In the end, Edna had gone with the clothes George had gotten, a simple pair of black mary janes and the red colored dress that George had gotten her, which proved to be quite the complement to her eyes and hair, whose short length was completely straight and proper, after having been brushed thoroughly by Serena. For her head, a head band had been provided by Serena, and that was about it. It was a rather plain but passable dress wear.

They had tried to apply makeup, but Edna’s naturally high body temperature basically melted any sort of thing they put on her. Plus, she seemed to display an intense dislike for it, proclaiming that it made her uncomfortable. When George showed up, he was decked out in quite a fanciful suit, accentuated with a yellow cravat. Serena, who was standing beside Veronica, couldn’t help but admire how sharp George looked.

For his part, George looked quite surprised at seeing Edna, who was no longer dirty or wearing rags, but actual proper clothing. “You look…amazing,” George proclaimed. “Thanks,” Edna remarked with a giggle. “It feels weird, though…” she mumbled, twirling around and feeling the hem of the dress’ skirt brush against her legs. It was the first time she had worn a dress. “You’ll get used to it,” George remarked, coughing roughly, for whatever reason, and then shifted his gaze towards Serena, noticing her white lab coat. “Eh? Who are you?”

“I’m Serena. I’m a doctor who runs the community clinic in this part of town,” Serena said. “Please take care of our Edna, alright?”

“I will, don’t worry,” George said with an uncharacteristic stiffness to his voice. George hesitated, then held out his hand. There was a resounding smack as she slapped her palm against his. “High five!” she said cheerfully. “…one, what the heck was that, and two, that wasn’t what I was trying to do…” After Edna explained to George what a high five was, she allowed George to take her by the hand and make their way to his carriage, though they had to do it in a roundabout way. After all, them leaving from an alleyway would be quite suspicious. “Hey, Edna…?” George's voice trailed behind him as the two walked, though he did not turn to face her.

“Yea?” she raised a hesitant answer in response to his tentative question.

“Why is your hand so warm? You’re not even sweating?!” He was aware she was warmer than most people, though up until now he had never gotten an actual answer out of her.

“Ah, ah….” She quickly explained to him her abnormally warm body temperature. “…how the heck are you going to know if you have a fever?!” he asked her, completely horrified. Edna frowned, realizing that that was a valid point she had never considered. “…I don’t get sick,” she said after a moment of silence. It was true- for whatever reason, she was quite resilient against illness.

Serena mentioned something about tiny creatures being unable to withstand heat or something when she went to a checkup once, but Edna hadn’t paid attention because there were a lot of big words and she was busy coloring in a book. Taking her words at face value, George turned and continued to escort her.

Once on the main road, Edna looked around, quietly admiring the various shops. It was rare for her to visit the main streets of the capital, since she was usually chased off by guards or people, although there were times when she had been tolerated long enough to make a few coins.

“Woah, is that a carriage?!” Edna exclaimed, shocked at seeing the large, fanciful carriage, of which two horses were strapped to it. While there did exist carriages that could run on their own, powered by magitech, George’s father did not own one, probably because he felt the old style was more classy.

“Yes, please try to keep your voice down,” George mumbled softly. “Is this the girl?” A sharply dressed, older man asked. He looked like George, but far older, and he did not wear glasses. There was a cold look in his eyes as he crouched and held Edna’s chin in his hands. The sudden contact startled her, especially when he moved her head to the side, as if checking out a specimen. He wasn’t rough…but he was not gentle either. “Hm…quite plain with the dress, but its decent enough, I suppose. The color of her eyes and hair though…her face is quite pleasant to look at, as well. No doubt she’ll grow up to be a fine woman. A good find, George.” From those words, Edna inferred that this was most likely George’s father…and probably someone who had not a shred of compassion in his heart. “Um…I’m Edna, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Edna said stiffly, giving him a clumsy curtsy.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It was a gesture that Serena, who was the only one of them who had even a grasp of court etiquette, had taught her, but it hadn’t quite set in with Edna. “Hm…your footwork needs some adjusting. Please let your parents know they should have your tutor instruct you better,” George’s father remarked with a sneer. Edna only nodded in response, mumbling an ‘understood’.

“Anyways, George, treat her well. I don’t want to disappoint the head of House Maxwell, after all…”

“Maxwell…?” Edna whispered softly to George. “They’re the family you’re supposed to pretend to be a part of,” George whispered back, before straightening his posture and staring his dad in the eyes. “I will, Father.”

“The driver will take you wherever you wish, and I have made sure he has adequate funds. Please do your best to improve our relations with the Maxwells...”

“Of course, Father,” George said with a light bow. He opened the door and gestured for Edna to step inside. Edna complied, but she had some difficulty climbing up onto the carriage. However, George’s father tentatively picked her up and placed her into it. “Oh, thank you!” she said cheerfully.

“You’re quite welcome…although, aren’t you a bit warm?” George’s father asked her. Edna shrugged, not giving a concrete answer.

“Hm…must be my imagination then. Up you go…” George’s father helped George into the carriage, and then closed the door. “Take care, George.” With that, the carriage set off. Edna let out a startled squeak as they began moving. “Where shall we go, young master?” The carriage driver asked them. Though the carriage was closed, there was a simple window that could be opened to allow communication between the driver and the passengers within, or close for privacy if need be.

“Hm, can you take us to Cromwell’s?” George asked. The driver, who was an old man in a butler’s uniform, let out a chortle. “Certainly, young master…” As they were moving, Edna was unable to restrain herself from moving to either side of the carriage repeatedly, staring and admiring the sights of the city with unrestrained delight. “Woah, it’s so big! Wow, how do trees even grow like that? Is that really a statue? That dog is so cute!” Such remarks came from her, although she quickly restrained herself when she realized that they were not alone. Noticing that, George laughed.

“This is Jason, my personal attendant,” George explained to Edna. “He’s also trustworthy, so you don’t have to worry about hiding yourself around him…”

“O-oh…” Edna remarked.

“Are the seats to your liking, Miss Edna?” Jason asked her warmly.

“They’re…really nice,” Edna remarked. Jason smiled in response. “Please appreciate them to your heart’s content. I know not the reason why the master has taken an interest in someone of your status, but I wholeheartedly support his decisions…”

“So you don’t really care that I’m…uh, homeless?” Edna asked him tentatively. Jason shrugged dismissively. “I’m too old to care for such things. Aside from that, we can’t help what situations we’re born in. I think it quite admirable for one as young as you to have survived in such harsh conditions. To attract even the attention of the master, I am certain you must be quite special. For such a rose to be found in a desert, there is no greater joy for me than to assist the master in watering such a plant.”

Edna smiled in response, although she didn’t quite understand what Jason was saying. George, however, snorted. “Jason, don’t be so poetic, alright?” Jason’s only response was to laugh softly. They eventually moved away from the residential district to the Cannae District, a high class district filled with shops with designer brand clothing, high quality items, posh mansions, and of course, restaurants of the highest quality.

“Hm, we have the day to ourselves, I wonder where we should go first…?” George mumbled to himself. “Hm, why not ask the Miss?” Jason asked, turning to regard them with a smile. “Eh? Weren’t we going to eat and that’s all?” Edna asked with a puzzled look. “Certainly not. It is a man’s responsibility to treat his woman to the utmost of his capabilities, rather than just indulge her once…”

“Oh, really?” Edna asked, looking at George, who nodded. “Hm…um, there’s the aquarium, right?”

“The aquarium? That’s quite some distance away,” George remarked. “Why not get her some jewelry and clothes?” Jason prompted. “Oh, that’s a great idea, Jason!” George said. “Jewelry? You mean…like those golden necklaces with the gems and stuff?” she asked with wide eyes. George nodded. “Wow…oh, but…” Edna turned her gaze downwards, looking downcast. “…if I bring such expensive items back with me, they might get stolen,” she said softly.

While their part of the slums was somewhat decent in terms of interpersonal relations, something like a gold necklace would certainly result in a mugging, as it could be sold for a lot of money. The same would go for clothes, as well, although they’d mostly just paint Edna as a target.

“Hm…I suppose I’ll just get you something modest, then. I wish I could get you something really fanciful, however…”

“Nah, gems can’t be that great…right?” Edna said dismissively, although ended it like it was a question. What was so interesting about colorful rocks?