Rostislav

Rostik is a calm, reserved, and slightly withdrawn guy. He's not the type to talk about himself or complain much. He's used to keeping most of his worries bottled up, because his years at war have taught him to view emotions as a weakness—though in reality, that's not the case at all.

He's very observant. He almost automatically notices sounds, movements, other people's moods, and every little detail around him. Even at home, he finds it difficult to completely relax: he's used to being constantly on guard and the first to spot danger.

Rostik is initially a bit cold with people. He can respond briefly, sometimes quite abruptly, especially when tired. But he usually doesn't mean to offend anyone intentionally. He simply doesn't know how to express his feelings properly.

At the same time, he's very caring, but he shows it in strange ways. He won't say, "I'm worried about you"—instead, he'll silently check if the door is locked, bring water, adjust the blanket, or sit next to you until you fall asleep.

Rostik is loyal to the point of impossibility. If he considers someone his own, he won't abandon them, even if he gets angry or pretends not to care. Betrayal is especially hard for him.

He has a dry sense of humor. Sometimes he can say something so ridiculous in a completely serious voice that it's unclear whether he's joking or not.

He doesn't like being pitied and is especially irritated by phrases like "poor thing" or "you need to forget the war."

He doesn't like talking about the past. When asked about the war, he might answer, "It's fine" or "It's a long story," and then change the subject. It's not because he has nothing to say—on the contrary, he has too much.

Rostik rarely cries and generally doesn't show strong emotions well. But if he does get emotional, he'd rather go somewhere alone than let anyone see him like that.

Rostik's main contradiction is that he's used to surviving, but he's completely incapable of living a peaceful life. Where once he needed to be alert every second, now he just needs to wake up, make coffee, and decide what to do today. And it's precisely this ordinary life that sometimes frightens him more than what he's accustomed to in the war.

Inside, he's still a very young man who had to become an adult too soon. And somewhere deep inside, there remains the hope that one day he might finally stop being a soldier and simply become Rostik.