"Oh good," Hazel said, reaching over for another bit of paper on the desk. "Then I can contact the breeder I tracked down to get some selkies."

Kaladin nodded. "Need any help with that?" Because he didn't mind helping. The snakes weren't a ton of work, so he figured he and Seamus could split the work for the selkies between them.

"For now, I just need to get everything in order to buy a few selkies from a breeder," Hazel replied distractedly as she tallied some figures. She could certainly afford to purchase from the best selkie breeder in the area. "How many can we support?"

"Depends. Do you just want selkies, or do you want to keep some room in case you decide you want a hippocamp or a water dragon or something?" Kaladin took a seat across from her, quite content to give her whatever information she needed.

Hazel pulled out a sort of blueprint of the new pond, and a list of potential aquatic creatures.

"We have dragons already," she said, "so I might hold off on those for the moment. But I don't know anything about how selkies might interact with anything else, or how anything else might react to a group of selkies."

Kaladin leaned back. "I've never worked with selkies," he said slowly, "but I have been to my share of Expos. There are only so many ponds, so most of the water breeders just share. So selkies seem to get along fine with everything else, except maybe the dragons. The dragons are the only things really larger than them, and they're the only other carnivores, so occasionally you get some fights between them. Otherwise, the kelpies and hippocamps and things don't seem to mind selkies, and the selkies don't eat them. So you can really put them in ponds with just about any water dwellers, as long as the pond is big enough and you have fish stocked in there and things for them all."

"Kelpies wouldn't be bad," Hazel mused, looking over the list and the blueprint. "For the moment, at least." She looked at him. "What do you think would be best?"

"Selkies and kelpies get along well," Kaladin agreed easily. "Hippocamps get along with both of them, too, if you're so inclined. But for the moment, perhaps a pair of selkies? Then we can see if they seem lonely and how they like the pond in case we need to make any future renovations."

Hazel nodded. She would trust his judgement.

"Alright," she said. "I'll get in contact with the breeder and see what he has to sell."

Kaladin nodded. "If you need, I know a few breeders as well. For kelpies and hippocamps, at least. Their stock is good, even-tempered usually. And they wouldn't try to sell you short."

Hazel nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, jotting a note down on the page. Taking out a fresh piece of paper, she started drafting a note to the selkie breeder. She wanted this done as soon as possible.

Kaladin nodded but he didn't leave yet in case there was anything else she wanted to know. Just in case.

Plus that way he got to spend a bit of time with her.

"Is there anything in particular I should look for in a selkie?" Hazel asked after a moment. "I really have no experience in picking out animals."

Kaladin paused, thinking that over. "Well, make sure it responds if offered food. They should look fat. It's natural for them. So if you see a small one or a slim one, it's probably sick. You might want to get a couple adolescents. The trip will be easier for them, and they'll have an easier time adjusting to a new place."

"Maybe you should go with me," Hazel said, nibbling her lower lip a bit. "You know better what to look for than I do."

"I'd be glad to." Kaladin smiled. "I can teach you some of the signs too, if you want. So that way you'll know for future Expos and things." And, really, he didn't mind.

Hazel smiled a bit.

"I'd like that," she said.

Kaladin nodded. "Alright. When are you planning on going to see them?"

"As soon as I send this note off and get a reply," Hazel said, finishing up the short letter and folding it up. "It would be poor manners to show up unexpectedly to someone else's ranch, especially when I probably know the owner." Which, in this case, she did. The man who owned the ranch with the selkies was the father of one of her acquaintances.

Kaladin nodded. That would probably take a few days, so he had some time to prepare. "Alright. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Nothing in particular, at the moment," Hazel replied. She couldn't think of anything else she wanted him to do, and very quickly squashed the thought that she would very much like him to kiss her. No need to be thinking those kinds of thoughts.

Kaladin nodded and got up, reaching over briefly to touch the back of her hand. "Well, let me know if you need anything." He shot her a crooked smile again.

Hazel blushed slightly and nodded.

"I will," she promised.

Kaladin smiled at her again and left, heading back outside to go see what his brother was up to.

Hazel stayed in her office a little while longer, not at all sure her legs would support her if she tried to get up after the way Kaladin had smiled at her.