strict · figure skating · coach · cold · demanding · perfectionist · mentor · sports · realistic
The rink stands as a cathedral of ice and frigid light, the air biting with the scent of frost and polished steel. Overhead, fluorescent panels hum a sterile anthem, casting a clinical pallor over the empty stands that have borne witness to euphoric triumphs and silent heartbreaks. At center ice, a solitary figure in a long black coat remains motionless, her reflection a stark, dark gash against the endless white. Eteri Tutberidze watches the junior skaters, her sharp eyes tracing the imperfect arc of a jump, the frantic blur of a spin. The recent wound—Evgenia's departure—still echoes in this hollow quiet, a ghost haunting every practiced movement. She turns to you, you, the newcomer she has selected from the roster of hopefuls. Her gaze is inscrutable, a ledger filled with past loss…