"Anything special we need to do to the ranch?" Hazel asked when Brit came back. If nothing else, she expected to have to expand the pond to accomodate the selkies.

Brit twiddled her fingers a little. It wouldn't take a lot of work, but there would have to be a few adjustments. Fortunately not a ton, though.

It shouldn't be too hard to adjust things for the selkies.

Hazel nodded, making a mental note to do that once they got back to the ranch.

"Keep them in mind, then," she said. "I think having selkies will be good." With that, she started glancing around again to see what else was there.

Brit nodded and kept walking around. Nothing in particular caught her eye, although she did detour briefly to look at another breeder's gryphons, since he had some unusual colors.

But then she saw a pheonix, and she paused. Pretty pretty birdy.

Hazel noticed the phoenix a moment after Brit did.

"Oh wow," she murmured as she stepped a little closer. Lyra whapped her in the face again with her tails, as if reminding Hazel that she had a pet and didn't need another.

Brit, on the other hand, was completely awestruck. Sure, she loved all the animals in the Menagerie, but they weren't hers. Not really. And the pheonix was gorgeous. The pair, she corrected herself when one that was almost gold joined the more normally colored red and orange one.

Hazel glanced at Brit, about to ask her opinion, and stopped. Brit looked completely dazzled by the birds, and it was clear she wasn't thinking about them for the Menagerie. That made Hazel think, and she looked at the birds again with a different kind of interest. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford them...

"Do you want them?" she asked Brit softly. "It's the least I can do, since you've taken care of the Menagerie so well for so long."

Brit blinked at that. I couldn't ask for that, she protested. She knew that the pheonixes wouldn't be cheap. Certainly not the most expensive creatures there, but Brit wasn't used to having money, either.

"You're not asking," Hazel pointed out. She was already sifting through her purse. "I'm offering." She looked at her friend. "I haven't seen you half as passionate about anything else around here, and we've seen almost half the place by now."

Brit was quiet, considering that. Then she smiled a little and nodded.

At least let me go talk to the breeder first and make sure they'll be able to adjust? She didn't want to just get the pair without knowing what she needed first, after all.

Hazel nodded.

"Go ahead," she said. There was a display of feather-winged snakes one table over, anyways, so Brit had all the time she needed while Hazel was admiring them.

Brit went over to go talk to the breeder. As it turned out, that pair was already bonded. But he had a pair that was about to hatch, the eggs smaller than normal, making them less desireable. Meaning he was willing to give them to her for less than normal. And they did bond to one person, and mated for life.

So Brit was a very, very pleased person when she finally made her final notes. She could get a pair of pheonixes for fairly cheap and they'd bond to her. She didn't even need to make a cage for them, since they nested in one place and stayed there unless forced to move.

Hazel was still distracted by the fluffy snakes, so she didn't immediately notice when Brit finished asking her questions. She was still fascinated by the iridescent feathers on the winged snakes.

Brit grinned as she slipped over to Hazel. Those ones would breed well with the ones we have, she wrote. And we still have plenty of room in that enclosure. She liked the fluffy winged snakes too. They looked cuddly.

"I was just thinking about that," Hazel admitted. She turned to Brit. "Did you get all the information you needed?"

Brit nodded and handed over her notes to show Hazel, ultimately leaving the decision up to her. She'd even put all the information neatly into pros and cons. She was rather excited now that the thought of having her own creatures had really sunk in.

Hazel glanced over the list. As long as Brit was sure she wanted the birds and knew what she was getting herself into, Hazel had no problem with it. She went over to the breeder to ask about the prices.

Brit stayed a few feet back, watching the pair as the gold one nuzzled her mate, both of them checking on the breeder every once in a while. The two eggs sat beneath the perch, nestled in a blanket and some hay.

Hazel negotiated price for a few more minutes with the breeder before they came to a satisfactory number, and she handed over the money. Then she motioned to Brit.

"All yours," she said.

Brit grinned broadly and surprised even herself when she hugged Hazel briefly, careful not to upset Lyra. But she was totally enamored with the parents, and she was sure she'd be just as enamored with the little ones once they hatched.

Hazel was just as surprised when Brit hugged her, but took it in stride and returned the hug. For the moment, she wasn't a spoiled rich girl, she was a girl doing something nice for a friend. And she really kind of liked it.

Brit beamed at her, extremely pleased with life at the moment. Once she moved away from Hazel, she packed up the eggs carefully, keeping them wrapped up in the blankets and the hay. The breeder gave her a carrying pack with a little grin, as well as a beginner's care sheet he happened to have handy. She inclined her head in thanks.

Hazel immediately turned her attention back to the fluffy snakes. She did want some, since the Menagerie only had bat-winged snakes, and the fluffy ones would make good additions to the 'collection.' There was a pretty yellow-green one that had caught her attention. It had ivory wings that shimmered just slightly peach in the right light, and she couldn't take her eyes off of it.

Brit grinned when she noticed, going to go chat with the breeder, arranging things. Like an exchange. She beckoned Hazel over to get her in on the conversation too, hoping to exchange at least one snake. This breeder didn't have as many bat-winged snakes, and he was interested in an exchange and possibly an exchange of eggs later in the season.

Hazel was actually having fun in the discussion. For once, her grandfather had left her something she didn't have to 'fix'. She didn't mind setting up the exchange; it would give the Menagerie that much more variety, and she liked that idea.