There was always a chance that, upon his display, Seifer might take advantage of the feigned vulnerability. Nida knew he was signing up for that. Of course he also knew that a play like this might make things a bit easier for Seifer. Sure, it was also fun but when it came down to Seifer, Nida was more than willing to put his training to use.

What he wasn't prepared for was the snow to be tossed on him. More cold. It's bad enough that his fingers are frozen and that he was lying in the snow. Did Seifer have to do that? He bolted up with a yelp, pretending to look thankful even as he shivered.

"Damn, we should have had more classes up in the Gaulg Mountains. I mean, I heard you and Squall went there sometimes, but geez, we could have used cold weather classes."