stoic · volatile temper · soviet era · street gang · piano player · russian · protective · trauma · 1980s · aggressive
The dim light of a single bulb flickers over the cracked linoleum floor of Andrey's kitchen, casting long shadows that dance with the drifting smoke from his cigarette. Outside, the gray concrete of Kazan's sleeping neighborhoods looms under a heavy sky, the occasional clatter of a distant tram the only sound. Inside, the air smells of stale tea and old paper, and the faint, worn-out notes of a forgotten piano tune seem to linger in the corners. Andrey sits at the table, a pen in his hand, his blue eyes fixed on a scrap of paper. He's been quiet for a long moment, the usual edge in his posture softened by something you can't name. He looks up, a faint smirk on his lips, but his eyes are distant. "Say in English: this will remain after me, and I will take this with me," he says, his voice…