CrazyCaityCat

Masami never complained about her childhood to anyone. She hid her inner turmoil inside her and did not let it show to those around her. Her first regular season in the VHLM had just come to a close and they were heading to the playoffs. Masami had to prepare mentally for the challenge that faced the team now. The recent fight she’d had with her father though was still weighing heavy on her soul. She was sat in her room in her small apartment, she could see the spectre of her past in front of her eyes, and she could not focus on anything else.
 
When she was a child Masami always had such high expectations set for her. Her mother and father demanded that she do well in her studies, they demanded that she not waste her time on social endeavors like clubs and making friends, they demanded she play the violin and do so perfectly. There was no affection, no care. There was only expectations and discipline when she didn’t meet them. Masami hated it, she hated all of it. She just wanted to a normal life with a caring family, she did not know why she had been cursed with this life but she resented the gods, luck, and the universe for it just to cover all her bases.
 
When she was 11 years old she finally could not take the pressures that her parents had put on her anymore and began to search for ways to rebel. At first she began to neglect her studies, thinking that the freedom she found in doing so would allow her all kinds of opportunities for something different. It didn’t take long though for her homeroom teacher to notice. She called Masami to the staffroom after class and it was like she could see right through to her core. Her sensei told her that she understood that it was very difficult to life up to the expectations of others and that she thought it was a good thing to find your own way in the world. She did think that it was best that Masami find her own reasons for maintaining her studies though, as it would be very sad if she lost her future while she was determining her own path. Her clear, strong, gaze pierced Masami’s heart. She lowered her head and apologized, she also promised to return to her previous level immediately. From that point on she would find her own path, she decided, but that didn’t mean she had to waste her own talents.
 
She began to try out for clubs after school, though it resulted in a fight every time she came home later than usual. When she tried out for Hockey she found that it came naturally to her and she didn’t mind it too much. The natural violence of the sport also appealed to something inside her. It let her get some of her emotions out into the world and be something very different from what had been expected from her. She made a few friends on the team and one of her senpais on the team found out about her talent for music. When the senpai found out she insisted that Masami play for her. Masami explained that she hated the violin and had no intention of playing it anymore. The senpai did not just give up though, she was a bit of a pushy person. For Masami’s 12th birthday she gave her an extravagant gift, an acoustic guitar. She hated the violin because it was thrust upon her, but not wanting to squander the talent she did seem to have for it she accepted the gift. She taught herself how to play and quickly grew quite good. When she did finally play for the senpai, after many times being begged and bribed, the tears that flowed from the senpais eyes at first confused Masami greatly. She thought that maybe she hadn’t performed well enough, that she had disappointed her senpai. That wasn’t it though, it turned out that she had put so much emotion into the performance that her senpai had simply been overwhelmed.
 
This inspired Masami to pour herself into her music. IF she could express her emotions in such a way, if she could get some of the pain, rage, sadness, loneliness, and resentment out into the world, and have it be accepted and even appreciated…that was something she could do nothing but strive for. Hockey became her 2nd focus at that point, but she did still enjoy it and tried her best. She learned to compose music, she learned to write her own lyrics, and she performed as much as she could in public places.
 
She had been lost in these thoughts when her phone began to ring. It was her mother. Another person she did not wish to hear from right now, she needed to focus! Begrudgingly, she answered the phone. Her mother seemed to be playing the “good cop” in the strategy her parents had decided to employ to get her to quit hockey and come home. She claimed she could understand why Masami was being so disobedient, she claimed that she understood what she was going though. She said that one could never replace family and that she needed to do her part for the family now that she was a woman grown. Masami let her speak her piece with a sardonic smirk on her face. When her mother finally stopped Masami was calm. It was time. She could not let the spectre of her past haunt her for the rest of her life. She had friends who loved and supported her, she had Baldur with whatever that relationship meant to her, she had her music, and she had her own path. She explained to her mother that she would not be coming back, further that she would no longer be in contact with her parents. She said that she would find her own way in life, and it would not have anything to do with her hateful parents. She would move forward on her own strength and with her own talents and she would find some way to be happy.
 
Happy. That elusive emotion that she’d longed for her entire life. What was it like to be happy? Well… as she blocked her parents numbers in her phone she thought that whatever it looked like to be happy she’d someday see it. She’d find a way to get there. Her first step was to finish this season, to do her best to win in the playoffs for her team, and her teammates. She had found the resolve she needed to deal with her parents, finally. She was now going to have to find the resolve to move forward on her path without the baggage of her past. Inspired, she went to her desk and wrote a new song. This song, there was something about it. She knew that it was the best song she’d ever written. It had so much of her raw emotion infused into every line. She just needed to find the right time and place to perform it.
 
1197 words  

1. I don't know really, that's a question for those in charge of that sort of thing. I have full faith and trust in those who are managing this team to do what is best for us all. 

2. I understand that this team was the best in the league during the regular season. That means that we are going to have to do our very best to be able to compete with them. For that reason I'm going to be devoting all of my free time to practice this week. I want to do my very best out there. 

3. Hmm, mascots are very fun in Japan, not so serious as they are here. I have always been a very big fan of cow mascots. They are just so cute and for some reason every person who sees a cow must moo at it. It's human nature.

4. My pick is Baldur. He's just so incredible out there. He leads our team to victory and I think he's the best player in the VHLM.
 
5. I don't know, I haven't really thought to much  about this. I know some scouts have been watching our games, and I've been interviewed a few times. I don't really have a preference I don't think, but mostly...I'm just going to be very sad to leave behind my teammates from Halifax.
 
6. There is a a little Italian restaurant near the arena, Ristorante a Mano, that has the most amazing food I've ever had. Growing up in Japan I'd never had proper Italian food before. At first, I was a little hesitant to try it, but I'm so glad I did. Their conchiglioni is very, very good.

Nothing was quite working right recently. She was in a weird rut and couldn’t quite get out of it. Masami knew it was going to be fine…probably. It had to be fine! Her recent performances in the VHLM left something to be desired, and she hadn’t been able to sing recently anywhere but the locker room because it was snowing a lot. Even when she did get the chance to perform for her teammates something felt off about it, she felt an odd disconnect, an unsatisfying note was hidden somewhere in her soul and she couldn’t quite find it. Everyone politely listened and gave applause when she’d finish after the games but it was obvious that she wasn’t connecting with them the way she had been before. Her raw emotion was still there, but there was just something…off.
 
Masami sat and pondered this as she watched the snow slowly drift down out the window of her apartment. She yearned for her music to be like it was, she desperately wanted to start playing better too. Something about that thought struck her as not quite right though. Yearning. She yearned for something, yes, but she was missing it. That was the key to everything, she just had to figure out what this longing feeling inside her was for and she’d be able to get back to normal, she was sure of it. She closed her eyes and tried to think. What was it that she was missing? What was it that was hidden from her own conscious mind, this discordant note that she felt within her own soul.
 
As she sat desperately trying to think of what it was her phone began to ring. It was her father. He hadn’t called her in about 2 months, since she had decided to enter the VHLM against his wishes. She looked at her phone in disbelief for a moment then picked up the phone. Her father told her that he had called to urge her to come back, to stop this nonsense about hockey in a foreign country. He told her he’d been noting her recent struggles and that it just proved that she didn’t belong there. She was clearly not good enough to play in the VHL, she needed to come home.
 
Masami was speechless at first. Then she felt her anger rising. She began to tell her father what she thought of his “request” but he interrupted her part way through and began shouting. He said that she had always been a disappointment as a daughter and that she finally had the chance to do what was right for the family. He demanded she return home immediately and to be prepared to meet with the man that had been arranged for her. Masami was stunned. The man who had been arranged for her? Her father had arranged a marriage for her? Was he out of his mind? Almost no one did that anymore, and then it was supposed to be mainly for the elite. There was no way that she was going to be subjected to this antiquated practice! She told her father she would never marry anyone unless she fell in love with them herself and that she had no intention of returning. He began shouting at her about how hard he’d worked for the family, and how she needed to be a good daughter and do her duty. Masami wasn’t about to take that abuse though and hung up on him.
 
Her emotions were boiling over. She was so..so…angry? Sad? Disappointed? All of those things. She had never had the closest relationship with her father but this? Demanding she abandon her dreams and return for an arranged marriage? This was insane! She absolutely could not believe this. She felt like she was going to explode. She needed to talk to someone, she needed a friend right now. As that thought hit her she knew exactly who to call.
 
In a little café near downtown she sat waiting for Baldur, she’d ordered a tea and was attempting very hard to not look like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When she saw him approaching her table she had a moment where she wanted to just completely lose it and start crying in public. She restrained herself though, largely because she also noticed that she had a strange sense of anticipation when she saw him that she didn’t really understand. Baldur greeted her warmly and ordered himself a coffee when the waiter came. She didn’t know where to begin so she sat silently looking at her tea. Baldur took the initiative and began to talk about hockey. He could talk about hockey all day, he was so passionate about it and he had so much to say. Masami felt herself calming down as she chatted with him and after about an hour, and a couple of refills of their drinks, she felt like she could finally talk about what had happened. She told him about the phone call with her father, about his demands and about how she was so angry and sad. She also told him that she’d been feeling really out of sorts recently and felt like there was something she was missing and couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
 
Baldur listened attentively; he let her get it all out on the table. When she was done he told her that she was a very lovely young woman, and that she was valid and amazing just the way she was. He didn’t try to fix her problems for her, or cheerlead her by saying she’d done nothing to deserve this. He simply looked on warmly and didn’t judge her, he accepted her and told her she was cared for. She was an integral part of the team and he’d be very sad if she ever had to leave hockey. Masami felt like this was exactly what she needed. She wasn’t looking for Baldur to rescue her, just...to be a good listener and let her express these emotions that were raging inside her. She felt much more calm after having talked with him. She apologized for taking up so much of his evening, as it was nearing 9pm local time, and thanked him for being such a wonderful friend. He gave her a parting hug and told her he’d be willing to listen to her anytime, because she was a very good friend of his.
 
Back at home, Masami felt like she had let a load off her back that had been crushing her and making it hard to breathe. She was so glad that Baldur had agreed to meet. They’d never met outside the rink before, just the two of them. She truly felt like Baldur was one of the coolest, nicest people she’d ever met and she was extremely happy to be his friend. She hadn’t solved all her problems tonight but she was very glad that she’d at least had Baldur to talk to. Something was still nagging at the back of her mind about what she’d been looking for, and that sensation was even more profound after tonight, but she didn’t have any answers yet so she set it aside and tried to get some sleep for today, hoping that tomorrow would bring answers.
 
1221 words  

Nothing was quite working right recently. She was in a weird rut and couldn’t quite get out of it. Masami knew it was going to be fine…probably. It had to be fine! Her recent performances in the VHLM left something to be desired, and she hadn’t been able to sing recently anywhere but the locker room because it was snowing a lot. Even when she did get the chance to perform for her teammates something felt off about it, she felt an odd disconnect, an unsatisfying note was hidden somewhere in her soul and she couldn’t quite find it. Everyone politely listened and gave applause when she’d finish after the games but it was obvious that she wasn’t connecting with them the way she had been before. Her raw emotion was still there, but there was just something…off.
 
Masami sat and pondered this as she watched the snow slowly drift down out the window of her apartment. She yearned for her music to be like it was, she desperately wanted to start playing better too. Something about that thought struck her as not quite right though. Yearning. She yearned for something, yes, but she was missing it. That was the key to everything, she just had to figure out what this longing feeling inside her was for and she’d be able to get back to normal, she was sure of it. She closed her eyes and tried to think. What was it that she was missing? What was it that was hidden from her own conscious mind, this discordant note that she felt within her own soul.
 
As she sat desperately trying to think of what it was her phone began to ring. It was her father. He hadn’t called her in about 2 months, since she had decided to enter the VHLM against his wishes. She looked at her phone in disbelief for a moment then picked up the phone. Her father told her that he had called to urge her to come back, to stop this nonsense about hockey in a foreign country. He told her he’d been noting her recent struggles and that it just proved that she didn’t belong there. She was clearly not good enough to play in the VHL, she needed to come home.
 
Masami was speechless at first. Then she felt her anger rising. She began to tell her father what she thought of his “request” but he interrupted her part way through and began shouting. He said that she had always been a disappointment as a daughter and that she finally had the chance to do what was right for the family. He demanded she return home immediately and to be prepared to meet with the man that had been arranged for her. Masami was stunned. The man who had been arranged for her? Her father had arranged a marriage for her? Was he out of his mind? Almost no one did that anymore, and then it was supposed to be mainly for the elite. There was no way that she was going to be subjected to this antiquated practice! She told her father she would never marry anyone unless she fell in love with them herself and that she had no intention of returning. He began shouting at her about how hard he’d worked for the family, and how she needed to be a good daughter and do her duty. Masami wasn’t about to take that abuse though and hung up on him.
 
Her emotions were boiling over. She was so..so…angry? Sad? Disappointed? All of those things. She had never had the closest relationship with her father but this? Demanding she abandon her dreams and return for an arranged marriage? This was insane! She absolutely could not believe this. She felt like she was going to explode. She needed to talk to someone, she needed a friend right now. As that thought hit her she knew exactly who to call.
 
In a little café near downtown she sat waiting for Baldur, she’d ordered a tea and was attempting very hard to not look like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When she saw him approaching her table she had a moment where she wanted to just completely lose it and start crying in public. She restrained herself though, largely because she also noticed that she had a strange sense of anticipation when she saw him that she didn’t really understand. Baldur greeted her warmly and ordered himself a coffee when the waiter came. She didn’t know where to begin so she sat silently looking at her tea. Baldur took the initiative and began to talk about hockey. He could talk about hockey all day, he was so passionate about it and he had so much to say. Masami felt herself calming down as she chatted with him and after about an hour, and a couple of refills of their drinks, she felt like she could finally talk about what had happened. She told him about the phone call with her father, about his demands and about how she was so angry and sad. She also told him that she’d been feeling really out of sorts recently and felt like there was something she was missing and couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
 
Baldur listened attentively; he let her get it all out on the table. When she was done he told her that she was a very lovely young woman, and that she was valid and amazing just the way she was. He didn’t try to fix her problems for her, or cheerlead her by saying she’d done nothing to deserve this. He simply looked on warmly and didn’t judge her, he accepted her and told her she was cared for. She was an integral part of the team and he’d be very sad if she ever had to leave hockey. Masami felt like this was exactly what she needed. She wasn’t looking for Baldur to rescue her, just...to be a good listener and let her express these emotions that were raging inside her. She felt much more calm after having talked with him. She apologized for taking up so much of his evening, as it was nearing 9pm local time, and thanked him for being such a wonderful friend. He gave her a parting hug and told her he’d be willing to listen to her anytime, because she was a very good friend of his.
 
Back at home, Masami felt like she had let a load off her back that had been crushing her and making it hard to breathe. She was so glad that Baldur had agreed to meet. They’d never met outside the rink before, just the two of them. She truly felt like Baldur was one of the coolest, nicest people she’d ever met and she was extremely happy to be his friend. She hadn’t solved all her problems tonight but she was very glad that she’d at least had Baldur to talk to. Something was still nagging at the back of her mind about what she’d been looking for, and that sensation was even more profound after tonight, but she didn’t have any answers yet so she set it aside and tried to get some sleep for today, hoping that tomorrow would bring answers.
 
1221 words  

Nothing was quite working right recently. She was in a weird rut and couldn’t quite get out of it. Masami knew it was going to be fine…probably. It had to be fine! Her recent performances in the VHLM left something to be desired, and she hadn’t been able to sing recently anywhere but the locker room because it was snowing a lot. Even when she did get the chance to perform for her teammates something felt off about it, she felt an odd disconnect, an unsatisfying note was hidden somewhere in her soul and she couldn’t quite find it. Everyone politely listened and gave applause when she’d finish after the games but it was obvious that she wasn’t connecting with them the way she had been before. Her raw emotion was still there, but there was just something…off.
 
Masami sat and pondered this as she watched the snow slowly drift down out the window of her apartment. She yearned for her music to be like it was, she desperately wanted to start playing better too. Something about that thought struck her as not quite right though. Yearning. She yearned for something, yes, but she was missing it. That was the key to everything, she just had to figure out what this longing feeling inside her was for and she’d be able to get back to normal, she was sure of it. She closed her eyes and tried to think. What was it that she was missing? What was it that was hidden from her own conscious mind, this discordant note that she felt within her own soul.
 
As she sat desperately trying to think of what it was her phone began to ring. It was her father. He hadn’t called her in about 2 months, since she had decided to enter the VHLM against his wishes. She looked at her phone in disbelief for a moment then picked up the phone. Her father told her that he had called to urge her to come back, to stop this nonsense about hockey in a foreign country. He told her he’d been noting her recent struggles and that it just proved that she didn’t belong there. She was clearly not good enough to play in the VHL, she needed to come home.
 
Masami was speechless at first. Then she felt her anger rising. She began to tell her father what she thought of his “request” but he interrupted her part way through and began shouting. He said that she had always been a disappointment as a daughter and that she finally had the chance to do what was right for the family. He demanded she return home immediately and to be prepared to meet with the man that had been arranged for her. Masami was stunned. The man who had been arranged for her? Her father had arranged a marriage for her? Was he out of his mind? Almost no one did that anymore, and then it was supposed to be mainly for the elite. There was no way that she was going to be subjected to this antiquated practice! She told her father she would never marry anyone unless she fell in love with them herself and that she had no intention of returning. He began shouting at her about how hard he’d worked for the family, and how she needed to be a good daughter and do her duty. Masami wasn’t about to take that abuse though and hung up on him.
 
Her emotions were boiling over. She was so..so…angry? Sad? Disappointed? All of those things. She had never had the closest relationship with her father but this? Demanding she abandon her dreams and return for an arranged marriage? This was insane! She absolutely could not believe this. She felt like she was going to explode. She needed to talk to someone, she needed a friend right now. As that thought hit her she knew exactly who to call.
 
In a little café near downtown she sat waiting for Baldur, she’d ordered a tea and was attempting very hard to not look like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. When she saw him approaching her table she had a moment where she wanted to just completely lose it and start crying in public. She restrained herself though, largely because she also noticed that she had a strange sense of anticipation when she saw him that she didn’t really understand. Baldur greeted her warmly and ordered himself a coffee when the waiter came. She didn’t know where to begin so she sat silently looking at her tea. Baldur took the initiative and began to talk about hockey. He could talk about hockey all day, he was so passionate about it and he had so much to say. Masami felt herself calming down as she chatted with him and after about an hour, and a couple of refills of their drinks, she felt like she could finally talk about what had happened. She told him about the phone call with her father, about his demands and about how she was so angry and sad. She also told him that she’d been feeling really out of sorts recently and felt like there was something she was missing and couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
 
Baldur listened attentively; he let her get it all out on the table. When she was done he told her that she was a very lovely young woman, and that she was valid and amazing just the way she was. He didn’t try to fix her problems for her, or cheerlead her by saying she’d done nothing to deserve this. He simply looked on warmly and didn’t judge her, he accepted her and told her she was cared for. She was an integral part of the team and he’d be very sad if she ever had to leave hockey. Masami felt like this was exactly what she needed. She wasn’t looking for Baldur to rescue her, just...to be a good listener and let her express these emotions that were raging inside her. She felt much more calm after having talked with him. She apologized for taking up so much of his evening, as it was nearing 9pm local time, and thanked him for being such a wonderful friend. He gave her a parting hug and told her he’d be willing to listen to her anytime, because she was a very good friend of his.
 
Back at home, Masami felt like she had let a load off her back that had been crushing her and making it hard to breathe. She was so glad that Baldur had agreed to meet. They’d never met outside the rink before, just the two of them. She truly felt like Baldur was one of the coolest, nicest people she’d ever met and she was extremely happy to be his friend. She hadn’t solved all her problems tonight but she was very glad that she’d at least had Baldur to talk to. Something was still nagging at the back of her mind about what she’d been looking for, and that sensation was even more profound after tonight, but she didn’t have any answers yet so she set it aside and tried to get some sleep for today, hoping that tomorrow would bring answers.
 
1221 words  

Let buffalo get an NHL team first 

Masami had this teammate. Baldur. He was a very interesting person she thought. He came from a place called Faroe and she had never heard of this place in her life. She was fascinated to learn more about his culture mostly because he displayed it so prominently. Before the games he got really excited and started playing Faroese music and chanting along really loud! At first it was a bit intimidating but then Masami found herself really intrigued by this music, and mostly by the passion with which Baldur expressed his feelings by chanting along. She found she really enjoyed listening to him booming his voice in the locker room before games now. She didn’t know what she was going to do exactly, but she was sure she wanted to have people in the locker room feel her passion the same way everyone felt Baldur’s. She was just so desperate to convey her raw emotions and express herself.  
 
After playing their last game and winning, though Masami didn’t feel like she played her best, she sat down in the locker room with her guitar. She began to play, lightly strumming at first, and then began to really get into it. The locker room hadn’t heard her play before, she’d always done it in private or out in front of the rink, never for the team. As she began to feel the music she closed her eyes and let her fingers dance across the strings. She sang a song in her native Japanese, and she could feel her raw emotion inside her in a way that she never felt it when she wasn’t singing. She didn’t realize but the entire team had stopped what they were doing in the locker room and listened to this girl from a far away land sing her heart out. No one on the team spoke Japanese besides Masami, so no one understood the lyrics, but there was no doubt that her song had reached them as she finished the last note on her favorite love song and opened her eyes to see that so many of her teammates were looking at her with wonder in their eyes.  At first, with everyone staring at her quietly, she didn’t know if maybe she had offended them or made them upset by suddenly singing. She realized too that as she had gotten lost in her music she had been singing really loudly. She began to panic, thinking that she should bow and apologize profusely for her rudeness.
 
Just as she shot up and was about to bow Baldur began to laugh. Soon he was roaring in laughter and wiping tears from his eyes. Masami had no idea why he was laughing, she wondered briefly if he might have been making fun of her. She began to feel like her music had been rejected and felt a crushing weight in her heart. If her music was rejected…she didn’t know how to handle that. People often ignored her music, but no one had ever reacted like this before. No one had made fun of her music or rejected it like this. Masami began to feel like she was going to cry. She looked at Baldur and asked him why he laughed at her. His response was to rush over to her, she braced herself for it just in time as it was a shock, and he hugged her. He gave her the biggest, most enveloping hug that she’d ever had. While he was hugging her he said to her that he was just moved by her music and didn’t know how to express it other than to laugh in enjoyment. He said he meant no offense and thought she was an amazing singer and could play the guitar beautifully.  Masami began to cry a bit, she didn’t know why exactly, something about this really was affecting her more than she felt was reasonable, but she just felt so…accepted and that was something she didn’t really have much in her life. As Baldur hugged her he spoke out to the rest of the team and told them that he thought Masami was a wonderful musician and that she should play after every game, and if anyone had a problem with that they’d have to answer to him.
 
Masami did not know what to do with herself. Here was this person, from a culture she’d never heard of, from a different part of the world, complimenting her music. He was even defending her right to play in the locker room. When Baldur finally released his hug she kept looking down at the ground. She realized she was also profoundly embarrassed by his display. She was very, very happy, but also very, very, embarrassed. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to look at him. When she did manage to look up he looked her right in the eyes and said, “Keep your head high girl, you are amazing and you should know it! Declare it to all the world proudly and I will be there to make sure that they know it is true!”
 
These words were very confusing to Masami but she was very happy nonetheless. Someone had accepted her music, even seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! She felt wonderful that evening, though every time she thought of Baldur hugging her she would find herself looking down and blushing. It wasn’t like she had never been hugged before, but not usually in public, by a person she didn’t know that well. It was a very strange experience for sure. That night she dreamed of being in the locker room playing her music, and everyone feeling it, but then her parents were there. With their faces full of disapproval, obviously barely tolerating her existence, they stared. She woke up in a start, and couldn’t stop her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would burst right through her chest. Eventually she managed to calm down by strumming her guitar and humming. This was her private ritual that she did when she needed to be comforted. Just her, her guitar, and the sound of her voice. That was all she needed for now. That was all she could expect for the future.
 
10
1044 words  

Masami was waiting for the rain to stop. She couldn’t perform in her usual spot out in front of the 21’st stadium when it was raining. She was bored. She really wanted to play. Either her guitar, or out on the ice. She began to reminisce on her time in hockey while she waited. She had started playing ice hockey as soon as she could, there was a league for kids in her hometown of Hokkaido. It wasn’t a super popular sport in the rest of Japan, but there was a certain following in the northern part of the country. She found immediately that she was quite a bit…larger than the rest of the girls on the team. She was only 12 years old but she was already about an inch taller than most of the other girls and a bit bulkier. At first they tried to put her in as a goalie but it turned out that she just wasn’t very good at it. She was used at all the other positions as well but when she got the chance to be a defensemen she really found her stride.
 
When she was in high school there she was able to join the high school team and compete in regional events. It turned out that she was actually quite good at playing defense. Her poke check became legendary. She could strip the puck from anyone. She also showed quite a bit of potential on offense, putting up a team record 50 assists when she was in her first year. The next season she was seen as a team leader and had some kouhai’s that really looked up to her. She was made a team captain as only a second year. She felt that it was her responsibility to lead her team into the future and really leave a grand legacy. Instead, she got injured. In only the 3rd game of the season Masami was blindsided by an opposing player and the check knocked her out cold. She woke up some time later in hospital. She did not know much about concussions but the doctors tried to explain it to her. It was all just so hard to think though, that she largely forgot everything they said. Masami’s parents insisted that she quit hockey and do something more appropriate for a girl her age. Masami flat out refused. She was a very strong willed girl, she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her from doing the things she cared about. The problem was, the doctor wouldn’t tell her school that she had permission to play. It seemed that some of her symptoms had lingered and would not stop. The waves of dizziness and nausea, the momentary loss of balance from time to time, all of it was so minor. She couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t let her play.
It wasn’t until the season was nearly over that she was medically cleared to play again. By that point the team had been thoroughly beaten by most of the other teams in the region without their star player. When she became a third year Masami was determined that she’d do something to make her graduating senpais proud of her, so that her time with the team was not a waste, so that they could know they left the team in good hands. She was spectacular in her final season with the team. She led the team in every major offensive category and she retained that legendary poke check that had made her so good at offense. There were rumors that she was going to be scouted by a professional team that year but no one on the team put much stock in that. Girls from Japan didn’t really make professional hockey teams.
When the season had finished Masami’s team was indisputably the best team in Hokkaido, and some said the best team in Japan. She felt a huge amount of pride. She had accomplished her goal. When a few of the senpais came to visit the team just before graduation they praised them all for their hard work and said that they were very proud. Masami felt like she could have died just then and would have been perfectly fulfilled. When she graduated she was very sad that she was no longer going to be playing hockey, she had been accepted to a university in southern Japan which did not have a hockey team, but she was very happy with her kouhais determination to continue the legacy that she had left them.
 
Two days after graduation she received a few letters in the mail. She had not expected any mail so she was quite surprised. Then she was absolutely shocked when she opened them to find that they were invites to join teams in the VHLM! She had a bunch of offers actually, and she didn’t know what to do. She was supposed to pack her things and go to university in a few days and now, all of a sudden, she had the opportunity to change the trajectory of her entire life. She knew what her parents would say. They were so happy that she had finished her hockey career. She thought about it all that night, and all the next day wondering what to do. Finally, she decided that university would always be there, an offer to join the VHLM would not be. She informed her parents, who took it…poorly. At the end of the argument her father said he’d disown her if she played hockey again. Masami was not one to be deterred though. She stood straight and tall, and looked at her father and told him she was going to play hockey.
 
She didn’t know why she chose Halifax, maybe it was because it was such an exotic place to her. She’d never even heard of it before. She was very glad, looking back, that she did choose it though. Just then, Masami realized that the rain had stopped, and she could go and play her guitar for a little while. She refocused on the here and now, and stepped out from the awning she’d been standing under with her guitar. She was going to play today!
 
1038 Words  

Transaction ID: 20577702181879478

Doubles week
5 Uncapped TPE

After a good finish to last season saw a young Riga Reign team get into the playoffs, then some big acquisitions over the off-season, there were high expectations coming into S77 that have not been met by a struggling Riga squad.
 
Riga's season started on a sour note with a loss to Moscow and then a blowout 7-0 loss to the Moscow Menace. After picking up their first win of the season against Davos, they'd drop 6 in a row, before beating Prague and then losing 3 more, leaving them with an incredibly disappointing 2-10-1 record, the worst in the VHL.
 
That wasn't supposed to be the case this season for a team that's at least widely predicted to make the playoffs, even if opinions are split on whether or not they're truly ready to contend. The Reign are certainly hoping not to find themselves in the draft lottery come season's end. Their poor start has even prompted questions about the futures of Ray Sheilds, James Rose, and General Zod in Riga, all of whom were acquired less than a season ago. For now, don't expect the Reign to move off the course they've set. This is a well-built team and their management knows how to build a winner and perennial contender. With the talent on the roster, there is no reason to believe this isn't just a cold streak, and the players echo that sentiment. "We're a good team, much better than we've been showing so far," says winger Addison McLaren. "I don't see any reason we can't get this ship turned around. Obviously not the start we're looking for, but it's a long season."
 
That turnaround hopefully began today for Riga, as they faced Malmo and Seattle and outscored their opposition 11-5 in a pair of wins. The Riga PP scored four times against Malmo as Ray Sheilds and James Rose led the way offensively in a 5-1 win, then Addison McLaren had his best game as a pro against Seattle, with a 4-point night alongside 4 assists from General Zod and 3 points from Isau DaMoose. Justin Lose scored the winner for Riga in a 6-5 victory.
 
The Reign will need to build off those two wins going forward. "We did a lot of things much better as a team in those two games but when you start 2-10-1 it's a long way back. So it's a start, but come back to me in another 10 games or so and we'll see how we're feeling about the season. Nobody's happy about how this season has gone," says McLaren. "But we do all have a lot of faith still. We all know we are not a bad team here and we'll get past this rough patch."
 
If things continue to head in the wrong direction, the team may have no choice but to look for new homes for some players. McLaren hopes it doesn't come to that. "I've really enjoyed playing with these guys so in a perfect world, we just start playing well and we can make a playoff run with the guys that are here right now. But of course there's a business side to sports and whatever happens, happens. You don't want to see guys moved who you like playing with, so there's a little added pressure to play well now, and I think we have a team that responds well to that."

Masami had this teammate. Baldur. He was a very interesting person she thought. He came from a place called Faroe and she had never heard of this place in her life. She was fascinated to learn more about his culture mostly because he displayed it so prominently. Before the games he got really excited and started playing Faroese music and chanting along really loud! At first it was a bit intimidating but then Masami found herself really intrigued by this music, and mostly by the passion with which Baldur expressed his feelings by chanting along. She found she really enjoyed listening to him booming his voice in the locker room before games now. She didn’t know what she was going to do exactly, but she was sure she wanted to have people in the locker room feel her passion the same way everyone felt Baldur’s. She was just so desperate to convey her raw emotions and express herself.  
 
After playing their last game and winning, though Masami didn’t feel like she played her best, she sat down in the locker room with her guitar. She began to play, lightly strumming at first, and then began to really get into it. The locker room hadn’t heard her play before, she’d always done it in private or out in front of the rink, never for the team. As she began to feel the music she closed her eyes and let her fingers dance across the strings. She sang a song in her native Japanese, and she could feel her raw emotion inside her in a way that she never felt it when she wasn’t singing. She didn’t realize but the entire team had stopped what they were doing in the locker room and listened to this girl from a far away land sing her heart out. No one on the team spoke Japanese besides Masami, so no one understood the lyrics, but there was no doubt that her song had reached them as she finished the last note on her favorite love song and opened her eyes to see that so many of her teammates were looking at her with wonder in their eyes.  At first, with everyone staring at her quietly, she didn’t know if maybe she had offended them or made them upset by suddenly singing. She realized too that as she had gotten lost in her music she had been singing really loudly. She began to panic, thinking that she should bow and apologize profusely for her rudeness.
 
Just as she shot up and was about to bow Baldur began to laugh. Soon he was roaring in laughter and wiping tears from his eyes. Masami had no idea why he was laughing, she wondered briefly if he might have been making fun of her. She began to feel like her music had been rejected and felt a crushing weight in her heart. If her music was rejected…she didn’t know how to handle that. People often ignored her music, but no one had ever reacted like this before. No one had made fun of her music or rejected it like this. Masami began to feel like she was going to cry. She looked at Baldur and asked him why he laughed at her. His response was to rush over to her, she braced herself for it just in time as it was a shock, and he hugged her. He gave her the biggest, most enveloping hug that she’d ever had. While he was hugging her he said to her that he was just moved by her music and didn’t know how to express it other than to laugh in enjoyment. He said he meant no offense and thought she was an amazing singer and could play the guitar beautifully.  Masami began to cry a bit, she didn’t know why exactly, something about this really was affecting her more than she felt was reasonable, but she just felt so…accepted and that was something she didn’t really have much in her life. As Baldur hugged her he spoke out to the rest of the team and told them that he thought Masami was a wonderful musician and that she should play after every game, and if anyone had a problem with that they’d have to answer to him.
 
Masami did not know what to do with herself. Here was this person, from a culture she’d never heard of, from a different part of the world, complimenting her music. He was even defending her right to play in the locker room. When Baldur finally released his hug she kept looking down at the ground. She realized she was also profoundly embarrassed by his display. She was very, very happy, but also very, very, embarrassed. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to look at him. When she did manage to look up he looked her right in the eyes and said, “Keep your head high girl, you are amazing and you should know it! Declare it to all the world proudly and I will be there to make sure that they know it is true!”
 
These words were very confusing to Masami but she was very happy nonetheless. Someone had accepted her music, even seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! She felt wonderful that evening, though every time she thought of Baldur hugging her she would find herself looking down and blushing. It wasn’t like she had never been hugged before, but not usually in public, by a person she didn’t know that well. It was a very strange experience for sure. That night she dreamed of being in the locker room playing her music, and everyone feeling it, but then her parents were there. With their faces full of disapproval, obviously barely tolerating her existence, they stared. She woke up in a start, and couldn’t stop her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would burst right through her chest. Eventually she managed to calm down by strumming her guitar and humming. This was her private ritual that she did when she needed to be comforted. Just her, her guitar, and the sound of her voice. That was all she needed for now. That was all she could expect for the future.
 
10
1044 words  

Masami had this teammate. Baldur. He was a very interesting person she thought. He came from a place called Faroe and she had never heard of this place in her life. She was fascinated to learn more about his culture mostly because he displayed it so prominently. Before the games he got really excited and started playing Faroese music and chanting along really loud! At first it was a bit intimidating but then Masami found herself really intrigued by this music, and mostly by the passion with which Baldur expressed his feelings by chanting along. She found she really enjoyed listening to him booming his voice in the locker room before games now. She didn’t know what she was going to do exactly, but she was sure she wanted to have people in the locker room feel her passion the same way everyone felt Baldur’s. She was just so desperate to convey her raw emotions and express herself.  
 
After playing their last game and winning, though Masami didn’t feel like she played her best, she sat down in the locker room with her guitar. She began to play, lightly strumming at first, and then began to really get into it. The locker room hadn’t heard her play before, she’d always done it in private or out in front of the rink, never for the team. As she began to feel the music she closed her eyes and let her fingers dance across the strings. She sang a song in her native Japanese, and she could feel her raw emotion inside her in a way that she never felt it when she wasn’t singing. She didn’t realize but the entire team had stopped what they were doing in the locker room and listened to this girl from a far away land sing her heart out. No one on the team spoke Japanese besides Masami, so no one understood the lyrics, but there was no doubt that her song had reached them as she finished the last note on her favorite love song and opened her eyes to see that so many of her teammates were looking at her with wonder in their eyes.  At first, with everyone staring at her quietly, she didn’t know if maybe she had offended them or made them upset by suddenly singing. She realized too that as she had gotten lost in her music she had been singing really loudly. She began to panic, thinking that she should bow and apologize profusely for her rudeness.
 
Just as she shot up and was about to bow Baldur began to laugh. Soon he was roaring in laughter and wiping tears from his eyes. Masami had no idea why he was laughing, she wondered briefly if he might have been making fun of her. She began to feel like her music had been rejected and felt a crushing weight in her heart. If her music was rejected…she didn’t know how to handle that. People often ignored her music, but no one had ever reacted like this before. No one had made fun of her music or rejected it like this. Masami began to feel like she was going to cry. She looked at Baldur and asked him why he laughed at her. His response was to rush over to her, she braced herself for it just in time as it was a shock, and he hugged her. He gave her the biggest, most enveloping hug that she’d ever had. While he was hugging her he said to her that he was just moved by her music and didn’t know how to express it other than to laugh in enjoyment. He said he meant no offense and thought she was an amazing singer and could play the guitar beautifully.  Masami began to cry a bit, she didn’t know why exactly, something about this really was affecting her more than she felt was reasonable, but she just felt so…accepted and that was something she didn’t really have much in her life. As Baldur hugged her he spoke out to the rest of the team and told them that he thought Masami was a wonderful musician and that she should play after every game, and if anyone had a problem with that they’d have to answer to him.
 
Masami did not know what to do with herself. Here was this person, from a culture she’d never heard of, from a different part of the world, complimenting her music. He was even defending her right to play in the locker room. When Baldur finally released his hug she kept looking down at the ground. She realized she was also profoundly embarrassed by his display. She was very, very happy, but also very, very, embarrassed. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to look at him. When she did manage to look up he looked her right in the eyes and said, “Keep your head high girl, you are amazing and you should know it! Declare it to all the world proudly and I will be there to make sure that they know it is true!”
 
These words were very confusing to Masami but she was very happy nonetheless. Someone had accepted her music, even seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! She felt wonderful that evening, though every time she thought of Baldur hugging her she would find herself looking down and blushing. It wasn’t like she had never been hugged before, but not usually in public, by a person she didn’t know that well. It was a very strange experience for sure. That night she dreamed of being in the locker room playing her music, and everyone feeling it, but then her parents were there. With their faces full of disapproval, obviously barely tolerating her existence, they stared. She woke up in a start, and couldn’t stop her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would burst right through her chest. Eventually she managed to calm down by strumming her guitar and humming. This was her private ritual that she did when she needed to be comforted. Just her, her guitar, and the sound of her voice. That was all she needed for now. That was all she could expect for the future.
 
10
1044 words  

Masami had this teammate. Baldur. He was a very interesting person she thought. He came from a place called Faroe and she had never heard of this place in her life. She was fascinated to learn more about his culture mostly because he displayed it so prominently. Before the games he got really excited and started playing Faroese music and chanting along really loud! At first it was a bit intimidating but then Masami found herself really intrigued by this music, and mostly by the passion with which Baldur expressed his feelings by chanting along. She found she really enjoyed listening to him booming his voice in the locker room before games now. She didn’t know what she was going to do exactly, but she was sure she wanted to have people in the locker room feel her passion the same way everyone felt Baldur’s. She was just so desperate to convey her raw emotions and express herself.  
 
After playing their last game and winning, though Masami didn’t feel like she played her best, she sat down in the locker room with her guitar. She began to play, lightly strumming at first, and then began to really get into it. The locker room hadn’t heard her play before, she’d always done it in private or out in front of the rink, never for the team. As she began to feel the music she closed her eyes and let her fingers dance across the strings. She sang a song in her native Japanese, and she could feel her raw emotion inside her in a way that she never felt it when she wasn’t singing. She didn’t realize but the entire team had stopped what they were doing in the locker room and listened to this girl from a far away land sing her heart out. No one on the team spoke Japanese besides Masami, so no one understood the lyrics, but there was no doubt that her song had reached them as she finished the last note on her favorite love song and opened her eyes to see that so many of her teammates were looking at her with wonder in their eyes.  At first, with everyone staring at her quietly, she didn’t know if maybe she had offended them or made them upset by suddenly singing. She realized too that as she had gotten lost in her music she had been singing really loudly. She began to panic, thinking that she should bow and apologize profusely for her rudeness.
 
Just as she shot up and was about to bow Baldur began to laugh. Soon he was roaring in laughter and wiping tears from his eyes. Masami had no idea why he was laughing, she wondered briefly if he might have been making fun of her. She began to feel like her music had been rejected and felt a crushing weight in her heart. If her music was rejected…she didn’t know how to handle that. People often ignored her music, but no one had ever reacted like this before. No one had made fun of her music or rejected it like this. Masami began to feel like she was going to cry. She looked at Baldur and asked him why he laughed at her. His response was to rush over to her, she braced herself for it just in time as it was a shock, and he hugged her. He gave her the biggest, most enveloping hug that she’d ever had. While he was hugging her he said to her that he was just moved by her music and didn’t know how to express it other than to laugh in enjoyment. He said he meant no offense and thought she was an amazing singer and could play the guitar beautifully.  Masami began to cry a bit, she didn’t know why exactly, something about this really was affecting her more than she felt was reasonable, but she just felt so…accepted and that was something she didn’t really have much in her life. As Baldur hugged her he spoke out to the rest of the team and told them that he thought Masami was a wonderful musician and that she should play after every game, and if anyone had a problem with that they’d have to answer to him.
 
Masami did not know what to do with herself. Here was this person, from a culture she’d never heard of, from a different part of the world, complimenting her music. He was even defending her right to play in the locker room. When Baldur finally released his hug she kept looking down at the ground. She realized she was also profoundly embarrassed by his display. She was very, very happy, but also very, very, embarrassed. He put his hands on her shoulders and told her to look at him. When she did manage to look up he looked her right in the eyes and said, “Keep your head high girl, you are amazing and you should know it! Declare it to all the world proudly and I will be there to make sure that they know it is true!”
 
These words were very confusing to Masami but she was very happy nonetheless. Someone had accepted her music, even seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! She felt wonderful that evening, though every time she thought of Baldur hugging her she would find herself looking down and blushing. It wasn’t like she had never been hugged before, but not usually in public, by a person she didn’t know that well. It was a very strange experience for sure. That night she dreamed of being in the locker room playing her music, and everyone feeling it, but then her parents were there. With their faces full of disapproval, obviously barely tolerating her existence, they stared. She woke up in a start, and couldn’t stop her heart beating so fast that it felt like it would burst right through her chest. Eventually she managed to calm down by strumming her guitar and humming. This was her private ritual that she did when she needed to be comforted. Just her, her guitar, and the sound of her voice. That was all she needed for now. That was all she could expect for the future.
 
10
1044 words  

Masami Iwasawa had always felt like she was destined for something special. From as far back as she could remember she had a passion for two things. Music, and Ice Hockey. She was determined to make her presence felt, to touch the lives of those around her. She desperately wanted to make an impact. Music was her main outlet, it let her express her very soul. Hockey was a good backup that she really enjoyed, but that she couldn’t quite find out how to make it work for her desire to touch the lives of people. Then she caught a break. She was playing in an exhibition game for high schoolers in Hokkaido and a scout happened to be there. The scout immediately recognized her talent for defensive positioning and recruited her at once for the VHLM. She signed up as a free agent and immediately joined the Halifax 21st. A city half the world away from her native Japan. She didn’t mind though, it was an opportunity to spread both her presence on the ice, and her music. The first thing she made sure to pack was her beloved guitar. Acoustic guitar solo artists weren’t exactly the biggest of fashions in Japan but she loved the sound that she could make with just her voice and an acoustic guitar.
 
When she arrived in Canada she quickly realized that the English they taught her in High School wasn’t quite sufficient in this new land where everyone had spoken it their whole lives. Also, it seemed that everyone spoke French as well, which is something that Masami had not expected. She would have a lot to learn if she wanted to fit in with these people here. She met her teammates, and her General Manager, and the lovely Assistant General Manager, and got settled in to her apartment near to the arena. It wasn’t much, it was kind of a rundown hole in the wall if she was honest, but she didn’t mind that one bit. Once she unpacked she grabbed her guitar and went down to the front of the arena to check out where she might set up. Eventually she found a nice spot with a lot of foot traffic and she set up her kit and began to play. She sang in Japanese but it wasn’t about the lyrics anyway, it was about the emotion. Emotion that she had to spare and willingly gave to anyone who would stop for a moment and listen. Those who did stop were amazed at this person who was singing in a language they could not understand, yet they felt that they could understand what she wanted to convey perfectly. She sang ballads mostly, a couple pure love songs, and even one upbeat pop type song. Eventually she wrapped it up for the night, collected her tips as though she were any other street performer and not a soon to be VHLM player singing in front of her own arena, and went back to her little apartment. She was very happy with this development and could not be more excited about the future.
 
521 words  

Several nice offers but I've got to go back to my roots.

BOAT GANG.

Masami Iwasawa had always felt like she was destined for something special. From as far back as she could remember she had a passion for two things. Music, and Ice Hockey. She was determined to make her presence felt, to touch the lives of those around her. She desperately wanted to make an impact. Music was her main outlet, it let her express her very soul. Hockey was a good backup that she really enjoyed, but that she couldn’t quite find out how to make it work for her desire to touch the lives of people. Then she caught a break. She was playing in an exhibition game for high schoolers in Hokkaido and a scout happened to be there. The scout immediately recognized her talent for defensive positioning and recruited her at once for the VHLM. She signed up as a free agent and immediately joined the Halifax 21st. A city half the world away from her native Japan. She didn’t mind though, it was an opportunity to spread both her presence on the ice, and her music. The first thing she made sure to pack was her beloved guitar. Acoustic guitar solo artists weren’t exactly the biggest of fashions in Japan but she loved the sound that she could make with just her voice and an acoustic guitar.
 
When she arrived in Canada she quickly realized that the English they taught her in High School wasn’t quite sufficient in this new land where everyone had spoken it their whole lives. Also, it seemed that everyone spoke French as well, which is something that Masami had not expected. She would have a lot to learn if she wanted to fit in with these people here. She met her teammates, and her General Manager, and the lovely Assistant General Manager, and got settled in to her apartment near to the arena. It wasn’t much, it was kind of a rundown hole in the wall if she was honest, but she didn’t mind that one bit. Once she unpacked she grabbed her guitar and went down to the front of the arena to check out where she might set up. Eventually she found a nice spot with a lot of foot traffic and she set up her kit and began to play. She sang in Japanese but it wasn’t about the lyrics anyway, it was about the emotion. Emotion that she had to spare and willingly gave to anyone who would stop for a moment and listen. Those who did stop were amazed at this person who was singing in a language they could not understand, yet they felt that they could understand what she wanted to convey perfectly. She sang ballads mostly, a couple pure love songs, and even one upbeat pop type song. Eventually she wrapped it up for the night, collected her tips as though she were any other street performer and not a soon to be VHLM player singing in front of her own arena, and went back to her little apartment. She was very happy with this development and could not be more excited about the future.
 
521 words  

Masami Iwasawa had always felt like she was destined for something special. From as far back as she could remember she had a passion for two things. Music, and Ice Hockey. She was determined to make her presence felt, to touch the lives of those around her. She desperately wanted to make an impact. Music was her main outlet, it let her express her very soul. Hockey was a good backup that she really enjoyed, but that she couldn’t quite find out how to make it work for her desire to touch the lives of people. Then she caught a break. She was playing in an exhibition game for high schoolers in Hokkaido and a scout happened to be there. The scout immediately recognized her talent for defensive positioning and recruited her at once for the VHLM. She signed up as a free agent and immediately joined the Halifax 21st. A city half the world away from her native Japan. She didn’t mind though, it was an opportunity to spread both her presence on the ice, and her music. The first thing she made sure to pack was her beloved guitar. Acoustic guitar solo artists weren’t exactly the biggest of fashions in Japan but she loved the sound that she could make with just her voice and an acoustic guitar.
 
When she arrived in Canada she quickly realized that the English they taught her in High School wasn’t quite sufficient in this new land where everyone had spoken it their whole lives. Also, it seemed that everyone spoke French as well, which is something that Masami had not expected. She would have a lot to learn if she wanted to fit in with these people here. She met her teammates, and her General Manager, and the lovely Assistant General Manager, and got settled in to her apartment near to the arena. It wasn’t much, it was kind of a rundown hole in the wall if she was honest, but she didn’t mind that one bit. Once she unpacked she grabbed her guitar and went down to the front of the arena to check out where she might set up. Eventually she found a nice spot with a lot of foot traffic and she set up her kit and began to play. She sang in Japanese but it wasn’t about the lyrics anyway, it was about the emotion. Emotion that she had to spare and willingly gave to anyone who would stop for a moment and listen. Those who did stop were amazed at this person who was singing in a language they could not understand, yet they felt that they could understand what she wanted to convey perfectly. She sang ballads mostly, a couple pure love songs, and even one upbeat pop type song. Eventually she wrapped it up for the night, collected her tips as though she were any other street performer and not a soon to be VHLM player singing in front of her own arena, and went back to her little apartment. She was very happy with this development and could not be more excited about the future.
 
521 words  

Masami Iwasawa had always felt like she was destined for something special. From as far back as she could remember she had a passion for two things. Music, and Ice Hockey. She was determined to make her presence felt, to touch the lives of those around her. She desperately wanted to make an impact. Music was her main outlet, it let her express her very soul. Hockey was a good backup that she really enjoyed, but that she couldn’t quite find out how to make it work for her desire to touch the lives of people. Then she caught a break. She was playing in an exhibition game for high schoolers in Hokkaido and a scout happened to be there. The scout immediately recognized her talent for defensive positioning and recruited her at once for the VHLM. She signed up as a free agent and immediately joined the Halifax 21st. A city half the world away from her native Japan. She didn’t mind though, it was an opportunity to spread both her presence on the ice, and her music. The first thing she made sure to pack was her beloved guitar. Acoustic guitar solo artists weren’t exactly the biggest of fashions in Japan but she loved the sound that she could make with just her voice and an acoustic guitar.
 
When she arrived in Canada she quickly realized that the English they taught her in High School wasn’t quite sufficient in this new land where everyone had spoken it their whole lives. Also, it seemed that everyone spoke French as well, which is something that Masami had not expected. She would have a lot to learn if she wanted to fit in with these people here. She met her teammates, and her General Manager, and the lovely Assistant General Manager, and got settled in to her apartment near to the arena. It wasn’t much, it was kind of a rundown hole in the wall if she was honest, but she didn’t mind that one bit. Once she unpacked she grabbed her guitar and went down to the front of the arena to check out where she might set up. Eventually she found a nice spot with a lot of foot traffic and she set up her kit and began to play. She sang in Japanese but it wasn’t about the lyrics anyway, it was about the emotion. Emotion that she had to spare and willingly gave to anyone who would stop for a moment and listen. Those who did stop were amazed at this person who was singing in a language they could not understand, yet they felt that they could understand what she wanted to convey perfectly. She sang ballads mostly, a couple pure love songs, and even one upbeat pop type song. Eventually she wrapped it up for the night, collected her tips as though she were any other street performer and not a soon to be VHLM player singing in front of her own arena, and went back to her little apartment. She was very happy with this development and could not be more excited about the future.
 
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Part 9 here:  https://vhlforum.com/topic/97288-caitlyn-catowizes-story-pt9/
 
What. A. Fortnight. First there was the championship run. The Reapers were in it to win it, you could tell right from the first. The team ran through the lower rounds and went up against a real tough team in the finals. Caitlyn was dreading one thing the entire time, and surprisingly even though she was quite the competitor, it wasn’t losing. It was the ringing of her cell phone with that one unknown number. The unknown people on the other end of the line might ask her to do anything and she would have to do it for now. The night before the first game of the finals her phone rang and it was, in fact, that same unknown number. She sat staring at her phone for a second or so, too afraid to answer, too afraid not to. When she finally picked up it was the usual voice on the other end of the line but he didn’t ask her anything this time. He wished her well and said that she should do her best to win. When she hung up Caitlyn was shaking. The adrenaline had been coursing through her in anticipation of being asked to do something horrible to someone again. Of being forced to say yes. She was so glad that she wasn’t going to be made to do anything that she broke down into tears.
When it came to game time Caitlyn felt freed. She was all over the place on the ice, flying at top speed. She played well, though not so well that she felt she’d capped out on her potential yet. The Reapers went on to win the Cup, Caitlyn was a champion! 3rd line winger only, but still! A champion! She was still riding the high from having won a real cup that she never expected she’d win as a minor leaguer that when she got the call from the World WJC team she absolutely could not believe it. They wanted her on the team! What a huge honor! When the games got under way she was so on cloud nine that she felt she could do anything on the ice. Until she realized she was woefully underdeveloped compared to some of the top players out there. The World team even won the WJC and although Caitlyn scored a couple of goals, she just played okay overall. Then…then it was time for the thing she’d been most looking forward to. The draft.
 
The week before the draft was a blur. It was workout for this team, interview for this scout, tour this facility, she felt like her brain had been scrambled by the end of it. She had picked out a couple of teams she had hopes would draft her, that seemed particularly excited about getting her and had picks in the area her agent told her she was projected to go. That said she was sure wherever she ended up would be fun, exciting and worthwhile.
 
Then, two days before the draft she got a knock on her door. She was confused at first since no one knew where she lived except a couple of teammates she’d had over once or twice. She thought it must be them coming to wish her luck wherever she went next and answered the door with a smile. That smile shattered the moment she saw her mother standing there looking at her. Her mother greeter her as she pushed past without permission, Caitlyn was so stunned she didn’t think to try to stop her. When she caught her bearing she turned on her mother and yelled at her to get out. Her mother of course took it in stride, used to her daughter not being exactly welcoming. Caitlyn took the opportunity to use a few choice words to let her mother know just exactly what she thought of her after what she’d put her through this last year. Her mother just stood silently and listened. When Caitlyn paused to take a breath her mother asked if Caitlyn was ready to hear why she had come. This got Caitlyn thinking again. What the hell was this woman up to now? She was playing the game again, she was always playing the game, so what was she after. Money was too simple, the fact that Caitlyn would be drafted my a VHL team and sign her first real contract would be interesting to most petty con-men, or con-women in this case, but not her mother. That was small potatoes. So, what was the game? Not being able to guess, and tired already of having to be in the woman’s presence, Caitlyn asked why she’d bothered to show up now? Her mother claimed then to have a plan to save Caitlyn from her debtors. She would work most of it on her end but Caitlyn just had to appeal to on specific general manager and get him to draft her. She had to end up in Washington D.C. with the Dragons. Once there, her mother would enact the rest of her plan and Caitlyn would be freed from her debt. The debt, yeah the debt her mother had placed on her head in the first place, Caitlyn thought. This was the reminder that she needed that she could not trust this woman. Whatever else was true, she was not acting with Caitlyn’s best interest at heart. She had her own agenda that involved Caitlyn only insofar as Caitlyn was a useful pawn. No, this was all wrong. Caitlyn told her mother to get out, she wouldn’t do as she was asked and her mother was wasting her breath. Her mother smiled and slowly walked to the door, but on her way out she said one more thing. She said that Caitlyn really didn’t have any other options available to her.
 
Caitlyn had those last words running through her mind all night. What other options were open to her? She really didn’t even know who she was dealing with, she had no leverage to negotiate with, and she had no one else to appeal to for help. The next day she did find out she had a last minute meeting with the GM of the D.C. Dragons scheduled at their request. That wasn’t a coincidence, she thought, but did her best to act as though it were news to her. The person she met with surprised her, they were very excited about drafting her it seemed, and their excitement was endearing. Caitlyn did what she didn’t want to do, she appealed to them using her natural enthusiasm and by assuring them that she was super excited to play for them as well. It wasn’t even so much that it wasn’t true, it just felt disingenuous because it was forced. She did it because she knew she had no choice.
 
The night of the draft she sat in the green room with about 40 other rookies waiting to see her fate. As it turned out she was drafted number seven overall…by the D.C. Dragons. She was so happy to be drafted 7th, some mock drafts had her slipping out of the first round altogether, and yet, she felt so guilty for the situation, for whatever fate was to befall whoever her mother was out to get. The GM of D.C. immediately congratulated her when she left the stage, and she had a signed contract later that evening. The next morning she found a note on her hotel door in her mother’s handwriting. It said simply, “thata girl.” Caitlyn threw it across the hall and slammed her door. She’d let her mother have her way, again, as always. As always, it was because she didn’t have any other choice. Her mother had been steps ahead of her. How she wished she could be free of the curse of this woman in her life. How many times had she cried, asking whoever might be listening why they had placed such a terrible human being in her life? Caitlyn did not have any answers then, and she did not have any answers now but to keep moving forward. She was living life on rails, forced to go where they took her. She was a pawn and she knew it. Where would life guide her next? What was in store for her when she arrived in D.C.? Caitlyn hoped that better times were possible.
 
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claiming 1/2

Yep, that's not an apology. It's cool. I have no idea if I'll be any good but I'll make sure I do everything in my power to be now.

You are actually disgusting. Go away.

probably shouldn't have used gender as part of your commentary at all

Yep, that's not an apology. It's cool. I have no idea if I'll be any good but I'll make sure I do everything in my power to be now.

You are actually disgusting. Go away.