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!.
When Renee declared his answer as 'excellent', the young man couldn't help but to smile - mainly because they both knew that even if he had said no, she would have found some way to still provide him said coffee and cookie. It was just easier to say yes, and quite frankly, Charlie was never one to turn down free coffee or cookies - it was fuel. His brown gaze returned to the papers at hand as the older woman disappeared to take care of his order now, not thinking about how he probably could have taken care of that for her until she reappeared and sat down across from him: "So, Charlie..what has my husband have you looming over today?"
Charlie's gaze flickered to the papers once more before pushing them aside, deciding that he welcomed the break, "It's a case study. Already won - actually, I think Emmett won it. But he asked me to review it and put together my own plan and present it to him. It's a different type of studying for the bar - less text book, more thinking outside of the box." He had to had to to his boss, it was clever thinking, but granted, Charlie expected nothing less of a mentor like Emmett Armstrong. Truth be told, the young man was certain that Renee didn't care to talk about the holdrums of law work though - she probably got enough of that. Sure enough, she then brought up the gala. Ah, the gala. He nodded, smiling, "That's the plan. Good for networking and quite frankly, fun with the coworkers outside of the office." Charlie gave thought for a moment before asking, "Uh, Ms. Hahn, are dates required to this event?"
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
He just rolled his eyes when Kyler poked a bit of fun at him, although, his friend had him at one statement: “Well, wouldn’t that be considered a power play of some sort anyway?” Charlie's brown eyes blinked, and then it hit him, Kyler had a point, "Well fuck - you're right." After a moment, his shoulders just shrugged, "Not the end of the world anyways, the office is too small to deal with that sort of drama if it goes sour." And truth be told, he valued his job more than getting laid by some cute co-workers, irreguardless of his job status, "Back to the drawing board - I got time though. No galas til spring time so far that I know of. I have a funny feeling the boss and the wife will be pushing for plus ones." The young man didn't worry too much though, plenty of time between now and then.
An eyebrow arched, "Waffle house? You want to take Kenzie to a waffle house?" Maybe it was the rich, upper east side, new york city raised brat in him, but that hardly sounded exciting. Granted, Kenzie was a different sort of girl, and Kyler tended to be a different sort of guy. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, in a way, they were perfectly made for each other. He made quick work of taking apart the buns, slabbing some butter on on them, and daintily started dropping them on a the high shelf of the grill, "Well, whatever floats both of your boats then. I'm glad to hear you two are still happy and she's keeping you out of trouble."
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
While his boss hardly seemed alarmed, he did pick quite the curious follow up question to Charlie's statement. An eyebrow arched, and the young man couldn't help but to laugh, "How many enemies do you have that the first conclusion is a human and not a cat from your wife's café?" Given Emmet Armstrong's work though, maybe it wasn't too far of a reach. Already, Charlie felt a little stupid for asking, before adding on, "I'm positive it's a cat because I heard meow-ing, but if it's a guy, between my muscle and your brain, we can take them." Although there was no doubt in his mind that his boss was equally fit or more fit than him.
Brown eyes watched his boss stand up now, and he secretly bet that Emmett was happy for any excuse to get away from his desk, "Well, the good news it sounded loud enough that it's physically outside of the walls or vents. Which office though, I am not sure. Probably around the paralegal hallway though, that's where I heard it." He gave it some thought before asking, "I don't really know any of the cats too well - but do you know of any of the escape artists and whether they are friendly?"
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
It was the evening, the night sky had already settled over Willow Bridge City, and Charlie Braun was still sitting at the office. He was scrambling, Emmett Armstrong, his boss, had an important case tomorrow, and he was finishing up the last of his paralegal duties to make sure everything that the older man needed was finished. This was not the sort of case that he could afford to slack off on and nothing was going to get in his way. Other than Emmett, the young man was certain that he was the last person sitting around, but that was fine, there wasn't much time to talk chit chat or anything else.
Truth be told, Charlie had found it to be a bit of relief. There was only so much idle chatter he could put up with outside of his social circle, and lately, it felt like everyone had been prying into his social life. The upcoming Gala was only going to make it worse - since the person he felt like inviting was sure to cause heads to turn. Not in a bad way, but in a curious way. At least it was good practice for dodging around stuff, not that Charlie really needed any of it.
Gods, he was so close to being done. Thank god too, his brown eyes were getting tired between computer screen and paper. And then, he heard a meow. Charlie ignored it, assuming it was coming from the cat café. But then, it came again, and it suddenly occurred to him that given the location of the café, that meow was too loud and too close, "Shit." He muttered to himself, breaking himself from work and getting up, taking a step outside of his small little space. Glancing around, there was no cat to be seen, yet he heard another meow. Walking around, Charlie still spotted nothing but finally decided to walk to the big man's office and knock on the door, "Emmett. I think there's a stowaway with us. Somewhere."
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
Charlie Braun had needed a break from his typical settings of the University library and his tiny paralegal closet the Law Firm. While he loved his apartment, the chaos of it kept him grounded, he knew it was best to not take work there if for nothing else but his own mental health. Homework and studying for the bar was one thing at his home, work, well, that was an entirely different matter. So, for the day, he had set up shop in a quiet corner of the break room.
Papers were strewn all over the table. Two or three folders were stacked on a corner. Charlie's usual brand of organized chaos to make himself happy. Brown eyes were pouring over a case study that Emmett Armstrong had given him. It was already won and done, but he had to present his boss his own game plan on the situation, and how he would go about winning it. A test of sorts, hypothetical stuff to give his brain some flex. Any research he did was for going about the case, not how Emmett had won it.
He had been so engrossed that he hadn't noticed someone approaching until there was a shadow over him, cutting off the overhead lighting. Charlie recognized the voice instantly, if it had been a classmate, he wouldn't have even bothered looking up, but Renée Hahn required respect. Brown eyes looked up now, smiling, "Miss Hahn, you can call me Charlie like everyone else," besides, his actual name was too formal for his own tastes, "And thank you. Coffee and a cookie sounds great."
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
Charlie was beginning to think that he might have come off a little to strong in his joke, given the follow up's that his classmate seemed to have on his well being like he might actually be an alcoholic. He supposed it couldn't be helped though. The young man knew he walked into that one, and Landon interned down at the Police Station and the British equivalent of a District Attorney's office, so he probably seen his fare share of fucked up people, "Nah. I haven't. But I'll give it some thought. I'm sure giving up alcohol for a few months would do loads for my physique. Maybe I can give the girls a show at the gym." Not that he remembered the last time he was at the gym, and quite frankly, there was maybe only one girl he could think of that he'd want to make blush over a muscle flex.
His coffee and sad excuse for a british bagel appeared on the counter now, which he grabbed and nodded for Landon to follow him to grab a seat. As he made his way to an empty table (sadly, all the window ones were taken), Charlie thought it over, "Eh. I can study here. I don't think Emmett would mind me working here - depends on the case though. Every case is private, but I feel like some are even more so than others." As for the rumors on crime, Charlie mulled it over for a moment before shrugging his hefty shoulders, "I think Hickstead is just growing. Plain and simple. People can blame that gang of kids all they want, but the truth is, they've been rather quiet recently. Small towns change when its population grows."
Man, he really was behind on the news at the firm though if Landon had managed to snatch himself up an internship, "Ah yeah? Well, sweet. It will be fun to have you there. I'm sure you'll find it a good change of pace compared to the police department." When the two young men finally found a decent table with two empty chairs, Charlie slid into one, putting his stuff down and finally, he could take a sip of that sweet ass coffee. At the prompt of a girlfriend or dating, he merely shook his head, "No time to date, I feel like I'm always studying and locked away at the university library or the internship. And, I don't know about you, but I rather date a girl who isn't in my line of work." Brown eyes watched as Landon sat down before him now, talking about first hand experience, and he nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Just have to take the good with the bad - and yeah," a laugh escaped him, "I don't think I really know you beyond the classroom either. So...here's to getting to know each other." And with that, he raised his coffee cup in a salute before taking another drink.
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
It wasn't often that Charlie felt uncomfortable around his best friend, but damn, that smirk that was playing across his features certainly had him worried. He could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes, and with that, Charlie's own brown eyes suddenly found the last of his assigned duty fairly interesting. The young man's lawyer senses were tingling in the sense that he knew a question was coming, and while studies showed that eye contact was the best for lying, Charlie wasn't sure how well he could play it. Granted, he was jumping to conclusions here. While he didn't know what may come out of Kyler's mouth - he had a good hunch about it.
Words came out of the other young man's mouth now - agreeing with him on Teddy, Natalie's distractions at school, and then came the probing question: "Rumour mill is that he allegedly likes someone else. His loss, don’t you agree?" So he knew that it wasn't a rumor, it was true. But University gossip wasn't what Kyler was interested in, no, it was Charlie's feelings. He looked up from his work, mainly because it was done and he couldn't just keep chopping nothing. Brown eyes locked with Kyler's and finally nonchalantly said with a shoulder shrug, "Yeah, I guess." He knew his best friend knew him well enough to probably see right through him, but Charlie was in a neither confirm nor deny mood. It was awkward territory for him - liking his best friend's baby sister, and he wasn't sure if he wanted Kyler meddling.
He thought that would be it, but perhaps he should have known better. Kyler was sneakier this time around, if only because he was grabbing stuff to go out and grill. Charlie couldn't help but to roll his eyes after the other had his back turned to him, grabbing the trey of buns and following after him, "I don't have time to date, only sleep around." That, truthfully, was not a lie. He was also certain that he spent more time cramming at the library or firm than he did in his own apartment, "But no, no girls. One or two interns at the firm I wouldn't mind having like...a fling with, but I don't think I'd want to date them. Like to argue...and I don't think I want to date someone in the same career as me. Better to date outside of it." Like Natalie. Well fuck, that didn't go well. Desperate to change the subject, he soon asked, "What have you and Kenzie been up to?"
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
A small chuckle could not help but to escape Charlie at the other young man's comment, "I always need something stronger than coffee." He probably had consumed so much over time that the caffeine affect might have dwindled and he drank it more out of comfort if anything, "Maybe I need a cleanse." But that sounded like work that Charlie wasn't sure if he had time for. He supposed it wasn't surprising to hear that Landon often just grabbed his coffee and left, he always seemed straight and narrow, but Charlie couldn't judge. People probably thought the same about him, "I like the wifi to do work here - just get a break from the office, campus, or my apartment."
With his food and drink in hand, the young man could turn his full attention towards the other now. He didn't cover criminal law, but it wasn't surprising to hear that crime was on the rise, "Ah. I think I've heard that around the breakroom." He commented now, taking a sip, "Shocking really. I feel like when I started Uni here, everything was so...quaint and quiet." Or maybe the abundance of street kids and that one gang had just gotten sloppy. Charlie didn't have much time to muse though as Landon prodded about his job, "Hmm? Oh, I'm over at Armstrong & Pierce. They're a little laid back, but they seem to have a decent work-life balance...not that I know much about that."
It was a little surprising to hear that Landon was interested in joining a practice, "I didn't realize you were interested in a private firm. With your internship at the Police Station and everything, I thought you'd go public or prosecutor." Granted, everybody was allowed to have a change of heart. There was no law saying you couldn't. His question about sitting around prompted an invite to join Landon. He hesitated for a moment before giving in, "Sure. Why not. Got no where to be and I need a break from staring at books and computer screens. Besides, I feel like I only know you as a classmate verses a person."
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
Kyler's comment about the year made a laugh escape the young man now, "Tell me about it," Charlie replied now, "Guess adulting makes it go fast though." That and endless school work. If he were to go back in time, Charlie might have rethought the idea of being a paralegal and juggling his law degree for the Bar, but it was too late now. Besides, he liked working with Emmett Armstrong and Pierce, so even on challenging days, the young man always knew at the end of the day, that he was happy.
He made steady work of the potatoes during their conversation, talk often helped even the most mundane of tasks go by it seemed. Not that Charlie minded, after all, if Kyler hadn't invited him over, he'd probably still be at home studying, "Ha! Well, I'd ask how you could concentrate on getting work done if all the history nerds are so attractive, but I guess Kenzie keeps you humble." It wouldn't surprise him if his best friend was one of those guys who claims no one else in the world was more attractive than their girlfriend. One more potato to go and then he could probably help with something else.
Charlie cringed inwardly a little bit when the other young man admitted that his brother was still in rehab. That was information that he probably should have known, but at least it was going well. Then the conversation seemed to take a turn towards Natalie, and he wasn't sure how to take it, "She never seems stressed to me." But maybe the young woman didn't like him enough to see her in a vulnerable state unlike her brother - her aggressive teasing made it seem that way. He thought that would be it about Natalie, his best friend offered up another seemingly private observation about his sister: “I think she was rejected by Teddy too…or something happened between them.”
His chopping motions briefly stopped, brown eyes staring at the board, "Oh?" Charlie wasn't sure on how to unpack that information. He liked Natalie (even if he was loathed to admit it). He didn't like Teddy. He considered Natalie widely unavailable given that everyone could tell how smitten she had been with her best friend. Plus, Charlie never knew how to take her attitude towards him, "Well. Teddy Beauchamp is a dolt if that's the case." Knowing the other young man, he probably had been oblivious, "As much as I don't care for Teddy, he probably didn't even realize what was going on. I'm sure Natalie will bounce back," and then, his brown eyes looked to Kyler expectantly, "Right?"
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
For a moment, Charlie began to wonder if the other young man had even heard him. He appeared to be lost in the clouds, or at least, thinking about something. Right when he was tempted to say 'earth to Landon', since Charlie himself did not like to be ignored, did Landon appear to snap out of it. A snort of laughter escaped the young man at the question, "I need strong and bitter fuel for the day," he replied now - ignoring the fact that he also likely just had some sort of addiction to the drink and that might also be a reason why he was there, "Truth be told, you had never striked me as a coffee person. Maybe its just because I think this is the first time I've seen you there." Maybe it was the New Yorker in him, or maybe just the addict, but he could never understand people who didn't like coffee.
"Ah, glad to hear the police station is working out then. I'm sure it's exposing you to all sorts of things," Charlie commented now. He wasn't really surprised that they were working Landon a lot. Police stations always struck him as being somewhat hectic and chaotic - something the young man wasn't sure if he would enjoy. The idea of belonging to a firm always felt like a better idea, "I'm over at one of the local firms. Small, but nice and respectable. I'm doing paralegal work. After the summer, I am hoping it will just turn into a full time job and I will just balance it out with school work." His name got called now and he grabbed his coffee and sandwich bag, "Were you heading back to the office or were you going to sit here and eat?" Charlie himself felt a little different to the matter, but might as well offer.
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
Charlie just smiled at his friend's comment about the bagels. Maybe it was just the New Yorker in him, but he was always confident that bagels went with just about everything - the most versatile of breads. Plus, who could ever hate a bagel? He took the apron from Kyler now, placing it over his head and tying it behind his back before making his way to the potatoes. Placing a few on his own cutting board, Charlie went to work like he was in his own home, "Cubed, yeah?" Better to ask than assume after all.
He listened to Kyler's description to the beginning of summer, it sounded like fairly standard fair. A smile cracked on his lips when at the joke about his girlfriend, "You know, you say that like a joke, but I wouldn't put it past her to actually find a way into your suitcase or illegally onto that airplane." Charlie always thought Kenzie was...different. He could never decide how he felt about her as a person, her way of life tended to rub him the wrong way, however, he could not deny that she was an amazing and loyal girlfriend to Kyler. Due to that, he was willing to let her antics slide, but he often needed a shot of something to put up with her in a group situation. As for himself, "Yeah. I found a firm willing to take me on as a paralegal until I take the bar which I still have a solid year of school left before that." Charlie wasn't even sure where he'd practice law yet, but figured he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.
As the teasing came, Charlie just laughed, "Oh I know I am not the only one," he commented now, "My class with her was like a gender bended scene from Indiana Jones when he was teaching his class." All the guys staring dreamily at her while all of the girl simply looked bored out of their minds or were actually paying attention to what Professor Kensington was saying. Cutting up the potatoes now, he pushed them off into a bowl, "You're only immune because of Kenzie." Brown eyes glanced over at Kyler now, "Unrelated to hot women in our lives, how come we are the only two working in the kitchen? Natalie and Tyler get a pass because of child labor laws?"
We'll never know our full potential unless we push ourselves to find it
