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!.
Leo gave a sheepish grin at the raising of Nat's brows, doing his very best to give his innocent look. He was very good at it, he'd perfected it over the years and it had gained a 88% success rate. That might be exaggerating things a little, especially when it came to bringing Lily into the equation, but without her he was sure it'd be 99%... Nobody made it to 100, he wasn't unrealistic. "You realise that Cara's going to kill you?" Leo pursed his lips in consideration for a moment at the young woman and her surprisingly fierce expression and then shrugged, Lily's angry face swimming into view in place of Cara's. "I'll take my chances." He said with an accompanying confident nod.
Leo grinned again as Nat took his hand and shook it. He always appreciated a good sport, it made things all the more fun. Well done to the lad for taking the glitter on the chin. Literally. "Yes, I have been warned about you. A warning I passed onto my sister, since she rides at your place." Leo laughed and nodded again. "That's a fair warning to give. I hope to run into her at some poin-" and then he was caught unawares and pulled forward into a hug. He made a noise of surprise as he automatically reached out to steady himself by grabbing on to Nat. Glitter immediately met his palms and he grimaced, feeling the grind of glitter on his shirt too. Well that served him damn right. "It's nice to be able to put a face to the name." Leo laughed and patted the lad on the back as he released himself, looking down at the mess he now also contained. "Fair play to you, nicely done." He admitted with a hearty laugh.
"So, are you saying you drink enough so that Moses can pay all the employees?" Leo grinned and tipped an imaginary hat to his cousin. "Consider me your pay check, cuz." though if it really were true he might have to consider some form of Alcoholics Anonymous, Moses paid pretty fair from what he knew and it'd mean a considerable amount of alcohol drunk. He didn't think Bella would be best pleased to see those kinds of bills either. Not with their mini hoard of children to feed and clothe. "I'm not accusing you of anything! I just know how prickly they can be sometimes and by the way you just waltzed in here like some royal prince, I had to assume." Leo playfully narrowed his eyes and gave him a suspicious once over. "Mmmmmm... I'll let you off this once," in truth, Leo didn't tend to have beef with his family, just the odd rubbing from time to time when tensions arose. He didn't count Amber.
'Are you sure it's your handsome face? I thought most people saw you and ran the other way." Leo put on an expression of mock hurt, consoling himself with another look at the display of alcohol. "There's no need to be jealous, I'm sure I could use my charm to find you someone if you're struggling." he joked in return, and also a dip into the question of whether his cousin had anything going on romantically. He liked to match make where he could, he was a romantic at heart. "She would! Glad to know you are still terrified of her. I haven't run into her yet, but with me working here that could all change." Leo pulled a face at that and shrugged. "Best of luck to you." he didn't think it best to comment further, it was best he didn't. They had an unspoken agreement to keep out of each others, perhaps his cousin would do better given he had to share the bar with her.
"One beer coming up. How have you been? Getting ready to spoil those kids of your for Christmas?" Leo smiled gratefully, accepting the drink once it was ready and taking a long, healthy sip, tapping his card to pay once Chris had it all set up and ready. "My bank account has taken quite the nosedive in preparation but don't tell them. The be good for Santa excuse is doing wonders for keeping them out of trouble." He grinned and flashed his cousin a conspiratorial wink, swinging around on his chair like the big kid that be was before returning to the bar counter. "Was that a hint that you also want a toy train set? Or a super soaker?" He joked, raising an eyebrow. Though he had to admit that the kids toys were hella entertaining and he tried not to be too jealous when they sat down to play. He loved the excuse of them being so small so he got to sit down next to them and join in.
Leo gave a chuckle at Adonis and his behaviour, amused by the difference between him and the grumpy Brumby next to him. Adonis had a habit of thinking he was better than everyone else, the kind of attitude Leo generally found displeasing in horses, but he didn't mind this one all too much. Adonis was funny about it, very much the snooty young lad who would actually be rather put out if the scrappy outcasts didn't invite him to their party. Leo likes a challenge, and be liked it when a horse had something about it. But he'd done his fair share of kickalongs too, they only made you a better rider, as his sister liked to remind him whenever he lamented about something not going fast enough. Adonis chucked his head again at his companion's snort, equally unimpressed with the responding attitude he had received. He often seemed to think himself above the rest of the riffraf, which Leo thought amusing given he had little proven track record when competing. Of course it wasn't all that but to think yourself a winner you had to win, not throw ridiculous shapes and have a tantrum every time your toes touched a pole (as was this animal's general MO when Lily had the time to take him off yard).
"I'm a little insulted that you're insinuating that you wouldn't come back for us if we were caught. And here I thought we were shaping up to be friends." Leo chuckled in response, putting on a mock reproaching look. "Friends we may be but at the end of the day I've got a very pretty face and I couldn't risk it for anyone." which was hilarious because Leo was the absolute first person to jump in on a fight and defend someone. It was almost like some twisted case of FOMO - except for violence. "Max may be small, but he is mighty and fierce. So I am sure we can keep up with the two of you." Leo gave an approving nod. "Well then I can't wait to taste your dust." unable to help the fighting talk. Some people wondered if he ever left the playground with the silly crap he spewed, Leo always shrugged those comments off with a childish 'nope'. "Your sister's okay with horse-napping him?" It earned another chuckle from Leo and he shot Ronan a sly look. "Guess we'll find out when we get back." though he enjoyed a prank and was liable to swapping horses for the fun of it he wasn't completely moronic (contrary to other opinions) and he had sort of made Lily aware of where the horse was being he got a panicked/pissed off text or phone call from said sibling. "About a month maybe? I got in trouble at school back home in Australia, thankfully they didn't expel me but they didn't want me back either. And then, my grandmother here passed away, and my dad thought it'd do me some good to come be here with Grandpa so he wasn't lonely and maybe get to know my mom's side.... Sorry, wasn't my intention to overshare."
Leo shook his head, "No need to apologise, man. Maybe you needed it to come out." He said, for all that Leo appeared to be a bit of a stupid pranking jock type of idiot, he had a surprising amount of feelings and was a good and pragmatic person to talk to about things. Probably because he was honest and said it how he saw things, and maybe because sometimes he wasn't particularly complex so often made things simpler, and easier to mull over. He didn't mind not being deep, it seemed like tough work to him. "Sorry to hear about your Grandma, and your trouble. Cliché though it is, a fresh start really can help. The town is so full of nosey busy bodies that you won't be able to stay an outsider for long, people will want to know you and then you'll just find yourself included without even realising. It's a decent place to put down roots. I was running from trouble myself when I came here and I wouldn't change it for anything." He shrugged, expression clouding over a little when he thought back to his past life. The ground changed under foot and the path opened to a glorious green field. Leo shot Ronan a cheeky look. "Game on." was his only warning before he leant forward in the saddle, throwing his hands up the horses neck and sending him from 0 to what felt like 60 in a moment's breath, letting out a whoop and holler as he did.
I'm impressed you could spell that. As if you'd be able to sponge a cent off Logan, let alone one of his alcohol allergic kidneys. Oooo lucky me. Considering how frequently you have them.
Leo chuckled as Ronan gave a whistle, glancing down at the horses' great neck as he came into view. "Yeah he's a looker alright," He agreed. Adonis wasn't generally the kind of horse he would have picked, but that was why he didn't own him. He was still a nice horse, and he had to admit he had some admiration for his sister handling the animal so well- he was a big beast, the kind that seemed like more of a man's ride than a woman's, especially a small woman like his sister. They seemed to get along well though, so it was no skin off his nose. Leo enjoyed challenges, and the friskier the better. He had a knack for dealing with the difficult, and enjoyed the excitement and rush of it. His youngster was surprisingly relaxed for the kind he normally picked up, but there was something about Hotspur that he'd been taken with, even if he was yet to let out much of a buck compared to his chestnut companion, Phoenix.
"Well, I guess we can't be having the police coming after us. Good thing our horses are fast and I assume, where we are going, they cannot follow us." Leo chuckled and gave a faux glance over his shoulder, crouching lower as if he was trying to hide. Adonis snorted and gave another jog, throwing his hind quarters out slightly like a stupid banana. Leo settled him easily enough, a light squeeze with his legs to push him on, a half halt on the reins to bring him back to a walk. "I hope yours can keep up, otherwise they'll be catching you first." He joked, though he wasn't actually the type of person to leave a man behind; one for all and all for one and all that.
He patted the horse again when he settled, turning onto one of the more interesting trails without checking in with Ronan - he figured the kid wouldn't mind him choosing. It would keep Adonis' brain occupied with the sights a little at the very least, even as he felt like an unexploded bomb beneath the saddle. "Criminal business aside, your horse is quite the looker." Leo grinned and gave a small shrug, "he's all flash and no cap," His grinned widened and he shook his head, "Nah that's not fair I can't lie like that, he's not one of mine so naturally, he's not the best horse on the yard. He's my sister's - Adonis. Nice ride, takes a lot of riding but he's got one heck of a ping on him." He admitted, having only jumped him a handful of times, the horse needed a lot between hand and leg, a lot to keep him focused on the job, but if you could hold him together and not let him get a run on you, the beast had one heck of a lot of power. "So how long have you been here?" He asked curiously.
He couldn't be sure at first that Chris had heard him - though how anyone could ignore Leo's obnoxious voice he didn't have any idea himself. Then his cousin looked up, putting down the glass in his hand and heading over. "Well look what the cat dragged in, I didn't expect you to be here!" Leo gave a snort and a roll of his eyes, "Please, it's like a second home for me." He joked, though really it was probably about 5th on his list - following his actual home, the stables, James' place and then the local feedstore. Lily liked to send him on down there to heft about the sacks of feed to occupy him. It was like she didn't think he knew she sent him off to do busy work because he was being annoying. He found it amusing though. "Did you have to bribe the bouncers to let you in, or are you some sort of special customer?"
Leo put a hand to his chest as if he'd been shot, "You wound me with your accusations!" He joked and then gave a shrug and a smug look. "I'm number one on their VIP guest list. One look at me at my handsome face and they open the doors." Not quite true, but close enough in his big ass head, the modest bastard. "If you want that kind of service, I think you'll need to find another cousin to do it for you. What can I get you? Did you want something to eat?" He wrinkled his nose as his mind went to the other cousin that did indeed work there. "No thanks, she'd sooner tear my arms off and make me drink my own blood." He wasn't afraid of much, and it wasn't that he was afraid of Amber, but he did his best to avoid her as much as he could. He wasn't stupid, and she made him wary, so whenever she was working he ignored her side of the bar like it didn't exist. "I'll take a beer though thanks, I'm not looking for food though." Not right now anyway, but his stomach would probably argue differently soon enough.
He couldn't help but laugh at the state of the guy, even more so when the guy coughed and a blast of glitter blew out from his open lips. Okay, perhaps he shouldn't have been laughing at that; choking hazard and all, but Leo had never been entirely appropriate with these kinds of situations. He didn't recongise his victim, which he supposed could have been a bad thing - it wasn't a member of staff he'd met before at least, perhaps a newbie? The perfect time to meet the stables rival in that case! Leo's grin was someone victorious, but meant no maliciousness as he stepped forward, deliberately not looking at the mess he had no doubt would be his issue later to clean up when his sister got hold of his neck.
"I get paid to be here, not the other way around." An interesting response, and not seemingly an angry one at that either - was he in some kind of shock? He had been right though, a new staff member. This was going to be fun. "Well then it's your lucky day," He shrugged, though the only prize he had was a few more packets of glitter. Which might not be appreciated right now. "Which means you picked the wrong person." Leo shrugged and wrinkled his nose a little, "Nah, no such thing - anyone will do!" He wasn't fussy when it came to the victims of his pranks, though it did put him into the shit more with certain people. Pot luck was interesting. It kept him on his toes and made sure he was still tip-top at running and hiding. "I look like a unicorn has thrown up over me." Leo laughed again. "Yes, but it suits you!" He stepped forward to shake the offered hand a little skeptically, wondering if this was a ploy to get glitter all over him too. "I'm Nat." "Nice to meet you Nat, I'm Leo. You may have been warned about me," He considered it for a second, "You should have been warned about me."
And I think that's a delusion your wife has fed you to make you feel better. Oh yeah much better dickhead. Apparently, but don't expect any kidneys from me.
Leo had missed his cousin, though they had seen each other a handful of times over the years, in his opinion it hadn't really been often enough. He'd practically grown up with his cousins until further family arguments had seemingly pushed them permanently apart... until the cousins had trickled down to the South of England to come and find the rest of them. He was glad for it, despite his parents shortcomings and what atrocious people they were, he was a family orientated kind of guy. He had welcomed the arrival of James and Ash into their ranks, and now there was Chris, things felt complete. He did not consider Amber, he rarely did if he could help it - good luck to his cousin for working with her.
He hadn't seen much of his old partner in crime since the guy had arrived, and he thought it was time to remedy that. Maybe he should have sought him out earlier, but he wanted to give Chris time to settle in. Actually, Lily had demanded it of him, as Leo had been childlike (as usual) and had wanted to bound over there the moment Chris got in. He resented the childlike comments and would act accordingly to play up to them. Tonight though, nobody was going to stop him spending some quality time with his cuz - not even the guy's job that he'd be working. They couldn't help it if the shifts didn't work for them, or well.. didn't work for Leo. He wasted no time in heading over to the bar once it was open, earlier than he usually would. The bouncers knew him well and waved him straight in with a small nod of hello - moody bastards but they did the job alright. How ironic that Chris had chosen to work in one of Leo's favourite haunts. He almost bounced up to the bar and leaned his forearms on to top of the surface, a grin in his face as he caught sight of his cousin's head from behind. "Yo, Cuz!" He called out about the noise of the music. "You call this service? I've been here all of two seconds and don't seem to have a drink in my hand, what's it take for that to happen?!"
He heard the footsteps on the stairs and grinned, unable to help but feel that surge of excitement he always did when he was about to surprise someone with a nice little interjection to their day. Sure, it might not seem like the nicest of surprises - it was a bit cold for the water to be an option, but how else would he make sure the glitter stuck? Glue seemed a bit too harsh, and he could at least offer the victim a towel or two to dry off with. Not really sure what to do about the glitter bomb he was about to create though; a hover perhaps? There was a quiet moment, just before the stranger appeared in his line of vision, where he considered this might be one of his less bright ideas. Then the victim came into view and it was too late.
They looked preoccupied, which was the perfect opportunity for Leo. He released his hold on bucket number one, watching it teeter and then tilt, water slooshing over the sides. It went a little off kilter, a majority of the water missing his intended target damn it, but a fair amount of it shot straight down as the bucket finally went over completely. Phase two. Leo released the second bucket and it swung down, a little slower than the water with how much less it weighed. The glitter poofed out, showering down on the individual.. .and then somewhat everywhere else too. "Ah woops," Leo muttered at the complete state of the place. That had not been intended... but at least it had kind of worked. He let out a loud burst of laughter and popped up from his hiding place - no need to stay hidden, time to face the music. "Surprise! You are our 1000 customer! Congratulations!!"
His grin came easily, as it usually did - especially when someone laughed at his wise ass remarks. Finally, someone that appreciated his wicked sense of humour. He liked this kid. "With my noodle arms? I think those doctors will remain utterly safe from throwing abilities. I'll leave that job to Max." Leo gave a little snort and a chuckle at that. It was true, the kid was a tall glass of water - but there was nothing wrong with that. Leo wasn't particularly tall, at 5ft10 his brothers overshadowed him a little, though thankfully his sister did not - but he was broad to make up for not being 6ft tall. Partly genetics and partly from lugging around shavings and hay bales all day, but he was well aware having muscles or not having them didn't make you strong or weak. "I don't know, I've made the mistake of underestimating people before; you'd have a great opportunity to surprise them." He joked.
He continued to scratch the horses head, giving his dirty nails over to the horses fur, coating his hand in a new later of dust and grime that all horses came with. "I swear Max, you're acting like I pay you no mind ever." Leo grinned and gave a small shrug, "Ah no sweat, I know an actor when I see one; and his innocent look is far too innocent to be real." He chuckled. "Phoenix makes an excellent 'hungry' face even when he's literally just finished breakfast and has a stuffed haynet. I've caught him begging many a treat off soft hearted ladies." Not that Leo minded, the chestnut still had decent manners and he wasn't fussed about the extra sugar. Phe would be hyped whether he had it or not. It still made him laugh though, how many people were suckers to the animal's cute little face. "I've been honing my observation skills since getting here." Leo grinned and gave an appreciative nod. "You're doing well so far - brownie points for you." He joked.
"Yeah, we'll just be waiting just outside of the arena for you, No rush on tacking up, it's not like we'll be going anywhere without you." Leo nodded, "Sweet, won't be a sec." He said as he left Ronan for the moment to seek out a horse. With his having the day off and only just turned out, he knew there was not a hope in hell he'd get close to them yet. Instead, he glanced briefly at the board just inside the stables to check who was in need of exercising. They had a good team of riders who did the majority, but Leo and his siblings joined in to assist from time to time. Ironically, Lily had put Adonis down for a hack today and she he figured what would be more appropriate than to steal his sister's ride. He tacked the big bay up in record time, giving him a hearty pat as he lead him out the barn and grabbed his hat on the way, jamming it onto his head. "Come on you big lughead," He muttered as the horse snorted and dragged his feet all the way to the mounting block. Leo barely had the stirrups down before he was in the saddle, and the horse tossed his head and gave a few jig jog steps forward. "Easy there fella, this ain't that kind of ride," He warned, knowing the horse could be somewhat of a handful. He settled him on the walk back to the arena and gave Ronan a friendly wave. "I've stolen this beast, let's go before they call the police and come running after me."
You can't stop me, and you know it. Your kids love me more than you Pal is very impersonal. Here I was thinking we were related, much to my displeasure
He grinned when the kid laughed, he struggled to remember some people didn't always find his jokes funny, and he often insulted people more than he made them laugh. He was usually halfway through a laugh himself by the time he realised he'd upset someone too, which always made things worse. At least he was the best person to use to sound out if someone had a good sense of humour. "I'll try and be on my best behavior then when I go to the doctor's, Unlike someone." It was Leo's turn to laugh as he imagined the scene at the doctor's, "as long as you don't intend on throwing the doctor across the room like your horse here, I think they'll be kind enough." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.
"I don't know. Guess I am not used to it. I have to keep on reminding myself that we've only been here for two months so stuff's different. Not his fault though, I should have been prepared for anything." Leo's smile was warm, he wasn't the kind of guy to judge people, if anything he was probably the last to do that, too busy cracking a joke or something similar to think about what someone looked like or if they were doing something odd. "I think you have a new best friend," Leo smiled as he offered the horse a little treat, giving him a scratch beneath his chin. "I am always open to new best friends," He chuckled, dropping his hand to let his owner take control of the horse. "As in it's shape or his ability to find treats just about anywhere?"
Leo chuckled and his hands returned to his pockets in a casual manner, seeing the way the teen changed position, Leo took it as an invitation to carry on chatting. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to stick you with a tag line." Leo waved a hand, nonplussed. "Nah you're good," He said, waving it off easily enough - things bounced right off the guy. "For what it's worth, I can already tell you're the cooler sibling." Leo straightened a little, puffing out his chest on habit whenever someone complimented him. "I know right? You've got good eyes kid, not many people see it so fast." He grinned. "I haven't hit the trails here yet really, did you want to go for a ride?" A slight surprise on the invite but Leo was quick to nod. "Sure, let me lasso a horse, and that'll give you time to check you can get back up in the saddle?" He joked, forgetting all about the paperwork he was supposed to be doing.
Hmmm I don't know but if I can ponies that buck I don't see how it could be so hard. Surely some farmer has a rogue cow somewhere that won't fancy an extra load? Excellent! So you get the rouge cows, and I can sort location and food! Ah now that's a mystery, nobody knows what's in my head.. even me.