Twisted Wonderland

Warm Hospitality

Kalim leads you down one of the lavish hallways in the dorm. Grim let's put a low whistle. "Maaan, this place is FAN-CY! Nothin' at all like Ramshackle Dorm."

Kalim chuckles. "Is it really that impressive to you? I know that back when I enrolled, Dad said he donated a bit to the school to give the place a fresh coat of paint, but..."

You look at the gold detailing and the lavish red carpet stretched across the hallway. "Your dad renovated all this?"

"Geez, how rich are you?" Grim asks. "Are you some kinda prince like Leona?"

"The Asims aren't royalty, and I'm not a prince." Kalim shrugs. "I've got some relatives in the royal family, though."

Grim tilts his head. "Wait, Asim? I thought your name was Al-Asim."

"Al means son in the ancient language of the Land of the Scalding Sands." Kalim explains. "So we name families after the founders that start them. And all the men of that time refer to themselves as the founder's son. In my case, Asim is our honored founder's name, and Al means son... So Kalim Al-Asim means Kalim, Son of House Asim."

"Huh, I never thought much about where names come from." Grim says. "Fascinatin'."

Kalim sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "I hope that wasn't too in-depth for you? Anyway, feel free to just call me Kalim."

You smile at the boy. "I don't mind. I love learning about the history behind things."

Kalim smiles. "You should pay the Land of the Scalding Sands a visit sometime! I'd be happy to have you as guest."

Grim folds his arms. "I bet you live in some kinda fancy mansion that's halfway to bein' a castle."

Kalim waves him off. "Oh, hardly. We only have around a hundred helpers."

"Only?" Grim scoffs. "In what world does that deserver only? I've only got one hench-human, myself..."

"Well, we're a big family." Kalim explains. "We need at least that many people to look after them all."

"Sorry, you have THAT many siblings?" Grim asks in disbelief.

Kalim laughs. "Yeah, so many I quit counting. I do remember all of their names and faces, though."

"You guys do everything on a whole other level..." Grim trails off.

You run a hand through your hair. "I can't imagine having that many kids."

Kalim waves a hand. "Jamil's mom and dad are among our servants. So Jamil's always around and looked after me ever since he was a young boy. And he is seriously amazing, believe me. He's smart, thoughtful, and most of all, he's a great cook!"

Grim smirks. "The proof of that last one's in the puddin', for sure."

"You see? You should stay over for dinner tonight!" Kalim runs to a set of large doors. "Come on!"

Grim tilts his head. "Uh, sure... Yeesh, talkin' with this guy throws me off."

You shake your head. "Just give him a chance."

"Hey, you two!" Kalim waves you over. "What are you hanging back and whispering for? Come on, this way."

Kalim holds the door open for you. Stepping in, you're blinded by a bright golden light. Massive piles of gold, jewels, and treasure that almost reach the ceiling. There's also lavish silks many boxes that contain even more gold.

"Sweet mother of loot!" Grim exclaims. "What IS this place? It's got piles of treasure taller than I am!"

"This is all stuff Dad sent with me when I departed for school." Kalim shrugs. "I couldn't possibly fit it in my dorm room, so it's all kept here in the storeroom."

Grim spins around in a circle. "This ain't a storeroom! This's a whole treasury!"

"Ooh, you know some big words, Grim." Kalim applauds the cat. "Very impressive! My favorite out of all these treasures is, of course..." Kalim scratches his head. "Where'd it go? Sometimes it moves around on its own. Hey, where are you?"

You tilt your head. "Moves on its own?"

Grim trots over to a pile out of sight. "Wooow... Huge gemstones just scattered on the floor, shiny golden goblets. With this much stuff, surely no one would notice if one little thing went missing."

Grim chuckles as he holds up a huge red jewel. Grim felt a tapping on his shoulder. Grim waves a paw. "Y/N, I'm kinda busy!"

Grim felt a tap on his other shoulder. "Yeesh, whaddaya want? I'm tryin' to-"

Grim stops short when he sees a carpet hovering in the air beside him. Grim arches his back, his fur standing on end as he runs towards you. "Th-the carpet's movin' all on its own! It's been possessed by a ghost!"

Grim leaps into your arms. Kalim turns around and smiles. "Ah, there you are!"

The carpet swirls around Kalim happily. Grim points a paw. "What in the world is that?"

"This is a legendary treasure from Scalding Sands lore, a magic carpet!" Kalim explains. "The sultan that the Sorcerer of the Sands served used to love his flying carpet. This one's a replica of it. It's been in our family for generations."

The carpet floats towards you, tilting to the side as if it's examining you. Using one of its tassels, it waves to you.

You giggle. "It's nice to meet you too."

The carpet swirls around you excitedly then moves to float by Kalim. Grim looks at the carpet in bewilderment. "You mean that carpet flies around like a broom?"

Kalim tilts his head side to side. "More or less. That's probably the easiest way to put it. It's getting dark, so why don't we go out for an evening ride in style?" Kalim hops on the carpet.

"Really?" Grim leaps from your arms and approaches the carpet skeptically. "Are you sure I won't fall off that thing?"

"It's totally safe!" Kalim laughs.

Grim tilts his head, staring at the carpet questioningly. Grim shrugs and hops onto the carpet.

You take a tentative step forward. "I don't know. How do you stop from falling?"

Kalim crouches down on one knee. "There's nothing to worry about, Y/N. You can even hold onto me if you get scared."

You still hesitate. Kalim holds out a hand to you. "Do you trust me?"

You look from Kalim's hand to his eyes. His scarlet eyes twinkling in the light with a bright smile ever present. You place your hand on top of his. Kalim's smile broadens as he helps you step onto the carpet.

The carpet takes off, catching you off guard. You bury your face into Kalim's chest. He wraps an arm around you as the carpet flys through a window into the twilight night.