“You sure you want me to reprise this story, Captain?”
Eloise watched the man before her listening to him and a completely unaware of her surroundings. This, she realized, was what must have made him such a good leader of sorts, her captured ones attention with their words and voice, and their presence was hard to deny even in a room where flies were more distracting than the wounded who moaned and griped about conditions. She laughed at him, something she realized she was doing a lot more than normal. It was a nice change of pace, however it didn’t somehow make up for the hell she still knew she had to go through.
“If only everyone was half as accepting as you, I suppose that is why you are in charge around here and they aren’t!” Eloise grinned, tilting her head to the side as she balled her fists in her pockets, trying to relax, trying to adapt to her new surroundings. She was trying to not come off as a complaining woman, but it was kind of nice to mention what was going on to someone of equal standing, although he did preside over her in a way.
“See, when I heard I was being moved to the Pacific, I thought I’d be lounging on a beach, sipping cool drinks!” The young Lieutenant sighed out, shaking her head, although the humor in her voice did not waver. “Unfortunately for me, I had been lied to. Someone should have warned me about the crabs and rotten coconuts.” Smiling wider than before, she lowered her head to peer at the ground where she noticed a fly crawling along the toe of her boot. This place was hell on earth, far worse than what she had expected, but she wasn’t wanting to express this to the man before her, she wanted to take it all in stride, do her job, although her strength of will was running thin.
“Do you have a lot of pull, Captain? We could steal a boat and you can take me back? Never thought I’d miss it, but then again I’ve never thought I’d be on a beach I cannot enjoy. But you’re right about that cloud. Then again, doesn’t this place have one as well?”
“Well I did ask, of course you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
He was curious but his response was meant to be polite in the instance she didn’t really feel like remembering or wanting to tell of what it was like in Europe. Haldane knew war was tough on both sides but they were both different types of warfare in different theaters.
His smile didn’t fade, however, he enjoyed talking to the other as she was knew and he liked getting to know people. Even though in war that usually wasn’t a good idea in his past experience when he was a platoon leader and now as a company commander it was a habit he wasn’t going to break. The men liked the fact the captain took the time to get to know the men in his company as most officers usually didn’t. But he believed it helped him be a better leader, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each man helped him pick those for patrols and certain duties in the field.
“I suppose you’re right.” Andrew chuckled, appreciating that comment.”Well we officers should know help is always accepted. We can’t do everything on our own.” Then her complaints about being in the tropical islands weren’t knew to him, almost everyone thought that before actually getting here and maybe on another island they were true but not here.”Well you wouldn’t be the first to think that, most believe we won’t fight but be in tropical paradise and then you get here and are disappointed. You aren’t the first.”
Haldane’s brow furrowed at her question, wondering what she meant by that but figured he’d learn more if he let her continue. He wasn’t wrong, and her wanting to go back caused him to laugh lightly as it was understandable. “Well I don’t know if I have that much pull, most ships go back to the States. And sorry, there is no cold here except when it rains.”
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
vaporwave
theartofmadeline
tangentwithtanner
dededos
kianamaiart
baratheonpilled
