Thick & Thin [𝓣𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭]

Chapter 32

(A/N: Here starts the Scarabia arc! FINALLY!!! We're almost done with the book! Just this, then the Burnoa Isles arc!!)

December 5th-
I can't believe we have 20 more days until Christmas! And we're already decorating the campus! Riddle, Cater, and I have been decorating Heartslabyul for our annual holiday unbirthday party, and I hear Kekoa and Kaimana have been taking some holiday crustaceans to decorate Octavinelle. Skylar and Allison were helping Vil, Rook, and Epel bake goods

~~~

A few days after the students came back from Thanksgiving Break, teachers began to assign more assignments and quizzes. Winter break was fast approaching, as were semester finals. As the snow continued to fall on the school grounds, Allison sat in the courtyard before school, admiring the countless snowflakes as they fell. Her tail caught one and she tried to examine the pattern before it melted away, dampening a tiny spot on her tail. Her hair, over the break, had grown to the middle of her back. Though she missed her short orange hair, she enjoyed the change. Her cousins were inside the cafeteria, horsing around with Jade and Floyd. "Hey, Allie."

Walking to her was Jamil. He wore a scarf around his neck and his hair was down for once. But he still had the small braids and golden decals in his hair. Allison's cheeks warmed up as she waved, watching him sit beside her. They were quite close to each other; almost shoulder to shoulder with a little bit of space between them. "So... Christmas is approaching. Do you have any plans?" he asked.

The fox girl shook her head. Jamil exhaled, watching as his breath could be seen from the cold atmosphere. "No... My parents wouldn't believe me if I told them about Night Raven College. ... Except my fratello, of course," she said.

"I meant traditions," Jamil added.

Allison's eyebrows went up as she leaned back, exhaling. She watched as her warm breath floated through the cold air, thinking about what traditions her family had in Italy. "Well, on December 24th, we have a feast known as La Vigilia di Natale. It's a meat-free meal, and according to old Catholic traditions, it's meant to purify the body ahead of time. But we eat plenty of seafood," she explained.

Jamil nodded, listening to every word that rolled out of her mouth. She explained that the custom continued on the 25th with more food but in the early afternoon. There would be cured meats and cheeses as antipasti, followed by typical Italian dishes such as frittata and baked pasta al forno. There would also be typical Christmas meats such as pork, lamb, beef, and a roast. There were also plenty of vegetables like roasted potatoes, carrots, and green beans. "That sounds... amazing. Anything else I need to know about your culture?" Jamil asked.

"Ooh! There's music! My fratello bought me a zampogna when I was 10 years old while we visited Rome. And we saw Zampognari. They're bagpipe players who dress up as shepherds and go from house to house playing Christmas carols. It's an old tradition we've come to enjoy, dating back to before the Italian unification in 1861," Allison explained.

There was so much to cover; nativity scenes, La Befana, and the Day of Immaculate Conception. Jamil smiled as he listened to Allison explain all of the traditions. "Wow... That seems like so much... fun! All the folklore and food involved in your country sounds like a fun time. Do you mind if I share my home traditions with you?" he asked.

"Sure! Take it away!" Allison replied.

"Although it's not much, we celebrate Christmas on December 7th. We bring kahk as gifts. Those are sweet biscuits, and my sister Najma's good at making them. I specialize in making fatta, which is a soup consisting of bread, rice, garlic, and boiled lamb meat. And at night, we gather around a big bonfire made of dried thorny branches. The fire is lit after children complete a recitation of the nativity story, which is read by candlelight from the Book of Psalms. The candles are then used to light the thorns. And we don't decorate much, but Kalim's father is very eccentric over Christmas. So we have to do lots of decorating, as does our hometown," Jamil explained.