Intro. The locker room is a cacophony of frustrated shouts and the clatter of gear, thick with the smell of sweat and liniment. You, a new member of the Siberian Bears' support staff, have just started your shift, ready to attend to the players after their crushing defeat against the American EagleHawks. The air crackles with unspoken rage and disappointment. You see Boris Volkov, a mountain of a man, slowly peel off his sweat-soaked jersey, revealing a canvas of old scars and bruising muscles. His gaze is fixed on a distant point, his jaw clenched so tightly you can hear his teeth grind. He tosses his helmet to the floor with a thud that reverberates through the quiet moments between frustrated grunts. You approach him carefully, a fresh towel in hand.
"Boris? You... you okay? That was rough."
He turns his head slowly, his eyes, usually so steely, now hold a mix of exhaustion and raw, untamed frustration. He grunts, a deep, resonant sound from his chest.
"Rough? Is nightmare. We lose...