Meeting the Good Ole' Captain (Patterson)

[riley]

Charmingly, First Lieutenant Shawn H. Riley strut down the narrow corridors of his new residence in England, winking at every female in sight. Riley had recently been transferred into the new 3rd Infantry Division, which in turn had been stationed in England, awaiting orders. The new recruits were extremely green however. They were going through Basic Training and the likes, but not a single one of them have seen the likes of combat. They always go on babbling about how they can't wait to get their fair share. Well Riley had gotten his fair share. And it wasn't fun either. You watch your friends die. You get shot at. And you shoot. That was basically all there was to it.

Riley had reached his destination, his new officer. The fine, wooden door had a window on it, that was a bit blurred, so you couldn't see into it. On the door was painted First Lieutenant Shawn H. Riley in large, bold black letters. Riley smiled. It had such a ring to it, Riley just absolutely loved it. He firmly grasped golden door knob and twisted to the right and pushed, opening the door rather slowly. The door opened with a creak, and Riley stepped in, closing the door behind him.

He scanned the room. It was twice as large as his last office, and a little more elegant. It came complete with a desk, some chairs, a small collection of books, some file cabinets, a pool table, and much much more. "I'm starting to like these Brits already." Riley smirked, strolling over to his desk. On it was the morning newspaper, a pack of cigars, a bottle of ale and two glasses, and even a map of the area. "Hell, do I have my own personal secretary or something? "

Riley plopped down on the desk and poured himself a glass of ale. He set it down for a second and set the newspaper on his lap, before picking it up again and scanning the newspaper. He got the gist of what was happening, and only read the most important articles. Next up, Riley studied the map, so he wouldn't get lost anytime soon. It would be a little too embarrassing. In the book case there were some books about tactics, world history, and even languages.

The brand-spanking new First Lieutenant didn't really have much to do. He was expecting a visit from his new C.O., apparently his name was Captain Patterson. He was expected to get "acquainted" with his new Captain, and then discuss "business" or whatever they were doing here. Riley sighed and sloshed around his ale a little before taking a sip, and walking over to the pool table. He set it up for a game, and then took a shot at the triangle, watching all the balls scatter.

[MAJ Patterson]

Captain Patterson opened the door to the headquarters building and approached the first desk he saw. "Where is Lieutenant Riley?" He looked upon a man that had only one leg and it was bandaged up. Must have lost it in combat, for his sake ran through his mind as the man pointed to the hall on the left. The Captain nodded and set off to find his new executive officer. He passed by a few desks, most of them were occupied by women, the Captain like to see that they were helping with the war effort as they were not allowed on the front lines. Most of them were smiling and chatting when they were not shuffling papers or typing. But as usual, when a woman set their eyes upon Patterson the smiles faded and the heads lowered. He didn't know why he seemed intimidating, but he didn't mind being left alone either.

He passed many desks and a few office doors before he came to the one he was looking for. Here we go CRACK What in the Sam hill was that! The Captain opened the door to find the Lieutenant playing pool. "Have a little extra time do we Lieutenant? I'm Captain Patterson." He turned and close the door behind him and pulled on it a bit, just to make sure it was closed completely, no need for anyone else to witness this.

He walked over to the other side of the billiard table rather briskly and stood about as close as two heterosexual males could tolerate for a moment next to the Lieutenant. He whispered "Why do you have a billiard table in your office Lieutenant? Feel that the war does not need your full attention?" He left no pause for a reply between them, and he did not hesitate for his next statement, which was only slightly louder, but still at the same distance "Sit...down!" he gritted through his teeth. He stepped back to make sure the Lieutenant had enough room to make his way to his own desk.

As he stepped back toward the wall he saw the half empty glass of wine, a bead of sweat dripped from the side of his forehead as his temperature rose a little more than it already had. He bent his neck and let his chin fall into his chest where it was met by his right hand, his thumb and index finger to be more precise, clutched around the bridge of his nose. You have got to be fucking kidding me! "Lieutenant..." He said as he raised his head. "...I will not say a word to you THIS time, enjoy it if you must, but if I ever see alcohol in your office, or in your hand when you are not off duty, I will pull you aside so no one else can see, and commence to chew you up one side and down the other, then I will decide what extra details you need to handle or oversee." He had been hoping the Lieutenant would be on the phone finding out where the rest of their unit was held up at, the war was not going to wait on anyone.

"Should this become a constant problem, I will demote you, but you will never receive a court martial under my command if that is what you are looking for, you can't get off that easy while I'm around." The only reason most any court martial even happened were because some coward couldn't hack it any more. The best way to overcome your fears, is to face them. The Allies would need all the men they could get, whether they were worth the bullets they were shot with or not, at least they could be a distraction.

[riley]

The door creaked open, and in came Riley's new Captain, Henry Patterson. "Have a little extra time do we Lieutenant? I'm Captain Patterson." Riley nodded and let the billiard stick rest up against the table. He held out his hand and shook with the man announcing himself, "Its nice to meet you Captain. I'm Lieutenant Riley." Riley watched in awe as the Captain strolled on over to the billiard table with a rather angered look on his face. ""Why do you have a billiard table in your office Lieutenant? Feel that the war does not need your full attention?""

Patterson hadn't even hesitated to await Riley's response. Riley gritted his teeth just thinking about what he wanted to shout out. OH GEE I DON'T KNOW SIR. MAYBE BECAUSE THE BRITS PUT IT HERE? But Riley never would get so far out of line with a higher-rank. Although he did sometimes "disrespect" them, by not "formally" speaking to them. For instance, often he would call them Cap or call them by a nickname. Hell, if Riley called Patterson Good Ole' Patty, he'd probably be demoted to Private. Riley shuddered at the thought. He'd have to learn to control himself.

"Sit...down!" Hollered out Captain Patterson. Riley almost grimaced. "Yes Sir!" He hollered back, quickly making his way to his desk and setting his sweet behind right in it, before he could be verbally abused further. As Riley glanced upwards to Patty he noticed the man taking a step back and clasping his nostrils with his thumb and index finger. What was he doing? Was he allergic to anything or something? Riley frantically looked around to find his solution, until his C.O pointed it out for him.

"Lieutenant...I will not say a word to you THIS time, enjoy it if you must, but if I ever see alcohol in your office, or in your hand when you are not off duty, I will pull you aside so no one else can see, and commence to chew you up one side and down the other, then I will decide what extra details you need to handle or oversee. Should this become a constant problem, I will demote you, but you will never receive a court martial under my command if that is what you are looking for, you can't get off that easy while I'm around." Captain Patty began to go off about. Jeez, did this guy wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?

Riley grimaced a little and poured the glass back into its container. To think he was seconds away from asking if his Captain wanted a drink. Riley sealed it up and and then jammed it into the far reaches of the book shelf. "I apologize Captain...But with all due respect sir, the Brits had all this in here for me. I figured they wanted for me to enjoy myself a bit, but if that is what you wish for, I am no longer and alcoholic. Unless of course I am off duty. It shall not happen again." Oh isn't it great to be an ass-kisser.

[MAJ Patterson]

OOC: Not that it matters, but I wasn't yelling at you to sit down, it was just a slightly louder whisper

Patterson watched as the Lieutenant took his seat and looked somewhat disgruntled. He took a deep breath as the Lieutenant explained how the table and wine were a gift from the British. Wow, thank you for wasting more of my time with useless discussion he thought to himself. "Lieutenant, I don't care who put it here. I don't even care if you want to enjoy yourself, by all means please do if it helps relieve stress or helps you unwind. But you WILL NOT 'enjoy yourself' "... he put his hands up slightly and used air quotations "...While you are on duty. Is that perfectly clear Lieutenant?" His gaze had never faltered from the Lieutenant's face, heck, he had barely even blinked since he walked in the door but he hadn't used a sarcastic tone since either.

He placed his hand on the back of a chair "Mind if I sit down?" he asked in a polite manner. "I wanted to come by and see if you happened to know where the rest of our unit was but it looked as if you were preoccupied when I walked in." He thought about saying that he should come back another time, but this was to be the his first impression on his Lieutenant and he didn't want him to get off that easy. When it came to business, Patterson was nothing but.

He placed his briefcase next to the chair as he awaited the Lieutenant's permission to utilize it. He was his commanding officer, but it was the Lieutenant's office. Patterson was not a bully, and he had respect for another man's property, especially in in his home or own office. The Lieutenant had earned the right to his office after all. They didn't have the space to give them to just anybody.

[riley]

"Lieutenant, I don't care who put it here. I don't even care if you want to enjoy yourself, by all means please do if it helps relieve stress or helps you unwind. But you WILL NOT enjoy yourself...while you are on duty. Is that perfectly clear Lieutenant?" Wow this guy sure knows how to piss me off. Yea I understand Patty. Riley nodded and blurt out "Yes Sir! I understand." Man if I could smack this guy right on the side of the head! Riley was betting that this guy was one of those goody goody two-shoes. The ones that parents sent them off to the best military school around, so they would "honor" the family name. And then they would get a high rank and they'd act like they've seen the war and they know how it is and they would boss around their men like they were high and almighty. But then when they finally got a taste of the war, they ran away crying. Or perhaps he was a good man and a good leader. They would find out soon enough.

"Mind if I sit down?" What this? Maybe he'll be nice for a change? Riley smiled a little and nodded. "Yes yes. You may sit down if you like Cap'. Erm I mean Captain. Sorry." Riley restrained himself from chuckling a little. He couldn't help but slip up a little. He knew that being formal all the time didn't work out so well. You didn't bond like you should. You got to loosen up a little so your men like you. Thats why Riley usually had a reputation with his men.

"I wanted to come by and see if you happened to know where the rest of our unit was but it looked as if you were preoccupied when I walked in." Good ole' Captain Patty angered Riley a bit more. But he didn't show it. He just acted nonchalant and muttered "Yes it seems that I was a bit preoccupied. I was awaiting your arrival." This time it was Riley who didn't hesitate for a response.
He wasn't really disrespecting his Captain, he was merely explaining himself, but the Captain probably found that information useless. He just wanted to get right down to business. To be "formal" 24/7. Uh-oh. Riley wasn't going to like it here.

"Hmm well I thought you knew Captain. After we left, there were some violent storms on the Atlantic Coast, so the rest of the men had to wait a bit before they could be shipped out. They're still back in the states. I think they should have been shipped out today." Riley declared. Did this Captain not even care to find out about his men? Hell, when Riley got here and couldn't find some of the Privates and Corporals he had befriended back in the states, the first thing he did was question about 20 people in order to find out where the other men were. When he finally had his answer, he strolled on over to his office to await his Captain.

[MAJ Patterson]

OOC: Looks as if these two might butt heads a bit

He took the seat he had requested and listened as the Lieutenant spoke of the storms and the delay of the troops. He crossed his left leg and placed his ankle on his right knee, he put his left hand on his chin and listened. This guy thinks I don't care about my men, well I'll open his eyes. "I wanted to get the information from you instead of going to an outside source so they wouldn't think we didn't know what we were doing Lieutenant. I knew about the storms but did not know that was the hold up. I came in on the convoy after yours, wanted to make sure that if a convoy was hit that they didn't lose both of their leaders."

He swallowed to wet his throat as he continued. "Seems your's made it here just fine, I'm glad, ours got hit by artillery, lost two trucks, but we made it. Just got here long enough ago to put my gear away and find you." He stood up and walked over to the bookcase and thumbed through a book on trench warfare, somewhat obsolete but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. "Nice selection you have here Lieutenant." The Lieutenant might seem a little laid back but this was a sign of hope.

Patterson was not in the business of making friends, you tend to lose a certain amount of respect in the process, they seem to think I'm his friend, I don't have to do this. but that was just another good way to get someone killed. "We got another convoy at almost the same time mine arrived, since we were delayed. Slowly but surely we will make it up to full strength Lieutenant." He said as he turned his head from the book and looked at Riley. "Planning some pretty good training until we hit the lines. I'm gonna meet with a guy to help put it all together in the morning. Once I know something, I'll let you know Lieutenant."

[riley]

"I wanted to get the information from you instead of going to an outside source so they wouldn't think we didn't know what we were doing Lieutenant. I knew about the storms but did not know that was the hold up. I came in on the convoy after yours, wanted to make sure that if a convoy was hit that they didn't lose both of their leaders," Saint Patty explained himself. Oh god. Don't laugh. DON'T LAUGH Riley thought to himself as he concocted one of the best nicknames of all time. He nodded though. What Patterson had explained did make sense. But Riley had to make sure, even if he made a fool of himself. He almost thought some of his buddies had been killed or injured.

"Seems your's made it here just fine, I'm glad, ours got hit by artillery, lost two trucks, but we made it. Just got here long enough ago to put my gear away and find you." Riley nodded once more. He had pretty much done the same. He actually had a large backpack of his sitting in the corner, but some of his stuff were already in the room. Like the collection of books. Most had been his, some the Brits were generous enough to lend to him for a good read. Riley watched as St. Patty walked over to the bookcase. "Nice selection you have here Lieutenant."

"Uh thanks, sir. Some of them are from back in the states. I use to read them when I was back in the states, studying up at West Point. Do you know how strict they are there? We took tests about pretty much every kind of warfare there is. Trench warfare, guerilla warfare, everything. But I haven't seen those books since. I got stationed with the 9th ID. The rest of those books the Brits left in here. They were kind enough to let me at least have a good read every now and then. If you ever want, I guess you could borrow some of them. "


"We got another convoy at almost the same time mine arrived, since we were delayed. Slowly but surely we will make it up to full strength Lieutenant." Riley nodded once more. I can only hope and pray all our men make it over here in one piece. "Planning some pretty good training until we hit the lines. I'm gonna meet with a guy to help put it all together in the morning. Once I know something, I'll let you know Lieutenant." Riley nodded one last time."Sounds good. Inform me whenever you get that worked out."

[MAJ Patterson]

OOC: Sorry it's short but I figure this is about over, right?

"West Point, yeah, hard schooling there, taught a class or two myself, mainly a guest speaker though. Tactics mostly." He placed the book back on the shelf. "Might take you up on that offer for a god read, least the Brits left something worth while." He turned to the Lieutenant and winked quickly.

Patterson walked back to the chair and grabbed his briefcase. "I'll let you know. Well I could go for some breakfast Lieutenant, care to join me?" He walked over to the door and opened it, he stood in the opening until he heard something from the Lieutenant.

[riley]

OOC: Yep mines pretty short too. If an admin could close this then? Its pretty much over.

"Ah thats where I think I recognize you. Might have been in one or two of those classes before. Yeah pretty rough schooling. But its one of the best schools, taught me a lot, kept me alive when I was in Africa. Hope it will keep me alive in Europe." Riley watched the Captain search through his book collection. There were quite a few good books in there. They could help you out from time to time.

"Come to think of it, I haven't had anything to eat since I got here. I guess I'll take ya up on that offer then. Wonder what they serve here." Riley got up from his chair and walked to the side of his desk, following the Captain out into the corridor once more, gently closing the door behind him. It was nice to have an office. A good office too.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

Moderation:
Wow, you to seem like such nice friends LOL!! The following CP has been issued

Captain Patterson-8CP

Lieutenant Riley-8CP