Twisted Wonderland

Sweets and Kalim

You're working on a new sketch, sitting on the couch when the door bursts open. You jump and see Kalim rushing in.

"Y/N, guess what!" Kalim places a large bag on the coffee table. "My parents just sent me some Scalding Sands treats! You got to try them!"

You run a hand through your hair. "Geez, Kalim. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Kalim sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "Oops, sorry about that."

Kalim takes a seat next to you on the couch dumping the bags contents on the table. Many small boxes and wrapped treats fall out. "There's so many to try, I don't know where to start!"

You laugh and shake your head. "You don't even have to share with me. These were sent by your parents."

Kalim waves you off. "I want to share with you. You've never been to The Land of Scalding Sands before so I thought you should try some of my favorites treats from there."

"That's really sweet of you, Kalim." You smile appreciatively.

Kalim opens a small box and holds the bite size treat to you. "Here. Try this!"

Looking at it, it looks like a cake roll. You're about to grab the treat from his hand when Kalim holds the treat to your lips. You glance back at Kalim but he only smiles broadly. After a moment of hesitation, you shyly take a bite. Delicious flavors flood your mouth.

"These taste amazing!" You say.

"I know, right?" Kalim eagerly grins. "It's a cashew roll. Pretty good, huh?"

You nod. "I never thought that cashews could be so good."

Kalim laughs, and picks out another treat. It looks like a small cookie. Kalim holds the treat to your lips again. You inwardly sigh.

At least he's not giving me the Grim treatment.

Taking a bite, you taste the sweetness of the cookie and pistachio. "It's a bit similar to the last one but it's still delicious."

"Yeah. Oh, you've got to try this one!" Kalim unboxes another sweet and holds it out for you.

It looks like the previous cookie but is a bit thicker. After taking a bite, you're surprised it's filled with a light red jam. You hold your hand out to catch stray drops.

The cookie taste like the previous one but the jam takes it to a whole new level. It's sweet with a floral taste to it. Mixed with the cookie, it's an incredible combination.

"What is this jam? I never had anything like it!" You say in amazement.

"It's a rose jam. They are my absolute favorites!"

You laugh. "I can see why. It's absolutely amazing."

Kalim smiles brightly. "Here, try this one!"

Kalim feeds you all the different treats until you tried them all. All were amazing and delicious in their own unique way. Kalim puts all the boxes and wrappers back in the bag.

"Thank you for sharing with me, Kalim." You say. "I loved every one of them."

"Just you wait!" Kalim excitedly turns to you. "One of these days I'll have to take you to The Scalding Sands so you can try everything else!"

You smile. "I'd love that."

Kalim spots your sketchbook on the coffee table. "Ooo, what's this?" He picks it up and starts flipping through the pages.

   "It's my drawings." You say. "I do a lot of sketching in my free time."

   Kalim eyes widen with every new drawing. "These are absolutely incredible!"

   You smile, rubbing your arm. "Thanks."

   Kalim spots a drawing of him. He wears his dorm uniform and smiles as he sits on a throne, leaning against the arm and has his feet propped on the other side.

   He excitedly bounces in his seat. "Can I have this one?"

"Sure. It could be your holiday gift." You giggle.

You carefully remove the drawing from the sketchbook and hand it to Kalim. He stares in awe at the drawing for a long moment.

"I should use one of the frames in the treasure room to hang this on one of the walls in my room." Kalim smiles to you. "A work of art like this should have only the best frame."

"I think you're taking this a bit too seriously." You laugh.

Kalim waves you off. "Anyways, there's more treats that my parents sent me. You should come over to Scarabia and try them!"

"Oh, man. I don't know if I can take another bite." You lean back against the couch. "The ones I tried already made me full."

Kalim laughs. "Yeah, it's probably the smart thing to save them for another day."

You smile. "I look forward to it."