The Blue Falcon - (Victoria Docherty)

[Sgt. John Walters]

- The Blue Falcon -

"For every wound, a balm.
For every sorrow, cheer.
For every storm, a calm.
For every thirst, a beer."

~ Unknown

*As a Warning, I due use coarse language so readers, viewer discretion is advised.*

BOOM. BAM. BOP. The sound of several pots and pans could be heard, clashing together like an orchestrated band as they hit the ground. It was echoed, traveling through the muggy air that provided life with a sense of urgency. As it traveled through the air, the sound became fainter, and only those close by could here. John stumbled, and quickly jolted into the tent beside him. He was quickly welcome by several people. A chef, washboy, and a seasoned veteran. All of which were in charge of cleaning up the kitchen after the big dinner. John smiled, and looked towards the seasoned veteran, Jack Thrower.

"Having a little trouble?"

Jack looked up rather slowly, obviously looking quite annoyed. He was a veteran, jumped into the war back in Dunkirk. Why would he be there, shouldn't there be a 14 year old chump doing the dirty work for him?

"Ahah. I'm fine you bloody wanka!"

John giggled, he loved messing with his mates. As long as everything was alright, he didn't mind pulling on anyone's tail. He knocked on the frame of the door, and slowly turned around to the path he led in on. His journey was already planned, but it was constantly being stopped by small hiccups. It was sorta like a strategic assault wasn't it? This time however, John didn't need to do a reconnaissance of his mission area. He knew exactly where he was going, what he was doing and what he needed to accomplish his objectives. John was off to The Blue Falcon. A local pub just outside the base, that was always pleased to welcome the Queen's finest of troops. However, the men of the 7th Armoured new otherwise. Only the Desert Rats were the finest troops under the Queen.

As John approached the Falcon, the bright lights of the sign above was quickly alarming. A large falcon was outlined by Blue light bulbs, and to the left was the words "The Blue Falcon". The place was remarkable, even with the constant hustle of troops coming in and out of the place. John took a large step to the front of the door, and slowly pushed the front door open with his right hand. A large but slowly sound, quickly became obvious. There was a ton of people inside, uniforms and civilians alike. It was a popular place for both sides of the war to mingle. Especially if your were single. John followed a routine; he would enter the bar, say hello to his fellow troops or regulars inside the bar, then would slowly walk to the front of the bar itself. He would sit in the same stool, and would ask the same question.

"Eh Frank, give me your finest Pint!".

Everytime, Frank the bartender would pour his glass and provide not only a cold refreshing beer, but a warm welcome to his home. John felt at home, not because of the alcohol, but because of the beautiful atmosphere the bar provided. With the beer in his hand, John quickly took a drink, and thanked Frank for his welcoming and hospitality.

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

An overwhelming chatter of women filled the hanger as Victoria slid out of one of the Spitfires just coming back from one of her ferrying jobs. Just as her boots made contact to the ground the group of women made a beeline to her, "Victoria! You're back!" one of them said as they got closer. Victoria flashed a lethargic smile their way while she removed her aviation hat and goggles, "It's good to be back." she replied in a heavy Yorkshire accent, "Nice to see you guys gussied up...as usual." said Victoria sarcastically. She didn't particularly see the point of putting on makeup or impressing boys.

"You should join us Vic!" said Gwen as she made a tugging motion with Victoria's arm.

"Join you where exactly??" asked Victoria in a rather bewildered tone as she felt herself being yanked.

"To go dancing with the other fly boys at the Blue Falcon. Where else?" said Eleanor.

Victoria scowled slightly, "You guys know very well I do not dance...."

"Oh pish posh Victoria, it's our treat. Besides, you never go out with us! So this time whether you like it or not you're coming." mused Gwen.

As much as Victoria wanted to go back to her bunk and sleep, she knew it wasn't going to happen if she didn't agree to go out with her friends. She let out a sigh, "Alright...I'll go. I'm not going to like it...---"

"Great! You just need to change out of your jump suite and into something nice!" interrupted Eleanor.

"I agreed to go, I did not agree to dress up nicely and impress boys." replied Victoria sourly.

Victoria's two friends looked at each other before dragging Victoria back to the bunk to change. Ultimately Victoria got her way, she still wore her jump suite though the top part was pulled down and tied to her waist like a sweatshirt, revealing a short sleeved collared shirt. Hell, she was too proud to care what people thought of how she looked, after all she was just going there to drink.

Unfortunately, the young flight officer could careless for the opposite sex, not that she didn't like them, she was too invested in her own personal goals to even pay attention. If she wanted respect from her father this was her ticket...so she thought. She knew she needed to do something extraordinary or at least not let her brother's death be in vain. He fought and died for England...and she would do the same. For now a little bit of fun wouldn't hurt would it? She shrugged, calmly following her friends to the pub. Their form fitting dresses rustling as the proceeded to walk quickly towards the luminous pub.

Victoria couldn't help but quirk her eyebrow at her friends thinking how silly they looked. What are they in a hurry for...I'm sure there are a lot of single guys lingering, she thought. By the time she had caught up with her friends they had already went inside; Victoria shook her head as she pushed the door open.
Like a frightened puppy she felt as if she had a tail between her legs upon seeing how much people were inside. Victoria isn't much of a social person...although she has a fiery-in your face personality, she can't fully hold a conversation when thrown into a new situation. She took a deep breath and proceeded to make her way to the bar, passing her friends as they flirted with a few fly boys.

Of course Victoria had her own insecurities, she felt she wasn't as pretty nor approachable as her friends were. Hell, she knew not one guy in this pub would look twice at a ton boy--fly girl that craves for nothing but her freedom and the sky.

[Sgt. John Walters]

The beer was quite refreshing! John couldn't help wonder why beer was illegal back in the 1920's. Really the prohibition was a complete mishap of confusion and idiocy. John thought that things could be solved by having two parties talk, and a beer in their hands. Peaceful, and joyful for both parties.

John took another gulp of his drink. He couldn't help but drink it, it was great. John put his glass down onto the bar, and slowly reached into his pocket. He could feel several things; his wallet, some change but more importantly his notepad. He pulled out his old notepad, rubbed the top of the leather and then placed into onto the bar. Inside was all of John's thoughts, orders or important notes he wanted to write down. He would usually open his notebook after a long day, just to review what he had done. Whether it was an improvement from the previous day, or a mere mishap. He slowly shuffled through the pages, quickly being flashed with memories from the past. Each page carried it's own, one that either could be bad, or amazing. Either way, he tried to ignore it and make it to the last few pages he had used.

Before he was able to reflect on his writing, he was quickly alerted by a new presence at the door. A big flock of "FlyGirls" were making their presence be known. John didn't even know girls could be pilots, he thought most of them were nurses or factory workers. For those female pilots however, he thought they were brave, and were just as important as any other person fighting for their country. As the ladies began to walk into The Blue Falcon, John could not help but notice one girl out of the bunch. She was just b-e-a-utiful. Long glistening dark hair, followed by glowing brown eyes and her oh so soft lips. Just gorgeous! John took a quick look around, and realized that she was dressing just a wee bit different then her friends. She was still wearing her jumpsuit, tied down at here waist. On top she wore a collared shirt, something most guys would be seen wearing. However, a lot of girls now a days have been seen wearing one.

As she made her way to the bar, John quickly turned back around to face the bartender. He looked up to him, and leaned in as close as he could.

"Where ever she sits, get her a beer".

Frank nodded, and was pleased to help with John's plan. As soon as Frank put the beer down, John got up from his seat. He quickly dusted off his buttoned shirt, and slowly made his way towards her. He didn't want to make a bad impression, all he wanted to do was meet her.

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

Victoria quietly situated herself at the very end of the bar. She looked around her brown eyes taking in the sight of dancing men and women. She shrugged happy to see that no one seemed to pay attention to her....honestly Victoria was trying to keep a low profile, she wasn't in any way interested to just "Curtsy" and act all flustered like any other woman would if a man were to flirt with them.

Victoria rolled her shoulders back, slowly adjusting to her new surroundings...she was indeed happy no one decided to come up and talk to her, as if she wasn't awkward enough! She pressed her hands against her cheeks muttering "Pull yourself together."

She quickly dropped her gaze thinking people found her odd when she practically slapped herself in the face. Her pale cheeks puffed a shade of red at the thought as she looked around hesitantly. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business...her friends were still flirting immensely with other flyboys, which didn't really surprise her. Her friends did like the attention.

THUD

The sound of glass tapping against a hardwood surface drew Victoria's attention. By the time she looked up, the bartender had set a pint of beer before her. She quirked one of her dark chocolate eyebrows wearily at the man before speaking, "Oh sir, I didn't order any...." her voice trailed off as the bartender merely gave her a friendly chuckle before walking off. Confused, Victoria followed the bartender's gaze to a man who happened to be walking in her direction.

Well, shit.... she thought bitterly.
Her posture became ridged as he got closer, the young flight officer was in no mood to talk to anyone..she figured if he went through the trouble getting her a beer she might as well entertain him. She let out a deep sigh her brown eyes falling on the man again, "Hello." she stated firmly, "By chance...and I'm just taking a wild guess...was this your doing?" she said in a rather sarcastic tone.

She lifted her hand pointing at the pint of beer before her as she tried to conjure some sort of smile. God she was nervous! Victoria pondered wildly wondering why she was reacting this way. This was not like her at all...hell if her brother were still alive he'd be teasing her right now.

She sat quietly waiting for the man to respond to her question.

[Sgt. John Walters]

This was it, the moment that John had been waiting for. Finally a girl that had something that appealed to John, a sense of courage. There wasn't a lot of women in the military at the time. On top of that, there wasn't a a lot of beautiful women in the military either. This one was a no brainer, and John did not want to let this opportunity go by him.

As he approached the girl, he quickly noticed her react to what had happened...And then it kicked in. A sudden rush of fluttering and squirming bugs filled John's stomach in an instant. Quickly bouncing from one side of his stomach to the other, flying around like a mindless freak. It was the butterflies, the feeling of being overly nervous. John was about to talk to a girl, that was prettier than most girls back home. He couldn't mess this up, he just couldn't. As she looked at the beer, she tried to talk to the bartender, but that didn't work. Than John saw her turn her head, and that had been the signal. Shivers quickly ran down his spine, and reached down to the bottom of his toes. He quickly smiled, and tries to look the girl straight in her eyes.

"Hello", "By chance...and I'm just taking a wild guess...was this your doing?".

John smirked again, and took a small step closer to the girl.

"Indeed it was.." John replied hastily.

John than stuck out his right hand towards the girl, hoping to properly introduce himself to her. In most cases, John would give a real hard shake, showing that he means what he says. In this case however, he had to be gentle. He didn't want to break this beautiful gem sitting in front of him.

"I'm Sgt John Walters, 7th Armoured Division." John than calmly paused.

"And you are?"

He hoped he didn't frighten her, he was only trying to lighten the already nervous situation. Hoping that she replied softly, he moved closer to the stool beside her.

"Do you mind If I take a seat?" John said while pointing towards the stool beside her.

It's like he had this whole thing planned out. Step by step, pace by pace, John would hope not to fuck things up. Hoping that he could sit down, John looked down to Frank and motioned him to come towards him. Frank already knew what he wanted, and was already in motion to get it to him. As Frank sat there, he began to wonder what she was thinking. Does she like him? What does she think of him? He wasn't trying to get in her pants like most guys, he was just trying to get to know this girl better. Slowly but surely, the beer was dropped on the bar. The hardwood from the bar was just beautiful, smooth, elegant and totally perfect. Frank did an amazing job with the place, and John had no problem in telling him that.

He quickly than grabbed his mug and raised it in the air, thanking Frank for bringing him another drink. He than turned back to the girl, waiting to hear what she had to say.

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

Victoria tilted her head slightly at the man when he took a few small steps closer to her. She arched her eyebrow in response to his answer, Well no duh Victoria.... she thought to herself.

Trying to think of conversation starters....hell she was horrible at small talk. She didn't want to look like a complete fool in front of the man....she hardly knew him...she knew first impressions were everything, she wanted nothing more than to hide at this very moment...or disappear into the seat she was sitting on.

She shifted nervously when the man stuck out his hand towards her. She blinked a few times working up the will power to grasp his hand. She grasping his work beaten hands firmly she flashed a witty smile his way, "Victoria Docherty...ATA flight officer of the USAAF." she replied simply, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Walters...unless you prefer me calling you Sergeant." she said with a slight shrug before letting go of his hand.

She quickly averted her eyes to the empty stool next to her and shrugged again, "Not at all." she said quickly, "Ummm...I mean...no one's sitting in it." she said sarcastically, trying to keep her cool.

Dammit Victoria....stay calm! she scolded herself inwardly, He's just a regular soldier serving his country like you. No need to be nervous! she bit her lower lip at the thought.

Her brown eyes settled on John again---quietly watching him sit down and order a beer for himself. Cocking her head a bit she figured he seemed to know the bartender...which honestly didn't really seem to surprise her. She dropped her gaze again this time on to the pint of beer that was in front of her. She pondered for a moment and decided to take a sip from it....after all he did go through the trouble of ordering her a beer to get her attention. Victoria wasn't one to complain....hell if she could get a free drink out of this, why not?

She sipped the beer quietly feeling John's gaze on her again. She felt her cheeks burn a little more out of embarrassment. She wasn't use to people looking at her in such a way to begin with. She always found herself average and pretty plain looking compared to her friends...she never thought anyone would even look twice at her let alone put in the effort to grab her attention.
She awkwardly fiddled her thumbs against the beer glass---her brown eyes meeting John's, "Is there something on my face? You keep staring at me...." she mumbled quietly

By the time she realized what she said she felt like face palming herself,SSSSSSSSHHHHITTTTTT!!!!!!!!!! WHY DID I SAY THAT!!!?? The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, feeling a little more embarrassed than before, "Ummm....I mean....uhhh..." she rambled trying to save the conversation.

[Sgt. John Walters]

He should have known! He should have realized what he had walked into! John didn't think it about it properly, and realized only one thing...Pilots are usually Officers. He put it passed him, and listened to what she was going to say.

"Victoria Docherty...ATA flight officer of the USAAF."

He knew it..an NCO's worst nightmare. This might not end well, and John became increasingly worried about what may happen next. An Officer had the power to do many things, especially to a NCO. He didn't think about it, only until she spoke again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Walters...unless you prefer me calling you Sergeant."

That was the kicker, John knew he was screwed. He had to play it off however, kept it past him. Pretended there were no uniforms involved, and that they were both civilians.

"Perhaps I should call you ma'am than?".

John smirked at his own comment, he knew he had done well. Hopefully she was hit by the blast, and forgot about the uniforms as well. He didn't want anything else to break up this conversation, he only wanted to feel at home. As he was ordering his beer, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. He was finally calm, relaxed and almost ready to talk to this girl normally. She was an officer afterall, but John knew he had to forget about that. When he finally took a sip of his beer, he looked over to Victoria, only to see her do the same. As she lifted her mouth from the beer, John could do nothing but giggle.

"Is there something on my face? You keep staring at me...."

John wasn't really sure why she said that, there was two answers to that question. The first being the obvious, she was gorgeous. The second being a literal answer to her question, little did she know.

"Ummm....I mean....uhhh..." She quickly said.

BOOM. John had her locked in, she was just as nervous as he was. Nothing could really screw up this oppertunity, and John knew exactly what to do.

"You seem to have left something on your mouth Ma'am."

John giggled again, and quickly reached into his pocket. He slowly pulled out his handkerchief, which was used for many things. Thank god he washed it frequently, or else it would be filled with disgusting things...

John reached over to her face, only to lead with his handkerchief. Little did she know, she had left some of the foam from the beer near her mouth. The form had risen right to the top of the beer, coating it like chocolate on a cake. As he reached towards her, he slowly looked into her eyes, only to engage it with lust. He than looked back down to her lips, and gently wiped the foam off her mouth with his handkerchief. He slowly leaned back, giggled and looked straight back into her eyes. He thought it was hilarious, and was hoping she thought it was funny too.

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

Victoria stayed silent, running her thumbs against the condensation of the cool pint of beer. Her brown eyes shifted towards John eyeing him for a moment when he asked if he should call her ma'am. Perhaps being addressed as something she dubbed normal relieve the awkward tension between the two---honestly Victoria was just this awkward girl. She wasn't outgoing at all to begin with---however the only thing that pushed her out of her shell and gave her the nerve to join the military to begin with was her brother.

After his death, nothing was ever the same...almost all of her hopes and dreams died along with him. She wasn't going to let his death be in vain...no she decided to honor him by joining the army herself. Her older brother never expected less of her, so why let him down? She wanted her freedom---nor did she want to be weighed down by her drunkard of a father.

So, Here she was....Victoria Annaliese Docherty, ATA flight officer from Yorkshire. A normal, yet awkward farmgirl who had big dreams of being strong just like her late older brother. She was prepared to go to war, she was prepared to lose everything she held dear....but to talk to boys...well that she wasn't prepared for. Victoria wasn't about to drop her formal language with John anytime soon....honestly she thought herself to be rude if she didn't.

"Call me anything you're comfortable with Sergeant Walters." she replied in a thick Yorkshire accent.
Victoria was beyond nervous at this point, she felt she made herself look like a complete and utter fool in front of the Sergeant. Why did she even ask such a silly question----of course it seemed like he fancied her, why else would he be staring? But, really who wouldn't be nervous with someone staring at them? She shifted on the stool---not really noticing until John wiped something off her mouth.

She flinched, jerking her head a bit in the process, "Oh! Umm...thank you!" she blurted nervously.
She felt her cheeks burn a little with embarrassment---more so of having something on her mouth, " But, sir...you...umm...could have told me that I had something on my mouth....I would have wiped it off myself..." she blushed.

[Sgt. John Walters]

Why did she seem so on edge for? Was it from the combat, or maybe from some sort of abuse from her father? In either case, it seemed like she was uncomfortable, and John didn't wanna make it any worse. He placed the handkerchief back into his pocket, and grabbed the cold mug of beer in front of him. He took a quick sip, only to look back towards Victoria.

"Listen, there's no reason to feel on edge! We're all here to have a good time!"

He just wanted to make things smoother, he hated seeing her feel so nervous. Then again, her rosy cheeks warmed his heart, and reminded him of his niece back home. He raised his glass towards Victoria's and turned his head back towards her.

"Let's make a toast", John paused for a moment and looked straight into Victoria's eyes. "To War".

He pushed his mug towards hers, and listened to the famous sound of glass connecting with harmony. He quickly took a gulp of his drink, and placed down the mug back onto the bar. John comfortably moved his arms over each other, crossing them over his chest. He turned his body towards her, sitting comfortably still. He slowly looked back up to her, and proposed a stern question.

"So I'm curious, whats your story? How did you get here?"

Everyone had a story, heck even John did. He didn't mind talking about it at all, he was fucking proud. To serve his country was nothing but a dream for him, and he would never regret his decision to enlist. However, he was more than curious about the girl sitting in front of him. You didn't see a lot of females in combat, most of them were nurses or doctors. In this case, Victoria was a pilot, a very rare thing to see. John was impressed, he didn't think that girls could live up to the stress and adrenaline of combat. He wasn't trying to be sexist, he just thought it was in men's DNA to fight.

I noticed that CP wasn't being issued automatically for the last few posts, this issue should be fixed now. I've manually issued the CP for all posts in this thread so far, so you should have and receive the appropriate reward from here on out.

-Heiko

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

"R-right a good time....sorry sir." she stated with a quirk of her brow---watching John slip his handkerchief back into his pocket. Honestly, Victoria wasn't very offended as much as surprised he did something so forward. She just wasn't use to such interaction to begin with...after all she was just a farm girl from Yorkshire, there wasn't much to begin with.

Her pale lips pressed into a thin line as John continued to stare at her. The burn of her reddened cheeks didn't seem to help either. God...was he trying to make her melt into a puddle of embarrassment? She quickly snapped out of it, her attention now directed to the toast John initiated between them. The British woman couldn't help but chuckle at it...perhaps he was trying to lighten the tension. Whatever it was....it was helping.

Nevertheless, Victoria gazed back into John's eyes, raising her glass towards his---their glasses chiming in harmony as the two collided. She smiled lightly after---taking a quick sip of the beer. The cool bitter taste of fermented barley danced on her taste buds. War wasn't quite something she would have toasted for...they lost so many good men to this war----hell, she lost her brother because of it.

The creak of John's chair drew her attention back to the man, she shot him a rather quizzical look as he asked how she got here---letting out a sigh, she watched at the condensation on the glass formed water droplets. Her bistre gaze turned back to the man, her lips quivered a bit, as if she were trying to search for the right words to say without giving out too much personal information.

"What can I say? I love the sky..." she said simply, "My brother use to say, I'm like the wind. I come and go as I please...changing direction---never know I'm there till it hits you." she smiled at the thought of talking about her brother, "You feel so alone up there...it's almost comforting I suppose, being so close to the heavens you can almost touch it."

She sighed leaning against the table now, "A battlefield is no place for a woman....however, I believe any woman can do a man's job---although my job is just to fairy supplies over to our boys that are out there fighting, I feel like I'm doing my part in the war effort."

[Sgt. John Walters]

John sat comfortably, giving his utmost attention to the lovely woman that sat in front of him. He waited for her response, and quickly noticed something. He looked to her lips, and then to her eyes. The thought of her brother must have startled her, maybe her brother had passed away. He leaned forward a little in his seat, trying to grab every word that she said.

"What can I say? I love the sky..." she said simply, "My brother use to say, I'm like the wind. I come and go as I please...changing direction---never know I'm there till it hits you." she smiled at the thought of talking about her brother, "You feel so alone up there...it's almost comforting I suppose, being so close to the heavens you can almost touch it."

John closed his eyes for a moment, and thought about the losses that he had during war. It was a cold, dark thought...but it slowly became clear. He looked back to her, his eyes gleamed from the tears that were slowly building up. He blinked a few times, trying to hide what was happening.

She sighed leaning against the table now, "A battlefield is no place for a woman....however, I believe any woman can do a man's job---although my job is just to fairy supplies over to our boys that are out there fighting, I feel like I'm doing my part in the war effort."

John looked down slightly, his heart dropped a little. Her words hit him like an arrow, straight into his chest. He looked back up to her, and gently placed his hand on hers. He looked into her eyes, making sure not to startle her. His eyes began tearing up again, but he pushed it aside as if it wasn't happening.

"Just know, that you and every other member of this Expeditionary is doing the best that they can do. No matter what their gender, race or colour." He paused for a moment, looking for words to say. "I'm sure your brother would be proud, along with every other person that's close to your heart."

He paused for a moment, that slowly pulled himself back into his seat. He reached for his beer with one hand, and placed his other by his side. He slowly took a sip from his beer, then cautiously looked back towards Victoria. He wasn't use to speaking like that, but it was something that he felt had to be said. He wasn't the one to discriminate, he thought everyone was equal. Every effort in this war, would be the eventual result of it's end.

[Victoria Adaline Clarke]

Victoria jumped slightly as John place his hand over her's, without thinking twice she quickly retracted her hand from his grasp---it didn't matter that he was making eye contact with her or not. She just was uncomfortable with someone suddenly holding her hand---and hell she only met this man a few seconds ago as well.

"Ummm..." she began, shifting on the bar stool uncomfortably.

Feeling uneasy she turned her gaze off of him and continued to keep her eyes on the pint of beer before her, "Yes I know that." she replied, "However, you do realize we are in an age where your gender and skin color determine who and what you are in this world. Hell, even in the army you'll still feel like an outsider in a world where you wear the same uniform, bleed together, fight together and even cry together.

With due respect...you have to understand that much Sergeant Walters---sir. We are in a time and place where things do not quite work out the way we want them to and we must work with what we have. I know my place in this war...and surely my brother, though he may not be here would have known as well." she said, "One must realize that they are a soldier first before you call yourself a human....I suppose that is what we lose most in a war....

Not only our comrades, and our brothers---but our humanity. More or less we tend to forget that we are all human beings fighting based on either blind loyalty or for the glory in combat. I don't fear death if it comes knocking at my door...no one should. We're here for a cause and that's that, perhaps someone's opinion may differ from others...however, mine is to find my brother and bring him home.

I may not have seen battle as I have stated before...but I am willing to still do what I can for my country men. The boys out there need the supplies..."she stated. Winded from her little rant, Victoria took another sip of her pint. Oh god...the sting of the alcohol was refreshing against her throat, "Anyways...thank you for the drink sir...I'll see if I can pay you back or return the favor. You name it." she said with a polite smile on her face, "I won't be able to do much for you...honestly, perhaps two packs of cigarettes or extra ammo before your shipped out?" she asked.

[Sgt. John Walters]

John's subtle approach quickly turned into a Military demeanor. Flight Officer Clarke was not interested in meaning less relationships, and it seemed she was more focused on the job she had to carry out. He respected that, very much so. John and Victoria were very alike in some aspects; they both had no problems with minorities, they were both loving and caring souls, and they both wanted to work hard, so that they could see the end of the war faster. He had to respect her opinion, and he couldn't agree more with what she had to say.

He quickly straightened his posture, siting up straight as he would in front of any other officer. His broad shoulders rolled back, his chest out and his chin held high. He took another final drink of his beer, listening to Victoria give her final speech. She stared deep into her glass of beer, spilling out words like a propaganda broadcast. These words were subtle, peaceful and calm. She finished up her statement with a close, offering John anything she could. He pushed the empty glass towards the bartender on the other side of the bar, and slowly got up from his bar stool.

"I don't personally smoke Ma'am, but I think my men will appreciate anything they get."

He slowly gathered his belongings, placing things in pockets that were once there before. He pulled out some change from his back pocket and placed it on the counter gently. He was sure to pay off the beer, and tip the bartender off properly. A solid nod towards him was significant, and John's attention quickly diverted back to the young aviation officer. He stretched his hand out in front of her, still maintaining a good military posture.

"It was nice speaking to you Ma'am."