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!.
She hoped she hadn't crossed that invisible boundary, the one that wasn't spoken about where a daughter shouldn't try to parent the parent. She didn't want to piss him off, or upset him with her concern, but she couldn't help it. Tal was old enough now to know what loneliness was - to see it, even if she hadn't felt it in the way that her father had. She was old enough to understand how empty a house could feel with it's inhabitants had gone, and she knew people could easily slip into being alone as that being the normal. "I'll be fine Tally. It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around." Tally nodded, a little sheepish and a faint blush tinged her cheeks. "I know," She said softly. "I have more than just Dog and work to keep me company."
She cocked her head slightly at that, knowing he probably just meant his friends, or his work colleagues, but something about it seemed to hit a little different. She shook it off, not wanting to think about her dad and a possible 'something' right in that moment. Or any moment, really. Her attention was returned to her dad when he snorted a laugh though, and she grinned again, easily brought back to good spirits. "Well, I have no doubt that you'll make it your own." tally's grin turned calculating and she nodded, "oh you have nothing to worry about there," She agreed, and whilst she was no artist in the form of paint, she would absolutely be all over decorating in other ways. "I'll be sure to send you a pic when it's done so you don't worry." She added, hoping he'd remember how to open it up to view it properly.
Tal heard the crack and winced on her father's behalf, feeling guilty. "I'll go get your last two boxes and then I'll help you with sorting until you want to kick me out. Anything else you might need while I'm outside the walls of this building?" She gave him a pained look, "are you sure you don't need a hand?" She asked, trying not to make it obvious, but clearly failing. "I don't need anything else though, thanks dad." She promised. Once everything was up, she'd start the unpacking business, but the rest of it would wait until another day.
Tallulah chewed the edge of her pencil, a terrible habit that regularly got her in trouble, considering exactly what shade of blue she should pick for the skirt. Azure? Turquoise? Sapphire? Her eyes narrowed critically on the drawing. She sat in one of the classrooms where she'd normally be actually making the garments, but her mannequin stood naked, not even a ribbon adorning it's empty bodice. She would work on it at some point, she had a few weeks until deadline, but she just couldn't get her drawing quite right and she needed it to be perfect.
“Hey,” Tally blinked, a little startled. She glanced around, as if expected the word to have come out the wall or something ridiculous. She'd been so intent on her drawing, she hadn't realised there were other students in the room - that, or she'd forgotten about them. "Hi," She said curiously, wondering what the other girl would want from her. She didn't recognise her, so both not a friend, or one of the popular crowd. Though not wanting or needing to be one of them, Tal couldn't help but keep tabs on who the top lot were and keep a little bit of a tab on them. “Can I get your opinion on something?” Her eyebrows rose in surprise and she blinked again, forgetting the blue hues infront of her. "Uhh sure," She said, "What exactly am I giving an opinion on? I should probably have checked and asked that before saying yes, shouldn't I?" She added with a snort, hoping it wasn't going to be something like 'what was your opinion on the prime minster's latest promise' or 'do you think I should cut bangs'.
She released her friend before she could quite squeeze all the life out of her, but the grin remained - you couldn't stop her from smiling if you tried in that moment. "Deal! Nobody can keep me from you!" Tally gave her friend a look, "that better be a pinky promise," She teased, though she knew only something important would keep her friend away. She moved aside to let her in, realising she was trapping Ro in the doorway and hadn't even given her a chance to get past the door. She let her friend put her stuff wherever she pleased, moving across the room once the door was shut and beelining to the wardrobe instead, where a couple of pieces of clothing stuck out between the doors where she'd had trouble stuffing them in.
"I take it your week was as long as mine? Who do I need to beat up?" Tally pulled a face, "my brother..." She grumbled, and then gave her friend a quick cheeky grin to show she was joking. He hadn't actually done anything to annoy her - not outside the usual, anyway. "I'd pay to see that fight though. My money would 100% be on you," She added with another easy grin, knowing her brother would never hit a woman anyway, so Ro could win hands down just by showing up. "I brought some potential outfits, but I never say no to raiding your closet!" Tally made a dramatic sweep of her arm to the bursting wardrobe. "By all means, enter Narnia - it's at your disposal." She said with a laugh. Maybe she was being a bit over the top, a little theatrical, but she was giddy with being back with Roisin and couldn't contain herself.
She opened the doors, some of the colours and fabrics bursting out. "I made a couple of new pieces, that you might like the look of." She suggested, somewhat shyly. The only time she was shy, was when she presented her creations. She hoped that one day she would grow in confidence as she grew older, but for now, they were her secret attempts that occasionally saw the light of day if they were good enough. She'd made one skirt with Ro in mind, in a colour that complimented her tones, but she would let Ro find it for herself if she liked the look. "What are we feeling tonight anyways, Tally? Campus parties? The clubs? A little bit of both?" Tal tapped a thoughtful finger to her lips, "Mmmm, are there any campus parties tonight? If it's not the popular lot, they'll probably be a drag." Not that she was part of Shiloh's lot in the slightest, but they did throw some epic parties. "Ughs, your stuff is always so pretty, it blinds me with jealousy." Tally grabbed a handful of items from the rack and flung them unceremoniously onto her bed, looking at them with a critical eye. "Grass is always greener, I freaking love your dresses!!"
She grinned when he smiled, knowing she'd cracked the crying mood at least for a minute, and was pleased to see she hadn't offended him at least. "Oh come on. Name one time you witnessed that, Tally." She pretended to look casual, giving a little shrug and looking away, playing along. "Just last week for sure," Tally teased, knowing as he did that it was crap. He could still run rings around her if he wanted to. It might just hurt a bit the morning after. "True. Time is something I never seem to have." Tally raised a pointed brow at her father, "Well, now you will." She said, knowing he was likely to just glance over that fact and find himself something else to do as a procrastination.
She looked at her dad, pausing for a moment. "You will get out and do things with Dog, promise?" She pleaded, trying not to sound scolding, but she didn't want to be sat here, not knowing if her dad was getting out and finally doing things for himself or if he was moping at home or taking on too many shifts. She loved the poor bastard more than anything, and just wanted to see him happy. "I'm sure he has his hands full with work. The three of us will get together soon. I promise." She smiled quickly at and gave a nod, shaking it off. "I know." She said with a quick smile, not wanting to talk about it anymore than they had already - she didn't want to ruin the day by feeling annoyed or sad and she was sure her brother would make it up to her at some point.
"Did I send you to a prison?" Tall rolled her eyes but gave her dad a sly smile, "I've heard it's all the range." She joked, "very minimalist." but she didn't mind it. Sure, it was quite plain and bare, but she was already thinking of ways to improve it. "Where should I set this down?" Tallulah turned on her heels, "uhhhhh..there?" She suggested, pointing to a spare space next to the empty bed. She would be moving it all around in a few moments anyway so it didn't matter too much. Placing her hands on her hips, she surveyed the beginning of the mess, already itching to start.
Tally felt like her head had been in books for the last year, not just the last several weeks. As much as she loved them, it wasn't as simple as just loving literature to be studying it 24/7. When it wasn't the books, it was design keeping her busy, pulling her away from her social life and all the fun stuff she was begging to be part of. Luckily everyone in her friendship circle had the same issues and she didn't miss out on much, but she was still so over the studying. So was her body. Her fingers stung from the thousands of needles she'd accidentally stuck herself with, and all the sewing. Her back ached from all the hours poured over books, her eyes were tired and her brain hurt. Finally though, it was over. For now, at least.
She was particularly excited for them to be over because Ro was coming back. It hadn't even been that long but she missed the girl like nothing else - she'd come something of a sanity clutch for Tally. Even on a shit day, Ro had the ability to turn it around, tell the world to screw it and get Tally to laugh about the bullcrap. Tall wasn't exactly the tidest people - her brain kind of scattered from thing to thing which meant she could have a tenancy to leave things lying around without meaning to, but she was clean in the sense that she kept things clean - the bathroom was shiny, the mirrors clear, the carpet hoovered and no cobwebs sat in the corners of the room. Cluttered perhaps, was the way to describe it. She accumulated stuff without meaning to, and then just found a space for it where there wasn't one. It didn't help that she had a mannequin in one corner, swathed in different materials as she started trialling ideas for her next piece.
The knock on the door made her grin and she rushed over, flinging it open with abandon. "Girl," She grinned and couldn't help but let out a little bit of a squeal as she pulled the girl into a hug. "Don't ever leave me again!" She begged, releasing her so Ro could at least get in the damn door. "Are you ready to party it up this weekend? Please tell me you picked out your outfits already." Tally rolled her eyes and gave a slight groan. "God am I ready. I've been waiting for this ever since our last weekend out. I've got a few but I really can't decide. Did you bring yours or do you need to beg, borrow and steal?" She teased. The thing with being into design was she quite often went off into a creative blitz when going out.
Her smile wavered just a little at her dad's face, knowing that he was holding onto his sadness and trying not to show it. But she knew him, she'd spent all her life with him for God sake, and as much as parents tried to hide the tough stuff from their kids, it wasn't always possible. Tally hadn't seen her father go through the grief, not exactly. She'd been too young. But she'd seen how it carried it as the years went on, she'd seen him sad, and so she knew what it was and how it wore it - she saw it all the more when he tried not to show it. This was good for them though - the both of them. Her first chance of freedom, or close to it, but not too far from home, and he could finally have his own life, to a degree. She hoped it would give him the nudge or encouragement to get out there and do things for himself again, perhaps even find another someone he might like to share his time with. Not that anything was ever said but Tally knew having her around didn't lend itself to him doing those kinds of things.
"What? You don't think your old man can handle carrying a few boxes up the stairs?" Tallulah tilted her head and if considering her answer, deciding to humour him. It might keep them both from crying. "I think you're forgetting the way you get up from the sofa, let alone the way you clutch the rail when climbing stairs." She teased, both were completely false, but it did give her a pang to think of the day her dad really would be that old. "I do appreciate you leaving a sink for me. Otherwise, Dog and I might be in trouble. Haven't exactly gotten my dream cabin in the woods yet." Tallulah laughed at that. "You'd actually have to go looking for one for that to happen, dad." She said pointedly, she knew that she was a big reason he hadn't but perhaps now he would, with his kids somewhat out of his hair. "Sorry I couldn't convince Rex to come and help." She shrugged at that and turned her face away under the pretence of fixing a strap on her bag. She hadn't expected him to come but she loved her brother and it would have been nice for them to be together as she said goodbye. She knew her brother had his issues with their dad, but she couldn't help but want them all to be a happy family, even just for one day. "I'm sure he had better things to do." A little harsh and a little bitter of her, she wrinkled her nose at how it made her sound - whiney baby. But unavoidable.
"Where do you want me to start with lugging this?" Back to the task at hand, she shifted the bag on her shoulder and smiled quickly, nodding as an indication to the area. "Right this way, if you please." She joked, picking up a box that wasn't labelled something heavy and going to take the lead to her new accomodation.
Tal had to admit, she was excited. For as much as she loved her family and spending time with them at home, she was fully into the idea of the full college experience - and that meant staying in Halls. She knew that it wasn't an issue to live at home, and quite a few of her course mates still did and had said it wasn't a problem, but she knew that the real deal would be being in dorms with everyone else. It was the best way to meet more people, especially as she was coming in late to everything. She'd been able to meet people she'd be on course with when taking a look around campus, and in usual social butterfly fashion she had thrown herself out there to figure out the lay of the land, but she still felt a little nervous about being behind everybody else. They had a whole term ahead of her - friendships already made, cliques already formed. She wanted every advantage she had to get stuck in.
She had tried to hold in her excitement to a point, having seen the sadness on her father's face over the past few days leading up to this - but she couldn't help the big grin, or stop herself from fidgeting with that buzz sitting in her stomach. She was just relieved he'd allowed her to come, not that he was particularly a strict parent but he was protective, and this was a big deal. It probably helped that home wasn't far from campus, and she'd already made a silent deal with herself to make sure she went home regularly. She was sure she'd get sick of instant noodles and soup soon enough, and go running home for a proper home cooked meal. Tal knew she would miss home too, even if she wasn't going to mope about like her knew her father was going to for the first few days. She hoped he didn't mope too much. She'd told him not to.
Once everything was sorted with the house mother and Uni officials, the grin only widening to know that everything was done and official, and she'd be moving in today. "Are you sure you brought enough stuff?" Tal's eyes followed her father's to the stacks of boxes in the truck and she laughed, looking a little sheepish with the thought that he was going to be doing a lot of the lugging to her room. "I promise I left at least one kitchen sink behind for you?" She joked, tucking the paperwork into her pocket and instantly forgetting all about it. "Luckily, I'm on ground floor - so no stairs for the pack Donkey." She teased, glancing at her dad for his reaction.
full name • Talullah Sloane Caufield nicknames • Tal, Tally (family), Lullah age • Seventeen birthday • 16th June occupation • Art & Design, English Literature Student gender • Female sexuality • Straight
the appearance
face claim• Millie Bobby Brown
identifying features• She's quite tall for her age and gender, sometimes towering over the lads still growing in her class at an impressed 5ft9. Her cheekbones have made quite an appearance as she's grown from teenager to young adult, along with surprisingly full lips. She's curvy in frame, but she's also got a sweet and somewhat cheeky smile that promises a little bit of trouble.
the personality
likes • Teenage drama movies , Strawberry milkshakes , Making new friends , Haribo sweets , Working with clay , Cheesecake , Pub roasts , Swimming , Trying new styles with her art , Starry nights , Designing/making things - always has a creative mind on , Having girlie nights with friends , writing short stories and entering online competitions dislikes • Alcohol - doesn't like the taste , McDonald's fries , having to make phone calls , Getting caught in the middle of things , Orange juice with bits in - gross , Long movies , Having to wait a week for the next episode of a TV show , Messing up her art , Upsetting someone , Terrible gift wrapping; hurts her eyes , When people take things too far , Power cuts , hurting herself; not great with pain strengths • creative , bit of a mum of the friendship group; looks out for people , good at making people feel good about themselves , strong swimmer , excellent writer weaknesses • lying - gives herself away quite quickly , dancing; she's hopeless , not particularly sporty , fruit cheesecake , flirting; terrible at it, blushes easily dreams • to be able to make a job from her art, though she's not sure which direction to take yet , her dad finding someone again who loves him for him fears • she'll never find love for herself , any of her family or friends getting hurt; she can't fathom it overall personality • Patience of a saint, takes a lot to rile her, easy to please, sweet as pie but does have a cheeky side, will push the boundaries a little to see what she can get away with, bit of a daddy's girl, looks after people, curious - always asking questions, social butterfly - will talk to anyone, chatty, protective, will stand up for herself and her friends, loyal to the bone, tries not to get caught up in drama or bitching, outgoing, extrovert, sometimes puts her foot in it by accident, quick to apologise if she's wrong, forgiving, terrible at lying, creative, quite a girls girl
the history
father • KASEY EMERSON CAUFIELD - 52 - Garage manager mother • Morgan Drake-Caufield - deceased siblings • REX NOAH CAUFIELD - 22 - Painter important people • An aunt and uncle hometown • San Antonio, Texas overall history • For someone that has a surprisingly good memory, Talullah only has brief flashes of her early years in life. Her father is the most frequent, at the forefront of it, with her older brother alongside, and her mother occasionally features. She remembers some details about her mother; a scent she often wore, the sound of her voice when she read her a bedtime story, the way her and her father looked at each other. It made an impression; a lasting one - but it faded over the years from her death. She was too young to really understand things - only three years old when the news came, and as her mother had often been away, it didn't have quite the impact it would have done had she been older. She could feel the sadness in the family, she thought her brother seemed mad for a long time after it, but she couldn't quite make the connection.
Her better memories come from her younger years in England. The move of country was another vague impression for her that made it hard to know if the memories were dreams or real. She lost her American accent as she grew, despite her father's gruff voice in her ear every day, and was quick to make friends at school. She tried to connect to her brother, though sometimes found him difficult and so full of anger, but she was tenacious and overflowing with positivity in life and persevered. She discovered a love for art and design, using scraps of materials to piece together clothes that improved over the years, sketching out drawings, playing with clay. She was always making things, with any material she could find - be it nature or man made. She would get absorbed in pouring out the images in her head onto paper or into objects.
Her father encouraged the habits, and she appreciated the money spent put into helping her crafts to happen. When she finished school and headed off to college, she stuck by her love of art and design, but in a side route decided to continue with her English too. She loved to read, picking up any and every kind of book she could get her hands on, but her passion lay more in writing her own things. It was a place where she could let her imagination run wild, and she even attempted to put her short stories forward for competitions, with the occasion surprisingly nice response to them. She wasn't a troublesome child, she got on well at school, had a large group of friends and tried to avoid getting caught in the web of bitching that tended to happen amongst female friendship groups. She was always a sociable person and would often flit about, making new people, picking up strays, bringing people home to feed. Sometimes she toed the line with her father's patience, but she was always quick to grin and apologise for it when she knew she'd done wrong.
the role player
alias • Clips' Bitch age • 5000 year old vampire other characters • I have three - Ghost of Xmas past, Ghost of Xmas Present & Ghost of Xmas Past