<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/38/1470795.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>Junior Lieutenant Valentina Qunanbaiuly -  Sparrow</em></span><br/><br/>Valentina merely smiled to the woman who introduced herself as Morozov. There weren’t too many Russians where she lived but the ones she had known were decent enough people. Still, she knew that many outside Kazakhstan looked down upon “foreigners” such as herself. Sergei had said as much in his letters about uppity Russian officers assuming that he could barely understand sums. She still had to watch and learn which of these women were the decent ones and which were something else.<br/><br/>“Valentina Qunanbaiuly.” Valentina said a bit stiffly to Yalena. “You know, before I joined the army I had never even been on a train. I am used to the big open skies and mountains. Not this.” She left it at that, having been suggested many times not to get too chatty with her unit comrades.<br/><br/>Valentina then watched Yalena expertly use her rank and skill to extract a much more decent uniform. She raised an eyebrow as she nodded to the other woman mentioning delousing. “Near Moscow my fiance says that even a moderately tattered uniform is prized for. One can only imagine how bad things will get for the<em>women</em>when we get to the front. You’re lucky Yalena. You have to show me that trick one day.”