Clad in a coat, Krystal sat nervously in the front seat of Fox's Arwing.
"Don't worry." Fox assured her as he loaded the rest of their luggage in the ship's storage, "It's just like the simulator. Just focus on getting from point A to point B."
Krystal nodded. All she had to do was do exactly what she did many times on the simulator. As Fox crawled into the seat behind her, dread filled her stomach.
"Are you sure I'm ready?" Krystal asked.
"The ship's autopilot has been modified for this training exercise." Fox explained as the Arwing canopy closed over them, "You'll have complete control for the most part. The ship will only take control to prevent you from crashing."
"I'm still not sure I'm ready."
"You're ready." Fox insisted, "Besides, you have your instructor with you in case you need help. Now, get the Arwing out of the Great Fox when you're ready."
Krystal took a few deep breaths before she increased power to the engines. Once she had the ship hovering a few feet off the floor, she retracted the landing gear and moved the ship toward the hangar exit.
"You're doing good." Fox told Krystal, "I've loaded the coordinates of your destination in the navigational system. The information will be projected in front of you."
Krystal looked at the 3d map projected in the front of the cockpit. Her destination was a parking lot on the frozen planet the Great Fox was orbitting. Nervous, she increased the Arwing's speed and pointed the craft toward where she was told the parking lot was. After she passed some clouds in the planet's atmosphere, the parking lot came into view. Krystal slowed the Arwing down to a hover and angled the ship until it was parallel to the ground.
"Now, just lower the landing gear and ease the Arwing down." Fox instructed. Krystal lowered the landing gear and lowered the power to the hover thrusters, causing the ship to slowly float down to the ground. A few minutes later, the ship gently made contact with the ground.
"You did great." Fox praised as Krystal turned off the engines and opened the canopy.
"It's so cold here." Krystal complained as she raised the hood over her head.
"You'll adapt." Fox assured her, "Besides, you can't have snow where it isn't cold."
"So, this is snow." Krystal observed as she watched white flakes fall from the sky.
"It's either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever." Fox explained as she removed their luggage from the Arwing, "It all depends on whether it's trying to kill you or not."
"I need warmth." Krystal said as she moved in close to Fox.
"Let's head to the hotel." Fox suggested, pointing to the large building nearby. Once inside, Krystal welcomed the warmth.
"You shouldn't get too used to the warmth." Fox warned, "We're here to get you used to the cold. You'll never know when you'll have to fight in a blizzard."
The pair approached the counter. Fox showed the man at the counter her identification card.
"Your room is 403 on the fourth floor." he told the pair. Fox thanked the man and grabbed the room key. The pair took the stairs to their room. Fox opened the door to their room and left their luggage by their bed. Krystal walked to the window and admired the scenery.
The white landscape was beautiful. Krystal suddenly understood the appeal of living in such a cold climate. There was an almost eery beauty to the planet. There was a quiet that was soothing, yet unnerving. Fox soon joined Krystal by the window.
Looking out, Fox scanned the area. There was a trail barely visible from the hotel. Fox decided it was a perfect first step toward getting Krystal used to moving and fighting in frigid environments. They had a clear path and only needed to walk.
Krystal turned her attention toward Fox. The orange vixen looked so cute when she was serious. It was clear Fox was planning on doing something outside. While the scenery was lovely, Krystal was not looking forward to spending any more time in the frozen landscape.
Fox felt a familiar feeling return. They were alone together, but didn't have training, exhaustion, or Falco to ruin the mood. All she had now was Krystal. There was a list of things she couldn't wait to do to the blue vixen, but those still had to wait. Fox cursed her sense of professionalism as much as Krystal did.
"What's on your mind?" Krystal asked, sensing Fox's distraction.
"Training." Fox answered, "There's a trail out there we could use for cold weather training. We'll focus primarily on getting you used to the cold, wind, and snow."
"Anything else on your mind?"
"Nothing that shouldn't wait until your basic Star Fox training is complete."
Krystal sensed Fox's growing desire. If they were lucky, Krystal's training would be complete before they both went insane. She let out a sigh, wishing Fox wasn't so professional, and looked out the window again.
She did not look forward to training out there. The brief time she spent out there was long enough to tell her the cold climate was not to her liking. But she couldn't back down. She couldn't let Fox down. She didn't think she'd have the heart to further their relationship if she had abandoned her training over a little cold weather.
"We should probably get some sleep soon." Fox said as she closed the curtains and headed for the bathroom. As Fox prepared for a shower, Krystal removed her coat and boots. While she waited for Fox, Krystal changed into a nightgown Fara had gifted her. Ten minutes later, Fox left the bathroom clean and dry. She then removed her towel and changed into her pajamas in front of Krystal. The pair then climbed into bed.
While Fox quickly fell asleep, Krystal laid awake. She wondered how much longer she could wait. She fantasized about their first night together after Krystal completes her training. Krystal would stay chaste for life if she could just do a fraction of the things she wanted to do to Fox. For now, she'd continue to settle for sharing a bed.
A few minutes later, Krystal drifted to sleep.