A few days later, it was finally the first day of the training camp. Angel and Grim stood in the foyer, welcoming the guests as they walk in. "Bonjour, Angel. Grim," Rook says as he happily greets the two. "We shall be availing ourselves of your hospitality for the next four weeks. Thank you for having us."
"Whatever it takes to get that tuna," Grim mumbles and Angel only slightly kicked him for his comment.
"Welcome to our humble abode," she says with a smile as more people come in.
"My," Vil says as he steps into the foyer. "It's certainly cleaner than I was expecting," he states. Angel sighed at his words. I didn't expect to house people so quickly into the new year. Good thing I cleaned before winter break.
"Hello..." Epel quietly greets as he enters.
"Wow, the ceilings are so low in here," Kalim says as he looks around, with Jamil in tow. "I'd hit my head if I tried to ride my magic carpet around."
Jamil sighs. "Maybe don't fly indoors at all," he states. "Angel, would you mind letting me share Kalim's room or take a room adjacent to his? This dorm is less secure than Scarabia, since you don't have to pass through a mirror to get here."
"You're so paranoid, Jamil," Kalim assures. "We haven't had a single assassination attempt on campus since I enrolled."
"It's not you I'm worried about; it's me, if anything happens to you," he says. "Just because you were safe yesterday doesn't mean you'll be safe today."
Angel sighs at the two. "Jamil," she calls out. "There are plenty of rooms you can use to stay next to Kalim if it makes you feel better. After all, we have rooms on the third and second floor, so you can take your pick to make it easier." Jamil relaxed at the words, at least glad that he choose what room to take.
"Then, I'll take the room next to yours, Angel!" Kalim happily says, shocking both of them. "We can be neighbors with a dance party every night!"
"Kalim!" Jamil exclaims. "Let's not make her have more trouble than she can handle." He says as they continue on, making her laugh.
"Hey, guys!" Ace says as he and Deuce comes in.
"Thanks for having us, Angel," Deuce says as he hands her a bag filled with three boxes. "Here, these are from Trey." She takes the bag, curious about the contents and places it on the table.
"Ooh, what's in the boxes?" Grim says as he jumps on the table, smelling it. "I smell a sweet treat!"
"It's a homemade chocolate cake, some apple pie, and Angel's favorite, courtesy of Trey," Ace answers, making the two look at the boxes with sparkling eyes, happy at the information. "He said if we were imposing on another dorm's hospitality, we should at least bring gifts. What is he, our mom?" He sighs. "We can split it with everybody later."
"Myah hah!" Grim cheers. "You can always count on Mr. Shrewd Specs to do the thoughtful thing."
"I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate those gifts," Vil says as he takes the boxes away from her, leaving them shocked.
"What?! Why?!" Grim asks in a panic.
"Gracious," Vvil says as he looks at the boxes. "Trey never changes, does he? He's the type of man one must truly watch himself around- the kind who spoils people rotten under the guise of knowing what's best."
"Are you gonna make up some nonsense about rules and throw out perfectly good food like Riddle?!" Grim says with a glare. "Because I got some choice words for anybody that lets food go to waste!"
"Pardon?" Vil says as he looks at him. "I never said anything about throwing it out. Anyway," he looks to the group. "All of you are to take your luggage and gather in the lounge. I have an important matter to discuss before we start," he announces as everyone heads to lounge, luggage in hand. Once they all arrived at the lounge, they place their luggage down, leaving the duo confused as Vil stands in front of it.
"So, Vil. What did you want to talk about?" Kalim asks as Vil inspects the luggages.
He looked at everyone and sigh. "I want all of you to open your luggage and show it to me," he commands, confusing everyone except Rook and Epel.
"Wait, what?" Ace asks. "Shouldn't we wait until we get to our rooms to unpack?"
"Just do as I say," Vil says as everyone looks at each other and slowly unzip their respective luggage. Vil looks at the bags and sighs. "...I knew it. Spudlings One and Two-" He looks to Ace and Deuce. "Would you care to explain these stashes of junk food and carbonated beverages? I see cookies, sugar candy, and chocolate bars," he says with a glare.
"S-Sometimes I need a midnight snack," Deuce quietly says.
"Since we're staying together for training camp, I thought it'd be nice to share some with Angel and the others," Ace says. Vil looks at two then look at the duo watching the scene, Angel flinching at the look Vil gave her, observing her a for a while. She noticed that his face contorted into shock then back to a frown, leaving her confused at his look as he looks to Kalim's bag.
"And Kalim-" he says as he looks at his bag, seeing containers filled with food in it. "Containers of food comprise over half your luggage!"
"Yup!" Kalim happily agrees. "These are fried dough balls and a pastry called kanafeh*. I had Jamil make them for me. They go great with nuts, cheese, and cream on top. I was going to share them with the group!"
Vil sighs at the statement and looks at Jamil's bag, seeing there was a bundle of cloth inside it. "Jamil, you didn't pack any food, but what is this large cloth bundle?" He asks.
"It's a set of potions and medicinal herbs, so that I can formulate antidotes in the event of an emergency," he states. "I'm sure you've got that covered with your mastery of potionology, but one can never be too careful with these things."
Vil flinches a bit at the words. "That seems a bit...morbid. But no matter, I suppose." He looks to Epel. "Epel, I trust that you knew better than to bring any candy?"
"Um...Y-yes, sir," Epel quietly says. "But...I did bring a small snack. Dried apple chips. I made them myself," he says as he pulls it out of his bag, making Angel curious about the snack.
"Nuts and dried fruits are acceptable in moderation," Vil says as his eyes land on Rook. "Lastly, Rook..." He hesitates a moment before looking at his bag. "I trust you. Really, I do. But your luggage consists of a single photo album- a thick tome, at that. Care to explain?" He asks.
"Ha ha," Rook chuckles. "This is but a record of my life's work. I prefer to keep it close. It's a bit private. Opening it in front of everyone would be quite embarrassing..."
"I beg your pardon, then," Vil backs off. "Far be it from me to impinge upon someone else's privacy. Now then, with that out of the way..." He says to everyone in the room. "I hereby confiscate every sugar- and flour- based snack and drink present!" He announces.
"Whaaaat?!" Ace, Deuce, Kalim, and Grim exclaim in shock.
"But why?" Kalim asks. "They're not poisoned, you know."
"Again with the ghastly suggestions from the Scarabia duo!" Vil exclaims in shock at the statement. "That is completely irrelevant here. What do you think this training camp is for? Your minds and bodies must all be polished to a mirror sheen for SDC. And mirrors must be unclouded, devoid of blemishes. Monosaccharides and oligosaccharides contribute to lethargy, while fats and spices can incite acneic breakouts. For the next four weeks, from now until the show, I am banning all snacks that detract from an optimum nutritional intake!"
"What?!" Kalim cries.
"Don't worry, though. I've come up with a set of meals high in vitamins and proteins," Vil reassures. "I'll ensure that all of you have plenty of energy."
"Are you kidding?" Ace says with a huff. "I'm a growing boy, y'know."
"Is that a fact?" Vil says with feigned interest. "I grew to 183 centimeters without any late-night snacking. What matters most for growth is a balanced diet and proper sleep. It is certainly not about snacking your way to an uneven complexion. Do try to remember the difference."
"Maaaan..." Ace groans. "Are you for real?"
"Hey," Grim speaks up, getting Vil's attention. "You're not gonna stop US from eatin' that stuff, right? We're not even in the group."
"You're free to do as you wish, but do try not to eat them in the presence of our group. That would only add to their stress."
Angel thinks for a moment. "I mean, he's right, but still..."
"..." Epel sighs a bit at the news as well.
"Hah hah hah!" Rook chuckles as he comes between the group. "This won't be so bad, really. Vil isn't going to be putting any of you on hard diets. He simply believes that eating right is a vital part of getting you all into competitive shape in the most efficient manner possible." Now that makes sense.
"N-no kidding," Deuce comments. "People who aim for the top really are serious about this stuff, huh?"
"Heh," Vil chuckles. "You think THIS is serious business? Please. I am only laying down a foundation. Now, all of you put your things in your rooms and come back down. We're starting rehearsals right away." Suddenly a phone rings, getting his attention as he pulls it out and sees who was calling. "Hm? My manager's calling. It had better be urgent. Angel, I know you have some ground rules for staying here, so let them know before they put their bags away." He says as he heads off somewhere in the lounge, leaving the eight alone. Everyone looked at her and she sighs.
"Okay..." she says as he looks at everyone. "I know that everyone here are used to a different set of rules, but mines are quite simple, is that okay?"
"Yep! Just say them and we'll follow them!" Kalim happily says.
"Okay then. First thing first, no breaking anything, furniture included," she states.
"That's self-explanatory," Deuce says.
"Secondly, no high scale magic in the dorm," she states, leaving some confused. "I know that everyone here is all different years, but any magic that could harm others, move or break items, is not allowed. It's for my safety and everyone's else." Everyone nods at the rule understanding. "If you need to practice magic, I'm not stopping you from it, just don't do it inside the dorm. There's space outside to practice instead. Thirdly, the ghosts here will assist with cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other things that might be necessary, so you can tell either me or the ghosts if you need anything else, provided it's within our means."
"Oho?" Rook says in interest. "I have heard that ghosts resided in this dorm, yet you were able to tame them like Roi de Liones? Marvelous! I knew you were an intriguing specimen, Madame Souris."
"It's a mutual agreement, I assure you. No taming of...anything," she awkwardly chuckles. "We had a talk and they agreed they wouldn't pull any pranks on you while you're staying with us, at least any big pranks. But anyway the other rules were just to make sure you clean up any messes you make and just to have fun. Oh!" She exclaims. "The last rule is to not go into our room without permission. I suppose that should be self-explanatory as well."
"I wouldn't be right for us to impose on your privacy, even if you allowed us to stay here, so I can make sure that other's won't," Jamil says.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what if we need something from your room, though?" Ace asks. "Just asking."
"What would you even need from her room?" Deuce asks.
"I'm just saying, like, if we need help or anything."
"The ghosts will help with that or, if they're not here, me or Grim," she says. "If you ever need me and I'm in the room, then I'll help you out, but still no going into the room without permission, okay?" She says with a smile, making everyone but Rook flinch at the look she's giving them.
"R-right..." Ace, Deuce, Kalim, Jamil, and Epel quietly says, agreeing with her rule. Rook looked at the scene in interest, a bit surprised at the change of tone she had and the effect on the five. "I never knew that Angel was scary..." Epel says to the freshmen.
"You have no idea just how scary she could be..." Ace says.
"I think it's best if we follow the rules. For our sake," Deuce sighs.
*=
Knafeh is a traditional Arab dessert made with spun pastry called kataifi soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with cheese, or with other ingredients such as clotted cream, pistachio or nuts, depending on the region
A/N: Hiyas everyone! I'm going to tell you guys this now: starting on April 13th, after the chapters has been posted for that day, there will be NO MORE CHAPTERS POSTED FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH. I have 6 finals for the last two weeks of April (or the REST of April) and they require my upmost attention since it's all cumulative knowledge throughout the semester. My last final is supposedly May 1st so publishing should continue that Saturday the 4th. I know I just got off break but understand.... I NEED TO PASS MY CLASSES AND IM TIRED OF THEM!!😭😭 I'll remind you guys again on the 13th! (3/30/24)