Dresden Academy

Who: Abernathy Ford and Adelaide Legaux
When: Near the end of the spring semester 2010
Where: A hallway in between classes
What: Abby and Addy get the school year finished with a bang!
Rating: Probably NSFW. Swearing and violence.


It was always a clusterfuck trying to negotiate the hallways in between classes. It was never worse than it was during the last week of classes. There were students everywhere trying to avoid that last test, boning up on last minute studying, or already checked out for summer vacation that they didn't bother about clogging up the walkways. It was nearly impossible to get through without running into someone you didn’t want to see.

For Abernathy Ford that someone was Miss Adelaide Legaux. Had she spotted her before running into her Abby would have taken another path. She could have ducked into the wrong classroom to catch her breath or hidden behind someone taller. Unfortunately she didn’t have much warning and no preparation; she had just run smack into Adelaide, pushed by someone behind her who was rushing to get through the mess of students.

Who the hell-- people didn’t just ‘run into her’. For one thing, at any given point in time, everybody knew where to find Adelaide. It was usually in the middle of a miasma of discomfort, brought on by some nasty comment or an impending fist fight. And if you wandered too close, you’d be the target of that nasty comment, or a participant in the fight.

Convinced it was a freshman, not knowing whom he or she had just stumbled into, she turned to glare down at the unfortunate soul. As it turned out, it was someone who should have known much, much better. “You need to watch where you’re going, Cletus.”

Abernathy felt the hackles raise on the back of her neck. There was no easy way to deal with Adelaide. Well, Abernathy started to think maybe there was. A fist worked faster than words. Unfortunately the hallway was not the best place to get into a fight, as much as she wanted. Sarcasm was just as well. “Oh, please Princess Laidey. Do forgive me my ignorance. I didn’t know this was your hallway.”

“I’m surprised you know what hallways are; don’t you live in a barn?” Adelaide replied archly, irritated by Abernathy’s use of her most hated pet name.

“I find it funny that you bring up barn life. I’ve known so many cows with better manners than you.” Abernathy smiled acidly as the hallway started to clear of bodies. “And good heavens they smelled better too.”

Adelaide returned the acid smile. “I’m sure you’ve more than known a few cows, redneck.”

It was bad enough being called Cletus. Being called a redneck was just so much worse. Abernathy lived in the woods. She liked to hunt and fish. And maybe those were indicators that pointed to the stereotype Adelaide loved to label her with. But she was Not. A. Fucking. Redneck. “What are you trying imply, Adelaide? That I may have accidentally dated your mother?”

She beamed, the other girl was just making it too easy. “I know you never dated my mother; she’s not related to you. But then, with a family tree like yours it’s probably easy to forget.” It wasn’t too close to vacation to get in one last fight, right?

“I’m willing to bet my family tree has more branches than yours,” Abernathy spat back with the tiniest growl. She reached forward and very easily pushed at Adelaide’s shoulders. “Isn’t inbreeding a Southern thing?” She added as she backed up and started to circle.

Oh, she did not just. “Of course your tree got more branches. You fuck enough family and you’ll get twigs all over the place. Difference between my tree and yours is I got roots.” She lingered on the word menacingly. “You probably tried to smoke your wand first you saw it.”

“The difference between my tree and yours is that I have grammar, you vacuous waste of space.”

“Grammar, genetic diversity... you pick your battles.” She loomed over Abby. “You gonna throw a punch, or are you still looking for the trigger on your wand?”

Good enough. Abby didn’t need any further invitation. She cocked her arm back and aimed a punch squarely at Adelaide’s bitchy, little nose. Fuck it. She was going to get in trouble for being late to class, might as well go balls to the wall while she was at it.

Adelaide blinked momentarily, then cracked her neck at either side before smacking at Abby’s throat. If anyone asked, she was going for the face, but in truth she just liked that little gurgle coming out of her smartass mouth.

Abernathy was floored. She took a breath to steady herself and assess the damage. Her neck would probably bruise, but man wouldn’t that be a great story. She kicked out toward Adelaide’s shin while punching at the same time. She figured she was bound to hit something.

Like Adelaide’s knee. God, if that fucked her up for Muggle Sports tomorrow... she snatched a handful of Abernathy’s hair. Yes, it was a ‘chick’ move, but once you had control of someone’s head it was pretty easy to control the rest of them too.

Oh we’re pulling hair now? Abernathy was wondering where Adelaide learned how to fight. Bitch Fight Club? Abby wasn’t afraid to dig her claws in if they were already getting to the mud slinging part of this scuffle. She used what was left of her fingernails to drag them across Adelaide’s arm while she wrapped her leg around Adelaide’s knee and put on enough pressure to bring them both tumbling to the floor.

Brotherfucker! Adelaide thought, and then, in a deliberate attempt to infuriate Abby further, said it out loud. Motherfucker worked on guys. Brotherfucker worked on hicks. She hit her head on the floor a little, but didn’t let go of Abby’s hair. The little heathen would probably bite next.

“Brotherfucker?” Abby asked and bounced Adelaide’s head off the floor again. “I can’t even express how much I hate you.” Not in words anyway, which is why Abernathy started punching at Adelaide furiously.

She winced as the back of her head connected with the floor again. “Guess my genetic diversity wins out over your grammar then,” she snapped, wrenching Abernathy’s head back as far as she could.

Abby could feel her muscles straining. At this point Adelaide’s comment didn’t even make sense to her. She figured instead of punching her, the bigger insult would involve bitch slapping. She opened her palm and aimed for cheek with as much force as she could muster in the close combat situation. Abernathy was completely oblivious to the crowd that was assembling around the girls who were tussling on the ground; she was totally focused on making Adelaide bleed.

Adelaide leaned back, trying to keep her face out of reach of her opponent’s flailing hands. She had noticed the gathering spectators, and was considering pulling Abby’s shirt up over her head-- partly to incapacitate her, but mostly to humiliate her. Instead, she punched her in the boob. An old Quodpot accident many years ago had taught her how bizarrely painful that was.

“Gah!” Abby was surprised at the exclamation that escaped her mouth. “You. Are. Such. A. Twat!” she said punctuating each word with some kind of punch or slap. The adrenal had worn off a bit and things were starting to hurt. She’d be sore and in detention for the next week (and probably the beginning of next year), but wouldn’t a nice fat lip on Adelaide be worth it? To that end Abernathy aimed a punch squarely at Adelaide’s mouth.

Ow. That was enough, thank you. Adelaide had become quite attached to her teeth over her 17ish years of having them, and wasn’t ready to part with them yet. If Abby was going to try and damage things, so was she.

She curled up a little to make some room between them, and thrust her elbow deeply into the soft of Abernathy’s stomach. Maybe she’d hit kidney, or wind her at least.

In the second it took Abby’s stomach to turn on the big breakfast she’d eaten she thought it might be fun to just puke on Adelaide. That would be an all new low for this vicious feud and one they wouldn’t be able to top for awhile. Before she could steel herself to just let loose her stomach flipped again. She was nauseous, but she wasn’t gagging enough to throw up. Abby was actually a little bit disappointed.

She turned her head back to fighting and kicked her leg to push off from Adelaide. Abernathy used the space between them to get up and get a good kick in to Adelaide’s prone body before backing off and giving the bitch time to get up. There was only so long Abby could sling punches on the floor before she just wanted to get up and start circling again.

“You’re getting soft around the middle,” Adelaide said as she picked herself up off the floor. “All them roadkill barbecues catching up to you?”

Abernathy was sorely regretting not throwing up on Adelaide now. “You’re getting pudgy all over. Too much snacking this year?” Adelaide probably hadn’t gained a pound in all the time Abernathy had known and hated her, but girls were disgustingly sensitive about their weight. This was something that didn’t bother Abernathy in the least, but she figured it would bother Adelaide enough to get off her game for a bit.

She snorted. Fat jokes? Really? “I guess it’s my own fault; we can’t all be running around after farm animals looking for a good time.” She shot a swift kick to the side of one of Abby’s knees.

Abby tried to counter, but had to take the hit to her knee. She moved forward and got a decent jab in at Adelaide’s shoulder. “Yes, that’s right, because clearly I’m the sexual deviant.” She huffed a bit at that idea. This whole thing was getting absurd. She wanted a little less of the witty banter and a little more of the punchy in the face.

That last comment amused Adelaide far more than it should have. It implied that she was the deviant of the two, even though they and everybody else in school knew she hadn’t even been willing to put out for her last boyfriend-- her only boyfriend, in fact. “It’s good that you’re not in denial about it,” she said, casually throwing a slap at her that Abby easily deflected. She was starting to get bored of this, and that meant that there were only two ways it could end: Either she would walk away, or lay Abby out on the floor. Her own defeat was not an option.

"Finishing the year properly I see," interjected an adult, male voice.

Abernathy blanched a bit and stepped back. Of course it would be Professor Morse to discover them and break up the fight. It was like he had radar for misbehavior.

Templeton Morse raised a single eyebrow and looked between the two of them. "Do we need a visit to Miss Quinn?" he asked dryly. At least one of them had drawn blood, but not enough to make a mess in the hallway.

Adelaide scowled. Another second, and she’d have had a beautifully unconscious rival on the floor. “Nurse can’t cure what’s wrong with her.” Why did it have to be Morse? At least if it had been West, she could probably have gotten in one last ‘accidental’ elbow to the face, say that she’d learned her lesson, and then scoot off to hang out with her boyfriend, or something. Nope, now they were going to get a proper talking-to.

"I'm fine," Abernathy replied, holding back the urge to spit at Adelaide.

"Into my office then, ladies," he added as if the very idea of calling them ladies was terribly dubious. His own students were already in their seats and waiting quietly. He paraded the girls in front of them him and charmed the chalkboard to write out his lesson for this morning. "Sit," he instructed the girls as he closed the office door. "Now please, do inform me as to the nature of this morning's dispute."

“Someone couldn’t keep her hands to herself.” Adelaide glared over at AB momentarily, before turning her attention back to Professor Morse. “I was mindin’ my own business.” Though it was actually true this time, she doubted he would buy it.

Morse turned his attention to Abernathy who was looking just a bit sheepish.

It was true, she'd been the one to move from words to jabs. Then again, that's how her fights with Adelaide usually worked out. "Maybe if you kept your mouth shut my hands would have minded their own business."

"Enough of that," Morse said so quietly it was eerie. His words demanded a level of silence and pity anyone who dared to speak against him. When dealing with these two, he usually applied a heavy hand, but it was the end of the year. It was always difficult to punish students when there were only a few days left. "Miss Ford, you will report to detention for the remainder of the semester. I imagine Professor West will find something to keep you occupied. Should you incline yourself to get into mischief again before the year is up you will find yourself spending the first several weeks of next year in detention. You may leave," he said, indicating clearly that Adelaide should stay.

Abernathy got up slowly as if she couldn't quite believe her luck. She wasn't about to waste it, however and made haste to her class.

Morse turned to Adelaide with an exasperated sigh. "Really, Miss Legaux. We expect better of our seniors here. You're to start in University House next semester. We have a higher standard for our students than the one in which you've behaved."

She started to protest; after all she hadn’t done anything but defend herself, but he stopped her with a patented, soul-rending glare. He didn’t mean just this one fight. He meant all of them over her time at Dresden. She huffed, unable to even attempt a disagreement. Getting on Professor Morse’s bad side was suicide.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, not entirely sincerely.

"You will see yourself into detention for the remainder of the semester as well," he said after a long, anxiety causing pause. "Please do us all a favor and see that you are less pugilistic next year." With that he opened his office door and ushered her out.

That bitch! Getting her detention for no good reason! Whether or not Professor Morse had realized it, he’d just helped to escalate their two-man war just that little bit more. Abernathy Ford was dead. She’d just have to figure out a way to go about it without getting caught.