Home was a fantastic place to return to, even if more work did await her. All that was left today were evening chores and preparations to be made for the next day. The best part was Moira didn't have to go work at the ranch the next day. She could sleep in until six thirty and stay up a little too late taking a long hot bath and maybe reading a book. Then tomorrow, she could focus on their own horses needs and grooming.

So far she loved her job with the menagerie. It wasn't dissimilar to work at home and she was able to study magizoology on broader terms than just their winged horses and miniature dairy goats. It was hard work but that made it all the more worth doing. Even on days like today when something had to have been in the feed and water troughs. Almost every animal Moira had worked with had chosen to be difficult and uncooperative. She had been kicked, bitten, and shoved several times. All injuries had been minor and easily remedied however there was still a lingering soreness that left her feeling achy. Another employee had laughingly said it was a rite of passage when it came to working with animals. As if she didn't already know that.

When she arrived home the cottage was empty. Her dad and uncle were out feeding all the animals though Casper was in his enclosure in her room as usual, still waiting for his dinner. Moira was a little later than normal, arrive at seven instead of just after six. Hopefully the niffler wasn't too grumpy with her. Getting his food from the closet first, she approached his cage. "Sorry I'm late. It's been a rough day. I got you something though to make up for it." After feeding him she gave him a fake, but shiny, coin hoping it would appease any ill will along with the food.

That done she then went to make a few grainy horse treats for Cerys while also starting on dinner. Cooking was something Moira enjoyed doing. It was a relaxing process, even when experimenting with new recipes or trying to make old recipes better. Her endeavors weren't always as successful as she hoped but that was part of the fun. The horse cookies she was making had been a healthy animal treat experiment once too. Cerys had refused the first several attempts and now she couldn't get enough of them. All that effort had definitely been worth it.

Hearing a sound from the fireplace she paused, pot gripped in one hand while her other hand reached for her wand. A moment later, Abby Reid stepped out and into the great room. Moira stared and relaxed, hand moving away from her wand. Their floo was protected so not just anyone could pass through but it was better to be wary and careful. Access closed when they were asleep or no one was home too. Why was Abby in their fireplace?

Oh. The slumber party. During a small discussion that night an invitation to visit might have been issued. This was the result.

Clearing her throat she placed the pot on the counter. "Hi, Abby. Come on in."

"I brought whiskey!" Abby stepped out of the fireplace and shook off the floo powder. She'd decided to go 'muggle' today, in jeans and a slouchy white top, with - what else? - sparkles scattered across it. Or were they sequins? Whatever, a squib had to do what a squib had to do to add some pizazz to her life.

Abby set the bottle of firewhiskey on the kitchen counter and leaned over the pot of food Moira was making. It smelled amazing. The cottage was warm and comfortable, and felt especially homely after her first week at work.

"Hi," Abby grinned at her. She thought about giving her a hug, but noticed she hadn't stopped puttering in the kitchen, and didn't want to intrude. One of these days. One of these days it would happen. They'd only met up a few times, once at the slumber party, and then after Virgil's performance earlier in the week. Moira was a serious sort, with a dry sense of humor and, Abby suspected, Hidden Depths. There were quite a few of those sorts in Abby's own family, and so she felt like she understood Moira's quiet nature.

"What are you making? Can I help? I'm told I'm very good at setting the table," she smiled teasingly. "I'm also skilled at opening bottles of alcohol. Those are my chief strengths. Oh my Merlin!" Abby exclaimed, moving away from the counter. "I still sound like I'm preparing for interviews! I got the job. I even survived my first week. Raine or Fauna can tell you it's true."

Abby set her purse next to a couch in the living room, and then moved back into the kitchen. Her purse too, had sparkles. Sequins. Whatever!

Immediately a boundless energy replaced the almost-sleepy atmosphere as Abby swept in. Because it was Abby Moira didn't mind the change and found it rather refreshing instead. Shortly after the slumber party started, their first meeting, Moira had decided she liked the other girl and thought if anyone didn't like her, then something was wrong with that person. Abby was friendly and sunny, showing a joy in almost everything it seemed. Hopefully she liked the farm.

Tracking her movements wordlessly Moira stirred what was in the pot before stopping to let it simmer for a while. "It's just goulash," she replied. The amount of spices, and some different kinds added too, were different enough that made it unique. Her dad's goulash was different but just as good. She didn't think much more of it than a natural occurrence. "Don't eat the cookies though. They're not for people."

A small smile formed as Abby mentioned interviews and surviving the first week of work while Moira pulled out the bowls and spoons. "Must have. You are here, as am I." Setting the utensils down she retrieved four cloth napkins.

"I am looking forward to my day off though." Having her two days off split and not together, like the average Saturday and Sunday, was not much of a disadvantage. Even back during school most weekends were used as extra study time, though not the whole day. Then working and living on a winged horse farm days off didn't really exist. All the horses had to be fed, their enclosures cleaned, and they each had to be checked for any injuries sustained. If there was a way for a horse to get hurt, they would find it.

"Sorry, can I get you anything? Some water maybe?"

"Mmm goulash," Abby gestured for the bowls as Moira gathered the utensils, setting them down next to the cloth napkins.

"Are you sure they're not for me?" Abby teased. "I do make a lot of unicorn jokes. Let me guess, though. Horses? Are the cookies for horses?"

Moira did love horses! As did Abby now, after getting to know Summer at the lakehouse. 

"I can help myself, if you don't mind me opening all the cabinets," Abby smiled, fetching a glass of water. They could break into the whiskey later, if Moira liked.

"What's your day off look like?" She wondered, watching Moira arrange dinner as efficiently as she did most tasks, from what Abby could tell. "Recovering? Recuperating? Resting? The three essential R's."

Moira gave Abby an amused look. "You're welcome to try one, of course." She had tried a cookie once herself, after Cerys had given her approval, just to see what it tasted like. It tasted like a horse cookie.

"Make yourself at home." If there was anything in the house noteworthy to hide, they were most likely things her dad or uncle wanted to hide and they wouldn't be in the house. There were little niches and places all around the property perfect for hiding different things. Moira hid an egg once when she was very small thinking it would hatch but of course it didn't.

With the table set Moira returned to check on the food, listening to the next question directed at her. "Nothing too unusual. Feed the people and animals in the morning. Cerys, my mare, needs a bath. Exercise some of the horses that are getting restless. Draw if I have time." Laying about the house was not something the witch was accustomed to. The extra long hot bath that would possibly have to be postponed was lavish enough.

Putting the lid on the pot she leaned against the counter, looking over to her guest. "Other than surviving, how was your first week?"

"I'll pass," Abby caught her amused look as she inspected the array of horse biscuits, wondering what exactly was in them.

She listened to Moira describe her usual days off, which did not involve any essential R's, as far as Abby could tell. The girl seemed tireless! Abby smiled at her mention of feeding the people and animals in the same sentence. The people came first, but just barely.

Leaning against the counter, Abby sipped at her water, watching Moira check on the pot of food with nonchalance that spoke to her experience in the kitchen.

"You draw, too?" She perked up, thinking of Sasha's sketchbook. "I only doodle, but I love to see what artistic people create. Do you draw animals? People?"

She tilted her head, curious.

At her question, Abby nodded, considering the highlights of her first week at work.

"It went well! I'm a pro at the icebreaker games they make you do when you're new. They laughed, at least."

She tapped her nails on her glass.

"Otherwise it was fairly basic. I'm getting the hang of Carstairs' schedule. I had a bit of an issue routing the memos to the correct people - I use the auto-fly ones - and Pratt gave me a list of nicknames rather than real names. I've heard all sorts of nicknames for him, so at least it's not one-sided," Abby grinned. "Oh, and I decorated Blake's cubicle."

Facebook had given her the inspiration, though she doubted Moira knew of the muggle social networking site.

"No real reason. It's not her birthday - that's on a separate list that I put," she paused. "Somewhere. I just felt like she needed some confetti on her desk. And auto-floating memos that I cut into flower shapes. Who wouldn't like those?"

Perfect for Flora! At least, a passing Auror had thought so.

"Animals and their habitats. Originally I started it as a way to better understand part of their physiology, since many of them I couldn't study like I do our horses. Now I draw also because I enjoy it." Moira made a mental note to show Abby the drawing she had done of Daisy sometime after the slumber party. If the other girl wanted it, of course, she could have it.

Moira listened as Abby described her first week at work. At the ranch there hadn't been any icebreaker games. There had been a lot of walking and memorizing. Fortunately she was good at remembering where places and other things were so after a few rounds of the main facilities she didn't get lost and it was easy to get her bearings if she did go somewhere she was unfamiliar with.

 Tilting her head ever-so-slightly she imagined the flower shaped memos Abby had thoughtfully shaped, "It would depend what was written on them, I think." If the memo caused any kind of panic or urgency for someone Moira doubted the flower shape would help. Still, it was a sweet gesture and surely Blake would appreciate it as was intended.

The aroma of goulash was beginning to fill the kitchen and the rest of the cabin. "We don't have to wait for my dad and uncle to eat, since it will be ready soon. There's no telling when they'll come in." Other than feeding time for the animals, neither of them ran off of any particular schedule although they did try to eat their meals at regular times. That wasn't always an option though and the animals, being their main source of income, came first.

"I'd love to see one! Especially if you have a drawing of Cerys," she told Moira. She'd love to see Cerys and the rest of the animals in person sometime, too.

Abby's eyes widened at Moira's thoughtful comment. "Oh, I didn't write anything on the memos. I just doodled silly pictures. Stars and rainbows and unicorns and that sort of thing. They were all floating above Fauna's desk in multicolored parchment and she took one look and said 'Abby'!"

If Abby couldn't torment her sister these days, then she'd settle for a few of the Auror trainees. Keep them on their toes.

Abby nodded, eying the pot of goulash. Moira didn't have to tell her twice not to wait to eat. It smelled amazing.

"What's it like living with your dad and uncle? What are they like?" She smiled, imagining two burly, taciturn men with the same practical sensibilities as Moira.

"Is it weird at all, after Hogwarts," she glanced around the cozy cabin, and thought that it didn't look much bigger than the flat she shared with Raine. And she chose to share with Raine! Raine was all things lovely.

"I have several drawings of Cerys," Moira nodded in confirmation. There was even one of the mare as a wee thing, just hours old and covered in foal fluff. Naturally she had done sequential drawings that showed the process of Cerys growing up. Seeing all the changes happen in small shifts was fascinating. There was also the possibility that she was biased.

Nodding in understanding at Abby's explanation on the memo's she replied, "Thought maybe you had cut up and reshaped some memos from Carstairs or Pratt." It was probable neither would appreciate their memos being disfigured but Moira wondered if Abby would really get in trouble for it, so long as the message was still intact.

Hearing Abby's question about living with them Moira blinked at her thoughtfully, "It's... like having flatmates who are also your family?" Aside from the Hogwarts dorms she didn't have anything else to compare it to, and it was not like living in dorms.

"Anyway, me uncle took after granddad, same as me I'm told. We're quite happy isolated away from everyone with just creatures around us. Uncle Duncan's more specific towards horses though." It didn't need to be said that Moira liked all creatures. "Dad loves people, supposedly took after my grandmother. He will use any excuse he can to socialize or go to a party." Moira gave Abby another look. "He'll like you." There was no way Angus McBoid could dislike Unicorn girl, as Virgil had named her. Her uncle was a bit harder to please but he wouldn't be rude to a guest.

"Not going back to Hogwarts is honestly a relief for me. The last few years weren't so bad. We weren't forced to take classes that didn't matter to our careers or interests. I just like working more than studying. Except for Magizoology which is more of both."

She listened as Moira described her family, noticing the absence of a mum. Moira's uncle was more like Moira in personality, preferring to hang around the animals at home, while her father actually liked people.

"Oh good! I like people too," she added with a grin, looking forward to meeting Mr. McBoid.

Abby could picture Moira sharing a dorm room with several other girls, and understood why she preferred the ranch.

For a moment, Moira reminded her of someone she'd known once, a long time ago. In her own domain, her friend had commanded with quiet confidence and skill. Except Abby couldn't think of who that would be.

Feeling a chill in her fingers, Abby set her glass of water on the counter. She pasted on a smile, shrugging off the odd comparison.

"Sounds like you've always known what you wanted to do and who you wanted to be," Abby said with a faint touch of admiration.

"I've always liked the idea of magizoology," she admitted with some mischief. "Wrangling creatures, kindly of course. Studying them in their habitats. Petting adorable fluffballs of cuteness."

She tilted her head.

"But really, it requires some serious Hufflepuff work ethic."

Abby gestured at her, the prime example.

Moira tilted her head slightly. That smile Abby gave was forced. "Aye, I suppose so. I couldn't see me doing anything else." Even attempting to picture herself at another task, like being an auror trainee with Almasy and Blake, didn't sit right. Hanging around people hadn't sat right at first either but she'd adapted and grown into it, sort of. Social gatherings didn't make her as uncomfortable as they used to.

"Is it really work though if you love it?" The answer was a silent yes, that day was a perfect example. "It's just what I do." The love for taking care of the animals made it a bearable load to have. So much so she was staying late and taking on more work. Maybe it was a kind of addiction.

Sniffing the air Moira turned and uncovered the pot releasing a fresh blast of food smells. She stirred. "Time to eat." In a matter of moments two of the bowls were filled, Moira sitting at the table across from Abby.

"Out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite foods?"

Abby found Moira's humble attitude refreshing. She did what needed to be done, without complaint, though Abby imagined she didn't love every single second of it. She loved it in general, which was enough.

Abby would love to love something so much, to have that certainty about who she was and who she wanted to be. She'd always known what was expected of her, and defied or failed those expectations. What she wanted felt like the basic things that everyone wanted.

Supportive family, friends, a place to belong.

"My favorite food?"

Sitting across from her, she gave her a playful look. Then she dipped her spoon in and took a bite of the meal in front of her. She chewed.

"Goulash," she said, her hand over her mouth, the word slightly muffled by the huge bite she took.

Abby laughed.

"Anything sweet, really. Brownies are my latest obsession," she nodded, thinking of the baked goods Virgil had sent her.

"How was your first week at the new job, by the way? Working for Xavier?" She arched an eyebrow, unable to imagine Xavier Tawse giving employees direction, if only because she knew him from parties.

Moira glanced at her appreciatively when Abby joked that goulash was her favorite. Even when it was just her dad and uncle it was nice to know they liked what she cooked.

"I have a recipe for those," she answered between her own bites of food. It wasn't just main courses Moira focused on learning. Desserts and appetizers could be just as much fun, if not more, to make. Then of course there was pet treats, different kinds for different animals, and a special mix of horse feed that they didn't get unless they needed an energy boost, which was never.

"Xavier doesn't deal with the day to day. It's rare to see him, I've heard. Anyway, it was... about like here. Just bigger. And many more animals. I think some of the others were disappointed I didn't get lost more than twice." They had learned she kept to herself also, though she stuck with her trainer all week and minded what he said.

"If I remember everything Monday morning they're going to let me work on my own." It was easy enough. She arrived in the morning, learned what needed to be done and did it. Some of the employees who had been there longer had their own specific work stations; working with just breeding Granians and caring for the mares and foals as an example. Moira didn't want a specific station. She was quite happy being all over the place.

It hadn't been until she'd started eating that Moira realized how hungry she was. She had practically 'wolfed' down the first bowl and was getting up for another. "It was a long day." A long painful day, but she was alive and learning.

"Your recipe will be wasted on me," Abby teased, "But Raine might manage to do it justice."

Moira's first week at the new ranch had gone well. She was a quick learner, and clearly unafraid of hard work. Abby was sure the other ranchers appreciated that.

"Do they do things that are different from how you do things here? Like how the animals are fed, or groomed, or even how the enclosures are cleaned."

She wasn't sure if she was asking the right questions, but she was curious if ranchers and magizoologists in general agreed about how to take care of various animals or if they all had different methods and ideas.

Abby raised her eyebrows at Moira's appetite, then glanced at her own bowl. She still had about half left.

"If Xavier's not around, what are the other ranchers like?" She called into the kitchen after her, always happy to gossip.

"I could just send some to you the next time I make them." One didn't need a reason to make brownies or any other dessert, fortunately, and they didn't take a particularly long time to make.

Moira considered the differences for a moment, "Most are because their facilities are bigger and they have tons more animals. The feeding is measured individually per animal, there's a chart at each barn so whoever is feeding knows which animal gets what ration. We do the same but not to that extent." It was a very efficient system, something to be expected from such a large and successful organization. "The type of feed varies per animal too."

While she was filling her bowl again she heard Abby's next question and paused. "Like?" The wix supposed other people would be curious about their coworkers soon after starting if not immediately. That certainly hadn't been among her first thoughts. It still wasn't. Joining her at the table again she shrugged. "They're people? They all seem to be hard workers and know what they're doing."