Brit smiled and nodded, moving forward hesitantly to hug Hazel. She wasn't going to see Hazel for a while, and she'd gotten used to seeing her all the time. But Brit was sure everything would be fine when she got back.

Hazel returned the hug, and then let her go.

"Go on," she said. "At least give them the attention they're asking for. But you don't owe them anything, so don't feel that you do."

A few days later Brit was being pushed and pulled and bullied into going to an afternoon tea. Meaning she got dressed up, and she felt horribly out of place, picking at the fabric of her dress and tugging at the collar on her dress, which was high enough to hide the scarring on her neck. She grimaced in distaste as she was herded into a carriage for the trip to the tea place.

Hazel, on the other hand, was perfectly comfortable sitting in the garden of one of her acquaintances for tea. It was something she'd done countless times before, although this time she didn't make as much small talk with the other ladies as she usually did. Instead, she sipped delicately at her tea and listened to the conversations around her, gathering gossip and such. She settled her skirts around her easily, tucking her feet neatly under her chair as she did so.

Kaladin had gone with Hazel, although the men were all off to one side talking. They called it "discussiing things and talking business" but it was mostly gossip, same as the women. Kaladin couldn't help but be amused.

His amusement vanished, however, when the DeWinters arrived a little late. The Lady exited the carriage first, glancing back at Brit before herding her towards the most crowded of the tables, where she was sure to be in the limelight and be bombarded with questions. Kaladin's eyes narrowed a little when he noticed how upset Brit looked, and he glanced over towards Hazel to see if he had to go interfere.

Hazel was briefly surprised to see Brit there. She hadn't thought that Lady DeWinter would bring the girl to any social events. She couldn't say anything about it, though, not yet

The young lady hosting the social stood up.

"Lady DeWinter, I am glad you came," she said. "And you honor us by bringing your niece. I am sure we will all do our utmost to make her feel welcome." There was a soft murmur of agreement from the rest of the ladies.

Lady DeWinter inclined her head to the hostess. "It is, as always, my pleasure to come. This is Britannia, and this is her first time out of the house in a while." Which was a total lie, but it would also keep the amount of outright nosey questions down to a minimum, which is what she wanted. She'd tell everyone about how she rescued her neice later on, once she had the girl properly trained.

Kaladin's jaw clenched and he had to turn away before he did something stupid. Like deck the small, satisfied smile off the face of that witch.

Hazel was tempted to slap Hilde, as well, but restrained herself.

"Please, sit," the hostess said easily, gesturing to a pair of chairs that were brought out by the servants. "We have an array of appropriately seasonal teas, if you would care to indulge."

"Thank you kindly." DeWinter sat, and Brit sat next to her, since that was the only open chair. "Surprise me. Whatever your favorite blend is, for my niece and I both." She smiled at the hostess, settling back in her chair. She was perfectly comfortable at these gatherings, although when the normal conversations resumed she was pleased to see a few people looking over at Brit, clearly curious.

Hazel could see just how uncomfortable Brit looked, and decided to steer the conversations in a different direction.

"Ladies," she said, to get the attention of the women, "I was wondering if I might gather a few opinions from you all."

The hostess looked curious, and nodded. "Go on."

"Well," Hazel said, "it seems that my ranch has come across something of a novelty, and I was considering doing a trial run of sales. Have and of you heard of such a thing as a pygmy sheep? They're really quite adorable, and very affectionate, and I believe they would make wonderful pets."

The most of the ladies had abandoned their other conversations by this point to listen.

Brit grinned briefly, cheered by the thought of the pygmy sheep. She still loved those little things.

"Pygmy sheep?" One of the ladies blinked. "What, exactly, are they?" Because clearly she was thinking of the slightly-smelly, wool-giving sheep that some farmers kept. Sure, they had cute faces, but she didn't want one for a pet. Some others around her murmured their assent of the wisdom of asking.

"One of my ranch hands likened them to living cotton balls," Hazel replied. "Little fluffy things, really, and easy to keep. Perhaps the size of a large nekomata." Now that she was sure she had the attention of the group, she continued on. "Most of them are shades of white and gray, but there are a few we are trying to breed more of. Pink, for example, and blue and lilac. The creatures are really very affectionate and cuddly." She glanced at Brit as she spoke, to gauge her expression. Discussions about animals always tended to raise her spirits.

Indeed, Brit already looked happier, and she made a mental note to go ask Hazel when the lilac one had been born. Already she was planning breedings for next season, to figure out how many colors she could manage to get.

"Are they really?" The lady blinked again. "Well, if they're as sweet as you say they are, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem selling them. Perhaps at the next tea you can bring one or two so we'll have a better idea?" It was a sensible request, really, and not uncommon for the afternoon teas.

Hazel nodded.

"I had intended to wait a little, but I suppose I can speak now," she said. " I've decided that it's time to resume hosting social events of my own. Of course, it would be no trouble to have a few creatures from my ranch brought up to the manor. Of course, it will still likely be a few weeks before I send out formal invitations." She glanced around at the group.

Excited murmurs ran through the group. Hazel's family hadn't held a social gathering for a while, and clearly the women were all itching to get inside the manor again and see what had changed.

"That is a most gracious offer," one lady said. "I'm sure we'd all be glad to lend support if you need anything." In case Hazel didn't know a good caterer, or needed invitations, or needed help addressing them. Not quite a slight, but not quite entirely polite either. This particular lady was known for making remarks like that.

"Everything is well in hand," Hazel replied easily. She knew it was almost a slight, and didn't rise to the bait. "You only need to worry about waiting for the invitations."

"Well, I know we're all glad to hear that you're feeling settled enough to host that." One of the more elderly ladies smiled at Hazel. She had a reputation for being the most grandmotherly of the lot. Which meant she was one of the kindest... but also one of the snoopiest.

Hazel gave a demure smile and nodded.

"Thank you. I feel like things have finally settled back out now from my grandfather's passing," she said. "My ranch is running smoothly, and my responsibilities as the head of my family have evened out now. I feel like I have enough time now to get back into the social circles."

"Excellent! We're all glad to hear that." The lady smiled, and after a few moments the normal conversations resumed.

By that time, Brit was a little more comfortable and had a cup of tea in front of her. She looked at it before she shrugged and took a sip.

After the normal conversations resumed again, Hazel gradually managed to get over closer to Brit.

"I almost didn't recognize you," she said softly to her friend.

Brit grimaced. Fortunately her aunt had moved away to talk to some other ladies, and she looked at Hazel for a moment. She hadn't been allowed to bring pen and paper with her, and she was currently trying to figure out how to communicate.

Hazel didn't have anything to write with, either, but she wasn't about to let that stop her.

"Have they been treating you properly?" she asked softly, so as not to be overheard.

Brit paused and thought that over. She got lots of food with them, and they weren't really mean to her. They also didn't let her outside much, and they didn't have any pets in the house besides her two phoenixes (which her aunt hated), so she just shrugged. She definitely liked living at the ranch better.

Not a no, but also not a yes. That didn't sit well with Hazel.

"You can always come back," she said. "They can't make you stay."

Brit nodded. She was planning to go back soon, and she made a face before she held up three fingers, then wiggled her hand a little bit to symbolize some leeway. Approximately three more days she'd give these people.