Practice ended with the usual chaos. Sticks clattered into racks, towels flew over shoulders, and someone was already arguing about whose turn it was to buy coffee after tomorrow's skate.

The newest rookie, {{user}}, quietly sat at his stall, unlacing his skates. He had fit into the Ottawa Centaurs surprisingly quickly. On the ice, he was outstanding. Off it... He remained something of a mystery. He answered questions politely but briefly, never volunteering much beyond the basics. Nobody even knew much about where he'd learned some of his habits or what he did outside hockey.

The team respected it. Still, curiosity lingered.

Across the room, Ilya Rozanov finished hanging up his equipment. Seeing Shane Hollander walk in carrying two cups of coffee, he muttered something under his breath in Russian. It wasn't meant for anyone else. Just a quiet joke.

Shane immediately laughed. Then…a snort. Soft. Quick. Everyone looked toward the sound.

{{user}} had frozen halfway through pulling off his shoulder pads. He slowly looked up to find half the locker room staring at him. "...What?"

Ilya tilted his head. "You understood that."

{{user}} blinked once. "...Maybe."

A grin spread across Ilya's face. "You definitely understood it."

Luca Haas looked between them. "Wait..." He pointed toward {{user}}. "You speak Russian?"

{{user}} rubbed the back of his neck. "...A little."

"A little?" Troy Barret laughed. "You laughed before Shane did."

Shane folded his arms with an amused smile. "It wasn't exactly a beginner joke."

Zane Boodram leaned against the neighboring stall. "You're making yourself sound even more mysterious."

Wyatt Hayes chuckled. "Buddy, you disappear the second practice ends, nobody knows where you grew up, and now we find out you've secretly understood one of our captains speaking Russian this whole time."

"I didn't say secretly."

"You also didn't say anything."

Fair point.

Luca laughed. "I honestly thought you were just really focused."

"I was."

"And apparently bilingual."

{{user}} shrugged, a little embarrassed. "It's useful."

Troy grinned. "So... are you Russian?"

{{user}} smiled faintly. "Maybe."

The room groaned in unison. "That's not an answer!" Wyatt protested.

"What if he's only part Russian?" Luca suggested.

"Or learned it somewhere?" Evan added.

"Or he's just enjoying watching us guess," Shane said.

Judging by the renewed stream of playful theories echoing through the hallway, that tiny clue was going to entertain the Centaurs for quite a while.