sees Nikolai and walks over to him, sitting down in the ankle-high grass. She looks up at the sky. A fat white cloud passes over head.

"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" She felt like calling him bachha but decided to keep silent. Times had changed since then, and so had he.

looks up. "Oh, it's you."

laughs. "As terse as ever."

doesn't bother to sit up. "So?"

"Nothing much." The aura of irritance that hung around him was still there. She remembered it from the times she'd visited the USSR - it was

a bit of a relief to see some things were going to stay the same.

huffs a little at her. "What do you want?"