The air wasn't as warm as it had been the day before, but it wasn't terribly bad. Not that Moira minded the cold anyway if past events were anything to go by. Even if everything was damp or coated with dew from the light rain shower that had just ended, including herself. However, with her attention on the hybrid horse, it was easy to ignore such trivial things anyway.

Gelar was an extremely interesting creature, despite the unhappy circumstance of his birth. He was alive, and seemed more than happy to follow Moira around the paddock. Or possibly he was only interested in the treats hidden in one of her inner pockets that she had protected from the rain. Tugging out a sugar cube she paused long enough to give it to him and rubbed his neck.

Thoughtfully she ran her hands over the muscles in his neck, shoulder, and partway down his leg. Doing so she could sense how each of the muscles connected, and how they worked together to provide movement for the beast. Same with his back and back legs. There were differences, compared to other animals - people too naturally -, but there were similarities as well. Perhaps knowing both would help her, perhaps they wouldn't, but it was still fascinating.

Standing straight up at a noise she turned to see who or what it was, though when she stopped petting Gelar the stallion nudged her shoulder, outright begging for more attention.

It wasn't, exactly, lounging-outside weather but that also meant the castle was crowded.  With the start of winter, the majority of the four schools' student populations were now strewn about the castle, studying and hanging out in common rooms, empty classrooms, the library, everywhere.  It had seemed appropriate to give Professor Trishna space for however long he needed.  Which meant, the best chance for quiet and solitude was outside. 

Though that Saturday morning was chilly, it was neither freezing nor precipitating.  With a warming charm applied to his thick winter coat and a fire crackling in the healer's terra cotta chiminea, the Hospital Hut's back porch wasn't a bad place to study. 

Textbooks, both magical and mundane, spiral bound notebooks and rolls of parchment were all strewn across the wooden patio table and the Ravenclaw was hunched over them.  He was hunched over his potions' essay and his quill scratched across the page.  Engulfed as he was in the essay, it was a few minutes before Sasha noticed the fourth year down in the paddocks. 

It was only when Sasha reached the end of the essay that he glanced up and spotted the Hufflepuff.  The Shepherd, who was still flopped over Sasha's feet, had also just spotted the girl as well.  It was the dog, pushing himself to his feet and jumping off the deck, that the Hufflepuff had heard.  He trotted towards the girl, tail wagging, eager to steal some of the attention Gelar was getting. 

"Ah.  I'm sorry.  You can send him back.  Just tell him to go away."  Or, something. 

Petting the stallion's nose she noted it was Sasha's dog that had caught her attention. Strange how she hadn't noticed them there earlier. Hearing the 6th mention telling the dog to go away or send him back she blinked and gave him an odd look. "Why would Ah want ta do that?" Honestly, she had been wanting to coddle and spoil his dog the first time she had seen him following Sasha around.

Crouching down when Baldur reached her she rubbed his head. "Yer a handsome boy, ye are. Ah've admired ye from the moment Ah saw ye. Such a good boy, aye." Using both hands now she rubbed his neck and shoulders. As she gave him the attention he desired she continued to speak, letting him know how great he was. Perhaps Baldur was just a dog, but boosting his ego and pride couldn't hurt too much.

Glancing past the dog to the master briefly she noted that he was studying. As usual. Then again, so was she in a way, though in her opinion her studying was far more fascinating.

Neither dog nor Hufflepuff nor mutant-unicorn-thing seemed to object to their unplanned shared company so Sasha shrugged and turned back to his work.  After a final read through the essay and a few quick edits, he placed the assignment back in his bag and pulled the next textbook off of the stack. He flipped the book open, read the first paragraph of the chapter before looking up and over at the rather motley crew in the paddock. 

He watched the girl with the animals a few moments, grinning to himself as she complimented the Shepherd.  "He's getting so spoiled with all the attention," Sasha remarked, getting to his feet and climbing down the porch steps.  He stopped on the outside of the paddock, leaning against the top of the fence.  "He was always just an outside dog before...when my parents were around."  Baldur was still over with Moira, soaking in all the attention he could but Sawki, the mare, had spotted Sasha and, with a nicker, had wandered over towards the fence. 

"How were the rest of your holidays?" he asked.  "Did you manage to get some peace after, you know, the invasion?" 

Grinning at his mention of Baldur getting spoiled with recent attention she looked over, noting Sasha getting closer and stopping at the fence. "Nothing wrong with that, so long as he still does his job, aye?" There were pets, and there were working animals. It wasn't difficult for her to pick up the signs that this dog was no mere pet.

Being nosed by the horse again, who nearly knocked her over in the process, Moira took one hand from the dog and began to pet the larger beast. Baldur wasn't the only spoiled one, she'd wager. He wasn't getting any more treats, though, no matter how much he begged or attempted to knock her over.

"Aye, the invasion. An apt way ta put it." Smiling again she pushed herself up to her feet and nudged Gelar's head away from her pocket. "It took a while ta settle some of the animals. They're not used ta that many people around them at once, ye see. After that the holidays went smoothly enough. Ah still did-nae want ta come back though, Ah'll admit." A cold nose at her hand had her petting the Shepherd behind the ears. "What about the rest of yer holidays?"

"That is true."  There was no doubt Baldur did his job - and more so.  Sasha still didn't sleep well at night - and still had a bad habit of avoiding sleep as much as possible.  Baldur's presence at night, though, was the difference between a decent bit of rest and regretting trying to sleep at all.  If the inevitable nightmares started to invade his sleep, Baldur was there to nudge him out of deep sleep before the dream could really set in. 

Sasha nodded his head.  "I suppose they're not," Sasha remarked.  Given their home's location, Sasha could imagine they didn't get many visitors.  Certainly not visitors en masse.  "I hope our visit wasn't too troublesome." 

The Ravenclaw sighed, not entirely sure how to answer the Hufflepuff's question.  "It went by very quickly," he answered, vaguely at first.  He'd had very mixed feelings about coming back.  "I was staying with Professor Trishna, as you know and it was really nice. It felt-"  Explaining it felt like the holidays in the Christmas television specials probably wouldn't help.  Unicorns and televisions were probably not good combinations.  "It was nice to feel a part of something, you know?  Even if it was only for two weeks." 

For two weeks, he'd felt like he knew where he belonged - for the first time that he could remember.  Now what was going to happen? 

Which was probably all more than Moira wanted to know.  "Your father seems nice."

"Not too much trouble, nae. Ah din-nae have ta cook again fer two days after either, even with the way me uncle eats. Me dad enjoyed the visit especially. He's tucked away in those highlands but Ah know he misses people." Angus had great pride in that ranch though, so he would never just abandon it, despite his need to socialize with actual sentient beings who could hold a decent conversation.

Moira knew only a bit about his past, and most of it was - perhaps incorrectly - inferred. What Sasha said about the rest of the holidays added to it. With a nod she replied, "Aye. It's a good feeling to belong somewhere. To feel needed and wanted." Feeling unwanted wasn't something the younger girl had much experience with, but she could imagine would it would be like, and what she imagined wasn't pleasant.

"Aye, he is. He told me you and some of the others are welcome back at any time."

"You do most of the cooking at home?  Doesn't that get old?"  Even after having been in a couple households where people cooked for themselves, it still seemed somewhat foreign and odd.  Pasta was still about the extent of what he could make for himself though he did dabble in a few simple things over the holidays.  But, it seemed highly redundant.  As soon as you were done cooking, it was time to cook another meal.  "It's a lot like potions, isn't it?"  He commented aloud, as much to himself as anything.  "Just ... potions all the time." 

"Just some of the others?"  At first, Sasha couldn't resist the remark but quickly enough his manners returned.  The Ravenclaw offered a grateful smile and nodded his head, politely.  "You can tell your father thank you.  I appreciate the offer.  I'm sure you'd rather we didn't, though." 

He reached out and scratched the mare across the fence.  "Do you come down here a lot?  It's a nice place to get away from everything.  It seems so crowded now with all the different schools."  The castle was big but it was easy to get used to it being at a certain people density. "How are classes?"

"Ah enjoy cooking, really, though we do take turns. Ah normally cook dinner, but sometimes Ah take care of breakfast or lunch." Mixing different things together - some of them bland, bitter, or impossible to eat by themselves - to create something delicious to be enjoyed by her family.... It was a good feeling. In fact she was tempted to start commandeering a spot in the school kitchen at night when the house elves weren't overly busy.

"More me wording than Da's.... And Ah wouldn't mind ye or yer sister visiting." They both knew their way around horses, that helped. Then there was the unspoken fact she was far more comfortable around Sasha than most others after their several meetings and they almost could be considered friends.

"Ah'm almost always here or over where the other animals are fer the creatures class. Ah like to sketch them in my spare time. The castle is always crowded in my opinion, with or without the different schools." Which was probably why she had to duck around corners and into rooms so many times when a large group was coming. It was amazing she managed one at the ranch.

"Classes are alright, Ah suppose. Ah didn't do so great during the exams, though. What about classes fer ye? Ah imagine ye passed the exams at top marks."

"You enjoy it?"  The question had been more rhetorical or an expression of disbelief than question seeking an answer.  Cooking, thus far, had seemed little more than an activity driven by necessity.  Before this past holiday, for him cooking hadn't really incorporated that warm, familial aspect; family dinners had always been formal, carefully choreographed affairs. 

Holidays at his grandparents' had been the exception.  His Oma had always insisted on cooking.  "I suppose, if you're good at it.  I'm rubbish at anything that requires more than boiled water." 

For the briefest moment, surprise registered in the Ravenclaw's expression before he caught himself.  "I appreciate the offer," he replied, offering a grin.  "I don't yet know where I'll be for school breaks but, regardless, it would be good to get away."  Especially if he was stuck going home, again.  He wasn't looking forward to spending another summer alone in that massive, empty house but he wouldn't be able to sell the place and buy a new one until he was eighteen. 

Luckily, the conversation turned towards more familiar turf: academics.  "I don't know about top marks-"  Of course, there was no way to know for sure but his entirely unfair marks from Runes, alone, were enough to ensure he hadn't had top marks.   Unfortunately.  "And, I think my muggle exams went well.  I should be getting my scores in the next week or so." 

"What exams did you stumble on?  Is there ... if you ever want help, you can always ask."

"Honestly Ah'd have to let ye be the judge on if Ah'm any good or not. Ah can eat it but me dad and uncle can eat just about anything so it's not much of a compliment from them." Of course that didn't matter much to Moira. She loved cooking for her family and knowing that she provided them with the energy and sustenance they needed to get the day's work done.

"Better marks than average then." He seemed to relax a bit the way the conversation turned. Of course it made sense, he was always studying and seemed most comfortable when anything had to deal with learning and knowledge.

"Ah. Well ta be honest.... All of them. It was-nae a great time fer me as Ah had-nae gotten over.... ye know. Ah could-nae concentrate and even did worse in creatures than Ah normally would have. So far nothing's been said but it's still early in the semester with things starting ta settle again." With a shake of her head she offered him a smile. "Ah might take ye up on that offer sometime, if ye can find time out of yer busy schedule."