Word Count: 3141

It had been a while since Odain had found her way to her wonder. Last time she was here, she had brought visitors too. But she stretched as she set foot on the small island looking over what was there. Small structures that looked like mushrooms and trees dotted the island and she could see stairs running up some of the trees to houses up in the canopy of some, others were nestled in the actual tree trunks themselves.

Odain moved towards what she had thought had been her ancestors home. Honestly, she knew there was suppose to be a ring that they had and she needed to honestly find it. She had not been to the wonder enough to really locate it.

Which honestly kind of made her sad she really had not been here that often, she felt like she had let down not only herself but her ancestor. Perhaps after she located the ring she could go check on the code piece that was on her wonder. It was only fair right? Her shoes landed softly on the ground as she walked wondering how each of the islands stayed together and moved as they did.

She was not sure where she was in space but, looking out at the sky she was pretty sure these were not the same stars as before. Odain started thinking when she realized they were different that she should try to map out the stars and locations to see where she was and figure out how best to calculate the wonder's trajectory. There was a shrug though, it would take a bit for her to be able to do that and she wondered if she needed to talk to a cat about helping her making a little thing that could digitally map out the stars and things.

She crossed the bridge that lead up to the mushroom hut that her ancestor had lived in. She slowed as she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. "Neona, are you just going to trail me and not say anything?"

There was a chuckle from the ancestor as she manifested to a more visible state, "I just wanted to see what you were up to dear. It's only our second meeting." There was a pout, "You did not come to see me when you were a page, had to wait until you were squire. Shame."

Odain who was usually almost always cheerful mood seemed to sour a bit, "Look it's not like anyone tells us stuff on earth. I did not know this place existed until my first visit because the code told me to come. Cut me some slack."

She moved along as she headed into the little hut and made herself at home, "I am actually here looking for something. Maybe you know where it's at?"

Neona followed Odain into the hut and frowned heavily when the other said she was looking for something. "Of course, all you ever do is come when you want something. Why can it not be just a nice friendly visit without needing something. The first time it was the code. What is it this time?" Neona looked offended that Odain had not just come for a friendly visit, maybe to clean the place a little bit.

There was so much that needed attention and heaven forbid that she could manage to clean. The fae looked grumpy as she sat on the edge of her table.

Odain frowned heavily as she watched her ancestor burst into a rant of the only time she showed up was when she wanted something. She opened her mouth to say something, but licked her lips and closed it because she knew the ancestor right now, was right. She came for a certain journey, a certain need. Not because she just wanted to talk and find out history or, well the place did need to be cleaned up too.

Odain was looking around the hut, it was not the only thing in disrepair here. There were plenty of buildings that needed help and to be cleaned or fixed from falling a part and disrepair. Odain rubbed her hand over her face and sighed.

"You are right Noena I should be coming more often. I should probably be taking care of the place more, but I haven't figured out everything that comes with being a squire of cosmos and -- well I need the ring we are suppose to have."

She admitted as she sat there looking over to her ancestor who still did not seem entirely pleased she was just here to pick up the ring.

"Ring?" Noena quipped looking over towards Odain, that's right she got through being a page without the ring. That was interesting. Noena crossed her arms and said, "That thing got lost eons ago. I do not know where it is."

She then disappeared, she didn't feel like helping ungrateful children today.

When Noena disappeared on her Odain stood up looking around quickly, "Oh come on Noena this is not funny!" She moved where the other had been, even if Noena was just a ghost, she was company. "Please do not be that way!"

There was a sigh, it looked like getting the ring was going to be more difficult than she thought.

After a bit Odain decided she would start searching by cleaning Noena's hut, perhaps then the ancestor would come out and speak her to her more about the ring and where it might be located - that was if she didn't find it while cleaning. Of course Odain sighed when she realized she had not thought to bring cleaning supplies. She made a mental note to do so next time as she rooted around the hut in a closet she'd found for supplies to clean with. Hoping that it was easier said than done.

She found a broom made from what looked like a large branch and wispy willow branches. She tested it to see how well it worked, she also located a rug beater and what looked like a duster made from a stick and feathers. Well -- at least somethings stayed the same. "Now if only I could find a rag..." She said softly as she started dusting with the feathered duster she'd found. At least that's what she'd hoped it was - if not she was sure Noena would let her know.

The ghost was nothing short of eccentric but it seemed like she could have a stubborn side along side how cheerful she could be. Odain hummed as she moved things dusted under them and picked up looking inside this thing and that thing. She had decided to start in what she assumed was a living room since there were a couple of chairs that were made of some sort of animal hide and sticks some things were stone with throws on them. It was interesting. Odain looked outside to see if there was a place to hang the hides and other fabrics that needed to be beat out and cleaned. She saw what looked like it could've been a horse hitching post but it was two wooden poles with a thinner stick running between the two.

"That should work..." She mused as she looked for something to put the stuff in she needed to beat out. Finding a grass woven basket. "I'm impressed these have lasted so long." Odain mused as she had been worried they were brittle but it looked as if when she touched them the objects in question were still fairly sturdy.

When the living room was cleaned, it took a bit because of the book case that was there and she had noticed a couple of lamps but none of them seem to run on electricity so Odain was not sure how they worked but they were there none the less. It took her a bit to clean around these things. The basket was full of items that needed to be cleaned. She took those out, figuring she would clean those first before moving on to the kitchen.

She took the rug beater and started with the pillows watching the dust that had settled in them fly as she gave it a smack with one hand while holding onto it with the other. "Oh, gross." She said as she gave it a couple of more smacks before she was satisfied it seemed clean enough.

She moved on to the linens and animal hides similar amounts of dust seemed to come from them as she smacked them with the rug beater. There was a frown as she watched the dust fly until it ceased to be as bad. "I guess I need to make sure there's not an actual rug that needs to be cleaned out in the living room."

She sighed taking the objects back in and pulling up the rug to do the same.

"There is a larger post that's actually for beating rugs if you go into the back." Noena said popping back up leaning against the hitching post. "This one is for hitching the animals."

Odain looked at Noena, "I thought you left mad." She said as she carried the rug to the back and threw it over the indicated 'clothes' pole. She beat out the rug before glancing over to Noena.

"Any suggestions for finding the ring?" She asked as she made sure she was satisfied with how clean the rug had come. Starting to carry it back inside the hut she glanced back to Noena. Who just simply shrugged.

Odain sighed as she went and dropped the rug back and went to clean the kitchen, she figured she'd leave the only other room that seemed to be in the hut until last. As she figured that was Noena's bedroom.

Odain started pulling out drawers, emptying the contents shifting through them and sorting it into what she perceived as trash and good keep able items. She heard Noena scoff in protest, "I won't throw them away, I am going to recycle them for something. There just does not need to be this much in these drawers, some of them barely open as is."

"Those are sentimental." Noena protested as she watched Odain sort through things and putting back select items. There was a pout as she watched, "What do you mean recycle them for something?"

Her ancestor was staring daggers at her while she waited for an answer.

Odain paused looking over towards Noena who was clearly upset. "I can make something special with them. So they can be displayed if they mean that much to you. But the drawers should not be that full. If you see something of particular sentimental value to you, let me know. I will make sure I fix it so it can be displayed and not hidden in a drawer. You wanted me to come clean and fix things. Part of cleaning is removing the clutter."

Odain saw Noena disappear from the corner of her eye and sighed. Apparently the other did not like the solution but there were bare places on the walls, if some of this meant so much. She could frame it and hang it if nothing else. Not even change how these looked. After all some of them were spoons that looked like they had different patterns on them. Perhaps they were from other wonders? Odain wasn't sure what to make of it yet.

However she figured a display would be better than these things just sitting and taking up all the drawer space. Since the spoons looked similar to spoons she used on earth but were suppose to be collectible from other cities and states; so she could just get someone to make something if she needed to, but the hard part was figuring out where they all came from or what they meant. Since she wanted to add that information on little tags.

Odain sighed as she finished cleaning up and placed the spoons into a container on the table and made them a center piece for the time being until she could get a better idea of where these things came from.

She cleaned off plates that had dust and cleaned out cups with a rag she had finally found hidden away in a cabinet. At least there was dish cloths - but she was unsure if there was running water. As the couple of times she had tried to get the water it just seemed like the pump was dry.

"I wonder if there is a blockage somewhere keeping the water from working." She sighed as she moved on from having cleaned the kitchen to the bed room. There looked to be a nest in the center of the room. Odain's head tilted curiously wondering why it was a nest, but looked particularly comfortable. It was hard to explain how but it seemed padded in different types of fabrics and pillows along with other things like feathers and straw or hay? She made a mental note to clean that last.

She started with the floors and other furniture cleaning it up, investigating drawers and the closest that was here. She found some interesting trinkets, little hair pins, clips, and other things like chains and what she could only describe as wing decorations. There was also the typical jewelry and stuff that looked like it use to be make up. Sadly nothing looked like it should been a signet ring or screamed that. Odain arranged some things out so that the dressers and stuff were decorated with the make up containers and jewelry pieces she also found some perfume bottles she arranged and made it looked more lived in. "There. That looks better."

She took out one of the outfits that had been stashed in the closet and hung it on the hook outside so it looked as if Noena was about to get ready for a party or something.

As she did this Noena came back out of sulking looking at the little touches that Odain was doing. During this process Odain grabbed up the linens and plush in the bed nest that needed to be beat out and headed outside. "Noena let me know if you like what I am doing. I know it probably seemed like I was being disrespectful at first, but I can not leave things looking so unlived in." The squire explained.

Occasionally casting a glance back at her ancestor who followed her out to watch as she beat the rugs, linens and hides free of dust. There were also some more pillows that got beat out. Odain sighed, it was still flustering she could not find the ring. There had been had been hope that the ring was here in the hut.

She took the items back into the nest and layered them back up and placed the rugs. She stood back to look at her handy work.

"Did you look in the side table beside the chair?" Noena finally said as she ran her hand over the jewelry that had been sat out and the make up that was staged. How long had it been since these items had been out and seen the light of day?

"The side table?"

Odain moved back to the living room where the chair was, she had not noticed anything about the side table that had suggested there was a drawer. She started knocking on it and searching to see if there was some sort of hidden compartment.

Odain found she was not having any luck and she tried knocking on the top of the table. When that did not do anything she knocked on the legs, climbed under the table looking to see if there was any tell tale signs of what she might be looking for. Eventually Odain stood there with arms crossed looking contemplative. She could not find anything abnormal about the table no hiding spots or anything that were obvious or could be touched as far as she could see.

Short of moving the lamp she was not sure what Noena was talking about to check the side table. "This side table right?" She asked looking to see if the ghost of her ancestor was nearby, which she was. There was a nod and the squire was still confused.

Well, she might as well move the lamp as she had tried to do so but was not able to earlier. The squire remembered she had tried to pick up the lamp but it did not want to move when you tried to pick it straight up. Odain tried again to pick the lamp straight up like she was sure that normal lamps could do. Then she cast a confused glance back to Noena who still did not say a word.

Odain sighed and tried twisting the lamp. She was unsure why she did not pick up on this earlier that it was not suppose to be in the table like this prior and continue to mess with it. Odain was frustrated at herself that she just decided to clean the lamp and around it on the table instead of investigating it further at the time she realized it would not come off the table. She also assumed since it would not come off there was no need to clean under the lamp - but things did not dawn on her that it might have a secret.

The lamp it seemed was glued to the table, or at least Odain thought that was the problem. After a couple of attempts to twist it this way and that way; she finally found the correct way to move the lamp and it came off the table revealing a hidden compartment underneath. "Woah, secret hidey hole storage. Stellar!" The cosmos squire was impressed as she peered inside the hole that was under the lamp.

There were a few trinkets in the side table and she pulled them out looking. A few of them were letters she was unable to read. She slide those back into the hole, another was a box with something small in it. She carefully opened it to find the signet ring she had been looking for. "Oh wow!" She said softly looking at the opal colored ring with gold accents. "This is it right? The signet ring??"

There was a nod and shortly after, "Thank you," Noena said as she was looking around the rooms again. "I did not think this place would look so lived in again."

Odain stopped as she was turning the ring over, "You are welcome Noena."

The squire put the rest of the items back into the side table and kept the ring carefully placing it on her finger. Now at least she could communicate with everyone else. She smiled at her ancestor. "Sorry for not coming more often to clean up. I have to start on planning to do more here and not just ignore you, the code and my wonder. So I will do better."

She promised as she stood up looking to see if there was a book she wanted to place on the table, since it was still empty aside from the lamp, "Which book was your favorite Noena?" She asked as she looked towards her ancestor, who moved softly to point at a book. Odain took it off the shelf and placed it on the side table opening to the first page.

"There, now this is a home again." She said softly before smiling at her ancestor. "I am bushed from cleaning, Noena. I am going to head back to earth okay?"

She paused, "Next time I come I promise I will work on seeing if we can figure out why the water pumps are dry, maybe we can fix that and I can stay a bit longer. Or I can at least bring provisions so I can stay a little longer."

Noena paused looking at Odain, "I am not sure how we could solve the water problem, perhaps speaking with the code more would help?" Noena suggested as she followed Odain through the house.

"Or maybe patching and cleaning some more things up would help? There is a good bit that needs to be cleaned and just cared for. After all magic works in strange ways." Noena reminded Odain.

When Noena mentioned that magic worked in strange ways Odain seemed to think about it and nodded, "You are right Noema, it really does work in strange and mysterious ways."

After a few moments she nodded, "Fine then I will try to give it a few more trips before I worry about how to fix the water, maybe the water will fix itself on it's own."

Odain then gave a soft wave before walking back out the door, she was not in the mood to try and get home from inside a building, after all she was not sure if that was how magic worked. She hoped when she spawned next on the wonder, it would be here at this door step; at least it would be easier to figure out where to go from here.

Closing her eyes she willed herself back to earth and sighed when she got there. "Oh boy, I was not expecting to have to do all that."

The squire stretched and headed home for a nice hot bath and well deserved nap.