Snegurochka

[Code Name] Snegurochka

[Gender] Female

[Combat Experience] None

[Place of Birth] Ursus

[Date of Birth] Dec 1

[Race] Liberi

[Height] 170cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Flawed

[Mobility] Normal

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Normal

[Combat Skill] Normal

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Snegurochka, born Ksenia Markovna Nelidova, was formerly a researcher at the Central Far North Mining District of Ursus. She now works for Rhodes Island, continuing some of the research she had been conducting in Ursus.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this Operator is believed to be non-infected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

Operator Snegurochka shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.12u/L

Although Operator Snegurochka has spent considerable time working in high-Originium environments, Ursus's strict standards on researcher operating procedures, as well as her own understanding of Oripathy and protective measures, have helped her avoid infection.

[Onboarding Memo]

To Medical: Please be aware that we previously found a large quantity of vodka and sedatives in Operator Snegurochka's luggage during security checks.

—HR Operator

[Health Examination Memo]

Operator Snegurochka's health checkup revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but she showed clear signs of evading my gaze during psychological evaluation. I added two assessments because of this, but failed to find any issues. All her answers indicate that she is emotionally stable.

Out of respect for patient privacy, we have limited our actions to general advice. We will continue to maintain communications in follow-up work.

—Medical Operator

[Addendum]

Snegurochka admitted that she was very on edge during the period after she joined Rhodes Island.

The vodka she hid in her luggage was discovered by security personnel on her first day, while Medical bombarded her with questions to evaluate her psychological condition during her health examination the very next day. She understood full well that our intentions were not malicious, as well as why we asked those questions, but she was afraid that revealing her true self would result in rejection.

She could not admit to others that she drank enough coffee to throw up on a daily basis in order to stimulate herself. Or that only the pain caused by the reaction between vodka and sedatives could trigger her survival instincts when she is most depressed. While this is undoubtedly harmful to her body, controlling dosage is exactly what her job entails, and she is very good at it, for better or worse. As such, she spends her days between extreme alacrity and deep stupor, acting the part of a normal person who is only a little bit depressed, a little bit muddled.

She knew full well what kind of diagnosis our questions would lead to, and so she avoided any answers that could lead to the 'wrong' result, despite promising to answer truthfully.

She had to act normal and ordinary, just like she did in the labs.

—Record from counseling interview 11

Snegurochka has been sober for a week.

At the lab, she used to spend half of her salary on vodka, driving to the sole liquor shop within twenty km on her only day off of the week. One crate of 750ml vodka would last her just about one week.

Before she came to Rhodes Island, she knew that we had a bar, but feared that its offerings would not be strong enough for her needs. Therefore, outside of a few everyday items that were absolutely necessary, she spent the rest of her luggage allowance on distilled vodka.

She found her decision justified the first time she passed by Just One More Pint. The mood at the door was sweet and slightly tipsy, a far cry from the powerful, sledgehammer-like feeling of Ursine pubs. So she swore an oath to herself never to set foot inside.

Giving up on Just One More Pint meant that Snegurochka had to ration her vodka carefully. Rhodes Island was nowhere near as stressful as the lab, and she worked half the hours she used to. She would not need to paralyze herself with alcohol quite so much, so she should be able to cut her drinking by half, meaning the two crates of vodka she brought would last her a month, giving her enough time to find new supplies...

Her plan soon hit a rock. Apparently, stress was not the only cause of her alcoholism, and with Rhodes Island's shorter hours, she found she had that much more time to drink. With her usual habit of spending all her time off work drinking, the vodka she had counted on lasting a month was gone in two weeks.

For a full week, Snegurochka went without alcohol. She was in a daze, and often wondered if she had actually been drinking, for she felt as though she had a constant hangover and wanted to throw up, even though the only thing she drank was water.

Exhausted and leaning against the wall, she stood before the bar that she once looked down on, reason and craving locked in a desperate inner struggle.

'Snegurochka? Would you like something?'

A gentle voice extended an olive branch.

'I...'

Snegurochka slowly raised a finger—

She took a deep breath, and a sweet scent mixed with the aroma of alcohol filled her nostrils.

'I... No, I'm trying to quit drinking.'

The proud, stubborn Ursine resolutely walked towards the Medical Department.

Snegurochka was assigned a corner by the wall at her own request.

Unlike the messy desks of other operators, her desk is immaculately clean. As though it does not belong to her, she never places any private items on it, and only uses disposable paper cups for water.

This may seem strange to the operators of Rhodes Island, but it would be perfectly normal in the labs of Ursus, where junior researchers are not given their own desks. It is quite common for several researchers to huddle around a single tiny wooden desk. Sometimes, during an animated discussion, someone might say, 'Let's talk over at that desk,' which was her cue to exit the discussion and return to the instruments with her notebook, pretending to be writing down the readings.

Snegurochka had no idea what to do with this two-meter-long desk. The files went into the cabinet next to it, while her notebook came with her to her room at the end of the day. She had gotten too accustomed to standing in front of the instruments all day, running tests while reading her colleagues' papers.

She began observing her new colleagues' desks, hoping to find inspiration. Some have practically built a wall out of experiment documents, some have a small potted plant on their desks, while others have a rack of the latest music records... She managed to persuade herself that not all places are as dull and oppressed as Ursus. Perhaps there was something she could do to make her desk her own.

Three months after she joined Rhodes Island, Snegurochka mustered the courage to put something belonging to herself on the desk—a bright, custom-made sun lamp.

Warm light filled the room when she turned it on for the first time, and she found her heart finally settling for the first time.

She likes the sun, as a matter of fact, and if asked again would not have chosen this dark corner by the wall.

'What game will we play today, Ksenia—'

'No games today.'

Ksenia frowns and looks up at the sky beyond the walls, a thick pile of documents in her hands.

'Did they kick you out again?'

'...Yeah.'

'It's alright, Ksenia. They didn't let me join either—'

'We're different, Lyudmila. You're still a child.

'Meanwhile, I've been chosen by the empire. I should be striving to work on even more complex projects and achieve results that will impress everyone.'

'You're not even that much older than me. One, two, three...'

Lyudmila looks at her hands, but she did not pay attention in math class a few days ago, and cannot figure out what the number is.

Ksenia gazes at the tightly-shut window of the lab, and mutters at a volume only she can hear—

'Next time, I'll make sure I get the answer.'

'You know about Kal'tsit's death?'

Lyudmila leans against the wall, gazing at Ksenia, who is standing in front of Kal'tsit's desk.

The setting sun shines through the window into Kal'tsit's office. Ksenia stands in the shadows, and Lyudmila cannot see her expression.

'I heard they hid it from you because they were worried you wouldn't take it well.

'No need for you to feel anger or regret. All I wanted was to see her face-to-face, but even when I did, she never gave me a straight answer.

'Our questions were never answered.'

'No... I don't have any questions for her.'

Ksenia's answer surprised Lyudmila.

'I stood here for a long time, thinking long and hard about what I wanted to ask her, but never found the answer.

'I'm a researcher, an independent academic. When I have a question, I should let the data provide me the answer. Director Kal'tsit's the one who taught me that.

'As for my life... In the days since I left Chernobog, I realized that my failure wasn't her fault, nor your father's. It was only because of my own incompetence...'

'Why can't it be Ursus's fault?!'

Lyudmila interrupts Ksenia, glaring at her.

'Everyone in Ursus—you, me, my father... we all walked the wrong path for too long.

'I had so many questions I wanted her to answer, but then she was just gone.'

'You seem angry, Lyudmila.'

Ksenia takes a step forward, and Lyudmila finally sees her face.

'...And you're crying, Ksenia.

'What exactly did we go through, all these years?'

[Access Request]

Operator Snegurochka requests access to data from some of Dr. Kal'tsit's projects associated with clean energy, the Sarcophagus, and the nature of Originium. A detailed list of requests is attached.

I was employed by the Chernobog research institute, where I conducted research in the aforementioned areas under the leadership of Director Kal'tsit. I also participated in the study of the substance 'Oka' at the Central Far North Mining District Laboratory, gathering relevant first-hand data.

While I did not study under Director Kal'tsit directly, she had significant influence on the direction of my research, and I would like to ask for the opportunity to continue hers.

Reviewer: Mon3tr

Status: Approved

Reviewer: Closure

Status: Approved

Reviewer: Doctor

Status: Pending