Post by dsb on Nov 26, 2019 1:00:03 GMT
The latest of All Hallows Evil’s decadent delights was still settling over the FAWNatics and Basement Dwellers when the Madhouse’s legendary floating camera shot off into the dark. After a quick, somehow frantic jaunt down a series of poorly lit industrial hallways the camera veered into a freight elevator of distressingly antique vintage. The darkened confines of the elevator were actually quite prosaic save for a small sign plastered above the rows of buttons. The sign was bone white, with deep red letters that looked almost wet to the touch. It read:
Someone said you’re in the wrong place my friend, you better leave.
Alas, no one in these sort of stories ever heeded any sort of warning so it was no surprise when the door drew shut with an appropriately gothic shriek and the elevator chugged down, down, down, nearly a full minute of down before rattling to a stop. The camera wasted no time escaping the narrow confines and despite coming out in the grimiest hallway yet, it showed no hesitation in blazing a trail. Half a dozen more turns followed and then the journey ended in front of a door with a brass panel that read:
Nevermore
Either fearless or foolish, the camera barged its way through in search of an audience with the lady, or rather, the Queen, of the Madhouse.
As luxurious as the name would indicate, the ‘Queen’s Chambers’ were large enough to include a second floor that was reached by means of a wide staircase at the center of the room. The paneling was all dark wood, the carpet was deep midnight blue pile featuring thin sworls of gray, green and purple. The décor was simultaneously elegant and ominous. To the left of the staircase were several shelves full of antique books and dozens of small object d’art. Lining the walls were a number of paintings, most of them bleak autumnal or winter landscapes, though there were a few inconspicuous depictions of famous FAWN violence, most of it seeming to favor the exploits of the Black Court and a certain Raven in particular. To the right of the staircase laid a relatively warmer area with a large glassed in fireplace ringed by a few overstuffed couches. Another interesting detail on this side of the room was a curious set of double doors, which seemed to vibrate and tremble in their frames if you watched them long enough. For a moment it looked like the camera might go exploring, but was distracted by the slightly flummoxed arrival of referee Algernon Carpenter. Not entirely pleased to have drawn the short straw on this particular lot, the lanky official offered the camera a discrete nod to let them know things were as good as they were ever gonna get.
From somewhere deep in the recesses of Harrenhal, the disembodied voice of the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is an open challenge scheduled for one fall and the winner will be crowned Queen of the Madhouse until All Hallows Evil 2020! Introducing first, representing the Black Court, hailing from Glen Echo, Michigan, she stands five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty one pounds, she is the reigning and defending Queen of the Madhouse, I give to you the Fair & Radiant Maiden, LENORE LEMARCHAND!”
LENORE LEMARCHAND:
A door on the second floor swung open and Lenore appeared from the gloom at the top of the stairs. Eschewing the robe favored by the previous owner, Lenore came to meet her guest in nothing but her battle attire, a strappy bra and equally sturdy briefs both in a purple so dark it was almost black. Temporarily alone save for Al, the Raven padded her way down the steps to take up a position beside the zebra.
“An open challenge, Lenore?” Carpenter asked once he’d finished with the perfunctory task of checking her elbows and knees. “Rather dangerous, don’t you think? I seem to recall the previous Queen losing her lease on just such a challenge.”
“She was no queen, merely a tenant.” Lenore replied simply. “And yes, it’s a risk, but it’s a calculated risk and I’ve made my calculations very carefully, Algernon.”
“Is this about what happened in the Oil Pit? Because you’ve--”
“Don’t even think about saying ‘nothing to be ashamed of.’ Carpenter, it’s beneath you. And of course it is. Pandora’s always been greedy and unable to resist a challenge, I’m hoping that--”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting trailed off as the big front door was pushed open and someone stepped over her threshold. The newcomer was blonde, but she was not Pandora. This realization awakened a brief swell of bitter disappointment in Lemarchand, but it was quickly buried by her competitive instincts as she took in the challenger. She was about Lenore’s height but anywhere from five to ten pounds heavier and a little brawnier through the shoulders and back. Her hair was dirty blonde and pulled back in a loose ponytail that gave the impression of being set mere seconds before she pushed her way through the door. Her eyes were dark brown and didn’t stray from Lenore’s even when the Raven treated her with a brazen up and down glance to better appraise the fog-gray bra and panties and the trim, summer-tanned form they armored. Lemarchand knew her name, but she held her tongue so as not to rob the Announcer of his moment.
“And introducing her opponent, hailing from Sacramento California she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty-eight pounds. Making her first appearance at the Madhouse this is SID DUFFY!”
SID DUFFY:
At the sound of her name Sid favored the camera with a smile and offered up a single bicep flex in a pose straight outta Rosie the Riveter’s playbook. The Kid might’ve been an unknown quantity to most, but that pose combined with the fearless way she strolled over for Carpenter’s inspection without taking her eyes off the Queen earned her a rumble of intrigued approval from the Basement Dwellers.
A discreet signal from Al called forth the rumbling groan that served for the opening bell in this year’s contest and though champion and challenger began to circle, neither made a move to engage her opponent.
“Something wrong, Lenore?” Sid asked in the sort of tone that suggested she already knew the answer. “Seems you were expecting someone else.”
“Expectations are dangerous in a place like this, Sid.” Lemarchand replied without hesitation. “I’d hoped for someone else. Hope is equally dangerous, but it’s my house and I’ll do as I--”
“For now.” Duffy interrupted, her fingers twitching as their circle grew decidedly smaller. “It’s your house for now. After all, when it comes to dangers, expectation and hope pale in comparison to the unkn-” Sid went silent when the Raven reared up on her heels for a Collar & Elbow Lock-Up, then voiced the tiniest little hiss of disgust when Lenore dipped low for a go-behind that saw her trail one hand along the challenger’s tummy and hip.
The Queen of the Madhouse didn’t actually attempt a Waistlock or any other offense, indeed she was out of Duffy’s reach by the time the blonde rounded on her. But she had made first contact and that was enough.
“You’re not unknown, Sid.” Lenore corrected. “I knew who you were as soon as you walked through the front door. It would be more accurate to say you’re untested. Some might say dangerously untested for waters as deep as thHRGH!”
Sid shot in, crooked an arm around the brunette’s noggin and pulled her down into a brawny Side Headlock. “You sure you know who I am, babe?” Duffy hopped / stamped in place to jar Lemarchand’s senses and grrrrrrrrind one temple against the point of her hip. “Because if you did there’s no way you’d have the nerve to call mennnhhhh… slippery little bird, I see.”
Lenore escaped from the Headlock like smoke through a keyhole, the Fair & Radiant Maiden collecting Sid’s left wrist during her escape so she could pin it up between the blonde’s shoulders in a Hammerlock. Already certain that her opponent could and would use that fifteen pound weight advantage quite effectively, Lemarchand sought to neutralize it by forcing her left knee into the pit of Duffy’s left knee, thus forcing the blonde to an uneasy penance on the plush blue carpet. “Far be it from me to disparage your résumé.” Lenore murmured as she continued to wrench and tug on the Hammerlock. “I should’ve added a caveat. You’re untested in FAWN. And while I admire your willingness to announce your arrival in the biggest way possible,” the Courtier reached down with her free hand, buried it in Sid’s hair and pulled until the blonde hissed in pain, “I fear this is a decision you will come to regERRRGH!”
Duffy reached back with her right hand, caught herself a big ‘ol handful of Lemarchand’s braid and used it to flip the other wrestler onto her butt via a makeshift Snapmare! Ignoring the twinge in her shoulder to best capitalize on the escape, Duffy snuggled in behind Lenore and pinioned her arms overhead with a Full Nelson. Eyes gleaming as she forced the Queen’s chin into her modest décolletage, Sid wrenched the hold back ’n forth to distract Lenore from the fact that she’d secured a Scissors around her waist. This worked up until the moment the blonde challenger crossed her ankles and squeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed. Those summer-tanned thighs earned an audible gasp from the Raven, but it didn’t stop her from getting her hands into Duffy’s hair again.
“Let go of my hair, Lenore.” Sid ordered in the midst of compressing her opponent’s ribcage. “Or I’ll make you sorrRRRRHHHHH!”
Nelson be damned, Lemarchand yanked until Duffy’s eyes started to water. Not about to let Lenore dictate terms in any area of this match, Sid yoked the brunette’s arms that much higher, then shifted to a simple loop around her biceps that kept Lenore’s wings under control while freeing the challenger’s left hand. “Think I won’t rough house with you, little girl?” Duffy swatted Lenore’s right cheek several times, then pinched her nose and gave it a sharp twist! This earned an angry whine from Lemarchand, a noise Sid silenced by cupping that palm over the brunette’s mouth and nose. Still working the Bodyscissors with patient, breath-stealing efficacy, the blonde added, “You’re the one who’s going to regret thinking she could defend her turf by pulling my hair like some cheap skankOOOWWWW!”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting slipped her beak free of Duffy’s muzzle and made the challenger pay for this lapse by chomping down on the soft skin between thumb and forefinger! Sid bared her teeth in anger and pain, but she refused to release her hooks, in fact she put that much more pressure on the Scissors, ultimately forcing the brunette’s jaws open several seconds later. “I can’t stand the way you carry yourself.” Sid admitted after delivering another stinging slap to the Queen’s cheek. “Always talking down to everyone when you’re nothing more than an up-jumped catfighter who can’t win without EEERRRRRRRHHHHH!”
Lenore’s arms might’ve been trapped, but she was far from defenseless, as Duffy learned when the Raven caught hold of her right earlobe and gave it a vicious twist-pinch! “I can win in any number of ways, bytch.” Lemarchand growled. “As you’ll have discovered when the time comes to surrender your briefSRRRRRGH!”
Sid cupped Lenore’s left breast in her right hand and squeezed like it was stress-ball. “Promises, promises.” Duffy hissed. “I’ll remember this when you’re begging to AHHHHHHH!”
Lemarchand managed to mirror the ear torture with her other hand, a success that brought a smile to her face despite the blonde’s rock-hard thighs and white-knuckle grip. “The only thing you’re going to remember is how badly you f*cked up thinking you could take this place from meWHOOAHNGGHH!”
Abandoning the grip on Lenore’s bounty so she could bind the brunette’s arms behind her back in a quick Double Chickenwing, Sid Duffy dropped to her back which in turn pulled Lemarchand up into her lap. With no pins to worry about, Sid let Lenore think about it for a second or two before she popped her hips and rolled forward to THWHUMP the Raven’s rump against the carpet with a heavy Keister Bounce! Lenore jolted from one end to the other, meaning she was more than a little discombobulated when Duffy tumbled her onto her belly and climbed into a seat in the hollow of her lower back. The Chickenwing quickly gave way to a position Lemarchand knew all too well, Sid all burly and workman-like as she draped the Queen’s biceps over the strong planes of her thighs.
Cursing in a decidedly un-regal manner, Lenore kept her chin pressed tight to her sternum, a tactic that worked until Duffy clouted a few heavy Forearm Smashes against the back of her skull. All smiles as she settled deep into the Camel Clutch, Sid Duffy pressed the heel of her palms into Lenore’s cheeks and bobbled her head up & down to better illustrate her distress for the camera.
“This has gotta be like a nightmare for you am I right, honey?” Sid murmured. “You manage to sneak by Amara last year only to wake up and find yourself right back where you started. Wanna wake up for real? Submit.” She went up on her tiptoes and pulled to better emphasize the demand.
Lenore waggled her head ‘no’, more for Carpenter than her opponent. “Yuuuuhhh… you really think this is the best way to get inside my head, sweetie?” she grunted. “Last bytch who tried to break me with this hold didn’t show her face for a whole year after I finished her NNNNGGHHH!”
Sid bounced hard, driving the medicine-ball curve of her backside into Lemarchand’s defenseless spine. “I’m not looking to get inside your head, babe. It’s your house I want. And I think I’m doing a damned good job of getting you packed and ready to move.”
“What do you say, Lenore?” Al asked after several more seconds produced no change in the Raven’s situation. “Want to call it a night?”
“Sun’s barely down, Carpenter.” Lemarchand replied through clenched teeth. “This is just getting startNNNGGHHHH!”
Sid went up on her toes and resumed pounding the brunette’s back with several waves of Butt Bombs. “You talk a good game, but everyone knows you’re gonna be asleep well before the sun comes up.” Duffy prophesized. “And I’m willing to bet you’ll drift off with tears drying on your--”
Lenore’s patient microadjustments finally paid off when she slipped her left arm free of the blonde’s posted thigh. Twisting onto her back to escape the Chinlock, the Raven CRAAACKED Sid across the face with a quick Bytch Slap, then clamped that hand atop the newcomer’s pretty features in a snug Iron Claw! Grimacing as Lemarchand’s fingertips dug into her temples and forehead, Duffy answered with a slap of her own before she found the Queen’s braid and wrapped it around her fist in a single sinuous motion. The yank that followed earned an audible yelp from Lenore, it did not however free her mug from the claw.
Bound and determined to make Emily’s Lady in Waiting surrender her grip without once tugging at her wrist, Sid flattened her free hand into a paddle and delivered a whistling SLAP to Lemarchand’s décolletage. “Leggo witch.” Duffy muttered against the encroaching palm. “Or I’ll slap your tits clean out of your toEERRRHHHH!”
Lenore pushed up, forcing the heel of her palm against the tip of Sid’s nose. Smiling at the groan she felt reverberate through her hand, the Fair & Radiant Maiden snapped, “Give it your best shot, tuff girl. Take it quick though, your breathing already feels laborHHHNNGGGHH!”
Duffy used the braid to yank Lenore’s noggin off the carpet, which in turn allowed her to palm it with her other hand and then THWHUMP the Courtier’s skull against the carpet! The concussive force of it loosened Lemarchand’s grip enough for Sid to wrest her face away, but rather than pull Lenore up with her hair-hold, Duffy scrambled to verticality and immediately took to the skies for her biggest Butt Bomb y-- Lenore rolled away with half a heartbeat to spare, leaving the incredulous blonde to land on the carpet with an ungainly thud!
Sid gave voice to a breathy little wheeze as she clambered to her knees after the unfortunate miss. Hands pressed to her aching glutes, Duffy didn’t recognize the danger of her predicament until Lenore (who’d made it to her feet in the interim) delivered a heavy kick directly across the newcomer’s chest! She reeled on the spot without making it off her knees, which Lemarchand took as a sign to kick her again and again and again, the Raven’s shin meeting her opponent’s assets with a sound like a baseball bat striking damp clay. Eventually Lemarchand paused to settle her footing, but rather than use the moment to get clear, Duffy raised a beckoning hand. “C’mon, sweetheart. Is that all you got? Thought you were supposed to be the Queen of this pl--”
Lenore bent her knees deep so Sid raised her arms to her chest to protect against the heaviest kick yet. Alas the kick didn’t come because Lemarchand grabbed a double handful of the blonde’s hair and simply SLAMMED the back of her head into that cool blue carpet!
Arms swaddling her throbbing skull, Duffy beat her heels against the floor in a game effort to dispel the worst of the pain. “Sneaky bytch.” she groaned. “That shyt’s gonna catch up to you sooner than OOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Positioned on her opponent’s right side, Lemarchand stepped over with her right leg and casually THWHUMPED her own Butt Bomb into the pit of opposing stomach! Duffy sat up on impact only to find herself shoved back down immediately thereafter. Once that was done Lenore reclaimed her feet and THWHUMP! The Queen of the Madhouse punished her challenger with the second Butt Bomb in perhaps fifteen seconds.
Understandably short of breath, Sid turned onto one side and drew her knees up to her stomach to prevent another heavy strafing run. “Guuuuhhh… goddamn.” she huffed. “How does such a scrawny bytch have a cannonball ass?”
“My squat game is second to none, cutie.” Lenore answered once she’d stood up and flicked those strappy briefs into place with a regal little ‘snap’. “You’d have known that if your research was half as strong as your trash talk.”
A surge of anger burned off the ache in Sid’s midsection, allowing her to power to all fours. Good God, she could not stand this brat! “You’re really gonna call me out for talking smack?” the blonde snarled. “You’re one of the mouthiest pieces of crap in all of FAWNOOOWWW BYTCH!”
Lenore circled around behind Duffy, crooked her hands into talons and scored her from shoulders to buttocks! “Ya gotta back it up, night in and night out, honey.” the Raven explained while Sid reared back on her knees to clutch at an enemy only she could see. Helping herself to a handful of hair, she wrenched Duffy’s head back and purred, “and that’s exactly what I doHUUUFFFHH!”
Sid pumped a Back Elbow into the Courtier’s flat tummy, then hooked that arm through Lenore’s legs and bundled her onto her shoulders just to dump Lemarchand onto the carpet with a quick Fireman’s Carry. Grabbing onto the brunette’s shoulders to keep her from rolling away or even sitting up, Duffy rose up and slid forward only to bring her rump smashing down on Lenore’s chest! “Oh, you always back it up, huh?” Sid taunted from the top of her new perch. “Remind me cupcake, how many World Titles have you won? And how many Oil Baroness’ have your bottoms in their collection now? It’s two, isn’t it?”
“F*ck you, Duffy.” Lenore groaned. I’ve done more than you OOFH! OOFH! OOFH!”
Sid racked up several more points in this Game of Glutes by driving her backside into Lenore’s chest once, twice, three times! That last shot sent Lemarchand’s legs bouncing into the air, so the blonde collected them under her armpits and leaaaaaaaaaned back in a Reverse Matchbook so deep her hair was tickling the carpet. “This is what I’m supposed to be afraid of?” Duffy swatted the Courtier’s trapped cheeks for emphasis. “Not gonna happen, sweetie. In fact, I’m gonna strip away all that attitude and mystique just before I claim this place for myselHHHRRRGNNNHHHHH!”
Lenore crossed her ankles and squeezed, a convulsive, gut-churning pulse that froze Sid mid-threat. In the next instant she popped her hips and rolled forward to sit up while also driving Duffy’s face and chest into the carpet! “Only thing you’re taking from me is a beating.” Lemarchand promised. “And a lesson in humility.”
“That’s rich, coming from an arrogant tramp like OOOOOOOHH DAMMIT YOU VICIOUS BYTCH!”
Lenore hooked her thumbs into the leg-holes of the blonde’s gray togs, caught a double handful of waistband and pulled the whole works north by a good eight inches or so! Concentration scrambled by the hateful wedgie, Sid didn’t realize Lenore had let go until the Raven caught hold of her hair and used it to drag the wincing blonde to verticality. “You’re right, Sid.” she murmured. “I am a vicious bytch, and I am at my most vicious in defense of what is mine. This place, for instance.”
Lemarchand took Duffy’s right wrist in both hands and pivoted so her back was pointed toward the open door on the far left wall. “If you want to take what’s mine, you better be prepared to bleed buckets.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable HOOOFFHH!”
Lenore slammed a knee into Sid’s gut, doubling her over. “Then show me, new girl.” Still holding the Wristlock, the Fair & Radiant Maiden stepped back, dropped a hip and slung her burden toward the library.
Though she’d made a point to watch each and every Queen’s Chamber match once she decided to challenge Lenore and thus had a *fairly good* idea of what waited beyond the door, Sid Duffy had no interest in charging in blindly, which was why she extended her arms and managed to ‘smeck!’ hold of the doorframe before she could pass through. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sid muttered, “You didn’t really think I would run, did NNNNGGGHHH!”
Duffy turned around mid-sentence, meaning she got a brief glimpse of Lemarchand’s feet soaring her way in the heartbeat before they THUMPED flat against her chest! Blown through the doorway by the force of the Dropkick, Duffy managed to keep her footing despite the shift from carpet to hardwood but she still let out an audible groan when her lower back collided with the narrow edge of the high, heavy table that dominated the center of the room. Sid braced her hands on the edge and held tight, expecting the furniture to slide beneath her weight, so she was rather surprised when it didn’t so much as an inch. This momentary distraction was all the opening Lenore needed to stride up and CRAAACK her opponent across the chest with an echoing Knife-Edge Chop!
Sid soaked it up to go straight for a Collar & Elbow Tie-Up, so you can imagine her disgust when Lemarchand slipped an arm between her questing hands to pull the brawny blonde into a Side Headlock! “Welcome to my library, Kid! Perhaps I can help you find something you‘d enjoy?” the Raven chided just before she bounced the crown of Duffy’s noggin against the edge.
“Sure.” Duffy growled as she wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist for a stern counter-hug. “Take me to autobiographies, I’d love to hear what you thought about choking on Mendoza’s guMWHOOOAANNNNGGHH!”
Lenore pivoted them away from the table, jogged toward a towering shelf to the left of the door and THONKED Sid’s head against several heavy volumes. “Haven’t written my memoirs yet, little girl.” Lemarchand taunted. “But when I do, I’ll devote a whole chapter to my revenge on Gabby Mendoza. You however, will barely be worth a footnotNGH! NGH! NGH! RRGGGHH!”
Sid smashed a few heavy punches into the Courtier’s navel, then curled that hand into a spade and sank it deep in that tenderized soil. “Should’ve known an arrogant piece of trash like you would excel at revisionist history.” Duffy countered Lemarchand’s answering constrictions by digging her thumb deep into opposing tummy. “Which is why I’m gonna make it impossible for you to ignore all of these welts and NNNNHHHHH!”
Lenore jolted the blonde’s skull with another pocket-sized Bulldog, then shifted so that Sid was awkwardly positioned between herself and those voluminous shelves. “Sounds like you’re in the mood for something graphic, honey. Why not a tour of the horror section? We’ll start at Aickman and go all the way to Zelenyj with stops along the way at Chambers, Lovecraft, King, Poe of course, then we’ll continue on through Matheson and Serling!”
Duffy wanted nothing to do with the Raven’s reading list of doom, alas she was already off and moving, the slim-thick brunette just dragging, mashing and occasionally bouncing her opponent’s face offa those lumpy, uneven spines. Sid hated each and every second of it but she didn’t find freedom until the shelves ended at a door on in the east wall. “Aaaaahhh, that’s the way to the Billiards Room.” Lenore explained even as she led the blonde back toward the middle of the library. “It has every game you could imagine, but I’m not quite finished playing with you in here.”
Sid heard the strain in Lemarchand’s voice and celebrated by pumping even more power into her tenacious Waistlock. “That’s the difference between us, bird-brain.” Duffy muttered. “You can’t help it with these games and I just don’t play arOOOWWW BYTCH!”
Lenore slammed a short Bionic-style Elbow into the back of Sid’s head, then stamped on her toes for good measure. That finally popped the lock on Duffy’s hands, thus allowing Lemarchand to snuggle in against the blonde’s left hip and sling her right leg over top of Sid’s thigh. Instinctively doubled over to check on her aching toes, Duffy let out a distressed yelp when Lenore draped her left leg over the back of the challenger’s neck while simultaneously collecting Sid’s right arm in an awkward Armbar.
OCTOPUS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqm0EVeJEec
“Get over yourself, princess.” Lenore demanded even as she puuuuuuushed down with her leg and cranked up on the Armbar. “This whole place is a game, one designed to attract a very special sort of player. The fact that you’re here means you’ve got more in common with me than you’d care to admit.” The Fair & Radiant Maiden paused, flattened her free (right) hand into a paddle and treated the blonde’s butt to several hard swats. “Of course the principle difference is that I’m going to win and you’re going to lose.”
Sid kept her left hand pressed to the floor to alleviate the worst of the Octopus’ strain, so she had to shake her head ‘no’ when Al asked if she wanted to submit. “The only thing I’m losing right now is patience, Len.” Duffy grunted. “And that’s more problematic for you than it is for meRRRGHHHHHHH!”
Lenore bore down harder than ever before, every muscle in her leg shredding into shadowy relief in the warm light of the library. “Ask her.” Lemarchand told the official without relieving a bit of strain.
“What do you say, Sid?” Carpenter said quietly.
“I say Lenore Lemarchand is an obnoxious brat and I’m going give her the ass whooping she’s had coming for,” there was a sharp inhalation from the blonde when the Raven transformed her swattin’hand into a pincer and took possession of Sid’s right nipple. “I’ll beat you into a stupor for this, bytch.” Duffy almost whispered.
“For what, out-wrestling you all night long?” Lenore countered. “Or for humiliating an overconfident, ENTITLED bytch that thought she could just help herself to what’s miEERRRRRHHH OOOOWWW SHYT!”
Sid had to admit she couldn’t escape the hold with brute strength, so instead she grabbed hold of the Courtier’s right foot and dug her fingers deep into the unprotected sole! The jolt that ran through Lemarchand’s limber frame was almost electric and more than enough for Sid to slide clear of the Octopus to a Standing Headscissors. Still a pretty vulnerable position, at least until Duffy wrapped her arms around Lenore’s thighs and stood up straight with the brunette trailing down her back. Emily’s Lady in Waiting was still preoccupied with the nasty tingling in her right leg when Sid stepped closer to the shelves and doubled over so fast she whipped the Queen of the Madhouse spine-first into a couple dozen first editions courtesy of a thunderous Alabama Slam!
“That’s more like it.” Duffy beamed with satisfaction while Lenore crumpled in a heap at the base of the shelf, her arms strapped across the back of her head, her feet still in the blonde’s possession. “For you of all people to call me entitled,” Sid muttered, “just proves you’re an even shyttier human being than I’d imagined. That’s why I’m going to take such joy in beating your ass through every room in this place.
“Puuuhhh… pretty f*cking judgmental for someone who hadn’t met me before tonight.” Lenore grimaced. “Is that really the sort of message you want to send to your fans? Or maybe they’re sanctimonious, holier than thou assholes TUUUGGHH!”
Sid pulled Lenore away from the shelf and stamped a heel into the pit of her stomach. “Talk all the shyt you want, brat. Tonight’s the night you finally get called on it.”
With that Duffy tucked Lemarchand’s shins beneath her armpits and pulled up until only the brunette’s head and shoulders were touching the floor. A quick look over one shoulder told Sid she was exactly where she wanted to be, so without further warning she laid out flat on her back to hurl Lenore up ’n over, the stunned brunette letting out a breathy ’OOOFFFHH!’ as she went gut-first into the side of that heavy antique reading table.
Struggling for breath after the nauseating impact, Lemarchand crumpled across the table, her cheek and palms resting heavily against the smooth wood. She’d just drawn her first real breath when Sid stomped up from behind and thwhap-thwhap-THWHAPPED three Overhand Forearm Smashes across the Courtier’s shoulders. “Smarmy coward.” she huffed. “How is it you always land your best shots when my back is turnEERRRGGHH!”
Duffy raked the Raven’s back once, then did it again to make sure those red lines really stood out on Lenore’s pale skin. “Not my fault you don’t know how to cover your six.” Sid sniped in the midst of grabbing hold of her foe’s waistband. “Just like it’s not my fault you don’t know how to throw yourself over a table.”
Lemarchand was too busy dealing with her scored back to answer, but she found more than enough energy to yelp when Duffy crouched low and wedged her head between the other wrestler’s thighs. From there it was a quick trip to the Electric Chair, Lenore’s arms windmilling wildly when Sid stood up straight. “Ya know, I really appreciate these high ceilings.” Sid said of the library’s shadowy arches. “Makes it infinitely easier to do something like this!” She put her hands to Lemarchand’s bum, then went up on tiptoe and shoved the brunette forward and down to THWHUMP flat against that unforgiving tabletop!
Gingerly checking her nose in the aftermath of that bruising descent, Lemarchand braced her hands against the table and push-- “Down, big girl.” Sid shoved Lenore back to start, then cupped her hands and paddled out a spooky little riff on the Raven’s shuddering backside. “Not losing the will to fight, are you, birdy?” she asked. “Not about to crawl away from me?”
“Bytch, if I’m crawling anywhere it’s to get AT youOOOOOOWWWWW!”
The powerful blonde newcomer CRAAACKED both hands between Lemarchand’s shoulders with a massive Grizzly Slap, then caught the Fair & Radiant Maiden at the hip and rolled her onto her back. Satisfied that Lenore wasn’t going to surprise her with something nasty in the next few seconds, Duffy boosted herself onto the table and mounted the prone brunette in the process. Tush resting snug in the pit of her opponent’s stomach, Sid put her left hand on Lenore’s chin to force her head backward, thus leaving the Courtier’s chest exposed for another half dozen of those clouting overhead Forearm Smashes! Lemarchand groaned in hurt, went to cover up so Sid grabbed her wrists and pinned them overhead.
“I already threatened to slap your tits right outta your top.” she muttered. “But after that pincer crap you pulled I might have to crush ‘em instead.”
“Might?” Lenore growled. “What’s the matter, cutie? Afraid you’ll lose a few Purity Points if you indulge in something as wicked as a catfiEEEEERRRRHHHHHH!”
Duffy palmed Lenore’s breasts in each hand and squeezed hard enough to show white at her knuckles. “I’m not afraid of anything in here, let alone you.” Sid explained. “I just don’t want to slip into the muck and grime where you seem to be so comfortablRRRHHHHHHHH!”
Lenore answered the challenger’s mauling grip with a narrower focus, the Raven testing the sturdy material of Sid’s top with a double nipple twist. “Judgmental bytch. I’m going to LOVE watching those snotty little pretenses of yours fall away as we go deeper and deeper into this plaNNNNHHHHH!”
Sid abandoned her grip, slipped her hands between the brunette’s forearms and broke the pincer by stretching her arms in opposite directions. Soon as that was done she brought her hands down and in, the powerful challenger CLAPPING her prey’s cheeks with a stiff stereo Slap! Brown eyes flashing as she grabbed hold of Lenore’s braid, Sid drew back off the table and hauled her opponent to a seat. “You’re the one destined to change tonight, Lemarchand. The more I pile on, the more desperate you get. The more desperate you get, the more everyone can see you’re not a Raven at all… you’re a sneaky little ratHUUURRGGGGHHHH!”
Lemarchand’s legs closed around Duffy’s waist with a soft little ‘smeck’ utterly overshadowed by the blonde’s pained gasp. Flashing a hard smile when Sid’s hand fell away from her braid to worry at her thighs, Lenore drew in close and very deliberately slapped Duffy across the mouth. “Does that feel desperate to you, Sid? Or does it feel like you’re caught in the grip of someone who’s going to fight you to the last goddamned breNNNNUUUUUHHHHH!”
Sid wasn’t sure she could break the Courtier’s Scissors, so rather than try she leaned into Lenore and wrapped her in a crushing Bear Hug! “You wanna know what you feel like, sweetie?” Duffy purred in Lemarchand’s ear before she pulled her away from the table once and for all. “You feel like someone who’s going anywhere I want her to go.”
Lenore replied with another sustained squeeze, so Sid squeezed her right back, then wheeled around and started down the short hall to the Billiards Room. She could’ve made the journey in half a dozen long strides, but Duffy wanted to sap some of the strength from those Scissors so she pinballed from one side to the other, just THUMPING Lemarchand against the wood-paneled walls. Sid could’ve sworn breathing was a little easier by the time she stepped into the Billiards Room, a long, narrow space dominated by an immaculate pool table, a handful of dartboards, a whole shelf of vintage board games and perhaps half a dozen leather couches and chairs arranged at strategic points throughout. Sid noticed these things as mere cursory details, the only thing that actually caught her eye was the board game collection housed on a shelf almost identical to those in the library. Only difference was, this shelf stood alone, meaning there were several unpleasant edges she could--
“NNNNGGGGHHHH BYTCH!” Lenore sobbed in shocked surprise when Duffy slammed her into the corner of the towering shelf spine-first! Sid sobbed too, or rather gaped, though hers was a sound of immense relief because those damned Scissors finally fell away from her ribs. Abandoning the Bear Hug almost immediately thereafter, the blonde slipped her right arm through Lemarchand’s legs and scooped her onto that shoulder with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Securing Lenore’s midsection with her right arm, Duffy wheeled around in a half circle and honed in the green rectangle of the pool table. “Eight bytch, corner pocket.” she chirped.
Shot called, the powerhouse charged forward, her steps sounding like rifle shots in the confines of the NO! Lenore pushed off the Sid’s shoulders, slid halfway down her back and hooked those Scissors around her waist even harder than before! To make matters worse, she cinched her left arm under the blonde’s chin and grabbed hold of her right bicep while her right hand settled against the back of Duffy’s skull.
Ground to a halt by the sudden application of Rear Naked Choke, Sid reached for the Courtier’s braid only to find her hands redirected south when Lemarchand squeeeeeezed like she meant to cut her in half! “Gotcha now, gym rat.” Lenore hissed in Sid’s ear before she pecked an aggressive kiss against one temple. “Go on and tap out on my bicep or you won’t wake up until I’ve dragged your musclehead-ass out the front doWHOOOAAANNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Aware that she had to do something fast, Sid curled her arms around the brunette’s calves and charged the pool table. Wheeling around at the last second she hopped up and dropped back to THWHUMP Lenore between herself and the felt-sheathed surface!
Scissors and Sleeper popped open simultaneously, allowing Duffy to sit up and take several deep breaths. Her head was beginning to steady when Lemarchand pulled her knees in, stuffed both feet against the challenger’s back and Mule Kicked her clean off the pool table!
Sid cursed aloud but managed to adjust mid-fall so she landed on one knee instead of flat on her face. Growling low in the back of her throat, Duffy rose to her full height and rounded on the challenger. “Listen to me you slippery little cheap-shot art…” Sid trailed off into silence as Lenore (who’d rolled off the far side of the pool table) carefully selected one of the half dozen cues from the nearby rack.
“First you mugged me on my reference desk.” Lemarchand noted. “Then you tried to smash me through my pool table.” The Raven turned to her opponent, dark eyes shining. “Sidney, dear. I believe it’s time you and I had a serious discussion about respecting other people’s property.”
Duffy squared her shoulders. “Put the cue down and we can talk all you--”
Lenore tossed the cue over the table, not hard, it was clear the Courtier meant for the blonde to catch it. “What, you thought I’d challenge you to a duel, but leave you unarmed? You wound me, Sid.”
“Not yet, I haven’t.” Sid still hadn’t moved, though she’d shifted her grip on the cue to hold it like a Kendo Stick.
“That’s the spirit!” Lenore selected a second cue, spun it in her fingers like an oversized baton. When it came to a stop she had it two-handed, quarterstaff style. “C’mon cutie.” Lemarchand murmured from her side of the table. “Don’t make me come get you.”
“I didn’t come here for a bar fight, Lenore.” Sidney replied even as she began to close on the Queen of the Madhouse.
“No, you came to claim my throne.” Lemarchand agreed. “If you want it, you’re gonna have to work for--”
CRAAACK!
Duffy lunged around the corner and brought her cue down on Lenore’s in a heavy overhand smash! Lenore braced herself through two more follow-up shots, then turned into the blonde and stuffed a shoulder into her sternum, knocking her back a few steps. The increased separation allowed her to jab the butt-end of the cue at Duffy’s navel, but the blonde twisted aside and made the Fair & Radiant Maiden pay with an awkward but painful shot across the right bicep! The impact knocked Lenore sideways into the table, so Sid reset her stance for a much heavier swing at opposing ribs, but Lemarchand spun outta the way, leaving the cue to ‘whick’ through empty- “OOOOWWWW F*CK!”
Sid jolted from head to toe when Lenore laid a smart shot across the outside of her foe’s left thigh! Off balance thanks to the tremor running through her left leg, Duffy barreled into Lemarchand with a Shoulderblock of her own, then raised the cue overhead like a woman looking to split some firewo-CRAAACK! Lenore caught her in the ribs this time, her counter swat hard enough to send Sid’s weapon crashing to the floor. Baring her teeth when the blonde started to retreat, Lenore reset the cue for a shot to Duffy’s welted thigh, but she shifted her attention north when Sid raised her hands for a-- CRACKSMECK!
Sid took the shot to the ribs flush, only this time she brought her arm down on the cue and grabbed hold to keep it trapped against her torso. Lemarchand snarled, tried to prize it free and caught a straight right hand to the mouth for her efforts. Tossing that damned cue aside once Lenore abandoned her grip on it, Duffy caught hold of the brunette’s wrist and tugged her into a Kneelift using the strongest, broadest part of her thigh. The Raven doubled over so Sid pressed in against her right side and slipped her own right arm under Lenore’s bicep so she could palm her left shoulder.
“Did you really think you could beat me like I’m some roadhouse skank?” Sid punctuated the question by double-pumping her right knee into the pit of Lemarchand’s stomach. When the brunette only groaned she crooked her left arm into a ‘V’ and THWAPPED it across opposing shoulders. “Answer me, witch.”
“Ruuuhhh… roadhouse skank never crossed my mind.” Lenore huffed. “Beating you like a smug, self-righteous slab of bikini meat on the other hand, that’s been on AAAAHHHHH BYTCH!”
Sid went at her adversary with a single Kneelift, followed by a quick Back Rake, a bra-snap and ultimately a wedgie, the hard-body blonde just tugging and sawing the material back ‘n forth as it rode higher and higher!
“Call me smug one more time.” Now Duffy was throwing Kneelifts in conjunction with her wedgie, the challenger executing her pulls in time with the rise of Lenore’s hips after each fresh impact. “For you of all people to throw that word in my face is just NNNGGHHH!”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting straightened up and jammed the point of her right elbow into the side of Sid’s skull. “Nothing wrong with being smug, honey.” Lenore spiked her next shot into Duffy’s temple, then raised her right foot and stomped on the blonde’s bare toes. Sid winced but didn’t give up her position, in fact she only relinquished the wedgie to THWHAP a few more of those tire iron Forearm Smashes across the brunette’s lower back. Teeth bared as she continued to soak up the blonde’s punishment, Lenore brought her elbow down on the base of Sid’s neck, then shrugged the hand off her left shoulder and cinched her right arm around Duffy’s head in a Front Facelock.
“Knew you weren’t as bland as advertised.” the Raven got some revenge with a pair of Kneelifts delivered to the blonde’s chest. “Too bad I had to quite literally beat it out of WHOOOOAANNNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Sid wrapped her arms around Lemarchand’s upper thighs, boosted her off the floor and charged blindly toward anything that’d-- they collided with something that gave a whole lot more than Duffy would’ve expected. It took a second, smaller charge for her to realize she’d driven the lady of the house into a pair of double doors. Breathing hard as the top of her head ground against the door, Sid grumbled, “Better hope this leads to the Comfy Pillow Room, sweetheart. Otherwise that landing is gonna be rougOOOOOOOHHHH YOU NASTY SLUT!”
Never one to ahem, turn the other cheek, in a Wedgie War, Lemarchand filled her free hand with Duffy’s waistband and showed the blonde what she’d started. “Don’t worry pretty girl, it’s something almost as good. And you’ll see it, assuming you don’t quit on me right OHSHYTNNNGGGGHHH!”
Sid backed off and crashed against the door a third time and as was so often the case, it proved a charm. The doors crashed open and blonde and brunette barreled through to… somewhere. In truth Duffy couldn’t see much, in fact all she knew was that the place was dimly lit and the hardwood had given way to plush carpet in a dusty rose shade that vaguely reminded her of-- Sid’s recollection came to an abrupt end because Lemarchand cranked down on the back of her head hard enough to bring both ladies down. There was an ugly, almost stereo THUMP-THUD as Lenore was planted by an impromptu Spinebuster and Sid was spiked by the jury-rigged DDT!
The landing left Lemarchand curled up clutching her ribs while Sid flopped through in a woozy somersault, the blonde swaddling her head in both arms. Somewhere on the outskirts of the galaxy she heard Al Carpenter step into the door and start to count, “ONE… TWO…good lord, Lenore. What the hell were you thinking?”
Frowning, Sid pulled her arms down, looked around and didn’t bother to suppress a shudder. This room was lined with floor to ceiling shelves too, only instead of books, they held dolls. Hundreds, possibly thousands of glassy-eyed, blank-faced dolls. Behind her, Lenore sat up and groaned, “Speak softly, doofus. They can hear you. And they’re very sensitivHHUUURRGGGHHH!”
Sid threw herself onto the brunette’s back, hooked her right arm around Lenore’s slender throat and bore down on the Sleeper. “Seems like we finished up in a good spot, Len.” Duffy cooed. “They can soothe you when you’re crying yourself to sleeOOOWWWW!”
Lemarchand gripped Sid’s garrote at bicep and forearm and pushed up until the crook of Duffy’s elbow was snug against her mouth and nose. Then she made like her nemesis and chomped down until the coil loosened of its own accord. Loose didn’t ensure her freedom though, so Lemarchand twisted Sid and drove three shiv-like elbows into that washboard tummy. Duffy hissed, snatched hold of Lenore’s braid and wrapped it around her fist in anticipation of clouting the Courtier’s arrogant mouth. The wind-up promised a Slap that’d send Lemarchand’s face back into the Billiard Room, unfortunately the follow-through never happened because Lenore countered with a double hair-pull of her own and barreled forward, knocking both women to the carpeted floor.
What followed was perhaps the most intense twenty seconds of actual ‘wrestling’ that Algernon Carpenter had ever witnessed, as blonde and brunette switched control of the mount no less than half a dozen times, their legs slapping and pushing against one another, hooked hands pushing at gouging at opposing shoulders or chin while their eyes remained stubbornly locked, each demanding the other meet, then beat her best. So frenetic was the action that Carpenter didn’t know the stalemate had broken until Sid let loose with a loud groan and reached for Lenore’s hands, which were palming the insides of her knees. Even then he had to follow the twist and turn of lower limbs to realize that Lemarchand had secured a Double Leg Grapevine from inside her opponent’s knees, the Raven’s long ivory stems slipped beneath the summer-tanned arches of her opponent’s knees, her feet curled over Sid’s ankle to ankle. Reared back on her knees, the brunette braced her hands against the insides of Duffy’s knees and pressed down to set fire to blonde groin.
Silent while Sid’s hands clutched and tugged at her wrists, Lenore let her breathing steady out for a full ten seconds before she said, “You’re done, Duffy. Tap NGH!”
Sid sat up, delivered a ‘smecking’ Forearm Smash across Lemarchand’s rack, but paid a high price when the Courtier answered with her own shot that knocked the blonde back to the carpet. Lenore resumed the groin stretch with interest, allowed herself a small smile when Sid’s hands twined in her own hair to spread the pain out. “High ground is mine, girl.” Lenore explained in a tone that made Duffy’s blood boil. “You’ve got no leverage and I’ve got all the time in the--”
CRACK!
Sid sat up as best she could and delivered a stinging slap to her tormentor’s mouth. “You don’t have the time or the skill to finish me, witch.” she hissed. “So keep your damned mouth shut unless you want it slapped side--”
CRAAACK!
Lenore slapped the blonde back to carpet with a single blow, her left palm tingling something fierce in the aftermath.
Sick of (and thus determined to shatter) her opponent’s confidence, Lemarchand went at that gulping belly with a hard-hearted claw, the Raven temporarily abandoning the stretch to better buttress her clawin’ wrist. “Slap me again, kid.” Lenore hissed. “And I promise you’ll regret it.”
It was an awful position to be sure, yet Sid Duffy wasn’t cowed by threats. She forced her way to a seat and managed to put a little more power behind her latest Forearm Smash by bracing her left arm out behind like a kickstand. But this triumph was short-lived because Lenore smashed her in return, then rose up a little higher and THUNKED a Bionic Elbow into the crown of her skull! Sid crumpled to the carpet again and Lenore resumed the groin stretch with torturous interest.
So it went for the next minute or so.
Occasionally Sid would fight to a seat and unload with a Forearm Smash or a Slap, but these efforts had less and less strength with each iteration and these skirmishes always ended with Duffy smote back to the sweat-damp carpet below, whereupon the Fair & Radiant Maiden would apply gouging claw or grinding knuckle to tummy, inner-thigh or quad, whatever welted bulls-eye needed her attention at the moment.
Stepping close to the action only after Sid put her hands over her face to stifle a sob, Al asked, “What do you say, Sid? Do I call for the bell?”
Duffy pulled her hands away, shook her head ‘no’. “Don’t even think about it.”
“This is between us, Carpenter.” Lenore added without looking up from her work. “We’ll know when it’s done. And so will huuuurrrrrrrgggghhh!”
Sid powered to a seat again, only now she slipped her arms beneath Lemarchand’s biceps to catch the Fair & Radiant Maiden in a mercilessly snug chest-to-chest Bear Hug. “Did a great job of locking us together, honey.” Duffy panted, her words hot and angry in Lenore’s ear. “But it means you’re not going anywhere eithoooohhhhhhh you evil bytch.”
The Raven raaaaaaaaaaaaked her nails up Sid’s back no less than half a dozen times before she caught hold of her waistband for a wedgie that had the blonde gnawing on her lower lip. “I’m right where I want to be.” Lenore huffed. “And you’re right where I want you.”
Several steady forearms smacked across Sid’s lower back put the first bit of give in the Hug. From there Lemarchand worked her right hand against the blonde’s chin and began to puuuuuuuuush back. It was sweaty, arduous work, peeling Sid away from her prize, but Lenore aided her own efforts with a series of short, pumping left hands delivered to the other wrestler’s juggs.
“Guuuuhhhhhh… get outta my top.” Duffy’s demand was slightly muddled by Lemarchand’s intruding palm.
“Make me.” the brunette grunted in the midst of another rack-bruising blitz.
In the end Sid’s Hug didn’t collapse so much as it did fade, the blonde’s leaden arms slowly giving way to a boozy clinch that-- Lenore shoved her down and leaned in deep, the leggy Courtier bracing her right hand against the side of Sid’s face to better grind her features into the carpet. Then she went back to work on Duffy’s thighs, her latest efforts earning a loud albeit tremulous “Staaaaaaaahhhhhp!” from the exhausted battler.
“Not until you’re done.” Lenore actually smirked when Sid’s hands fluttered bird-like against her domineering tummy. “Are you done, Sid?”
Sid shook her head at once, though it lacked the energy of her previous denials. “No. No. Not giving you the satisfMMMMMPPPPHHHH!”
Lenore snatched her rival’s wrists, pinned them high overhead, then leaned down and in, finally going body to body with the devastated challenger. Riding high and tight on the sweat-soaked blonde, Lemarchand flattened Sid’s breasts with her tummy so she could press her own trim curves atop Duffy’s greasy face!
“Submit.” Lenore rolled her shoulders in a steady rhythm, just like the Black Queen had shown her. She’d never be a JMD contender or even a tank-top terror, but Emily’s Lady in Waiting knew how to use every weapon at her disposal which is why she looked so confident scrubbing Sid’s face to a semiconscious lather. Rising off her prey after several uninterrupted passes, Lenore murmured, “Submit. And leave under your own power. Deny me and I’ll smother you the f*ck out.”
Dazed features shiny with sweat, Sid Duffy burbled, “Yuuuuuhhh… your bony ass doesn’t scare me, braMMMMMMMPPPPHHHHHHHH!”
Lenore went all in on the Front Sleeper, just letting her modest décolletage engulf the defenseless blonde’s face! “You don’t deserve that sort of view just yet, baby.” she teased. “Tonight you learn to live with the humiliation of becoming my first ever JMD knock out.”
Sid’s only reply was a soft, buzzing sigh that trailed off into the steady, somnolent suction that Lenore recognized as kith and kin to that which she’d felt against her briefs following many a victory. Even so Lemarchand waited, just keeping that jugg pressure steady until she was absolutely certain of her victory.
“Check her.” the Fair & Radiant Maiden said to Al Carpenter. “She’s out.”
“Ummmhh, you’ve got her tied up pretty snug, Lenore. I’m not sure what to check.”
Lenore considered for a moment, relinquished the smother and raised up until she could press her hands to Sidney’s shoulders. ‘One, two, three.’ she mouthed.
The rag-doll splay of Sid’s arms told the official everything he needed to know, yet due diligence was always best so he raised and released Duffy’s left wrist once… twice… thrice!
That rumbling groan came a second time, followed by the startlingly loud voice of the Announcer. “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via knock-out and STILL Queen of the Madhouse… LENORE LEMARCHAND!”
Lenore leaned in close, for a moment Craig thought she was going jugg again. Instead she let her lips brush Sid’s ear while she whispered, “You know the only thing worse than losing, Sid? Losing to someone you can’t stand. I can imagine how angry you’ll be when you wake up, that you’ll be that much angrier after you watch the tape of this match. I hope it gets you in the gym first thing tomorrow morning. Because I want to wrestle you between the ropes, on the sand or anywhere else you’d think to pick a fight. And I cannot WAIT to beat you each and every time we meet.” She drew back, kissed the blonde’s feverish forehead, then stood up and planted a remarkably dainty foot atop Sid’s chest.
Thumbs already hooked together, Lemarchand raised the Raven sigil to chest level where she paused and made a show of adjusting that fight-winning rack. Smiling at the thought of Sid throwing a remote at her television, Lenore let the Raven fly and held it steady while she turned to Al. “You’ll see she wakes up with no problems? And that she understands the house rule?”
“I will and I will. Briefs cleaned, pressed and packed, dropped off at the Court’s locker room no later than noon tomorrow.”
Lenore nodded. “Excellent. And what happens if she doesn’t?”
Carpenter frowned. “I… don’t know. No one’s ever dared try.”
“Exactly.” Lemarchand’s smile grew perceptibly wider as she finally stepped away from the slumbering challenger. “Please be so kind as to tell her that, should she voice such a… dangerous… notion.”
Trusting the ref to do as she’d bade, Lenore strode out of the Doll Museum, leaving Algernon Carpenter to stir her defeated opposition in front of a much smaller, quieter audience.
Someone said you’re in the wrong place my friend, you better leave.
Alas, no one in these sort of stories ever heeded any sort of warning so it was no surprise when the door drew shut with an appropriately gothic shriek and the elevator chugged down, down, down, nearly a full minute of down before rattling to a stop. The camera wasted no time escaping the narrow confines and despite coming out in the grimiest hallway yet, it showed no hesitation in blazing a trail. Half a dozen more turns followed and then the journey ended in front of a door with a brass panel that read:
Nevermore
Either fearless or foolish, the camera barged its way through in search of an audience with the lady, or rather, the Queen, of the Madhouse.
As luxurious as the name would indicate, the ‘Queen’s Chambers’ were large enough to include a second floor that was reached by means of a wide staircase at the center of the room. The paneling was all dark wood, the carpet was deep midnight blue pile featuring thin sworls of gray, green and purple. The décor was simultaneously elegant and ominous. To the left of the staircase were several shelves full of antique books and dozens of small object d’art. Lining the walls were a number of paintings, most of them bleak autumnal or winter landscapes, though there were a few inconspicuous depictions of famous FAWN violence, most of it seeming to favor the exploits of the Black Court and a certain Raven in particular. To the right of the staircase laid a relatively warmer area with a large glassed in fireplace ringed by a few overstuffed couches. Another interesting detail on this side of the room was a curious set of double doors, which seemed to vibrate and tremble in their frames if you watched them long enough. For a moment it looked like the camera might go exploring, but was distracted by the slightly flummoxed arrival of referee Algernon Carpenter. Not entirely pleased to have drawn the short straw on this particular lot, the lanky official offered the camera a discrete nod to let them know things were as good as they were ever gonna get.
From somewhere deep in the recesses of Harrenhal, the disembodied voice of the Announcer called, “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is an open challenge scheduled for one fall and the winner will be crowned Queen of the Madhouse until All Hallows Evil 2020! Introducing first, representing the Black Court, hailing from Glen Echo, Michigan, she stands five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty one pounds, she is the reigning and defending Queen of the Madhouse, I give to you the Fair & Radiant Maiden, LENORE LEMARCHAND!”
LENORE LEMARCHAND:
A door on the second floor swung open and Lenore appeared from the gloom at the top of the stairs. Eschewing the robe favored by the previous owner, Lenore came to meet her guest in nothing but her battle attire, a strappy bra and equally sturdy briefs both in a purple so dark it was almost black. Temporarily alone save for Al, the Raven padded her way down the steps to take up a position beside the zebra.
“An open challenge, Lenore?” Carpenter asked once he’d finished with the perfunctory task of checking her elbows and knees. “Rather dangerous, don’t you think? I seem to recall the previous Queen losing her lease on just such a challenge.”
“She was no queen, merely a tenant.” Lenore replied simply. “And yes, it’s a risk, but it’s a calculated risk and I’ve made my calculations very carefully, Algernon.”
“Is this about what happened in the Oil Pit? Because you’ve--”
“Don’t even think about saying ‘nothing to be ashamed of.’ Carpenter, it’s beneath you. And of course it is. Pandora’s always been greedy and unable to resist a challenge, I’m hoping that--”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting trailed off as the big front door was pushed open and someone stepped over her threshold. The newcomer was blonde, but she was not Pandora. This realization awakened a brief swell of bitter disappointment in Lemarchand, but it was quickly buried by her competitive instincts as she took in the challenger. She was about Lenore’s height but anywhere from five to ten pounds heavier and a little brawnier through the shoulders and back. Her hair was dirty blonde and pulled back in a loose ponytail that gave the impression of being set mere seconds before she pushed her way through the door. Her eyes were dark brown and didn’t stray from Lenore’s even when the Raven treated her with a brazen up and down glance to better appraise the fog-gray bra and panties and the trim, summer-tanned form they armored. Lemarchand knew her name, but she held her tongue so as not to rob the Announcer of his moment.
“And introducing her opponent, hailing from Sacramento California she stands at five feet seven inches tall and weighs in at one hundred and thirty-eight pounds. Making her first appearance at the Madhouse this is SID DUFFY!”
SID DUFFY:
At the sound of her name Sid favored the camera with a smile and offered up a single bicep flex in a pose straight outta Rosie the Riveter’s playbook. The Kid might’ve been an unknown quantity to most, but that pose combined with the fearless way she strolled over for Carpenter’s inspection without taking her eyes off the Queen earned her a rumble of intrigued approval from the Basement Dwellers.
A discreet signal from Al called forth the rumbling groan that served for the opening bell in this year’s contest and though champion and challenger began to circle, neither made a move to engage her opponent.
“Something wrong, Lenore?” Sid asked in the sort of tone that suggested she already knew the answer. “Seems you were expecting someone else.”
“Expectations are dangerous in a place like this, Sid.” Lemarchand replied without hesitation. “I’d hoped for someone else. Hope is equally dangerous, but it’s my house and I’ll do as I--”
“For now.” Duffy interrupted, her fingers twitching as their circle grew decidedly smaller. “It’s your house for now. After all, when it comes to dangers, expectation and hope pale in comparison to the unkn-” Sid went silent when the Raven reared up on her heels for a Collar & Elbow Lock-Up, then voiced the tiniest little hiss of disgust when Lenore dipped low for a go-behind that saw her trail one hand along the challenger’s tummy and hip.
The Queen of the Madhouse didn’t actually attempt a Waistlock or any other offense, indeed she was out of Duffy’s reach by the time the blonde rounded on her. But she had made first contact and that was enough.
“You’re not unknown, Sid.” Lenore corrected. “I knew who you were as soon as you walked through the front door. It would be more accurate to say you’re untested. Some might say dangerously untested for waters as deep as thHRGH!”
Sid shot in, crooked an arm around the brunette’s noggin and pulled her down into a brawny Side Headlock. “You sure you know who I am, babe?” Duffy hopped / stamped in place to jar Lemarchand’s senses and grrrrrrrrind one temple against the point of her hip. “Because if you did there’s no way you’d have the nerve to call mennnhhhh… slippery little bird, I see.”
Lenore escaped from the Headlock like smoke through a keyhole, the Fair & Radiant Maiden collecting Sid’s left wrist during her escape so she could pin it up between the blonde’s shoulders in a Hammerlock. Already certain that her opponent could and would use that fifteen pound weight advantage quite effectively, Lemarchand sought to neutralize it by forcing her left knee into the pit of Duffy’s left knee, thus forcing the blonde to an uneasy penance on the plush blue carpet. “Far be it from me to disparage your résumé.” Lenore murmured as she continued to wrench and tug on the Hammerlock. “I should’ve added a caveat. You’re untested in FAWN. And while I admire your willingness to announce your arrival in the biggest way possible,” the Courtier reached down with her free hand, buried it in Sid’s hair and pulled until the blonde hissed in pain, “I fear this is a decision you will come to regERRRGH!”
Duffy reached back with her right hand, caught herself a big ‘ol handful of Lemarchand’s braid and used it to flip the other wrestler onto her butt via a makeshift Snapmare! Ignoring the twinge in her shoulder to best capitalize on the escape, Duffy snuggled in behind Lenore and pinioned her arms overhead with a Full Nelson. Eyes gleaming as she forced the Queen’s chin into her modest décolletage, Sid wrenched the hold back ’n forth to distract Lenore from the fact that she’d secured a Scissors around her waist. This worked up until the moment the blonde challenger crossed her ankles and squeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed. Those summer-tanned thighs earned an audible gasp from the Raven, but it didn’t stop her from getting her hands into Duffy’s hair again.
“Let go of my hair, Lenore.” Sid ordered in the midst of compressing her opponent’s ribcage. “Or I’ll make you sorrRRRRHHHHH!”
Nelson be damned, Lemarchand yanked until Duffy’s eyes started to water. Not about to let Lenore dictate terms in any area of this match, Sid yoked the brunette’s arms that much higher, then shifted to a simple loop around her biceps that kept Lenore’s wings under control while freeing the challenger’s left hand. “Think I won’t rough house with you, little girl?” Duffy swatted Lenore’s right cheek several times, then pinched her nose and gave it a sharp twist! This earned an angry whine from Lemarchand, a noise Sid silenced by cupping that palm over the brunette’s mouth and nose. Still working the Bodyscissors with patient, breath-stealing efficacy, the blonde added, “You’re the one who’s going to regret thinking she could defend her turf by pulling my hair like some cheap skankOOOWWWW!”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting slipped her beak free of Duffy’s muzzle and made the challenger pay for this lapse by chomping down on the soft skin between thumb and forefinger! Sid bared her teeth in anger and pain, but she refused to release her hooks, in fact she put that much more pressure on the Scissors, ultimately forcing the brunette’s jaws open several seconds later. “I can’t stand the way you carry yourself.” Sid admitted after delivering another stinging slap to the Queen’s cheek. “Always talking down to everyone when you’re nothing more than an up-jumped catfighter who can’t win without EEERRRRRRRHHHHH!”
Lenore’s arms might’ve been trapped, but she was far from defenseless, as Duffy learned when the Raven caught hold of her right earlobe and gave it a vicious twist-pinch! “I can win in any number of ways, bytch.” Lemarchand growled. “As you’ll have discovered when the time comes to surrender your briefSRRRRRGH!”
Sid cupped Lenore’s left breast in her right hand and squeezed like it was stress-ball. “Promises, promises.” Duffy hissed. “I’ll remember this when you’re begging to AHHHHHHH!”
Lemarchand managed to mirror the ear torture with her other hand, a success that brought a smile to her face despite the blonde’s rock-hard thighs and white-knuckle grip. “The only thing you’re going to remember is how badly you f*cked up thinking you could take this place from meWHOOAHNGGHH!”
Abandoning the grip on Lenore’s bounty so she could bind the brunette’s arms behind her back in a quick Double Chickenwing, Sid Duffy dropped to her back which in turn pulled Lemarchand up into her lap. With no pins to worry about, Sid let Lenore think about it for a second or two before she popped her hips and rolled forward to THWHUMP the Raven’s rump against the carpet with a heavy Keister Bounce! Lenore jolted from one end to the other, meaning she was more than a little discombobulated when Duffy tumbled her onto her belly and climbed into a seat in the hollow of her lower back. The Chickenwing quickly gave way to a position Lemarchand knew all too well, Sid all burly and workman-like as she draped the Queen’s biceps over the strong planes of her thighs.
Cursing in a decidedly un-regal manner, Lenore kept her chin pressed tight to her sternum, a tactic that worked until Duffy clouted a few heavy Forearm Smashes against the back of her skull. All smiles as she settled deep into the Camel Clutch, Sid Duffy pressed the heel of her palms into Lenore’s cheeks and bobbled her head up & down to better illustrate her distress for the camera.
“This has gotta be like a nightmare for you am I right, honey?” Sid murmured. “You manage to sneak by Amara last year only to wake up and find yourself right back where you started. Wanna wake up for real? Submit.” She went up on her tiptoes and pulled to better emphasize the demand.
Lenore waggled her head ‘no’, more for Carpenter than her opponent. “Yuuuuhhh… you really think this is the best way to get inside my head, sweetie?” she grunted. “Last bytch who tried to break me with this hold didn’t show her face for a whole year after I finished her NNNNGGHHH!”
Sid bounced hard, driving the medicine-ball curve of her backside into Lemarchand’s defenseless spine. “I’m not looking to get inside your head, babe. It’s your house I want. And I think I’m doing a damned good job of getting you packed and ready to move.”
“What do you say, Lenore?” Al asked after several more seconds produced no change in the Raven’s situation. “Want to call it a night?”
“Sun’s barely down, Carpenter.” Lemarchand replied through clenched teeth. “This is just getting startNNNGGHHHH!”
Sid went up on her toes and resumed pounding the brunette’s back with several waves of Butt Bombs. “You talk a good game, but everyone knows you’re gonna be asleep well before the sun comes up.” Duffy prophesized. “And I’m willing to bet you’ll drift off with tears drying on your--”
Lenore’s patient microadjustments finally paid off when she slipped her left arm free of the blonde’s posted thigh. Twisting onto her back to escape the Chinlock, the Raven CRAAACKED Sid across the face with a quick Bytch Slap, then clamped that hand atop the newcomer’s pretty features in a snug Iron Claw! Grimacing as Lemarchand’s fingertips dug into her temples and forehead, Duffy answered with a slap of her own before she found the Queen’s braid and wrapped it around her fist in a single sinuous motion. The yank that followed earned an audible yelp from Lenore, it did not however free her mug from the claw.
Bound and determined to make Emily’s Lady in Waiting surrender her grip without once tugging at her wrist, Sid flattened her free hand into a paddle and delivered a whistling SLAP to Lemarchand’s décolletage. “Leggo witch.” Duffy muttered against the encroaching palm. “Or I’ll slap your tits clean out of your toEERRRHHHH!”
Lenore pushed up, forcing the heel of her palm against the tip of Sid’s nose. Smiling at the groan she felt reverberate through her hand, the Fair & Radiant Maiden snapped, “Give it your best shot, tuff girl. Take it quick though, your breathing already feels laborHHHNNGGGHH!”
Duffy used the braid to yank Lenore’s noggin off the carpet, which in turn allowed her to palm it with her other hand and then THWHUMP the Courtier’s skull against the carpet! The concussive force of it loosened Lemarchand’s grip enough for Sid to wrest her face away, but rather than pull Lenore up with her hair-hold, Duffy scrambled to verticality and immediately took to the skies for her biggest Butt Bomb y-- Lenore rolled away with half a heartbeat to spare, leaving the incredulous blonde to land on the carpet with an ungainly thud!
Sid gave voice to a breathy little wheeze as she clambered to her knees after the unfortunate miss. Hands pressed to her aching glutes, Duffy didn’t recognize the danger of her predicament until Lenore (who’d made it to her feet in the interim) delivered a heavy kick directly across the newcomer’s chest! She reeled on the spot without making it off her knees, which Lemarchand took as a sign to kick her again and again and again, the Raven’s shin meeting her opponent’s assets with a sound like a baseball bat striking damp clay. Eventually Lemarchand paused to settle her footing, but rather than use the moment to get clear, Duffy raised a beckoning hand. “C’mon, sweetheart. Is that all you got? Thought you were supposed to be the Queen of this pl--”
Lenore bent her knees deep so Sid raised her arms to her chest to protect against the heaviest kick yet. Alas the kick didn’t come because Lemarchand grabbed a double handful of the blonde’s hair and simply SLAMMED the back of her head into that cool blue carpet!
Arms swaddling her throbbing skull, Duffy beat her heels against the floor in a game effort to dispel the worst of the pain. “Sneaky bytch.” she groaned. “That shyt’s gonna catch up to you sooner than OOOOOFFFFHHH!”
Positioned on her opponent’s right side, Lemarchand stepped over with her right leg and casually THWHUMPED her own Butt Bomb into the pit of opposing stomach! Duffy sat up on impact only to find herself shoved back down immediately thereafter. Once that was done Lenore reclaimed her feet and THWHUMP! The Queen of the Madhouse punished her challenger with the second Butt Bomb in perhaps fifteen seconds.
Understandably short of breath, Sid turned onto one side and drew her knees up to her stomach to prevent another heavy strafing run. “Guuuuhhh… goddamn.” she huffed. “How does such a scrawny bytch have a cannonball ass?”
“My squat game is second to none, cutie.” Lenore answered once she’d stood up and flicked those strappy briefs into place with a regal little ‘snap’. “You’d have known that if your research was half as strong as your trash talk.”
A surge of anger burned off the ache in Sid’s midsection, allowing her to power to all fours. Good God, she could not stand this brat! “You’re really gonna call me out for talking smack?” the blonde snarled. “You’re one of the mouthiest pieces of crap in all of FAWNOOOWWW BYTCH!”
Lenore circled around behind Duffy, crooked her hands into talons and scored her from shoulders to buttocks! “Ya gotta back it up, night in and night out, honey.” the Raven explained while Sid reared back on her knees to clutch at an enemy only she could see. Helping herself to a handful of hair, she wrenched Duffy’s head back and purred, “and that’s exactly what I doHUUUFFFHH!”
Sid pumped a Back Elbow into the Courtier’s flat tummy, then hooked that arm through Lenore’s legs and bundled her onto her shoulders just to dump Lemarchand onto the carpet with a quick Fireman’s Carry. Grabbing onto the brunette’s shoulders to keep her from rolling away or even sitting up, Duffy rose up and slid forward only to bring her rump smashing down on Lenore’s chest! “Oh, you always back it up, huh?” Sid taunted from the top of her new perch. “Remind me cupcake, how many World Titles have you won? And how many Oil Baroness’ have your bottoms in their collection now? It’s two, isn’t it?”
“F*ck you, Duffy.” Lenore groaned. I’ve done more than you OOFH! OOFH! OOFH!”
Sid racked up several more points in this Game of Glutes by driving her backside into Lenore’s chest once, twice, three times! That last shot sent Lemarchand’s legs bouncing into the air, so the blonde collected them under her armpits and leaaaaaaaaaned back in a Reverse Matchbook so deep her hair was tickling the carpet. “This is what I’m supposed to be afraid of?” Duffy swatted the Courtier’s trapped cheeks for emphasis. “Not gonna happen, sweetie. In fact, I’m gonna strip away all that attitude and mystique just before I claim this place for myselHHHRRRGNNNHHHHH!”
Lenore crossed her ankles and squeezed, a convulsive, gut-churning pulse that froze Sid mid-threat. In the next instant she popped her hips and rolled forward to sit up while also driving Duffy’s face and chest into the carpet! “Only thing you’re taking from me is a beating.” Lemarchand promised. “And a lesson in humility.”
“That’s rich, coming from an arrogant tramp like OOOOOOOHH DAMMIT YOU VICIOUS BYTCH!”
Lenore hooked her thumbs into the leg-holes of the blonde’s gray togs, caught a double handful of waistband and pulled the whole works north by a good eight inches or so! Concentration scrambled by the hateful wedgie, Sid didn’t realize Lenore had let go until the Raven caught hold of her hair and used it to drag the wincing blonde to verticality. “You’re right, Sid.” she murmured. “I am a vicious bytch, and I am at my most vicious in defense of what is mine. This place, for instance.”
Lemarchand took Duffy’s right wrist in both hands and pivoted so her back was pointed toward the open door on the far left wall. “If you want to take what’s mine, you better be prepared to bleed buckets.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable HOOOFFHH!”
Lenore slammed a knee into Sid’s gut, doubling her over. “Then show me, new girl.” Still holding the Wristlock, the Fair & Radiant Maiden stepped back, dropped a hip and slung her burden toward the library.
Though she’d made a point to watch each and every Queen’s Chamber match once she decided to challenge Lenore and thus had a *fairly good* idea of what waited beyond the door, Sid Duffy had no interest in charging in blindly, which was why she extended her arms and managed to ‘smeck!’ hold of the doorframe before she could pass through. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sid muttered, “You didn’t really think I would run, did NNNNGGGHHH!”
Duffy turned around mid-sentence, meaning she got a brief glimpse of Lemarchand’s feet soaring her way in the heartbeat before they THUMPED flat against her chest! Blown through the doorway by the force of the Dropkick, Duffy managed to keep her footing despite the shift from carpet to hardwood but she still let out an audible groan when her lower back collided with the narrow edge of the high, heavy table that dominated the center of the room. Sid braced her hands on the edge and held tight, expecting the furniture to slide beneath her weight, so she was rather surprised when it didn’t so much as an inch. This momentary distraction was all the opening Lenore needed to stride up and CRAAACK her opponent across the chest with an echoing Knife-Edge Chop!
Sid soaked it up to go straight for a Collar & Elbow Tie-Up, so you can imagine her disgust when Lemarchand slipped an arm between her questing hands to pull the brawny blonde into a Side Headlock! “Welcome to my library, Kid! Perhaps I can help you find something you‘d enjoy?” the Raven chided just before she bounced the crown of Duffy’s noggin against the edge.
“Sure.” Duffy growled as she wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist for a stern counter-hug. “Take me to autobiographies, I’d love to hear what you thought about choking on Mendoza’s guMWHOOOAANNNNGGHH!”
Lenore pivoted them away from the table, jogged toward a towering shelf to the left of the door and THONKED Sid’s head against several heavy volumes. “Haven’t written my memoirs yet, little girl.” Lemarchand taunted. “But when I do, I’ll devote a whole chapter to my revenge on Gabby Mendoza. You however, will barely be worth a footnotNGH! NGH! NGH! RRGGGHH!”
Sid smashed a few heavy punches into the Courtier’s navel, then curled that hand into a spade and sank it deep in that tenderized soil. “Should’ve known an arrogant piece of trash like you would excel at revisionist history.” Duffy countered Lemarchand’s answering constrictions by digging her thumb deep into opposing tummy. “Which is why I’m gonna make it impossible for you to ignore all of these welts and NNNNHHHHH!”
Lenore jolted the blonde’s skull with another pocket-sized Bulldog, then shifted so that Sid was awkwardly positioned between herself and those voluminous shelves. “Sounds like you’re in the mood for something graphic, honey. Why not a tour of the horror section? We’ll start at Aickman and go all the way to Zelenyj with stops along the way at Chambers, Lovecraft, King, Poe of course, then we’ll continue on through Matheson and Serling!”
Duffy wanted nothing to do with the Raven’s reading list of doom, alas she was already off and moving, the slim-thick brunette just dragging, mashing and occasionally bouncing her opponent’s face offa those lumpy, uneven spines. Sid hated each and every second of it but she didn’t find freedom until the shelves ended at a door on in the east wall. “Aaaaahhh, that’s the way to the Billiards Room.” Lenore explained even as she led the blonde back toward the middle of the library. “It has every game you could imagine, but I’m not quite finished playing with you in here.”
Sid heard the strain in Lemarchand’s voice and celebrated by pumping even more power into her tenacious Waistlock. “That’s the difference between us, bird-brain.” Duffy muttered. “You can’t help it with these games and I just don’t play arOOOWWW BYTCH!”
Lenore slammed a short Bionic-style Elbow into the back of Sid’s head, then stamped on her toes for good measure. That finally popped the lock on Duffy’s hands, thus allowing Lemarchand to snuggle in against the blonde’s left hip and sling her right leg over top of Sid’s thigh. Instinctively doubled over to check on her aching toes, Duffy let out a distressed yelp when Lenore draped her left leg over the back of the challenger’s neck while simultaneously collecting Sid’s right arm in an awkward Armbar.
OCTOPUS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqm0EVeJEec
“Get over yourself, princess.” Lenore demanded even as she puuuuuuushed down with her leg and cranked up on the Armbar. “This whole place is a game, one designed to attract a very special sort of player. The fact that you’re here means you’ve got more in common with me than you’d care to admit.” The Fair & Radiant Maiden paused, flattened her free (right) hand into a paddle and treated the blonde’s butt to several hard swats. “Of course the principle difference is that I’m going to win and you’re going to lose.”
Sid kept her left hand pressed to the floor to alleviate the worst of the Octopus’ strain, so she had to shake her head ‘no’ when Al asked if she wanted to submit. “The only thing I’m losing right now is patience, Len.” Duffy grunted. “And that’s more problematic for you than it is for meRRRGHHHHHHH!”
Lenore bore down harder than ever before, every muscle in her leg shredding into shadowy relief in the warm light of the library. “Ask her.” Lemarchand told the official without relieving a bit of strain.
“What do you say, Sid?” Carpenter said quietly.
“I say Lenore Lemarchand is an obnoxious brat and I’m going give her the ass whooping she’s had coming for,” there was a sharp inhalation from the blonde when the Raven transformed her swattin’hand into a pincer and took possession of Sid’s right nipple. “I’ll beat you into a stupor for this, bytch.” Duffy almost whispered.
“For what, out-wrestling you all night long?” Lenore countered. “Or for humiliating an overconfident, ENTITLED bytch that thought she could just help herself to what’s miEERRRRRHHH OOOOWWW SHYT!”
Sid had to admit she couldn’t escape the hold with brute strength, so instead she grabbed hold of the Courtier’s right foot and dug her fingers deep into the unprotected sole! The jolt that ran through Lemarchand’s limber frame was almost electric and more than enough for Sid to slide clear of the Octopus to a Standing Headscissors. Still a pretty vulnerable position, at least until Duffy wrapped her arms around Lenore’s thighs and stood up straight with the brunette trailing down her back. Emily’s Lady in Waiting was still preoccupied with the nasty tingling in her right leg when Sid stepped closer to the shelves and doubled over so fast she whipped the Queen of the Madhouse spine-first into a couple dozen first editions courtesy of a thunderous Alabama Slam!
“That’s more like it.” Duffy beamed with satisfaction while Lenore crumpled in a heap at the base of the shelf, her arms strapped across the back of her head, her feet still in the blonde’s possession. “For you of all people to call me entitled,” Sid muttered, “just proves you’re an even shyttier human being than I’d imagined. That’s why I’m going to take such joy in beating your ass through every room in this place.
“Puuuhhh… pretty f*cking judgmental for someone who hadn’t met me before tonight.” Lenore grimaced. “Is that really the sort of message you want to send to your fans? Or maybe they’re sanctimonious, holier than thou assholes TUUUGGHH!”
Sid pulled Lenore away from the shelf and stamped a heel into the pit of her stomach. “Talk all the shyt you want, brat. Tonight’s the night you finally get called on it.”
With that Duffy tucked Lemarchand’s shins beneath her armpits and pulled up until only the brunette’s head and shoulders were touching the floor. A quick look over one shoulder told Sid she was exactly where she wanted to be, so without further warning she laid out flat on her back to hurl Lenore up ’n over, the stunned brunette letting out a breathy ’OOOFFFHH!’ as she went gut-first into the side of that heavy antique reading table.
Struggling for breath after the nauseating impact, Lemarchand crumpled across the table, her cheek and palms resting heavily against the smooth wood. She’d just drawn her first real breath when Sid stomped up from behind and thwhap-thwhap-THWHAPPED three Overhand Forearm Smashes across the Courtier’s shoulders. “Smarmy coward.” she huffed. “How is it you always land your best shots when my back is turnEERRRGGHH!”
Duffy raked the Raven’s back once, then did it again to make sure those red lines really stood out on Lenore’s pale skin. “Not my fault you don’t know how to cover your six.” Sid sniped in the midst of grabbing hold of her foe’s waistband. “Just like it’s not my fault you don’t know how to throw yourself over a table.”
Lemarchand was too busy dealing with her scored back to answer, but she found more than enough energy to yelp when Duffy crouched low and wedged her head between the other wrestler’s thighs. From there it was a quick trip to the Electric Chair, Lenore’s arms windmilling wildly when Sid stood up straight. “Ya know, I really appreciate these high ceilings.” Sid said of the library’s shadowy arches. “Makes it infinitely easier to do something like this!” She put her hands to Lemarchand’s bum, then went up on tiptoe and shoved the brunette forward and down to THWHUMP flat against that unforgiving tabletop!
Gingerly checking her nose in the aftermath of that bruising descent, Lemarchand braced her hands against the table and push-- “Down, big girl.” Sid shoved Lenore back to start, then cupped her hands and paddled out a spooky little riff on the Raven’s shuddering backside. “Not losing the will to fight, are you, birdy?” she asked. “Not about to crawl away from me?”
“Bytch, if I’m crawling anywhere it’s to get AT youOOOOOOWWWWW!”
The powerful blonde newcomer CRAAACKED both hands between Lemarchand’s shoulders with a massive Grizzly Slap, then caught the Fair & Radiant Maiden at the hip and rolled her onto her back. Satisfied that Lenore wasn’t going to surprise her with something nasty in the next few seconds, Duffy boosted herself onto the table and mounted the prone brunette in the process. Tush resting snug in the pit of her opponent’s stomach, Sid put her left hand on Lenore’s chin to force her head backward, thus leaving the Courtier’s chest exposed for another half dozen of those clouting overhead Forearm Smashes! Lemarchand groaned in hurt, went to cover up so Sid grabbed her wrists and pinned them overhead.
“I already threatened to slap your tits right outta your top.” she muttered. “But after that pincer crap you pulled I might have to crush ‘em instead.”
“Might?” Lenore growled. “What’s the matter, cutie? Afraid you’ll lose a few Purity Points if you indulge in something as wicked as a catfiEEEEERRRRHHHHHH!”
Duffy palmed Lenore’s breasts in each hand and squeezed hard enough to show white at her knuckles. “I’m not afraid of anything in here, let alone you.” Sid explained. “I just don’t want to slip into the muck and grime where you seem to be so comfortablRRRHHHHHHHH!”
Lenore answered the challenger’s mauling grip with a narrower focus, the Raven testing the sturdy material of Sid’s top with a double nipple twist. “Judgmental bytch. I’m going to LOVE watching those snotty little pretenses of yours fall away as we go deeper and deeper into this plaNNNNHHHHH!”
Sid abandoned her grip, slipped her hands between the brunette’s forearms and broke the pincer by stretching her arms in opposite directions. Soon as that was done she brought her hands down and in, the powerful challenger CLAPPING her prey’s cheeks with a stiff stereo Slap! Brown eyes flashing as she grabbed hold of Lenore’s braid, Sid drew back off the table and hauled her opponent to a seat. “You’re the one destined to change tonight, Lemarchand. The more I pile on, the more desperate you get. The more desperate you get, the more everyone can see you’re not a Raven at all… you’re a sneaky little ratHUUURRGGGGHHHH!”
Lemarchand’s legs closed around Duffy’s waist with a soft little ‘smeck’ utterly overshadowed by the blonde’s pained gasp. Flashing a hard smile when Sid’s hand fell away from her braid to worry at her thighs, Lenore drew in close and very deliberately slapped Duffy across the mouth. “Does that feel desperate to you, Sid? Or does it feel like you’re caught in the grip of someone who’s going to fight you to the last goddamned breNNNNUUUUUHHHHH!”
Sid wasn’t sure she could break the Courtier’s Scissors, so rather than try she leaned into Lenore and wrapped her in a crushing Bear Hug! “You wanna know what you feel like, sweetie?” Duffy purred in Lemarchand’s ear before she pulled her away from the table once and for all. “You feel like someone who’s going anywhere I want her to go.”
Lenore replied with another sustained squeeze, so Sid squeezed her right back, then wheeled around and started down the short hall to the Billiards Room. She could’ve made the journey in half a dozen long strides, but Duffy wanted to sap some of the strength from those Scissors so she pinballed from one side to the other, just THUMPING Lemarchand against the wood-paneled walls. Sid could’ve sworn breathing was a little easier by the time she stepped into the Billiards Room, a long, narrow space dominated by an immaculate pool table, a handful of dartboards, a whole shelf of vintage board games and perhaps half a dozen leather couches and chairs arranged at strategic points throughout. Sid noticed these things as mere cursory details, the only thing that actually caught her eye was the board game collection housed on a shelf almost identical to those in the library. Only difference was, this shelf stood alone, meaning there were several unpleasant edges she could--
“NNNNGGGGHHHH BYTCH!” Lenore sobbed in shocked surprise when Duffy slammed her into the corner of the towering shelf spine-first! Sid sobbed too, or rather gaped, though hers was a sound of immense relief because those damned Scissors finally fell away from her ribs. Abandoning the Bear Hug almost immediately thereafter, the blonde slipped her right arm through Lemarchand’s legs and scooped her onto that shoulder with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Securing Lenore’s midsection with her right arm, Duffy wheeled around in a half circle and honed in the green rectangle of the pool table. “Eight bytch, corner pocket.” she chirped.
Shot called, the powerhouse charged forward, her steps sounding like rifle shots in the confines of the NO! Lenore pushed off the Sid’s shoulders, slid halfway down her back and hooked those Scissors around her waist even harder than before! To make matters worse, she cinched her left arm under the blonde’s chin and grabbed hold of her right bicep while her right hand settled against the back of Duffy’s skull.
Ground to a halt by the sudden application of Rear Naked Choke, Sid reached for the Courtier’s braid only to find her hands redirected south when Lemarchand squeeeeeezed like she meant to cut her in half! “Gotcha now, gym rat.” Lenore hissed in Sid’s ear before she pecked an aggressive kiss against one temple. “Go on and tap out on my bicep or you won’t wake up until I’ve dragged your musclehead-ass out the front doWHOOOAAANNNNNGGGGHHH!”
Aware that she had to do something fast, Sid curled her arms around the brunette’s calves and charged the pool table. Wheeling around at the last second she hopped up and dropped back to THWHUMP Lenore between herself and the felt-sheathed surface!
Scissors and Sleeper popped open simultaneously, allowing Duffy to sit up and take several deep breaths. Her head was beginning to steady when Lemarchand pulled her knees in, stuffed both feet against the challenger’s back and Mule Kicked her clean off the pool table!
Sid cursed aloud but managed to adjust mid-fall so she landed on one knee instead of flat on her face. Growling low in the back of her throat, Duffy rose to her full height and rounded on the challenger. “Listen to me you slippery little cheap-shot art…” Sid trailed off into silence as Lenore (who’d rolled off the far side of the pool table) carefully selected one of the half dozen cues from the nearby rack.
“First you mugged me on my reference desk.” Lemarchand noted. “Then you tried to smash me through my pool table.” The Raven turned to her opponent, dark eyes shining. “Sidney, dear. I believe it’s time you and I had a serious discussion about respecting other people’s property.”
Duffy squared her shoulders. “Put the cue down and we can talk all you--”
Lenore tossed the cue over the table, not hard, it was clear the Courtier meant for the blonde to catch it. “What, you thought I’d challenge you to a duel, but leave you unarmed? You wound me, Sid.”
“Not yet, I haven’t.” Sid still hadn’t moved, though she’d shifted her grip on the cue to hold it like a Kendo Stick.
“That’s the spirit!” Lenore selected a second cue, spun it in her fingers like an oversized baton. When it came to a stop she had it two-handed, quarterstaff style. “C’mon cutie.” Lemarchand murmured from her side of the table. “Don’t make me come get you.”
“I didn’t come here for a bar fight, Lenore.” Sidney replied even as she began to close on the Queen of the Madhouse.
“No, you came to claim my throne.” Lemarchand agreed. “If you want it, you’re gonna have to work for--”
CRAAACK!
Duffy lunged around the corner and brought her cue down on Lenore’s in a heavy overhand smash! Lenore braced herself through two more follow-up shots, then turned into the blonde and stuffed a shoulder into her sternum, knocking her back a few steps. The increased separation allowed her to jab the butt-end of the cue at Duffy’s navel, but the blonde twisted aside and made the Fair & Radiant Maiden pay with an awkward but painful shot across the right bicep! The impact knocked Lenore sideways into the table, so Sid reset her stance for a much heavier swing at opposing ribs, but Lemarchand spun outta the way, leaving the cue to ‘whick’ through empty- “OOOOWWWW F*CK!”
Sid jolted from head to toe when Lenore laid a smart shot across the outside of her foe’s left thigh! Off balance thanks to the tremor running through her left leg, Duffy barreled into Lemarchand with a Shoulderblock of her own, then raised the cue overhead like a woman looking to split some firewo-CRAAACK! Lenore caught her in the ribs this time, her counter swat hard enough to send Sid’s weapon crashing to the floor. Baring her teeth when the blonde started to retreat, Lenore reset the cue for a shot to Duffy’s welted thigh, but she shifted her attention north when Sid raised her hands for a-- CRACKSMECK!
Sid took the shot to the ribs flush, only this time she brought her arm down on the cue and grabbed hold to keep it trapped against her torso. Lemarchand snarled, tried to prize it free and caught a straight right hand to the mouth for her efforts. Tossing that damned cue aside once Lenore abandoned her grip on it, Duffy caught hold of the brunette’s wrist and tugged her into a Kneelift using the strongest, broadest part of her thigh. The Raven doubled over so Sid pressed in against her right side and slipped her own right arm under Lenore’s bicep so she could palm her left shoulder.
“Did you really think you could beat me like I’m some roadhouse skank?” Sid punctuated the question by double-pumping her right knee into the pit of Lemarchand’s stomach. When the brunette only groaned she crooked her left arm into a ‘V’ and THWAPPED it across opposing shoulders. “Answer me, witch.”
“Ruuuhhh… roadhouse skank never crossed my mind.” Lenore huffed. “Beating you like a smug, self-righteous slab of bikini meat on the other hand, that’s been on AAAAHHHHH BYTCH!”
Sid went at her adversary with a single Kneelift, followed by a quick Back Rake, a bra-snap and ultimately a wedgie, the hard-body blonde just tugging and sawing the material back ‘n forth as it rode higher and higher!
“Call me smug one more time.” Now Duffy was throwing Kneelifts in conjunction with her wedgie, the challenger executing her pulls in time with the rise of Lenore’s hips after each fresh impact. “For you of all people to throw that word in my face is just NNNGGHHH!”
Emily’s Lady in Waiting straightened up and jammed the point of her right elbow into the side of Sid’s skull. “Nothing wrong with being smug, honey.” Lenore spiked her next shot into Duffy’s temple, then raised her right foot and stomped on the blonde’s bare toes. Sid winced but didn’t give up her position, in fact she only relinquished the wedgie to THWHAP a few more of those tire iron Forearm Smashes across the brunette’s lower back. Teeth bared as she continued to soak up the blonde’s punishment, Lenore brought her elbow down on the base of Sid’s neck, then shrugged the hand off her left shoulder and cinched her right arm around Duffy’s head in a Front Facelock.
“Knew you weren’t as bland as advertised.” the Raven got some revenge with a pair of Kneelifts delivered to the blonde’s chest. “Too bad I had to quite literally beat it out of WHOOOOAANNNNNNGGGHHHH!”
Sid wrapped her arms around Lemarchand’s upper thighs, boosted her off the floor and charged blindly toward anything that’d-- they collided with something that gave a whole lot more than Duffy would’ve expected. It took a second, smaller charge for her to realize she’d driven the lady of the house into a pair of double doors. Breathing hard as the top of her head ground against the door, Sid grumbled, “Better hope this leads to the Comfy Pillow Room, sweetheart. Otherwise that landing is gonna be rougOOOOOOOHHHH YOU NASTY SLUT!”
Never one to ahem, turn the other cheek, in a Wedgie War, Lemarchand filled her free hand with Duffy’s waistband and showed the blonde what she’d started. “Don’t worry pretty girl, it’s something almost as good. And you’ll see it, assuming you don’t quit on me right OHSHYTNNNGGGGHHH!”
Sid backed off and crashed against the door a third time and as was so often the case, it proved a charm. The doors crashed open and blonde and brunette barreled through to… somewhere. In truth Duffy couldn’t see much, in fact all she knew was that the place was dimly lit and the hardwood had given way to plush carpet in a dusty rose shade that vaguely reminded her of-- Sid’s recollection came to an abrupt end because Lemarchand cranked down on the back of her head hard enough to bring both ladies down. There was an ugly, almost stereo THUMP-THUD as Lenore was planted by an impromptu Spinebuster and Sid was spiked by the jury-rigged DDT!
The landing left Lemarchand curled up clutching her ribs while Sid flopped through in a woozy somersault, the blonde swaddling her head in both arms. Somewhere on the outskirts of the galaxy she heard Al Carpenter step into the door and start to count, “ONE… TWO…good lord, Lenore. What the hell were you thinking?”
Frowning, Sid pulled her arms down, looked around and didn’t bother to suppress a shudder. This room was lined with floor to ceiling shelves too, only instead of books, they held dolls. Hundreds, possibly thousands of glassy-eyed, blank-faced dolls. Behind her, Lenore sat up and groaned, “Speak softly, doofus. They can hear you. And they’re very sensitivHHUUURRGGGHHH!”
Sid threw herself onto the brunette’s back, hooked her right arm around Lenore’s slender throat and bore down on the Sleeper. “Seems like we finished up in a good spot, Len.” Duffy cooed. “They can soothe you when you’re crying yourself to sleeOOOWWWW!”
Lemarchand gripped Sid’s garrote at bicep and forearm and pushed up until the crook of Duffy’s elbow was snug against her mouth and nose. Then she made like her nemesis and chomped down until the coil loosened of its own accord. Loose didn’t ensure her freedom though, so Lemarchand twisted Sid and drove three shiv-like elbows into that washboard tummy. Duffy hissed, snatched hold of Lenore’s braid and wrapped it around her fist in anticipation of clouting the Courtier’s arrogant mouth. The wind-up promised a Slap that’d send Lemarchand’s face back into the Billiard Room, unfortunately the follow-through never happened because Lenore countered with a double hair-pull of her own and barreled forward, knocking both women to the carpeted floor.
What followed was perhaps the most intense twenty seconds of actual ‘wrestling’ that Algernon Carpenter had ever witnessed, as blonde and brunette switched control of the mount no less than half a dozen times, their legs slapping and pushing against one another, hooked hands pushing at gouging at opposing shoulders or chin while their eyes remained stubbornly locked, each demanding the other meet, then beat her best. So frenetic was the action that Carpenter didn’t know the stalemate had broken until Sid let loose with a loud groan and reached for Lenore’s hands, which were palming the insides of her knees. Even then he had to follow the twist and turn of lower limbs to realize that Lemarchand had secured a Double Leg Grapevine from inside her opponent’s knees, the Raven’s long ivory stems slipped beneath the summer-tanned arches of her opponent’s knees, her feet curled over Sid’s ankle to ankle. Reared back on her knees, the brunette braced her hands against the insides of Duffy’s knees and pressed down to set fire to blonde groin.
Silent while Sid’s hands clutched and tugged at her wrists, Lenore let her breathing steady out for a full ten seconds before she said, “You’re done, Duffy. Tap NGH!”
Sid sat up, delivered a ‘smecking’ Forearm Smash across Lemarchand’s rack, but paid a high price when the Courtier answered with her own shot that knocked the blonde back to the carpet. Lenore resumed the groin stretch with interest, allowed herself a small smile when Sid’s hands twined in her own hair to spread the pain out. “High ground is mine, girl.” Lenore explained in a tone that made Duffy’s blood boil. “You’ve got no leverage and I’ve got all the time in the--”
CRACK!
Sid sat up as best she could and delivered a stinging slap to her tormentor’s mouth. “You don’t have the time or the skill to finish me, witch.” she hissed. “So keep your damned mouth shut unless you want it slapped side--”
CRAAACK!
Lenore slapped the blonde back to carpet with a single blow, her left palm tingling something fierce in the aftermath.
Sick of (and thus determined to shatter) her opponent’s confidence, Lemarchand went at that gulping belly with a hard-hearted claw, the Raven temporarily abandoning the stretch to better buttress her clawin’ wrist. “Slap me again, kid.” Lenore hissed. “And I promise you’ll regret it.”
It was an awful position to be sure, yet Sid Duffy wasn’t cowed by threats. She forced her way to a seat and managed to put a little more power behind her latest Forearm Smash by bracing her left arm out behind like a kickstand. But this triumph was short-lived because Lenore smashed her in return, then rose up a little higher and THUNKED a Bionic Elbow into the crown of her skull! Sid crumpled to the carpet again and Lenore resumed the groin stretch with torturous interest.
So it went for the next minute or so.
Occasionally Sid would fight to a seat and unload with a Forearm Smash or a Slap, but these efforts had less and less strength with each iteration and these skirmishes always ended with Duffy smote back to the sweat-damp carpet below, whereupon the Fair & Radiant Maiden would apply gouging claw or grinding knuckle to tummy, inner-thigh or quad, whatever welted bulls-eye needed her attention at the moment.
Stepping close to the action only after Sid put her hands over her face to stifle a sob, Al asked, “What do you say, Sid? Do I call for the bell?”
Duffy pulled her hands away, shook her head ‘no’. “Don’t even think about it.”
“This is between us, Carpenter.” Lenore added without looking up from her work. “We’ll know when it’s done. And so will huuuurrrrrrrgggghhh!”
Sid powered to a seat again, only now she slipped her arms beneath Lemarchand’s biceps to catch the Fair & Radiant Maiden in a mercilessly snug chest-to-chest Bear Hug. “Did a great job of locking us together, honey.” Duffy panted, her words hot and angry in Lenore’s ear. “But it means you’re not going anywhere eithoooohhhhhhh you evil bytch.”
The Raven raaaaaaaaaaaaked her nails up Sid’s back no less than half a dozen times before she caught hold of her waistband for a wedgie that had the blonde gnawing on her lower lip. “I’m right where I want to be.” Lenore huffed. “And you’re right where I want you.”
Several steady forearms smacked across Sid’s lower back put the first bit of give in the Hug. From there Lemarchand worked her right hand against the blonde’s chin and began to puuuuuuuuush back. It was sweaty, arduous work, peeling Sid away from her prize, but Lenore aided her own efforts with a series of short, pumping left hands delivered to the other wrestler’s juggs.
“Guuuuhhhhhh… get outta my top.” Duffy’s demand was slightly muddled by Lemarchand’s intruding palm.
“Make me.” the brunette grunted in the midst of another rack-bruising blitz.
In the end Sid’s Hug didn’t collapse so much as it did fade, the blonde’s leaden arms slowly giving way to a boozy clinch that-- Lenore shoved her down and leaned in deep, the leggy Courtier bracing her right hand against the side of Sid’s face to better grind her features into the carpet. Then she went back to work on Duffy’s thighs, her latest efforts earning a loud albeit tremulous “Staaaaaaaahhhhhp!” from the exhausted battler.
“Not until you’re done.” Lenore actually smirked when Sid’s hands fluttered bird-like against her domineering tummy. “Are you done, Sid?”
Sid shook her head at once, though it lacked the energy of her previous denials. “No. No. Not giving you the satisfMMMMMPPPPHHHH!”
Lenore snatched her rival’s wrists, pinned them high overhead, then leaned down and in, finally going body to body with the devastated challenger. Riding high and tight on the sweat-soaked blonde, Lemarchand flattened Sid’s breasts with her tummy so she could press her own trim curves atop Duffy’s greasy face!
“Submit.” Lenore rolled her shoulders in a steady rhythm, just like the Black Queen had shown her. She’d never be a JMD contender or even a tank-top terror, but Emily’s Lady in Waiting knew how to use every weapon at her disposal which is why she looked so confident scrubbing Sid’s face to a semiconscious lather. Rising off her prey after several uninterrupted passes, Lenore murmured, “Submit. And leave under your own power. Deny me and I’ll smother you the f*ck out.”
Dazed features shiny with sweat, Sid Duffy burbled, “Yuuuuuhhh… your bony ass doesn’t scare me, braMMMMMMMPPPPHHHHHHHH!”
Lenore went all in on the Front Sleeper, just letting her modest décolletage engulf the defenseless blonde’s face! “You don’t deserve that sort of view just yet, baby.” she teased. “Tonight you learn to live with the humiliation of becoming my first ever JMD knock out.”
Sid’s only reply was a soft, buzzing sigh that trailed off into the steady, somnolent suction that Lenore recognized as kith and kin to that which she’d felt against her briefs following many a victory. Even so Lemarchand waited, just keeping that jugg pressure steady until she was absolutely certain of her victory.
“Check her.” the Fair & Radiant Maiden said to Al Carpenter. “She’s out.”
“Ummmhh, you’ve got her tied up pretty snug, Lenore. I’m not sure what to check.”
Lenore considered for a moment, relinquished the smother and raised up until she could press her hands to Sidney’s shoulders. ‘One, two, three.’ she mouthed.
The rag-doll splay of Sid’s arms told the official everything he needed to know, yet due diligence was always best so he raised and released Duffy’s left wrist once… twice… thrice!
That rumbling groan came a second time, followed by the startlingly loud voice of the Announcer. “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner via knock-out and STILL Queen of the Madhouse… LENORE LEMARCHAND!”
Lenore leaned in close, for a moment Craig thought she was going jugg again. Instead she let her lips brush Sid’s ear while she whispered, “You know the only thing worse than losing, Sid? Losing to someone you can’t stand. I can imagine how angry you’ll be when you wake up, that you’ll be that much angrier after you watch the tape of this match. I hope it gets you in the gym first thing tomorrow morning. Because I want to wrestle you between the ropes, on the sand or anywhere else you’d think to pick a fight. And I cannot WAIT to beat you each and every time we meet.” She drew back, kissed the blonde’s feverish forehead, then stood up and planted a remarkably dainty foot atop Sid’s chest.
Thumbs already hooked together, Lemarchand raised the Raven sigil to chest level where she paused and made a show of adjusting that fight-winning rack. Smiling at the thought of Sid throwing a remote at her television, Lenore let the Raven fly and held it steady while she turned to Al. “You’ll see she wakes up with no problems? And that she understands the house rule?”
“I will and I will. Briefs cleaned, pressed and packed, dropped off at the Court’s locker room no later than noon tomorrow.”
Lenore nodded. “Excellent. And what happens if she doesn’t?”
Carpenter frowned. “I… don’t know. No one’s ever dared try.”
“Exactly.” Lemarchand’s smile grew perceptibly wider as she finally stepped away from the slumbering challenger. “Please be so kind as to tell her that, should she voice such a… dangerous… notion.”
Trusting the ref to do as she’d bade, Lenore strode out of the Doll Museum, leaving Algernon Carpenter to stir her defeated opposition in front of a much smaller, quieter audience.