The early morning sun shines through the window, waking you up. You sit up and stretch your muscles. Grim is still digging in his corner. You're surprised that he actually broke through the tile.
"It took 'til morning, but I dug a hole big enough for me to fit two paws through."
"You actually did a good job, Grim." You pat his head. "I'm sure no one else would've done as good of a job as you."
Grim smirks proudly. "That's cause I'm a genius."
The door opens and one of the Scarabia boys walks in. Grim sits on the hole to hide his escape plan.
"Out, you two! It's time for morning training. We're marching to the oasis again!"
You sigh. "This will be another glorious morning."
You and the Scarabia students gather outside. Everyone is tired and still recovering from the last trip to the oasis. This time, you have to lead camels, only making the trip harder. Kalim rides atop an elephant again.
"Wake up and get a move on!" Kalim shouts. "To the eastern oasis! March!"
Everyone begrudgingly follows behind Kalim. You look around at the miserable boys. In our thundering herd we feel a lot like cattle.
Grim lets out a groan. "It's even harder to deal with the heat when I'm runnin' on no sleep."
Jamil walks beside you. "You're sleep-deprived? Make sure you drink plenty of water so you don't collapse."
Grim only nods, too tired to respond. You give a smile to Jamil. "That's really kind of you to care so much about others."
Jamil shakes his head. "Think nothing of it. I'm just trying to look out for my fellow classmates."
"I still think that's amazing." You gently bump Jamil's shoulder.
Jamil chuckles. "Thank you, Y/N."
Today's march is significantly harder than last time. Everyone is still exhausted from yesterday so having to do this walk makes it feel so much worse.
"You're taking longer than yesterday." Kalim calls out. "Hurry it up!"
The Scarabia students all groan. "I can't walk another step."
"I can see the oasis." Jamil says. "Respite is just ahead! Hang in there just a little while longer, everyone!" Jamil takes your hand and helps you walk to the oasis.
"Wow, he's still cheering us on after all of this."
"What a vice housewarden!"
Grim rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm dead tired!"
You finally made it to the oasis. You sit down underneath the shade of a dried tree. Grim collapses next to you, wheezing. "I think I've got a whole desert's worth of sand in my throat. Kalim, gimme some water!"
Kalim whirls on Grim. "How DARE you take that tone with me."
Grim hides behind you. You flinch, bumping into Jamil.
"I am not your faucet." Kalim glares. "If you want water, draw it from the oasis yourselves."
"You mean the one that's bone dry?" Asks a Scarabia student. "How?"
"This is going beyond tyranny..."
"Seriously, what's wrong with the housewarden?"
"Don't worry, I came prepared for this." Jamil reassures. "We've got camels loaded with water. Offload it and share it amongst yourselves."
Jamil fills a water skin pouch and hands it to you. You gratefully take it. "Thank you."
"If only you were housewarden, Jamil." One of the boys says.
"Perish the thought." Jamil sits next to you. "And don't vocalize it. What if Kalim heard you?"
"But it's true."
"Even before Housewarden Kalim started acting like this, you were the one doing most of his duties, Jamil."
"It's fine." Jamil places a hand to his chest. "It's my family's honor, actually no, it's MY honor to serve the Asims. Drink your water and rest up. It's getting hotter now that the sun's high in the sky. The march back will only be worse."
You run a hand through your hair. Even with the cooler clothes, the sun is incredibly hot. "I don't know if I can make it."
Jamil places a hand to your shoulder. "It's alright, Y/N. I got you."
You smile appreciatively to him.
"All students, assemble!" Kalim shouts. "Break time is now over. Form ranks, and no lollygagging!"
Everyone begrudgingly gets up. Jamil helps you stand back up. A student runs to Jamil.
"Jamil, I... I can't take another day like this."
"I'm done following the housewarden, too!"
"Why are you still obeying him, Jamil?"
Jamil hesitates. "It's because... He's Kalim Al-Asim."
You place a comforting hand to Jamil's shoulder.
Jamil gives you a smile. "Let's have a talk tonight. I'll arrange things so Kalim doesn't catch us." Jamil places a hand over yours. "Y/N, could you spare some time for this as well?"
You nod. "Of course."
By the time you get back to the dorm, the sun begins to set. You and the Scarabia boys gather in the lounge. Grim collapses on a pillow next to you as you rub your sore muscles,
Jamil walks into the lounge. "Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir. Where's Housewarden Kalim?"
"Sleeping." Jamil takes a seat next to you. "I brewed him a soporific herbal tea. He should be in a deeper sleep than usual."
Jamil looks to everyone that's gathered. "I understand that you are all unhappy with how Kalim is running things. Being locked in your dorms over winter break and forced to undergo harsh training day in and day out... Who wouldn't resent such harsh treatment? I agree that what Kalim's doing is not for the best."
"Then why won't you stop him?" A student asks.
"I have, many times. But he's stopped listening to me." Jamil shakes his head.
Grim rolls his eyes. "If you guys have that much of a problem with it, how about sayin' it to Kalim's face instead of whining to Jamil?"
The Scarabia boys all look sheepish.
Grim scoffs. "What, so you can say it to this guy, but not to the one actually causin' problems? What a bunch of gutless wimps."
"Th-that's not true." One of them argues. "We HAVE tried to talk to him. Over and over, actually!"
"When he's not acting strange, the housewarden really is a broadminded, kindhearted soul..."
"Everybody in the dorm used to look up to him before this started happening." Another student adds. "We thought we had the finest housewarden in all of Night Raven College."
"When I first enrolled, I had trouble adjusting to dorm life. He lent me a shoulder and let me air it all out."
"When I was struggling to keep up in school and ready to drop out, he joined me for late-night cram sessions to catch up."
"Sometimes he's a little cavalier and not totally on top of things, but we all loved our housewarden.
It was fun being a Scarabia student. And yet..." The student trails off.
Jamil nods. "Yes. Kalim is a truly fine housewarden. He treats everyone equally and never puts himself above anyone else." He sighs. "However did it come to this?"
You bring a hand to your chin. "I wonder what caused Kalim to act like this so suddenly."
"Y'know, it might be a good idea to get Kalim checked out by a doctor." Grim suggests. "He keeps sayin' one thing, then changing his mind the next minute. Even his personality shifts. That's kinda weird, don'tcha think? What if he ate some bad food or something?"
"If poison was causing this, then as his poison tester, I would be equally affected." Jamil adds.
Could a doctor possibly see him though?" You ask.
Jamil shrugs. "If we go back to the Land of Scalding Sands, the Asim household has a doctor in their employ... But as things stand, simply getting him home would be an ordeal in and of itself."
The gathered students groan in frustration. "This is getting us nowhere fast."
"The problem facing Scarabia now is similar to a problem that Heartslabyul recently had to address." Jamil continues. "There, the students were also forced to live under their housewarden's tyranny, as I understand it. They were all afraid of Riddle's signature spell, and no one could stand against him. Hence, I would like input from you two, since you were central in solving Heartslabyul's problem."
Jamil holds your hand. "What do you think we should do?"
All eyes turn to you. Your mind goes blank as everyone's attention is on you. "Oh, I-uh..."
"What if you challenged Kalim to a duel and became housewarden yourself, Jamil?" Grim speaks for you. "When everything went down with Riddle, Ace and Deuce challenged him after the headmage floated the idea. Of course, they were a couple of knuckleheads and Riddle wiped the floor with 'em, but hey." Grim shrugs. "Kalim's signature spell ain't nowhere near as threatening as Riddle's. You could probably whoop him with one hand tied behind your back!"
Jamil shakes his head. "That... is the one solution that is utterly out of the question."
Grim folds his arms. "Seriously? Why even ask for advice if you're gonna immediately reject it? What's your issue with my suggestion, anyway?"
"The Viper family has assisted the Asim family for generations." Jamil explains. "How could I betray our history like that? It would be beyond the pale. Not to mention the lecture I would get from my parents... I'm sorry, but it just wouldn't be right."
You hold Jamil's hand tightly. "I guess that's what you meant by there was nothing you could do."
"It is what it is." Jamil says sadly.
"Okay, I get why you can't challenge Kalim to a duel." Grim adds. "But if the housewarden keeps actin' like this, he's gonna make life totally miserable for everybody in the dorm. Riddle was bad enough, but this hot and cold thing Kalim's doin' is making it way worse."
"Yeah." A student agrees. "He's not acting like a housewarden at all!"
"He's not even meeting the job requirements. This goes against our Scarabian spirit!"
You tilt your head. "What do you mean requirements?"
"To be housewarden of one of Night Raven College's seven dorms, you must be the most befitting of the dorm's spirit." Jamil explains. "A sense of keen mindfulness-a quality attributed to the Sorcerer of the Sands. And to be housewarden of one of Night Raven College's seven dorms, you must be the most befitting of the dorm's spirit. Anything less, and you are unqualified to be housewarden. Dueling is essentially an easy way to determine this. The seven dorms each have their own different spirits, and their own ways of determining who befits it. For example, tradition in Pomefiore states that the housewarden is whoever can make the most potent poison."
"Gah, that's nightmare fuel!" Grim shakes his head. "So how'd Kalim get picked to be the head honcho of Scarabia?"
"He was nominated by the previous housewarden." Jamil answers. "Through his prior work and virtues, he cultivated a reputation as the most befitting in the dorm. I'll never forget how proud I was at his nomination."
"But he wouldn't have half that record if you hadn't been helping him!" A student jumps in. "Everybody in the dorm knows it."
"Why didn't the last housewarden choose you instead?"
"Don't blame him. For a relative of the Asim family to choose me over the main house's heir would be..." Jamil trails off, realizing he said too much.
Grim narrows his eyes. "Seriously? AGAIN with this Asim family stuff?"
"So that's what was going on. I had no idea. That sounds like blatant nepotism!"
"Man, the Asim family plays way too dirty!"
Jamil shakes his head. "Please, I implore you. Forget what you just heard."
"Night Raven College is known as a big-name university precisely because it's a meritocracy." A Scarabia angrily says. "Getting special privileges because of your parents is something that shouldn't fly here!"
"Social status and wealth aren't supposed to matter here on campus. We're all supposed to be equals!"
"But..." Jamil tries to calm the boys down. You look around at the upset students. They're all getting riled up.
"Scarabia is a dorm built around the Sorcerer of the Sands' spirit of mindfulness. I've always felt that someone thoughtful like Jamil deserves the seat of house leader way more than Kalim."
"Slow down." Jamil speaks up. "I'm not special or superior to anyone else. My grades are dead average. On a scale of one to ten, mine are fives across the board. I'm not fit to be housewarden."
"Magical talent isn't what decides who befits the dorm's spirit."
A student stands up. "What do you guys think? Who's the most suitable housewarden out of everyone here?"
"Oh, it's Jamil, no question!"
"Yeah. Jamil is way more fit to be Scarabia housewarden than Kalim!"
"We can't just accept an incompetent housewarden because he was born into a rich family!"
"That's right. Scarabia's got no use for a leader who can't lead!"
"That's right. Scarabia's got no use for a leader who can't lead!"
"Guys, please." You try to speak up. "I'm sure we can-"
"What are all of you doing, gathered together at this hour?"
Whirling around, your heart stops as you see Kalim walk into the lounge. "K-kalim..."
"Morning training clearly wasn't enough for you, if you still have energy to burn." Kalim folds his arms. "Jamil! Take the students out to the courtyard this instant."
Jamil stands. "The courtyard, sir?"
"We'll do magic training until their bodies give out."
The Scarabia students all murmur to one another. "That's ridiculous!"
"I dunno about you," Grim says tiredly. "but I'm already way past my limit!"
Kalim glares. "Do I need to repeat myself? Hurry up!"
Jamil nods. "Fine. Come on, everyone. Out."