Dresden Academy

Who: EVERYONE
When: Monday, February 22nd
Where: Castle Ford, Lake Luzerne, NY
What: Cinna throws a birthday party for Bernadine and Abby. CHAOS ENSUES.
Rating: Let's just say probably NSFW


Cinna tried hard to keep secrets, she really did. But somehow, through someone, her super secret surprise birthday party for Abernathy had become known, and people from all corners were asking questions about it-- when was it, where was it, what should they bring, if they could bring a friend... before she knew it, word of a giant bender she was organizing over holiday had gotten out, and everyone in the school seemed to think they were invited. She was pretty sure some of them didn't even realize this was specifically for Abby's birthday.

She gave up on her awesome idea of a small, cozy bash and informed her best friend (actually Bernadine, as she had still not figured this out) with a rather sheepish face that she was maybe possibly accidentally hosting a giant party... at Abby's house. On her birthday. And that everyone was coming. Everyone.

Somehow, Bernadine convinced Abernathy that this wouldn't be such a disaster. They could get Bill out of the house with a quick call to Aunt Veruca and some convoluted excuse get him down to NOLA for the week. Mardi Gras not withstanding, Bill trusted his grown kids with their house. Big mistake.

Abby sat her sister down before Cinna arrived to hash out last minute plans. "So here's the thing. I can't be me at this fucking party." She groaned again as if to say how did I let you talk me into this again? "If Stas is coming... He's coming?"

Bernadine nodded. He'd texted her earlier that he wouldn't miss it for the world and damn her if her stomach didn't tumble just a bit. She wished, for a moment, that he wasn't being so sweet and wonderful and that faking dating him wasn't the most fun and interesting thing she'd done since changing places with her sister.

"I can't be dating him. And he's already in on the know. So he's just going to have to continue pretending and I'll do my best to be quiet and weird."

"Thanks," Bernadine replied ruefully, but she softened considerably at the smirk on Abby's face.

Neither of them could quite grasp how much they'd each changed in the few months since their ruse began. Abby finished tidying up their room and making space for anyone who might want to crash at Castle Ford. Bernadine hid anything that might be breakable and made sure to idiot proof their house.

Timmy lounged in his pajama bottoms, enjoying his sisters being so productive. "You know we're having people over," Abby pointed out.

Tim shrugged, because he'd put pants on so long as Adelaide was coming. Otherwise he was going to hole up in his room with some serious headphones and wait until the pot got passed around to come out.

As usual, Cinna was the first to arrive. Newly licensed to Apparate, she showed up on the doorstep with an armful of giant bags full of snacks and drinks and thrust it all upon the person to open the door-- she didn't stop long enough to see who it was before vanishing again, and reappearing moments later with ANOTHER armful of supplies. She felt slightly bad about accidentally volunteering Abby's family's home as a party venue, so she was going to make up for it by ensuring that aside from the location, nothing else would have to be provided.

"Ohmygod you guys, I think I left my house with more lemonade than this. Do you think there's like, lemonade floating about in nothingness right now just waiting to bean someone in the head on their way to work? Fuck, can I get in trouble for that?" She started ripping open bags in a mild panic. All the food was there, but she was definitely short some of the drinks. She turned to Bernadine. "Maybe I left it at my house?" Then she turned to Abernathy, and looked between the twins. "Man," she said with a foolish little grin. "You guys. If it weren't for your awful shirts Abby, I don't think I could tell you apart!"

She shook her head. "I'm going to just run by my kitchen again-- I'm like a billion percent sure I left stuff behind." She poked at the general array of snacks left on the bench. "I totally brought Cheez-its to keep Braden happy and out of the way, and I definitely had pink vodka too. I am such a ditz!" She checked over everything again, and disapparated with a little noise of disgust, muttering about how she was certain she'd picked everything up and this is why she should have just organized the party at her place so that everything was already there and she couldn't possibly forget it in her mad panic to get there early.

Shortly after Cinna left the second time, Shy arrived having driven from Burnham City all by himself, with not a crash or a speeding ticket to show for it. This was most definitely being pointed out to Abernathy with smugface intact. That is, after she explained to him again what it was that was happening with this party. She sounded a little stressed when she mentioned it the first time; something about her 'completely insane best friend' who was under the impression that she was her sister and that her sister was her... He couldn't quite make sense of it, even thinking about it the entire drive up.

Abernathy turned to Bernadine as soon as Cinna quite literally popped out. "We have to change. Right now."

Bernadine laughed, glad that Cinna had mistaken them for each other and then even more amused because she was wearing a skirt, which meant that Abernathy would be wearing her clothes for the rest of the night.

"It'll never work," Timmy called from the living room couch as the girls ran into their room to switch clothing.

"It really only needs to work on Cinna," Bernadine called back. That and Addy and Stas and Timmy had to keep up their part of the bargain. Oh god, and so did Abby's boyfriend. Bernadine made one last suggestion; Abby needed to spell her hair to grow out some and make the streak of violent purple disappear. Luckily Cinna had been too distracted to notice that they were wearing the same haircut and the only difference was the color of Abby's signature streak.

"It'll be fine," Abby reassured her, grabbing her wand and performing the proposed tweaks. She slipped out to the living room in time to see Shylock opening the door. She rushed up to him and tossed her arms around him happily, not even thinking how weird it might be to hug her when she looked like Bernadine.

He was taken aback at first, before realizing that it was in fact Abernathy jumping on him at that point. She'd changed her hair in the few days since he'd last seen her and... "Are you wearing a skirt?" He squeezed her waist tightly and pulled her close, bending down to press a very appreciative kiss to her lips. "I like."

Cinna showed up again, this time with the missing bag of drinks. She almost ran into the back of Shy barging through the door, squealing loudly when she saw who she thought to be Bernadine kissing the stranger. "Bernadiiiiine! You have a boyfriend!"

Abby feigned a blush, a very good blush and leaned sweetly into Shylock's embrace. "I do," she replied in that tone of voice Bernadine liked to use when she was pretending not to be so terribly aware of the situation.

Shy side-eyed her a bit, trying not to be too obvious about it. It finally dawned on him that this was what Abby was freaking out over on the phone-- she had to pretend to be Bernadine for this thing, which meant he had to pretend she was Bernadine too. That was slightly awkward. He released his hold on her so that she wasn't pulled so tightly up against him, and smiled awkwardly. "You must be Cinna."

"I am!" Cinna responded happily. "And you are... apart from taking this heavy-ass bag off me?" She gave him a cheeky grin and shoved the bag of drinks at him.

"Shy," he managed, before having to completely let go of Abby to take the bag before it crashed to the floor and spilled everywhere.

"Thank yoooou! So like, me and Abby can probably introduce you guys to everyone but c'mon, you're totally just going to sit on the couch and make out all night aren't you?" She teased. "You won't even know the rest of us are here! Abby? ABBY? When is your boyfriend getting here?" She barrelled on past them towards the kitchen again.

Abby grinned at Shylock as soon as Cinna was gone and properly distracted. "You're doing great," she assured him and snuck in a particularly lascivious kiss.

Bernadine on the other hand was fighting the furious blush that was trying to sneak onto her cheeks. "Not here yet," she replied, half calling out and half speaking quieter as Cinna approached her. "You know Timmy," she said, gesturing to her layabout brother who was thoroughly enjoying his visit home. His campus had been closed for the day and he could drive up early in the morning to make his classes tomorrow. There was no way he was missing the hilarity of Abby pretending to be Bernadine who was pretending to be Abby.

"Course she knows me," he said, getting up and hugging Cinna. Though, admittedly, most of the times Cinna had been over he'd been tromping around in the woods behind their house and shooting things. He couldn't say that they'd ever spent a good deal of quality time together.

"Everyone knows me," Cinna said with a grin, hugging him back and not letting go. "I'm just amazing! And okay, I guess you are too," she teased. "I've got Bernadiney's boyfriend bringing in the drinks! I did leave them behind! I was so freaking out about not forgetting shit that THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED." She bounced up and down, laughing. "Go put some pants on, Timmy. Everyone will be here soon!"

As if on cue, Adelaide apparated onto the front lawn. She didn't know for certain what time everyone else was getting there, but she had told Bernadine she would try and show up early in case B needed her to distract Cinna if things started getting a bit difficult. She could ask the loudmouth for... hair advice or something. She was very wary of such a scheme-- obviously Bernadine could pull off being brash, abrasive Abernathy, but she didn't know as much that Abernathy could be Bernadine, even for short periods of time.

She pushed on through the front door, battling down a smirk as she saw Abernathy wearing one of Bernadine's skirts. "You actually look nice," she said, trying not to laugh.

Abby frowned at Addy. Their tenuous peace could break over the course of the night. "Thank you," she replied with so much forced sweetness that she almost gagged on it. At the very least, her sister wasn't quite as sweet as this anymore. She leaned her head on Shylock's arm and leaned casually against the wall. "You're looking lovely as ever."

Bernadine tried not to listen in on this exchange. Forcing it a little hard, Abby. "Hey, Cin, what do you say we get this fucking party started early!" Drinking, that was always a good distraction.

In the meantime, Timmy bolted to his room at the sound of Adelaide's voice to put on a pair of decent jeans and maybe try and arrange his man-beard into a more pleasing shape.

"Not into drinking, Timmy?" Cinna yelled after him as he ditched her to run into his room. Then she laughed and high-fived 'Abernathy'. "Yeah, let's get this show on the road! Also, maybe hide some food under the sink or something just in case Braden shows up early. Gotta make sure there's snackies for all!"

Adelaide froze in the hallway at the sound of Cinna talking about Tim. She didn't think he'd be here, though it was vacation and she probably should have expected he would be. This could get awkward. She didn't know for certain if Luka was going to show (after all, it was supposed to be a party for Abernathy) and not having mentioned either boy to the other... she winced to herself. Maybe it would be fine? Maybe Luka wouldn't come, and maybe she and Tim wouldn't get too silly drunk, and maybe Carly wouldn't start up a hundred billion rumours just to be a bitch... oh god, she was fucked.

Cinna poked her head out of the kitchen to beam down the hallway at Shy and 'Bernadine'. "Do you guys want shots?"

"Oh..." Shy looked a little puzzled, and smiled down at Abby. "I dunno. Do you drink, Bernadine?" This was potentially a very entertaining level of weird.

"Not often," Abernathy replied.

"But it's our birthday!" Bernadine goaded gleefully. How many times had Abernathy done this to her? This was possibly the best/worst idea they'd ever had and she was going to milk every minute of it.

A knock sounded at the door and Bernadine rushed off, leaving Abernathy to wrestle her way out of shots with Cinna. She opened the door to find Anastas with a nicely wrapped gift in his hand. He was wearing one of his smoking jackets, but this one was less ostentatious than the red velvet. She stepped out quickly and closed the door behind her. She wanted to kiss him on the cheek, but that seemed off so she settled instead for a pleasant hug. "So, Abby's pretending to me and I'm pretending to be her. Please don't stab her in the face while she's being me."

"Will she promise to do the same?" he asked lightly and eased into the hug far more than he thought was polite. He pulled away gently. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Bernadine laughed. Abernathy hadn't so much promised that she wouldn't kill Stas, but she'd try her best. Then she touched his arm. It was a strange thing, but she could feel past that little brush of her fingers over the fabric of his jacket and find the tail end of a vision regarding the evening. What she saw wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't outright discovery. Their secret would be safe, even if they all returned after break still hungover and not talking to any of their friends. She smiled at the very end of the vision and blinked up at Stas. "It'll be fine," she promised. She ushered him inside and before she moved to join the others taped a sign to the door that said "Come on in."

Over the next twenty minutes or so, students and friends began arriving from all over, Apparating from their homes or Portkeying in groups to get to the isolated little house hosting the biggest event since New Years. Most read the sign on the door and barged their way through.

Some, like Riley, stood outside and smoked despite the cold, simply because no fucking sign was going to tell him what to do. Until he was unable to feel his feet, at any rate-- but then he would come on in because he wanted to, not because some fascist handwritten sign suggested it.

Braden didn't even notice the sign. He went in and made a beeline for the kitchen, simply because that's where the food was bound to be. He pushed past a group of people chatting animatedly by the kitchen door and ducked Cinna's instruction that he should maybe socialize some before hoarding the food, setting up camp by the counter with the fritos.

Cinna just rolled her eyes, mouthed 'what a fucking snackass' at 'Abby', and took a bag full of shot glasses and tucked a bottle of booze under each arm. She wiggled through the growing crowd to start loading bottles onto a table in the living room, and poured a line of shots once she had done to hand out to everyone in reach. "To the birthday girls!"

Luka arrived without a present for the birthday girls, because he was really only here for Addy anyway. It took him some time wading through the bodies to find her and loop his arm over her shoulder. Her eye looked quite a bit better, at the very least he could stop feeling guilty about that one.