Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
She sighed as she saw him frown; people never liked it when they found out that a guy had the audacity to hit a woman. It was hilarious how frequently it happened - or at least it seemed to for her. She had no double standards about it being wrong, she was well aware that men were the stronger sex, as she had had proven to her time and time again. Men loved to exude their power over women, to make themselves feel better. There was a reason she pulled back from familiar touch, a reason she didn't look for one night stands anymore, a reason she lashed out if someone tried to grab her wrists. ”Wait what?” Theia rolled her eyes. "Guys hit girls all the time, Link. Sorry to bust your innocent little bubble." And worse, but he was sixteen and he didn't need to know that. At least this had just been a bit of a smack back and forth, she could handle that.
Of course, she didn't know if he'd been on drugs but nobody randomly went around acting like that for the fun of it. ”Okay, I’ll stick to getting drunk in a field.” Theia snorted at that, the cloud above her head abating just the slightest, though the rain still fell. "That's a good kid. Only the cheap stuff I hope?" and she reached out to pat him on his head with a quick smirk. "Now, shouldn't you be doing something productive?" She glanced around at the open floor pointedly despite the fact that she hadn't started on the opening just yet.
She was impressed she hadn't startled him, but she wondered if he had heard her come in or just somehow known she was there - he seemed to always know when she was there. Mostly because they were always together anyway, so it made no difference. Theia had no qualms with going over to throw herself into the chair next to him, making herself right at home and getting comfy as she put a piece of ham on the bread she'd taken and shove it in her mouth. "I do believe I told you about that when you found my guitar in my wardrobe." Theia rolled her eyes, remembering full well the guitar, having been waiting for a performance since she'd seen it and been told he could play. "It's not my fault if you don't remember, or if you doubt me."
"No, that's not what I meant." She shook her head, swallowing her mouthful. "I believed you when you said you could play - you know I always believe you." She waved it off, "I meant, I didn't know you could sing like that." She shrugged, "Some people say they can sing and they can't, some say they can sing and you know, they're not bad - they sing in tune. You sing like..." She hesitated, feeling a bit stupid and wrinkling her nose as she knew something corny was about to come out. Theia wasn't good with corny. "Like it comes from your soul." She said quietly. "Like.. like it was some kind of siren call. It gave me goosebumps." Her voice lowered, her mind drifting as she thought of what it reminded her of. "It was.." She drifted off, like it called to me... now she knew she was stupid and she shook her head. He laughed and she enjoyed the sound of it - so rare, but heard more than than she used to. "I picked it back up after you pulled my attention to it, and everything is for the most part falling into place." She watched him put it aside and offered him the packet of ham, silently asking if he wanted a slice. It was the kind of stuff you could eat out the packet, for her anyway. She was glad that she'd encouraged him to return to it, clearly with talent like that he shouldn't ignore it. "Do you have a favourite song?"
"Theia the Secret Keeper, I like that." She grinned slightly and shot him a secretive look, "I like it too." She wiggled her eyebrows slightly, "You can tell me anything, I'll lock it up tight with all the rest of my secrets and take them to my grave," She swore, thinking of her little pile of carefully kept secrets she choked down on a daily basis - about herself, about her friends. What was another couple more? She saw his shrug and she glanced at him, giving him space at the delicate subject. "Maybe, I'm just hoping they are watching over their families more." Theia's answering smile was gentle - it was a smile she reserved only for Joe, her friends would never believe it. "They will be." She agreed, if that was how the world worked, no doubt they were busy.
"I'll do my best to remember it, I'll make sure it's covered up." Theia nodded, she knew a copy place down the road from her that she could get him a discount on; maybe even free at the guy regularly ate at the pizza place and she gave him a discount. "I'll text you a reminder," She waved it off; it would be good for him to have copies - it was important to him. "I am sure it will. I won't lie, but I kind of had to rope Luc into helping me get the pain and sneak it in, I might've lied and said I had permission to do it. But who is to know, no one else gets to come in here anyway. I'll get Luc to help me with painting the walls later in the week." Theia grinned, glancing over her shoulder at him as she picked out his sheet music, carefully leafing through it - as if she could read it. "Who needs permission? It's your room, you can do what you want with it," She shrugged, "Paint the whole thing in rainbow and stick a Jacuzzi in it, who's going to stop you?" She doubted his siblings wold, especially given the circumstances - they crept around him like they were walking on eggshells.
She replaced the sheet paper back when it had sat, gazing curiously at the guitar. "Not that creative, Yeah, I played a lot before I joined the amry, sung a lot too. Haven't though to pull it out to play though. Maybe I'll try and tune it up and get back to it. Thank god I learnt to play with both hands." Theia couldn't imagine Joe singing; he had a nice speaking voice but she'd never known he was interested in music. She gently stroked a hand down the neck of the guitar, careful not to disturb it. "Why not?" She asked when he said he hadn't played for a while. "Will you play for me?" She asked, curious to see him play and hear his voice.
She yawned as she stalked along the now familiar path to Joe's family home. She'd been working a lot of extra shifts recently, after the university had upped their living costs she had paled to see the bill she would need to pay next month and upped her working hours. It left her tired, extremely so, to fit the extra time in between her classes, and seeing her friends and going out drinking had taken somewhat of a back burner. The only one she'd properly seen - aside from Shi as they lived together - was Joe. He still sat through some of her shifts with her after all, and there were the nights when he came to her bed; the regular routine of putting on a film that they both fell asleep to. She had to admit she fell asleep quicker than she usually did, sometimes even before him.
It couldn't go on forever, she just needed to do a few more extra hours to get the cash together and then she'd be covered. Next month she'd have to do the same, but she'd get to that when it came. Her feet dragged a little, but she finally had an afternoon off. Sleep was calling but realistically it was too early for that. She wanted to see Joe. It wasn't even to talk, she just wanted to sit with him and she knew she would feel better, just to enjoy the peace and his company. She noticed the lack of cars in the driveway and perked up a little, at least nobody else was likely to be in - of course it meant that Joe might not be either but she knew if the door was locked she'd have to try again later.
She tried the handle, not bothering to knock. It wasn't the first time she'd let herself in, though she usually only did that when she knew the siblings weren't home. She avoided them like the plague, found it easier just to skirt by the siblings and their partners and chill with the person she was here for. She didn't do 'meet the parents' and they weren't dating - so that was as simple as she saw it. As she took a step inside she blinked in surprise. "And how can the world want me to change? They're the ones that stay the same, They can't see me but I'm still here, They can't tell me who to be. 'Cause I'm not what they see, Yeah, the world is still sleepin', While I keep on dreaming for me, And their words are just whispers, And lies that I'll never believe!"
That was Joe's voice, she'd know it anywhere. And he was singing. She knew he could play the guitar, but she'd not heard him sing before, and she raised her eyebrows to find out he was... good. Really good. His voice ran over her and she felt goosebumps rise on her arms at his words. She almost felt bad to interrupt him... almost. Her needs were greater than his - sorry Joe. She detoured to the kitchen, because she was famished and hadn't eaten yet today. Her head was starting to swim and she was saving money by eating out of the Mccarran's fridge. Grabbing a packet of ham and pulling a hunk of bread off the french loaf, she mooched through the rooms, following the sound of the siren call that was Joe and opening the door to his room. She was sure he'd probably heard her by now but in case she hadn't she announced herself by opening the door, biting off a large mouthful of the bread as she said, "You can sing, where have you been hiding that?"
"Damn, my secrets out." Theia smiled slightly and shrugged, miming zipping her lips, "Secret's safe with me," she promised, and though it was a light hearted joke, she meant it for real. Everything they talked about was between them, she didn't tell her friends, she didn't tell her co-workers; she'd always been private anyway, but what her and Joe had was just for them, she didn't want to bring others into it. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." Theia chuckled and tucked her fiery hair between her ears, she wouldn't really be that mean... well, maybe - it depended on how he was. She was getting good at reading him and of knowing what buttons to press, and when not to even touch any.
"That's one way of looking at it I guess." She snorted and gave a nod, it was, and she wasn't usually one to be positive either but she couldn't look at the bare pit of the room and not say something encouraging about it. He probably had more damn stuff at hers; things he had left there by accident when he slept over. She'd already stolen one of his hoodies - whether he knew that or not she had no idea. "I just feel a sense of responsibility to watch over them despite the fact they are dead. It doesn't comfort me in the slightest," Theia mulled it over, cocking her head to take in his words. "You know they might be watching over you, right?" She wasn't sure what she thought about the 'after' part but if there was any chance of it, no doubt they were there with Joe every step of the way. "I'd like that." She nodded, "Easy enough, bring it with you when you come bother me at work tomorrow, we can get it copied when I finish my shift." She would never suggest she take it - she wouldn't lose it, but she just couldn't fathom the responsibility in case something happened to it; his only photo of them.
"The light and then it can't hurt to try bring the night sky in, Room hasn't changed since I was like, twelve. It needs changing in some manner." Theia nodded, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "Okay we can do that," She had the print outs after all, but she hadn't known if he wanted something else doing whilst they were on a fix it binge. "I am really artistic, so your ceiling is going to look like something Brian Cox would be proud of," She smirked - not true, but she was going to do her damn best. She pulled the rolls of paper from her back pocket and unrolled them - the constellations - showing them to Joe. "See, I came prepared." But she put them down temporarily in favour of going through his wardrobe. She raised a brow at the guitar that stood out most of all, and then her lips quirked up at the comic books, and posters. Then she saw the canvus' and couldn't help but dig them out. "You're creative.." She murmured, things she didn't know about him yet. "Maybe you should be the one painting the ceiling." She admitted - though she felt her renditions would be better. Her gaze drifted to the guitar. "You can play?"
"I can manage that easy, I'm upper body strong." She couldn't help but appraise his upper body as he said it - hell, he'd been the one to draw attention. She didn't really look at Joe in that way. Oh she was aware that he was handsome, a good looking lad, but with her lack of interest in the opposite sex and her disinterest, often fear in being touched by them, she just didn't think that way. Still, even she could admit that he was built well. "Must be all that garlic bread you eat," She commented with a cheeky grin. "Maybe you should come along and see what they put me through. Telling me I can't do things; tends to piss me off more than if they said nothing about it." She felt a trace of surprise at the offer, unsure if he would actually want her there or not - but the offer sounded genuine. "I'll come along," She shrugged, "Tell you you're doing it all wrong," She teased, though she had no qualms with being moral support.
Her head turned to the wardrobe, "Everything I own, save a handful of things, lives inside there or in my trunk at the end of my bed." It wasn't much of a life, but then she guessed he'd probably been used to living out of a rucksack given his life so far. "At least there's less to dust I suppose," With how much crap Shiloh had it made the room they shared a bitch to keep clean sometimes. She felt the faint returning squeeze and the corners of her lips tilted up a little; at least he hadn't tried to shake her off. "The only reason why I was saved was because another squad risked their lives to save me, I used to think that God existed in some capacity, but after a while, I discovered that he is a farce. I stopped believing, I was prepared to lay down and die." She knew he meant it too, he didn't seem to have much self preservation these days, not that she could say that wasn't how he'd always been. "Well I'm glad they saved you." She shrugged unapologetically, whether he thought it was a waste or not she didn't care, she thought he was worth the price they may have paid. She didn't comment on God. She'd been there, a couple of times. Once when she thought she might die, and she'd pleaded for her life, and other times, when she had tried to throw her life away, and been saved regardless.
"Because Theia, I'm here. While ever I am awake in this room, it's their turn to rest. Their duty is over until I go to sleep, if I can. Otherwise, at night, I will sit and talk to them - don't want them to be tired when I call it quits for the night. That and I don't want the sunlight to bleach the image - it's all I have." She looked at him for a long minute, deliberating whether to push on that or to leave it, words hovering on the tip of her tongue. She had crossed the line with him several times, and sometimes she toed it, but she knew when she could and when she couldn't. "You feel that someone needs to be watching over, all the time?" She guessed; she could understand it, even if she had never known the same feelings as he did. "We can make copies of the picture though, if you wanted spares just in case," She added, not wanting him to think she was about to get all pitying on him. She hated it when people did that the her, it made her feel small and itchy. Like people that hovered over you.
She moved away from the photo, instead deciding to be nosy as she popped the top of her coke can and took a swig, peering into his wardrobe at his accumulation of stuff. "Okay so we're just screwing in this lightbulb? Or is there more DIY stuff you had in mind?" She asked, drawing his attention away from the photo and that conversation.
"I'm not that tall Theia, I can give you a boost if needed," She raised a brow, "Offering to lift me, are we? It's a fireman's lift or nothing," She joked, flicking her hair over he shoulder in the kind of way Shiloh would do. It wasn't really her thing though. "I'm hurting today, that's why I'm limping a little more today. Fucked up at rehab, nothing new. It'll pass in a few days." A slight creased touched the middle of her brows, the only show of concern she'd allow - couldn't look to be too caring otherwise people would think she had feelings and all of that. "Seems kinda counter-productive to fuck up in rehab you moron," She rolled her eyes, but she was being honest; if he fucked it up too badly it'd just make things harder in the long run - or at least that was how she saw it.
At first she wondered if she'd finally offended him, but he seemed to shrug off her comment as he went to fetch the light. "I've only recently started coming up into my room," Okay that was a fair point but still, she frowned a little, "But you still had stuff to put in it, no?" She asked, wondering where the rest of it was. Everyone had stuff, even if it was shoved under the bed or in a garage or loft. "Besides, its not like I spend much time up here anyway. Don't really want anything out and about." That was another valid point considering how often she now saw him out and about, and this was the first time she'd actually come to his house. "It's not even that you have to display your life but.. this just seems so empty, or have you stuffed all your shoes and handbags under the bed?" She teased, lightening the mood somewhat before it could drag them down. Funny how with her friends she was the negative one, the gloomy one, quick to bring down the tone - and yet with Joe, she was always quick with a joke or a comment to change that around.
Theia's eyes shifted to his fingers as they drummed, her brain nudging her to the fact that it was a habit she'd noticed he often did in certain times of stress. Was she stressing him out by asking? Or was it just an uncomfortable question. The drumming wasn't fast like she'd known him to do. Not yet anyway. Then he nodded and her attention went back to the picture, standing still as he pointed everyone out one by one. "Were. They were my friends, my brothers, my family, I was their leader even though I was the youngest of them. We kept each other in line, they gave me alternatives when I thought there was only one course of action, David and Martin Bell - brothers, twenty-nine and thirty; David was going to be a father, Martin was going to marry his sweet heart back home after the tour. Jordan Lacey, thirty-two, sharp shooter and father of two little girls. Mathew Davis, twenty-eight, the biggest fool and the best friend anyone could've had. Liam Geen, twenty-nine, only son that was going to go home and look after his ill mother after his tour. Connor Hill, twenty-seven, gunner and always wanted to know when he was going to get a lick of rum and were all the ladies were at. And then my dog, Maddox. Only five years old, explosive detection dog for the only explosives defuser on the team."
Were. She was smart enough to hear that word at least. "We managed to convince our commander to take the photo for us right before we went out on patrol that day, this was a few days before everything ... turned to shit. I remember that day really well; one of the smoothest patrols we'd had in weeks. There was no need to draw and fire, no need for us to spy or be wary, we just did our rounds laughing, joking, promising to be the multiple best men at Martin's wedding... But can't do any of that now; had to box them all up and send them home. Couldn't face anyone about it; figured they'd all be pissed off that I survived and their partners, sons.. gone." She knew there was nothing she could say, this kind of thing ran deeper than 'sorry', but instead she reached for his hand. His hand with the glove. And clasped it, gently giving him a squeeze that she hoped conveyed at least something of comfort. She was terrible at this, she knew it, but she also knew you couldn't just say sorry and tell him to get over it. "War is mindless killing. Nobody wins on either side. Not really." She knew that might be the wrong way to say it, sometimes they had to fight for the good - fight against terrorism and that she understood. But usually the people out there actually getting shot at were just kids, civilians with normal lives waiting for them back home that they rarely got to see again. "Perhaps there was a reason you were saved, a higher purpose." She shrugged, even if she didn't believe in the big G herself.
He cleared his throat again and turned away, forcing himself to straighten up and steel his thoughts, "Lay the photo down when you're done looking at it." She pressed her lips together for a minute but set the picture back as it was upright, challenging him slightly. "What happens if I don't?" Her words weren't unkind, softer than usual but as if the comment was passing. "They shouldn't be hidden away." She could understand why he didn't want to see it, but he was going to have to face this as some point, and he clearly wanted the photo there - the only picture and only piece of sentimentality alongside the collar in his whole room- he was going to have to look at it again someday.
"Aw, and here I was thinking I was fast like Usain Bolt." She grinned at that and shook her head, "Even with two full functioning legs I don't think you'd even get close." If he did then he had definitely gone into the wrong profession and should have been out running the tracks making the money. "My oldest brother got this place set up. We all live here, kids and all. Crowded sometimes, noisy almost always. I'm just the resident free loader." Theia gave a slight snort at that, "Sounds just like the dorms," She heard plenty of crying and throwing up in the hallways outside her's and Shi's room, it was often crowded unless you knew the time of day to venture out - which she did - and it was regularly noisy, though with Shi having as much influence as she did she frequently called the shots on people turning their shit down. It was nice of his brother to set them up though, he seemed to have a decent enough family.
"Not looking for the queen of DIY, I just need some help where I can't get to. Namely changing a lightbulb. Old one's gotten dim, so time for a new one. Then onto the rest I guess. Rooms are up stairs." She pursed her lips and nodded, "That I'm pretty sure I can do, though I hate to remind you I'm not actually taller than you," She made a point of looking up at him; she might need a lift to reach the bulb. Glancing at the stairs as he walked past her, she caught the extra emphasis on his limp. "Are you trying to gain extra sympathy so I'll piggy back you up or have you hurt yourself?" She asked, the question borne of some concern for him, considering how little care he sometimes took of himself. "I'm just going to invade your kitchen for a drink," She added, seeing the way he hesitated at the bottom of the stairs and figuring he didn't need her breathing down his neck behind her, watching his steps.
It only took her a minute to find the kitchen, and then the fridge, happy to delve in of her own accord and rooting out two cans of cold coke. Full sugar too, none of that diet crap. She took a second to have a nose, but didn't find much of interest, and by the time she headed back to the stairs, Joe was pretty much at the top. She zipped up after him, reappearing at his side as he lead the way to his room. Theia blinked but made no other show of emotion as she looked at the bareness of the walls, and then she couldn't help herself. "Do you live here or do you just rent the room?" She snorted. Whilst she wasn't much for personal effects and sentimentality she did have stuff, and she did post up pictures. This room didn't feel lived in, or even really slept in, it felt cold and empty. She frowned - they were going to have to change that. Everybody needed a space to be their own.
"What's this?" She asked, breezing straight past him as if she were invited and over to the only interesting thing in the room, going to pick up the dog collar first to check the tag - she was gentle with it, careful as she set it back down and then picked up the photo instead, staring intently at the faces as she looked for Joe's in amongst the others - so young, far too young. "Are these your friends?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder to Joe to check he hadn't keeled over.
”None of us want to be here theia. . but you do seem more annoyed than the rest of us. .” Theia rolled her head and gave Dani a glare. "Because I've got better places to be, and blackmailing us to sit here and listen to this guy spew bullshit, is fucked up." She was starting to develop a headache, tension building at the back of her neck was now growing to extend behind her eyes and up her temples. It was only contributing to the terrible ass of a mood she was in. She was liable to start ripping heads any moment now.
"Yes, you all have a choice, but this is one of those fickle things when it comes to choice and mental health but we won't dive on that today, I don't think anyone here is actually capable understanding. But yes, you have a choice to seek out help. This is one class a week for little under an hour Miss - but let's review something," She narrowed her gaze on Pasha as he picked up a piece of paper. "This new class is mandatory, being only one day a week, to talk about mental health and will take up only five percent of your final grade. Failure to attend class may see disciplinary action... I don't read anything here that says you are being held at gun point. And the definition of a threat, to be threatened is a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done."
She rolled her eyes. "Technicalities, of course you'll be using them to get away with it." She snorted derisively. "The gun may only be metaphorical but 5% of a grade will make the different between a 1st and a 2nd at the end of it. Surprisingly, I'm sure, we all actually give a shit about our grades - or we wouldn't be here. So if you won't class this as threat, in the very least it's blackmail." She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily, as if they could just leave if they wanted. "So, that means you are afraid and by choice you remain. Interesting. And that's fine, I don't expect anyone to actually care. You all have your own agendas. But this class isn't here for you to soul search and understand, that is what Fridays are for." Theia huffed and sunk further into her chair, "this is pointless. All this is going to achieve is a pot shot back and forth of who can insult you the best. We don't want to talk about 'what mental health means to you', we do not want to be here at all - I don't get why that's so hard for you to wrap your head around." She wondered if it would count if she walked out, or if they had to see it through to the end of class.
She rolled her eyes as Link made a point of taking a better look at her face, and then she frowned. She wasn't overly keen to talk about it, it had been stupid, a pointless waste of energy, and had only made her day 100 times worse, especially now she had to walk around with it. She caught his grin though and hoped he might not push it, might just let it lie at that - of course not though. He was young, just a kid, and it was gossip to talk about whilst the day was quiet. ”So what’s the damage on the other girl? Broken nose?”
Theia sighed and looked up at Link, her eyebrows still pulled together in a frown. "It wasn't a girl," not that a girl couldn't do this kind of damage, she knew women were just as vicious as men - more so in fact when it came to it. "It was some crack pot boy on campus. Think he was on drugs or something, kept muttering away to himself like he was chatting to the voices in his head." She shook her head. "This is why I don't do drugs," She pointed a finger at him in warning, "don't do drugs." She had tried most of them over the years, but rarely like the way they made her feel - and she'd given up on them pretty quickly, sticking to alcohol as he choice of high.
She heard the noise of someone headed for the door, the day was so quiet it wasn't difficult to pick up the thudding of footsteps - uneven one's at that, which meant it had to be Joe. She didn't know if any of his family would be in or not, and she half hoped they weren't so she didn't have to play the awkward friend and see the disapproving glances. She was not the kind of friend most family wanted for their impression young siblings or children. Not that she minded whether they liked her or not, it had no impact on her friendships. She looked back to the door as it opened, raising a brow at the smirk already on Joe's face.
"Surprised you haven't turned to ash on the front step yet," Theia tucked her red hair behind her ears and following him inside, into the relief of the cool. "It was getting close, I was just starting to smoke. I don't think you'll be signing up to the Paralympics for speed any time soon," She smirked and patted Joe's arm in a consolatory manner before she moved further into the hallway, looking around curiously as she slipped off her shoes and kicked them into a pile out the way. "Nice place," She said as she peered down toward what she could see was a kitchen, and a lounge behind them. She glanced to the stairs, figuring that his bedroom was likely on the second floor, despite his issue with getting there. "You should probably know, I'm shit at DIY, but I'm being nice and helping anyway." She warned; she was more likely to make a mess, and she could just be moral support or supervisor, but she often found she got bored of watching and wanted to try and do it herself. That was usually when it went wrong.
Theia had had some odd requests from friends over the years. It was a given considering the type of friends she had - Shiloh, Mal, Deimos, Dani, Alisha.. all of them got up to weird shit at times, and with Shiloh as the Queen Bee of the university she often rocked the odd requests; almost like demands at times, in all honesty. But - most of the time - Theia was glad to do them, on the occasion they were questionable, her heels would dig in until the time of a valid reason. This was different though; this was Joe, and she was coming to learn that there wasn't much she would deny Joe. If anything, she'd found it to be herself that had encouraged him, or pushed the boundaries. She had always been a firecracker growing up, she'd been the death of her parents and her difficulty to sit still or pay attention, or listen to authority over the years had had negative impacts on their relationship, the way her parents had reacted to her behaviour had really finished off any chance of a positive one.
With all the shit that had happened since she'd come to this town, her personality had shifted somewhat. She was known as the grumpy one, the mopey one, the depressive one - pessimistic, likely to sleep in and miss most of the day, to throw a book at someone for trying to drag her out of her slump. Days of it could sometimes become weeks when it was bad, but eventually she would resurface and come back out to play. Sometimes, she would remember how she used to be - always on the go, always up to something, always the first to say yes. She didn't think she'd ever be like that again but... Deimos caught her smiling the other day and teased her mercilessly for the rest of the day. Maybe, just maybe.... Joe was a little bit good for her somehow. She was wary of men, any men outside their circle of crazy, because she had been burned so many times, but even with her walls up, Joe seemed to be there chiseling away at them - without even knowing. Or so she thought.
Now, she was walking down the path toward Joe's family home. She hadn't been here before and she wasn't nervous but she was..cautious. She didn't need anyone passing judgement or assumptions on this. It was at the back of her mind, very slightly, that she would likely be hanging out in Joe's room. He had spent plenty of time in hers, but that was in her control, in her safe space. Men had fooled her before... but this was Joe. He wasn't that like. She shook it off, mentally rolling her eyes at herself- Jesus she was being morbid. She knocked on the door loudly, knowing if she didn't Joe would bitch about his hearing again. In her hand she clutched the only sign that showed she cared - a couple of folded up print outs of constellations. She was shit at DIY, she tended to be clumsy, tended to break instead of fix, but she had said she would help, and she'd even thought that maybe she could make it prettier but putting on his ceiling an actual copy of the night sky out his window. She sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket, bringing up Joe's number in her WhatsApp she started a voice recording, "Joe, get your deaf ass down here and let me in, I don't like the sun, it burns." releasing her finger to ping the message over to him.
She caught his glance on the way past and rolled her eyes at his grin. The kid was far too cocky for his own good sometimes - but he worked hard, so she let it slide; most of the time. ”Yeah didn’t you get the memo?” She turned her gaze to their manager and gave them a slight raise of a brow - she wasn't Shiloh, and didn't turn things in the same way Shi did, but she still had her own ways of manipulation with people. She worked hard here, always had done, was rarely sick or late and picked up extra shifts. She'd earned respect, even if she didn't earn them as 'friends' with her often surly nature to her co-workers. But that didn't transcend to the customers and so the manager occasionally heeded her when she told them to give it a little slack... or the opposite, when someone was shite or taking the piss.
Without customers to wait on, she drifted over to the bar for a moment and wiped down the already clean and tidy bar top. ”What happened to your face then? This a you should see the other guy situation?” Theia glanced up at Link's voice, and her expression twisted slightly. She kept forgetting. She wasn't a girl who cared much for her appearance and as it no longer hurt unless you poked it, she'd already put it to the back of her mind. It was probably why her manager had given her an odd look too. Oh yeah. She didn't care to cover it with make-up, and she wondered if she'd get told to do something about it. Theia paused a moment, considering a lie, but they always sounded pathetic. In the end she shrugged. "Someone met me when I was having a bad day. Evidently so were they."
Theia was a little early to shift. Class had finished early as one of her professors hadn't turned up, so she'd actually had time to grab lunch for a change, and then switched into her uniform before walking to her shift at the pizza place. It was kind of nice she didn't have to rush for once and it meant she was about five minutes ahead of time. It didn't matter, most of the other workers were there already and she grabbed her apron, tying it around her middle in it's usual place. She let out a sigh and brushed the loose red hair from her forehead. She hadn't bothered to try to hide the bruises that peppered her cheek - luckily, the swelling around her eye had mostly gone, and the bruises had mottled to a moldly green and yellow instead of black.
Her friends had tried to weedle what had happened out of her but she'd kept quiet, refusing to tell them. They'd have gone and killed the kid, and she didn't want to hassle or the drama. What was done was done, she wasn't broken, and she wanted to move on. Luc had been concerned when he'd seen her face but she'd brushed it off, making herself look busy in a way she was good at doing - Theia didn't like to talk, and had figured out how to appear hassled so that people left her alone, not that she was work shy.
The final crew member bustled in a few minutes after clock in time, and she raised an eyebrow as she caught his words on his way in. "Ah what's five minutes between friends?" She snorted and shot him a look, "We're friends?" The corners of her lips turned up in a slight smirk as she headed over to flip the door sign to 'open' now they were all set to welcome customers.
”what’s up with you?” Theia's frown was practically tattooed on her face as she spared Danielle a small glance. "I don't want to be here," And she hated having to do something she didn't want to. She might let her friends reluctantly pull her out of her depressive bed to go clubbing or whatever, but that was different - they were her friends, trying to get her out and about. They were not forcing her to confront things she wasn't ready to in front of her fellow classmates. "So Miss, you want to say that health of the mind is a choice? So you'd rather elect to suffer or be impacted over finding better alternatives to cope with something? And who said I was going to ask how you were all feeling? I don't believe that I put that on the papers and I never said that this was what it was about." She rolled her eyes at his answer - oh she was so going to give him hell to pay in their next private session for this; whether he'd been asked or not she didn't care.
"It's still my choice, ours choice if we decide whether or not we want to seek out help. It is a choice - whether you do something about it or not, whether you choose to wallow or accept it or whatever. I don't appreciate having my choice taken away from me, and not even just that.. but to be threatened to attend this session. Please explain how that puts anyone in a good mindset to discuss their mental wellbeing?" She thought it was valid - and they were proving her point. Almost none of her friends were interested in taking this seriously, because they had been forced to. Threatened - blackmailed. How was that right? It was fucked up, and it wasn't going to encourage them to open up about private matters.
"Since most here in the room are more inclined to assume, let us play a game. It's quite simple. There is only one main rule - everyone is fair game. It's called Assumptions. You'll catch on quickly enough, Starting with Miss 'We Don't Get to Understand Things On Our Own'. I assume that you are a Know it All. For you, mister 'My Mental Health is Declining by Being Here', I'm going to assume that you are a Cocky Bastard. You, Miss 'We're All Here By Force', I'm assuming that you are a Bitchy Queen Bee that wants everything her own way. And Finally Miss 'Bullshit Questions' - I'm going to assume that you are Pissed at the World and Like Following in other people's shadows. And you Miss 'Appreciating Attractive Men', I'm going to assume that you are generally a nice individual, if a little too bold. Go on now, make your return assumptions about me." Theia shrugged, unaffected by the name calling, as she often was when people tried to insult her. "Why should I? You've hit the nail on head with our motley crew, perfect assumptions Mr Therapist, and I don't care to know a damn cent about you."
