"Go sit this one out," Hazel replied as she moved out of the way of the couples on the dance floor. Groups were forming again, and she would need another partner if Kaladin didn't know this dance. She would have preferred to dance with him, if she could, but she knew that there was no way he could know every dance there was.

Kaladin nodded and slipped off the dance floor easily, getting a drink and going to sit and sip at his drink. He kept his eyes on Hazel, though. Hey, even if he couldn't dance he could at least admire how she looked dancing.

Hazel knew he was watching her, and tried not to blush as she danced. Her movements weren't quite as sharp and flirtatious, now that she wasn't dancing with him, but there was still a fair amount of attitude there. Maybe she was showing off for him. Maybe.

Kaladin grinned briefly when he noticed that but he didn't say anything, just watching her for the moment. Hey, she knew and she hadn't stormed over and slapped him or anything, so he took that as a good sign.

Finally, the dance ended, and Hazel quickly left the dance floor before her partner could ask her to dance again. She took a champagne glass from a passing waiter and sat down next to Kaladin.

"I think that's enough dancing for now," she said.

Kaladin nodded. "Taking breaks is good," he agreed. "Or you wear yourself out. And since we probably can't leave for a little while yet, that wouldn't be very fun."

"I haven't had this kind of fun at a party in a while," Hazel commented as she sipped her champagne. She looked at him. "Have you been enjoying yourself?"

"I am, actually. This is nice. Not as hard as I expected it to be." He grinned at her briefly. "And the company is very nice, too."

Hazel blushed a little.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, then," she said. She fidgeted with some of the gems on her gown and took another sip from her glass.

Kaladin's smile widened but he didn't say anything more, instead just relaxing where he sat for the moment. They had some time, and he was enjoying the company and the music and things. It wasn't so bad, really.

Hazel relaxed for a while, although she did get up and participate in another dance or two. Then the group dances ended in favor of couple dances again, and she found a seat again. It was customary for a lady to be asked to dance, and she wasn't sure if Kaladin wanted to dance anymore that night. And she wasn't going to accept anyone else to dance with for the rest of the night.

Kaladin waited a dance to give her a bit of time to rest and relax before he got up and went over to offer her his hand again. Hey, he liked dancing when it was nice and relaxed like this, and she was pretty. Okay, no, scratch that. She was beautiful. And gods he was turning into a sap.

Hazel blushed a little in surprise and pleasure when he offered her his hand, and she accepted it without a second thought. Thankfully, the dance was an easy waltz, something she could do without having to think about it, which left her able to focus on Kaladin.

Even Kaladin knew the steps for this one, so he was relaxed and smiling as he watched her. This was turning out to be a very good night indeed.

The dance ended before Hazel realized it, and she blushed one more time when she realized that she was still in Kaladin's arms. This time, however, she didn't immediately step away. If she was being honest, she liked how he was holding her.

Kaladin stayed there, holding her until the next song. Yeah, he was in way over his head. And he didn't care.

Hazel heard some hushed whispers around them and reluctantly took half a step back from Kaladin.

"We should go sit down," she said softly. "I think we're in the way of the next song."

Kaladin nodded and led the way over to some seats again, managing to snag two glasses of champagne for them. He noticed a few people giving them looks, but he managed to ignore it.

"How much longer do you want to stay?"

Back at the ranch, Brit was sitting crouched in front of the two eggs. They were rocking now, and she'd just left a note for Seamus saying where she was in case he needed something.

"We don't want to be the first ones to leave," Hazel replied, sipping at the glass. It was her third glass of the night, so she wasn't going to finish it all. "Especially not now. But once a few of the others leave, it should be safe enough."

Seamus had seen the note and filed it away in the back of his mind. He figured he could hold down the fort for a while while Brit was busy with her phoenixes.

Kaladin nodded. Okay. He could last through that, no problem. Things weren't really winding down yet, but it was clear no one was going to bother them, and there weren't as many dancers now. More people had broken off into pairs or small groups to chat.

Brit watched them carefully, making sure both of them hatched alright and clearing away the shell once they had so they couldn't hurt themselves. They were small and still damp and didn't have very many feathers yet, but that was okay. They were adorable and she loved them anyway.

Hazel wasn't miffed at all when people broke up into groups to socialize. They all tended to group according to rank within the caste, and none of the others her age had the same rank as she did yet. That didn't bother her, though. She was more than happy to stay with Kaladin for a little while.

By the time the first people started to leave, Kaladin was starting to have problems. He wasn't used to getting up early to work and then staying up this late. He could, sure, but he'd also done a day's work before all the dancing. So he was very happy to note that people were leaving so they could leave soon too.

Hazel kept track of how many of her peers were leaving and when. Once three of four of them filtered out, she stood up and shook out her skirts.

"It's safe enough to leave now," she said to Kaladin. She could see him falling asleep on his feet, and she was trying to take some pity on him.

Kaladin nodded and got up, stifling a yawn, and offered her his arm again so they could make their back outside and to the carriage again. And then he could get back to the ranch and sleep for a while.

Hazel took his arm and walked with him out to the carriage.

"Go on and sleep," she said once they were both seated in the cab. "I'll wake you when we get back to the ranch."