Author's Note: There's a mildly suggestive bit in this chapter. Nothing extreme, but I still wanted to give a quick heads up.

When Devon and Grim woke up the next morning, it was to a blanket of snow covering the campus. Fuego's magic had kept Ramshackle pleasantly toasty which made the pair reluctant to even get out of bed for a while. Sadly for them, they had a job to do; that firewood wasn't going to move itself.

"Are you ready, Grim?" Devon called out as she slid on her coat and winter boots; she didn't see any point in wearing her uniform since school was out.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'," Grim replied.

Zephyr appeared in front of the pair as they made it to the front door and gave them a concerned pulse. Devon had told the Wisps earlier that she wanted them to take some time off from their guard duty since almost the entire student body had left. Most of them saw no reason to object. Granted, several of them were still a bit wary of Azul and the twins, but those three were on much friendlier terms with Devon now. Besides, even they weren't foolish enough to harm Devon or Grim when the trail would lead right back to them and the barrier around the school was still keeping any outside threats at bay. Even so, Zephyr still couldn't help being concerned.

"Don't worry so much, Zeph. We'll be fine," Devon assured them. "We're just going to put some logs in a fireplace. We'll be back before you know it."

Zephyr pulsed again, this one coming off more like a sigh, but didn't argue any further.

Devon smiled at them reassuringly. "We'll see you in a few, okay?"

Grim and Devon stepped out onto the front porch and looked around at the snow-covered campus. "Dang! Look at all this snow, Dev!" Grim exclaimed excitedly. "We gotta have a snowball fight out here at some point!"

"Yeah, we should!" Devon agreed. "I bet the ghosts'll enjoy that. And maybe we could invite Azul and the twins too. I'm sure Floyd would be down, at least."

Grim gave her a look. "You really want Floyd chuckin' snowballs at ya? You know that he'd probably end up doin' a ton of internal damage with just one hit, right?"

Devon shrugged as she waved goodbye to Regina. "Maybe, but if he goes too hard, he won't have anyone left to play against after a while. Anyway, we should head over to check on the fire."

"Yeah, good call," Grim agreed. "I bet those fairies are feelin' this winter chill too. Better bring 'em some firewood." He perked up. "Ooh! And I can check the kitchens to see if there's any leftover food while we're there. Follow me, Dev!"

Devon watched as Grim began to scamper down the steps. "Be careful, bud. Regina might be able to keep the steps clear, but there's probably ice on Main Street."

The pair arrived in the cafeteria a few moments later, their progress delayed slightly because Grim's eagerness to scavenge for food made him throw caution to the winds and resulted in a handful of faceplants as he slipped on the ice Devon had warned him about.

"Brrrr, it's cold out there! My paw pads feel like icicles." Grim exclaimed as he and Devon made a beeline for the warmth of the fireplace. "Hurry, Dev! Let's grab some firewood!"

Devon and Grim each picked up some logs to place on the fire, thankful that it had already been cut for them; neither of them wanted to spend time chopping firewood out in the cold. As they stoked the fire, they noticed for the first time a group of tiny winged creatures flitting about happily inside the fireplace. All of them had yellow-orange skin and their hair and outfits looked as though they were made of fire itself. The creatures smiled appreciatively as Devon and Grim gave them the firewood and a few of them flew out of the fireplace to get a closer look at them, talking amongst themselves in a language that sounded like the chiming of small bells.

Grim sighed happily as he stood next to the fire. "Ahhhh, that's better." He took a closer look at some of the tiny creature that had moved toward them. Several of them seemed to be fascinated by the flames in his ears while a few more perched on Devon's shoulders and her outstretched palm. "You guys must be the fire fairies, huh. Just bein' near you guys is warmin' me right up."

Several of the fairies chimed happily in response before returning to the fireplace. Devon and Grim stood in front of the fire for another moment, bracing themselves to head back out into the cold, when they caught the sound of sizzling and chopping over the crackling of the fire.

"Do you hear that, Grim?" Devon asked.

Grim nodded. "Yeah. It's comin' from the kitchen. Sounds like someone's cookin'." He sniffed the air. "Smells like some kinda meat! And I think I'm picking up the scent of some spices from a faraway land! It smells amazin', whatever it is!" He looked up at Devon eagerly. "Let's go check it out!"

When the Ramshackle poked their heads into the kitchen, they saw several students in Scarabia dorm uniforms rushing around as they prepared some sort of meal. 'Huh. And here I thought it was just gonna be me, Grim, and our Octabuds here over break,' Devon mused. Her eyes began unconsciously scanning the faces of the students, looking for one in particular. 'I wonder if that means-'

"Once those vegetables are roasted, you can start working on the meat," called out a familiar voice. Devon and Grim looked over to see Jamil overseeing the preparations for...whatever these guys were making, Devon having to fight to keep the excited grin off her face. "And don't forget to add the nuts once the oil is heated."

"Yessir!" replied one of the dorm students.

"Will one tablespoon of spices be enough, vice dorm leader?" another asked.

"The dorm leader tends to favor spicier foods. Add another teaspoon just to be safe," Jamil replied.

"What's goin' on? Why're there so many students here?" Grim asked. "I thought almost everyone went home for break."

"Hmm?" Jamil turned in the direction of Grim's voice to catch Devon and Grim peeking into the kitchen. His expression brightened just slightly when his eyes met Devon's, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Ah, hello Devon. Always a delight to see you." He eyed Grim as the cat monster hopped up onto Devon's shoulder. "And… Grim, was it?" In truth, Jamil hadn't actually interacted with Devon's furry companion all that much; Grim reminded him a little too much of Kalim for Jamil to want to be around him for long, so he tended to seek Devon out whenever he knew Grim was occupied with something else. That, and liked having Devon's attention solely on him whenever they were able to spend time together.

Grim smiled at the recognition as he and Devon stepped into kitchen. "Huh. You've got a pretty good memory there, umm…" He paused, drawing a blank on Jamil's name. "What's your name again?"

"It's Jamil. Jamil Viper," Jamil reintroduced himself to Grim, doing everything in his power to keep the pleasant smile on his face and his eye from twitching at the lack of recognition. "I'm the vice dorm leader of Scarabia. And as for my memory, I make it a point to remember people's names and faces. Even if I didn't, I'm sure I'd remember you two, though. You've both made quite a name for yourselves since the entrance ceremony. I doubt you'd find anyone on this campus who doesn't know your names by now."

"Really?" Grim smiled at Devon excitedly. "Ya hear that, Dev? We're famous! Nyahahaha!"

"I don't know that I'd go that far, Grim," Devon replied, trying to keep Grim's ego from getting any bigger. "You're the only monster student at NRC and I'm the only one that's confirmed to have a uterus, so I don't think us being well-known is such a big thing."

"I respectfully beg to differ," Jamil argued as he moved closer to Devon. "It's not every day that someone faces down three Overblots and lives to tell about it. Nor do they come blessed with the ability to restore the Overblotter back to themself. You really should give yourself more credit, Devon. At any rate…why are you two still on campus even though it's winter break?"

Grim shrugged. "Because we ain't got anywhere to go home to. At least not until Crowley figures out a way to get back to Dev's world."

"Ah, that's right. You've done such a wonderful job fitting in here that I keep forgetting you came from another world entirely, Devon," Jamil replied, looking at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't need the reminder that you're stuck here."

Devon smiled and shook her head. "You're fine, Jamil. It is what it is, y'know? I miss my family, yeah, but as long as I'm here, I might as well make the best of it."

"Besides, the headmaster personally trusted us with super special job!" Grim boasted. "Makes sense he'd turn to us since we're so diligent and competent and all!"

"He's got us on fireplace duty," Devon explained when Jamil gave her a confused look. "Frankly, I'm just glad it's something simple compared to the work he usually dumps on us."

"Is that right?" Jamil mused. "So he frequently goes to you personally for various tasks, then?" He thought back to their first conversation after he'd been injured shortly before the Spelldrive tournament. Devon had mentioned that Crowley had asked her and Grim to investigate those suspicious accidents. He'd also heard through several of Scarabia's residents that Crowley was at least one of the reasons Devon stuck her neck out to help the students Azul had roped into contracts. Whatever the reason, it certainly seemed like he had quite a bit of faith in her abilities and placed a significant amount of trust in her. "This could be my chance…," he muttered to himself as an idea came to mind.

Grim tilted his head. "Hmm? Did you say somethin'?"

"I was just thinking that if the headmaster relies on you that much, you must be quite the talent," Jamil said to Grim.

"Jamil, please don't feed Grim's ego," Devon said as she poked Grim's cheek teasingly. "If his head gets any bigger, he won't fit through the door."

"Pardon me, vice dorm leader," one of the Scarabia students interjected. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I've finished prepping the vegetables."

"Oh, good. I'll be right there," Jamil replied as he led Devon and Grim over to the stove. There was a large pot of some kind of soup on the stovetop and the spicy scent wafted up to them when Jamil removed the lid to the pot to check on it.

"Dang, that soup looks good," Grim commented. "I ain't never smelled anything like it before!"

"It's actually a traditional Scalding Sands recipe-," Jamil began to explain, only to cut himself off when he realized that an opportunity was presenting itself. "Hang on. I just had an idea." He reached out and gently took Devon's hand. "I'm sure it was the hand of fate that brought us together today. Trust me when I say that I couldn't be happier that you're still on campus. Why don't you both join us in Scarabia for lunch?"

"Myah?! For real?!" Grim asked excitedly.

Jamil nodded. "Of course. It won't take much longer for us to finish, but it'll definitely go even quicker if you two lend a hand. What do you say?"

Devon and Grim shared a look before nodding. "Sure."

"Glad to hear it," Jamil replied as they followed him over to the ingredients.

Grim took a deep breath in through his nose. "Man, these spices smell amazing! Have you ever used anything like these before, Dev?"

Devon shook her head. "Not all of 'em." She took a closer look at the array of spices in front of them. "I'm actually pretty sure that some of these don't exist in my world."

"All of them are used in traditional Scalding Sands cooking," Jamil explained. "They give the food a unique flavor that can't be replicated anywhere else in Twisted Wonderland. Just watch me and I'll teach you how to use them. Oh, and thank you in advance for your help."

Devon shrugged. "Not a big deal, man. You offered to feed us, so this is really the least we could do."

Once Jamil showed Devon and Grim what he needed them (mostly Devon as Grim was tasked with adding things to the pot of soup whenever Jamil told him to) to do, it didn't take long for them to fall into a groove with one another as the other Scarabia students bustled about. Jamil was pleasantly surprised by this; he didn't dislike cooking, per se, but it wasn't something he enjoyed either. Normally he found it rather tedious, but something about cooking with Devon actually made the job satisfying. Maybe it was because she was competent enough in the kitchen that he didn't feel the need to hold her hand every step of the way or maybe it was that she didn't feel the need to talk his ear off and was content with comfortable silence…

"So is Kalim still runnin' you ragged? I figured you'd at least get a break from doing both his and your jobs over the holidays."

Or maybe it was that she actually expressed genuine concern whenever they were able to spend any significant amount of time together.

"Come now, Devon. You know there's no rest for the wicked," Jamil replied with a wry smile. "A vice dorm head's work is never done, after all."

"Fair, but why are so many of you still here?" Devon asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong I'm thrilled that you'll be here too but we were pretty surprised to see so many guys from Scarabia in here."

Jamil was about to answer before Grim called out to him. "Hey, Jamil! Can I add this brown powder to the soup now?"

"Not yet," Jamil answered. "You have to add the garam masala at the very end or it'll spoil the fragrance."

"You really know your way around these spices, huh," Devon commented.

"It'd be a bit worrisome if I didn't, considering I cook on a daily basis," Jamil snarked as he gently bumped Devon's hip with his own. "All that's left is to add the finishing touches and then we'll be done."

The soup was finished a few minutes later and Grim hopped about excitedly, unable to keep his eyes off the finished product. "Aaaand it's done!" He took in the scent one more time. "You weren't kiddin' about the fragrance, Jamil. I'm already droolin'!"

"You both did well. I couldn't have done it without your help. Thank you again," Jamil complimented.

Devon rolled her eyes playfully. "You totally could've handled that without us, but I'm not about to turn down praise from you."

"Good to know," Jamil snarked back, his expression similarly playful. "Come with me. We'll eat back at Scarabia."

"Heck yeah! I'm starvin'!" Grim cheered.

"Alright, boys. Get this food back to the dorm!" Jamil called out to the other Scarabia residents.

"Yessir!" the boys replied as they began gathering up the food and cleaning up the kitchen.

"So, hey. I don't think we ever actually got to why all of you are stayin' on campus over break," Grim said. "I could understand a couple of ya, but you've made enough food here to feed the entire dorm."

"Well…," Jamil trailed off, hesitant, as the dorm students within earshot grew tense and uncomfortable. "It's kind of a long story."

"Not sure I like the sound of that," Devon said as she took in the expressions on the students' faces.

"It's the dorm leader's orders. Everyone has to stay," one of the residents spoke up quietly.

"We can't go home no matter how much we want to," chimed in a second.

"Shh," Jamil hushed them quickly, giving them a stern look. "That's enough, you two. We brought this on ourselves. Let's get back to the dorm before the food gets cold." He gave Devon and Grim a reassuring smile. "I think you two will like it in Scarabia. It always feels like summertime there, so it's a welcome reprieve from winter's chill."

"Woo-hoo!" Grim cheered. "Now that sounds like paradise. Let's go, Dev!"

"Hold on, Grim," Devon objected. That gut feeling was back-the one that told when something was a little funky about whatever situation she was about to find herself in…and that happened to be right pretty much any time she felt it. Her instincts were telling her to stay far, far away from Scarabia. "Somethin' about this isn't sittin' right with me."

"If you're worried about inconveniencing us, don't be. I'm sure Kalim will be delighted to see you both again," Jamil assured her, taking Devon's hand again and causing her to look up at him. "You will come to visit with us, won't you?"

Devon's mind went fuzzy as soon as her eyes met Jamil's and the nagging voice telling her that something was up was quickly silenced. In fact, just about any other thought in her head aside from accepting Jamil's invitation just wasn't computing, leaving her to wonder what she'd been so concerned about in the first place. She nodded her head, but even that took a significant amount of effort. "Yeah. I'll go with you," she replied dully. The fog over her mind cleared as soon as she answered and she thought she saw Jamil looking at her with a sly, self-satisfied edge to his smile before she shook her head to clear it.

"I can't tell you how pleased that makes me, Devon," Jamil said, drawing Devon's attention back to him. There was no trace of smugness in his smile, leading Devon to wonder if she had just imagined his earlier expression, but now her gut feeling was back with a vengeance. "Now then, we really must be on our way."

'What the heck just happened?' Devon wondered as she followed Jamil and Grim toward the Hall of Mirrors.

After passing through the mirror portal to Scarabia dorm-this one had a cobra adorning it along with decorative lanterns one either side and sand on the steps leading up to it-the first thing Devon and Grim saw was an enormous palace that looked like it was pulled straight out of Aladdin. A plush red carpet led into a courtyard with a large fountain in the center and up to the doorway of the main dorm building. They also noticed how sweltering it was compared to the main campus, which made sense considering the dorm appeared to be located in some kind of desert environment.

"Man, you weren't kiddin' about the heat!" Grim commented to Jamil. "It really does feel like summertime in here."

"It makes the frigid main campus feel like a bad dream, doesn't it? What do you think, Dev-" Jamil's words died in his throat when he looked over at Devon and saw that she'd wasted no time taking off her winter coat and the hoodie underneath it, leaving her in just the black tank top she was wearing under the hoodie. He had no trouble admitting that he found her incredibly attractive-it had been proven on multiple occasions that her legs were enough to stop him in his tracks-and what she was wearing was by no means skin-tight, but it clear to him now that she definitely knew how to dress to compliment her figure. He was having a very hard (read: impossible) time pulling his eyes away from her exposed neck and collarbone, and an even worse time ridding himself of thoughts of covering them in kisses and bites.

Unfortunately for him, Devon chose that precise moment to look over at him. His flustered state must have shown on his face because she sent him the maddeningly playful smirk he'd ever seen, which did absolutely nothing to help him dial his thoughts back since his was now focusing on her lips.

"Why do you look so surprised, Jamil?" Devon asked teasingly. "It's way too warm here to be wearin' those heavy winter clothes. I'm not lookin' to pass out from heat stroke, y'know."

Jamil cleared his throat quickly and finally managed to refocus on looking her in the eyes. "Yes, of course. Completely understandable." He took a step closer and rested a hand on the small of Devon's back. He took note of her expression and body language for any hint that she was uncomfortable with the gesture and upon seeing none began to guide her toward the dorm lounge. He had to be a good host, after all; this was most certainly not an excuse to satisfy his urge to touch her in some way. "Come this way."

The Scarabia dorm lounge was a large open-air room, allowing the dorm residents to enjoy the warmth of the desert without putting them directly in the harsh sun. There were several lanterns similar to the ones they'd seen in the Hall of Mirrors hung from the ceiling as well as sheer red fabrics adorning the pillars, rugs of several vibrant beautiful colors, and several low tables with multiple cushions on the floor for seating. The students that had accompanied Jamil to the kitchen got to work setting the food out on the tables while Jamil clapped twice to get the attention of the ones that had remained at the dorm.

"We've got guests, boys," Jamil announced. "Play some music to make them feel at home."

"Myah ha ha ha!" Grim cackled as pleasant music immediately began to fill the room. "I guess people fallin' all over themselves to get in our good books should be expected since we're so famous and all."

"We're not famous, Grim," Devon reminded him. She sent Jamil a quick wink before leaning back against him. "Scarabia clearly takes hospitality very seriously."

"It means a lot to hear you say that, Devon," Jamil replied, resting his hand on Devon's waist for a moment before gesturing toward the food on the tables. "Now please, go ahead and eat while the food's still hot."

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Grim chirped happily as he plopped himself down and began stuffing his face. "Mmm! This food is incredible! It's got such nice rich flavors and a powerful kick of heat…" He shoveled more food into his mouth. "I really like this veggie stir-fry with the nuts! Oh, and these fried dough ball things too!"

"There are several meat and soup dishes too. Feel free to help yourself, Grim; there's plenty more," Jamil assured him.

"Don't mind if I do!" Grim cheered before looking over at Devon. "Aren't you gonna eat anything, Dev?"

"I will in a minute. I'm just getting some secondhand heartburn watching you eat," Devon snarked playfully.

"Suit yourself, but I can't promise ya I'll leave ya any of the best stuff," Grim teased back. He took a few more bites. "Ya know, now that we've got this amazing buffet in front of us, it really does feel like paradise!"

"What's all this noise?"

The music and chatter in the room stopped abruptly as everyone turned to see Kalim standing there, his expression unreadable.

"D-Dorm leader!" several students muttered nervously.

"Kalim…," Jamil greeted quietly as he stood up.

Devon blinked, confusion written on her face as she wondered why everyone seemed so on edge all of a sudden. She didn't know Kalim very well, but he'd always been friendly and warm every time they'd interacted. She'd also heard from Cater and Silver that he was probably the most genuinely kind person in the entire school.

"What is the meaning of this, Jamil?" Kalim asked. "Nobody told me we were expecting company."

"It wasn't exactly planned, Kalim," Jamil explained.

"What's this guy's deal?" Grim whispered to Devon. "I've never seen him look so stern before."

"Well, he is a dorm leader. Maybe he has to be strict to keep his dorm members in line?" Devon theorized.

"I thought I told you to always inform me ahead of time if you're inviting guests over," Kalim continued. "If you had…" He shook his head in disappointment as all the sternness left both his expression and voice, "we could've arranged for an even finer banquet with a full band and everything!"

Grim blinked. "Uh…what?"

"Hiya!" Kalim greeted cheerfully as he sat down on Grim's other side while Jamil retook his spot next to Devon. "Welcome to Scarabia! Sorry for not throwing you a welcome parade. I'm Kalim Al-Asim, Scarabia's dorm leader." He studied Devon and Grim for a moment. "I'm sorry, I know I've talked to you both before but I'm blanking on your names."

"Devon Lopez and Grim," Jamil supplied. "Grim set your butt on fire during the entrance ceremony and you met Devon shortly before the Spelldrive tournament."

"Oh, that's right! Ah ha ha! Sorry about that," Kalim apologized. "I've never been very good with names. Please don't take any offense. Regardless, it's nice to see you guys again!"

Devon smiled. "Nice to see you too."

"How'd everything turn out, Jamil?" Kalim asked. "The food looks amazing! Not that I'm surprised, of course!"

"The preparations went smoothly," Jamil replied. "Everything's been tested for poison as well, so feel free to eat whatever you'd like."

"Bwuh-?!" Grim sputtered, choking on his food. "Why is that relevant?"

"Kalim is the heir to an extremely wealthy family," Jamil explained. "Unfortunately, there are certain dangers associated with that title that mean that everything he eats must be vetted for safety."

"Come on, Jamil, don't blow things out of proportion. You'll scare them," Kalim huffed before giving Devon and Grim a reassuring smile. "It's really not as bad as he makes it sound. The last time anyone tried to poison was…four years ago, I think."

Devon and Grim shared a nervous look. "What, uh…what happened?" Devon asked. "I mean, obviously you survived, thank goodness, but even so…"

"Oh, it was no big deal; I was just comatose for two weeks," Kalim replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Like I said, it's a thing of the past now!"

"Yes, because you've had someone there specifically to prevent that from happening ever since," Jamil interjected with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "I've been ensuring that anything hazardous is identified and disposed of before it gets to you."

"Hang on," Grim said, a mortified look on his face. "Is that why you kept encouragin' me to eat all this stuff?! You were usin' me as a poison-tester?!"

"Ah ha ha! Don't worry, Grim. It's not like you or Devon were in any actual danger. All the food Jamil makes is safe," Kalim assured him. "He'd never poison the food."

"Heh. There's no need to state the obvious," Jamil said with a smile.

"I'm startin' to think you guys are only pretendin' to be nice," Grim grumbled before continuing to stuff his face.

"Ooh, Grim! Have you tried the goat's milk blue cheese yet?" Kalim asked. "It goes great on crackers!"

Grim gave Kalim a look of mixed digust and confusion. "Why would I wanna eat something with mold smeared all over-mmph!" Before he could finish his sentence, Kalim stuffed a cheese-covered cracker into his mouth, causing him to sputter and cough. "Hey! Don't just shove food into my-mrph!"

"Oh, I'm so happy you like it!" Kalim gushed, oblivious to Grim's protests. "By all means, have some more! Ah ha ha!" He shoved another cracker into Grim's mouth before turning to the other residents. "Bring out more food and drinks. And kick up the music a notch or three! It's time to party!"

"Ugh… I can't eat another bite," Grim groaned a while later as he rubbed his stomach. Kalim had been rather insistent on making sure Grim got enough to eat. Apparently Cater had mentioned Grim's sizable appetite at their Pop Music Club meetings a few times, so Kalim wanted to make extra sure he didn't go hungry. "I think my tummy's about to burst." He burped before turning to Devon. "Where does that Kalim guy get off, crammin' those crackers into my mouth like that? It's my personal policy to eat any food that's put in front of me, but even I've got my limits."

Devon smiled and rubbed Grim's ears consolingly as Kalim came running back into the lounge. "Hey, guys! Are you up for some dessert? We've got ice cream! Or we could offer you a selection of fruits, if you'd prefer. Oh, or I could ask Jamil to bring out some of these really yummy baked goods with pistachios and almonds!"

Grim jumped at the sound of Kalim's voice. "Uh, n-nope! I'm good! Can't eat another bite."

"Yeah, maybe another time," Devon agreed.

"Aww, that's too bad," Kalim said, clearly disappointed. "It's all so good, I would've loved to share some with you." He smiled. "Well, we'll be here over the whole break, so don't hesitate to drop by whenever you feel like it. Right, Jamil?"

Jamil nodded. "Of course. Anytime."

"Actually, that reminds me," Devon said. "I don't think we ever actually got an answer about why you guys are staying here over break."

Kalim's smile dropped slightly. "Oh… Well, you know how we had the Spelldrive tournament, followed by our final exams?"

Flashbacks to facing off with Leona and Azul in their Overblot forms flooded Devon's mind. "…Yep."

"Well, our dorm placed at the bottom in both," Kalim continued as Jamil shook his head, ashamed. "As the dorm leader, it's my responsibility to do something about our situation, so they whole dorm is doing some voluntary special training over break."

Devon thought back to what one of the Scarabia students had said when they were in the cafeteria earlier. He'd said that they weren't able to leave. That sure didn't sound voluntary to her. She wondered if there had been some sort of miscommunication…

"I'd have been happy with last place if meant we were at least on the board," Grim said. "Ramshackle didn't get to play a single real match, y'know."

"Oh, right. That really is a shame. I didn't mean to rub it in," Kalim replied with an apologetic look.

"While we're here on break, we'll be doing six hours of studying and practical magic training each day," Jamil elaborated.

"Six hours?!" Grim repeated, shocked. "That's no different than a regular school day!" He crossed his arms and smirked. "Holidays are for resting; homework can wait until after we get back. That's what Leona say, anyway."

"Yes, I'm sure he does," Jamil scoffed.

"Hmm… I guess I can see his point," Kalim said, considering. "My dad's pretty big on work-life balance himself and he drilled into my head that sometimes it's important to prioritize rest over productivity. I think Leona's right; I've been way too focused on the 'work' part and not enough on the 'play'. It's all about balance, after all." He nodded with finality and smiled. "That settles it. We should take our breaks when we can get 'em. I let our students head home tomorrow!"

"Wait, what?" Jamil replied, his eyes widening in shock for a moment before he defaulted back to his usual impassive expression.

"I'll make the announcement at dinner tonight. Make sure everyone shows up, okay?" Kalim requested.

"R-Right. Of course…," Jamil replied.

Kalim smiled before turning to Devon excitedly. "Hey, Devon! I should give you and Grim a grand tour of Scarabia! There's so much cool stuff to see."

"Hold on a moment, Kalim," Jamil interjected. "Think of the kind of example you'll be setting if you task the students with studying while you go and goof off."

"Aww, but it's not every day we have guests that have never been to Scarabia before," Kalim argued. "Surely we can make an exception just this once."

Jamil narrowed his eyes to give Kalim a stern look. "Kalim."

"Erk…! Alright, fine. Don't get mad at me," Kalim conceded before brightening back up. "I think I'll practice some defensive magic. Mock battles always make for nice post-meal workouts." He turned and called out to some of his gathered dorm students. "Hey, could I get some of you to fight me real quick?!"

A handful of students stepped forward to volunteer. "Yes, dorm leader!"

Kalim finished up with his magic practice a little while later and trotted happily back to Devon, Grim (perched on Devon's shoulder, as usual), and Jamil. "Alright, practice is done! Time for that tour now!" Kalim quickly grabbed Devon's hand and pulled along with him back into the dorm before Jamil could move to stop them.

"Hang on, Kalim! You still have more work to-" Jamil realized there was no point in objecting now; Kalim was already too far away to hear him. He shook his head and sighed. "Typical…"

Kalim led (well, more like pulled) Devon and Grim down the main hallway of the dorm, only slowing down and letting go of Devon's hand once he was sure Jamil wasn't chasing after them. The hallway was every bit as extravagant as the dorm's exterior and lounge. It was scarlet and (probably literal) gold as far as the eye could see, with almost comically high doorways and some very expensive-looking ceramic pieces.

"Dang! Just look how fancy this is!" Grim commented as they looked around. "It couldn't be less like Ramshackle if it tried."

"You really think it's that impressive?" Kalim asked. "I mean, I know my dad made a little donation to the school to spice up the dorm when I first got accepted but…"

"Geez, just how loaded are you?!" Grim exclaimed. "Are you some kinda prince like Leona?"

Kalim shook his head. "The Asim family isn't royalty, so I'm not a prince. I do have some relatives that married into the royal family, though."

Grim tilted his head. "Asim? But I thought your full last name was Al-Asim."

"The "Al" part of my name means "son" in the ancient language of the Scalding Sands," Kalim explained. "Traditionally, family surnames come from their original progenitors and all the men of that line refer to themselves as the founder's son. In my case, since Asim is our honored founder's name and "Al" means son, Kalim Al-Asim would mean I'm calling myself Kalim, Son of House Asim."

"Interestin'… Ya know, I never really thought much about where name's come from," Grim mused.

"I didn't mean to go so in-depth with my family history like that," Kalim said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Anyway, feel free to call me Kalim."

"I think it's pretty interesting too," Devon added. "I think there are some cultures in my world that have similar naming traditions. It's actually been pretty cool to pick up on all the similarities between this world and mine."

"Does your family have any special naming traditions, Dev?" Kalim asked.

"Come to think of it, I think you mentioned that your older brother was named after your Tio Diego," Grim added.

Kalim tilted his head. "Tio?"

"My uncle," Devon explained. "My family's culture doesn't have any strict naming traditions, but there are a lot of instances where someone will be named after one of the parent's immediate relatives, usually one they're really close to. DJ kinda gets it two-fold since he was named after my mom's brother Diego and my late paternal grandfather Joaquin. We call him DJ most of the time to avoid any confusion for him and my uncle, but Mama does tend to bust out his full name whenever he's in trouble."

"Then what about you and Dominic? Any special story behind your names?" Grim asked.

Devon shook her head. "Not especially. Once our parents found out they were having triplets and they'd decided on DJ's name, they decided they wanted all our names to start with D. Problem was, the doctors had a really hard time figurin' out what gender Dom and I were gonna be, so Mama and Papa were pretty much flying blind when it came to us. Dominic was a name my dad had always really liked and it could have easily been Dominique if Dom had been assigned female at birth. Devon, meanwhile, is a gender neutral name back home and also happens to be the name of the main character in a book series my mom really loves. Even then, there are a few different ways to spell it and mine is usually considered the more masculine version; the more "feminine" spelling uses an "I" instead of an "O"."

"The more I hear about your world, the more interesting it sounds! I'm in the same class as Silver and in the Pop Music Club with Lilia and Cater and they told me a little bit. I was really interested to hear about your Day of the Dead holiday. I know it's probably not possible, but I'd love to see it celebrated someday since we don't have anything like that here," Kalim said. He clapped his hands together excitedly. "You guys should come and visit the Scalding Sands someday, too! I'd be thrilled to have you both as guests."

"I bet you live in some kinda fancy mansion that's about halfway to bein' a castle, right?" Grim asked.

"Heh. Hardly. We only have about a hundred helpers," Kalim replied as if having a full staff was the norm.

"I'm sorry, you "only" have that many?" Devon repeated in disbelief.

"In what world is that only anything?!" Grim agreed. He tapped Devon's head with his paw. "I've only got the one henchman, myself…"

"Well, we're a big family," Kalim elaborated nonchalantly. "We need at least that many people to make sure everyone is looked after."

"Just how many siblings do you have?" Devon asked.

"Umm…" Kalim paused as he tried to remember. "Honestly, I stopped counting after a while. I remember all of their names and faces, though. Ah ha ha!"

"Sounds like the Asims do everything on a whole different level, huh?" Grim commented.

"Actually, Jamil's parents are among our servants," Kalim continued, "so I've known him pretty much my whole life. He's looked after me since we were young boys." Kalim's smile brightened. "He's amazing, let me tell you. He's smart, thoughtful, and an incredible cook!"

"After today, we can definitely vouch for that last one!" Grim agreed.

"Exactly! You guys should stay for dinner tonight, too!" Kalim offered excitedly. "Now come on. There's still some more I wanna show you!"

"Uh…sure," Grim agreed as they followed after Kalim. He turned to Devon and lowered his voice so Kalim wouldn't overhear. "Talkin' to this guy's kinda throwin' me off, y'know?"

"I hear ya. It's not every day we meet someone at this school that's so genuinely sweet," Devon agreed. "Makes me worried there might be some kinda catch…"

"Hey, you two!" Kalim called back to them over his shoulder. "What are you hanging back and whispering for? Come on, this way!"

Kalim led them down the main hall through the dorm, pointing out various things he thought they'd find interesting or explaining things about his family and culture and asking Devon about her own along the way. Eventually, he led them to one of the large doorways, smiling eagerly as he threw the double doors open and turned on the light.

Nothing could have prepared Devon and Grim for what they saw inside. There were literal mountains of treasure from the floor to the ceiling as well as what were most likely extremely expensive tapestries and textiles near the back of the room.

The pair could only stare for a moment, completely gobsmacked as they tried to take everything in. Finally, Grim found his voice. "What the heck is this place?! These piles of treasure are taller than we are!"

"I have so many questions right now…," Devon muttered, still in shock.

"This all stuff that Dad sent with me when I left to start school here," Kalim explained. "There was no way for me to fit it all in my dorm room, of course, so I have to keep it here in the storeroom."

"Storeroom, nothing! You've got a whole treasure vault here!" Grim exclaimed.

"Like your very own cave of wonders," Devon added, recalling her dream from the other day.

"Cave of wonders…," Kalim repeated as if testing out the name before giving Devon another bright smile. "I like that! I think that's what I'll call this room from now on!" He led them down a path that had been cleared between the mountains of treasure, heading back toward the tapestries and textiles. "I brought you here because I wanted to show you guys my absolute favorite treasure. It should be right…" He gestured toward some of the textiles, but his smile dropped when he looked over at them. "Huh. That's weird. Where'd it go?"

"Could someone have taken it?" Devon asked.

Kalim shook his head. "Nah, it's not something that would be easy to steal. Sometimes it tends to wonder around on its own, though." He turned to call out into the room. "Hey! Are you here?"

Grim hopped down from Devon's shoulder while she and Kalim were distracted and walked closer to the nearest pile of treasure. "Just look at all this stuff. There's huge gemstones all over the floor, shiny gold goblets…" He smirked conspiratorially as a large red gemstone caught his eye. "With all this treasure here, surely they wouldn't notice if one itty-bitty gemstone went missing, right? Myeh heh heh…" He crept closer to the gemstone, keeping quiet to avoid drawing attention to himself, when he felt something poke him in the back. "Cut it out, Dev. I'm busy here…" Whatever was behind him poked him again, causing him to sigh in frustration. "Yeesh, fine. Whaddaya want? I'm in the middle of-" He turned around…and found himself staring at a floating rug. "GYAAAH!" he screamed as he immediately ran back to Devon and hid behind her legs. "Wh-Why's that carpet floating on it's own?! Is it possessed or something?!"

Kalim brightened when he saw the carpet. "There you are! Go back and curl up in your usual spot, will you?"

Devon took a closer look as the carpet flew over to Kalim. It had a scarlet, black, and gold color scheme similar to the rest of the dorm and some beautifully elaborate designs on it as well. "No way… Is that a magic carpet?!"

Kalim nodded excitedly. "Yep! Good guess, Dev! It's actually a legendary treasure from the Scalding Sands." The carpet bounced happily in the air at being recognized as Kalim continued explaining. "Legends say that the sultan the Sorcerer of the Sands served loved flying on his own magic carpet. The one I have is a replica of it. It's been in our family for generations."

The carpet nodded.

"Wait, so you're sayin' that carpet can fly around like a broom?" Grim asked as he stepped out from behind Devon.

"More or less. That's probably the easiest way to put it," Kalim replied. "Actually…it's getting dark, which means it should be starting to cool off outside. How'd you guys like to go for a little nighttime flight with me?" He smiled and hopped onto the carpet. "C'mon. All aboard!"

Devon looked at the carpet hesitantly. "Is it safe? We're not gonna fall off or anything, are we?"

Kalim shook his head, his smile softening into a more reassuring look. "It's perfectly safe, I promise." He held his hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"

Devon shared a look with Grim before smiling and taking Kalim's hand. "Yes."

Kalim helped Devon and Grim onto the carpet, making sure they didn't sit too close to the edge; takeoff could be a little jarring for first-timers, after all. "Alright then. Away we go!"

With that, the carpet took off up into the air and out the storeroom window into the endless diamond sky.

Ending Notes: That's right. Devon won't have the Wisps with her for a decent chunk of this arc. It wouldn't really be much fun if she did since Flapjack could warp her and Grim back to Ramshackle. Where's the drama in that?

It hasn't had a chance to come into play just yet, but I kind of like the idea of Kalim having a one-sided crush on Devon (mostly because it'll give Jamil something (else) to stress over in this arc). It fades away pretty quick since it's mostly a crush of convenience. I'm not sure if it's ever been confirmed in canon or not, but I'm pretty sure Kalim was homeschooled before he enrolled at NRC, so Devon's probably the first girl he's had any significant interaction with that wasn't either a family member or one of his family's servants. He and Dev stay really good friends, though, and once he realizes that Devon and Jamil have some pretty serious chemistry he becomes Jamil's unsolicited wingman.

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!