Once the two of them had finished eating their breakfast of berry crepes with crème, Edgar had stood up and started to leave the dining room. The book's title, he was previously reading, remained hidden, since his right arm covered the back while the front faced his right side. He didn't say where they were going, but he had merely signaled for her to follow him.

Complying with this, (f/n) constantly tried to view the cover of the book when he would move his arm a little. Occasionally, the book would be tilted in such a way that the front of the book would be nearly visible. Still, it wasn't, and her curiosity wanted to know the title. Just one little peek was all she desired, yet Edgar wasn't permitting her even that. Frankly, she liked surprises, but with Edgar she received too many of them. So, ruining one wouldn't be such a tragic outcome. If anything, it would benefit her.

Soon after they had traveled down the first floor of the west wing, though, they stopped in front of one of the many black wooden doors in the house. The walls, in the lower west wing, were painted so as to look like the ocean. Roaring waves dominated the ocean surface, while beneath the surface coral reefs and seaweed decorated the ocean's lower domain. Dolphins, sharks, stingrays and other various aquatic creatures traversed the lower region as well, as they accompanied smaller beings like clownfish and sea snails. Dark blue chandeliers illuminated the long hallway, and wooden black floorboards covered the ground.

(F/n) wondered what was on other side of the door, but she had an idea of what it was. She hoped that her theory would be her reality in a few moments. As Edgar rested his left hand on the doorknob, she found herself wanting to jump with excitement. Of course, she refrained from doing so, since she wanted to seem somewhat calm.

Edgar continued at his seemingly slow pace until the knob turned. The door, within another few moments, was opened all the way. Behind its wooden body, a room filled with splendor met her (e/c) eyes. If her eyes could sparkle with absolute joy, they would, since before her was a breathtaking sight.

Mahogany shelves lined the walls to the left and right of the door. The shelves on the left side of the room held nearly complete toys, while the right shelves supported boxes of various parts. Each box was labeled, while they alternated in the hues of navy, red, yellow and green. Dark blue carpet complimented the black and white striped walls, and opposite the door was a large mahogany paned window. Red curtains flowed elegantly down to the ground, which was where a wooden bench sat. A black cushion covered the top of this particular piece of furniture.

In the center of the ceiling of the room, a large crystal chandelier hung. It was off for the moment due to the natural light flowing into the space. This sunlight highlighted the large mahogany desk that sat underneath the shelves on the left side of the area. Papers covered part of its surface, as an unfinished bear sat on the middle of the desk's surface. Pens, in the same colors as the boxes, accompanied these objects as well. To admire the desk, a mahogany desk chair, with a red cushion, remained close by.

"This is amazing, Edgar," (f/n) muttered, since she was still taking in all the details.

"I'm glad you like it, since you'll be spending some time in here with me. It will be handy to have someone fetch me the parts I need while working. I won't have to get out of my chair as often."

"Can't you just gather all the parts you need at once?" she asked, thinking such an idea to a better method.

"I could, but I develop the toy as I go. When I start out, I know the basics of what I want. I may know that I'm making a teddy bear, but I may not know what eye color or ribbon hue to use. Likewise, what if I want to utilize multiple fabrics? I may choose them, as I sew the bear together. Besides, this helps me to make a unique creation every time," he answered, motioning for her to step inside.

As she went into the room, she just nodded and scanned over the nearly complete toys on the left-hand side of the room. Even incomplete, they were marvelous. The details involved in each were utterly phenomenal. She found herself, though, intrigued by a certain doll. Its incomplete form had no hair or face yet, but it had a windup key in the back of it.

Not being able to control herself, she reached towards it and picked it up. Its soft pale blue dress covered its form gracefully, while blue clasped shoes went over her feet. White ankle socks added to her outfit, as pale purple and yellow flowers adorned the hem of her dress. Without waiting for Edgar's permission, she wound up the key.

Releasing the key, the notes began to play. After only a few, she recognized the tune as Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons, Spring." It was a piano version of the song, and she could see why it went with the doll. Her attire shouted spring. One could easily imagine her picking flowers in a vast field, while a pianist played on a grand piano in the background. Wind would sweep up the loose petals and send bright specks of color throughout the air.

Picturing such a scene, a small smile highlighted her lips. In fact she was so captivated by the song and image in her mind that she didn't hear Edgar close the door. He didn't interrupt her daydream but instead took a seat in his workshop chair. The male proceeded to rest his chin in the palm of his left hand, while he watched his object of interest thoroughly enjoy his creation. Granted, the music wasn't his, but it added a magical element to the little doll.

While he continued to view (f/n) enjoying the doll's musical quality, he couldn't help but picture her in a spring dress. Pale pink satin would be covered by a light layer of even paler pink chiffon. Crème colored flowers would decorate the waist of the dress, and no shoes would cover her feet. She would be sitting on a field of grass with a soft wind blowing her locks of (h/c) hair. It would be absolutely perfect, she would be perfect. Then again, his muse would look stunning in any season.

Notes started to slow down, however, as the key had finished its role. The music died down until it was no longer present. Its sweet sound could no longer enchant her. Of course, she could always wind the key up again. Thus, she proceeded to do this; however, she stopped upon seeing Edgar staring at her. He looked quite at peace, while beams of sunlight danced upon his strands of dark brown hair. His visible emerald green eye displayed evident delight, as a small smile tugged at his lips.

All in all, he looked incredibly handsome. His appearance was even more amazing due to the fact that he made casual articles of clothing seem elegant. Having his locks loose only complimented him. Noting that she was staring at him, she quickly came up with a statement. "This doll is really beautiful."

"Thank you. Do you want me to finish it today? I can easily make that arrangement," Edgar responded, keeping his current position.

"No, I want you to work on it when you feel like doing so. I don't want to rush a stunning creation like this. Still, did you make the music box inside?" she inquired, as she placed the doll back on the shelf.

"Yes, it took quite some time, though. That's why you see so few of them in the store. Every second spent on making those dolls, though, is worth it. That amount of work is worth it even more when I get to see an exquisite smile on your face, (f/n)," he answered, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a light tint of pink on her cheeks.

Concerning (f/n), she remained quiet for a few seconds. After those moments, though, she questioned, "So, do you need me to grab anything for the bear that you're working on?"

Turning his attention onto the bear, he leaned forward in his chair. He opened the right topmost drawer of the desk and pulled out a needle and string. After he threaded the needle, he tapped his left fingers against the surface of the desk. "Hmm, two solid black sew-in buttons should do the trick. They're in the red box on the third shelf."

Nodding in response, she went to the designated box and peered inside. She did indeed find a large supply of the buttons within. (F/n) took two out and went over to Edgar. He retrieved them from her and thanked her in the process. With little else to do, she stood nearby in case he needed something else. Besides, this gave her the ability to watch him work on the bear.

The male worked with careful precision, as he sewed the eyes onto the stuffed animal. His attention was solely on the piece before him, and his concentration was evident. As he added each eye, he gave the bear a little more character.

"Red ribbon," Edgar muttered, as he finished with the second and last eye.

Just barely hearing him, she quickly went back over to the boxes, while he instructed her which one to look in. She found the container of ribbons and had to dig to the bottom of the bin to find one. After she gave him the item, which he desired, she mentioned the lack of red ribbons in the container. He merely nodded his head in response, as he tied the ribbon around the bear's neck. Next, he formed the ribbon into a bow at the front.

For a few minutes, though, she peered over at the window and stared outside. It was still surreal to think that this would be her job from now on. Her mind would have a hard time wrapping itself around that fact for a bit. As she thought about this, Edgar glanced over at her. He wondered if she knew that this would be her only job for the rest of her life.