Page 80 of Rookie Rules

"Apparently I am atmospheric," he said.

Luca paused the clip on an arrow drawn directly through Finn's position. "You are this tasteful blue line."

"I always wanted to become a graphic element."

Rowan walked past the doorway with a tablet under one arm. His gaze touched the frozen screen, then Luca.

"Meeting in five."

"They called us dangerous," Luca said.

"Who?"

"People with arrows."

"Terrifying. Meeting in four."

He continued down the corridor.

Finn sipped his coffee. "You two really know how to keep success humble."

Luca let the clip resume. The analyst replayed his opening-night goal, then a road-game chance Rowan had created three nights later. The Wolves had followed their first win with two losses, then found enough structure to take three of the next four. Four wins. Three losses. Promising enough for attention. Inconsistent enough that Vale had spent the morning circling failed exits rather than admiring standings.

Luca liked the record because it looked earned.

He liked the graphic because the arrow between him and Rowan made visible what the last weeks had felt like: one reading beginning inside the other.

He hated that the safe version was so easy to celebrate.

In the team meeting, Vale showed the evening opponent's forecheck. Their weak-side winger collapsed low, forcing centers to move the puck into pressure or reverse before support arrived.

"They will overload Hale," Vale said. "They want the puck on the wall and Bennett trying to leave before it is secure."

A month ago, the description would have sounded like an invitation. Beat the pressure. Become the exception.

Now Luca looked at the routes on the screen.

"If Finn comes underneath instead of stretching," he said, "their high forward has to choose."

Vale nodded. "And you?"

"Hold until the reverse."

Rowan looked at him from the next seat.

No praise. None needed. The look said Luca had arrived at the same answer.

That should have been enough too.

Pregame cameras waited at ice level during warmups. Claire had warned Luca that the local broadcast wanted a short feature on Northstar's improved start, which meant one camera tracked his first lap and another found Rowan taking faceoffs near center.

The two shots would be edited together before either man left the ice.

Luca gathered a puck along the boards and sent it toward Finn. Rowan intercepted the pass, changed the angle, and returned it to Luca's forehand without looking.

The camera followed the puck.

"Subtle," Finn said as he skated past.