“Good words to live by,” Irina grinned at the younger girl, as she sat down and removed her shoes, and picked up a skate to put on. It was an odd feeling, as if she were wearing very high, every unstable heels. She laced them up tightly, as Evgenia had said, and then gingerly stood up. “No, none of that. I grew up in a coal mine town - all we had was a lot of dust. And heat.” Irina smile. “That’s amazing, you practically learnt to skate and walk at the same time!” Watching the younger woman, she did the same to her hair, instead of letting it fall loosely around her. “Okay - Итак, давайте приступим.”
She did, as she was told, and laughed - she felt like a new-born roe which had just stood on its feet for the first time. It was wobbly, but gliding forward was surprisingly easy, as she followed Evgenia’s instructions. Step, slide, step - “Oh!” she exclaimed, as she found herself with her butt on the ice. “That’s sound advice. I have enough puffer to keep me from hurting myself there… Okay, let me try again.” Getting up was harder than it seemed at first, but eventually she managed and started sliding again. Soon, she was still wobbly, but not as insecure on her feet and followed Evgenia further onto the ice. “How did you start ice skating? Did you just want to do it?”
Evgenia watched her get onto the ice. So far, so good. When she fell, the young woman wasn’t suprised. Not many people could just skate perfectly, so she was expecting it. “Love the determination, that will get you to learn things quick.” She says with a nod as she waits for her to get a bit closer. “Ah, well, as I said I started super young. My mom told me I had horrid balance as a kid, so she signed me up for ice skating lessons and my posture and balance improved rapidly. I fell in love with it, so mom kept me in, and eventually I just learned how to ice skate. It’s like walking to me, so easy.”
Evgenia pushed off of the ice and started to spin, a hand meeting her skate as she held it and spun for several seconds. “Plus I was in ballet, and the two go hand in hand, really. So it’s just a thing I know and love.” Evgenia skates towards her, and while she skates, grabs her hand gently and pulls her alongside as she skates. “Keep your back straight, eyes forward. Don’t look down at your feet, just focus on what’s ahead of you.” After she felt like she could skate alone, evgenia let go and skated ahead of her to watch.