Angel slowly opened her eyes, seeing that she was surrounded by darkness. She looks around in confusion, hoping that something would show up or talk to her, but her thoughts are soon distracted by a child-like figure running past her. She sees the figure run ahead of her, the figure running further and further away until she spots another figure in the distance, a tall figure looking ahead, not knowing the child heading towards them. The child stops in front of the other figure and happily talks to them, a smile on their face. Angel observes the scene, a melancholic feeling overtaking her as she sees the child happily talking to the figure, almost as if it felt familiar to her.
"Shut up!" The taller figure screams in anger, shocking the child and Angel. The taller figure look at the child with a look of scorn, almost disgusted at the sight of it. "You're nothing but a parasite in my life! I can't deal with you!" The figure screams at the kid, and the kid only looks down in silence, accepting their words. "I will you were never born! I wish that you just didn't exist! Ever since I had you, it's been bad luck everywhere!" The figure continues to scream and, for some reason, Angel felt that the scene was very familiar, it didn't feel like a dream, no, in fact, it felt so real, so personal.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," a voice beside her says, the feeling of fear creeping up on her as she feels a presence beside her, only to find nothing. "A parent is supposed to take care of children, you know," The voice says, making Angel look at the scene. "To think that a parent would call their child a parasite when they are supposed to take care of it is ironic, don't you think?" It asks her and she only looks at the scene quietly. Eventually, the taller figure walks away from the child, heading towards Angel and she see it, trying to at least move out of the way, but her body wouldn't move. The figure only approaches her and stops, which Angel hopes that it didn't see her, but she felt a look of scorn staring her down, making her flinch. The figure only stares at her in disgust.
"I wish a parasite like you would just drop dead," the figure says coldly and walks off, leaving Angel alone, and for some reason, she felt tears down her face.
"Hmmm..." the voice hums in thought as Angel tries to wipe tears from her face, only to fail as the words settle her mind, more tears coming down. "What they said isn't wrong." She felt a hand on her head, almost as if caressing her face. "You are like a parasite after all, relying on others for help when you could do it yourself, yes? The people you rely on, do you think that you're a parasite in their eyes? Always relying on them for help when just a simple action can solve a problem, thinking they'll come to your rescue at a moments notice. Do you really think they see you as a friend?" She thinks for a moment. Do...they? "The difference between a friend and a parasite is that they look at a parasite in pity," the voice says with a smirk. "They look at one and think they have to take care of it, yet they want to get away from it the first chance they get. What about the people who you call "friends"? Your different from them, and yet they have no choice but to take care of you, correct? What's to separate you from a parasite?" The voice chuckles, fading into the darkness, leaving her alone as she looks into the distance.
Angel slowly opened her eyes, seeing that morning light has entered the room. What...happened? She thinks as she slowly gets up, recalling the dream, only for a sharp pain to occur in her head as she only tries to recall it. She shook the thought away, thinking it probably wasn't important enough, and started to wake Grim up, getting ready to start their assignment. Feeling the cold air around her in the dorm, Angel shivered for a moment, trying to find an outfit in her closet that can get her used to the cold, only to smile when she found a coat and some comfy boots, along with gloves. Cold wasn't her strong suit, so the fact that she had a coat and gloves made it bearable. She put on her smock, with the coat, gloves, and boots over it and head out the door with Grim, eyes wide at the sight of snow covering the ground and dorm, shocked at how fast it came, despite it being a bit warmer yesterday. That's why it was so cold!
"Ooh, check it out, Angel!" Grim says as he looks around. "We got a whole blanket of snow out here!" He runs in the snow.
"It's amazing how fast it came..." Angel says in awe as she picks up some snow, letting the snow settle into her gloves before dropping it. "Maybe we can play in it once we come back!" She happily says, remembering how Ace, Deuce, and Jack told her about playing in the snow when they were kids.
"Oooh, you're right!" Grim says as he looks at her, shaking the snow from his fur.
"Then let's check on the fireplace and come back to play," Angel suggests and Grim nods.
"Yeah, maybe the fire fairies are feelin' the chill, too. Better bring 'em some firewood," Grim says as he joins her. "Oooh, and I can check out the kitchen an' see if they got any leftovers while I'm there! La-la-laa!" Grim sings as the duo walk, happy at the prospect of any leftover food. While the two were walking, they looked around campus, gathering any wood that seems suitable to be used as firewood. Once the duo grabbed enough wood for the day, they head to the cafeteria, ready to give it to the fairies. While walking, Angel looked around, seeing that not just the dorm, but the whole campus was covered with snow, relishing in the silence it provided, seeing that the birds and little animals that used to run around on campus were probably hibernating, and with only the two of them, it felt a little lonely not seeing students walking and talking on their way to class. She didn't mind though, after all with the busy year she had so far, having the campus to herself seemed like a dream come true, a time where she can actually let her guard down and relax for a change instead of dealing with her friends' shenanigans and cleaning duties. She takes a deep breath, only to regret it when she felt the sharp cold wind whip her hair around, reminding her that it was cold outside and shivered, quickly heading to the cafeteria.
Once the two entered the cafeteria, they let out a sigh of relief, happy at the fact they got out of the cold, but still feeling the effects. "Geez, it was cold out there! My paws feel like icicles!" Grim exclaims, shivering at the effects of the cold weather. "Angel, hurry up and get that firewood in the fireplace," he whines, trying to warm himself up. They looked around, seeing that the cafeteria was lit up despite no one being in there, and looked around for the fireplace, only to see that they made it just in time since there was faint smoke coming out from the remains. They hurried to the fireplace, carefully positioning the firewood in a way that'll warm up the cafeteria efficiently while also making sure that it wouldn't go out so quickly. Once they finished arranging the firewood, they looked around, trying to find the fire fairies that Crowley mentioned only to be surprised when they see something orange in the fireplace flying towards them. Upon closer inspection, Angel noticed little people surrounded by fire, seeing that it was the fire fairies that Crowley mentioned. I've never seen a fire fairy... She thinks, thinking back on Petal, Dew, and Leif being more of forest fairies than fire fairies. The fire fairies smile at the two, mainly happy at the fact that they have a new supply of wood, and sat around the wood, sparking and setting it on fire, creating a warm sensation to course through the duo's bodies. "Ahh...You guys must be the fire fairies," Grim hums in happiness, relishing in the warmth they provided. "I'm feelin' warm and fuzzy just being near you."
"Thank you guys for your hard work," Angel tells them, and they only smile at the duo, carrying on with their work, letting the sound of the crackling fire fill the cafeteria. While the two enjoyed the sound and warmth of the fire, another sound was heard, mainly the sound of something hitting a chopping block and what seems to be a pan frying something, leaving them confused.
"Hm? What's that I hear over the crackling fire?" Grim asks as he tries to listen closely to the sounds. "Chopping? And...sizzling meat?" He happily says. Once he confirmed his deduction, the smell of cooking start to fill the air, getting both of their attentions as the scent of food start to permeate the room. "And now my nose is tinglin' with the spicy aroma of foreign cuisine!" Grim exclaims happily as he tries to follow the scent, sniffing the air around him, only for his nose to be pointed to the kitchen. "It's coming from the kitchen. Let's see what's up, Angel!" Grim says as she only follows him, heading towards the kitchen. I thought the ghosts were on vacation... She thinks as they get closer to the kitchen, surprised to see the sight before them.
"Once you're done cooking the vegetables, boil the thawed meat," a tanned boy in light, loose clothing says to a group of students doing various tasks. The boy had what looked like a black shirt underneath a short black and red vest on, with gold accentuating the edges, along with a hood covering his head, but Angel could see that his hair was partially covered by the hood, braided and loose strands covering his front. He was wearing a striped yellow and black belt with black pants that stopped a little before his knees, with what looks to be golden sandals on his feet. Speaking of gold, there was a what looks like a snaked designed armband around his right bicep, with two gold bracelets around his left wrist, and a golden choker around his neck. The two could see that the other students were wearing similar clothing as well, working around him. "Don't forget to add the nuts when the oil is heated," he says to a student while they were cooking.
"Yes, sir!" They respond.
"Vice Housewarden," a student calls out, getting his attention. "Will one tablespoon of spices be enough?" He asks.
The boy thinks for a moment. "The housewarden's palate veers spicy. Add another teaspoon," he says with a smile.
Angel and Grim could only look at the scene in confusion. "What's goin' on here? It's winter break, but the kitchen's full of students!" Grim states, getting the tanned boy's attention. He turned around and see the two looking at him.
"Hm?" He hums as he looks at the two. "You're..."
"Ah, um, hello there," Angel quietly says, getting the attention of the other students, their eyes wide at the sight of Angel and Grim standing at the kitchen entrance, not expecting the two to be on campus. "Nice to meet you," she says to the tanned boy, only for a memory to come to her. She met him before...it was... "Oh!" she exclaims. "I remember you from the tournament."
"Yes, we had a brief chat back when I got injured before the Spelldrive tournament," he states to her. "Your names were...Angel and Grim, yes?"
The names only surprise the two. "Dang, you got a good memory, uhhh..." Grim trails off. "What was your name again?"
"It's Jamil," he answers with a smile. "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 made quite the names for yourselves since you've first enrolled. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone at this school who doesn't know who you are."
"Whoa...Really?" Grim smiles. "Myah hah hah! Y'hear that, Angel?! We're famous!" He happily exclaims.
Angel sighs. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing, though...?"
"At any rate..." Jamil says to the two, bringing their attention to him. "Why are you here on campus when it's winter break?" He asks.
"We ain't got anywhere to go home to for the holidays," Grim states, only to smirk. "Not to mention, the headmage personally gave us a super-secret job. We're tendin' the fireplace. I'm as diligent and competent as they come! Only makes sense the headmage would turn to me when he needs help!"
"He asked US, not just you, Grim," Angel corrects with Grim not listening to her as he only acts smug about the task, making her sigh.
"Oh, is that a fact? The headmage personally asked you, you say..." Jamil says, looking at the two. "This could be my chance..." he mumbles.
"Hm? Didn't catch that," Grim says.
"I said that if the headmage is relying on you, you must be a tremendous talent indeed," he says with a smile, making Angel shocked and nervous at the statement. Could he have noticed what I am...?
"Sorry to interrupt, Vice Housewarden," a student calls out, getting the three's attention. "But I'm done prepping the vegetables."
"Okay, I'll be right over," Jamil says as he walks over to the student and the two follows, trying to avoid bumping into anyone with hot plates and pans in the way. They stopped right where Jamil was, watching him take the vegetables from the student and put it in a pot and stirring it, with them staring intently and enjoying the aroma of the air around them.
Grim climbed up Angel, jumping on the counter, looking at the pot with food inside. "That soup you're makin' looks pretty good. I ain't never smelled anything like it before," he comments as watches Jamil.
"It smells like a variety of exotic spices..." Angel says as Jamil only looks at the two.
"It's a traditional Scalding Sands recipe, you see-" Jamil starts to explain only to stop, a smile appearing on his face. "Wait. An idea occurs to me," he says, confusing the two. "I'm sure something brought us together. Would you care to join us for our meal?" He asks.
"Really?! You mean it?" Grim happily asks.
"Are you sure?" Angel asks.
"Absolutely," Jamil answers. "It won't take much longer to finish. Why don't you two lend a hand?"
"We can definitely do that then!" Angel happily says, getting ready to cook. Jamil is only surprised a little at her eagerness as he watches her put her hair up in a bun, trying not to let her hair get into the food. He only smiles at her while she gets Grim to wash his paws, her knowing that Grim needs as much washing as possible before dealing with anything food related. Once the two finished their cleaning, they approached him, getting ready to start cooking.
Grim walked the counter, seeing the variety of spices placed and sniffed them. "Man, these spices smell amazing!" he exclaims as he sniffs, while Angel only look at them in awe, amazed at the different colors.
"They're used in traditional Scalding Sand cuisine," Jamil explains. "It makes for a unique flavor. I'll teach you how to use them, so watch closely," he instructs, with the two watching him.
"You got it!" Grim and Angel happily respond as they watch Jamil get situated.
He smiles at them. "I thank you for your help. How about you help me with what's in the pan Angel and Grim could stir the pot? His small size should be appropriate to stir the pot." The two nod and get to their respective tasks, with Grim stirring the pot and Angel cooking whatever's in the pan. Jamil was using a wok to stir what looks to be rice, adding seasonings when needed and instructing the two to add specific seasonings at certain times. He looked to Angel, surprised to see that she was doing quite well with his instruction, seeing that she was paying close attention to everything he does and say, maybe because she cooks regularly to provide for her and Grim.
"Is it okay if I put this brown powder in the pot now?" Grim says, getting Jamil's attention. He looks at the pot.
"Not yet. You put in gram masala at the very end, or it'll spoil the fragrance," he states, with Grim stirring.
"Impressive...I would have never known that," Angel says in surprise as she adds spices to the pan. I should learn about spices more often.
"Wow! You sure know your way around a spice rack," Grim says as he continues to stir and sniff the food.
"I cook on a daily basis, so it's only natural," he says with a sigh. "We're almost finished here. Let's put on the finishing touches." The two only nod and add any remaining spices, with Jamil instructing them on the amount needed, tasting when necessary to make sure the spice ratio is just right. After a few minutes, Jamil tells them to turn off the heat, signalling that the food was done, in which he started plating the food in the wok and telling Angel to plate it and Grim dancing in glee at the work. "Woohoo! It's done!" He happily exclaims, seeing the dishes line up. He smells the pot, happily sighing at the smell. "Mmmm yeah, those spices are seriously drool-inducing," he says, trying his best not to drool.
Jamil smiles. "Good work. I couldn't have done it without your help. Thank you." He starts to get the other student's attention, in which they got the plates and pots of food prepared for travel. "We'll eat in the dorm. Come with me."
"Mya ha! You bet we're comin'!" Grim happily exclaims as he jumps off the counter. "I can't wait to dig in. I'm starvin'!"