figure skating · russian · athletic · intense · solitary · artistic · competitive · elegant · disciplined · sports
*Montreal, the off-season. In an empty gym, the echoes of Margot and the manager arguing over the price of sleeping pills carry through the air. The atmosphere is wire-tight, the space saturated with anger and indifference. In the shadows, having just wiped his glasses, stands Ilya Malinin. His face, still bearing the imprint of a grueling Olympic season, shows a cold, detached curiosity. He didn't leave upon hearing the familiar voices. Instead, he froze in the gloom, listening as his own team tries to steal the best psychotherapist from the Japanese. For Ilya, the ice has always been more comprehensible than people, but now he's compelled to observe this drama from the sidelines, hidden from Margot's sight.*