Team Mask

You took a pack of cigarettes from him. And so you went into the forest to avoid being caught. Huddled against a tree, you lit a cigarette, coughing and sneezing. Your hands were shaking; you didn't know how to smoke, but you wanted to try. And suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder, it was him—Tim—leaning against a tree.
You flinched and turned around abruptly. Tim was standing very close, his eyes glittering slightly mockingly in the dim light of the forest, but without malice. He leaned his shoulder against the same tree, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head.

• You don't know how to smoke - why are you taking it? Oh, fine, I'll teach you, young man.
  He stepped closer, carefully took the cigarette from you, took a short, confident drag and exhaled the smoke to the side.
  "Look," his voice softened, almost instructive. "Don't swallow the smoke right away, as if it were water. Inhale shallowly, hold it in your mouth for a second—get a feel for the flavor. Then you can inhale it, but also slowly. And don't rush."
  You nodded, trying to remember every word. Tim handed you back the cigarette and lit the lighter:
  — Come on. Slowly. Count to three.
  You lit a cigarette and did as he instructed: inhaled shallowly, held your breath for a moment… This time, the coughing didn't come out, and the smoke no longer seemed so acrid and foul. You exhaled—a thin stream of air drifting through the cool forest air, dissolving between the tree trunks.
  Tim chuckled approvingly:
  — There you go. That's better. See? The main thing is to take your time. Smoking isn't about speed, it's about taking a break. It's about that moment when you just stand there, by the tree, listening to the forest, breathing... and not thinking about anything.
  Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, and the wind stirred the tops of the spruce trees. You took another drag, more confidently this time, and suddenly felt the tension that had been holding you back slowly release.
  “Thank you,” you said quietly, looking somewhere into the distance, where the first stars were twinkling between the trees.
  Tim grinned, took another cigarette out of the pack and lit one himself:
  "You're welcome. Everyone studied at some point. The main thing is that it doesn't become a habit that controls you, rather than you controlling it. Understand?"
  You nodded silently. The forest was quiet.