Xavier walked around the main house of the Ranch, tuning out the droning of the Center Lead. He hadn't planned on checking in on the Ranch. He had done a visit of all the Ranches and Breeding Centers at the beginning of the summer to get a feel for everything he now owned. When it came down to it, everything pretty much ran well enough on It's own and he didn't need to be hands on with any part of it. He was certain his own Board of Directors would happily let him stay home and collect his cheque at the end of the month.

Xavier, however, loved the Ranches and the animals they housed. So when he heard that the UK branch had recently taken in orphaned Colts, he arranged this little impromptu visit to check them out. Unfortunately the lack of advanced notice left the Center Lead a dithering mess. Xavier didn't think he'd ever get used to how these scruffy middle aged wizards were falling over themselves to impress him. Who the hell was he? A clueless eighteen year old with a perpetual hangover.

As they reached the stables Xavier lowered his sunglasses a bit to get a better look. Several hands were busying themselves around the stables going about their regular work. He took a few sips of his smoothie - a new favourite concoction Cook had put together to keep him going after his weekend benders.

"Where are thee new ones?"

The morning had been incredibly hectic with the arrival of the new colts. Moira had to cover a few other jobs that morning so a couple other employees could get them settled in. As a result she had worked extra hard to make sure everything was still done on time. By the time lunch rolled around she was regretting waking up an hour early.

After lunch she had been told she was on colt duty for the next few hours, possibly the rest of the afternoon. While Moira was secretly thrilled at the aspect she wondered if they were going to keep throwing work at her like this. It wasn't that she minded the work, but she did have more to do once she got home and would rather not go home completely exhausted.

A week after she had started her job her training wheels had been removed. Her trainer had followed her for a day at the end and then deemed their newest employee capable of working alone. Moira had liked her trainer, they had been friendly enough, but working alone did suit her better. She communicated anything necessary and vital to her coworkers but otherwise conversed with the animals in Gaelic, one-sided though it was.

Moira had just gotten together the milk and feed for the colts when she heard her old classmate's voice. Her new boss.

                                    "Where are thee new ones?"

Undoubtedly by new ones he meant the colts. They hadn't hired any one else yet since her and he was certainly not there for her. Xavier wasn't someone she had spoken with much if at all during school. They had acknowledged each other in passing if they weren't preoccupied but that was it. Everyone had run in different circles, some had intertwined. Moira's circle had not overlapped his.

The young witch couldn't help but glance him over. He looked terrible compared to when they had been at school. Other than the inheritance it didn't appear that post-graduation life was doing him many favors.

Since no one else spoke up immediately, even the Center Lead flustered and intimidated, Moira did. "The colts are this way. I'm headed there now."

Xavier turned to the voice with a smile and a nod. He placed a hand on the Center Leads shoulder, "Thanks fer thee 'elp. Miss McBoid cin take it from 'ere." The older man stammered for a moment trying to form a rebuttal but Xavier had already turned away from him to join Moira's side. He knew the former Hufflepuff by name only. They hadn't been friends in school, though thankfully they hadn't been enemies either. They simply didn't run in the same circles nor did he think she was close with Ayla. Had they both played Quidditch? He was unsure about that.

As they walked along the stables he sipped from his smoothie and let out a bit of a chuckle, "Thanks fer thee save. Ev'r since I became owner, it seems like e'eryone's bin bendin' ov'r backwards fer me." He looked over at her, "glad ye ain't treatin' me any diffe'ent than when we were in school."

"What kinda horses are thee colts?" The ranches housed everything from race horses, to carriage horses to flying horses. The notice he got about the new arrival hadn't mentioned the breed.

 As they walked along the stables - several stalls were occupied, others were being cleaned, some were simply empty - a large Stallion leaned out over his gate and nibbled at Xavier's shoulder. He let out a yelp, more in surprise than pain and turned to the towering horse. He was shocked to realize he recognized him. A soft chestnut coat, his main neatly braided and his slightly darker brown wings tucked against his sides. Xavier reached up to stroke his muzzle, "Shinin' Armor? What in thee 'ell are ye doin' 'ere?" The eight year old Aethonan was his cousin's horse. He had been housed at his Aunt Scarlett's home, though he supposed once Cadance ran away and became disowned, his aunt did the same to her horse.

He turned to Moira, "Make sure this one's well taken care of, yeah? Least til I cin get 'im back to 'is owner." He tried to think of the paperwork he'd have to go through to be allowed to ship the horse overseas to where Cadance was living now. Not to mention the travel arrangements. Then again he'd be more than willing to fly the horse down himself. 

Moira looked over and gave a nod in response to his thanks. She wouldn't say as much but bowing down to anyone wasn't in her nature. "It must get tiring, dealing with them all the time." Xavier did have some knowledge and experience going in. Still, going from being a student just finishing Hogwarts to someone who was very important was quite a jump. She would have gone crazy.

In response to his question she said, "One of them is a Granian and the other two are thoroughbreds." Their story and circumstances had not been told to her but Moira believed, based on their behavior towards each other, they all came from the same place. They were also about the same age given a month or so. From what she had seen the three of them were very friendly, just nervous to their new surroundings.

Their progress through the barn was brought to a stop when Xavier let out a startled yelp. The current resident of the stall they passed appeared to have recognized him and the recognition was quickly returned. As she was wont to do, Moira observed them both without interrupting. When he turned back to her she slightly tilted her head, "I will best I can. I'm still rather new here myself and they have me all over the place."

Moira always gave the best care she could to any animal she handled. However, she was biased towards Aethonans. They were her favorite of the winged horses. That was in part because of her own mare the young witch had raised since she was a newborn filly. So far she planned to keep Cerys' colt too.

With no intent of rushing her former classmate Moira said with a hint of a smile, "Whenever you're ready the colts are in a small paddock just passed the barn." If Xavier wanted to stay there with Shining Armor for a while longer it wasn't too big of a deal. She would stay late again if she needed to.

"I appreciate tha'." He said softly while running his hand over the Stallion's coat a little longer. He hugged his neck before starting txo move on, whispering promises to the horse about reuniting him with his owner.

"Family drama." He offered casually and they headed toward the paddock that was currently housing the new arrivals. He Wasn't sure how much Moira had paid attention to him and his family at school. He knew the rumors about Cadance had been pretty wide spread and by graduation she had stopped trying to hide her pregnancy. Then again there were plenty of underlining issues that only those closest to the rich Slytherins had known about.

"Wha' s their temperament like?" He asked as the came up to the paddock where the three Colts were housed. He was a little apprehensive. While he didn't exactly fear the horses he couldn't help think of how his Grandfather had died - trampled by a startled Pegasus he had been trying to rescue.

Moira simply nodded some at his explanation of family drama. As far as the rumors and circulating news at school had gone, she knew the major points of what was involved and nothing more as it wasn't any of her business. It was one of the things she had highly disliked at school, and so far the working world wasn't much different; everyone talking about everyone else as though it affected their lives when really it was just entertainment to make themselves feel better. Of course, now if something happened with Tawse it could affect her life, she thought with a glance at Xavier. Depending on whether that affected the company or not.

Working with winged horses her whole life the young witch prided herself on being able to judge emotion, at least to the point when they were relaxed or tense. At Hogwarts that skill had become applicable to people as well, after hours of observation. Her glance had allowed her to see some tension in her current companion. Moira didn't think it would be enough to upset the foals more than they were.

"They're decent. Nervous of course with the new surroundings and sights and smells and new people but they're still curious." She slipped inside the paddock, unable to stop a smile from forming as the foals quickly realized she had food. At their hopefully cautious approach she murmured soothingly to them in Gaelic, feeding them close to the fence for Tawse's sake. "Having each other helped, I think. Once they get fully settled I imagine they'll be all over the place." Gently she stroked one of the thoroughbred's shoulders, looking back to Xavier who was still outside the paddock. "Would you like to come in? I promise they're more interested in eating right now."

Xavier stood outside the paddock watching as Moira fed the colts. A soft smile curled his lips. While he hadn't been directly involved with her getting taken on at the ranch he was happy to see how well she was doing. It was still sort of strange, seeing his former classmates as actual adults but he supposed he'd get used to it. He figured it was likely the same for anyone that saw him these days, wearing suits and talking business. At least when he visited the ranches he could dress down and enjoy himself more.

"What are ye sayin ta 'em?" He pondered as he caught small pieces of the soft Gaelic. It seemed a little familiar but he couldn't place what it was.

He hesitated for a moment before entering the paddock at her request, "Sorry. Nerves." He offered though still kept a bit of distance between himself and the horses, "Me Grandfatha was trampled few months back." He shrugged taking a long pull from his smoothie, "Left me a bit skittish." While skittish wasn't a word he would typically associate with himself, Xavier had spent the last two years of school working with Councillor Yukawa accepting his fears and working past his personal traumas. While he'd never fully 'get over' it, Xavier had come to respect his fear more, as well as his own fight or flight instincts.

"How long do ye thin' it'll be til they're settled?" If they were simply orphaned the transition may be easier than if they had come to the ranch under more traumatic circumstances. He knew the facilities dealt with rehabilitating rescued animals as well as the general care and breeding that they did.

The three colts were healthy, and judging by their current preoccupation they're appetites were normal as well. Before she had gone to fetch their lunch Moira had checked their health, despite having been told they were all healthy. That was something she preferred to see for herself even if she trusted the judgement given.

She paused mid-sentence hearing Xavier's question and glanced back to him, still smiling. "I'm just boosting their egos. Telling them how brave and handsome they are." While they didn't necessarily understand what she was saying, and sometimes she wondered about that, the emotion behind it tended to reach them well enough. In the end that was all that mattered. If they felt proud and confident then that would do wonders for their adjustment to the ranch.

Xavier's entrance into the paddock was slow and she wondered whether he was apologizing to her or himself. She had offered him entrance, though. Then he followed up with an explanation she remembered reading about in the paper. It had been just before they left school, too. "It's alright. I understand. You didn't have to come in." Likely the wizard had no clue that Moira could empathize with his situation quite well. Circumstances and causes were different in both situations but the results were the same. Loved ones had been killed by winged horses.

Shifting her weight Moira ended standing slightly between Xavier and the colts as a barrier should something happen answering his next question as she did, "Not long, I shouldn't think. Perhaps a week? Ideally, since they seem sound enough, I'd like it if we put them in one of the larger pastures with some of the grown horses. I'll know more about them by the end of my shift at six, though." Maybe by then she'd also learn what the current plans regarding the colts were.

Moira watched the colts for a moment before realizing how all that might have sounded. "Sorry, I'm used to working with horses and making decisions. Didn't mean to sound so in charge." At home sometimes a snap decision was needed and by this time her dad well trusted her judgement.

Xavier had smiled when she translated the Gaelic for him. He supposed it was no different than telling a dog they were a 'good boy'. He had seen it with larger creatures often enough as well, especially the year Rubeus Hagrid had returned as Creatures Professor. The half giant was all about the encouragement to creatures no matter how dangerous they were.

He waved off her understanding casually, "No, No, I gotta face me fears anyway." He had never known a horse to threaten him even if he hadn't spent as much time with them as his cousins had. Growing up he wasn't exposed to anything more dangerous than a kneazle whenever he visited his father at his shop.

He nodded, taking another few sips of his smoothie, "tha' sounds fantastic. Any word on plans fer 'em afta they're settled?" If they were in good enough health and old enough they could be used for breeding, they'd also be available for adoption. He didn't think they'd be released into the wild, unless of course That's where they had started. He had been checking in on the ranches and most of the more 'ordinary' animals often came from farms that had been abandoned or homes that could no longer keep them. He should have checked to see if there was more information on where the Colts had come from.

Once again he waved her off and took a few steps closer, keeping an eye on the young horses, "Don' apologize. Bein' assertive will git ye far 'ere." Xavier knew his grandfather hadn't been fond of yesmen. He needed people that would stick to their guns and follow their instincts. They needed people that would do what was best for the animals not just what their superiors wanted them to do.

"How long 'ave ye bin 'ere?"

Moira shook her head, "I haven't heard anything about what they're planning. That's part of what I'm wanting to learn." There was a lot about this place and how it was run that Moira needed to learn still. Handling the animals and taking care of their health was a given however the protocols of the business were something she wanted to also memorize. Not all situations lined up nice and neat. There would always be problems to figure out but knowing the general standards for different situations could help keep those issues from becoming bigger problems.

Being assertive came somewhat naturally for the witch. That had largely to do with her growing up in relative solitude and having to make her own decisions while her dad and uncle worked. Following another person also required a certain amount of trust, something Moira wasn't willing to give easily.

Moira was watching the colts eat when his next question came and she glanced over to him, "Three weeks." Possibly it was too short a time to be overly assertive. Many people didn't appreciate being told they were wrong by the newest person around.

Absently she reached over rubbed the Granian's neck and shoulder. Moira knew it felt good when the colt paused his eating and leaned into her hand causing her to chuckle. "Definitely used to people. Spoiled aren't you?"

Their food wasn't going to last much longer at the rate they were eating. After that she would work with them to learn what all they knew about being handled. Leading the colts didn't seem to be too much of a problem from what she had heard but again she preferred to judge that kind of thing for herself.

She looked back to Xavier again, still petting the colt. Unless he requested to watch she would wait until he left before doing anything potentially harm-inducing.

"Gotcha." He said with a nod. It shouldn't be too hard for him to figure out what would happen next, if he were so inclined. He had been curious about the new arrivals but it was hard to say if that curiosity would continue after his visit. He had other matters to deal with in his day to day. All in all he was happy to see that they were in good health and didn't appear dangerous - at least as non dangerous as a creature there size was. Every creature no matter their personality could be dangerous in the wrong situations.

He nodded again taking some time to drink more of his smoothie. Three weeks didn't seem like a long time but then again he had been running his family's business less than three months himself. He still felt like he had no idea what he was doing but at least he had fallen into a daily routine. There were less meetings and less paperwork to sign. Nowadays it was mostly overseeing things. Most of the branches of the company ran well on their own and in the end his board of directions did most of the work. If he really wanted he could sit back and do nothing but that lifestyle didn't sit well with him. His weekend benders were often enough, he needed something in between to break them up or he may fall down a hole he wasn't able to get back out of.

He watched the colt nuzzled into her hand. At the notion that they were used to people Xavier felt it safe enough to approach them. Though he still did so slowly. He reached his hand out to another of the young horses waiting for the animal's approval before stroking it's neck.

"Have ye cared fer horses before? Ye seem ta know what yer doin'"

Moira nodded, "Aye. My whole life. We raise and board winged horses at home, but not on this scale." Twenty horses, give or take, could not compare to an enterprise like Wentworth and Sons.

It had crossed her mind that her working here could be seen as an attempt at stealing secrets or undermining their success somehow. That kind of thinking couldn't be farther from the truth but it could also be harmful to her employment. Hopefully Tawse wouldn't see it that way. All she wanted was hands on experience in taking care of a multitude of creatures.

"What about you? Any past experiences?" He seemed to enjoy them but he wasn't as comfortable around them as she was.

If the colts were to suddenly startle she'd adapt to the situation and try to calm them down so they didn't hurt anyone or themselves. For Moira, that reaction had become second nature. At home they would sometimes have a stallion decide he really wanted a mare more than he wanted to listen or two horses who decided to have a dispute when she was between them. Thinking about what needed to be done wasn't always an option. She had to rely on her instincts from past experiences.

"Tha's good." Then in a tone that suggested he had said something incredibly stupid he added, "Suppose ye woulda needed sum experience ta git thee job, yeah?" Xavier wasn't directly involved with hiring new staff. Ultimately that fell on the shoulders of the director of each facility. He had no idea what into it nor what was required and each location was different. Even the several ranches weren't the same.

He took a moment to think about how he wanted to answer her question. He didn't talk about his childhood with a lot of people. There were many things he pretended simply didn't exist. Though that wasn't going to work now that so much of his family's dirty laundry had been aired.

"Sorta. When I was a boy, me da' ran a pet shop. Sum times I got ta 'elp. Thee bigga ones though, four years o' Care o' Magical Creatures is all I got." Once again, he tried to remember her from school. Their interactions were so minimal, even in the classes they had together. He was sure she was part of his CoMC class.

"Sum o' me cousins have more experience than me. Me cousin Ava actually works here."

Moira nodded in acknowledgement about the experience needed for her to have even gotten the job. After that it had gotten them to take the training wheels off, so to speak, after just a week. Later she had learned most required two weeks up to a month before they were ready to work without a trainer, depending on the individual employee. Her pride had not diminished any with this new knowledge.

Listening to Xavier's story about growing up, helping with the pet shop animals and all, made her curious what owning one would even be like. "We've only ever had horses, now some miniature dairy goats. No small pets for us, until I found my Niffler at school." That had been an interesting experience. While the pretense had been to keep the creature for it's well-being, the truth was Moira hadn't wanted to release it back into the forest. Still, a Niffler was a far cry from a dog, cat, or even a puffskein.

"It was Care of Magical Creatures that helped me realize I wanted to study more than horses." All the different creatures had fascinated her. She began making many trips to the library; checking out as many books as possible to learn more about whatever creature they were studying and then to creatures they were not studying. Her curiosity regarding different magical creatures was insatiable.

Hearing about his cousin she glanced over at him curiously, "At this ranch?" Moira wouldn't have been able to tell. Three weeks and the only names she knew where her trainer's, the center lead's, and the person who was in charge of the food stock.

"I've neva actually 'ad a pet meself." He moved around slightly, looking to the colt in front of him and gauging how much the animal trusted him. He stroked him once more, ""avin' thee shop was enough when I was youn'er." He skipped over the part about his father going missing, being presumed dead and him moving out to Scotland to live with his Mother's family. Once he got to Hogwarts he never felt like having one for himself either, especially given the options he was allowed to have. He hated cats and toads or rats weren't exactly exciting either.

He looked slightly surprised, "They let ye keep a Niffler at school?" He tried to remember what House she had been in. He knew there were constant staff changes across the seven years they lived at the castle. It was possible she was able to get away with it simply because no one knew about it. Then again, if she was able to hid a Niffler and keep it from ransacking the common rooms every time it saw something shiny, he was even more impressed.

"Tha's cool." He remarked in regards to her decision to expand her Creatures knowledge, "I guess I took thee class because o' me family, neva thought I'd bee thee one runnin' thee company though." He hadn't even known that he was the Heir until he was almost Sixteen. After that, he assumed he had his whole life ahead of him before such responsibilities would fall to him. Arathorn may have been in his Eighties but even he had taken on the company later in his life, long after having his seven children and even a few Grandchildren (he was pretty sure there was even a Great Grandchild here or there)

Xavier nodded, "Oh aye, Ava Wright. She's me Aunt Cordelia's daughter. Actually 'er olda sista is married to Professor Prewett." Much like many of the older Pureblood families, Xavier knew his family was large and interconnected to many of the other Purebloods. It was a flaw he was starting to see in some of his family's purist ideals - eventually everyone just ended up being related to everyone else.