"Great," Lacey said, grinning a bit. She sipped her drink delicately, as she'd been taught.

Madeline noticed Sesshomaru was on the move, but oddly enough, she spotted his retainer first. She shot a quick smile to the other cat and nodded to him. Hisoka had always been happy to converse with her when they were both able, usually because they didn't have to look over their charges quite so much. Madeline figured it would be a while until she was next able to have a conversation with the cat. That was a pity.

Hisoka noticed Madeline and shot her a quick smile in return. He knew she would be stuck hovering over a new mistress for a while, but he didn't mind. He was sure they would get the chance to talk again soon enough.

Once it was late enough to acceptably leave, Madeline looked at Lacey.

"A few others have left. I can make our excuses, if you wish to head home now?"

Lacey nodded.

"I think that's a good idea," she said. Her feet were aching in her shoes and she was exhausted. She just wanted to soak in the bath and have a cup of tea.

Madeline nodded and was quick to secure their exit, though she let Lacey lead the way out to where a valet had pulled up the car. Madeline opened the door, ushering her in, before sliding in the driver's seat to take them both back to the manor.

Lacey slumped in her seat once she was in the car, and she slid her shoes off with a sigh.

"Gorgeous shoes," she commented. "Torture on the feet."

Madeline snorted as she started the drive home. "You'll get used to them," she said. "Especially if you wear heels for a few hours every day around the house."

"A few hours is fine," Lacey said. "It's when it goes longer than that when they start to bother me."

"You'll gain tolerance," Madeline said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"I know," Lacey replied. "Still taking these ones off now."

"Of course." Madeline pulled into her normal spot. "Be careful crossing to the door; the gravel is rather sharp."

"Alright," Lacey said. Once the door was opened for her (even though she could get the door herself, she wasn't helpless) she carefully picked her way across the gravel to the door of the manor.

Madeline kept a careful eye on her to make sure she didn't hurt herself, opening doors as she went.

But she did let Lacey take herself into her room. Madeline didn't need to go quite that far.

Once Lacey made it up to her room, she stripped out of the dress and draped it over the back of a chair before heading in to take a bath.

Madeline made sure everything was in order before she went to do her normal nightly rounds of the house and get ready for the promised cappuccinos.

Lacey sighed as she relaxed in the bath. It definitely felt good after the party earlier. Once she was done, she went and settled in for the night.

By the time she got up the next morning, there was breakfast waiting, and Madeline was working on making a cappuccino for her as she came down the stairs.

Lacey shuffled over to the table, sitting down and eying breakfast.

"Looks good," she said, fighting back a yawn.

Madeline nodded and placed a cappuccino next to her. "After breakfast we will look through the storerooms."

That made Lacey perk up, and she picked up the cappuccino.

"Great," she said. She took a sip of the drink, paused, and took another one. "Interesting."

"It's similar to an American latte, but a different ratio of espresso to milk," Madeline said with a shrug. "I recommend adding some raw sugar. If you want flavorings, I'd go with an American latte."

"Well, the difference between an American latte and an American cappuccino is the amount of foam on top, so this is something else entirely," Lacey commented, tasting it again. "Flavorings might still work, depending on what it is, if I nixed the sugar..."

"It's not as tasty," Madeline said with a shrug. "I don't think the flavorings work as well with this mix. But if you wish to try, that is your prerogative."

"It's something to experiment with," Lacey said as she sipped at the drink again.