The ride back to the manor was short. At least, it was for Hazel. She was used to the ride to and from the ranch. Once the carriage stopped and the driver opened the door, Hazel got out and shook out her skirts to straighten them. After a moment, she glanced at Kaladin and then went to the door to instruct a few of the serving men to help him clean up and get ready to go.

"One of my girls will let you know when I'm ready to leave," she said to Kaladin. "A few of the footmen will help you with things."

Kaladin nodded, uncomfortable with the thought of other men having to help him with anything, but he didn't say that. Maybe he could just sort of hint that he'd be fine? But he watched her go, helplessly, and then looked at the footmen for instruction.

One of the footmen stepped forward and gave a short bow.

"If you would come with us, sir?" he asked, gesturing in the other direction. "I assume you would like to clean up before changing for the evening." At least, that's what the lady had implied, and it was obvious that the lady's escort had been doing manual labor most of the day.

Kaladin nodded after a moment, following the footman. "Just show me where to go and I'll take care of it." He had his clothes with him, and he was capable of washing himself.

"One of us can draw a bath for you, sir," the footman replied as he led Kaladin to a guest room. He opened the door and held it open for Kaladin. "And your suit will be pressed while you bathe, if you wish."

"That's not necessary," Kaladin protested feebly. "I don't need any special treatment. Really."

"The lady insisted," the footman replied, still holding the door open. "And it would be improper to make you attend yourself, sir, when there are those whose job it is to do it for you."

Kaladin sighed and moved into the room. "If you feel it necessary," was what he settled on answering with. Because he wasn't going to endorse it, but he wasn't going to protest it, either.

The footman nodded and then gestured to the other with him. The second footman went in and started the bath, while the first took Kaladin's suit to be pressed.

"Sir," the second footman said, "the bath is ready. There is a selection of soaps for your use, and towels set out for you."

Kaladin nodded. "Thanks." He moved over to the bath, taking off his boots first and setting them off to the side. Thankfully he'd brought his nice shoes too, so he didn't have to worry about looking like a total fool at the party. Only mostly a fool.

The footmen left him be for a while, letting him bathe in peace. Hazel, meanwhile, was being tied into her corset in preparation for being put into her gown. She held onto the footboard of her bed as one of her maids tightened her laces.

Kaladin bathed and dried himself, still grumbling a little about being spoiled and not needing the special treatment, and then once he was dressed enough to leave the bathroom he started looking around some. It had been a while since he'd been to a manor house like this, and he wanted to see what her tastes were like.

It took a while for Hazel to be ready to leave. Once she was finally dressed and her hair done, she went downstairs to see if Kaladin was ready to go. She came down the main staircase carefully, not wanting to trip or stumble. Both were distinct possibilities when a ball gown was combined with heeled slippers. She smiled when she saw Kaladin wander through the entrance hall.

Kaladin looked over at her and turned faintly red. He still wasn't fully dressed, but at least he was decent. It would only take him a few moments to finish getting ready, though.

"Sorry. I'll be ready to go in a minute." He couldn't quite peel his eyes off her though.

"I can wait," Hazel replied, although she did hesitate just a little. They didn't want to be late, after all, and they only had a few more minutes before they had to leave. "Go on and finish getting ready."

Kaladin nodded and made his way back to the room he'd been shown to. His suit was there, and he got into it quickly, brushing his hair back and pulling his nice shoes on again. It only took him two and a half minutes, and then he rejoined her in the entryway.

"Now I'm ready."

Hazel nodded, and then gestured to the servant who was already waiting at the door. The servant nodded, bowed, and held the door open for them. Hazel gave him a quick, habitual thanks and went out to the waiting carriage, her skirts rippling and flowing around her as she moved. The gemstones sparkled in the dim light outside.

Kaladin just watched for a few moments before he hurried after her. Yeah, he was going to be so distracted tonight... This was not fair. Why had he agreed to this again?

Oh yeah. Because he thought it would be nice to spend time with her. Which it was, but not when she was being so damn distracting without even trying.

The ride to the venue was short. One of the other girls about Hazel's age was hosting the party, or rather, the girl's father was. It was some sort of political thing, celebrating an engagement, so everyone of that level of society was encouraged to attend. They got there around the same time as everyone else, and so had to wait in line to be dropped off at the main entrance. Even the wait was fairly short, however; most of them attendees had done this before, and knew how to move things along. Finally, the carriage stopped and the driver let them out. Hazel stepped out and waited for Kaladin.

Kaladin joined her, offering her his arm as he took in the place. It was big and nicely lit and decorated; clearly the people here were used to this sort of thing. He wasn't quite overwhelmed yet, but he was careful to keep out of the way and not interrupt things. He also let Hazel lead, since he was there as her escort. Which he assumed meant arm candy, basically.

Hazel took his arm gently and walked with him. She nodded in return to several "Lady d'Loncré"s as they walked, and she knew she was getting a few looks from the young women. She hadn't announced ahead of time that she would have an escort, after all.

"This is the first time I've been greeted as 'Lady' instead of 'Miss,'" she murmured to Kaladin. "It feels a little strange."

Kaladin shot her a crooked smile. "You'll get used to it. You've done well with the ranch, so this is just one more challenge, I suppose."

"I hope so," Hazel replied. For the moment, all they had to do was drift amongst the crowd and mingle for a bit. And then the dance floor would clear and it would be time for dancing. Hazel paused when something occurred to her. "Do you know how to dance?" she asked him.

"I'm not great, but I can dance." Kaladin shrugged. "I learned the basic steps a few years back. Haven't had much occasion to practice, but I should do passably well. I'll do my best not to embarrass you, at least."

"A waltz is easy," Hazel said. "That isn't what I'm worried about. Can you dance in the group dances?" She was referring to the kinds of dances that required multiple partner switching; the whirl of skirts and faces that could get very confusing very quickly if one wasn't used to the dances. "There will be at least one, if not more."