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The ice-type dodged the kick and curled its lip at Nikki, exposing needle-sharp fangs. The message was clear: Don't. I will bite you. It darted in again to remove the other sock.

The blond rubbed a hand over his face. Sleep had given him energy, but the whole ordeal was making him tired on another level. Still, now they actually had the energy to do that, rather than collapse halfway to their vehicle. "Yeah," he said. "We'll get out of here. And this thing saved your life, by the way. She dug me out, then found you."

The Glaceon spat the second sock aside and flicked an ear at Nikki.

Hayes picked up the sock, frowned slightly, and let it drop. "Here. I've got some dry ones."

"Bullshit," was the blunt reply. "Get back under the blankets."

The Glaceon broke away from Hayes now and curled herself around Nikki, lending her body heat to the shivering girl. Any attempt to push her away would result in a warning n**.

Hayes didn't pay much attention to what was going on - in this climate, on a cold morning before real activity started and you'd fueled yourself with food, you were working against time. And Nikki was already at a considerable disadvantage. Her partner turned back after a minute with a bundle of clothing - a shirt, pants, socks, mittens, and liners to go with them, all sized for someone half a foot taller than her.

"You'll have to use your own outers," he said as he offered the pile to her. "But you'll be dry underneath, at least."

That done, he pulled on his gloves and face mask, unzipped the tent door, and left her to change in privacy.

At least breakfast itself was easy. All Hayes had to do was get the stove going and bring the contents of a water bottle to a boil. The rest was time and keeping a surreptitious eye on Yuushi. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Charizard around food, it was that he didn't trust the Charizard, full stop.

Hopefully it wouldn't recognize this stuff as edible right away.

The Glaceon didn't seem to hold any grudges. Its ears splayed out slightly to make space for Nikki's hand and it butted gently against her palm, perhaps to encourage the behavior to continue.

It wasn't long before the scent of cooking caught its attention; it sniffed and pulled away from Nikki, tangling around Hayes' boots as he ducked back into the tent. "Hey, careful." The blond's lenses were fogged up from the steam of boiling water, and he was carrying what looked like three fleece bags leaking steam. One he set down, one he held on to, and one he offered to Nikki with a "Here. Spoons in the pack."

If you got past the fact it was served in a plastic bag inside a fabric cozy the oatmeal, thick with butter and studded with raisins, looked pretty good.

"No problem," was all Hayes said between spoonfuls.

Once he finished he sealed the bag up and looked over at Nikki. The Glaceon sat beside her and worked at her meal with small but steady bites, clearly enjoying the taste.

"You know, I think this could work," he said after a while. "This partner thing."

"Dunno," her partner shrugged, wearing a little smile. "Just a feeling."

"Anyway-" He shifted and started to get to his feet, "we can break camp and be out of here in ten if you're ready. This was directed to the Glaceon as well, who turned her head slightly to glance at Hayes, then kept on eating without comment. The blonde looked for a moment at Yuushi's large shadow hulking outside. "Is your Charizard still up for carrying you?"

They'd have to call it a day and head back; there weren't any other options that bore a good chance of both Rockets coming back in one piece.

And she wasn't burning the tent down and hadn't even tried to snag some oatmeal. This was important.

"All right. If you take care of that, I'll get the rest of this stuff sorted." Hayes looked down at his half-melted boots. He'd done the best he could to patch them with what was on hand and there were heat packs in the toes, but it was still going to be a cold slog back to the van.

He glanced sideways when Nikki sighed; the Glaceon looked up from her meal and let out an answering puff of air. "Were you really hoping?" the blond asked.

He might have hit a nerve. No, he probably had - that seemed to be like shooting fish in a barrel with her. The real question was if it had been an important one.

The blond could just about stand up in the center, but had to hunch down as he shifted aside to let his partner get to the front of the tent. The Glaceon pricked her ears and followed. Both she and Hayes glances up at the Charizard when it huffed, both calm but finding it prudent not to look like they were presenting a challenge.

Assuming Yuushi didn't incinerate the tent after her trainer was safely outside, the Rocket exited once the Fire-type was a meter or two away - enough that he wouldn't be seen as invading her space. The Glaceon started to follow, then nipped back inside, snatched up the bag of oatmeal in her teeth, and trotted under a tree, where she resumed eating.