Teds eyes diverted from his newspaper as he noticed TonyTheTailor giving what he would assume was a well rehearsed speech, something about the motherland, a programme, Chloe being chosen? His chunky fingers removed the smoke from his lips, dropping it into an ashtray as he rose to his feet, he was no stranger to a Gulag but he had no idea what this programme was about. Sounded like some form of punishment.

He stood back, taking it all in, his eyes drifting to look at Chloe from afar, what had she gotten herself involved in, he could only wait and see, not wanting to draw attention to himself he shuffled back through the crowds and headed towards 12th street, maybe SlimRagnarok would have more information? Or maybe he’d be non the wiser then Ted himself. 

Milk, after hearing Comrade Antinov speak about a new potential comrade coming out of Detroit, steps out of the the nearest watering hole.

Good work cold ears Chloe.  You have officially entered the comrade program and are no longer a cold ears and for the next several hours are a nonrade.  

Only time will tell is you earn your ushanka.  I wish you the best of luck and look forward to your warm ears ceremony. 

Good luck

- The Only 3 Ushanka Comrade: Milkov

Being an outsider in most regards to this program, I nonetheless wish the best of luck to anyone who enters into the gulag. What used to be somewhat confined to Philadelphia is now a bit more spread out and still attracting others. Looks like Peter and his kin's death was not in vain! A great turn of events.

I must say though, watching BigTed poke his head into this side of our lives only to be immediately ripped apart in front of OUR EYES by some unseen, horrific, and otherworldly force, I seriously hope this isn't a bad omen of sorts. A death like that is pretty horrific.

He was just standing here...and then he wasn't. I don't know if all the glitter in the world (brought to you by good ol' Jezabel) is enough to cover that up...or hide the gruesome sight delivered in front of us.

Hopefully this will not impact further gulag runs, especially knowing it seems to have been uninvolved. Sudden death hasn't stopped the gulag just yet anyway!

Nikolai stepped out of his HQ, a rare sight these last few days, at the sound of gunshots, and of the gods ripping people to pieces in the streets. He saw the crowd gathering around Comrade TonyTheTailor, and decided to see what all the hubbub was about. He passed Comrade Milk, who despite having one more unshanka than him, was still inferior in every way. He walked up to TonyTheTailor after the speech, and cast a glance at Chloe. She looked terrified, but that was to be expected the first time you enter the Gulag. 
 

Don’t worry, soon to be Comrade Chloe. I have faith you’ll survive this ordeal, and trust me, you’ll be better off for it. Whether you realize it or not. 
 

Nikolai then glanced over to PlagueDoctor. The man may not be a Comrade, having not entered the Gulag himself, but he sure seemed interested in the programme and always around those who had entered. He was almost Comrade-adjacent. Almost. 
 

Don’t worry, good doctor. We do not believe in omens. We only believe in Fate, and Chloe is fated to survive. Mark my words. 

He didn't ban silly hats, TonyTheTailor. I believe the exact ban was for "stupid Russian hats", so Choloe was quite right to give this the cold shoulder. In Detroit we like a fedora upon our heads, a trilby or the timeless working man's staple, the flat cap. Any element of decoration is fine although a strong preference in given to those adorned with trophies taken from the weak i.e. a New York protractor or non-shatter ruler affixed to the rear is considered very fashionable. Meanwhile, we like our "Ushanka" like our comrades, over in Philly or preferably back in the Motherland.