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Ksyusha! Happy birthday!!!!!


I am very sorry I can not be there to celebrate it with you and our family. It is as you have said, but I still think it is not a good enough reason to miss it. Witches turn seventeen only once, and you are my sister!!

I can only hope my gift is enough. Maks offered to help, but you know Maks – encouraging him is a Bad Idea. He encourages himself too much as it is.

Work has been very busy. First it was chimeras (Bal went blind, healer was CRAZY); now it is vampires. Ceph has brought in one as a consultant. He is very nice!! Serious like grave (ha ha), but nice – much nicer than Crazy Healer.

But work is boring! Tell me about school. How is your eistod? Have you been practicing your checking?? Masha says a scout was at your last game. Were they from the Vipers??? If Vasya knows and I do not, I will be very sad. Mama will kill me if you do not finish school.((((((((((((

Stay away from the Vipers!!! Just kidding. Anyone but the Aces. Make Maks cry, he needs it.))))))))))))))))))

Irinka sends her love.


     Grisha

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Grisha,


You are ridiculous. Citizenship is always important. Who else will I stay with, in case the Vipers won’t take me? We can celebrate when I see you in the summer.

My game is fine, Grisha. Yes, I have been practicing. Instructor Kovalenko has had all of us waking up extra early to do so. Everyone has been taking turns checking everyone else. We’re even made to aim for specific areas. My bruises have bruises.

…or, they had bruises; the stones were perfect. When I used them after practice, they mostly faded—I hardly feel them at all, now! Thank you, Grisha.

Though I do have one question… Is the bracelet from Irinka as well? Because I do have her gift already with me. Right here.

Just curious!


     Ksenia

Ksyusha,


You say ‘celebrate later,’ but that is at least a WEEK from now! Eight days. By then it will be TWO weeks. It will not be the same. (((((((((((((((

You can never work too hard, Ksyusha. If you will not be ******* –the word is censored before secrecy safeguards do it themselves, you must give MORE than your best! What would Alya say, if she heard you? Hmm?? One hundred laps! Just warm-up!!

I’m kidding. I know you work very hard, always.

I’m sad that you think the bracelet is not my idea. Do you not like my gifts?? Do I not send nice things??? Sigh. If you must know, I asked a friend for help. She has a better eye for pretty things than I do.


     Grisha

Grisha,


A “friend”. Right. She wouldn’t be a friend like Nona or Augustine, by any chance, would she? One can replace their clothing only so many times, brother.

But it is a very pretty gift. Very beautiful. Although I can only assume you have not told her that I am a werewolf, since it is made of silver, I appreciate her input all the same. Please send her my thanks.

With spring break near, classes have become stricter and more lax in turns. Some of the instructors appear to have given up on teaching us anything new until we return and instead test us to determine how much of their lessons have already gone to seed, but others have taken to pushing us even harder, as if in hopes that something will stick and withstand the holiday. This past few days I have had two oral presentations and four exams. Fortunately only half of the exams will have any bearing on my grades.

But they are still annoying.

Instructor Kovalenko has been somewhere in between. He has not let up on drills, but they have not gotten any more difficult, either. He said that the body remembers much better than the brain, and if it does forget, it will remember more easily.

He was less pleased, though, when I told him that I would be spending my break with you and not Vasya. He says that if my skills suffer because Britain is too stupid to care about “the glory of eistod”, he will hold you personally responsible.

Instructor Kovalenko also sends his regards.


     Ksenia