fandomhigh | Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain & You, Monday, Period 1

"Welcome back," Ghanima said as the students entered the Danger Shop. She was standing beside two large trunks, and the room was blank, not yet assigned an environment. "Today, we're going a bit farther north than many of you, myself included, are accustomed to."

She pressed a button on the remote, and suddenly the students would find themselves surrounded by snow. "Welcome to the Arctic!" Ghanima said cheerfully, apparently unbothered by the sudden drop in climate.

She was cheating and regulating her own body temperature, which was why she seemed so perky. Normally she wouldn't use her Bene Gesserit talents in such a flagrant way, but it was only for an hour, and was hardly going to lead to Abomination. "I hope you brought your mittens! For those of you that didn't..." she knelt to open the first chest, which was filled with coats, hats, mittens, and snow shoes. "Suit up."

"Long before brick or wood houses with indoor heat became commonplace, people had to be creative when building homes to protect them from nature's elements," Ghanima lectured as people got dressed. "Wealthy Europeans embraced the concept of a nearly indestructible castle built from stone. Native Americans in warmer climates favored the tepee, or tipi, made entirely of animal hides or bark. Unfortunately, for the inhabitants of Earth's more frigid regions, such as the Canadian tundra, neither of these were good options. Building materials were pretty much nonexistent, making it difficult to craft even the most rudimentary home. These people used the only abundant material to form a modest roof over their heads: snow. Thus, the igloo was born. The Inuit, better known to some of you as Eskimos, invented the igloo centuries ago. The igloo was a means for hunters to survive brutal winters in a vast area spanning more than 3,500 miles, including eastern Siberia, Greenland, Alaska and parts of Canada."

"Today, we will learn how to build the most basic of snow shelters," she continued. "Knowing how to make a snow trench shelter, a snow cave, or igloo can save your life in a winter survival situation. The great insulative qualities of snow can be used to help keep you warm enough to survive in even the coldest weather; but only if you know how to use the snow to your advantage."

"Only experts should try to make an igloo to spend the night in, least it collapse on you. A snow trench or cave, however, almost anyone can do," Ghanima said, quickly explaining the techniques behind making a trench. "I've provided shovels and knives for today's work, but you won't always have such equipment in the field. Snowshoes also make good digging tools, and if you're carrying a field kit, a cup or pot will also work."

"Now get to work," she said, opening the second chest to distribute tools to the class before taking a knife for herself. She wasn't going to ask the students to do something that she was unwilling to attempt herself. "Feel free to work solo or in groups. I programmed the room so that we've got one hour to dark, and you don't want to be caught out without a place to sleep."

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And that was precisely the answer Prompto was hoping she'd give.

"Doooo iiiiiiiiit!" he goaded eagerly. "Fwoop me up some of that sweet winter gear!"

"Okay. But I get to pick what you wear."

She flashed him a quick grin, then swept her eyes across the remaining options. With a nod, her fingers followed. Each time a piece of clothing disappeared it was accompanied by a soft, almost electronic buzzing sound.

Kuroko was actually trying to match Prompto's style based on what he was wearing already, and she had a pretty good eye for fashion (well, women's fashion, but some of that translated) so it probably didn't end up too badly?

To be fair, Prompto's sense of style was pretty much a fashion disaster, so whatever she ended up picking up would probably work on mere principle alone.

"That?" he said. "Is, like, totally fair."

She was pretty much gearing him up with magic. She could put him in a giant chocobo suit, and he'd be perfectly delighted.

Okay, bad example, Prompto would be delighted with a giant chocobo suit no matter what the circumstances.

And as each piece disappeared, he was getting progressively stoked to see where this was going and he was bouncing a little and even forgetting to be cold.

"Okay," he said, closing his eyes, as if to make the reveal all the more exciting, "totally ready whenever you are."

"It works just fine if you have your eyes open."

Not that she was waiting for him. That buzzing sounded again and suddenly there were clothes on Prompto. As if they'd appeared out of nowhere.

Yeah, but, it seemed like it really shouldn't work just fine with his eyes open? Still, Prompto also didn't want to miss this, so he compromised and cracked just one open.

And the next thing he knew, he was geared up.

"Awesome," he said, awed, marveling a little at his arms and his hands and all the new stuff that was just there now. "That is so awesome."

"Yeah."

Kuroko's other superpower was apparently looking smug.

"I know."

And she was super good at that, too. And with reason! Prompto chuckled a little, and was now marveling at the rest of the gear.

"I'm Prompto, by the way," he offered out, especially since, you know, she'd already magically dressed him and all, "I don't think we've, like, officially formally met or anything yet?"

"Not yet. I mean, I remember you from last week, but we haven't talked or anything."

She stuck out a mittenned hand. "I'm Kuroko. Nice to meet you, Prompto."

And Prompto met that mittened hand with an awesomely gloved one of his own. "Nice to meet you, too, Kuroko. Now let's go take on this stupid cold-ass weather!"

"Let's do it!"

Keeping Your Advantage: Terrain & You, Monday, Period 1

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