A Crack in the Mask

Settling In

Notes:

Hey Descendants!

Happy Friday!

Hope you're ready for some Jonnie, a little David and Jay shenanigans, Carlos and Doug worrying over Roy, Mal and Evie helping out a possible friend, and Carlos dealing with an unexpected puzzle. Looks like this chapter is a montage. :)

We hope you enjoy

-Dark-

(See the end of the chapter for Twisted"s review.)

Lonnie wipes the sweat from her brow after sticking her landing. "Now this is a good way to spend an afternoon." She grins as she stands to her feet, her long ponytail plastered to her flushed face. "Talk about a work-out." She chuckles as she tilts her head up to look at him.

Jay laughs as he looks down, "No kidding. I haven't run like this since-" he looks away.

"How'd you learn to do this so well?" Lonnie asks, awkwardly attempting to cover his sudden discomfort. After listening to them talk at the lake she'd be surprised to hear they'd had teachers for this kind of thing.

"You really want to know?" Jay half chuckles before he backflips off the ledge above her, lands on the dumpster beside her and front flips to land in front of her.

"How could I not after that?" She chuckles. "That was so boss."

Jay sighs and drops his eyes from her, "Life on the isle is- Well, it's different." He shrugs, "Most of this I learned while running from people, or because I was chasing somebody down. Mostly just one somebody. I mean, I know I look cool doing it, but it's also about not losing momentum and quickly gauging your surroundings so you can plan a path of least resistance. And, more importantly, gauging if it can support your weight." He rubs the back of his neck, "Because being wrong on that's embarrassing and painful."

Oh. Well, she'd asked. She just wasn't expecting such a blunt response when they were usually so hushed about the isle. She appreciated it. "So you didn't really have a choice but to get better. That's one helluva incentive. No wonder you're so good." She states, "That's some solid advice. Falling from these heights would be embarrassingly painful." She grimaces. She could only imagine how many times he must've misjudged his landing. He was obviously someone who had a lot of pride. It was one of the things that drew her to him.

"Yeah. But hey, you're getting way better. Better just comes with falls." He runs his hand through his hair, "I should have asked this before, but you do know how to take a fall right?"

"Like I would've been able to leave my house without knowing how to fall," She snorts, "My parents are obsessed with us being able to fend for ourselves in case a sudden war magically breaks out where we are. Constant vigilance is basically my dad's motto." She chuckles, unable to keep the warmth from her tone.

"Oh, that's why I like you so much." Jay grins, "That's how I train my people too."

He liked her? Lonnie blushes as she beams at him, ignoring the way her stomach did an odd little flip. "Best way to learn is to do. Pain is a great reminder to learn quicker." She agrees. Both her parents believed in that philosophy, and it was one she also stood by.

"Seriously, why aren't you on any of the teams here?" He rolls his eyes, "You're like a hundred times tougher than the guys."

"Because apparently breasts scare princes." She huffs with a dismissive wave of her hand, "And most of their fragile egos wouldn't be able to deal with it."

"That's dumb. On the isle, it doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, just that you're skilled." He looks towards the isle, furrowing his brow before his eyes soften, "Or at least most of us think like that."