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The horse had been about to warn her about walking so soon with feet changes, but it was too late and he winced as she fell with a small thump. He could hide a small, amused smile as he shifted to his knees and placed an arm around her shoulders again.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there just fine." With that, he scooped her up. The girl was light, lighter than he'd expected, or else the physical labor he'd been doing was paying off. Either way, he began trotting off across the grass, Sophie in his arms. It did occur to him now that this was probably a bit close even for a changed girl, and he focussed on looking straight ahead to avoid embarrassing himself, though his cheeks were already colored pink. Vixen bounded along beside and ahead, leash trailing after her.

It wasn't until they were within the outer ring of duplexes that Gaius paused, looking a bit perplexed, and finally looked down at Sophie. "Uh, where do you live again...?"

"Duplex 10, huh? That's near the center then..." He changed direction slightly as he spoke.

All that Sophie got in reward for her protests and offers was a widening, knowing smile. Gaius still wasn't looking down at her, but he knew how awkward stairs were. It was too bad she was stuck with an upper floor as well.

Without missing a beat, he trotted up the stairs, his hoof-nails clip-clopping on the hard surface, and he only stopped after trying her door and finding it locked.

"Alright then, looks like this is end of the line..." Kneeling a little, he set her down gently so she could catch the railing while trying to stand on her own feet. With his task complete, Gaius found himself suddenly feeling much more awkward, having no purpose to stand around waiting on her, but never the less, he didn't really want to leave. Shuffling his foot a little, he rubbed at the back of his neck and looked down at his toes. "Anything else I can, uh, do for you?" he asked sheepishly.

Gaius was grateful for the offer, accepting it as he slowly shuffled in after her. Vixen, ever curious about new places and people, rushed in between both their legs and went to business sniffing every corner to get a proper assessment of the place.

If he'd been more aware of his instincts, Gaius likely would have known he was being impacted by his need for a 'herd,' but right now all he knew was that he wanted company, and it seemed Sophie did too. He was more than willing to provide it.

However, the awkwardness outside didn't go away once he was through the door, as he stood there fidgeting with his hands and not really sure where to put his massive form. At the mention of bottles, he winced, chuckling weakly. "I may not be the best to offer any help when it comes to bottle-opening. Fingers and all that... I might be able to break it with a little effort, but I doubt that'd be any good."

Gaius grunted his thanks as he took a seat, waving a hand beneath him to pull his tail out of the way as he did so - an almost automatic gesture now.

Her question made him look up, and for the first time he really looked at her face, eye to eye. "Well... it's, uh, kinda pointy... and your ears... er, well..." He fidgeted, wrapping the end of his tail around a finger. How to say it nicely? "They're pretty big?" He winced. That wasn't it. "I... don't really know? It kiiind of looks like a cat of some sort? Definitely mammal, at least. At least you're not a reptile... or a plant."

Gaius, caught by those large eyes of hers, gave a bemused shrug and quirk of the mouth. "The only way anyone I know of has found out was by asking the labs, especially in the case of more obscure animals. I didn't know I was a 'pegasus' until I was told."

Scratching his scruffy black chin, he mused. "Thought... there's a lot of books in the entertainment room. You could always do some research there, see if you can find something with similar features?"

"Don't worry, the construction site seems to have a curse around it for bad luck!" Gaius laughed, something half between a whinny and a warm, loud laugh. It was true, the place had had the worst luck lately! Oz's change and the tools... "But if you're still so bent on helping, I'm sure I can find something a girl like you can handle." The horse-man smiled widely, leaning over to pat her on the shoulder.

"Well!" Gaius laughed, letting Sophie push him off. Vixen, who'd been beneath the bed, reappeared with a colorful sock in her mouth and hopped up besides Gaius, lying down across his lap and the space available. He rested a hand on her back.

"Just comparing you to Oz... who I bet easily weighs over 250 pounds... you just don't seem quite as 'hardy', you know? Besides! Construction is a man's job. Maybe you'd be better with something like sewing costumes!" His tone carried the same joking nature of Sophie's, but there was an element of belief in what he said - honestly, he was a bit sexist, when it came to work roles and physical labor. Women were plenty smart, he would never question that, and great leaders too, but he'd rather have a man by his side when hauling bricks.

"Hey now, no need to go that far," he grumbled after the bonnet suggestion.

Gaius blinked, his horse-like face blank as she blushed. He'd heard her correctly, but failed to see the problem with the statement. "Well, uh..." he began, scratching at his nose, a bit self-consciously just by proximity to Sophie's embarrassment. "I was one for Halloween? But, I guess, if I could be one..." He shrugged slightly, then cracked a smile. "Though I'm going to need new armor if that's the case... and, er, I'm worried about looking more like the steed now..."