The bear that Freya had fought had been scary. Not as frightening as her first dance though, and if she had to draw the comparison?

This dance -this event- was much less scary in retrospect. Today's dance was a gala celebrating among other things, alumni of Lady Raina's finishing school. The many foxes, rabbits, and mice shared a dance with so many suitors that it made Freya's head spin. This late in the twelve-week season, with only a month to go, she had suspected that the demand and the supply would have been far more sorted. Apparently, the holdouts were all looking for a better deal.

A dashing rabbit convinced her otherwise.

As Freya waited on the wall to be called up, she saw many familiar faces, including contemporaries of Captain Bell she barely recalled. Tulip was the first to find her there.

"Miss Uki, I heard that you gave the regiment quite a fright with some antics that I'll admit, I only understand a part of."

Freya smiled.

"It's so good to be back in the company of civilized creatures, but it was memorable."

Freya accepted a mug of tea. Tulip had made it to a more than acceptable standard, the hints of cinnamon in her green tea bringing out the flavor.

"I supposed you'll be asking for more than one cup of tea for the whole story, then?"

"Perhaps it isn't you, but the rest of the prying ears around here. You rabbits are decadent with the amount of space you leave to your ears."

Tulip sipped her own tea. The two looked out. Freya saw that Tulip was dressed in green, indicating that she would be open to advances from potential suitors.

"Have you talked to Captain Bell recently?"

"Personally or professionally? Your friend Holly has been twisting his arm. She sees me as a rival even though I'm so done with the rabbit it's no longer funny."

"I was going to try to mend the bridge with Miss Bun. I don't want to leave for the circle and..."

Freya let the words hang in the air. The comfortable level of conversation continued outside of their small bubble.

"I know you don't want me to tell you what to do, but perhaps we should take a turn on the dance floor...?"

Tulip's gaze drew Freya's attention. From across the grand hall, she saw Holly and Captain Bell getting ready to dance the waltz. She heard the call to the reception line uttered, a familiar sound. The bell was warm and inviting.

Captain Bell on the other paw, looked like he was a bit stressed if the well-placed coverup underneath his eyes were to be believed. He saw her, and as she cursed under her breath, pointed her out to his companion.

Holly's gaze lingered on her like a predator.

Freya shrugged it off. She didn't want a gentle rabbit to get between herself and an old friend. She would have to beg, grovel or steal to fix this.

"Miss Uki."

"Miss Bun."

Captain Bells' eyes gave him away. The larger rabbit made to leave expeditiously.

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"Oh stay please, Captain," Freya said.

"Yes, indeed. I am told that the regiment owes you a debt of honor, one that we all owe you. I believe congratulations are in order?"

Holly turned to her companion.

"You would be correct. She was the little knife in the paw of the Marquisate."

"Well, I thank you for that," Holly curtseyed, "For my family and for the rest of us who couldn't contribute in person.

An awkward silence dropped over the group.

"Look I need to say something-" Freya said.

"No please let me-"

They spoke over each other and stopped.

"You first, Holly."

"No you, Miss Bun."

"If you've agreed, I'll get a round of drinks."

The two old friends nodded in unison.

They waited for the older rabbit to move with a purpose towards the open bar in the corner.

"I was unfair to you. Freya, I know... I have talked to him and he tells me that you were nothing but cordial with him and..."

Freya sighed, letting a breath escape that she hadn’t known she was holding.

"That's accurate. I was just trying to learn from him. Gather more intelligence as it were. I had no designs on that rabbit. However, trying to get that across..."

"I should have been more able to listen. And now you're...? I heard something about Lieutenant Chin-Hwa?"

"The cards are on his side right now. Let's just say he has his hands full."

The rabbit, her immaculate makeup and dress working in tandem stared back at her. Together, it made her breathtaking, or so Freya would think.

"I'm sorry about-"

"No that's...the misunderstanding we had and the talks I had with Tulip during your convalescence. Raven knows I learned a lot."

Freya idly wondered if Tulip had told Holly about her past interest in Captain Bell. That was a path that she didn’t want to go down.

"Raven knows we both learned a lot this season."

Holly looked up, accepting a drink from her defeated-looking suitor. Captain Bell passed Freya a lovely warm cider. She hadn’t expected the mug but she immediately took a large lusty sip of it.

"Captain Bell, you have excellent taste."

"I thank you Miss Uki, but I was told in no uncertain terms by Tulip that this would be the best one available and that the two of you would agree on this if nothing else."

Normally, Freya would revolt at this blatant attempt to manipulate a situation, but seeing that Captain Bell looked like he was on his last legs, she decided to hold it in. They had asked for drinks, hadn’t they?

She would have had a word with Tulip, but she had consulted her beforehand.

She immediately burned the cider, concentrating on turning it into Red Mist. She felt alive as if her senses had been enhanced. The cider smelled more powerful, her ears perked up, and she could see sharply as if she was still a bluejay.

Holly's pulse was fast. She heard it without trying to listen in. She knew that there were small differences between the woodland creatures in the coalition, and this was one that she’d learned to note from her grandmother.

The problem she had now was that she already knew how her friend felt.

"Holly- I'm sorry. If things go the way that they're supposed to, I'll be heading out at the end of the season."

"The druids?"

Freya nodded.

Holly put a paw out.

Freya grasped it with hers.

"I need to settle my affairs before I leave."

"You're just going to up and leave us?"

The quiver in Holly's eyes caused Freya to lose it.

Captain Bell moved to cover the blubbering friends.

"It's ... you're going so far away!"

Tears came streaming down from both the rabbit and the mouse.

Captain Bell ushered the pair into a more discrete corner and then into a powder room. Tulip shared a look with Freya as they passed. That momentarily made her feel giddy on top of how raw everything had become.

"You're really going to do this to us? Leave? I thought you would be... even if you married, within a short ride!"

"It's ... I may return here after my training. It's different out in the wilderness. Druids are needed. "

Holly pulled out a kerchief with the Bell house sigil on it, then offered it to Freya.

Freya demurred, pulling out a Chin-Hwa house scarf of her own.

"I just wish that both of our… intended could be here for this."

"He is coming home soon," Holly said, "they're winding something down or so my suitor believes.'

"That's a bit confidential ladies," Captain Bell said, "the crown would appreciate it if you said less about the matter, but you will see him soon if I have anything to do about it."

The tension from Freya's shoulders dropped. She had imagined a teary goodbye, or Muk coming to swear the oath of a ranger, but her current state of now knowing-while being reassured by everyone around her- led her to believe he did a fair bit more work than he had let on.

"To be fair, he is part of the council, so he would be where the majority of the force was," the tall rabbit said, “fair to say he won’t be far from us at any rate.”