Kaladin nodded. "The blue one will probably go over well," he said, already starting to round up and put collars on the aforementioned sheep. He handed off the leashes for her to hold on to while he chased down the light green sheep, which was determined to play and not get caught.

Eventually Kaladin won, though.

Hazel couldn't help but laugh as Kaladin went after the green one. She held on to the leashes with one hand, the other going to cover her giggles. Once he caught it and leashed it, Hazel studied the gathered colors.

"White," she said. "To show the difference with the ivory." And eight was a good number, all around. Not too many, but still showcasing a variety of colors.

"Alright. That's easy." Kaladin picked a white one up and put a collar on it too before putting it on the other side of the fence. Once the eight chosen sheep were all on the other side of the fence, he hopped back over and took the leashes again. "There. You have your showcase of sheep."

"Thanks," Hazel said, grinning a bit. She kissed his cheek. "Now, you can either be my escort tonight, or my sheep-handler. Only one requires you to dress nicely."

"Seamus can handle the sheep," Kaladin said instantly. He didn't mind dressing up for her. "Between him and Brit they'll manage nicely."

"Alright," Hazel said with a bit of a smile. "I'll let them both know to wear something a little nicer than every day. But they won't need to dress as nicely as we will."

Kaladin nodded. He'd figured as much, and he knew Seamus had some clothes that would qualify. Better than working clothes, but not nice enough to really be part of the party. And he was sure Brit would find something.

"Seamus will grumble," he said with a little grin. "But he mostly doesn't mean it."

"Let him," Hazel replied. "It's eight sheep. He's practically getting a free evening with Brit." She grinned a little.

Kaladin snickered. "I'll remind him of that every time he starts," he said with an almost-evil grin. Because he was the older brother and therefore allowed.

Hazel rolled her eyes, but kissed his cheek anyways.

"Go on, then," she said. "I have to go pick up my gown, but I'll see you a bit later on."

"Alright." Kaladin grinned and kissed her briefly before letting her go so he could herd the sheep over to the cart they'd be taken to the manor in before he went to go find his brother.

Hazel returned the brief kiss, trying her hardest not to turn pink as she did so. Then, once he was gone, she headed back to the carriage so she could finish her errands for the day and get back to the manor in time to supervise the setting up.

Kaladin told Brit and Seamus before he went to go get changed and head over to Hazel's. He figured he needed to get there before the guests did, after all.

Hazel was directing things when Kaladin arrived. She hadn't yet had the chance to change into her new gown, but she would need to soon, before guests began to arrive.

Kaladin snuck in and over to her, smiling a little. He was wearing the suit again.

"Brit and Seamus will be here in half an hour or so with the sheep," he said quietly. "But they don't have to come in right away."

"No, I want them to bring the sheep in while dinner is happening," Hazel said. "Nobody will want to sit down to eat if the sheep are here beforehand, and it will entice people to stay longer later on."

Kaladin nodded. He'd tell them that before he had to be at dinner himself. He was sure the two of them could manage eight little sheep. "Anything else?"

Hazel glanced around for a moment. The orchestra was setting up, the ballroom was decorated, the dining room was being set. So far, so good.

"I need to get changed."

"Go get changed," Kaladin said with a grin. "I'll make sure Brit and Seamus know what to do when they get here, and we should still have a little bit of time before people start arriving."

"Thank you," Hazel said gratefully. She gave him a quick kiss and then turned to rush up the stairs, pulling her skirts up out of the way so she didn't step on them and trip.

Kaladin watched her go and chuckled, checking everything briefly before he went to go wait for Seamus and Brit. He gave them instructions once they arrived, and then he went back to the front to wait for Hazel.

Hazel finally came back downstairs again in her new gown. It wasn't as elaborate as some others she had, and she'd kept her hair and jewelry simple, but she always felt good wearing a brand-new gown.

"Is everything ready?" she asked, going over to Kaladin.

Kaladin nodded, looking her over briefly before he smiled. "You look fantastic," he said quietly, pulling her closer. "Absolutely gorgeous. Are you sure we actually have to stay and host this thing?" He was only mostly playing.

Hazel blushed brightly at the insinuation.

"Quite sure," she managed to squeak.

Kaladin laughed quietly and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, I was only joking. Mostly. Seamus and Brit are here, I told them to wait to bring the sheep in until after dinner was served."