cheating at the police station, and she witnessed her mom's anger full hand as she ripped a heavy duty office phone out of the jack/wall in order to lob it at him. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. After some ugly words, and lawyers getting involved, Daughter sided with Diana for the start of separation/divorce despite her father wanting her to remain with him, or at least express full joint custody.
Now, Daughter has been whisked away from the city life of London - where she probably had it all, cool friends, the happy family, no farm animals - to her mother's home town of Hickstead, England which is the exact opposite of London. To make matters worse, she and Diana have been shoved into her grandparents quaint but picturesque country house so its very full and never a dull moment since her grandparents are always around living the retirement life. Hey, at least its very in for the cottage core lifestyle taking over IG.
Daughter is likely unhappy that its become clear that she's remaining in Hickstead for the remainder of her school years - she had hoped that they would move back to London (after all, its a big enough city) but her fate was sealed with being enrolled into Secondary School at Willow Bridge city. How Daughter is adapting is up to you. I want them to have the typical highs and lows of a mother/daughter relationship. Please feel free to add whatever snazz you may like to the character. Personality is completely up to you and how she chooses to navigate the small world of Hickstead and Secondary School.
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[attr="class","character-clouds2-h"]Up To You!
45 to 50 • Willow Bridge City Police Officer • Preferred FC: Eric Winter
I'm pretty flexible about plots so if you have any ideas, I'm all ears. His personality and background can be up to you. 'Eric' just needs to be able to go toe to toe with Diana who is sometimes a lovable softy and other times, an angry hard ass. I like the idea of them meeting up on a case that crosses both Hickstead and Willow Bridge City territory. Maybe they get partnered up, so they get to know each other.
Sparks don't need to fly immediately, and I am perfectly fine with some up and downs on their way to becoming an item. Given everything she's been through (and maybe he's had a rough go at a relationship also), maybe they try to fight it - neither one cares to be a rebound even though they have no issues using other people as such ^^ We can probably go somewhere Hallmark-y with it also. IDK. Just looking for some drama and fluff wrapped up in a box.
Diana could tell, merely by watching, that behind all the grace and beauty that was Roxanne Reed, that she was utterly tired. The woman wasn't entirely surprised, she remembered that her friend always seemed engulfed by her work - and that was okay, as long as she didn't let it eat her alive. For now though, Diana thought it best to let it be. After all, Roxy was in her thirties, she knew what she could and could not handle as far as pushing against the current, Diana was merely there to be a welcome distraction and a pause in the moment. Blue eyes watched as the other blonde slid into the chair now, gracefully as always, "You know, I'm sure if you're sneaky, you can get away with slipping your feet out of those pumps," Diana said teasingly now, a smile sitting on her lips.
It wasn't surprising when Roxy merely waved off her comment about how busy she gets, "I always have time for you." The woman informed her matter-o-factly, to which Diana replied, "Ah, well, I appreciate it. I'm surrounded mostly by men during the workday and a temperamental teenager at home," she gave pause before adding with a smile, "So my Roxy Reed time always is a breath of fresh air." The waiter seemed to be on point with their conversation, for as the older woman informed her friend of what they were having, the bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries seemed to appear before them like magic. Laughter escaped her at Roxy's comment about having it sorted, "I try."
Now it felt like they could officially unwind. The bottle was popped, chilled smoke pouring out of it before it was being poured into flutes. Diana gave her thanks, and the waiter quickly disappeared as she and Roxy got down to business - or at least, catching up, "Hey, small fry? I was born and raised here, you know," she replied with a grin, "And cheers to you as well." With that, she gently clinked her flute against the other before having a good drink, "Small fry life aside, it seems to be doing you some good getting away from all that London traffic. I know it has for me at least."
when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer
thanks aofie!
Forty Five . Detective . Hetero . Single Mother of Azura Hope Perry
iana supposed she wasn't surprised to hear the young man say that he had never done this before in his life - typically, there always appeared to be a shortage of men in yoga classes despite the activity being good for all body types and genders, "It's okay. We all start somewhere. If you continue it for a few months, I am sure you'll be a pro in no time." Or at least, that was the belief. The older woman supposed it took a little longer for everything to really click with her, but she had a lot of anger pent up inside, and this had been one activity that she turned to to try and defuse it.
"Ah, pleasure to meet you Hudson," Diana said with a smile now, getting some quick warm up stretching in while he explained his situation. Blue eyes watched him curiously as he scrambled up to join her, and it had been so adorable. Thankfully, she managed to keep her laughter internal though, "Ah. I understand the sitting all day. My job can fall victim to that if I don't need to leave the building or I have a paperwork day." She supposed almost everyone was guilty of sitting too long though, even those who do not work in an office. Stretching out her triceps now, Diana merely cocked her head, "Hm? Me? Oh, I believe a few years now. I really picked it up perhaps a year, year an a half ago?"
Once it felt like she was good and limber, she looked back to Hudson who gave her the go ahead to start. At his assistance that she should kick his butt, Diana did laugh, "Oh. We shall see. I can't kick your butt too much, you have to try and walk tomorrow yes? Besides, I wouldn't want you running away from the gym screaming bloody murder." She thought it over for a moment before saying, "We shall do a simple sun salutation three times. It contains 12 poses. For now, we will do prayer to upward salute and then bend over to do to standing forward bend. Just follow me, and make sure to breathe in and out at 3 or 4 second intervals." And with that, Diana launched into the movements, slowly for Hudson's benefit, as blue eyes kept a careful watch on him, "So are you native to Hickstead?" His accent made it sound like, but she knew it wasn't always the best way to judge.
hile it had taken her a long time to figure out the whole work-life balance, Diana Perry was fairly certain she finally had it figured out. It only took a divorce, anger management, and a move back to her hometown to figure out. The woman finally realized that when she was off the clock, the work stayed at work unless she was called in. Home was her happy place, and when her parents got on her nerves too much, then the gym was her happy place. Which was where she was heading now after a snippy argument with her mom over some passive aggressive comment. Even though the divorce was still ongoing, her parents just kept on wanting to remind her on how they never liked Magnus in the first place.
Thankfully, they knew well enough to not bring up such topics when Josie was home, but when she was out and about exploring the town, everything was fair game. Old Diana probably would have come out swinging with all the brutality that she could think of, but not New Diana. Okay, well New Diana still had to get the final word in, but at least New Diana also knew now when to remove herself from the situation and to get out of the tiny countryside cottage. The size of her childhood home was really starting to sink in though, and the woman knew in the months to come, she was going to have to find a means of moving out. Playing fair in the divorce meant that she would get her fair share of money, not to mention child support, so hopefully that spelled apartment soon.
Pulling up to the gym, she got out now and slammed the door behind her. Diana took a deep breath and blew it out, shaking herself free of her troubling thoughts. For now, yoga would be the only thing on her mind. ‘Think inner zen, Diana,’ she thought to herself as she headed inside with her mat. While there were no classes today, that didn’t mean that the woman couldn’t take advantage of the empty aerobics room for her own peace and tranquility. Although, when she walked in, Diana saw that she was not alone. She was annoyed at first, but upon inspection of standing next to the mat and peering down, she decided that she would not be bothered by his presence at all.
The mystery man seemed to sense her presence as his brown eyes snapped open and they both found themselves staring at each other, “If you’re brand new, then perhaps we should start with some basic moves.” Diana had been thinking about doing vinasya flow, but if this adorable hunk wanted her help and for her to play teacher, she had no qualms finding a more relaxing flow. She side stepped, allowing space between them as she unfolded her mat and dropped it to the ground, “I’m Diana,” the woman introduced herself now, blue eyes glancing back over at him curiously as she smiled, “What made you wish to explore yoga today if you don’t mind me asking?”
No sooner then the thoughts of fashionably late entered her thoughts did a voice cut across the Luna Lounge, "I'm so sorry I'm late, but it's so good to see you!" Well, that was a voice that she knew from anywhere. Turning in her bar chair, Diana's blue gaze searched the room to see none other than Roxanne Reed walking towards her and boy, did she look ready to kill. In a good way that is, with a dress that Diana couldn't even imagine pulling off. But that was part of the other woman's charm. She could probably walk in wearing a bloody potato sack and still turn heads, not because it was a potato sack, but simply because she was Roxanne Reed: CEO and Professional Woman Extraordinaire.
A grin flooded her lips now, and she kicked her feet out from the chair and got up, taking one step before she was pulling her friend into a hug, "No worries! I'm so happy you were able to come." Breaking the hug now, Diana pulled back, "I wasn't sure if you'd be able to come. I know how busy you can get." Well, the woman assumed that Roxanne was still busy as ever, just has she had been in London. Nodding to the empty chair next to her, Diana offered for the other woman to sit down as as she returned to her seat, "I ordered champagne and chocolate strawberries for starters, since dessert is always best before dinner." She said jokingly before adding on, "I can't believe you're here in Hickstead of all places."
when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer
thanks aofie!
Forty Five . Detective . Hetero . Single Mother of Azura Hope Perry
Diana's mind had been blown when she found out that one of her friends from London had ended up in none other than Hickstead. It had been a hot second since they had talked, ultimately, their own lives getting in the way of friendship. The woman could neither fault herself or Roxanne Reed for that though. While friendship was always important, once Sasha had come along, family came first and she knew the other woman had her own business to run. So they lost touch. It wasn't until Diana relocated to Hickstead and began reaching out to some of her old friends to inform them of the aftermath of the divorce did she find out that Roxanne had aslo relocated.
In typical Roxanne fashion though, it had been hard to pry her away from her company to come out. For first few months since moving here, Diana had been willing to let it slide, mainly because she had her own settling in to do. Moving back into her parents' house with them and her teenage daughter felt like the adult version of the walk of shame back to the dorm room after a night of clubbing. Between her parents lording over her (which was ridiculous and annoying given that she was a grown woman) and Sasha being moody over leaving London and her friends behind, Diana had been stretched thin. The police station had been her sanctuary, and that certainly was saying something.
But no more. Tonight was going to be a night out, filled with fun. And by fun, that just meant banter and catching up with friend that was long overdue. Diana made certain that the other woman understood that the date was set and there was no getting out of it. When 530 came, Roxanne had to leave and come to the Luna Lounge for a bottle of bubbly and chocolate covered strawberries, nothing could stand in her way. Diana was already nursing a class of champagne now, the bottle left with her as she perused her phone and noted the time. It was 545, but it felt like typical Roxanne to arrive fashionably late.
when i walk in the room i can still make the whole place shimmer
thanks aofie!
Forty Five . Detective . Hetero . Single Mother of Azura Hope Perry
