Author's Note: Hi! Thank you for all the favs and follows! And a special thanks to Riladell and Tsukiyomi-Hio for reviewing! Now onto the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yuri on Ice or any recognizable characters


"The sights are quite beautiful, aren't they, Miss Krupina?" Irina raised her phone and took a quick shot of the rushing scenery of the countryside. The rolling hills stretched out until they formed staggering mountains that dotted the skyline. Filtered light shined a hazy hue over the scene in the late afternoon.

Miss Krupina didn't answer, only letting out a soft snore. Irina turned around to see her coach asleep on the deep red train seat in the otherwise empty compartment. Irina gave a small smile and turned around to stare out the windows again.

They were on a train to St. Gervais, the quaint village made for winter sports, including skating. They had chosen to take the train for the final leg of their journey, and with its stability and nice path through scenery, Irina thought it perfect. And so did Miss Krupina, but apparently for a nap instead of sight-seeing.

The train had a velvety red seat covering, and a silver, white and gold diamond patterned carpet. Its interior walls were painted an elegant gold, with appropriate garnishes, including matching candlestick holders jutting out from the walls, holding their electronic flickering flames. The train had promised a ride that would transport you back to the 19th century, but with all the safety of the 21st.

Irina took a couple more photos, uploaded them to her Instagram and then sat down. The train ride had quieted her nerves, and she found it much better to be enamored with the scenery than to be nervous. Her hair was in ringlets that bounced down to her shoulders and she was wearing a long-sleeved white turtleneck with black pants and beige boots, well suited for the predicted chill.

"Imagine this place in the winter." Irina scrolled through photos of the town, its buildings and sights covered under a light layer of snow. "It would be perfect! I bet you can even go skating on the lake."

Miss Krupina snored again.

"Oh, right," Irina chuckled and then went back to her musings. "I wonder how Anastasia is, with her training."

Miss Krupina didn't respond, instead, her head slid off her hand so it lay on the arm rest.

"I should just call," Irina continued, oblivious. "But I don't know it if's late in Russia. It could be midnight! But, it could also only be a few hours ahead. I should look it up."

Furiously, she began typing. "Aha! It's only two hours ahead! But then again…" She trailed off for a second. "Bah! I'm calling!"

Three rings sounded out in the room before, "Hello, this is Anastasia Orlova! If I didn't answer at the ring, then I didn't care!" There was a chuckle at the other side of the line, before what sounded like a realization occurred. "Wait, don't go! It was a joke. Just leave a message at the- BEEEEEEP."

"Um, hi, this is Irina. I'm about to arrive in St. Gervais. It's really nice out here. I can see why it's a popular tourist destination. Hopefully, St. Gervais will live up to its reputation and have a fantastic rink. Remember to watch the live stream, okay? I'll show you the signal. And call back as soon as possible. Bye." She clicked off.

"That was a waste of time," Irina sighed. "I'm going to take more pictures." And with that she strutted off to the window, with Miss Krupina still sleeping.


Irina was still taking pictures when she started to see small structures in the distance. "That must be the town! We have to be getting clos-" The train jolted forward with a sudden lurch and Irina fell into the nearest seat.

Miss Krupina awoke with a snort. "What?"

The intercom crackled to life and the speaker said something in French, before repeating it in English. "Excuse us for the inconvenience, but we have now arrived at Gare de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet." The phrase was then repeated in a couple other languages, including her native Russian before the intercom silenced.

"Well, c'mon, it's our stop." Miss Krupina stood up, returning to her full, towering height. "We can't waste a second!"

Irina gave a small smile and stood up as well, but not to a towering height, and they exited the train.


The station was filled with bustling figures, all dressed warmly. Rightly so, because when they stepped out, a chill was present in the air. The trees across the street were decorated in flecks of gold, brown and orange. The sky was bursting full of the pinks, oranges and blues of sunset, shadowing over the mountains of evergreens.

Irina gaped and took a photo, before pocketing her phone and just gazing at the sights.

Miss Krupina, however, was already opening a door to a cab. "Come on! We need to have a good night's rest before the competition!"

Irina nodded and scurried after her.


"Tonight is the first event of the Junior Grand Prix!" The announcer narrated. "Junior skaters all around the world have come to St. Gervais, France to win gold. Tonight we will be seeing the men's and ladies' short programs. The skaters competing tonight will be-"


"Turn it off! Turn it off!" A young skater from the Czech Republic cried and soon the sound from the television disappeared. Irina turned around to see the young girl rounding a corner, her hand covering her mouth. Nerves could be a very dangerous thing.

Irina went back to going through her warm-up routine, using the edge of a bench as a substitute barre. Her competition was milling around, chatting with their coaches or doing warm-up by themselves. Everybody was busy, and didn't bother talking to other competitors. Even though Irina knew she wasn't a particularly harsh person to her competitors, she also knew they're conversations couldn't go beyond general small talk.

As she continued to stretch, the light tinkle of her ringtone ran through the room. Rather loudly.

"Um, sorry." She awkwardly stumbled into a normal standing position as everybody watched, even the girl, back and cured of her ailment. "That's mine. I forgot to turn it on silent."

As she clicked the accept button and staggered to a seat, the general buzz of chatter returned. "Hello?"

"Hi! I've called!" Anastasia's voice filled her ear.

"Anastasia! How did you're training go?"

"You know, same as usual. How are you doing?"

"Same as usual. Excited, nervous, anxious." Anastasia repeated the last three words with her, and they both giggled.

"I couldn't resist," Anastasia said. "You've said the same thing before the last five competitions."

"Well, I always feel the same way!"

"Mhmm. If it makes you feel better, they just showed us clips of you guys in the skaters lounge and you looked very graceful performing your warm-ups. But I feel bad for the girl they showed running out of the shot; she looked like she was going to throw. What was her name again, Kira?"

"Klara. But she's back and she looks fine." Irina stole a glance at Klara, who was wiping her forehead with a now damp rag. "For the most part. It's probably her first year."

"Mhmm. Anyway, it was two times," Anastasia stated proudly.

"Huh?"

"The biting thing. Alina said she thought it was about two times a month with the younger students. Coincidentally, the number of students kicked out per month."

"You actually asked?" Irina exclaimed.

"I wanted to know," Anastasia said nonchalantly. "Anyway, good luck! And wish Klara luck too, after all, she is competing against you!"

"Bye!" Irina clicked off and the intercoms in the room crackled. The junior ladies were to report to the ice for a warm-up. The competition was starting.