Noble Lady Margaret

//Ugh... What happened last night?...// You hear a distant voice calling your name. "Margaret! Wake up! Your husband is arriving today! We mustn’t let him see you in this unkempt state!" You survey your surroundings. Your large bedroom slowly comes into view, as well as the blinding morning light. "If I may, Margaret, You shouldn’t’ve thrown that large party last night! You know how you sleep in late." You hear the stern voice of your friend Poppy lecturing you as you piece together the events of last night. "Your husband will be arriving in two hours! He’ll be absolutely mortified when he sees the state of his house!" Robert is arriving in two hours?! Your mind is spinning, you hesitate on deciding what you should do first. [[Clean the Estate]] [[Go back to sleep]]

You quickly hop out the bed, ignoring the massive headache you're suddenly getting. "If we have so little time, then we mustn’t delay! We must clean the estate before Robert gets here." "Your estate is enormous, Margaret! Do you think we'll be able to clean it in time?" You bite your knuckle, "No. At least, not before Robert gets back. It’s fine though, as long as we clean the rooms he’ll most likely use, he’ll never notice." [[“Let’s get started!"|“Let’s start with the first floor.”]]

My goodness, what a mess! Which rooms should we do? Margaret: Hmmm, let’s see… Robert is a man who leaves the house regularly, loves cooking his own meals, and enjoys staring at our garden… [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 1]] [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 1]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 1]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 1]]

"I’m too tired, Poppy. Let me have five more minutes." Your friend sighs in disagreement, but knows it was ultimately pointless to argue with you. She lets you drift back to [[blissful sleep.]]

… ……. [[…………..|No More Parties Ending]]

You hear someone calling to you. The more they call, the more familiar they sound. You jolt yourself awake. "Margaret!" "Eep! Robert!" You scream in shock. I slept too long and you're in for the earful of your life. //No more parties Ending//

"Let’s start with the entryway first." You say. The small hallway is filled with many pairs of discarded and abandoned boats, coats, hats, gloves… "Wait a second… is that food?" … And an assortment of food from last night’s party. As you and your friend sift through the clothing and food, hurriedly placing them into trash bins, Poppy becomes less and less unsure. "Margaret?" Yes, Poppy?" "I was wondering… Have you thought about where you’re going to put all this stuff?" "Ummm… Not really. [[But I’ll figure something out.]]"

Poppy looks completely doubtful of that statement, her eyes growing more worried, but doesn't know whether or not to fight you on the matter. "Remember when you and I threw that huge party back in London?" You asked and couldn't help but smile. "We were staying in that inn and the innkeeper made us clean the whole building? We thought it would take us a week to clean the whole building, but it only took us a few hours." "That five years ago. Before you got married to Robert." You continue the clean in silence until the entryway looks just as spotless as when you and Robert first bought your mansion. [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 2]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 2]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 2]]

Why don’t we clean the window room? Robert loves looking at his garden before heading off to work. You brace yourself as you walk into the window room and it was just as bad as you feared. The memories flood back to you one by one of drunk party guests accidently smashing and throwing on windows. Many profusely apologize but you stupidly reassured them that it was fine and you can pay to get it fixed. You come to the conclusion that you also had too much to drink tonight. "Alright, Margaret think," You mutter to yourself, "how are you going to think your way out of this one?" Poppy crosses her arms and eyes you suspiciously. "Yeah, Margaret." You know why she’s suddenly acting like this and I have to admit that you’re little by it. In the nine you’ve been friends with Margaret no matter how deep in trouble you got yourself, you never asked her for money. That being said, it’s been at least a decade since you dug yourself into a hole this deep. … Wait a second… "Poppy. Do you remember all the guests who came here?" "I mean, I guess. More than you do I bet." "Do you remember the mayor Cristopher Rogers here?" Poppy visibly cringes at the sound of his name. Yep, he was definitely here. "It was quite hard to forget. He made a complete and utter fool of himself. Started a fight with Professor Berkly in the Dining Room and dragged it right here." //[[Huh. So that’s why the windows are broken.]]//

//Perfect!// "I think I found a way to replace the windows." You say with a smile on your face. You carefully tiptoe through the sea of broken glass. Soon enough you spot it: some dollars poking through the mess. Turning to Poppy, you smirk. "Get some brooms and dustpans." Fifteen minutes. It took fifteen minutes to gather just enough money and sweep away the glass into the bags. But you managed it. //Ha!// Universe: 0 Margaret: … you lost count years ago, but you know it’s a lot. "Poppy, dear," You say as you flick the wad of cash, "what do you say to a quick, good old fashioned road trip?" The ride to the nearest marketplace was pretty uneventful, but you weren’t complaining. Sometimes peace and quiet is what a woman needs. Your husband Robert loves to talk during times like these. It’s not like you hate it, in fact, you love talking to your husband. But you definitely love the quiet when it comes. It took another 30 minutes to pick up the window frames, drive back, and install them. Now the room looks brand new. And most importantly, Robert wouldn’t notice the difference. [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 3]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 3]]

The room was unsurprisingly a complete mess with food scattered all over the floor and stains already soaked into the carpets. The glass table is thankfully not shattered into a million pieces, but there’s all sorts of herbs, vials and bottles filled with all sorts of potions, and a collection of playing cards. There was an old woman seated calmly at the table, almost as if she’d expected your arrival. //Oh God no…// Poppy froze stiff. "Oh, crap. I forgot she was still here." "A witch in my house? You just forgot there’s a witch in my house?" "Don’t get all huffy with me, you forgot too." The witch slowly chuckles to get your attention before she speaks. "Don’t fret, child. I mean no harm. In fact, I mean to help you." You couldn't hide the doubt from your voice even if you tried. "How?" "You mean to erase evidence from last night’s festivities before your spouse arrives. A stain on a dish and you are searching for the soap. A monumental task, but l can potentially assist in scrubbing out that stain… at least in this room." You cross your arms. "Oh really?" "Answer this riddle, and this mess… goes away." You turn to Poppy, unsure of what to do, but your friend threw up her hands in defeat, fresh out of any other better ideas. You pull up a discarded chair and across the witch. "Alright." "What kind of room has no doors or windows?" [["A mushroom?"|mush 1]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 2]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 2]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 1]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 1]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 3]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 3]]

//Perfect!// "I think I found a way to replace the windows." You say with a smile on your face. You carefully tiptoe through the sea of broken glass. Soon enough you spot it: some dollars poking through the mess. Turning to Poppy, you smirk. "Get some brooms and dustpans." Fifteen minutes. It took fifteen minutes to gather just enough money and sweep away the glass into the bags. But you managed it. //Ha!// Universe: 0 Margaret: … you lost count years ago, but you know it’s a lot. "Poppy, dear," You say as you flick the wad of cash, "what do you say to a quick, good old fashioned road trip?" The ride to the nearest marketplace was pretty uneventful, but you weren’t complaining. Sometimes peace and quiet is what a woman needs. Your husband Robert loves to talk during times like these. It’s not like you hate it, in fact, you love talking to your husband. But you definitely love the quiet when it comes. It took another 30 minutes to pick up the window frames, drive back, and install them. Now the room looks brand new. And most importantly, Robert wouldn’t notice the difference. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 4]] [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 4]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 4]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 5]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 5]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 4]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 4]]

You scramble to shake one of the guests awake. He stretches his arms and legs out before he turns his attention towards you. His eyes widen when he recognizes who you are. //Thank God you aren’t dead!// “Lady Margaret!” The young man says in shock. “Yeah, let’s skip the pleasantries the house is about to catch.” Poppy says flatly. “What?” You point to the oven which is now coughing up sparks of fire. “Oh my goodness!” The man shot to his feet and raced to a huge pale in the corner of the kitchen, and promptly dumped its colorful contents onto the oven, putting out the fire. (Don’t try this at home, kids.) “Well, I guess that was a way to solve that problem.” You say, still trying to process what just happened. “My deepest apologies, Lady Margaret. I suppose I fell asleep before turning the oven off.” “I’m just relieved that I still have a house…” Just then, a horrible stench hit your nostrils and it wasn’t smoke. “Do I want to know what was in that bucket before you splashed it all over my oven?” A blush creeped across the man’s cheeks and he refused to look you in the eye. //[[I’m going to take that as a no.|cont. 1]]//

You race out of the kitchen, through the entryway, and the house. A few minutes later, fire erupts from the open windows. It was only a matter of time before the entire estate was set ablaze. //Set Ablaze Ending//

Your eyes scan the area, surveying the room. “Alright then, we just have to clean the floors, the walls, the ceiling, and replace the oven before Robert gets back.” “Margaret.” Poppy says sternly, getting your attention. “I know you, and even you can’t clean an entire room, find the money to replace an oven, and find an exact replica of the oven all before Robert gets back. Wasn’t it custom made and a gift from his parents?” You pinch the ridge of your nose. You hate to admit it, but Poppy’s right. She’s right! You don’t know the first thing about ovens! //This is just fantastic!// “I think I can help.” The man meekly says. “Oh, are you an oven repair specialist?” You ask a little too sarcastically. “No, but I am a technician and I always have trouble with my oven back home.” You hesitate. On one hand you need all the help you can get, but on the other you don’t know whether the man truly knows what he’s doing or not. You look back at the oven covered in soot, ash, and only God knows what the man dumped on it. “Please? It’s the least I can do. For nearly setting your house on fire.” You let out a tired sigh, “Fine. Do what you need to do.” You turn to Poppy, “We need buckets of hot water and some rags.” Poppy glances at the pale beside the oven. “We’re not touching that one.” It was back breaking work, but in the end, the room sparkled like it was brand new. And to your surprise, the man got the oven back to working condition. You were so relieved and happy, you couldn’t help but hug him. “I cannot thank you enough!” “Don’t worry about it. It was the least I could do.” The man says before taking out his pocket watch. “Oh my, I have to go!” “Go? Where?” “Back home! My wife is going to kill me if I don’t get back soon. You know how it is.” “No, I don’t.” Poppy replies, smirking as the man races out the front door. After a moment of silence you turned to your friend. “Poppy, have you ever thought of getting married?” “Ha, nope!” She exclaimed with pride before she walked out of the kitchen. You wait a beat before following her. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 2]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 7]] [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 7]]

Your eyes scan the area, surveying the room. “Alright then, we just have to clean the floors, the walls, the ceiling, and replace the oven before Robert gets back.” “Margaret.” Poppy says sternly, getting your attention. “I know you, and even you can’t clean an entire room, find the money to replace an oven, and find an exact replica of the oven all before Robert gets back. Wasn’t it custom made and a gift from his parents?” You pinch the ridge of your nose. You hate to admit it, but Poppy’s right. She’s right! You don’t know the first thing about ovens! //This is just fantastic!// “I think I can help.” The man meekly says. “Oh, are you an oven repair specialist?” You ask a little too sarcastically. “No, but I am a technician and I always have trouble with my oven back home.” You hesitate. On one hand you need all the help you can get, but on the other you don’t know whether the man truly knows what he’s doing or not. You look back at the oven covered in soot, ash, and only God knows what the man dumped on it. “Please? It’s the least I can do. For nearly setting your house on fire.” You let out a tired sigh, “Fine. Do what you need to do.” You turn to Poppy, “We need buckets of hot water and some rags.” Poppy glances at the pale beside the oven. “We’re not touching that one.” It was back breaking work, but in the end, the room sparkled like it was brand new. And to your surprise, the man got the oven back to working condition. You were so relieved and happy, you couldn’t help but hug him. “I cannot thank you enough!” “Don’t worry about it. It was the least I could do.” The man says before taking out his pocket watch. “Oh my, I have to go!” “Go? Where?” “Back home! My wife is going to kill me if I don’t get back soon. You know how it is.” “No, I don’t.” Poppy replies, smirking as the man races out the front door. After a moment of silence you turned to your friend. “Poppy, have you ever thought of getting married?” “Ha, nope!” She exclaimed with pride before she walked out of the kitchen. You wait a beat before following her. [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 6]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 6]]

//Perfect!// "I think I found a way to replace the windows." You say with a smile on your face. You carefully tiptoe through the sea of broken glass. Soon enough you spot it: some dollars poking through the mess. Turning to Poppy, you smirk. "Get some brooms and dustpans." Fifteen minutes. It took fifteen minutes to gather just enough money and sweep away the glass into the bags. But you managed it. //Ha!// Universe: 0 Margaret: … you lost count years ago, but you know it’s a lot. "Poppy, dear," You say as you flick the wad of cash, "what do you say to a quick, good old fashioned road trip?" The ride to the nearest marketplace was pretty uneventful, but you weren’t complaining. Sometimes peace and quiet is what a woman needs. Your husband Robert loves to talk during times like these. It’s not like you hate it, in fact, you love talking to your husband. But you definitely love the quiet when it comes. It took another 30 minutes to pick up the window frames, drive back, and install them. Now the room looks brand new. And most importantly, Robert wouldn’t notice the difference. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 3]] [[Clean the Dining Room|Dining 8]]

You give Poppy a thankful hug before she leaves for her own house. You wait eagerly on the doorstep for your husband’s arrival. Hopefully, he won’t notice that the dining room is still a complete mess. //A (mostly) clean house ending//

The small hallway is filled with many pairs of discarded and abandoned boats, coats, hats, gloves… "Wait a second… is that food?" … And an assortment of food from last night’s party. As you and your friend sift through the clothing and food, hurriedly placing them into trash bins. "Poppy?" "Yes, Margaret?" "Thank you for being a good friend, for being always having my back... thank you for evverything." Poppy smiles, but doesn't reply. She doesn't need to. You continue the clean in silence until the entryway looks just as spotless as when you and Robert first bought your mansion. [[Finally, it's done...]]

The witch’s lips curl up into a crooked smile before she snaps her fingers. Just like that, the food and the stains disappear in the blink of an eye and the discarded chairs teleported back to their proper place. "The stain has been scrubbed clean and my job is done." You quickly regain your wits and stand up from your seat. "My deepest thanks. I trust you know the way out." "Of course" And in flash the witch vanished. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 6]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 6]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 9]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 6]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 6]]

The witch’s lips curl up into a crooked smile before she snaps her fingers. Just like that, the food and the stains disappear in the blink of an eye and the discarded chairs teleported back to their proper place. "The stain has been scrubbed clean and my job is done." You quickly regain your wits and stand up from your seat. "My deepest thanks. I trust you know the way out." "Of course" And in a flash the witch vanished. [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 7]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 10]]

The witch’s lips curl up into a crooked smile before she snaps her fingers. Just like that, the food and the stains disappear in the blink of an eye and the discarded chairs teleported back to their proper place. "The stain has been scrubbed clean and my job is done." You quickly regain your wits and stand up from your seat. "My deepest thanks. I trust you know the way out." "Of course" And in a flash the witch vanished. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 8]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 9]]

The witch’s lips curl up into a crooked smile before she snaps her fingers. Just like that, the food and the stains disappear in the blink of an eye and the discarded chairs teleported back to their proper place. "The stain has been scrubbed clean and my job is done." You quickly regain your wits and stand up from your seat. "My deepest thanks. I trust you know the way out." "Of course" And in a flash the witch vanished. [[Clean the Entryway|Entry 9]] [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 10]]

The witch’s lips curl up into a crooked smile before she snaps her fingers. Just like that, the food and the stains disappear in the blink of an eye and the discarded chairs teleported back to their proper place. "The stain has been scrubbed clean and my job is done." You quickly regain your wits and stand up from your seat. "My deepest thanks. I trust you know the way out." "Of course" And in a flash the witch vanished. //[[Finally, it's done...|2]]//

You give Poppy a thankful hug before she leaves for her own house. You wait anxiously on the doorstep for your husband who arrived seven minutes later. Your husband didn’t seem to notice anything out of place when you both went to bed that night. It looked like you were about to get away with the perfect crime… …That is until you hear Robert calling for you the next morning. “Margaret! Why is one of our rooms a complete mess?!” //Uh Oh.// //Uh Oh Ending//

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 7]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 7]]

Poppy looks completely doubtful of that statement, her eyes growing more worried, but doesn't know whether or not to fight you on the matter. "Remember when you and I threw that huge party back in London?" You asked and couldn't help but smile. "We were staying in that inn and the innkeeper made us clean the whole building? We thought it would take us a week to clean the whole building, but it only took us a few hours." "That five years ago. Before you got married to Robert." You continue the clean in silence until the entryway looks just as spotless as when you and Robert first bought your mansion. [[Clean the Kitchen|Kitchen 8]] [[Clean the Window Room|Window 12]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 8]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 8]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 9]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 9]]

You felt a shudder go through your body when your eyes saw the state the kitchen was in. All sorts of wine, sauces, and other unidentifiable substances coating your walls and floor. The oven is even spewing smoke! You are honest to God shocked that you didn’t smell it until now, but it looked like it would burst into flames any minute! To make matters worse you see a man lying motionless on the floor. //Oh my God! He's not dead isn't he?// [[Wake him up | wake up 10]] [[Run out of the house before the oven catches fire | set ablaze 2]]