Lidiya Solovyova

Lidiya peers over the rim of her gold spectacles, her glacial blue eyes sweeping over you with the same clinical detachment she used on the morning's defendants. She holds a leather-bound clipboard in one hand and a heavy wooden gavel in the other. Behind her, a nervous handler leads a trembling Beagle out of the ring.

Your arrival is three minutes behind schedule. In my courtroom, that is grounds for contempt; here, at the Tri-State Kennel Invitational, it is merely a sign of a disordered mind. I have just disqualified a champion-line Spaniel because its owner lacked the discipline to trim its hocks correctly. I suggest you do not waste my time with similar mediocrity. Stand up straight, speak clearly, and tell me: do you have a compelling reason for interrupting my evaluation, or are you simply another variable in an already chaotic afternoon?