Heyo Descendants!
Happy Hanukkah!
Hopefully all tests are behind us and now we get to focus on the fun stuff.
Twisted and I celebrate Christmas with our families, so we're about to be busy but don't worry, we will be updating as scheduled even on Wednesday. Maybe even a little early if you guys aren't on the naughty list.
But back to the important stuff…
We've got Carlos waking up safe and sound, we've got eight teens heading out to the enchanted lake, we've got shenanigans.
And we hope you enjoy.
Lots of love,
-Dark-
The sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore was calming to wake up to. As was the warmth surrounding him; his arms around Jay's midsection, Mal curled around him protectively, Evie's hand on his arm, even Dude tucked near his stomach.
The first night felt surreal. It was the most amount of human contact he'd ever received at once and he'd loved it.
It happening the second time was even more unreal.
And so far, except the night Mal and Jay stayed out, they'd been together. He could get used to these types of sleepovers. It was new. But if this was what new meant now, he'd welcome the change. And hopefully, if no one was stupid to question Mal about it, it would stay this way.
Carlos furrows his brow when he notices the amount of light in the room. It had been a long time since his last sleep terror. He wipes eyes, wondering if he wanted to get up or just lay happily in the pile for a little longer.
A roaring dragon took care of his conundrum for him.
"What!" Evie squeaks as she sits up suddenly, practically ripping Jay out of his hold.
"Mal. Change your damn alarm tone." Jay rolls his eyes as he pulls Carlos closer to Evie.
Like he was expecting him to be a willing sacrifice to her death grip.
"I refuse." Mal chuckles evilly even as she reaches over to shut up the roar. "Look at how effective it is."
"Wonderful. I've gone from night terrors to wake up terrors." Evie presses a hand to her chest, "Thank you so much for that."
"Any time E, glad to help." Mal grins as she mock salutes her.
Carlos groans as he wiggles out of the bed, "I was comfortable." He pouts.
"Don't you have a Dude to walk?" Mal points out, "You're welcome."
"Yeah," Carlos admits with a sheepish grin, "Come on Dude." He quickly snags his phone before he rushes out the door with his faithful companion on his heels.
Besides, he had to call David. Or text. Maybe text.
He waits until he's outside with Dude before he sits on a bench and looks down at his phone.
Hey David.
I know we just talked yesterday.
Just wanted to let you know I didn't
have a terror last night.
I'm out walking Dude now.
Sorry if I woke you up.
Hey Carlos,
So happy to hear you didn't
have a night terror last night. That's
great news. Would love to know
what you're doing different to help
with those. Might help some of my
other clients. ;)
Was he allowed to tell David that they were all sleeping together now? Jay said he could trust David. But would he make them stop if he knew?
Even if he was sure it was the only thing helping him?
He bites his bottom lip. He'd have to ask. David always answered him honestly.
He looks back down when his phone dings again.
Did you still want a session?
I don't have anything else scheduled
this morning if you're interested.
Yes!
Just gotta let Dude do his thing
Cool Brah.
I'm just going to grab some coffee.
Do you want anything?
Also, please let yourself in and
make yourself comfortable if you
beat me there.
Looking forward to our session.
Thanks man.
C u soon.
"Hey buddy." Carlos grins as Dude runs back to him, "Ya wanna go with me to see David again?"
Dude runs in a circle, barking enthusiastically in response before he stops and jumps up on two paws to lean against him.
"Good boy!" Carlos jumps to his feet, "Let's go get you some breakfast first though. That sound good? Breakfast for Dude?"
Dude barks excitedly as he runs back to the dorms, tongue lolled to the side.
Ben smiles as everyone rushes to set up 'camp' on the stone plateau, clearly thrilled to get on with more exciting activities, but too polite to rush off on their own.
"I'm still straightening the blanket out!" Carlos shouts as he hurries to smooth wrinkles before Jay and Roy drop the coolers on its corners.
"Eh, it'll be easier to straighten out with weight holding the ends down." Jay shrugs.
"Says the guy not worried about it." Carlos glares.
"Accurate." Roy chimes in. "It's just gonna get wrinkled anyway." He teases.
"It doesn't have too, we could all agree to be careful."
"No way," Lonnie joins in. "Where's the fun in that?"
Carlos sighs before he turns away, muttering, "The part where I get to have fun," under his breath.
Roy raises his pierced brow before he walks over to a corner and helps to straighten it.
Ben smiles before he walks over to help with the other side, clapping Carlos on the shoulder as he walks past when he sees the other boy's lower lip trembling.
Jay bites his lip before he straightens a corner and lowers Evie's bag on it. "Nothing wrong with wanting things a certain way," He sighs before he walks over to Carlos, "I'm sorry man. We never thought-"
Carlos shakes his head as he waves dismissively, "We didn't know what it was. Not your fault." He smiles, "So, let's just have fun."
Jay grins as he nods his head, "Sounds good to me."
"Look, blankets nice and smooth. Check." Roy offers as he stands up, wiping his hands together. "What else do we need to do?"
Doug tilts his head to the side, "Imma lay out towels. Evie seems more like a lounger than a swimmer."
"So true." Evie giggles as she bounces to her bag, "Let me help." Evie offers as she pulls out several towels before the two get to setting out the towels strategically, leaving a folded pile on top of the coolers.
"We good then?" Roy asks already starting to strip down to his bathing suit.
"Yeah," Carlos looks around before he nods in affirmation. "Looks right to me."
"Cool," Roy grins. "Last one in sucks." He throws his clothes to the side before jumping in.
"Wait for me!" Carlos grins as he kicks his shoes off, sending Dude into a barking frenzy as the two rush after Roy and jump in.
Mal's eyes widen in fear as she rushes towards the edge where Carlos vanished, before being stopped by arms grabbing her around her waist.
"Let's not start your second swimming lesson off like your first one please," Ben begs in her ear as he walks them closer to the edge to check on Carlos.
When Carlos breaks the surface and starts swimming away Mal growls, "What the fuck!?"
Jay chuckles as he pulls off his shirt and shoes before jumping in.
"Seriously?" Mal blinks as Jay joins them.
Ben furrows his brow as he watches the two, "So, part of your gang can swim."
"Apparently!" Mal hisses as she pulls away from Ben, "When the fuck did you two idiots learn to swim?" The silent 'and why wasn't I informed' added to the venom in her words.
Carlos sinks in the water, his shirt bubbling up around his neck as he looks up at her. "Uh-"
Jay chuckles as he treads the water. "T taught me. And then both he and Gil taught Carlos."
Mal's jaw drops, "T? You trusted T-"
"Book Club!" Carlos quickly corrects, "And yeah… I mean, Gil really just wanted to show Deez that learning to swim was easy." He frowns, "I don't think she ever believed him though."
"She didn't." Jay snorts, "And M seriously, T's pretty reckless with his own life, but do you seriously think he'd let one of us drown? Or Gil would?"
"Well, I don't think Gil would, but T seems like the type of teacher that would just push you in and hope for the best."
"Good way to learn how to do it." Roy chuckles, "Doesn't leave many options besides learning."
Jay shrugs noncommittally and Ben has to quickly cough to cover his reactive snort. Somehow, he knew that was exactly what T had done.
"That's how my mother taught me and my brother." Lonnie volunteers. "She just let us jump in, and kind of just guided us as we figured it out."
Mal blushes and looks away.
"It's fine that you don't know how to swim Mal." Ben whispers against her hair before he squeezes his arms around her, "My mother was a good teacher, and she used a very different approach."
"Gil was nicer about it." Carlos frowns as he watches Jay, "And right now I'm oddly glad he was the first to offer."
"You're welcome for that." Jay chuckles.
"Fair." Carlos shudders, "That would have been unpleasant."
"We thought you'd be fine, but didn't want to take the chance we were wrong."
"Yep… Nah, I appreciate that, but," Carlos nods absently, "yeah. No, I think you would have been wrong."
Ben pulls Mal back a couple of steps before he turns her in his arms, "Want to try again?"
Mal looks up with a grin, "Like I'm letting those two out do me." She shakes her head as she slips from her shoes, throwing them and her dress into a pile next to Ben's.
A splash interrupts them as Lonnie joins the boys in the water.
Evie titters as she walks around collecting clothes once Mal and Ben slip into the water.
She begins to fold them properly before placing them in neat little piles between the coolers. She had absolutely no desire to join them, which was solidified as the four in the deep end of the lake begin to rough house loudly.
"So, knowing how to swim on the isle was rare?" Doug asks as he lines everyone's shoes up well away from the water.
"Only the Rat's knew how to swim," Evie explains with a pretty smile.
"And the rats are the pirate gang, right?" Doug asks. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with all the names the group dropped so infrequently.
Evie nods her head. "Yes, sorry. That was rude of me." She admits as she smooth's over Mal's dress in her hands. "Not that anyone was lining up to go swimming in that water. It was-" She looks around the beautiful lake eyes setting on the dazzlingly clear water, "Well, we don't have water like this."
Doug frowns as he looks over the crystal clear water. "Huh."
"There weren't many places besides the ocean where knowing how to swim mattered anyways," She waved her hand dismissively with a polite smile, "Unless you were interested in well diving, which ew. And I mean there were a few bogs and mires as well but none deep enough to drown in unless you were stupid."
"Well, that's not the case here." Doug slowly points out, "We have ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, lots of beaches." He frowns before he continues in apprehension, "Do you not want to learn how to swim?"
Evie tilts her head up with a pretty blink, "Oh, no honey. This hair and this face will not be going in the water. I'm just here for the company." She giggles lightly before she turns and skips to the towel that was in the most shaded area. "But you know, this place would make a great location for a photoshoot." She smiles as she looks around.
Doug nods slowly but catches Jay's glare out of the corner of his eye. Well, that didn't bode well. "You sure? Maybe not this time, but next time I could always bring a generator or something so you can have things for your hair after. I- I could help you learn how to swim" He quickly offers, wondering if there would be any possible way to save her from whatever fate Jay had in mind.
"No, thank you." She pushes her sunglasses off her head to land perfectly on her nose. "You go enjoy that."
"Okay." Doug nods before he slowly steps out of his shoes and pulls his shirt off, "You sure you don't need anything else? Do you need sunblock?"
"What's sunblock?" Evie asks with a tilt of her head.
Doug presses a hand to his chest. Thank goodness he'd thought about it. "So-" He walks over to his bag and pulls out a bottle, "Sunblock helps deflect harmful rays of the sun from soaking into your skin. It also helps to ensure you won't burn if applied properly. Sunburns can hurt pretty bad."
"Oh!" Evie's eyes widen, "Please?" She pulls off her shirt to reveal a navy blue bikini top with a red gem in the middle. It perfectly matched her bikini bottom's red strings, holding the skirt together at her waist.
He hands her the bottle, averting his eyes as he turns to watch the others. Mal and Ben were still close by, treading water in the shallow area of the lake. Carlos, Roy, and Lonnie had found the stone steps and were currently climbing to the bolder peaks before jumping back in the water. Now, where was Jay?
His eyes narrow as he searches the water, strangely feeling like the muscular boy was an alligator to be avoided. He takes a step back in surprise when he finally spies him treading closer to the edge of the pavilion.
Oh, he was definitely getting in the water, he wanted no part of what he could tell was about to take place.
"Hey Doug?"
He turns around, startling when he finds Evie laying on her towel. "Yes?"
"Can you please get my back? I can't reach." Evie asks as she looks up at him with a pout.
"Oh." He swallows hard, "Hi-ho." He hadn't thought beyond offering the lotion to the vks. Now he was about to help Evie put it on. He blinks, "Of course." He smiles awkwardly as his voice cracks.
Oh yeah. Always in over his head. He kneels beside her to apply it to her back, his hand shaking as he tried to figure out how to be respectful as humanly possible. "There."
"Thanks for thinking about this Doug." Evie smiles as she turns back around, "I had no idea the sun was a bad thing."
Oh, what had he done, "Wait no. It's not like bad-bad, in fact, there are good things that come from it too, like vitamin D, which is great for strong bones, muscles, nerves, and you know, like promotes a strong immune system. Which is what keeps you healthy. I mean you can get vitamin D from other places. Mostly in a pill form if you want it to be effective because the foods that contain vitamin D contain very small amounts of it." He pauses to take a deep breath before looking back over at her. "Which I realize now that I might be quoting a Wand-o-pedia article, and you probably aren't actually interested in this."
Evie shrugs delicately, "I know the body needs all kinds of stuff like that. So it's good to know." She giggles, "I do like learning new things you know."
"Oh, I'm so glad." Jay grins as he pulls himself up to the rock landing.
"Jay, uh, she just but sunblock on. Which, by the way, sunblock?" He offers the bottle to him.
"Uh? I don't think so?" He tilts his head to the side.
Doug swallows, "You should consider it, but um, Evie needs about twenty minutes-"
Jay rolls his eyes before he walks around him, "Come on E, time to learn to swim."
Well, he'd tried. He walks over to jump in the deep end, but he wasn't beating Jay in an argument. The best he could do was offer to help teach her himself. And he had tried that.
Honestly, he couldn't disagree with Jay, he was on board with her learning this. He could list ninety-nine hypothetical scenarios right now where she would be at risk in a water-related crisis. It made his chest restrict just thinking about it.
"No way, Jay." Evie pouts, standing up as she puts an arm between her and him defensively, "I put a lot of effort into my hair and makeup today."
"When do you not? You're going into the water E," Jay shakes his head, arms crossed over his chest as he sizes her up, "You can be stubborn about this, or you can be reasonable and we can not turn this into a scene. Your call."
Evie's eyes narrow in a challenge. "One," She holds up a perfectly manicured finger. "I'm not joking Jay, clean or not, that water isn't touching my hair without the products I need to get it back to perfection." She holds up a second finger. "Two, I'm not stubborn I just know what's important versus what isn't." She adds a third. "Three, you wouldn't dare." She adds with a fierce glare.
"I wouldn't dare?" Jay flashes her a dangerous smile. He takes a few steps towards her.
"Would you?" Evie pouts as she takes a step back.
"When have I not cared about your survival?" Jay sighs sadly as he takes another step closer, "I'm hurt that you believe I could be so careless."
Evie's lower lip trembles, as she takes another step back. "I don't want to get my hair wet, Jay."
"And I'm still just enough of a monster to not be bothered by that." He shakes his head as he wrestles her over his shoulder.
"Mother damn it, Jay!" She thumps a fist over his back. "Put me down!" She hisses.
"You seemed to be leaning towards stubborn." Jay shrugs as he turns back to the lake, "So making a scene it is. It's a good thing we like these people."
"Asshole." She thumps his back again.
"Usually." Jay huffs, unwilling to admit how much that stung right now. That was new. "So, I'm walking in now. Unless you want your hair to be the first thing that gets wet you might want to rethink fighting me."
Evie freezes and whimpers.
"So, I can hold you like a princess now and you won't sock me in the face?"
Evie's cheeks puff up before she lets out a resigned sigh. "I wouldn't lower myself to punching you in the face."
"Uh-huh." Jay rolls his eyes as he pulled her off his shoulder and holds her in front of his chest, "Just remember I'm holding you above the water before you try anything."
"Noted." She pouts.
Jay nods before he jumps into the waist-deep water.
"Jaaaaay!" Evie clings to him, nearly choking him as she tightens her hold around his neck, "I don't want to get my hair wet!"
"E, it's an enchanted lake. I don't think you have to worry about getting split ends from it." Mal snorts. "So take it down a notch or two, princess. Or I'll come over there and teach you T style. "
"You don't know that." Evie glares before her arms tighten even more, "And I will fucking scream if you come any closer."
"Then stop actin' like he's trying to kill you." She threatens.
"Cause if you don't let me breathe we're both going to end up in the water." Jay points out around clenched teeth. He really just hoped he wasn't bleeding from her nails puncturing his skin.
"Oh!" Evie releases her hold slightly. "Sorry!"
Jay drops her legs into the water, but holds her tight to his side with this other hand as he rubs his neck, "Way to show off your killer instincts." He chuckles, hiding his hand in the water when he spies red.
"I had a wonderful teacher." She glares before her eyes widen in concern and she quickly wipes away a ribbon of blood trailing down his chest.
"Look, I get you don't want me to teach you to swim. And that's," He sighs, "fair, but I need to know you're going to actually let Doug teach you."
"Oh it's not you I don't want to teach me, it's anyone. I didn't want my hair wet."
"Oh," Jay shrugs, "Well, in that case, hold your breath E." If that was her only worry, might as well rip the bandage off."
Evie's eyes open wide as she automatically gulps in air at the warning. She quickly covers her nose and mouth with one hand.
Jay doesn't hesitate to thoroughly dunk her under the water, keeping her down long enough to ensure her hair was thoroughly soaked through before he pulls her back up and into his arms.
The noises she makes were nearly inhumane as she smacks Jay's shoulder. "You're a fucking monster."
"I know." Jay shrugs sadly as he walks over to the startled Doug and Ben, "But now Doug doesn't have to be, so at least he wins." He sighs again, "You're letting him teach you to swim. Or I will. Those are your choices E. Pick one."
"Doug!"
Jay bites his lip as he nods and turns to Doug, "You heard her. Teach her to swim." He orders before he holds Evie out towards him.
Doug quickly meets him and takes Evie off his hands. "I can do that."
"Good. And I'll hear about it if he's too soft on you. You to Mal. I heard the whole there's water everywhere here." He glares at the two before he walks away.
Ben chuckles, "She's nearly there."
Jay holds a thumbs up above his head, "Good to hear." Without looking back, he dives into the deeper water. He did not want to admit how much that hurt. It was something he could have controlled, but he could tell they didn't actually want his help. Now that there were other options.
He shakes his head. Sounded like something he was going to talk about later with David.
He pauses when he feels someone jump into the water above him, and his eyes widen as he suddenly finds himself tackled under the water.
Except this felt more like a hug.
She probably shouldn't have been watching that interaction so closely, but at the first shriek from the vk princess all three of them had been pulled into a trance watching the drama unfold. It was rare that any of them displayed such emotion. It had been, she'd never use this word in front of them, but it had just been adorable.
It was clear that Jay was worried and protective of his family.
And she'd be an idiot not to realize what the twisting in her stomach was while she'd fantasized about him manhandling her in the same manner.
Damn it. Stupid fucking hormones.
It was just hormones, right?
She ducks under the water to hide her face. No. She couldn't be catching feelings. Not with the only boy actually willing to spar with her. Damn it. Talk about stupid. Being a teenager sucked.
She breaks the water once her face cools from her blush.
Her mother and father had given her very different talks about puberty and boys.
Her mother talked about going after your heart, while her father told her that unless they could hold their own with him in a sword fight they weren't worth her time.
Neither had been very helpful, but that's not why she loved them. No, it was because of the confidence they'd instilled with her. The wisdom and skill. Usually she applied it to swords, but in this instance she was appreciative of another gift they'd given her.
Empathy, and how to assess a situation from the best angle.
So at the flash of hurt in Jay's eyes at Evie's monster comment, she lets her instincts take over. Abandoning the game with Roy and Carlos, she dives under the water in the direction she'd seen Jay go.
"Lonnie?" Jay blinks in confusion as they come back up for air, "That was great. You actually scared me for a second." He chuckles, "Wow. You're pretty stealthy."
"I do my best." Lonnie chuckles, "but I figured the dive would be enough of a warning. I did think about slipping into the water at first." She beams up at him. He was devilishly attractive with that grin.
"Noted." Jay splashes water in her direction, "Gotta stay on my toes with you around."
"I do like a challenge." Lonnie chuckles as she playfully flicks the water at him. "And you seem like someone who can keep up."
"Keep up?" Jay laughs, "I'll give you a run for your things." He swims towards her.
Lonnie grins as she paddles backward. "Waitin' on you for sword practice, bro." She swallows a grimace. Bro? Really? Apparently two hours of being around Roy was all it took.
"Oh yeah! You said you were bringing swords!" Jay reaches out and grabs her ankle before giving it a single tug, "Let's do that!"
"Finally!" She smiles and ducks under the water, twisting out of his grip before kicking off with one foot to send him back while she got a head start on swimming towards shore.
Ben grins with pride as Mal swims over to where Carlos and Roy were back to roughhousing in the water after growing bored with watching Jay and Lonnie spar in the woods. "What'cha gonna do now pup?"
"Peace offering?" Carlos grins as he holds up a wild strawberry.
Mal blinks, pausing as she treads the water thoughtfully. "Cheater." She snatches the strawberry and pops it in her mouth.
"You weren't joking." Roy snickers. "Quickest I've ever seen one of you drop something."
Mal glares before she pounces on Roy and shoves him under the water. "Shut it!"
Roy spits water in an arc when she lets him back above water, "You did warn me." He chuckles before he dives to get away from Mal.
"Yeah, that's what I thought shitiot." Mal sticks her tongue out when he pops back up a moment later.
"Would a shitiot throw a strawberry at you?" Roy chuckles as he tosses something towards her.
Mal narrows her eyes as a wild strawberry splashes her on landing, "Apparently." She grins even as she takes it and pops it in her mouth.
Ben shakes his head before turning to check on Evie's progress.
She still clung to Doug as if her life depended on it, not that he seemed to mind.
"Evie, you're going to have to do more than kick your legs." His grin was very counter to the stern in his voice, "Swimming involves the whole body moving in the water."
Oh. So not very far. He hides his grin. Either Doug was taking his time, or Evie was being incredibly resistant. He had a feeling it was more somewhere in the middle though. He couldn't blame Doug, it had been nice to be able to hold on to Mal. Still, he didn't envy Doug's task in the slightest.
"Alright." She sighs with a small pout.
"Your hair's already wet, and if you can show him you can swim, next time you might not have to get in the water." He offers quietly.
Evie brightens up, "That's such a great point!" She turns to hug him. "So what's the next part?"
"Well, you have to lay in the water and float. Want me to show you?"
"Please?"
"Sure," Doug nods as he places her on the ledge of the plateau.
Well, at least she was learning another step. Jay hadn't looked like he was joking when he told the girls off earlier. It had certainly given Mal the push she needed anyways.
He grins when he finds Jay and Lonnie still going at it with their swords. They'd been going at it for straight for like two hours. It was making him tired just to watch, but he admired them for their stamina.
"Hey guys!" He calls out, hoping he was loud enough for everyone to hear, "Who's hungry?" It was close to six. They only had about two more hours of sunlight. And while this place was breathtaking after sundown, he wasn't sure Mal was ready for the level of romance it would draw out of him.
That and it might be awkward for the rest of them as well. He loved the friendships he could see forming, and part of him even guessed at the future romances that could come from them. Today was going just as he had hoped it would. The significance of Jay drawing attention to himself and Evie in front of them wasn't lost on him.
And then for him to trust others with training his people. It was an honor and made him feel humbled.
"Yes!" Carlos and Roy shout before they dive into the water and race for the pavilion.
"In a minute!" Jay hollars back.
"So close to kicking his ass!" Lonnie calls back.
Ben shakes his head. Oh yeah, he could definitely see that becoming a thing.
"Did you bring strawberries?" Mal asks on her way back.
"Would I dare forget strawberries for my Dragon?" Ben grins as he turns to head for the pavilion.
Mal grins.
"I could eat," Doug admits.
"Wait, are we done?"
"Hold your breath please."
Evie groans before she cups a hand over her mouth and nose.
Doug quickly dunks her under the water just long enough to saturate her hair before pulling her back up. "There, now Jay won't be upset."
Evie glares at him before she lets out a sigh, "Good idea." She wraps her arms around his waist as he helps her back to their towels.
"It's going to be on you if you get here and the food's gone Jay," Carlos calls out as he and Roy start plundering the coolers and baskets.
Evie shoots Carlos a disapproving look as she wraps her towel around herself and grabs two plates. She fills them with food before placing them off to the side for Jay and Lonnie. "Let them be unless you want to start being his sparring partner again."
"Empty threat." Roy grins.
"Yeah, she's on a whole new level E." Carlos grins, "He ain't coming back down to mine."
"Not what I was going to say-" Roy shrugs, "But still works." He chuckles.
Evie tilts her head to the side before she looks over her shoulder at the two roughhousing and chasing each other with swords drawn, "Oh. How did I miss that?"
Roy grins as he shoulder checks Carlos, "Looks like you're next."
"Next?"
"Oh yeah." Roy nods, "to get claimed."
Carlos tilts his head to the side with a frown, "I thought you claimed me."
Evie giggles as Ben and Mal burst out laughing.
"I understand your confusion." Doug pats Carlos's shoulder, taking pity on him. "But different kind of claimed."
"Oh." Carlos makes a face, "No thanks."
"Give it a year or two." Roy winks at him.
Ben smiles before it morphs into a thoughtful frown. Carlos did seem to be younger than the rest of them. But, how much younger? He just kept coming back to the age question. If he had to guess Carlos was fourteen. He was keeping up in classes better than the other three though. So it wasn't unfair to have him skip a grade or two, right? He didn't want to separate them. He'd personally made sure that at least two of them were together in every core class.
So it was working. At least for this group. He'd cross that bridge later if he had to. Hopefully all the gangs were close in age. He'd never even thought about it before meeting them in person.
The differences between the isle and Auradon were usually night and day. But he'd never taken the time to consider the subtle differences. Not once in the tablets had age ever been given. He had some context clues to figure out some were significantly younger, like Mimi, Dizzy, and Cecelia- But he wasn't sure by how much. And as the person in charge that was something he should have realized sooner. He'd lucked out with Carlos- But Carlos was a literal genius. He wasn't sure the others would be able to keep up with him in similar situations. He'd have to ask them later.
For now, he was content to enjoy the company of his new friends. This was so much better than any ball the school could throw. He wondered how many of them felt the same way. And how many of them even realized the ball was today.
Besides, balls happened every month. There would be plenty of time to work them up to that kind of social event.
Happy motherfucking Hanukkah bitches!
Hope you guys didn't mind us posting a chapter early to celebrate and honor those of you who observe this holiday! We hope you have a great start to your eight days of commemoration of the rededication of the second temple of Jerusalem and your holy oil. (We're not overly familiar with this holiday, so sorry if that's wrong, but we didn't want to forget you guys. It's been a long time since Dark last attended her family friend's Hanukka, so we googled it to make sure she wasn't remembering it wrong.)
And for those of you wanting to blow your brains out from hell week-Hope all of you kicked ass on your finals and exams and aren't still in that horrible in-between of waiting on the grades to come back. I remember that always sucking. And for those of you not dealing with that bull shit, we just hope you kicked ass this past week.
Now back to what most of you seem to skip (No judgment, I get just reading the story. However those of you who do acknowledge these questions are my personal favorites...)
Wasn't Carlos waking up in his 'pack' was so fucking fluffy? Honestly, it made my heart squee. I think Dark did a fantastic job with his introspection. If you agree please leave her some love and pets.
I love the fact that Mal's alarm is a dragon roaring, and the other's reactions waking up to it just makes me lol. Does everyone's reaction to the abrupt awakening fit with their characters?
How did you guys like finding out that both C and Jay could swim? And Mal's reaction to it?
Another Doug POV! And a cute snippet of Devie. How'd you guys like the sunblock scene? (Looking at you, Regina M.C. from AO3)
E so didn't want to get her hair wet. What did you guys think of the scene between Jay and her?
And, Bro, What about that Lonnie PoV? we were still trying to nail this character when we were writing this. What did you guys think? Any Jonnie lovers out there?
Ben's POV was one of my faves in this chapter. It took a while to realize C was that much younger than the others and that really made him think. Did it have any of you thinking about the age differences in these characters? And how, if they ever get over, how the other vks will fit in at school?
And what about that cute scene between, C, E, Doug and Roy about Jay and Lonnie? It felt very Timon (E,D, R) explaining shit to Pumba (C) to me, what about you guys?
On that note...I know that these characters have changed so much from the movies. We didn't intend for that to happen, but after writing WWTM it was hard for them not to have grown. But that also makes it hard as fuck to make sure they're staying in their integrity, and we would love to hear your thoughts on if we're doing a good job keeping them in character.
So, any thoughts?
Let us know,
In the comments below!
Much love and appreciation
-Twisted