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 chortle escaped Camilla at the blonde's coffee verses tea comment, "You must be flabbergasted a lot in England than if you're used to coffee." Yes, people drank coffee here, but Camilla was quite certain that no drink will ever overcome tea as the choice drink if not at a pub. She settled herself into the chair now, not thinking much of the look that Hope was giving her. Camilla leaned forward a bit, studying the photos tucked away in the mirrors frame, "Ah, well you must have nerves of steel then to deal with those girls."
Grabbing her purse, she dug around for her phone and pulled out a photo of the dress to show Hope, "If you think something different hair wise should go with it, I'm flexible." As long as her hair traveled well on the road and could get to the ball unscathed, that's what mostly mattered to Camilla. As the woman explained that she had other employees that could do services, she merely waved the statement off, "No. I want you. You own the place." After all, she was particular, and while she would never admit out loud, the woman was a big enough snob to only want the best out of certain establishments.
She went back to studying the photos as Hope left and came back with the tea now, placing it before her on the counter. She took it delicately before sitting back in the chair now, brown eyes watching Hope in the mirror as she took out the brush, "Oh, either down and wavy. I do like a good up do though just to get hair out of my face or to look a bit more professional." Gone were the days of being wild on digs after all, "How did you get here by the way? Your accent is American."
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
Camilla waved off the other woman's comment as if she were nothing but a mere child, not giving into the goading for once. It simply wasn't needed when the she knew fully that she was right. Besides, a quick look at the clock meant that she would have to start shooing Lorena out of her office if she was to make it to her next class, and truth be told, Camilla would be loathed to have any of her students witness the beautiful blond. After all, as much as the woman hated her, Rena Reeves had her name touted along many of discoveries and the last thing she needed was for her students to turn a fawning eye away from her and towards her rival.
But even with that thought, as Rena peered up with her with those big, blue glowering eyes at her, Camilla didn't want her to leave. She meant it, even as she taunted her rival, that she could very much get used to this dynamic. But the thought also annoyed her, because for a moment, some little voice in her head mocked her - did she feel something beyond a rivalry, beyond a friendship, beyond what a tryst in the night? Ughs, no. She thought to herself, watching as Lorena bite back any scathing comments and instead widening that grin of hers, "I bet you could, there's nobody like me." A heaving sigh escaped her, "You just can't let me get the last word in."
Brown eyes watched as the blonde got up now, those muscles rolling and working as they shifted weight. She tried hard to not stare, to not eat, as she reaffirmed her gaze back towards Rena now, snorting at her words, "You and I are equals. There are no second in commands." The words had escaped her, falling off her lips before she realized what she may have just admitted. Camilla got up from her desk, "If only this once." Hoping it would be a good enough recovery, it should, as Rena was already insulting her again. The woman merely shook her head, "Please. As if you have that patience. And yes, I have my passport. When should I meet you at Heathrow?"
"Oh?" Camilla commented now, "I didn't know they spit...but no, I guess that would be problematic with the dean." Especially given she wasn't a full time professor - it's not like Taylor Way had tenure to protect her. Dark brown eyes watched the brunette woman mull over her statements now, as if giving it some rather good thought which surprised her. Truth be told, Camilla hardly thought she asked anything too personal, but then again, they did get off on the wrong foot only mere minutes earlier.
When Taylor did give her a response though, the woman merely chuckled, "Ah, yes. Can't suppose we can fault them completely. I know I certainly thought I was a bit of a know-it-all back in the day." It was probably one of the reason why she had more enemies than she did friends. But that was not a story for show and tell today. Still, there was one thing she was a bit envious about, "At least they're awake during your class. Unless I am with the history majors, most of my students are checked out." Most of them seem to fall asleep, and the others that were paying attention, well, Camilla doubted it was really her lectures that they were paying attention to.
"I suppose I have taken up much of your time though," she said now, dark brown eyes looking towards the looming clock on the wall, "But I'd be quite curious to get you more outside of these walls. What do you say to wine or high tea over the weekend?"
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
If there was one thing that Rena had always excelled at - it was pretending to ignore her while listening intently at the same time. Camilla knew the other woman too well to know that her bookshelf would only prove to be so distracting. Besides, if she wanted those big blue eyes trained on her, the woman knew she would have to do some needling. It didn't take long though, for the beautiful blonde gave her the perfect opening, and Camilla snapped at it.
"Please," she responded now, "As if I would be dumb enough to loose my head." Camilla never trusted an ancient civilization to make treasure easy to get, nor pirates for that matter either. Dark brown eyes watched Rena still sulk about, dodging around the fact that she had met her match, not only in the outside world with her treasure but in this very office as well. It was almost like watching a caged animal pace around, trying to decide if it should submit to submission or not. Camilla knew she shouldn't take glee in such things, and if this were anyone else, she might have different thoughts, but never, when it came to Rena Reeves. It was almost like a dangerous obsession. But before it could go too long in her mind, the blonde broke through with her mutterings: "It solves more than your 'look from afar' approach," the annoyance loud as the day, "I'm surprised you've ever put a hand on any treasure, unless it was handed to you by someone who goes in guns blazing."
Well, that got her. A scowl lit up on her face, "I know how to shoot a gun," she snapped, "I just prefer more delicate methods if I can. No one as ever handed me my treasure." Maybe this temporary truce wouldn't happen, it was foolish to think so. They both liked to bite each other too much. But damnit, how Camilla was so curious, and she was so bored with teaching students who just didn't seem to give a damn. And always with a treasure hunter, curiosity won out in the end, just like her bargain: "Careful, you might get more than you bargained for, talking like that." Her smirk didn't even crack, "Well, let's see then. Go on." When those blue eyes rolled, she thought Rena might chicken out. Instead, the opposite happened as she closed hte distance between them and dropped to the floor in front of her with a thump.
Their eyes met, and it was a look unlike Camilla had ever seen on Rena's face, not even when they had been friends. The angle must have helped, or perhaps it was something negging her in the back of her mind, as finger tips brushed her hand. Camilla's smirk remained, even more so when she was asked to hurry it up. Leaning forward, bringing their faces closer as her free hand lifted, and slid under that blonde lion's mane of hair to hold the strong jaw of the other woman now. "My my, I could get used to this look on you," Camilla purred, before pulling back, "But I - Camilla Ashvii Kensington - accept your proposal to be your second in command." She leaned back on her hands now, "You may get up now. You know, in all of this excitement, I don't think you told me where we are going or do you plan on keeping me in the dark til the last second as always?"
It should not surprise her that Rena Reeves waved off her statement and called it a mere technicality, after all, that girl was not humble at all, and yet, it still annoyed Camilla Kensington a great deal. Her dark eyes narrowed, clearly it would kill the blonde beauty to admit that she needed help. How things never changed, but now that they were older and wiser with a bigger past and history, it only drove Camilla that much more mad. If only she were horrid looking, or bisexual, than perhaps, selfishly, she could have handled this a bit better if not to just let out her frustrations. But alas, the woman know that she would be just stuck word sparing and pulling out her hair until the end of their days.
There were bigger things to suddenly fry now though, and imagining besting Rena at her games would have to come second now. It took all of Camilla's power to not have her jaw just lie there on the floor. The woman wasn't even sure how she felt about Rena possibly discovering the Achaemenid Empire lost treasure. Both envy and shock came to mind: "Ding ding ding, you're a winner." If it hadn't been for that statement, Camilla would have cringed at how that figurine had been placed back on her shelf. The woman actually found heself listening to the blonde's tale with baited breath, even just the words gave her the rush of the past, that adventure she yearned for that books and papers couldn't give her.
"Figures you would get someone to lose their head," Camilla commented, interjecting into Rena's story, but soon shushed herself again. Until the end, where the most magical words left her frienemy's mouth: "There's some whole complicated process and I was able to get some of it open, and then I fucked it and the whole thing closed - now even the part I worked out won't do what it's meant to." A sly smile spread across her lips, followed by uncontrollable laughter as Camilla flung back her head, "Oh Rena, you were never smart at the puzzles. Did you finally figure out just going into something guns ablazing doesn't solve everything?"
Oh, how she been waiting for this moment her whole fucking life since graduation. Camilla couldn't decide what was more exciting, the fact that Rena really did need her help and was indirectly asking for it, or the fact that Rena couldn't make her great big discovery without her. She leveled a look at the blonde now, cunning yet sultry, full of dangerous pride, "I'll help you on one condition - ask for my help directly. And I want a 'please' on there. No beating around the bush or Rena semantics on this one. I want you begging me."
At the confirmation that the salon had the tea, Camilla couldn't help but to smile, "Ah, excellent. You may become my go-to salon then in town if you have Yorkshire Gold on a daily basis." She knew it was just bagged tea, but those tea bags held a special place in her heart as far as childhood memories went with her father and grandfather. It felt like a warm hug when she had it, and as cold as Camilla Kensington could be, she needed a hug every once in a while, even if it was just in the form of a hot mug of tea.
Dark eyes looked around now, taking in the various chairs and mirrors. She was a little surprised being told that she could sit where ever she wanted. It felt different than London. As Hope Hoffman disappeared to the back, the woman walked down the aisle of chairs, taking in the personal items, before selecting her chair - one that she was confident was Hope's main station and settled in. Camilla made a face, scrunching her nose when the blonde returned and mentioned her earlier cliental, "Bridal parties? You poor sole. I would like my hair half up, and half down. I trust you."
She shook her head, crossing her legs as she settled a little more deeply, "I'm afraid I haven't. I'm rather embarrassed though. I've been at the University for several years now, so there's truly no excuse as to why I haven't set foot into your shop before." At least she was honest, not that there was much in a way to lie, even if she had wanted to. Hope returned with her tea now, which Camilla happily took now as Hope whipped out a brush and stared at her hair. Camilla merely watched her in the mirror before asking, "I'm sure you've dealt with hair like mine before?" the woman inquired, "No doubt you've had all sorts of cliental over the years as a hair stylist."
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
She suppose it was hardly surprising that Taylor Way hardly had any idea of when Aurelia would be coming back - in fact, Camilla was willing to bet that no one in the art department would have. After all, the art history professor wasn't the best at keeping people in her loop, even when they had been friends, evidently, "There's clearly something in the water with the professors who go on sabbatical. I ran into an old colleague a few months ago, Talia Noctum, and the woman completely forgot who I was. And then, she just up and disappeared again." Something told her the same would likely happen with Aurelia Allen as well.
The snort that escaped Taylor's mouth caused her to roll her dark eyes, it had, after all, been rather unlady-like, and no doubt that snort had been due to Camilla's own words. She knew that she had been quite bad at socializing outside of her department, but it wasn't as if she needed actual confirmation from the likes of a woman who looked like a farm girl. Plus, her sass was a little aggravating, if for nothing more than it reminded Camilla of Rena Reeves - which was a dangerous knock against any woman.
With her gaze looking at the ceiling though, she supposed she could have guessed what Taylor taught. It was not an artform that Camilla would take much stock in, unless it dated a few countries old, "Ah." The woman said now, everything clicking in place as her gaze fell onto Taylor once more, rearranging her pillows without a car in the world, "You're the llama girl. Or, is it alpaca?" It was probably the latter, alpaca had the better fur for weaving into more. At the statement that they may share some students, Camilla finally crossed the threshold deeper into the classroom now, "I'm sure we do. Although, have you been having any issues with your introductory classes flooding with people who seem more interested in you rather than what you're saying?" Taylor must have, for even though she looked like a farm girl, she had that girl next door look, "I find it rather annoying."
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
None of this exchange was remotely surprising to Camilla - the two young woman had picked right back up where they last left off, insulting each other with their preferred method and personality, yet it still perplexed her to find the voluptuous blonde in her office. And yes, she went there. As much as it pained Camilla Kensington to admit, her frienemy was awfully distracting physically as she was mentally, and perhaps, that just often pissed her off even more when Rena Reeves got under her skin. That devilish smile did nothing to reassure her that this interaction would be going her way.
If anyone had been listening into this conversation, they perhaps would have been shocked to think Camilla Kensington a tomb raider with how often she seemed to stumble right into Rena's verbal traps: "What makes you think you could handle me?" The blonde asked her now, that stupid devilish smirk still on her face along with a matching twinkle in her eye - oh, she was enjoying this far too much. Camilla merely smirked, and pointedly said, "Because I know you too well, Rena. That, and I like a challenge." And maybe, just maybe, the woman wouldn't mind making the other woman beg for mercy, but alas, that required them to not bicker for an hour - and for Lorena's sexuality to bend a little bit.
Besides, there were bigger fish to fry so to speak - even if fried fish was vastly unhealthy. She was invading Rena's space now, leaning across the desk as her chocolate brown eyes peered into Rena's piercing blue orbs. Unfortunately for Camilla though, the blonde remained infuriatingly defiant in repeating herself, and simply talked smack once more, "I may be getting old, but remember, you're the one who came to me." She pointed out now, as Rena got up now and marched around the desk. Camilla merely watched her like a cat now, turning around to lean up against her desk and frowning as Rena felt the need to touch all of her things, "Please do not touch--wait, what?" But just like Rena said, Camilla could hear perfectly well, "The Achaemenid Empire lost treasure? You can't be serious. I can't actually believe that a ruffian like you found it." Or well, maybe she could, "Why do you need my help then?"
It seemed to take a moment, but the blonde woman soon flashed her a rather warm smile: "That's me, I'm Hope. Camilla, right?" Camilla smiled back, a little more curtly than perhaps what the other woman deserved, but she wasn't willing to be friends with an untested hair dresser just yet, "Correct." She was short and straight to the point, watching Hope now as she straightened out her station, "Ah, hot tea please. Yorshire Gold if possible, if not, er, surprise me I suppose."
Brown eyes looked over the styling station - looked nice enough, the product choices were superb though, and Camilla already felt a little more at ease, "I have a gala in London tonight, so I prefer something more upscale. Preferably up and pinned. I fear if I keep it down, it will get wrecked in the drive there as I have a bad habit of playing with my hair while I drive." It was a rather childish thing to admit to, but Camilla knew that she couldn't show up to the gala looking out of sorts, and given she was already having to take care of shimming into a dress in London, this would be quite the test.
"I made sure to wash my hair yesterday, so hopefully it's just enough to help with styling," Camilla commented before sliding into the chair and Hope was disappearing to the back to get tea and perhaps, something to keep herself going.
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
It would appear that Camilla was not the only one confused at this situation, as the woman on the ground informed her that Aurellia was simply not around. Dark brown eyes blinked, like a doe in the headlights, as if the woman's words did not fully register, "On sabbatical?" Perhaps it would seem that Aurellia Allen was not the only one out of touch with reality all of the sudden, "Well, this is embarrassing," Camilla groused now, mostly to herself as if she were not sharing the room with another being.
As the woman's next words caught her off guard: "Ah, Camilla." It was said in such a way that may have been familiar with each other, but that was hardly the case. She merely arched an eyebrow, "I take it you've heard of me?" Granted, if she did belong here in the Art Department, perhaps it wasn't such a surprise given that history and art often went hand and hand with each other, and could certainly take inspiration from one another.
From the ground, the woman waved her badge now, and Camilla narrowed her eyes to read the fine print: Taylor Way. Facility. She then picked herself up from the ground, and the woman just eyed this Taylor Way. Even standing up, Taylor Way looked like she might have belong amongst the students rather than the facility, but Camilla knew better than to judge a book by it's cover - that was often the quickest way to get in trouble at the University, "Ah, no. Nothing important enough to interrupt a Sabbatical over," she mused now, before turning the conversation, "Forgive me for the mistaken identity. I guess I don't socialize over here in the art department as I thought I did."
Glancing up at the ceiling now, to see some interesting pieces, she prompted, "So...what exactly do you teach then...Taylor, is it?"
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
It wasn't often that Camilla Kensington got a summoning to London to attend an exclusive gala for renowned archeologists, but when she did, the woman knew that she was going to show up in style. She had spent months preparing for this, picking out the most exquisite ball gown, the complimentary heels (even if nobody would see them under her dress), and high end jewels that would be worn around her neck. All was leading up to this evening and then, just like that, one plan fell through. Her stylist in London gave her a mere less than twenty four hours to inform her that she had been double booked, and given that Camilla was currently living out in Hickstead, she was easier to cut from the schedule.
Camilla managed to keep it together over the phone, but as soon as she hung up, an ugly scream escaped her and echoed throughout her Oldaker Ave home, "This is not happening," the woman muttered to herself as she grabbed the pages to see what Hickstead had to offer. She had a mere three hours before she head to had to London. She could not be late, given that her father would be at this gala, and would use it as an excuse to reprimand her for her chosen path within the archelogy community. It always annoyed her that he held onto the bravado of the treasure hunting and returning than her actual discoveries, or the fact that she was a professor at a small, but fine, institution. But Camilla supposed that was what father-daughter relationships were for.
She had success in booking at Color Me Crazy, the receptionist informing her that they had just enough time to fit her in for a trim and updo style. Camilla booked it without any second thoughts, and quickly loaded everything she needed into her sports sedan, and headed downtown to High Street. Parking the car, the woman got out and headed into Color Me Crazy. Dark brown eyes took in the scene, it actually was rather cute. She took the few steps to reception now and informed the girl behind the desk, "I have an appointment with Hope Hoffman." They stared at her, perhaps it was the hautiness in her voice, but they just looked over to a blonde woman now who was cleaning up her space. Taking that cute, Camilla walked over to her now, "Are you Hope Hoffman?"
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
Every once in a while, Camilla Kensington found herself hiking across (or at least, it felt like a hike) from the history department to the art department. She heard through contacts at Sotherby's that they would be holding a private auction that nonetheless featured some rather valuable and old paintings that once thought were actually lost. Inspection showed that they were indeed the legit thing. Camilla thought this was rather interesting, giving that per historical records, those paintings in particular were thought to be lost at sea for good.
Naturally, the woman decided that she wanted to share this information with Aurelia Allen, the art history professor at Hickstead University. Camilla got along well with the other woman, but only in small doses and over tea (specifically herbal), simply because Aurellia was just so melancholic that it took away from everything else in the conversation and quite frankly, any sort of physical admiring. But this news was too big to be ignored, Camilla just had to discuss it with someone, and literally now.
As soon as she stepped into the art building, Camilla was met with the scent of wood, clay, oil paint, and just about everything else, "Yet another reason why I don't like to come here," the woman muttered to herself. She walked directly to Aurellia's office, only to not find her there. Odd. Maybe she's in one of the classrooms for whatever reason. So off she went, her heels echoing in the silent hallways. Picking a door, Camilla burst into the room and paused. There was a woman there, lying on the floor. The body ont eh floor shifted, dark eyes staring at her now, "Yes?" She asked, not getting up. "How can I help you?"
Camilla arched an eyebrow, staring at this woman like she was utterly mad, and was also rather insulted that she didn't bother to get up off of the ground, "I'm Camilla. I'm looking for Aurellia Allen. Who are you?" She didn't bother to keep the typical snobbery of her Belgravia London accent out as she addressed floor woman now. This woman didn't look like a hobo that just walked off the street and somehow made it into the art building, but one never knew. After all, Lorena simply broke into her office a mere month or two earlier, "Are you suppose to be here or do I need to call security?"
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
Camilla hurried back to her office, classes could not have ended soon enough for her today. Earlier in the day, she had gotten word via a contact still out in old treasure hunting business that they may have stumbled upon Henry Every's journal. A discovery like that was monstrous in itself. Henry Every was a man of mystery, especially after he disappeared from the world 1696. Nobody knew what happened to him, but more importantly, nobody knew what happened to his treasure. His greatest haul came from attacking treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-Sawai and its escort, Fateh Muhammed, which resulted in £600,000 in precious metals and jewels. By both Camilla's calculations and her contact's, that equaled to around £97.1 million by today's standards. In other words, it was stupidly rich money.
Could this also be what Lorena Reeves was beating around the bush about when she last appeared in this very office about a month ago? It was hard to say. The woman knew there was always treasure to be found, myths to undiscover and make real. Her desk now littered with every book she had on piracy and ship routes dating back to the 1600's. Dark brown eyes just stared at the texts, if she found the treasure, "Now now, Kensington. Don't be foolish," she muttered to herself, sighing and leaning back into her chair, her gaze staring off at the books on a very sturdy bookshelf. She wasn't in the treasure hunting business anymore, she wasn't even in a tomb raiding business anymore. Yet, it was hard to deny the thrill of it all, the thrill she had gotten when that text hit her phone this morning.
Henry Every would be quite the discovery. It would be a historical discovery on several levels, and much of that treasure belonged to a variety of countries, but there was one that struck out to her most. India. The country that her mother came from, ties that Camilla could not deny. Would this discovery help the country, or would it break it? Her lips twisted, quirking to the side as she continued to stare at book spines. It wasn't until there was a knock on her door frame did her concentration break. The woman did her best to not sigh, she was a professor after all and she did have office hours. Her dark gaze flicked towards the doorway now, "Yes? You may come in if you wish."
she was sweet like honey but all i can taste is the blood in my mouth and the bitterness in goodbye
thanks aofie!
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
- Honey – Halsey - Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato - How to be a Heartbreaker – Marina + the Diamonds - Wonderland – Natalia Kills - Push – Avril Lavigne - For You – Rita Ora & Liam Payne - What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) – Kelly Clarkson - Your Love is a Drug – Leighton Meester
THIRTY ONE . PROFESSOR & TOMB RAIDER . LBGTQ+ . In Denial over LORENA HENLEY REEVES
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