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!.
Holly had to admit, as much as she loved the mad house it could be exactly that sometimes - mad - and she was glad of the break. It was getting a little harder now that Joe was back - not because of Joe but it was another body in the house. He was out a lot, but it didn't feel like that; the house felt so full, all the time, even when people were out - which wasn't often. She loved Avery's family, which sounded crazy considering all the drama and the arguments but she had grown up with parental rows and then divorce, and she just loved how much they all loved each other - how they would do anything for each other, how they would protect each other at any cost. Their rows were born of love for each other, not anger or hate. She was so grateful to be part of the family, even with all the crazy - and now she would do anything for them too.
She was relieved to get out though, the atmosphere in the house was more tense than usual. She had done her best to give Joe his space, being a stranger to him she didn't want him to feel that she was stepping on toes, or getting involved in things that she had no part in. But she'd spoken with him a few times, and she wanted him to know she was there if he wanted any help or someone to talk to. She had worked many times now with war veterans, and found it one of the most rewarding walks of life to help them get some of their life back that she was always happy to have them referred on to her specifically a the hospital. Today though was a work free day, and she was out to see Hayden at the park for a breather. At leas Hayden understood how it felt to be a partner of a Mccarran - it was different to being one of the siblings for sure.
Touching the top of her son's head as he danced along with her she spotted Hayden in a grassy patch near the pond. "Alright, you can go play, just be careful please!" She said as Levi spotted his cousin. He was a good kid, she'd never dreamed of having a child so thoughtful and sweet as Levi - she could only pray that Rocke, currently sound asleep in the stroller she pushed - would be just as easy. "Hey," She called out as she approached, one eye already stuck on Levi as he sprinted over to Dean and caught up to him with a shout and a quick grin. She locked the wheels on the stroller, parking it in a flat spot, and adjusted it to make sure the shade cover was just right so that Rocke would be comfortable out of the sun. Then, she perched her butt down next to Hayden - she didn't want to wake Rocke up whilst he was sleeping so peacefully.
He seemed to stir at her words and she frowned, trying to read where he might be in his dream, how deep he might be under and how much she could push it. She was glad for her experiences with Avery, at least she knew some way of control and how to reach people when they were stuck. It didn't always work, and she had spent many sleepless nights trying to calm her fiance as he thrashed and shouted, distraught that nothing she did could raise him from the terror and the pain and the fear that he was experiencing. All she could do was be there and keep talking until he managed to pull himself from it. Those were worse than the one's where he lashed out at her, because at least when he lashed out it thrust him awake, and then he wasn't in that hell anymore. It was a guess that the French would help - the family were so evolved around it that even Holly's rusty tongue might be more of a pull than English. Maybe because it would remind him of home? A safe place?
Gasping. Suddenly he was gasping, and her stomach dropped to imagine what he might have been dreaming of that his body felt the need to respond in such a way - drowning? Suffocating? It didn't bear thinking about. This was the tricky part though, how to comfort. Sometimes, Av didn't want to be touched - not right away. It took him time to come back into himself, still shuddering off the residue of the nightmare. Other times she was able to pull him straight into her arms and hug him tight. The pressure helping. This was Joe though, and she was practically a stranger to him. She had no idea if he'd distinguish her hugging him as a friend attempting to help or foe attempting to attack, especially if the mist and fog of his dreams remained.
She searched his gaze, looking for a show of recognition. "Joe?" She asked, trying to ascertain if he was there or not. Then he was pushing away, and she let him go, staying put where she knelt on the grass, her expression wary but calm, assessing. Was she safe? Was he present? The tears running his cheeks made her heart bleed, but she didn't reach that wanting arm out to him - not yet. She didn't bother to tell him 'it's Holly', by the way that he put his head between his knees she knew he was back, and she searched for the right words that wouldn't make things worse. "That was quite an ordeal that you went through..." She spoke carefully, aware of the time bomb she was talking to. "Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want me to change the subject? One of my patients set the whole waiting room alight with laughter today," She said it breezily, as if it was every day this kind of thing happened; completely normal.
She caught his nod and she half grinned, wondering what exactly it was he'd been dreaming about to make him so reluctant - she rarely saw him drag his feet so badly when waking. She let him get up in his own time, they didn't have a proper schedule to keep to for today - or not that she knew. She thought Avery had the day off but she could have been wrong, and her own paperwork was scheduled to her own time. She just didn't want to get to it too late as it would take her into the evening otherwise. She was easily distracted by the little boy in the cot though; her kids always were fabulous time wasters. It was funny, she had never thought she would be quite so into having children but Avery had won her round just by being who he was. She had imagined a family with so easily it felt as natural as breathing to be pregnant with his child - that never lasted when the reality kicked in to being pregnant but the thought was still there. Now, here she was having had two and feeling pretty settled in her life with her future husband.
Her eyes drifted now to her ring and she contemplated the idea of getting wed. At some point they needed to sit down and actually plan something; her friends and family were getting impatient, and though she was happy to be engaged for a long time before walking the isle, it did feel like there should be an end to the isle at some point - a date perhaps, which might then nudge them to get things moving. "he's going to take after the beauty of the family." She smiled at his kiss and made a hum of appreciation, "Mmm that rules you out then," She teased, though he knew exactly how good looking she thought he was. She made sure to show him as much as she could. "speaking of beauty, you owe me a wet naked holly later on tonight." She let out a light giggle at he tickled her and she shot him a curious look, her eyes alighting a little as she wondered what had brought that train of thought. "Now I'd really like to know what you were dreaming about..." She had a fairly good idea now but she wanted to hear the details. "I'll be only too happy to recreate.." She lowered her voice to a purr.
"morning you." She moved slightly as Avery stood with the baby in his arms, peering into the bundle as he yawned. "how much do you want to bet that levi is through the doors within five minutes?" Holly raised a brow, "I bet you breakfast chef duties that we have less than 2 minutes," She knew her son well and she wondered if Av would rise to the challenge, or if he would be too worried to bet in case he ended up having to cook.
"not fair." She heard Av mumble, voice still thick with sleep and her lips turned up at the corners. She turned her head to peer at him over her shoulder, "Good dream?" She asked gently. Holly didn't remember her dreams very often - generally only if they were really good or really awful; if they were the latter she would wake and pull Av's arm around her to hold her and if they were the former she would wind herself around Av and wake him up the best way to continue the dream. She yawned again but she knew that she needed to get up, it was just really tough when she was tired, the bed was warm and comfortable, and her ridiculously good looking fiance was laying there like a Christmas dinner.
Holly pulled her hair up into a messy pony tail and pushed back the covers. "morning babe." Her eyes softened as she looked down at him. "Good morning handsome," She responded, her expression darkening a little as she kept looking, and then she let out a heavy sigh, "Urgh you are just too tempting," She teased, and so she swung her legs off the bed and made to stand. "i'm thinking he takes after me .. loves his sleep." Holly went over to the wardrobe to select something to wear for the day, smiling as she glanced over to Avery and then abandoned the wardrobe for a minute to join him, peering down into the cot and feeling her heart melt. "Good job he didn't get your looks though," She joked - Rocke had plenty of Avery in him and Holly was glad for it.
Holly yawned as she slipped out of bed, reluctantly going to sit up and letting the covers fall as she stretched her arms above her head, back cracking in a satisfying manner. Her alarm had gone off a few minutes ago but she'd hit the snooze and now she really needed to get up and moving. It was pure luck they hadn't been woken yet by Levi crawling along the bed or by Rocke screaming at the top of his lungs for a cuddle - or feed - but it wouldn't be long before either of those things became reality. She didn't have any patients to see today, she'd had a full week of them so far and today she had blocked out some solid time to catch up on her admin work instead. With it being Friday, most of her patients preferred being seen earlier in the week anyway, and she hadn't had to move people around too much to work it to her favour. She wanted to grab a coffee and get the kids sorted though before she set herself up in the kitchen for the morning.
She smiled down at Avery and, unable to help herself, leaned down to place a gently kiss on his forehead, knowing it wouldn't be long until he was having to drag himself out of bed too. It was tempting... far too tempting to lay over him and pull him in for a proper kiss, to wake him up in a more exciting way than a chaste kiss to his forehead, but as doors opened and shut on the landing she knew that the others were awake, and whilst she had no qualms about putting a hand over her fiance's mouth to keep him quiet, it would only be a matter of time before someone woke the kids, or knocked on the door and interrupted. She loved his family, and they had been nothing but gracious to let her into their home... and it was a wonderful home at that, but with Joe now back, and with the kids running amok left, right and centre things were beginning to feel crowded. Jasper seemed to have moved in, considering the house was bigger than his flat, and then Sam seemed to be over quite a few evenings with Heather, and sometimes Theia seemed to appear and disappear with Joe.. and with all the accompanying children... Holly couldn't help but find herself dreaming of their own space.
She frowned as Joe didn't stir, instead he continued to move erratically on the grass, and she took her lower lip between her teeth, hesitating. It was not a good idea to get close and wake him up, she knew what happened in situations like that, she'd been there before. He was having a night terror, and if she grabbed him or shook him, he was liable to lash out. She wasn't stupid enough to just got for it... but she couldn't leave him like he was, he was going to end up hurting himself if he hadn't done so already. "Baisez-vous!" She frowned slightly, trying to dredge up her French and match to a translation. She hadn't known anything but school girl French before she'd met Avery, clunky at best, but when she was dating him she'd made an effort, she'd asked him to help her and she'd thrown herself into it. She had wanted their kids to grow up with both languages, which helped if their mother could at least do conversational French.
Her lessons had stilted a little bit as the years had gone on, but she knew enough - not enough to be fluent in the Mccarran's rapid conversations but she got by. "Où es-tu Dustin?!" She didn't need a translator to understand, that one she knew, and it really hit her in the feels. "Oh Joe," She murmured, risking it by going to kneel next to him, her hands hovering to help him. "Where are you..." She was glad the others weren't here to see this, to hear this. If Dustin heard him calling like that, it would have killed him. Whatever he was relieving was real, it had happened, and it was horrifying. "Finissez-en déjà! je n'en peux plus!" The tears were what made her do it in the end. She couldn't stand it - it wasn't enough to just be there for him, it wasn't helping him; he had no idea she was there.
Holly reached out, her fingers were light, gentle as she went to touch his chest. She figured that if she went to grab his arm it would feel most like an attack, and if she was too firm on the pressure it would feel like a threat. If he was to the surface enough as she knew most were from the army when they slept, she hoped the soft pressure would be enough to pull him. "Joe? Joe it's Holly. Wake up, you're not there, you're home.. and you're safe." She called loudly, trying to accompany the touch with a loud enough voice to wake him that wouldn't sound like shouting; and therefore not another threat. Her words in French were less smooth and sure but she tried them anyway, "réveillez-vous, Joe, vous êtes à la maison et vous êtes en sécurité"
(Translation - Wake up Joe, You're home and you are safe)
Holly had had a long day, and was looking forward to sticking a podcast on in her ears and having a drink - a long drink. Avery had taken Levi and Rocke out for the day as she had been working and unable to look after them. She'd recently taken on extra patients, it was nice as she'd been recommended by a couple of her current patients, and it was wonderful that they loved her work enough to talk about her to other people that needed help. She was already quite full, but she didn't like turning people away or saying no - she had agreed to squeeze them in where-ever she could. So today her card had been very full on, but all of them had made progress and she was exhausted by pleased. Somehow she had found herself with a host of patients that had come from the army - one of her newer patients, Andrew, had sent one of his friends her way after discharge, and along with Avery and Luc she'd met quite a host of army lads.
She liked it, they were tough patients and often irritable and hard to handle, but very rewarding and having the patience of a saint she was well versed in dealing with their angry outbursts and irritability. Holly yawned and unlocked the front door, pausing as she slipped off her trainers to take in the silence of the house. Peaceful. A small smile tilted her lips at the corners as she headed through to the kitchen for a glass of water. She made a point of drinking throughout the day - if she got dehydrated she would find herself finishing the day with a headache, no doubt. It took her a moment to grab the right glass, fill with with the right amount of ice cubes, counting the seconds as she filled the glass - whilst her OCD had become much more manageable over the years she still had her strange habits that she knew others found odd, but it was better than how she used to be; OCD wasn't all about cleaning though hers had been her biggest obsession, it was also counting for her - habits that were made to numbers that she had to get right, and if it was wrong or she mis-counted she had to start again.
It was then that she glanced out to the garden, leaning against the sink contemplating her evening, and saw Joe. She hadn't interacted with him much since he'd come home, knowing that things were not okay with him and not wanting to become another person to upset him she'd kept her distance and spent a lot of her time making sure the kids didn't upset him or hassle him too much. Rocke was young but Levi was walking and talking now and a very curious lad. He wanted to play with his new uncle. She wanted to connect with Joe, but she didn't want to overwhelm him. Still, the longer she looked out at him, the more she had the distinct feeling something was off. She had been with Avery for years, been there for every nightmare - including the time he'd tried to kill her. She knew what they looked like. Setting down her water, she headed out to the garden, letting the door shut loudly enough behind her so that it wouldn't surprise him. "Joe?" She called as she wandered barefoot across the grass, concern growing as she approached; she knew how bad it was to startle him but something felt off. "Joe, are you okay?"
GENDER: lady AGE: twenty-five D.O.B: 17th December SEXUALITY: straight STATUS: engaged PLAY-BY: jana kramer HEIGHT: 5ft5 HAIR: brown EYES: hazel
"BABY NOW AND THEN, I THINK ABOUT ME NOW"
TATTOOS: none SCARS: none DRINK: socially SMOKE: nope DRIVE: yes GLASSES: nope HOME: oldaker Avenue, number 10 BORN AND RAISED: Hickstead, England
"AND WHO I COULD HAVE BEEN AND THEN I"
compassionate, thoughtful, kind, honest, sincere, gentle, good-willed, light-hearted, cool minded, perfectionist, quiet. intuitive, peaceful, intelligent, determined, persistent, responsible, perspective, observant, open-minded, motherly, passionate, protective of those she loves, has a wild side that she doesn't often show
LIKES: helping people recover , her job , Avery and her family , watching bad movies , chilled evenings , hot sunny days , the beach , swimming , nights out on the town , salty popcorn , learning new things , Christmas , shopping DISLIKES: Halloween , heavy rain , bitching , arguing , sad films , ball games , anything with lactose in , being backed into a corner , arrogant people , guys who think they're 'all that' , her OCD , getting holes in her socks STRENGTHS: swimming , Physio , making people feel better about themselves , self control , being positive WEAKNESSES: not good at sticking up for herself , wants to help everybody , can't stand the sight of blood , ball sports - she sucks at them. FEARS: arguing - she hates it marriage - or more realistically, scared of divorce SECRETS: she has several heath problems - Asthma, OCD, Anemia and is lactose intolerant , she ran away from home when she was seventeen
"PICTURE ALL THE PERFECT THAT WE LIVED"
STATUS IN SOCIETY: working class OCCUPATION: Physiotherapist EXPERTISE: MSK conditions and injuries WEALTH: comfortable PROUDEST MOMENT: Earning her degree. She was worried her small rebellious phase might have ruined things for herself but she managed to pass with flying colours and elbow grease. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: The first time Avery saw her OCD - she's always been good at hiding it as she hates that part of herself. She was having a stressful day and he was staying over, he saw her complete one of her evening routines before she can settle for bed.
"'TILL I CUT THE STRINGS ON YOUR TINY VIOLIN"
FATHER(S): jake ash evans - 52 - manager of car manufacturers MOTHER(S): trish judy cash - 51 - divorced - receptionist at law firm STEP-PARENT(S): none OTHER HALF: fiancee - AVERY ROCKE MCCARRAN - 26 - youth worker SIBLINGS: joshua edward evans - 27 - chef CHILDREN: levi mccarran - 3 rocke mccarran - 1
Holly was born on a particular snowy evening in December, and earned her name from the moment she opened her eyes and pointed vaugely toward the sight of a holly tree just outside the hospital window. She was always a people person, but was a quiet girl and kept to herself at school, sticking with her close best friend and perfectly happy to blend into the background.
Things were okay until she was eleven - and that's when the problems started. Holly was diagonsed with mild OCD, something she didn't understand but it was not a particularly severe case but it did appear to be worsening. What made it worse, was that over her younger years Holly developed a barrage of heath conditions - from discovering her intolerance of lactose, to the discovery of her Anemia and then the diagnoses of her Asthma. Her parents began to fight, and at first it started over Holly's conditions, but it then began to transpire that there was more to it than that. Her father had been off having affairs and the arguments escalated. Over the next five years, Holly grew up in World War Three. She couldn't stand living at home and she'd take days off and disappear, coming home drunk at all hours. She went through a brief 'rebellious' stage, doing anything to take the attentions of her parents arguments away from each other and to herself if she could but it never really worked.
When Holly was seventeen she tried running away from home. it worked for two weeks, but she ran out of money and knew she had to go home. When she got home, it was to find her mother and brother alone - her father had left. Things settled after a year, and it was better for a little while. Holly left her rebellious phase behind and decided she wanted to help people - though when she realised she disliked the sight of blood she went into Physiotherapy. Once she was into university at eighteen, Holly moved out and got her own apartment - which she shared with her older brother for some time to share costs.
When she was twenty she got her Physiotherapy license and began working as what she wanted to do. She'd learnt how to deal with her OCD and tries not to let anyone see it and she hates talking about her childhood.