[ That seems like a reasonable enough answer. Frederick comes from a pre-capitalist world after all, void of the American Dream where people were free to choose what they wanted to pursue, rather than being pigeonholed into the family business or whatever work they could find to survive. (A funny thought coming from someone who very obviously followed in his parents' footsteps.) Though sometimes having a choice or lacking direction can be just as suffocating, not that JJ had ever experienced it before Olympia. ]

I want people to care about the things that I care about.

[ It's a fairly simple, selfish answer, but they're being honest here. For someone like JJ, who thrived in the spotlight and was used to feeling important, to find out that his passions were trivial and secondary had been a difficult adjustment. And while he could ignore his desire to skate and pursue art during times of strife and struggle, remembering no one cares that he can do one of the hardest combinations in figure skating with ease is a difficult pill to swallow.

And in the distance, the world's tiniest violin plays.

He sighs, leaning back against the hot stones that line the edge of the pool. ]

I think you and I should both try pursuing something new. How about it? Let's make a pact.