Deft fingers knotted a bow in the silken material after she finally got her friend's gift to calm. Then she stepped back to check her work and smiled as the small stallion moved forward to press his forehead agaonst her chest. She pet him for a moment then glanced down at her watch. Still fifteen minutes until their scheduled meeting time.

"Hey!" Her cry pierced the air, sending the beast into a flailing fit after he released the front of her shirt from his teeth.

Zeph gave a shake of her head and let out a low whistle. He certainly matched his to be owner well. They would certainly clash wills as he grew. She smiled at the thought and eased toward the kicking colt to try to calm him. Another five minutes passed and she finally had him settled and the ribbon back in place around his neck. The Gael then slipped out of the stall, pointing a finger at the horse that perked his tiny, fuzzy ears at her.

"Behave." He stretched out his neck and blew out a breath that made his lips smack together. Yes, watching those two would certainly be entertaining.. He had the attitude of his sire alright. Speaking of which, she turned toward Ceana and smirked as he stretched his neck over the stall door to try to get her attention.

"Níos déanaí."

He made a similar movement as his colt and tossed his head before disappearing back into the stall. Zeph's smirk remained for a time before she moved to the stable's door and leaned against the doorjam as she waited on her friend.

Surely today was just another practice. It was her birthday, yes, but she hadn't really told anyone when that was aside from the few that she saw every day. Zeph was her mentor to defeat Tori, and that meant she definitely would be in the know, but Raion never thought anything of the matter. Today was just practice.

She had only spotted Zeph on her approach after a moment of searching. Seems her vision was failing her today, or she had just woken up. She did look presentable though, so it wasn't that she woke right up to come here.

NNo, that's ridiculous.

"Salutations." she offered, the traditional Vincennes greeting and departure. "Back to business?"

"Good morning, Raion. Sleep well, I take it?"

Zeph grinned at the girl she had come to call friend after their multiple practices together with June and training outside of those set stages. Then she turned on her heel, leading her into the more dim lit stables, hands sliding into her pockets.

"I suppose it could be considered that. This way. I have something to show you."

She strode past their normal mounts, instead going to a stall that was normally empty. The redhead slipped inside, beckoning Raion to follow her quickly. After the door was shut she turned to see what the other girl made of the little beast that was laying in the straw, his knobby legs tucked under him and his tuffy ears perked forward. He looked a bit gangly right now, but his coat was fuzzy and soft and the beautiful colorings of his father were starting to peek through his baby coat.

"I've been calling him Faobhar, but you may call him what you like."

With that said she put her hands on Raion's shoulders and gave her a little push toward the foal.

"Happy Birthday, Raion."

Of all things to be expected, this was not one. What could she even say to that? The little animal, yet not as little as one would think. He was adorable, but somehow regal. She may be a lady, but even she couldn't resist almost letting out an 'awww'. Almost.

Instead she immediately realized what was happening, and she began to rack her brain with ways to politely refuse. There was nothing she could really truly say in opposition. Surely there was something. Some way. But... This could not be returned. This was not a simple matter of bringing it back. This animal was bred. It was alive. Refusing it could be dangerous. No, she couldn't say no. Instead she began to think of ways to repay this.

Immediately she realized she had been staring wide Eyed the whole time without saying a word. She had to say something.

"I... Truly have no words for this." she confessed. "I know so little about taking care of any animal, let alone one such as this. You realize this requires your aid further right?"

And yet, she was so ready for this. She wanted this. However, she was also not about to forget something like this. Her mind immediately raced to how many zeroes would go on her checkbook.

"I... Thank you. But are you sure? "

Both arms tucked up on top of the stall's door, letting her jands dangle on either side of her ribs. She smirked as she watched the gears turn in Raion's head even as she looked adoringly upon the young one.

"Aye, I know. I will help you care for him for a while until you get the feel of it. It's a lot of hard work, but he will repay you tenfold. All the basic things you need are in a tackle chest with name burnt into it. But don't worry about that now. Go say hi. Just approach slowly. He isn't spooked all that easily, but with horses you never know."

She paused for a moment then lowered her voice a bit, marking her seriousness.

"He is a gift, Raion. Stop trying to think of ways to pay me back. The only thing I need is to see him well taken care of and loved."

Zeph nodded her head, even though Raion had her eyes on the colt and crossed her ankles. The first encounter with your partner was always the most significant. The way this went would almost certainly determine their relationship for years to come. But she had faith in them both. Even with his temperament, he was behaving now. Hopefully it stayed that way.

As Raion approached Fao flipped his ears back, snorted playfully then flipped them forward again. His neck stretched out as he huffed at her, taking in her scent. Then he got to his feet and took a tentative step forward, his head lowered.

The creature seemed responsive to her presence. That was new. She had truly expected him to remain where he was and not really care that she was here. It was impossible to deny she had a sudden and strong fascination with his existence.

She reached a Hand out slowly, wondering at which point she would cross the threshold of safety. Small or not, this animal could hurt her. She didn't want to Spook it. But more than that, she was actually wanting his approval. She didn't usually care about such things, but this was one instance that she felt the longing for approval and didn't mind it.

However, she was also being told not to pay it back. That's an absurd proposition.

"Non, non." she shook her head at the woman. "My honor won't allow that."

The girl remained silent for how as she watched Fao press his soft muzzle into her palm. His nostrils flared wide to take in her scent. His new Master was obviously anxious, but he didn't seem to mind as he lifted his head and blew in her face. Then like most young ones he let out a happy whiny and hopped around the stall. But after his little play, he returned to her and pressed his head against her chest.

"Forget your honor.. I don't want or need your money, Raion."

Zeph, slid her hands into her pockets and shifted her stance. Eyes never left the little beast as he practically attached himself to Raion's side, trying to get her to lavish him with lovin's.

She pursed her lips then nodded. "If you really feel like you must pay me back, then learn to care for him, raise him and take him to shows. I'll need the credit of such a fine beast when it comes my tome to take over the Gable. A name is worth more than any money you can give."

After a brief pause she pushed off the door, reached out and grabbed the tack off the hook outside. Just a simple lead and halter. She stepped up next to them and easily slid the straps over his head.

"First lesson. Walk him often. If he stays in this stall, he'll get sour and not want to leave. He'll be worse off when you try to ride him and it's likely you'll get hurt. This strap goes over his ears and you tighten this here." Indicating the chin strap. "Don't tighten it too much or he'll get head shy. Easiest way to know.. Put two fingers under his jaw bone before you clasp it."

She then passed the lead rope to Raion and stepped back.

It was suddenly becoming harder to imagine a time she would be separated from the animal. Such special attention that needed to be paid, such dedication to keeping him healthy... She began to pet him softly and in only the places she had observed Zeph petting horses before. She found herself rather enjoying this, and along with her recent victory and control over Spica, she couldn't be having a better time of things. However, something else sank in as well.

"I really do live here now, don't I?" she asked the horse, knowing there wouldn't be a response and also knowing she already knew her own answer. Vincennes was just one part of her life, and she needed to accept that. This cemented her Spican status. And of course, she would not disappoint anyone.

"You'll find I have quite the habit of accepting any challenge. Your birthday is that challenge now."

Zeph glanced at Raion out of the corner of her eye as she moved out of their way. She couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Home is where the heart is, Rai. I couldn't imagine Astraea Hill without you."

Zeph reached out as they passed, plucking a strand of hay from the horse's upright tail. Purposely, she didn't speak of her own birthday. Since it had already passed, maybe Rai would forget in the time span until her next one.

"Congratulations, by the way. On winning Presidency. There will be a lot on your plate now, but don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Overstressing yourself and getting sick will just cause more problems after all."

"The title is just the beginning." she said with zero hesitation. "I'm going to change this campus forever."

She only then realized she had not stopped petting the horse. The realization of doing something like that would normally cause her to stop and apologize, but this was a moment in which she would rather just keep going. The little guy was enjoying it after all, or so she had hoped. It seemed he had stick himself with something interesting too, and she let out a repressed giggle at how silly the idea of having hay stuck in his tail was. Then she imagined how that would feel in her own hair, and mused at the idea of Tori getting it out for her. A contented sigh came to her.

"Oui, there will be much to do and getting sick will only hurt everyone. I may rely on you a lot more than either of us would like at first, but this is important for the future of the school." she nodded firmly and then another interesting idea hit her.

"It's funny. At Vincennes, the student council president was the highest authority in the student body. It seems to mean little more than what vendor should be at the next festival. There's a power imbalance present here with the Etoile system. The concept of presidency being less powerful than a popular couple, it simply must be brought into question."

"I don't mind. Friends help each other right? And I care about you, so I don't want any harm to come to ya. Let's take him for a walk. I haven't had the chance to this morning after feeding and cleaning the stalls."

Meaning she had been here for at least an hour before Rai made her appearance. The door silently slid open and she motioned for Raion to lead the little one out.

"I suppose it would just have to be the way you view the Etoile system. At your old school, I'm guessing, there was only one President. Now there are three. From what I've read, those two are meant to be the ones to bring the three presidents together. Without them it could be hard to get everyone to agree. All school presidents generally look out for their home school while the Etoiles are there for the Hill."

She shrugged as she put her own two sense into the thoughts of her friend, not that she was trying to change her mind. Just add another perspective on the power play.

"Perhaps." she agreed, deciding to continue showing the wonderful animal more affection. "But looking at the state of the campus when I arrived, few people in power really want it for little more than popularity. I'm going to break that trend."

This was really about more than that though. Especially since she had just arrived here and been given a glorious animal, this was no time to talk politics. She often forgot how easily she could be distracted by her ambitions. No, this was about the small animal.

"How... Do I pronounce his name? What does it mean?" she asked, feeling her focus return to him entirely. He was too cute, she couldn't stop just looking at him.

"These are smart animals too, right? I'll be able to. Communicate with him?"

"I do see what you're saying there.. It may be a nice change."

The redhead reached up to fiddle with her hair for a moment before undoing the braid that hung almost to her waist. She deftly refastened the twist as she pondered things.

"You know.. I'm glad the three of us formed a kinship no matter that we went to different schools. It made this place more like home."

Okay, so she was getting sappy and was probably on the verge of tears with that trail of thought. She had never had friends like this. Never had someone to lean on, not like how she had just offered Raion. She had never given gifts. Nor received them. The happiness in her soul was bubbling up and threatening to spill over. Yet on the outside, she remained as stoic and masked as she could. Then thankfully Raion changed the subject.

"Faobhar? It's pronounced Foi-var. It has a few meanings, really. In the Scottish dialect, it is a keen edge. In Connacht it's fire. Both seemed to fit him. He is very smart for his age and very alert to everything around him. His spirit is also very bright."

She took the lead of the two and opened the stable doors that led them to the corral so Rai could walk with him and let them get even more acquainted. Zeph would take up a post next to the large doors incase anything went wrong.

"To answer your question, yes. He will respond to simple words. Much like a dog. But horses seem to have a much better memory for such things and when commanded they are more likely to answer that command directly. You need to start at a young age though. And it is better if their rider commands them. But it also helps if they see an older horse following the commands so they know what you wish them to do and they can visualize it. I've helped many patrons at The Gable train their steeds, I can do so with you as well, if you would like. Ceana is use to it."

All at once the number of zeroes she would attach to the end of her repayment gift increased by two. And there were already more than that. It became quickly obvious that this was no mere thing she could pay for, and instead she went ahead and thought of many alternative methods to repay this. Surely there was something. Honoo had money. They had influence. They had sponsors. There was nothing within the realm of sports and schooling she could not accomplish for her friend.

Hell, she had a few hundred in her hilariously out of character Pokemon wallet right now for a weekly allowance, she could treat the girl to dinner or something as a start.

"That makes sense, it's much the same way I would learn basic commands at a young age." she nodded, following Zeph closely and taking her every word to heart. "There's bound to be more to this though."

A good observation, as she was hesitant to try anything new with the animal. It was intimidating to have this much weight on her shoulders all at once, but exciting at the same time. Is this what motherhood feels like? No, that's just silly, she didn't birth a horse. She didn't have natural hormonal attachment to it. Just emotional and friendly attachment. This was no child, this was a partner. She had to adopt that mentality quickly.

"I'd like nothing more than to burden you with as much help as you can provide. I don't want to give our little friend here anything but a happy existence."

A faint smile played at her lips as she watched the gears turn in her friend's mind. That girl was still trying to think of a way to pay her back for this. That wasn't what this present was about. It was about making her friend grow. Push her to her limit and then further. But also to show her that she could push that limit. She could take care of her responsibilities and more. A hand reached out and landed softly upon the crown of her head. The taller of the two then ruffled her hair and beamed a smile.

"Yes, exactly. There is more to it, but you will learn as you go. And I'll be there to guide you along the way. I won't lead you astray. He will have a great existence, Rai. I believe in you."

The redhead winked and offered a bright smile from where she had posted herself by the door and waved a hand. This was a sure signal that Raion should continue to bond with the beast and leave her out of it. She would remain by the door for a while before disappearing back into the building. Allowing them time alone. And she needed to spend more time with Caena anyway. After seeing how Rai had dealt with the beast so far, she didn't see any reason to stay for now. But she would keep an ear out for anything to go wrong.