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!.
Faye grit her teeth as she gave the bad another shove. She liked to think she was pretty strong given her personal training. She hit the gym frequently, and though she was nowhere near some of the buff gym girls or bodybuilders, she certainly wasn't a featherweight either. It felt like it was a sudden shift and she'd been leaning so hard into it, she'd have smacked her head on the car if her hands hadn't caught her. Quick reflexes. A hand on her shirt helped too, that extra support to avoid falling forwards. She grinned in relief that they wouldn't have to call someone else out to deal with it as she proceeded to finish loosening the nuts, glancing at Heather when she heard the girl call her superwoman. "Nah, just your friendly neighborhood supermum." She joked. Women definitely had an underappreciated strength that people underestimated.
She felt Heather crouch next to her and shuffled over to give her space to help get the nuts off properly. At least the rest of it would be simple from this point on. "who says damsels in distress can't rescue themselves." Faye snorted and double checked the jack was all okay as she went to wiggle the flat tire off. "Who are you calling Damsel? We've totally got this... Were the Knights!" she laughed as she watched Heather roll over the spare tire. "Want a hand or you got that?" she asked as she lay the flat and useless tire out the way on the edge of the pavement. After this she definitely felt they were in need of a hot chocolate or a drink or something for sure.
"i think holly is hoping that levi learns patience from dean and dustin. because she knows he's not going to learn it from avery." Faye let out a light laugh at that and raised a brow slightly. "I don't think it'll be learnt much from Holly either." She joked, a friendly one at that. She had known Holly long enough to know she had a feistiness about her that rivaled her other halves. It had caused some real blow ups in the past, from what their friend had told them. "how about we give them the benefit of the and just call them ... rock solid?" Faye laughed again and nodded. "That I can agree on." She said with another laugh. She knew that, jokes aside, they honestly were though. Solid and strong, dependable. Her gaze turned to Brylee as the baby have a soft murmur, settled and comfortable in Hayden's knowledgeable arms. Faye had no doubt she would come to miss this part too, as she had done with Alexis, but she didn't want to think about it now. They had time, at least, to enjoy these moments a few years more.
Faye watched the two older kids interact, smiling at Dean's thoughtful attitude to help with the clean up. Alexis sweetly agreed to the procedure, almost turning a little shy as she finished her ice cream and let the boy help wipe her down. She was a pretty tidy kid compared to what Faye had expected, not really one to throw her toys all over the place. Faye had worried at one point that she might not be playing right, a stupid worry, because she seemed more orderly than Faye thought she should be. But the girl had plenty of imagination and was happy to make messes when it worked for her. "how did i make that." Faye chuckled and shook her head "I swear they pull stuff out of thing air sometimes." She shook her head, but it was adorable.
"so do i. the lions especially." Faye smiled again and started packing up to get moving, making sure they had everything they'd come with, reflexively glancing to her baby as Hayden stood. She knew things would be fine but it was hard to switch off the motherly instinct. "are you ready to go see the big cats!?" Faye laughed as Alexis rushed over, her face lit up, a quick nod to confirm a yes as she clapped her hands in excitement. Then she grabbed Dean's hand and went to try and drag him toward the nearest sign post to check the way.
"beauty and brains over brawn any day." Faye glanced at Heather and smiled to herself. Given what she knew of Heather's past experiences, she was not surprised about the sentiment. "Well, really we just can't judge a book cover," She gave a quick wink and an easy smile to show no harm was meant by it. She had met plenty of gym nuts over the years who walked around looking scary with their stacked arms and ridiculously wide shoulders, face's serious and intense.. then they talked to you and were so soft inside it was like marshmallow. It was almost laughable. Just the way that even a nerdy guy could be a heartbreaker depending on how he went about conducting himself. All it did was make her all the more thankful for Nik; the guy was a diamond in a cavern full of coal.
She pulled her own hood closer around her face as the rain tried to get in. God it was miserable, and she shivered as the cold of the weather pressed in through her clothes. "it was probably hilarious. me trying to jump on this stupid thing but i was desperate." Faye pressed her lips together to avoid chuckling, though she knew Heather wouldn't mind her having a giggle considering she'd made it sound amusing, but she still felt bad for her to have gotten into this position in such bad weather. "I'm sure they were glad of the entertainment for a rainy afternoon," Faye suggested.
"we could always amuse other people watching by both trying to jump on it?" Faye smiled and pretended to think about it, "I mean, I would say yes but I don't fancy a hospital trip as well as to the mechanics." She joked, though she felt that maybe they would need to call someone else out to get the tire off at this rate. "i mean, the person who owned it last? the tires have been great till now. maybe i should just call the service?" She frowned slightly and took over with the tool, leaning all her weight into it and even letting out a long groan as she did. Finally, after what felt like an age, she felt it shift. She slipped and nearly smacked her face on the car as it moved, but she grinned triumphantly at Heather, "I got it, I got it!" She announced, as if it wasn't obvious enough as she managed to carry on turning the nuts.
Faye had arrived home before Nik, though that wasn't particularly a surprise. She hadn't had any classes to attend today, just one client at the gym to help build her portfolio - during which a friend had kindly watched Brylee and Alexis for her. Aside from that, she'd entertained the kids pretty well whilst managing to get some of her assignments done, switching between playing mum and playing student. Brylee had spent some time asleep in her arms, and she was almost sad that Alexis was no longer small enough to do the same. She sat up at the table with her colouring away - a fair amount of it inside the lines too.
Once she was back from her client she got the kids settled first, feeding and bathing them, and putting Brylee down to sleep. Alexis had a little longer before it was her turn, and she set her up with a favourite kids TV show. She didn't like the kids staring at the screens too much, but a little bit of time was needed; there were a good amount of programs for learning as much as entertainment, and so far, Alexis was just as happy to open a book as turn on the TV. She had made dinner for when Nik came home - nothing crazy, a sausage casserole, but she'd wanted something hearty and good for him to come back to. She'd thought that maybe it might be a good time for them to talk about their wedding. She hadn't had much time to consider things, having been busy at school and with the kids and work, and she was in no rush to be married but she felt that with them being engaged, they should at least settle on a date and start from there.
"i have a feeling this one takes after dustin, and you know how likes to do things his way and take his time doing them." Faye gave a soft laugh as she thought about Dustin and his ways, then gave a nod. "Oh dear, I mean.. good luck to you on that," She joked, though she knew Dustin was a good guy. "At least they might think before they jump into things? Might be a good thing?" She chuckled, the 'head long, leaping into things without thinking' was a scary thought for your youngster. It was harder to protect them, though they didn't seem the type to need protection. She finished up her ice cream, sharing a little more to the baby chatting away in the pram, and then wiped her fingers on the napkin given along side it. Her fingers still felt a little sticky but she had baby wipes in her purse for that; well more for the kids.
"oh you know they'd all have a field day. i can just imagine what joel and avery would get themselves into." Faye pulled a slight face at the thought, "I mean, they are surprisingly self reliant and more responsible than I first thought-" She considered as her mind jumped back to the time Nik had disappeared on witness protection and left her alone and pregnant. They had all come to check on her regularly, banding together to get her anything she needed and to help get her to her appointments and all on time. It was a bitter sweet time. "Okay, I'm not so sure about Joel," She amended, with a sheepish grin.
Faye helped settle Brylee carefully in Hayden's keen and waiting arms, rolling her eyes as the fussing and grizzling started. "Oh shush you," She teased softly. "what's all this fuss baby doll." It was always tough to hand over your child, though she trusted Hayden and knew she'd never let anything happen to her - it was a little easier with Brylee, having gone through it all with Alexis and not having ruined or lost her yet, gave her confidence she was doing the right thing with Brylee. "dean loves the tigers so that won't be a problem." Faye smiled and pulled out the baby wipes to clean her hands, an eye still on Alexis and the ice cream dribbling down her fingers a little - there would be one for her when she was done too. "So do I, I have to admit I do love the big cats."
Faye didn't like the idea of Heather being out here on her own, not that the town was seedy or anything but there were definitely parts of it that were less desirable than others, and people that could be somewhat concerning - Heather was young and pretty, and would look like an easy target. "well you're not married yet, there's still time to find the body builder." Faye laughed at that and grinned, "I'm not sure, I think the two kids might be enough of a ball and chain to the old guy." She joked back, though honestly, she loved Nik and - despite their long engagement - was very content in her relationship, still looking forward to marrying the guy. She didn't need him to be 6ft5 tall and a bodybuilder, they were hard work and high maintenance. Nik was sweet, he was protective and kind, a good friend, thoughtful, a fantastic dad, he had his shit together and hey... it didn't hurt that he wasn't bad in the bedroom either. A girl had to have her priorities.
"if i've got you, i don't need anyone else." She smiled at that and nodded, "well, I like to think I'm of some use at least." She admitted. She could change a tire, so she should be good enough for this kind of issue. "that stupid nut is holding out on me, i can't undo it." Faye pursed her lips in thought. "i tried standing on it but i think i heard it laughing at me. got any ideas on how to loosen it?" Faye looked at the wheel in consideration. "I hate to admit it, but that was probably a passer-by laughing - it would have made me chuckle too," She joked and came closer to inspect it. "I can give it a go? Though I doubt I'm much stronger." She was heavily into her fitness, given the fact she was working on becoming a personal trainer, she held her hands out for the nut and crouched down, frowning. "It doesn't help that they put the wrong covers on these nuts, who last took this tire off?" She asked, pointing at the black caps that had been wedged onto the nuts.
"oh, well that is the most delicious flavour!" Alexis grinned and nodded, agreeing with the statement as she wandered away. Faye's eyes drifted to the chocolate dripping down the child's hands but smiled all the same. She had learned early on that kids were generally always sticky and most of the time covered in something. But, she would prefer that and to just wash their clothes more and wipe them down than have children that were scared to play should they make a mess. She didn't allow them to run all over her - no drawing on the walls or being unnecessarily exuberant with toys - nobody needed to have to redecorate the house - but she didn't mind them making mud pies or the like.
She smiled and finished up her own ice cream before that could start to make a mess, threatening to drip over the cone and onto her hands. "oh i think this one is going to be the exact opposite of dean .. he's going to hold on and stick it out in there as long as he can." Faye grinned and nodded, "Normally the second one is on time or early, are you that keen to stay pregnant?" She teased, knowing that whilst she had enjoyed the journey, she did not miss it and felt that the two girls were plenty for her lot in life. It was hard coming back into shape, which mattered to her given her occupation, and she did not miss the sore back, swollen feet, being unable to bend or crouch and the generally discomfort. It had been better the second time with Nik by her side as opposed to Alexis' pregnancy when he'd been hiding out and she'd been alone. But even so, she was tapping out at two. "but i could start throwing dustin's parties here too." Faye laughed, "I'm sure he would be delighted," He seemed like the type to just be happy with whatever Hayden might gift him - Faye had seen the way he looked at her when Hayden wasn't looking. It was very sweet. "So would the rest of the lads too, I'm sure," She added, thinking of that group of men their other halves hung out with on the daily.
Faye's expression softened as she watched them toddle back together, it was so sweet, and she was glad they were good friends - it made things so much easier. Alexis was quite a sociable child and seemed to make friends easily enough but even better that they were her 'cousins'. "they really do need to create a freeze time button for parents." She chuckled at that, "I know, but then they go and do something that makes you hope for a little fast forward." She teased, it wasn't really true but tantrums were all a part of the process. "she did help me!...well you two are just about the smartest kids i know then, very clever." Faye chuckled and watched Alexis sit down so that she could focus on her ice cream now, satisfied that she had helped her friend enough for the moment.
Faye bent down to help with Bry as she threatened a cry, trying to settle her before it could become a full on whinge. "do you want me to cuddle her so you can eat?" Faye laughed softly and nodded, "be my guest," She was more than happy to pass the baby on to other arms so she could take a moment, she reached in and gently brought her out, offering her to Hayden carefully. "that sounds like a great idea. dean is desperate to go see the snakes." Faye chuckled again and looked over at the kids, watching them chatter as they licked away. "We can handle the snakes... I think Alexis wanted to see the tigers at some point but otherwise we'll happily troop around the whole place." The longer they were entertained and worn out; the better.
"is it? what flavour is it?" Faye smiled as Alexis grinned at her friend, "Chwocolate!" She exclaimed the ice cream smeared around her lips already, her hands sticky. She grinned when they headed off together though. She had always wanted her kids to grow up with close friends, and it had worked out better than she could ever imagined. Having a sister was one thing, but she didn't want loads of kids, and instead, she had practically cousins that she could run around with instead - mostly her own age. She hoped they stuck it out together as they grew up, and she thought that maybe they would as she saw Alexis help Dean pick out a good ice cream flavour. "i think i'll celebrate every event in his life at this zoo. i can see him cutting his twenty first birthday cake right there."
Her attention returned to her friend and she laughed slightly as Hayden pointed out the party tables. "at the very least i'll have this one to use as an excuse to come here for a few years after he grows out of it." Faye grinned and nodded. "If you plan it right, perhaps you could pop him out at the right moment, and then combine the birthday's into one!" She suggested, knowing full well it didn't work that way but considering she understood, the joke was obvious. Faye smiled at the show of the kids returning. "Urgh they're just too cute." She shook her head, "If only they stayed that way." But she knew it was a part of growing up.
"ooo bubblegum flavour?" Faye pressed her lips together to hide the smile, not her kind of flavour but Alexis grinned. "I helped picks it!" She said proudly, going to sit down with him and try to tidy up the mess of her ice cream which had been dripping whilst she'd temporarily been distracted. "so how much of the zoo do you guys still have left to see." Faye tidied up her own at the thought, offering a little more to the child left out when she grizzled, but she wasn't that bothered about her own. "We are about half way round, how about you? We could combine forces?" She suggested, if they hadn't seen too much of it already.
She hadn't recognised her from a distance, the rain was lashing down and made it hard to see, and the woman had her hood up, making it impossible to see her face from behind. Faye didn't need to know them to want to help though, she was the kind of girl who would always stop to help someone, and in particular another woman - she was all about empowering woman and woman power. They didn't need men to help... though she was absolutely guilty of asking Nik for assistance when she needed; opening jars, reaching stuff from the top shelf. Nik was very useful for quite a few things like that, the kind of things she should just get on and do herself but... well, sometimes you just wanted to ask your man.
As the hood slid off her head, Faye realised who it was and her smile warmed. "hi faye.""Heather!" She said in surprise, "you don't happen to have a six foot three, body builder who can work a jack hiding in your car do you?" She snorted at that and raised an eyebrow, "You've seen Nik haven't you? That's the best I've got." She joked and then shook her head, "Forget the body builder, you've got me. What can I do?" She asked, surveying what stage Heather had gotten to in changing the tire. She knew how to change one, so hopefully she could be of some kind of assistance.
"oh that looks delicious alexis!" Alexis nodded, her big eyes wide as she tackled it enthusiastically. "It's my favourites," She gave a shy smile, and Faye grinned slightly. Alexis was getting better at expressing herself, there had been a time when she was really quite quiet - surprised the heck out of Faye considering how she was quite an opinionated person herself and Nik wasn't particularly shy, but she knew Nik to be a strong and silent type at times and wondered if Alexis took after him in that respect. She came out of her shell around her friends though, but it sometimes depended on the day.
"i'll be caweful!" Faye chuckled a little at that, "Oh, they're so sweet at this age," She smiled and shook her head, watching as he was sent off with his own money to buy an ice cream himself. "Can I gos with him?" Alexis asked her mother, and Faye gave a nod, "Be careful," She warned, knowing Alexis would understand what she meant - no talking to strangers, and try not to fall over with the ice cream in hand. Her daughter smiled and nodded, then hurried - carefully - after her friend. It gave Faye a brief chance to talk adult with Hayden at least. "it's perfect for that isn't it. i don't think dean will ever get bored of this place." Faye grinned and pushed the pram back and forth a little to keep the baby settled as they talked. "I hope he doesn't for your sake, at least then you have the perfect bribe and present, plus you can host his birthday parties here too whilst he still enjoys it - the answer to everything!" she joked.
Faye finished off the last of her essay and sat back in the creaking seat, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. The library was quiet, and relatively empty at this time of day, which she preferred. She didn't mind doing her work at home but she preferred to do it at the university, it meant that it kept her school studies and home life separate, so that when she was done at the uni, she could go home and spend the time with her family without the stress or worry of work, of trying to complete work with her kids demanding attention. It did mean she spent a little longer at the uni on her days in, but as she was only doing one course, and she managed to fit some of her practical work into her work at the gym which made life easier.
Her assignments were now done for the week and she packed everything up neatly before putting it away in her bag and pulled it onto her shoulder. She was looking forward to getting home for a late lunch, she had spent most of the day here and she was ready to relax and spend her evening with the girls - and Nik of course. Faye smiled a brief goodbye to the librarian and left quietly, heading down the corridor and then outside and across to the car park. As she was heading across the lot, she noticed another woman seeming to have some trouble. Faye couldn't pretend to know everything about cars, but she knew a fair bit. She liked being an independent woman and all of that, and she could certainly change a tire. She paused, not too far so she didn't make the young woman jump. "Hey, do you need a hand?"
She smiled down into Brylee's face as the kid suckled, and she touched a little strawberry ice cream to her finger before offering it to her child to have a try of. It was funny, how you followed all the rulebooks to start with when you had a child, and then once you had a second child, suddenly things didn't seem so scary, and you weren't going to hurt them by giving them a new food to try. Brylee suckled on her finger, her little face screwed up to start with and then she seemed to enjoy it. Faye grinned and gently replaced her finger with the dummy once again. "No more I'm afraid, sweetie," She had better not over do it - a little taste was plenty.
Faye heard the loud slapping of little feet against the floor and she looked up curiously, then saw who it was a gave a genuine smile. "alexiiiis!" Faye let out a laugh at the enthusiasm and Alexis looked up from her intense eating of her ice cream, half of it melting down her fingers. "Dean!" She called back, then frowned, "Careful of mys ice cweam!" She warned, tightening her grip on the cone as he barreled over. "it looks like great minds think alike!" Faye grinned and nodded, seeing Brylee looked up with big eyes at the new face, "It's been a decent distraction for them so far," She laughed, finishing her own ice cream off and wiping her hands.
Faye grinned as Alexis toddled off - for the fifth time in the last ten minutes - her keen eyes alight with excitement as she pointed at yet another curious looking animal. The kid sure was curious about the world around her, and now she was getting out of her toddler years, Faye tried to give her every experience she could, getting her out and about to see all that there was to see. "Ponyyy!" She cried with a giggle as her eyes caught sight of the zebra. Faye hurried after her to keep her in sight, pushing the stroller containing her much quieter one year old Brylee. "That's a zebra, sweetie." She smiled, standing beside her at the fence as they watched the animals grazing.
It wasn't a huge zoo, but it was big enough. Perfect for the kids, who got to see a little bit of everything and learn more about the world outside of Hickstead. "Come on, let's get something to eat." She practically had to pry Alexis away, promising they could come back to the ponies soon, but an ice cream did the trick and she settled that at a bench at the cafe, buying Alexis a chocolate ice cream and settled in with a strawberry one of her own as she peered in on Brylee, sucking on her dummy peacefully. "You are far too easy," She said lightly to her, not that she was complaining.
GENDER: lady AGE: twenty-three D.O.B: 10th may SEXUALITY: straight STATUS: engaged PLAY-BY: hayden panettiere HEIGHT: 5ft1 HAIR: blonde EYES: olive green
"NOTHING LEFT TO SEE, IF IT HURTS"
TATTOOS: none SCARS: none DRINK: on occasion SMOKE: nope DRIVE: yes GLASSES: nope HOME: woodbain flats, number one BORN AND RAISED: essex, england
"AND YOU CAN'T TAKE NO MORE, "
enthusiastic. happy-go-lucky. optimistic. confident. brave. daring. impulsive. compassionate. kind-hearted. friendly. reserved at times. untrusting at first but doesn't show it. loyal. trustworthy. adventurous. protective of her friends and family
LIKES: horse-riding , staying up all night , chatting to good friends , guys , doing new things , discovering new places , relaxing at home , sleeping in late , jogging , warm summer days , being able to relax somewhere peaceful and think , shopping , meeting new people , hugs , long phone calls to people she loves , helping others out DISLIKES: chocolate (odd yes) , having to get up early , being drunk , getting lost , rude people , pervy guys , really windy days , the sea , falling over , saying something stupid , seeing others get hurt , TV shows that are repeated over and over , her family , moving house , forgetting things STRENGTHS: adventurous , optimistic , sweet-natured , fast learner WEAKNESSES: isn't as trusting as she first appears , milkshakes (loves them) , a little obsessed with keeping fit FEARS: water (as in lake, rivers and oceans) , that she'll get hurt by another guy SECRETS: when she found out she was adopted, she ran away from home and never went back.
"LAY IT ALL ON ME, NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: middle class OCCUPATION: part time horse exerciser/part time personal trainer/studying sports science EXPERTISE: all things gym/diet related WEALTH: moderate PROUDEST MOMENT: The first time she rode a horse. He was a big, fat grey thing called Clover and ate pretty much everything, but she got on after paying and had the best time being led around that she kept going back, progressing each time. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: first time she fell off a horse - she was fooling around being a little too cocky and the horse started bucking, then off she came, landing on her butt oops.
"KEEP IT UNDER LOCK AND KEY"
FATHER(S): unknown MOTHER(S): unknown FOSTER-PARENT(S): foster mother - diane hannigan -- deceased foster father - jacob hannigan - 46 - teacher OTHER HALF: fiancee - NIKOLAI ALEXI DONOVAN - 27 - police chief SIBLINGS: half brother - thomas Sebastian hannigan - 18 - in education CHILDREN: alexis donovan - 4 brylee donovan - 1
Not exactly interesting at first, Faye grew up in a happy home. She got on well with her parents, worked hard in school, had close friends and generally loved life. But that changed when she turned sixteen. It all started with a guy - yep you guessed it - a boyfriend soon turned ex who got nasty. He started following her places and generally causing hassle, until she finally confronted him and asked him to back off, to which he told her that he'd found out she was adopted. Faye figured he'd just wanted to hurt her because of their break-up, but apparently there was also truth in her words.
She confronted her 'parents', who admitted it was true, but though Faye shouldn't have found the news too awful - after all she still loved them - she knew there was something they weren't telling her. She found out soon after, when the arguments got out of control and her 'mother' yelled at her that they'd only taken her in as a promise to her real parents that they would, and that they hadn't wanted her. Hurt, Faye had run for the door and stayed at a friends house.
She'd hoped things would be sorted out by the end of the week, but then things got worse. Diane, having gone driving to head over to where Faye was staying and try and talk to her, and slid across the road and crashed into the nearby lake. She hadn't survived. Devastated, Faye had gone home, trying to sort things out with her 'father' and learning many things. He wouldn't tell her her real parents names, apparently they hadn't wanted her either or something along those lines, but she discovered she had a brother and so she left to find him. She discovered he was in this town, and so moved to Hickstead to try and regain normality to her life, forget about her fake parents and find out more about this sibling and any others she might have.