The rest of my couple of hours were spent working on the young girl. I brought her back to my stall and began to brainstorm what I would do next. Firstly, she needed a shower, but it would be awkward for me to do it myself. I decided to pay a woman on the street to help me out; for now, this would have to do. I just lied to her and explained she was my daughter, and that her mother left me with the kid. Once she was cleaned up, I paid the woman some bronze and decided she needed new clothes. I needed to hide her ears, but it had to be done tastefully; if she showed up in a hood, that would be a no-go. I held her hand, and we calmly went through the market. For now, I put fabric over her ears.
I found a small shop selling clothes and hats off the main square called Marty and Sera's Trendy Threads. I entered the door; a stout man with a black beard and black glasses sat in a chair, bored, reading a newspaper. He wore overalls and seemed almost peaceful as he drank his coffee without looking up. I spoke up, "Marty, I presume?"
The man looked up, his expression unchanging. "Hey Sera, customer!"
After a few moments, a woman came out of the back. She was in her forties, with golden blonde hair tied back into a bun. She wore somewhat old-fashioned clothes and black-rimmed glasses like her husband. Once she saw me, she was somewhat pensive, but then noticed the child.
"Oh, who do we have here! What a cutie!"
I had removed the girl's bandages, so she probably didn't notice she was blind yet. She tried to approach her, but I intervened quickly. I put my arm forward for a handshake, "Name's Key. I came here looking for new clothes for my daughter. She, um, had been living with her mom and conditions weren't great, so I would like some new clothes."
The woman looked down at my hand and decided to shake it hesitantly. I was used to this treatment, but it was annoying having to go through this every time I met a new person.
The woman seemed to sense my awkward atmosphere and regained her professional demeanor. The woman, who I assumed was Sera, pointed to the back, "Right this way, sir. What are you looking for today?"
Finally, she started talking business. "Right, I need some good clothes for a party we are attending tonight. Next, I need regular clothes, maybe a couple of pairs of something more casual. Oh, and most importantly, a hat, something big that covers her entire head."
The woman frowned, "A big hat? Like a top hat?"
I smiled, "Exactly, a top hat would be great, something maybe a purple, more girly top hat? Something she can wear that would fit her outfit."
Sera nodded, "Right, I think I will have something to fit her outfit. Let's start with the party dress, shall we?"
She led us to the back of the store, where racks of neatly arranged clothing filled the room. Dresses of various colors and styles lined the walls, their fabrics shimmering under the soft lighting. Sera looked at the girl, "What kind of dress are you looking for, darling?"
The noise made her cower behind me more. I spoke up, "She, um, she's rather shy around new people. If you don't mind, I can pick the dress."
Sera nodded understandingly. "Of course, no problem at all," she said with a warm smile. She began to pull out a few dresses, holding them up for me to see.
"How about this one?" she asked, showing a soft purple dress adorned with delicate lace and ribbon.
I nodded approvingly. "That looks perfect. We'll take it."
Sera placed the dress aside and moved on to selecting casual clothes. "Let's see... some everyday dresses, perhaps a couple of shirts and trousers?" she suggested, holding up various options. I nodded, quickly agreeing to her choices to avoid drawing too much attention.
"Now for the hat," she said, leading us to a section filled with hats of all shapes and sizes. After rummaging through the stack, she found a tall, elegant purple top hat. She held it up for me to see, "How about this?"
"Perfect," I said, admiring the transformation. "We'll take it all."
Sera quickly tallied up the items, and I paid her with a few silver coins. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to come back," she said warmly. With the clothes and hat sorted, I felt a bit more at ease. I guided the girl out of the shop, her new top hat securely in place, hiding her ears. She held onto my hand tightly, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility for her. I sighed; I had so much to teach her. I mean, she can't even talk. How can I make this work? After this party is over, if I am serious about taking her in, I need to teach her how to talk and other basic things.
For now, I needed to somehow fake her abilities, which would be easier said than done since we only had about an hour or so until the party. As we left the shop, the weight of the upcoming event pressed down on me. The girl clung to my hand, her new clothes and hat giving her a semblance of normalcy, but I knew we had a lot to do before the party. We made our way back to my stall, and I began to formulate a plan to make it through the evening.
The challenge was clear: she couldn't talk, comprehend language, or see. Communication through gestures was out of the question. I needed a different approach. First, I had to establish a basic level of trust and understanding. I took her hand and gently guided her to sit down. I made her feel the water in a cup I was filling, and then handed her an actual cup of water. She hesitated but then drank, seeming to understand my intention.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, trying to think. "I have to make this work." I quickly rummaged through my belongings, trying to find anything that could help. I found a small bell and decided to use it as a basic signal device. I placed the bell in her hand and rang it once, hoping she would understand that the sound indicated her attention was needed. She seemed to understand, nodding slightly. She couldn't see the world around her, and without the ability to understand or speak, I knew communicating effectively at the party would be a challenge. I racked my brain for a solution.
Then, it hit me—using the bell! I could teach her a simple system of communication: two rings for "yes" and one ring for "no." It was basic enough to convey some meaning without requiring spoken words or visual cues. Back at the stall, I picked up the bell and gently placed it in her hand. I showed her how to ring it once for "no" and twice for "yes." She felt the bell, exploring its shape and weight with her fingers. I mimicked the actions, hoping she would grasp the concept. I quickly learned she had no concept of language, so accurately determining when to say yes or no was out of the question. We had an hour, not days; I just needed her to ring the bell when she heard my voice.
I drilled the concept into her that when I talked, she would ring the bell. It was somewhat animalistic, but I decided to reward her with a piece of a peanut butter sandwich. With that concept down, I moved onto a harder lesson. I made another sandwich. This time, I would talk, and when I did, she would ring the bell. However, no sandwich would come. I made sure she knew that no reward would come if I talked anymore. She began getting a little frustrated, "Ugha, uhaa!" It was kind of cute, admittedly, but it was a lesson she needed. I needed a name for her. I will keep it simple: Alice would be a good name for the girl. I decided to only give her a piece of the sandwich when I said her name. I mixed it up between regular words and her name; I would say another word, and she began not ringing the bell. She began only ringing the bell when her name was called.
With that established, I had one more thing to teach her. I stood her up and began teaching her to bow a little when I rubbed the back of her neck with my finger. If she did this, I would feed her a treat, and eventually, after our hour was over, she had the two concepts mastered. I felt a sense of pride; she had learned so much in our short time. These two things would be the keys we needed to survive the rest of the night. I put on my nice blue collared shirt and black pants and stood her up, holding the small girl's hand. I guided her slowly and patiently towards the mayor's house, my story fully cooked up in my head. This girl, silent and blind, relied on me now. Whether this was a path towards redemption or deeper trouble, I couldn't be sure. But for tonight, at least, we would face the challenge together, armed with a simple bell and a plan to navigate the unknown.