"Based on the weird squiggly lines that apparently is a map. And the weird wording on it. I believe this should be...it." Marida stopped before the gates that lead into the estate, looking it up and down with a mixture of confusion and disapproval. "This looks...different. I do not think that building would provide for me at all. Never the less." She walked along next to the estate and nodded. "Hhhm...seems large...I believe. Right ok then." She walked to the gate again

Marida needed somewhere to live, after her Colony now would not fully trust her as a member, plus returning there so soon may not be useful for her. And it requires a long travel unless by Flu or Apparition but setting up a Flu system so far in the wilds of Dartmoor doesn't work, especially when the colony moves a lot. This causes the problem with Apparition also. She cannot obviously live in the Ministry and most houses are too small to accommodate her size. For the last few days she's been hidden in someones field with camping equipment, food and warmth so that she is sheltered. However now it was time for her to be actually located somewhere as home, and obviously someone with Magic and a large enough area would work best. Someone who also liked horses and could cope with the smell made it even better.

To arrive at the estate, Marida was rather careless, she was dropped off nearby by one of the new members of the now active Centaur Liaison Office however she insisted on going alone and walking there by herself. However even with that she brazenly walked in the street and didn't try to hide herself, she was given a map that showed the roads and if on the road why should she take another path? It was hard enough to read the thing in the first place let alone when you're not on what its displaying. This of course meant that the poor soul looking after her at the time had to run along hidden and constantly trying to hide her using magic and making sure no vehicles if they came near or joggers could see her or just swerved to avoid her.

When she arrived at the again she observed inwards and nodded. She attempted to open the gate however failed due to it being locked, annoyed she started rattling the gate. "What is this?" She muttered angrily as she moved back, taking in the look of the gate in its entirety. "Why does this not open? Surely it must..." She inspected the gate and found the intercom. She pressed the button expecting the gate to just open. "These humans cannot make up their mind with their magic, first things open by themselves, then they don't, then they don't move."

When it rained, it poured.  That was the old English adage, wasn't it?  A week ago, Sasha had been having some fun in a Wizards' Club in San Fransisco before catching a muggle plane back to the UK and home.  The past week had been a whirlwind of change and emotions, with a recent owl topping the list of peculiarities.  A centaur, who had recently found employment at the Ministry, was looking for housing.  Sasha's equine-friendly residence had been offered as a suggestion.  Given the newly-finished house currently featured four times as many bedrooms as occupants, Sasha had considered taking on a roommate or two. 

A centaur wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd contemplated the idea.  But, he wasn't opposed to it, either.   In the end, they'd arranged a meeting so that the centaur, Marida, could view the property and decide if it would be an agreeable setting.  Though centaurs had been included in the Hogwarts curriculum, Sasha didn't have a lot of experience directly interacting with them and curiosity was a strong motivation for scheduling the meeting.  He'd tried to mentally work through all the potential sources of awkwardness to try to mitigate their influences.  There was nothing he could do about the most obvious abnormality (the whole six limbs and two separate bodies thing ... how many hearts did centaurs have?  Was their one in the chest cavity of the horse and the human part or just the human?  Where was their stomach?)

Sasha had decided to meet Marida and conduct much of the tour on horseback.  Her stride was bound to be longer then his and, given the size of the property, he didn't relish the idea of having to jog to keep up the whole time.  It would also help minimize the awkwardness from what he assumed would be a significant height difference.  Last, but not least, the horses needed to get used to the new creature in their midst. 

Even as Sasha rode the tall, black stallion up the lane, the Friesian must have caught scent of the strange visitor for he snorted nervously.  Sasha could see the outline of the tall centaur through the bars of the gate and tugged the gate remote free from his trousers and pushed the button.  The gears churned and the gate rattled inwards.  Wobias shied slightly at the stranger's silhouette but Sasha calmly steadied him. 

"'Allo, Marida.  It's a pleasure to meet you.  And, welcome.  As I understand, you wanted to see if this might work as a residence."   

Marida jumped backwards a little, startled by the gate having suddenly decided to move by itself. She stared upwards with wide shock filled eyes before she noticed that Sasha was there. Quickly she was recomposed and hmphed forwards, acting like she wasn't just frightened at a mechanical gate. As she walked forwards her head raised upwards, in an attempt to act superior however it sort of failed as she was is not used to talking to a human on equal footing. So she gave that up and looked straight at Sasha instead. "Hello. You must be the Sasha I have heard about?" She said in an attempted formal tone. But again she didn't seem good at trying to intimidate and act superior to those who aren't lower then her.

"Yes I am Marida, and yes I am looking to be able to live somewhere." She smiled, moved her hands and leant forwards to stroke Wobias. "Aaaw. He's gorgeous. And feels so strong." She moved her head to put it onto the horses head, she would smile all the while she did. "Hey there. is the human treating you well?" She moved back, letting go of the poor horse and returned to Sasha. "He does seem in very fine health. I am glad that you seem to know how to treat horses." She wrapped her arms around her chest and nodded. "I think you would be useful to live with. Tell me, do you clean the horses yourself? As despite our great abilities, cleaning our bodies is a bit..." She cleared her throat. "Difficult." She admitted although seemed very annoyed to do such a thing.

This was weird.  This was really weird.  And, Sasha couldn't help but wonder if the same thought was running through the stallion's head as the centaur rested her head on Wobias'.  Though the horse's nostrils flared and his ears pricked forward in rapt attention, the stallion neither bolted nor shied away.  Earning, in Sasha's mind, an entire apple with his evening forage.  "Don't let him hear you say that," Sasha offered, as a joke, trying to inject some levity into the situation (at least on his end).  "He knows he's handsome but it'll go to his head if he hears it too much." 

"I will assume I am," Sasha offered, with an awkward grin.  If there was another Sasha out there waiting for a meeting with a centaur tenant, it would be the coincidence of the century.  "I'm going to close the gate now," Sasha warned Marida, hoping doing so would prevent causing her to jump.  With another click of the remote, the gate's gears churned to life and the gate swung slowly shut.  Sasha tipped the stallion's nose in the direction of the barn. 

"I like to think I know how to treat them.  I was one of those 'learned to ride before he learned to walk kids'."  Immediately as he said it, he suspected that was a human-only cultural trait.  "There are currently ten horses living here, including Wobias.  I plan on taking a couple of them to school with me - both of the stallions - so they'll only be here sporadically."  Sasha really had no idea how the horses would perceive Marida.  Did they smell horse and person or was it an entirely different scent?  "There's a dog, Baldur, around here somewhere-" Probably playing in the koi pond, again.  "And a house elf and my grandmother moved in recently.  So, there should be plenty of room." 

Sasha blinked and, reluctantly, nodded.  He wasn't quite sure where she was going with the grooming question though he didn't have long to wonder.  He blinked and glanced at the centaur.  Slowly, trepidatiously, Sasha offered a verbal answer.  "I do.  It's a good bonding experience and I can keep an eye out on their health.  Do ... um ... centaurs usually engage in mutual grooming?"  Unintentionally, his mind dredged up an image of a circle of young centaurs, braiding each other's hair.  He shook his head to clear the thought.  Grooming a centaur would probably not be quite as awkward as grooming one's professor[1].  But, there were practical considerations.

"I probably won't be here every day, though."  He quickly added.  "I'll likely be spending a couple days a week at my other residence during the school term.  And, some weekends, I might be traveling to horse shows.  However, there is a heated shower stall.  It has an extendable, handheld sprayer." 

1.	Everybody's Go Something to Hide

He knows it. He knows I'm not as strong as I'm trying to be. He just has to know it now. Having realized that it was looking bad, all the coddling of the horse she looked away and scratched the back of her head. "Well...I mean...he's a very healthy and well endo...he's a good Stallion ok?" She said as she did her best not to look flustered. "And the gate closing is fine...just...didn't expect it to be noisy the first time is all." She attempted to keep the high and mighty act going before she followed the direction of the horse and observed the surrounding area.

"So what you're saying...is you don't know how to walk?" She replied to his comment on raising horses. As she listened to him explain about the grounds she nodded and hugged her chest. "If its anything, in exchange for letting me stay here I can also help tend to the mares if wanted. I'm rather proficient at grooming and can clean the stables." She scratched the back of her head again and nodded to him talking about him coming and going to school. "How come both of the stallions? Easy as there is only 2 and you can only take 2? Or don't trust them with the mares around?" She gazed at the main house and nodded yet again. "I won't easily fit in the main building so unless they go outside I won't interact much with them, but that may be easier for both of us."

She watched his reaction to the grooming question and gave a sly grin though. "Yes, since it is difficult for us to clean our own lower bodies, due to the size and limited rotation of our upper bodies. It does result in at the least our colony for us to clean eachother. However it tends to stick in groups, with the women cleaning each other in small social bands. And the men tending to go in duo's and less often. However couples will tend to eachother." Her hand moved from its scratching and she moved her hair as if to show it off. "However unless you're interested I only need my lower body cleaned, as with a normal human I can clean up my upper body just fine."

And finally she moved her hands to hug her chest again. "As said, I do not mind helping care for your horses when I am free. It will give me something to do and will help me repay you for letting me stay here." She looked back at Wobias with the comment of horse shows. Wondering on the purpose of them, do they just show off a horse? Just have them stand there and people say. Very nice Horse! A fine horse! Truly the best showing one! She likely isn't wrong in her mind. "Hhm, a heated shower would be rather beneficial. I hear it is common for humans to clean themselves every couple of days at worst. So I guess I should clean my upper half at the same rate, my lower can likely last for longer and may only need cleaning once a week at most. If I am to clean it frequently."

Now, mind you, Sasha knew he had a habit of being somewhat oblivious to conversation that could be described as flirtatious.  But, even he was starting to wonder about the abundant and specific compliments she was directing at Friesian.  Which was just, well, weird.  Maybe, with luck, this was just a cultural misunderstanding; maybe ... complimenting horses was part of their greeting rituals or his being astride Wobias was confusing her.  So many potential alternatives that Sasha was content to assume. 

"Oh no, I can walk."  Sasha glanced at Marida, removing his foot from the nearside stirrup and flexing his ankle as if in demonstration.  "I just ... I learned to ride at a young age."  He returned his foot to the stirrup and readjusted his grip on the reins, asking the stallion for collection.  If they were going to meander lazily, they might as well work while they were doing so.   He turned his attention back to the centaur when she mentioned barn chores in exchange for staying.  "You said you were working for the Ministry, yes?" he asked.  Two different, but slightly concerning, thoughts occurred simultaneously.  "They did add you to the payroll, didn't they?"  Surely, the Ministry wouldn't try to dupe the centaur into free labor or anything?

"That won't be necessary," Sasha assured Marida.  "I recently took on a house elf who will help with the horses when I'm not here.  I'm ... fairly particular about them.  I assumed you'd be paying rent, given you're gainfully employed?"  He understood the centaur might need a grace period, given she had only recently begun working.  But, if she was being paid, Sasha saw no reason for her not to pay her way. 

They'd reached the front end of the stable yard and Sasha drew Wobias to a stop.  "I'm on my school's equestrian team so I'll be using the two stallions in competition - shows.  It'll be easier for me to participate in training and shows with them closer to me."  Sasha had already assumed the stable aisle would make the actual stables an awkward fit, even if the stalls themselves lofted up to the stable roof.  Not to mention, they were horse stalls. 

"If you decided this was a workable location for you, I assumed we'd add on a more suitable facility.  I've been working on my construction charms and I'm sure, with Giada's help, it should be easy enough."  His little project in the Black Forest had been a wonderful source of practice.  "The arena should be able to provide some shelter in the meantime," he gestured towards the taller building adjacent to the stables.  "The jumps can be moved to the side in the meantime." 

Marida watched Sasha wiggle his foot about off the stirrup and nodded, she listened to about how he learned to ride. "Ah, I thought you meant as in you weren't as adept at walking." She looked away but gave a sharp nod at him talking of her being paid. "I believe I am being paid. However all I have received so far has been some weird lumps of metal." She rummaged in a bag attached to her body and retrieved several coins, showing off a handful of Galleons and Sickles. "Apparently this is your money. I just see some lumps of metal." She stared at the stables as he explained the Elf. "I just assumed that some help around here would be wanted also. Working to help here and being able to stay seems more useful then some pieces of metal."

"So you use the horses to compete in challenges? Am I correct? But seeing as you are human, you would be the one to be rewarded. The horses that you ride on, that you use and are the main reason that you would win do not get any prizes? Or rewards? Typical." She huffed and looked over the stable aisle then at the arena. "You would construct a new building just to house me? Interesting." She brushed her hair slowly and nodded. "Considering your offer of creating a new area for me, the size of the land and that you only seem to want this weird money."

She sighed and turned to face him properly. "If you would be kind enough to host me. I would be content...perhaps." She gave a huff. "Even happy. To be your guest on this land." She looked over Sasha. "Although a question remains of food, is there any good game around here for hunting? And any plants that are worth foraging? Or is that something I will need to rely on you and your elf for aswell?" She looked down at the shiny coins. "And it seems how much of these metal lumps you would like for such things. I'm assuming the gold one is worth more then the others."

Cultural differences.  The whole confusion about his riding skills and whether he was adept at walking had to be chalked up to cultural differences.  With a shake of his head, Sasha decided to leave that conversation there and move on.  After all, if she ended up living here, she'd eventually see him walk and could judge his abilities herself.  If she decided to live elsewhere, then it wouldn't be an issue. 

But, Sasha slowly squeezed his hands and drew the large Friesian to a stop when the centaur extended a handful of coins.  The casual nature with which she extracted and extended the money was just a touch concerning.  He remembered what it was like to be new to the wizarding world and not know how to navigate this new system.  While he had been familiar with the concept of currency, he hadn't had the slightest idea of the relative worth of galleons and typical wizarding wares.  Looking at those coins in Marida's hand reminded him how easy it had been for others to take advantage of him back then.  Presumably, it would be just as easy for someone to take advantage of her - probably easier, in fact. 

"Well, it's your money now, too," Sasha corrected.  "They're lumps of metal but they have an intrinsic value; their value is a representation of the value of the effort and time you put into your job at the Ministry.  Do centaurs use more of a bartering system?"  Or, maybe, they didn't exchange resources.  "This gold one is a galleon.  The silver, a sickle.  You don't...one moment."   Sasha found a small bronze knut from a small change purse in his pocket and placed it in Marida's hand by the others.  "Bronze knut.  They're how you barter your time at the Ministry for the things you want in life: shelter, food, entertainment ... whatever." 

Sasha imagined the system of exchanging labor for resources was more familiar to her and, in reality, it was a feasible option.  It wasn't like Sasha was hurting for the money but: "for one, I'm really particular about the horses.  I generally don't leave them in the care of peo- individuals I don't really know.  And, two, it would be good for you to learn the value of the money your earning.  The sooner you do, the harder it will be for people to scam you.   There are many that will try to." 

"We're both rewarded at shows," Sasha countered with a grin.  "It's definitely a team effort - I mean, you stick Wobias in the ring, alone, and turn on music, he's not going to be tossing out some winning routine.  And, what they win helps pay for their housing and toys.  If you saw how most horses win, you'd see they're living the high life." 

Sasha turned Wobias' head and nudged the horse up to a faster pace, leading the way out to the back, undeveloped part of the property.  It was a mixture of clear fields set up with cross country jumps and second-growth forest.  "Well, this is a relatively residential area so there isn't a lot of game.  Some rabbits, mostly.  Two of my other properties are far better suited to foraging but they're in another country.  We'd have to see if floo would be possible.  Other then that, you might have to buy meat and produce like the rest of us."  Sasha drew Wobias to a stop in the middle of a field.  "We have a saying, you know.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Marida looked at the coins as he explained them, seeming slightly agitated with the system as he went. "I did get told a bit about them...but not alot...that atleast I can remember not being told alot about the metal." She looked at the bronze knut and gave a huff of annoyance. "Why do you people waste your time with making metal into these shapes and wasting them on swapping for items when you can make weapons out of them. Or are you so reliant on your sticks doing everything for you that when it comes to actual weapons you cannot even get your sword anymore?" Not that her colony really used swords. They were more into the bows and spears business, better for hunting around the moors and didn't drag you down as much if caught in a bog.

"Bartering....I think I know that...it is trading resources for other resources yes? We tend to each have a weapon, be it bow or spear whichever you are better with. Then you can borrow the other if needed from our supplies, food is usually hunted or foraged with it going into a main group that everynight we cook and share food so no one goes hungry. The furs of your hunt you can keep however." She looked over the Galleon and pondered. "Is gold not a valuable item to your kind? To use it as items that everyone gets...seems wasteful if it is valuable to you." She did seem to perk a bit when he mentioned entertainment. "What forms of entertainment exactly? Fighting? Sparring? Racing? Archery contests?"

As she listened about the horses a smile crept up upon her face, she looked genuinely happy that the horses where being cared for by him. "I understand about taking care of them, I will leave it in the hands of your elf and you." She looked over at the stable as he spoke and nodded. "I see, so you get rewarded in the competitions however you share the reward with your horses. That is understandable."

She followed to the undeveloped property and looked over the area. "Floo network. The green fire that makes you feel weird. I suppose it is easier to travel by that then go into the city with the rest of your kind..." She looked down and seemed disappointed with no hunting but gave a nod. "Alright, I am to guess that the Diagonalley I am told about by the others is somewhere I can procure food? Hhm, I suppose incense and gillyweed can be obtained also. I suppose that is sufficient." She turned and offered the galleons she had. "How much would it be then, with your 'money' to have a place here?"

"And who are the Romans?"

Surprise, briefly, flickered across Sasha's expression as he glanced up from the coins to the centaur.  He couldn't actually remember the last time he heard the phrase you people used in quite that way.  He knew what she meant; she was a centaur, he was a human on a horse.  They came from very different cultures, obviously.  But, phrases like you people were almost solely for the benefit of the one trying to sow division between the cultures.  Push themselves further away from the cultures around them, usually in a way that asserts their own perspective as superior.  Given his own family history, it was the type of perspective he wasn't the most comfortable with. 

"We adopted currency generations ago because it's a more efficient system and, in the end, it frees up more time.  Rather then every individual developing the basic skills necessary to create tools, provide food and protecting our own for by ourselves, we're able to focus on an individual skill that we can excel at.  And, it really has nothing to do with magic or wands."  If that were the case, muggles would not have currency.  "A sword smith, who can spend his life mastering his craft, will make vastly superior weapons as compared to someone who just makes a single sword for his own use.  It's an efficient enough system that our weapons have progressed well beyond swords.  They're practically useless." 

She did seem to be getting it with the bartering concept.  Sasha had no doubt that this was going to be a steep learning curve for her, but at least she seemed to be striving to climb it.  You people, aside.  "Gold is valuable.  But, the amount of gold in that coin is less valuable than what the coin, itself, is worth."  It could be a complicated system.  And, they weren't even touching on the full extent of the banking and investing system.  "We do have all sorts of entertainment.  Versions of sparring in different games.  Also, I suppose, storytelling and music are big ones.  Alcohol and food."

Sasha nodded, confirming she had the right thing in mind when she described the floo network.  Admittedly, as Sasha eyed Marida, he had to consider that a centaur-sized fireplace could be quite the undertaking.  Obviously, whatever lodging he constructed would have to have some source of heat, but it did also require some degree of appropriate accommodation on the other end.  "Diagon Alley would probably be the best pace for food.  Hogsmeade, also, is an option.  And," he offered with a sly grin.  "Gillyweed isn't officially obtainable.  But, if you keep it quiet, I can get some.  Out of curiosity ... how ... flexible are you?  I mean, what would be the lowest space you could step through?  It sounds like you were already able to fit through a floo network somewhere - where was it?" 

He, really, hadn't given much thought to a fair cost for lodging.  "How does 20 galleons a week sound, once the lodging is complete?" he asked.  "Until then, only 5 galleons a week."  Even though he had initially turned down the idea of labor in exchange for rent, there was one thing he could see Marida helping with.  "I'd take off five galleons a week if you were willing to keep an eye out for any trouble, especially when I'm not here.  My grandmother lives here and it would be a relief to know someone, other than the house elf, is keeping an eye on things." 

"The Romans are from Rome," Sasha offered, with a grin.  "Do you mind if I ask, why are you ... here?  I mean, what brought to the Ministry?"

"So you use Spears and bows for weapons. As you should. They are the superior ones compared to swords. Longer range and lighter." She nodded approvingly. "We have it where if one of us is better at one thing they work on that, however we still do not need this currency for our group. The 50 or so of us all learn the basic skills then specialize so we can grow more prosperous." She brushed at her hair and attempted to smooth it, she appeared unused to it being this well kept, even if she has only had basic washed to make her tolerable to others.

"Alcohol? Yes I suppose that works, although I am assuming it is not done for specific events? We tended to store ours for the winter to warm us, if we made any. Music is not something we tended to do except for celebration or conflict...Storytelling I can do. Word of mouth stories telling of our ancients." She proceeded to watch him with curiosity. "So instead of keeping the gold for more you break it up. Interesting, although I have heard stories of people making gold so perhaps that would answer it."

"Hogsmeade...you have a town of hogs? Or you make drinks out of hogs....fascinating." She seriously looked as if she was considering both possibilities of a town run by hogs or at alcohol made from hogs. "Gillyweed is not legal? I thought that it was used for some of your drinks? The what are they...potions? Yes. I can keep quiet about it if you procure it. I give my word." She put her right fist over where on a human body the heart would be. "And why do you ask of flexibility? Surely you are not that deprived are you?" She gave a sly smirk to show she is teasing, it came out more menacing however. "I can reach a sufficient amount." She leant her human body backwards, it did not go that much further then an average humans before she started leaning forwards, creating a sort of line with her body however with a bump where her spine was, managing to look directly downwards. "I found myself at a house belonging to someone magical, they then swished their stick and the fireplace grew in size. However getting out the other side was...." She looked away, half out of embarrassment the other half annoyance. "Different."

"Hhhm, so five of the gold things until the accommodation is finished, followed by 15 if I work as a sentry...yes. That should be sufficient, and gives me a chance to hone my skills." She reached a hand behind her as if to grab a spear or bow then seemed frustrated at the thought they aren't there. Making her give a huff. "And where is Rome?" She asked in retaliation to the Roman talk. "I came to the ministry as I thought...According to wizards and witches who have come near our colony, we are not held in high regard and are often thought as savages. So I wanted to prove them wrong. And to move us above Vampires so we are seen as creature of Human Intelligence and move Vampires down to prove we are superior to them." She then looked away again and huffed. "Or atleast thats what I told my colony...Vampire part is yet to be decided, they haven't fought with our colony but other creatures have so despite what my colony says I have no real opinion on them. But it worked to allow them to let me go."