fandomhigh | Camping 101; Friday, 3rd Period [05/31].

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Camping 101; Friday, 3rd Period [05/31].

At the meeting spot outside the preserve, the class would find Gladio there waiting, with packs already prepared, and with Ignis there standing beside him, and as everyone gathered, he greeted them with a grin.

"Hey, guys," he said, and then hitched a thumb toward his companion, "I know you all know Iggy here at least a little, if not more, so you've probably figured out just by him being here what today's lesson is going to be focusing on: camp food. So I hope you're hungry, but, if not, maybe the hike to the campsite'll get that appetite going. When we get there, Igs is going to show you a few cool cooking techniques for camping and hopefully you'll have a few of your own you can share, too. But let's save that for when we get there. Grab a pack and let's get moving."

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With Ignis leading the lecture, Gladio just sort of had to kick back, wait to enjoy the food....and definitely notice.

His brow lifted slightly, and he seemed to have held off until just about that moment Arden's eyelids settled into resting mode to say something.

"Late night?" he guessed.

Arden startled awake, then winced as that meant her arms flailed. "Uh, no sir," she said, a hand massaging her forearm. "Early morning workout. Before dawn, so that's early even for me."

Complete with detention.

Edited 2024-05-31 20:10 (UTC)

Gladio's other brow joined the first.

"That's early even for me," he remarked, sounding as impressed as he was surprised. He then considered that wince and that arm rub.

"You need an ice pack for that or anything?" he checked.

Arden considered it and then nodded a bit tentatively. "Yes, please," she said. "My arms aren't really used to freeclimbing."

They were still pretty spindly and they had climbed a very long way even before she'd backpacked onto Cal.

"You got up before dawn to do freeclimbing?"

So add both respect and questioning if Arden was feeling alright to that tone, but Gladio nodded and went to dig some of the ice meant to keep the food cold out of one the coolers for her and went to hand it over.

"Got a pretty good work out out of it, at least. And yoga later should help those muscles from stiffening up too much more on you, too, at least."

"Uhh, yeah," Arden said, her posture changing from wary to perking up slightly. "We decided to, um. Climb the castle? To see what was in the top of the tower?"

A very normal decision, yes.

"And we had to go early because we figured no one would notice us." Ask her how well that worked out. "I didn't climb the whole way though, goddess no," she said quickly. "I kinda backpacked my friend for a bunch of it."

Gladio took in all this information as he looked at Arden, a faint grin drifting up to his face with a snort at a long-distant memory of Yang Xiao Long giving him the stink-eye for skipping all the practice walls during her terrain class and going right for the super-advanced ones.

"Did you at least get to the top?"

Gladiolus Amicitia, out here asking the important questions.

"Sorta?" she said, wincing. "I mean, yes, but you see, the Dean showed up and kinda chased us up it with his bullshit cheating Jedi powers."

This answer was not helping with the grin, but Gladio at least folded his arms in front of him as if to maintain at least some hint of a disapproving teacherly figure.

"So you went and got up that early to do it," he observed, "and you still got caught?"

"Yessir," Arden said, hanging her head. And then looked back up because this was some unjust bullshit. "And I don't even know how! One minute we were climbing and having a great time and the next we were getting chased by the dean!"

Who was, again, a dirty fucking cheater.

"Yeah," Gladio snorted again, but there was some sympathy in that snort, at least. "He'd got some kind of sense for it or something, I think. I know he busted Prompto," his chin jerked toward him a moment, "and his friends all the time back when he was a student here, too. Granted, one of thr things him and his sister did every semester was rig up the newbie shuttle as something ridiculous the night before, so that one at least worked on a schedule for getting caught. They actually did it up like a giant Cup Noodle^TM the year I started teaching here..."

Ah. Memories. Of a decade/couple of years ago...

He'd been wondering if the tradition would start up again once Noctra reached a good age for pranks.

Arden darted a glance at Professor Argentum and then back at Professor Amicitia. At first, she nearly swallowed her question back, but then in the spirit of fuck it, I already got one detention today, she asked quietly, "Um. Sir? Has he - Professor Argentum, I mean - um. Has he ever mentioned whatever it was that I...did? Or said, maybe? I--I don't really know. I've tried to figure it out? But I can't think of anything, but I'd like to apologize for whatever it was...?"

Gladio frowned at that, with more than a little confusion, especially since, at first, he almost thought Arden meant the whole climbing thing when she said whatever it was she'd done. But that didn't make a whole lot of sense for a few reasons, so he just rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before deciding just to ask.

"What do you mean?" He lowered his voice, too, with a spared glance of his own to ensure that Prompto was still pretty engaged with keep Noctra entertained through Ignis' instructions.

"I, um. I don't think he likes me," she said quietly. "Or maybe I make him uncomfortable? And like, um, he doesn't have to like me of course, nobody has to like anybody--" but she would feel so much more comfortable if everybody did "--but um. If I knew what I did, then maybe I could, well, not fix it, but make it so that he doesn't freak out when he hears about me on the radio?" Because yeah, she'd heard that broadcast.

"Or, I mean, I could also, um, just not take his classes or whatever and give him space! If that would be better! I just...would rather know what I did so that I could say sorry."

"Pretty sure," said Gladio, a bit wryly, "Prompto's just awkward and uncomfortable with most people, honestly."

But, all jokes (accurate though they may be) aside, Gladio did take a moment to look at Arden and consider....well, the Ardyn-ness of it all, and he sighed heavily, shaking his head, rubbing his neck a little as he figured he knew what she meant now and how to best answer it.

"But, trust me," he said, "I'm pretty sure you've got nothing to worry about there. That's..."

Another sigh. A disappointed look sent Prompto's way.

"That's a him problem," he said, returning his look to Arden. "Not a you problem, got it? You didn't do anything wrong."

Realizing that probably would only leave her with more questions....or casting Prompto in a pretty bad light, he elaborated a little more.

"But another Ardyn did. Not too long ago, either. And it was bad. Real bad. For him even a little more than the rest of us, so it probably still..." And yet another sigh, a shake of his head, "...gets him a little, hearing your name..."

"...Oh!" Arden said, a rush of relief that she, at least, hadn't done anything wrong. "Ohhhh." But that meant she couldn't fix it either.

"Oh."

Hmm. "Do you think he'd...maybe feel better? If he could just...call me Finch? It's my last name, so I'd still answer it and unless you were all attacked by a swarm of songbirds...?" She gave him a small, hopeful smile, moving the ice pack from one arm to the next.

"Honestly?" said Gladio, with a shrug. "That kind of helped me get over it at first."

And then he found out Arden was a real good kid and he started liking her and everything, and the separation couldn't be clearer. But he knew stuff like that didn't come as easily for Prompto. And he could only guess at all the things that man put him through when they were separated in Niflheim....

He gave Arden a faint smile. "Just give him time," he suggested. "He'll come around. And just know it's nothing personal. We've all been through some pretty gnarly stuff because of that guy, but that's not on you at all. I...can talk to him, too, if you want. We're all going fishing this weekend, so it'll be a good opportunity to do so."

There were a lot of things he needed to talk to them about, actually, but he could squeeze that into the agenda easily enough, too.

There was a quick flicker of emotion over Arden's face, and she nodded. "Well, good," she said. "Glad it helped you. Hope it helps him, too."

Professor Amicitia's offer took her a little aback, leaving her stammering through an answer. "Oh, I--I mean...uh." she said. "I'm sure you don't--what's there even to say? Um. Oh, I guess it might be easier? If the suggestion comes from you? And then he maybe won't. Um. Feel weird?"

Then, more softly. "I'm sorry bad things happened to you all. I mean, um. I know that's just life." A bitter, knowing laugh. "But still. It sucks. When it's the kind that lingers. Sorry to um. Hear that you do."

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Camping 101; Friday, 3rd Period [05/31].

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Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.

Re: Class Activity: Camp Cooking - Camping, 05/31.