You and the Scarabia students gather at the front of the dorm. Kalim smiles broadly as he makes an announcement. "All right. Jamil's back in the action, and we're done with our winter break assignments! You know what that means: let's all throw a grand holiday party!"
The students cheer and quickly move to pack the camels with the supplies.
Jamil rolls his eyes. "Have you considered NOT throwing a party every other day?"
Azul grins and waves a hand. "Oh, what's the harm? What could be nicer than a little celebration to commemorate the season?"
The twins appear next to you. Jade nods. "The camels are all loaded up with food and drink."
Floyd slings an arm around you. "Can't wait to dive right into that oasis!"
"Then it's time for a parade!" Kalim walks ahead to lead the way. "Bring on the elephants and peacocks, too!"
"You have peacocks here?" You ask.
Grim pumps his paws into the air. "Yeah! To the oasis we go!"
You made it to the oasis, the trek wasn't bad and was actually enjoyable. The oasis is full of life with crystal blue water and lush trees. The water that Kalim made must've traveled here and brought life back to the oasis.
"Okay, that should take care of everything." Kalim smiles. "Go on, everybody! Eat, dance, and sing the bad times away! Come on, Jamil. Let's dance!"
Jamil shakes his head. "I'm good, really-"
Kalim takes Jamil's hands and spins him around, completely ignoring him. You laugh as Jamil struggles to break free.
Jade looks to Azul. "They're both quite limber. Have you considered taking dancing lessons from them, Azul?"
"I think not. Some things are too tall of an order for merfolk."
Floyd grins and holds your own hands. "Let me in on the fun, guys!"
Before Floyd could start dancing, you hear a small voice from the distance. Turning around, you see two figures running towards the oasis.
Grim squints his eyes. "Who's that runnin' up from across the desert?"
Once they got close enough, you realize they're ace and Deuce.
"Hey! Y/N!" Ace cries out."
They come to a stop next to you. Ace, out of breath, puts his hands on his knees. Deuce grabs your hands and looks to your eyes worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"Sheesh, this place is HOT." Ace fans his face. "Feels like summer over here!"
You look from Deuce to Ace, then back at Deuce. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you went home for the holidays."
"We did. But we came rushing back when you sent that SOS." Deuce explains. "Your text said, 'Trapped in Scarabia!' Then we couldn't get through to you."
You sheepishly laugh. "Oh yeah. That's right."
Grim folds his arms. "I guess I did tell you to contact them. I knew you guys wouldn't be much help, and here you are, showin' up after everything's already solved."
"What?" Ace asks indignantly. "Look! The mirror gate wasn't open, so we couldn't warp back with magic! We had to take public transportation all the way back to campus!"
Deuce looks at the oasis. "I'm kinda lost here. You guys seem like you're having a good time. I'm not seeing any emergencies."
Kalim appears beside you. "Who's this? Friends of yours, Y/N?"
Floyd stands to your other side and waves with a shark-like grin. "Heya, Crabby. Are you here to hang out?"
Deuce shoots a questioning glance to Ace. "Crabby?"
Ace sighs. "Yeah, I'm in the Basketball Club with Floyd. Jamil's in the same club as us too, actually."
Kalim's smile brightens. "Ooh! Well, then! Any friend of Y/N's is a friend of mine! You came all the way here, so by all means, join in the festivities!"
Azul grins as he joins your little group. "We have pizza and pasta over here."
"What would you like to drink?" Jade asks.
Ace's eyes widen. "All three of them are here?"
Deuce leans in to whisper. "What are you doing with them?" Deuce looks at your Scarabia outfit like he noticed for the first time. "And why are you in a Scarabia uniform?"
You sigh. "It's a long story."
"We were in a whooole heap o' trouble while you guys were off schmoozing with your families, y'know." Grim inserts himself into the conversation. "Sit down and I'll tell you all about the Great Grim's exploits!"
"What are you rambling about?" Ace rolls his eyes. "Oh well. I guess as long as you're okay."
You smile appreciatively at the two. "You really were worried. Thank you both for coming for us."
Ace blushes as he rubs the back of his neck. "Meh, no big deal. There wasn't much to do at home other than play video games anyway."
Deuce nods. "And it'd be a real jerk move to ignore you after we told you to message us if anything came up."
Grim chuckles. "You guys just gotta keep up that image, huh?"
Ace rolls his eyes. "Anyway, me and Deuce saw something on the way back and thought you might like it."
Ace pulls something from his jacket and hands it to you. It's a present wrapped in black and white striped wrapping paper.
You look to them in surprise. "You guys got me a gift?"
Deuce smiles. "It's the least we could do. You were stuck here and we thought this could be perfect for you."
"Now open it up already." Ace laughs.
Tearing into the wrapping paper, you reveal a beautiful sketchbook with matching pencils. You gasp and look to Deuce and Ace.
"Guys, this is so sweet of you! How did you know I needed a sketchbook?"
Ace rubs the back of his neck. "We always see you drawing with crappy pencils and just normal paper."
Deuce nods. "And I remember you said you wished you had a sketchbook to draw in, so we thought this could be perfect for you."
You look back to the sketchbook. Feeling so much joy and happiness in this moment. You wrap the both of them in a hug. "Thank you guys so much!"
The two of them both blush, hugging you back. You hear a laugh coming from Kalim.
"Okay, back to partying!" Kalim announces. "Bring on the food and crank up the music! This is going to be the best holiday ever!"
Everyone cheers and resumes the party. Jamil rolls his eyes but a small smirk plays at his lips. "I'm surrounded by idiots."