-3rd POV-
As they walked back, Grim couldn't help but grin, seeing the snow blanketing the ground.
"Ooh, check it out, (Y/n)! We got a whole blanket of snow out here!"
(Y/n) smiled softly as she only wore a scarf around her neck, using her left side to warm her body, "We better check on the fireplace." She said.
"Yeah, maybe the fire fairies are feelin' the chill, too. Better bring 'em some firewood." He said, before smiling, "Ooh, and I can check out the kitchen an' see is they any leftovers while I'm there!" He finished with a small song.
-----
They entered the cafeteria and the feline was shivering, while having the scarf of the girl wrapped around his neck.
"Gees, it was out there! My paws feel like icicles! (Y/n), hurry up and get that firewood in the fireplace."
The girl sighed softly "I asked you if you wanted to hop in to my arms, but you didn't want to..." She said, before grabbing wood and putting it into the fireplace, which instantly the fire fairies appeared to make the room warmer.
The tanuki sighed in relief, putting his paws close to the fire, "You guys must be the fire fairies. I'm feelin' warm and fuzzy just being near you."
The small fire fairy smiled at them. But over the crackling of fire, the sound of chopping and sizzling was heard from the kitchen, along with the movements of pans being heard.
"Hm? What's that I hear over the crackling fire? Chopping? And...sizzling meat?! And now my nose is tinglin' with the spicy aroma of foreign cuisine! It's coming from the kitchen." He said as he drooled, then turned to the girl, "Let's see what's up, (Y/n)!"
The girl nodded, "Sure." She said, and the two walked over to the kitchen, only to see Scarabia students.
"Once you're done cooking the vegetables, boil the thawed meat. Don't forget to add the nuts once the oil is heated." Jamil said.
"Yes, sir!" The golden haired male said.
"Vice Housewarden, will one tablespoon of spices be enough?" The purple haired male said.
"The housewarden's palate veers spicy. Add another teaspoon." The black haired male said.
"What's goin' on here? It's winter break, but the kitchen's full of students!" The feline said, which made them turn to them.
"Hm? You're..."
(Y/n) blinked, "Oh, you're that handsome guy." She said, which made his eyes widen and blush.
He cleared his throat, "Yes, we had a brief chat back when I got injured before the Spelldrive tournament. Your names were...(Y/n) and Grim, yes?"
"Right. And you're...Jamil, correct? I'm surprised you remember us, senpai." She said, and looked at his hand, "And how is your hand?"
"Yes. It's Jamil, Jamil Viper, vice housewarden of Scarabia Dorm. I make it a point to memorize people's names and faces. Not to mention, you two have quite the names for yourselves since you first enrolled. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone at this school who doesn't know who you are." He said, smiling, "And my hand is much better, thank you again for that gummy."
"Whoa...Really?" Grim laughed, "Y'hear that, (Y/n)? We're famous!" They exclaimed, as the girl nodded.
"At any rate...Why are you here on campus when it's winter break?" He asked the two.
"We don't really have anywhere to go home to for the holidays. Especially when I'm from a different world." The dual haired girl said.
"Not to mention, the headmage personally gave us a super-special job. We're tendin' the fireplace. I'm as diligent and competent as they come! Only makes sense that the headmage would turn to me when he needs help!" The tanuki said, smiling.
"Oh, is that a fact? The headmage personally asked you, you say..." He said, trailing off, before turning his head slightly, "This could be my chance..." He mumbled to himself.
"Hm? Didn't catch that." He said, confused.
"I said that if the headmage is relying on you, you must be a tremendous talent indeed."
"Sorry to interrupt, Vice Housewarden, but I'm done prepping the vegetables." The red haired Scarabia student said.
Jamil turned to him, nodding, "Okay, I'll be right over."
"That soup you're makin' looks pretty good. I ain't ever smelled anything like it before." The feline said.
"It's a traditional Scalding Sands recipe, you see—" He cut himself off, before smiling, "Wait. An idea occurs to me. I'm sure something brought us together. Would you care to join us for our meal?"
"Really?! You mean it?"
"Absolutely. It won't take much longer to finish. Why don't you two lend a hand?"
"Sure thing, senpai." The girl said, pulling her sleeves up.
-----
"That should do it. All right, boys, get this to the dorm!" Jamil said.
"Yes, sir!" The Scarabia students said.
"So, why're you guys stayin' on campus over winter break?" Grim asked.
"Well..." The black haired male said, trailing off, as the students kept quiet, "It's a bit of a long story."
"I don't like where this is going..." (Y/n) mumbled.
"It was the housewarden's orders. Everybody in Scarabia has to stay..." The golden haired male whispered softly.
"We can't go home even if we wanted to." The purple haired male whispered.
"Shhh. Don't go into it. We brought this on ourselves as it is." Jamil said, scolding them, before smiling, "Now, let's get this food back to the dorm before it gets cold. Scarabia's got the warmth of summer year-round. I think you'll enjoy a taste of the tropics there."
The feline cheered, "Now that's what I call paradise! C'mon, (Y/n)!"
The said girl looked at the male, "I wouldn't want to intrude if you guys are busy." She said.
"I'm sure the housewarden will be delighted to have you as visitors." He smiled, before the girl felt her eyes glaze over slightly, not feeling like herself, "Would you care to come over?"
She nodded, even though she wanted to deny, "Certainly, Jamil-senpai."
"What a pleasure it is to know you'll be coming to see us, (Y/n)." He said, with a certain smugness in his face, "Now then, Scarabia awaits."
The girl regained control over her body and blinked, 'What happened? Was that his spell?' She thought.
-----
As they got to the Hall of Mirrors, they entered through the Scarabia mirror. Suddenly, instead of feeling warmth of the school, they felt the extreme heat of summer. The girl had to activate her right side in order to cool her body temperature.
"So this is Scarabia Dorm. It really is sweltering like it's summer over here!" Grim said.
"I'm sure it's a welcome reprieve from the cold. Come, this way." Jamil said, as he led the way.
-----
The male clapped in order to grab the students attention, "Boys, we have guests! Play some music to make them feel at home."
The feline laughed, "When you get famous as us, I guess people fall all over themselves to get in your graces."
"Please, go on. Eat up while it's hot."
"Don't mind if I do!" He exclaimed, before eating, "Mmm, this's good stuff! It's got a rich flavor, with powerful kick of heat...This veggie stir-fry with crunchy nuts is great. Oh, and so are these fried dough ball things!"
"We have meat dished and soup as well. Please, help yourselves; there's more where that came from."
Grim kept eating, "Y'know, with a veritable buffet like this in front of us, this really is paradise!"
Jamil noticed the girl looking at the steaming dishes, noticing that she wasn't eating, "Is something the matter?"
(Y/n) snapped out her small trance and looked at him, "Sorry, senpai. I'm not that comfortable eating steaming dishes. I'm sorry for not eating, and I feel guilty since these are your traditional dishes..." She trailed off.
"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you like eating steaming dishes?"
The feline look at the girl with sad eyes.
The girl put a hand over her scar, "Well, it's just a small reminder of my scar. My mother poured boiling hot water over it, then tried to cool it, but it shocked my skin from trying to cool it too quick." She said.
The male's eyes softened, "I see. I can make you something else if you'd like."
"Ah, no. It's fine. I don't want you to stress yourself over something silly." She said, shaking her head.
"Are you sure? I could always make something."
"No, no." She said, and smiled softly at him, making his eyes widen and blush softly, "Don't stress, senpai. I can tell you've been stress, so take a small break for now."
"R-Right..." He muttered.
"What is all this commotion?" A new voice cut in.
"H-Housewarden!" Students exclaimed with a nervous tone in their voice.
"Ah. Kalim." Jamil said.
Kalim looked at the two, before looking at the male with an angered look, "What's going on, Jamil? Nobody told me to expect company!"
"Kalim, there's a good reason for this, I assure you."
"Uh, this guy seems like bad news..." Grim whispered to the girl, who was ready to just leave.
"How many times must I tell you to always inform me ahead of time when inviting guests?! If you had..." He trailed off before looking down sadly, "...I would have arranged for an even finer banquet and a whole band!" He whined.
"Huh?" The two said.
He walked up to the girl and grabbed her hand, shaking it, "Hiya! Welcome to our dorm. Sorry for not throwing you a welcome parade! I'm Kalim Al-Asim, housewarden of Scarabia. This is the first time we've met, right?" He grinned, as he retracted his hand.
"It's not, actually." The black haired male cut in, "Grim almost burned your posterior at orientation and (Y/n) saved you, and you spoke with them before the Spelldrive tournament as well."
"Oh, really?" He laughed, "Sorry! I've always been terrible with faces. I hope you won't take any offense. Regardless, it's nice to meet you all over again!"
(Y/n) squinted from the brightness he radiated, "Nice to see you again, Kalim-senpai." She said.
The male's face brightened even more, if that was possible, "Wait. You're (Y/n)! I remember you now! You're the polite and kind girl!" He said, before getting close to her, making her flinch slightly from the closeness, "You're very pretty up close."
"Ah, thank you, senpai."
He grinned, as he leaned back, "No need for formalities, just call me Kalim!"
The girl nodded, "Kalim..." She mumbled, which made him smile.
He then looked at the food, "All the food looks incredible, as always." He then looked at the other male, "How did everything turn out, Jamil?"
"Splendid as ever. There are no dangerous substances in any of these dishes, so eat whatever you like. They've also been poison-tested already." Jamil said.
The feline's eyes widen, along with the girl's, "Wh-Why is that relevant?!"
"Kalim is the heir to a very wealthy family. The unfortunate dangers related to that mean that everything he eats must be vetted."
The white haired male pouted, "You just love blowing these things out of proportion, Jamil. Really, who would do that? Nobody's tried poisoning me since that time four years ago when I went comatose for two weeks. It's a thing of the past now." He smiled.
"Yes, because you've had someone to specifically prevent that from happening for the past four years. I ensure that anything hazardous is identified and disposed of before it crosses your plate."
"Wait a minute. When you were feedin' me all those different dishes, was that to test 'em for poison?!" The tanuki exclaimed.
Kalim laughed, "There's no real danger for you, don't worry. All the food Jamil makes is safe. Jamil would never poison my food."
The said male let out a chuckle, "Must you state the obvious?"
"Y'now, I'm startin' to think these guys were only pretendin' to be nice." Grim said.
"Ooh, Grim! Have you tried the goat's milk blue cheese yet?" The white haired male said, sitting next to them, "Nothing beats a smear of it on a cracker!"
"Huh? Why would I eat somethin' with mold all over—Mmhp!" He said, as the male shoved a cracker in his mouth, "Don't go shovin' food in my—mmph!" Then it happened again.
"Oh, good, you like it! By all means, have some more!" He laughed, before stuffing the feline's mouth.
"Mmmph! Awmmph!"
The girl could only watch, 'Grim will die from a choking...' She thought.
The male then looked at the rest with a wide grin, "Bring out more food and drink. And kick the music up a notch or three! Today, we party!"
-----
Grim laid on his back, rubbing his stomach that was full of food, "I can't eat another bite...Urgh...My tummy's gonna burst. Where does that Kalim guy get of, crammin' crackers with moldy cheese in my mouth? I make it a personal policy to eat any food I get, but that was too much!"
(Y/n) smiled softly, "It's not moldy, it's blue cheese." She said.
Footsteps ran towards the two.
"Hey, you two! Care for dessert? We've got ice cream." Kalim said, excitedly, "Or would you prefer a selection of fruits? We've also got baked sweets with pistachios and almonds. I could have Jamil bring you some."
"Mrah! N-Nope, I'm square! Can't eat another bite!" The feline exclaimed.
"Aww. They're all so good, I would've loved to share some with you. Oh well. We'll be here over the whole winter break. You're welcome to drop by for a meal whenever you like. Right, Jamil?" He said, looking at the male.
Jamil nodded with a smile, "Absolutely. Anytime."
The dual haired girl looked at the white haired male, "Kalim..." She said, which made him look at her with a smile, "If you don't mind me asking. Why aren't you going home?"
"Hm? Oh...Well, you know how we recently had that Spelldrive tournament, followed by our exams? Well, our dorm placed at the bottom in both." He pouted, as the other male frowned, "So I decided to do something about it. Our whole dorm is doing voluntary special training."
"I woulda taken last place over what Ramshackle Dorm got in the Spelldrive tournament brackets: a fat lotta nothin'." The tanuki said, crossing their arms.
"Oh, right. Yes, that's a real shame."
"On our winter break, we'll be spending six hours a day on studies and practical magic training." Jamil said.
"Six hours a day? That ain't any different from regular school hours! "Holidays are for resting. Homework can wait until after break." That's what Leona says." Grim said.
"Yes, I'm sure he does."
"Hmmm. When you put it that way, you do have a point. My dad did always drill the whole "work hard, play hard, and know when to do which" think into my head. Maybe Leona's right, and we should focus more on striking the right balance between the two." Kalim said, before smiling, "All right! I've decided, Jamil. We should take our breaks when we can get them. I'll let our students go home tomorrow."
"What?!" He exclaimed, shocked.
"I'll tell them over dinner tonight. Do me a favor and make sure everybody shows up, okay?"
"R-Right. Of course."
He then turned to the girl with a wide grin, "Say, (Y/n), I should give you two the grand Scarabia tour. I'd love to show you a few things."
"Kalim, please! You'll be setting a bad example if you task the students with studying and then goof off yourself."
"But it's not every day we get guests. Surely one day of slacking can't hurt."
"...Kalim." He said in a warning tone, which made the male startled.
"Erk...Okay, fine. Don't get mad. I'll do some defense magic training, then. A mock battle would make for a nice after-meal workout." He looked around, "Hey, could someone fight me?!"
Footsteps came running, and there were three students.
"Yes, Housewarden!" The three exclaimed.
-----
"Okay, training done! Now let's head off!" Kalim said, grinning and grabbing (Y/n)'s hand, and dragging her, with Grim following.
"Wait, you've got other work to—" Jamil said, before sighing, seeing as the male wasn't going to stop and listen.
-----
"Maaan, this place is fan-cy! Nothin' at all like the Ramshackle Dorm." The feline said, looking around.
"Is it really that impressive to you?" Kalim said, seeing the girl nod, "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..." He trailed off.
"Geez, how rich are you?! Are you some kinda prince like Leona?"
"The Asims aren't royalty, and I'm not a prince. I've got some relatives in the royal family, though."
"Wait, Asim? I thought your name was Al-Asim."
""Al" means "son" in the ancient language of the Land of the Scalding Sands. So we name families after the founders that start them...And all the men of that line refer to themselves as 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." He explained.
"Huh. I never thought much about where names come from. Fascinatin'."
"I hope that wasn't too in-depth for you? Anyway, feel free to just call me Kalim." He grinned.
"This all sounds fascinating..." The girl mumbled.
"You should pay the Land of the Scalding Sands a visit sometime! I'd be happy to have you as a guest."
"I bet you live in some kinda fancy mansion that's halfway to bein' a castle." The tanuki said.
"Oh, hardly. We only have around a hundred helpers." He said, nonchalantly.
""Only"? In what world does that deserve "only"?! I've only got one hench-human, myself..." He said, pointing at the girl, who narrowed her eyes at them.
"Well, we're a big family. We need at least that many people to look after them all."
"Sorry you have that many siblings?!"
"Yeah, so many I quit counting. I do remember all their names and faces, though." He laughed.
The girl blinked, 'I only have 4 siblings and one is dead...I could never keep up with so many of them...' She thought..
"You guys do everything on a whole other level..." Grim said, deadpanning.
"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!" Kalim said.
'And handsome.' The girl thought.
"The proof of that last one's in the puddin', for sure." The feline said.
"You see? You should stay over for dinner tonight! Come on!" He happily said, before taking the lead.
"Uh, sure..." He said, before looking at the girl, "Yeesh, talkin' with this guy throws me off."
(Y/n) smiled a bit, "You don't find people this nice at our school every day." She said.
"Hey, you two! What are you hanging back and whispering for? Come on, this way." The white haired male said, as the two nodded and caught up to him.
-----
Soon, the three entered a room that was dark.
"Hm...The light switch should be here somewhere..." Kalim mumbled, feeling around the wall, "Aha!" He exclaimed, flicking the light.
In front of them were mountains of golden coins and treasure.
"Sweet mother of loot! What is this place? It's got piles of treasure taller than I am!" Grim exclaimed.
"This is all the stuff dad sent with me when I departed for school." He then let our a small sigh, "I couldn't possibly fit it in my dorm room, so it's kept here in the storeroom."
"This ain't a storeroom! This's a whole treasury!"
"Ooh, you some big words, Grim. Very impressive!" He grinned, "My favorite out of all these treasures is, of course..." He looked around, "Huh. Where'd it go? Sometimes it moves around on its own." He then kept looking around, "Hey, where are you?"
(Y/n) looked at him, as Grim looked at the gems, "What exactly are you looking for?" She asked.
"Oh, it's my carpet."
"Carpet?" She questioned, before they were both startled by the feline's yell, making them look and see him staring at a carpet with a scared look. The carpet had intricate designs on it as it hovered over the ground and doing gestures to the tanuki.
"Th-The carpet's movin' all on its own! It's been possessed by a ghost!"
"Ah, there you are! Go back over and curl up in your usual spot, would you?" The white haired male said, pointing at where he usually sees it, which made the carpet fly over to him.
"What in the world is this?!"
"This is legendary treasure from the Scalding Sands lore—a magic carpet!" He said, as the carpet made a pose, "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." He said, as the carpet nodded.
"You mean that carpet flies around like a broom?"
"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?" He said, as he got on the carpet, "Come alone, all aboard!" He grinned.
"Really? Are you sure I won't fall off that thing?"
"I think I'm fine on the ground..." The dual haired girl mumbled.
"It's totally safe!" He then held his hand out to the girl, "Do you trust me?"
The girl looked at him, "I trust you, Kalim." She said, grabbing his hand, and he smiled.
"And away we go!" He exclaimed, as the carpet soon flew out the window, and they were up in the clouds.
Grim let out a small yell, seeing all the clouds and moon, "We're really flyin'! This is crazy high up!" He then looked at the dorm, that grew smaller and smaller in size, "Look how teeny the dorm looks from up here."
"How do you like the world above the clouds?" He said, looking at the girl.
(Y/n) looked around with sparkling eyes, "It's an endless diamond sky..."
He let out a chuckle, "That good, huh?"
"This totally rules!" The feline exclaimed.
"There's nothing quite like soaring through the sky. It shows you how little all your troubles really matter in the grand scheme of things. Of course, Jamil always says I don't worry enough about things as it is...It wouldn't hurt him to take life a little easier." He said, losing his smile.
The girl looked at him.
The tanuki pointed at something, "Mrow! Check out that river over there! I ain't never seen a bird like that before!"
"Ooh, good eyes. Let's go take a closer look!" He said, grinning, and soon he made the carpet head down.
The dual haired girl's hair flowed behind her, as her eyes sparkled in wonder, and Kalim couldn't help but stare at her, feeling his heart beat rapidly.
He shook his head, 'No...I just met her...' He thought.