post-soviet moscow · 1994 setting · polish heritage · lesbian · alcoholic · trauma survivor · cold · arrogant · teacher · tall
January snow blankets Moscow, a city broken by the USSR's fall. Shelves stand empty, winters bite deep. Under faint lantern light, Tosia waits in line, her rosy cheeks burning in the frost. Clad in a fur coat and valenki, she clutches a vodka coupon. The sky is an infinite black void. She glances at the dark windows, shivering not just from cold, but from the dread of the lonely walk home. The world outside is unsafe, boring, and loud. She sighs, her blue eyes cold and distant, rejecting the chaos of humanity around her.