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!.
Lexi had never competed in a horse show before, and she had to admit she was ridiculously nervous. She'd taken the time to register Asterix so they were eligible to compete, and she'd been lucky enough to have some training with her husband's family to feel up to scratch. She'd just entered the novice dressage, feeling that would be the best place to start. Asterix was a wonderful horse, he put up with her meagre riding like an actual saint, never made a complaint and always seemed just happy to go along with whatever - but he seemed particularly excited to be out and about. Most of the time, they spent riding time hacking the trails, and occasionally had a little jump in the school. The last few weeks, she'd spent more time in the school than ever, working on circles and transitions.
She took her time warming up, making sure she was comfortable, and had Rix moving forward off the leg and gave him time to warm up and stretch. He was a well school gelding and responded to her mildly accurate commands. Lex was called in next, and she tried to remember everything Leo had taught in their dressage lessons, and James had said in their sessions. Things kept flying straight out of her mind as she turned up the centre line with grim determination. She tried hard to make it as easy as possible for Asterix, giving him time to hear her commands, asking in advance, and supporting him with outside leg and inside hand. As they finished the test and she saluted, she relaxed her reins and enthusiastically patted the chestnut's neck with a whisper of thanks. He'd done her proud and tried his best, and she felt like she'd ridden well, it had been a good test.
<3 JAMES EDWARD WHITE | TWO SONS (JARAD & TAITE) | ONE DAUGHTER (RORY) | ONE HORSE (ASTERIX)
The night was unbelievably quiet, and the peace of it sunk into her skin, her very bones. How was it that just one place could settle her in such a way. She had thought she'd still feel stressed and exhausted, especially with travelling - and whilst it was true, to an extent - she could feel the tiredness nudging at the back of her mind, it wasn't enough to send her straight to sleep. It was as if the calm of the evening was sucking out the tension and anxiety of the past week weeks, drawing it out like a poison and allowed her the chance to breathe again, a full, long, deep breath. It felt unbelievably good, almost like a drug to feel this wave of calm come over her. Everything would be good again now, there was no more need to talk about what had happened or argue, it was time to move on. She felt that they could do that here. Tomorrow might be different, maybe she would feel more awake and things would change, but she doubted it.
Lexi took a light sip from her glass, holding the flavour of the wine in her mouth or a moment to appreciate it, before swallowing. She tipped her head back up to the sky to watch the passing of the stars and satellites, not needing to look up to know that James had joined her. She felt his presence behind her, knew it was him, would always know it was him just by the feel of it, and a smile teased the corners of her mouth. She heard his footsteps cross the terrace and the sound of him sliding into the lounger with her, even though there was hardly any room. She adjusted, her smile growing as his warmth sank into her. "i see your mum left the good stuff."
She glanced to the bottle she'd chosen and nodded. She couldn't lie, she'd known exactly what she was picking up when she'd chosen it - and how expensive. She swirled the little in her glass, the scent of it stirring. "She knew, I think." That they would need it, that it would do them good. Silently, she handed over his glass and poured a little into it, unsure how much he would want. Wine was more her thing, after all, but they did indulge in it together at times. "Did the kids get off to sleep okay?" She asked, more meaning Rory but just if the other two had threatened to stir in the few minutes she'd left them alone. With another sip of wine she settled more into him, cuddling into his chest and letting out a contented sigh.
"he needs to stop growing up." She caught the soft words and gave a small smile in response, a little sad as she watched the boys as James did, her mind drifting back to the days when Jare could barely walk without a hand to hold. Now be was toddling off with his brother in tow. "Tell me about it." it was wistful thinking, to wish them young forever. It was why she knew how important it was to enjoy every moment with them, even when they made it difficult and frustrated you. She cherished it all, all the more so after losing their first child, who would never get to live the life it should have. "But there is so much to come to look forward to." She added, she smile widening. Going up to big school and colleges, first girlfriends and jobs, driving lessons and hobbies he would pick up and put down as he lost interest... So much to come. "i think just jammies and into bed...i don't think these two will be awake long enough for anything else." She nodded in agreement. "Thank God for the pool." not only had it improved the mood but it had given them something fun to do, a way to relax in a new country and also tire themselves out for a good night's sleep.
"jare, you good bud?" The young boy heard his father call and he gave a slight frown, as if he needed help. He was perfectly capable. "I'm fines." he said, not aware as to if it was loud enough or not as he clambered into bed. Lexi helped the boys in, chuckling as Jared's roll of his eyes when she made sure to tuck his blankets up around him and kiss his head. Growing up way too fast, yes. She headed over to Tae to do the same, it was always the same so nobody could be jealous. A soft press of her lips to his forehead and then running a gentle hand through the hair to push it back from their foreheads. She switched on the nightlight without a word. They were old enough to not necessarily need it but it was a strange room, and everything would feel different, she wanted something from home to make them feel safe and comfortable. "Sleep tight, love you both." she said softly, gently pulling the door to but not closing it. She had a feeling she might be needed later, even if for now they were out of it.
Once she had settled the boys and herself, she glanced to the bed but then changed her mind. Her eyes wandered to the night sky, and how warm it was outside, how clear the sky was. A soft smile on her lips again she headed back downstairs. She knew, somehow, that her husband would come find her. Would know where she was. Her hand took up a glass and the other a bottle of wine, taking both with her to the patio out the back. It was peaceful, and quiet, as she slid into one of the loungers and poured herself a glass off the good stuff. The tension eased off moment but moment, rolling away with the brush of the breeze. Her gaze fell to the sky above and the brightness of the stars as she waited.
Naturally, she couldn't help watching James as she swam her way back toward him, the way he stretched to reach the towel. It wasn't unusual for her to be hungry for her husband, when she'd been young and thought about the future and marriage, she had always hoped that her and her future man would love each other forever and unconditionally, and though her and James had had their epic fights and their highs and lows they always came back together, they always had that fire between them. Their epic fights came from that passion for each other, that love and need to protect and care for each other. But this feeling surprised her a little in this moment because of the uncertain ground between them- because the last time she'd wanted him, it had been a panic and a frenzy and then he'd pushed her away and it had hurt. As her husband reached back, her eyes following the ripple of his muscles, taking a moment to appraise him - he kept himself in very good shape, not that she cared what kind of shape he was; she loved him for him, not whether she could eat dinner off his abs.
Lexi handed Rory off to her husband, listening to her settle in his arms as he dried her off and kept her warm. "i think that sounds perfect." Lexi gave a smile and a small nod, and her cheeks heated a little as she caught him looking - she liked that it still made her blush, even though she would have thought she'd have gotten over it by now. There had to be something in the Italian air, and she had to admit that even as tired as she was, she did feel better for being here, as if there was a bit of a fresh start - a reset. "come on you two, out you get and dry off. then we'll have a bath, we'll find a snack and you can have a nice long nap." Lexi picked up the towels for the boys and offered them out to them with arms wide. She wrapped first Jare as he was the quickest out, giving him a brief hug before he tore himself away from her and toddled off, drying himself. Then she wrapped the towel around Tae, going to pat him dry and then tuck him into the towel and lift him into her arms. Jare disappeared inside the house before she could call him back, but then she figured it was best to let him, heading over to James to see if he was set to go in and help get the kids bathed and set for bed. "Alright kids, we've broken in the pool - let's get washed and put our jammies on," She said softly, going to kiss Tae's head as they headed inside.
You all make it sound like ya'll don't yell back just as loud You know they're really not that hard to keep in line if you know how - they all have kryptonite!
thanks aofie!
<3 JAMES EDWARD WHITE | TWO SONS (JARAD & TAITE) | ONE DAUGHTER (RORY) | ONE HORSE (ASTERIX)
She looked over at James as she slipped into the water, feeling a surprising spark zing between them; it made her blink. They had always had passion and chemistry, even all these years later, and she didn't think that would ever go, but things had been off, and complicated, and it had been a little while since she'd felt that between them. But that kiss, being in Italy, the fact that things had been on the way to healing back home and now as she looked across at him, settling in the warm water, she felt that spark again. Goddamn. Perhaps things would be fixed by being away from home, by having this magical place and time for them to work together and mend the bridges.
She grinned as Rory was passed gently over to her, and she kissed her head before gently helping her settle in the water. She held her securely but not too tight as she bounced her in the water, and then together twirled them slowly through the water. She grinned wider at Rory's giggle, laughing too as she watched her face scrunch with joy. "You like that, huh sweetie?" She asked, as she watched her kick her feet and splash a little with her chubby arms. Just so damn adorable. "Oh if only you stayed this way forever," She joked, though she loved watching the boys grow, learn and change, even if it was scary at how fast that seemed to happen.
Lexi played carefully with Rory for a little while, before she saw her daughter begin to tire. She was young, and the excitement was a lot to take in. She yawned, and began to get a little whingey. "I think that's it for little madam." She admitted as she headed back over to the side and offered Rory up James. The boys were still splashing away, but as she looked over to them, she could see the tiredness of Jarad's face. "I'm thinking an early bath and bed today for the kids?" She said, going to climb out herself once Rory was safe.
She relaxed as he returned the kiss, and it allowed her to sink into him the way she always did. How their bodies seemed perfectly aligned for each other. As a teenager, whenever she'd read romance books that talked about it, she always rolled her eyes - how was that even possible, what a load of rubbish it was. Being with James, kissing him, she finally understood it - and how it was not crap. She just.. fit him. Everything was perfect. She felt the touch of his hand around her back, gentle but reassuring, encouraging. There was no move for more, though it was tempting as those familiar heated feelings swept though her at the proper touch of his lips. It was just.. nice. It felt nice to kiss him like this again, to take their time and forget the world for each other. She wondered if later might be different, if unlike their rush on the stairs where it had all been the wrong emotions and the wrong timing, if perhaps later would be the right time, and they could just enjoy each other, explore each other again - heal.
She couldn't take her eyes off him, but the lingering of his hand helped; he wasn't pulling away, not like before. Despite them having talked about it a little, it was hard for it not to get stuck in her head, not to fear that he'd do it again. It hurt, to even think it. She would never have thought James would make her feel that way but it had happened - another thing to heal. A slight smile against the pinch of worry as his thumb rubbed over her hand, and his own smile removed the rest of her concern. No words were needed, she knew him like she knew herself and that him leaving this time was not the same. She understood that. She let out a slow release of breath, feeling some of the weight removed from her shoulders.
Jare's care's were somewhat left behind as he played. He was still tired, not quite as enthusiastic as he would normally have been but he got into his game of treasure hunter, eventually managing to encourage Tae into joining him - two famous explorers about to uncover their biggest haul yet; the lost treasure. Lexi felt James shift closer and she smiled, leaning toward him as the comforting weight of his arm settled around her waist. "i think that means she does." Lexi grinned and then slid out from James' hold, carefully sliding into the pool. They were at the shallow end, and the water lapped slightly just above her waist with the kicking and scrambling of the boys down the other end. "Come on then sweetie, let's get those toes wet." She grinned; holding her hands out to Rory for James to pass her over. The water was warm, perhaps a little cooler than the kid's pool at the swim centre, but warm enough for Rory to still enjoy.
She was glad when the two boys took themselves off, feeling a little knot of worry easy to see them toddler off together. As much as they fought on occasion and pushed each other about they were good kids, and good siblings - Jare would always look out for Tae really, even if he could be a bit bull headed on occasion. It made her inherently glad that her and James had decided on having more kids, even after what had happened to their first child. "i need to change too." She heard James say and she nodded.
It felt silly, to feel nervous when James entered the room. It was almost like her first time or something stupid, when the energy felt different to that though - not like the nerves of not knowing what you were doing or what would happen, but almost more the absence of what would normally happen with them. He would have picked her up and thrown her on the bed by now with a laugh, and even if they hadn't had time to part with their clothes, he'd have given her a kiss that would have left her thinking about later.. for the rest of the evening. They had slept in the same bed at home again, a tiny bridge having gone up from their last conversation, but it had still felt a little cold, and being in a foreign country made it feel more romantic - more expected. But she was scared. Scared to cross that line again after what had happened last time, of getting hurt again. He was her husband for God sake, but it had still hurt.
She finished changing and glanced over to James, just as he spoke. "i'll go get rory." Lexi nodded - the youngest was surprisingly good for a girl, and she hadn't even heard a peep from her yet. As he came over to her she held her breath for a moment, so teenager-y of her but she thought he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to. The soft brush of his lips on her cheek was something and she gave a faint smile - but it wasn't enough. She let impulse drive her, reached out to grasp his hand when he went to walk away, a soft tug, not demanding but firm, to pull him back to her. She raised on her tip toes with clear intent to kiss him; a proper kiss. Her spare hand reached up to curl around his neck, to bring him closer to her as she deepened the kiss, that usual spark between them zinging right down to her curling toes.
And then she released him, taking a step back and biting her lip. Maybe it was going to get her burned again like last time, she couldn't help but look a little wary, a little worried as she gaze at him, half expecting him to do what he did before and pull away from her emotionally. But she let him go to Rory - following him down only a moment later. By the time she reached them, Jare had already dived in, cannon balling to create as big a splash as possible and then going under the water, pretending to look for hidden treasures. She smiled, putting her towel on a chair and moving over to the edge of the pool to sit beside James, dipping her long legs into the water and reaching out to tickle Rory gently. "Hey sweetie, I think you'd like a little paddle too, hmm?" She said softly, wanting to hear her giggle too.
"please?" Jare's frown didn't budge for a moment as he watched his father crouch down in front of him, his eyes following his dad's movement. He didn't understand what the please was for. Please what? He didn't ask, puzzling it over for a moment. "here bud, put these on and we can head down to the pool." He took the clothing and scrunched his nose as the ruffle of his hair, patting it back down when James had moved on, but he did do as he was told and started to get changed for the pool, clumsily pulling on his bathing shorts. He liked swimming, and he always liked going to the pool at home, though this one probably didn't have the awesome slides and stuff. So it wasn't that bad, he was just tired and kind of wanted to go home in that moment. He knew things had been weird at home, being older than Tae he picked up more than just a vibe. He'd caught Lexi crying once even though she had tried hard not to let anyone see her, and he'd felt sad for it, trying to make her smile. He didn't like it when his parents fought. It wasn't a very normal occurrence for his family and it always felt off - and then there was Tae who really struggled with it, and he felt he had to big brother him so Tae wasn't so sad either. It was tough work.
Lexi looked up at the touch, having been so starved of it recently, anything between them almost caught her by surprise; if anything she was just hype aware of him in those moments. She bit back the sigh at the sight of Tae's wobbling lower lip. "is this how they go?" She smiled as James playfully put the bathers on her sons head instead. "nooo." And then her heart gave a little squeeze at the sound of his giggle. It had been missing recently, though having the other family come through and play with the kids had helped bring it out of them despite the tension in the house. "you show me how they go then." Lexi hovered for a moment, watching the kids as they grumpily sorted themselves out. "ready." She smiled and bent down to kiss the top of her son's head - both of them. "And look at you both! My favourite boys," Before having kids she could never have imagined loving something so much, but she couldn't love anything more now. "Okay, you two go down and jump in, we will be right there. Jare, look out for your brother and be careful please - no running or shoving." She knew it was a risk to leave them unsupervised for a minute with the water, but she trusted Jare as being old enough and responsible enough to look out for Tae and be sensible for a moment. Her parents had already set the pool up ready for them, so they didn't need to remove a cover. A few toys and floats were put in a box on the side, ready to dig through. Jare gave a nod to his mum with a serious face and went to grab his brothers hand, moving to toddle out of the room. "Come on Tae, let's play!"
"I'm just going to get ready too," She told James, having not prepared to hop straight into the pool, but she would rather be in her swim suit to play with the kids than sit at the side and have to just watch - especially with the mood they were in, they would need some encouragement. She headed into the master bedroom. It was a beautiful room, the kind of thing you might see on a honeymoon - which made her stomach flip a little. Beautiful four poster bed, large bay window to let in light with a cute little balcony, an old oak dresser and wardrobe, the adjoining bathroom was gorgeous, but she couldn't investigate the jet bath right now as she bent to flip open her case and dig out a simple green bikini, pulling off her comfy plane clothes and slipping on her swim suit.
"isn't this cool kiddo?" Jare gave the room a look with a critical childish eye and then shrugged - he would like it tomorrow, but he was still cranky from the flight and whilst it was exciting, he was over that part of the journey and was half thinking about home. The place where all his toys were and it felt right. This place was nice and odd, but the allure of the pool was keeping him from doing a Tae and having a cry. The baby. Even Rory hadn't shed as many tears just yet and she really was the baby. He was young enough that he didn't know he was being mean, and he was tired enough that he didn't care. He set down his case and wrinkled his nose, bored of looking at the room - it was pretty bare and uninteresting aside from the bright colours and animals painted on the walls. Nothing fun to look at. "Pool now." He looked up at his dad with eyes the same shape and colour as his father - the same eyes that could get anything they wanted out of Lexi.
Her arms were full with Tae however as she focused on the young child clinging onto her with a death grip. She tried to point out all the exotic animals she knew he liked, forcing her voice to remain soft but excited to encourage him to feel the same. At the reach of his hand she grinned and moved closer so he could touch the animal. "tiger." She nodded in encouragement. "Yeah bud that's right - tiger. He'll protect you tonight, along with all the other animals." She said, gently bopping her son on the tip of his nose. "I think Jare wants to go in the pool, shall we get ready so we can play too?" She asked, thinking about how exhausting the day was going to be if she was going to have to work this hard with the boys. Rory was an easy baby but she'd never considered just how easy until now. She couldn't even spare a thought for her and James in these moments - and she needed to. They had things they needed to work out; important things - and she knew that they could once the kids were down but by then she felt she might just fall asleep by dropping wherever she stood.
"Okay everyone, pool time." She made the decision as she gently set Tae down. A couple of hours of play to cheer them up and then they'd be hungry enough to eat and that'd send them off into a good sleep tonight. She wondered if it might be worth rescheduling her parents dinner to tomorrow perhaps. Her gaze travelled naturally to her husband and she felt a bitter sweet pang. Normally by now he'd have come over and wrapped his arms around her, kissed her neck, made her smile. They had always been very much about touch, unable to let go of each other, she felt cold without him, never quite warm enough or settled, like something was missing; tense and on edge. God she missed him and he was standing right damn there.
"he doesn't have the attention span to be a chef. a child sure, but not a chef." Lexi snorted and raised a brow, "careful now, that's fighting talk." She teased Ranger as she settled in her chair better now that she was down, gently tapping Rory's back as they rocked. So far she was behaving and being peaceful enough, but that could change at any given moment, Lexi was pre-empting this by keeping her settled whilst she could. She laughed softly at the talk of bets, tilting her head as she looked over at her husband. "What are the odds? Give us some good odds and we might take up a bet or two." She pointed out, wondering if Luke would manage to hold onto his tongs or if Leo would pry them from his cold dead hands - likely not even cold actually before he took that kind of action.
She smiled as Ashley replied to her "Good. . really good actually, how was the holiday?” Her eyebrows rose at the comment - really good... that was something. Lexi nodded however, "it was wonderful ..." Her eyes flickered to James for a moment and softened. The holiday had helped to reset things between them after the tension and her smile was easily genuine. "Just perfect - what we needed really." She knew the family had been aware of their issues but she didn't know if they all knew just how tough things had gotten for a while. Now everything felt like a fairy tale once again. ”Things are great. .amazing even” Her eyebrows rose and her gaze went from Damon to Ashley as she saw him murmur something in her ear. "Okay what is going on with you two, spill it." She indicated a finger back and forth between them.
She felt like a weight had lifted as they arrived - not that there should have been any weight on her shoulders, and if anything most people thought that leaving home and landing in another country with kids in tow would have been more stressful not less. But for Lexi, it just made things fall into place a little. She had missed home, and her parents, and after a surprisingly easy flight and then the ease of being picked up and arriving to their beautiful villa with a car ready to go... it just helped her settle. England and James and their family was her home, through and through, but Italy was where she had been born and brought up for seventeen years, it was hard not to feel that little bit of right settle in her heart at returning back for a short stay.
She was ready to unpack and get everything set up now her parents had left. She hadn't brought too much; knowing the weather she had stuck to bikini's, shorts, tank tops and dresses. The weather was more intense than England, though she had to admit she preferred Italy's heat to England's. "alright!" Lexi looked over at James as she shut the front door after waving off her parents. She hoped this trip was good for them - it felt like it would be. Things had been unsettled since the drama with her fake brother, and the arguments that had followed. They had argued before, plenty actually, being both passionate and stubborn people meant that they were often drawn into them. This had felt big, though, both of them angry that the other hadn't trusted them. It took time to get over that, and she hoped that being away from their home and having fresh air and fresh scenery would make a difference. They had been mending fences slowly, and though they were back sharing a bed, things still felt off.. stilted. That wasn't them. Lexi's love language had always been touch, she loved being close to James; couldn't get enough of him. But there had been distance between them the size of the grand canyon, and she wanted that gone. She wanted him to hold her again, to kiss her, to remind her of how much he loved her - and her to him. She wanted to show him what he meant to her, how much he meant to her every day.
"if we get everything unpacked really quick, we can find your swimmers and you can go for a swim?" Lexi chuckled as Jare clapped his hands together excitedly and grabbed his little case, trying to heave it toward the stairs. "Careful, sweetie, daddy will help you." She promised, raising a brow pointedly at James. Jare sighed and looked at his dad, "hurrry," He complained. "no packsing" Lexi peered down at the child in her arms; grumpy child. "i sweepy." She exchanged a glance with James. "Well, how about we check out the pool first, and then you can have a little nap before dinner?" She promised, hoping that compromise what happened as she picked up once of the cases and headed up the stairs. She remembered the layout well enough and headed toward on of the smaller rooms to drop Tae's case off. "Look bud," She said softly, pointing to the animals painted on the walls.
She smiled as James nodded to her look, glad that he was happy to do dinner later. It made things easier for her, it meant that they would all be fed without having to cook themselves, and they could at least have a couple of hours now to relax and unpack before they popped over to her childhood home. Her parents would help entertain the kids and they could just relax. There was a little car sat in the driveway in front of them and Lexi smiled; it was hers from when she'd learned to drive many years ago, left behind with her family when she moved to England. "We thought you could use it to get around," Her mother said when she caught Lexi looking at the Red Citroen. She glanced at James and then smiled, "That's brilliant, thank you mama," It would make things much easier for them to get around not having to rely on taxi's or asking her parents for a lift.
Lexi shifted Tae into a slightly more comfortable position, hoisting him onto her hip as they headed for the front door. "did you know it has a pool buddy?" He heard James ask their eldest and she smiled as Jare perked up a little. "There's a pool?" He asked, glancing around as if he expected to see it there and then. Lexi grinned and waited for her mother to take the lead at the front door, unlocking it with a set of keys and then handing the keys straight to Lexi with a smile. Her father shuffled in with the bags, Lexi felt guilty but he wouldn't let her anyway, gently dropping them in the entry way.
"Thank you," She kissed her father on each cheek. "We will leave you, let you settle in." Her father said. And though Lexi loved them and this felt short and sweet, she was a little glad - she wanted time to sort the kids and their bags. "You don't have to," She felt that she should say it and her mother chuckled, "No, we leave now. Give you both time." She smiled and Lexi pulled her into a hug, and then her father. "Come tonight for dinner... at 6," Her father said and she nodded, shifting Tae a little again and seeing them to the door. She gave them a wave as they headed back to their car, and when all the goodbyes were done she turned to James with a small smile. "Well, time to unpack then!"
