Fixing up her Wonder had become something that Mechelen really wanted to do. She hadn’t invited Halle up here yet, but…didn’t want to until there was more to see.

The ballroom floor wasn’t shiny...but the dirt and dust of the years was finally gone. Tonight she had come with some wood stain and some polish that was meant to help bring floors back to life…she hadn’t been able to figure out how to get a sander or a wood buffer…and honestly, the amount of money it would have cost to get one…was just not feasible…plus the fact that there wasn’t electricity up here, that was another setback but…

This would work. Everything had been cleaned, swiffered and then mopped, and even if she couldn’t do the whole floor with the stuff she had brought…it would be best to test it out on a smaller area just in case it really failed…

But hopefully it wouldn’t really fail…that…

Would be the worst case…and if it worked well, she would buy more! Do more! Throw a ball!

Oh…she should learn to dance, that would be important…if she didn’t know how to dance there wasn’t much use for holding a ball…

Dawn would know how to dance, maybe she could reach back out and figure out a time that they could meet…

The urge to just start twirling around was hard to resist, but instead she got on her knees and began working on the back corner, hoping that the items she had purchased would do the job she wanted them to, but…

The flash of something caught her attention and Mechelen looked up at the wall, wondering if it was going to be that spider she had seen last time but–no, this time it looked…not like a spider but it was shiny. Like another jewel, how fun that the bugs here were pretty...she wished they weren’t inside but…still.

“It has to mean something good that I’ve got bugs…it’s life...and that’s better than nothing. Gross as they are…it’s life.”

The words were spoken out loud and they seemed to startle the glistening creature, and when it took flight, wings making a loud buzzing sound, she yelped and moved swiftly out of the way, shuddering. “...It’s just life. It’s life and bugs are good…” Or something. Maybe. Whatever. Not the time or the place, right now, she had to focus on the floor.

She worked hard, but kept glancing around, feeling residual creepy crawlies on her, there was nothing there, but…the feel of the roach? Beetle? Whatever it was, she wished she knew where it had ended up…because the fact that it flew was just…

Ugh.

Suppressing a shudder, Mechelen focused on her task, and eventually…as the floor started to look…well. Better, she began to smile and worked harder, her mind going to thoughts of a ball, a dance…she would have to figure out how to do music…maybe some kind of speaker for her phone or something like that…or, Jason said he played music, maybe he could help out. It would be nice…and maybe…

Maybe Lysithea herself would hear about it and want to come too! That would be…

That would be super cool, having her Princess at the party…but, she didn’t really think it would happen, which was okay! She was fine with just her friends…and she had so many of those. But…

Learning to dance was quite important. There was no way she was going to throw a ball without knowing how to dance…like hell she was going to make a fool of herself in front of Halle…that…

That simply wouldn’t do.

Time began to fly by as she worked, and as results started happening, the Squire leaned back, looking over all of what she had done, and decided that it was a good start. She didn’t want to touch it until the polish and stain dried but…it was lovely. A warm, deep brown…like chocolate, almost…and she liked it. It was a comforting color and now…well. She had a section of ten feet by six feet taken care of…only…the rest of the floor to go…

Wrinkling her nose she sighed and flopped backward on a different section of the floor. She had to buy more materials and figure out who she could get to come up here and help her…the idea of doing the whole floor on her own was…

Well, it was a lot and she just didn’t want to. Almere would be willing, she knew that very well, and maybe…she could spin it and get Halle up here with her…if she could get both at the same time, things would really move.

Okay, that was the goal then. Bring two friends up here and work until they ran out of supplies…

The floor was going to be a big job, and it wasn’t the only thing to do…she should get some paint too, the walls needed it…and maybe…she should learn to sew? She could make new curtains if she did that…and that might be a good idea. This room deserved everything. It was wonderful…and if she could get it fixed up…the rest of the palace wouldn’t be too difficult to do as well…this was the biggest project and…

The loud buzzing sound of the bug came again and Mechelen sat bolt upright, and felt a large something land on her head.

Oh.

Oh no. Swiftly she raised her arms and frantically rubbed at the top of her head, trying to get it off...and when she heard it fly away again, she shuddered and drew in a breath before heading back to the city.

Life was good. Life on her Wonder was a good thing…but if only that life was something other than bugs…

Jewel colored or no…she hated them.