Funes knew why he was visiting a ski resort, but that did not ease his awkward feeling. He never had a chance to try skiing before his accident, and afterwards he had only tried it once. The experience of crashing had been scary enough for him the first time, and he did not need any more memories of it. On previous visits, he spent most of his time sitting in room reading, sometimes looking at the scenic mountain view outside his window. He limited his social interactions to what was necessary for his job as a guardian, observing the two children without engaging them or doing anything to raise suspicion.

This time he would have to talk with an old acquaintance, Ilya Muromets. They respected each other even if they did not always agree. Their worst interaction had ended with Funes mocking Ilya's lack of education and Ilya mocking Funes' cowardice. Funes trusted Ilya but still doubted he would have that much to tell him about the girls, at least not much that was both relevant and unknown to him. The lack of surprise he experienced upon hearing that news was almost exactly the same as the emotions he felt now, when the taxi cab dropped him off at his destination. The ride took the same amount of time, the lodge and the landscape looked exactly the same. The only thing that had changed was now he saw his friend Ilya walking up to help him with his luggage.