The door opened with a chime and in came three figures dressed in tan uniforms.
The taller of the two went straight to the pool table, the other two walking over to the bar. The one at the pool table took out a cue and racked the balls, soon breaking the balls apart from their perfect triangle, starting the game. The other two came over to the man, now with drinks in their hand.
"Didn't know what you wanted. You'll have to get it for yourself." He told him.
The other just nodded, taking his shot and pocketing the orange striped.
The two officers leaned back, watching the man play. They had gotten lost in watching him pocket the balls that they didn't realize another figure was watching carefully, also in a tan uniform.
The one officer looked up, nudging his buddy on the shoulder.
"Look at that. A fellow Peanut Butter." He said, nodding to the woman.
The man who was still playing pool finally looked up from his game, but quickly looked down with a sigh.
"That's right, I am." She replied with a proud smile.
"Pilot or backseater?" The other asked.
"Pilot," She smiled again. "You're playing pool with my new backseater." She grinned, nodding to the guy who grumbled.
The two males looked at his friend, then chuckled. "Oh, man! You got a girl flying you!" One officer said.
"She's gonna be a good one. I know it." The other commented, aggravating the taller even more. He was in no way amused with this.
The two males chuckled a little more before sighing, turning back to the dark haired.
The one who last commented to his buddy extended his hand, "Javy Machado. But my callsign is 'Coyote'." He smiled as the woman shook his hand.
"Natasha Trace. 'Phoenix'." She smiled, soon turning her gaze to look at the other male who's hand was held out.
"Logan Lee. 'Yale'." The man said with a nod.
"You two are pilots?" Phoenix asked, taking a seat in the chair opposite of them.
"I'm a single pilot." Coyote said. "He's got a backseater." He gestured to Yale with his thumb.
"Nice. My WSO didn't come with me here. She got deployed with another pilot." She explained. Her eyes slid to look at the tall male who continued with his game. "But now I've got this enthusiastic guy."
Coyote chuckled. "He's got a rough exterior but I'm sure you two will get along."
"One can hope. We have to communicate well." Phoenix said as she stood up, walking over to the bar.
Coyote and Yale watched as she did. It wasn't in a way that was wrong, but in a friendly way. After the short conversation and revealing, she seemed like she was going to be a good sport. Even if she wasn't too found of her new WSO. But they hoped he wouldn't be as rude as he was already being.
"Gonna introduce me to your friend?"
Coyote looked up to see a familiar face after hearing that certain voice. He grinned, standing up.
"Seresin!" He patted his shoulder. "You're here too, man?"
The male nodded. "Of course I am. I'm the best of the best." He said arrogantly.
Phoenix walked back over to the three, only to see, now there's four.
"You two know each other?" She asked.
"Do you two know each other?"
Phoenix rolled her eyes. "No, Coyote and I just met a few minutes ago."
He nodded. "Well I don't know him. I just walked in here wondering what they were doing talking to a pretty lady like yourself, when this guy came up to me like we're best friends."
Coyote laughed, shaking his head. "We went to the naval academy together. Also went to boot camp at the same time." He revealed.
Natasha nodded. "Yeah, I gathered something like that."
Seresin shook his head. "Jokes are supposed to make people like you laugh."
"Luckily I'm not who you think I am."
Coyote chuckled.
"Natasha Trace. 'Phoenix'." She held out her hand.
He shook it. "Jake Seresin. I don't have a callsign."
"So are you a young guy?" Phoenix asked, brows furrowed.
He shook his head. "No, it's just that none of them stick. The only one that kinda did was 'ego', but that didn't work."
"That's surprising." Phoenix murmured.
Jake wasn't pleased with the comment.
"Well, I'm sure you'll get one after we see how terrible you fly." Phoenix said, walking over to sit back down in her previous spot.
"Bold of you to assume I'm a pilot." He said as he turned around to look at her.
Phoenix took the bottle off her lips as she watched Yale take a shot at the eight ball. "Well I know you're too egotistical and free to be a WSO."
Although, with what she had read with her new WSO, she wasn't too sure about that. But even without him, she knew that backseaters can be just as larger than life. She had seen and met plenty of them.
Jake shook his head with a laugh. "Right you are. Lucky for you, I'm a great flyer. So I'm sure my callsign won't end up being terrible."
Phoenix shook her head, never breaking eye contact with the game of pool. "We'll see about that."
The two males walked off to the bar as she turned around, looking to see more aviators and WSOs walk into the bar. Every one of them were in tan uniforms. Every one except one who walked in with a Hawaiian shirt on.
She snorted, knowing exactly who he was.
"Bradshaw." She murmured, shaking her head.
She turned back around with a sigh as he walked up to stand by her.
"Nice to see you here." He said.
Phoenix nodded. "Yeah."
"What? No other reply to that?"
She finally looked away from the game, looking up at him. "Nope." She said with a smile.
"Unbelievable." He commented as he walked over to the bar.
"Great to see you, Bradley."
"So, Phoenix." The man playing pool finally said. Natasha wasn't amused with the way he said her callsign, saying it like he was better than everyone else, like it was a forbidden thing to say.
"Yes?" She reluctantly replied.
She didn't want to end up having to give him all just to get him to communicate with her, but if it would help form a partnership, she would try her best.
"How'd ya land that one?"
"Funny with how you worded that," She chuckled. "Landed my plane with my tail on fire."
He nodded, unfazed. "Nice." Phoenix nodded.
"Are you going to tell me how you earned your callsign? Or even introduce yourself since we haven't properly met?"
"How'd you even know I was your new WSO?"
Phoenix was slightly aggravated with him asking a question with a question, but she held her composure. "There's such thing called files. I was also informed about you being here."
"Isn't that a bit stalker-ish?"
"Reading your file isn't being a creep. I had to know who you were, so my commander let me see your file and read up on you."
He nodded. "Guy Parker. I don't have a callsign. Shouldn't that have been mentioned when you read my file?"
"Actually, no. I wasn't aware you didn't have one." She answered. "That's a bit weird it wasn't on your file." She started to give a ponder.
"Well it should've been. Dunno why it wasn't." He replied with a small shrug, taking his shot at the nine ball, pocketing it.
Phoenix nodded before seeing Bradley sit down next to her.
"I'm sorry you have to deal with this guy for the next eight weeks."
"Say what you want about him, but he's a great pool player."
Phoenix laughed, turning to Bradley. "Hey, Rooster." She sighed.
Bradley opened his mouth to greet her back, but someone stopped him with a question.
"Rooster? How'd you get that?" Jake said as he walked over to the aviators. "Did you chicken out? Must've been an interesting flight."
"Actually I didn't get it because of my flying." He said.
Jake furrowed his brows. "Then how? Why?"
"I wake up at the crack of dawn."
Phoenix chuckled. "It's quite annoying, actually."
The males shot her a look.
She rolled her eyes. "We went to the naval academy together." She sighed, clearing up the confusion as Rooster laughed. "Shut up, Bradshaw." She grumbled, tempted to flip him off.
Coyote chuckled, swishing around his bottle.
"What's your callsign?" Rooster asked Jake.
"I don't have one. None of them would stick."
"Odd."
"I thought the same thing."
Rooster nodded, turning back to the billiard. Yet another game was being set up by Guy.
"You sure like pool." He commented.
"Yeah. I'm good at it. I enjoy playing it."
"I can see that." He said. "Is that all you do?"
He stopped with the cue and looked up at Rooster. "What do you mean?"
"Is that all you do? Or can you do your job as a WSO and get a long with others?"
Coyote whistled.
Guy shot him daggers, but then returned to look at Bradley.
"Of course I can do more."
Rooster nodded. "Okay." He said before getting up.
The rest of the group chatted, soon more in tan uniforms walking into the bar. They'd all converse about their job, talking about their callsign or what squadron they came from or retell stories about a flight they had. The bar was pretty loud and upbeat until the piano started playing, and soon all was quiet.
Everyone in the bar looked over to the figure playing a few keys delicately, and Phoenix groaned, hiding away her laughter and her face.
But, as much as she protested, she walked over to Rooster at the piano.
Everyone soon trickled their way to the piano as Rooster started singing,
"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain. Too much of love drives a man insane. You broke my will, oh but what a thrill, goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"
Everyone started cheering, singing along.
"I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny. But you came along and you moved me, honey. I changed my mind, this love is fine, goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"
Phoenix swayed her head to the piano keys and everyone's singing.
"Kiss me, baby. Woo. Feels good. Hold me baby. Wellll, I want to love you like a lover should." He tapped the keys rhythmically. "You're fine. So kind. Got to tell this world that your mine, mine, mine!"
Couples around the bar started dancing around to the music. Everyone laughing and smiling in entertainment.
"I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I'm real nervous but it sure is fun. C'mon, baby, you drive me crazy, goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"
But just as Rooster had finished singing and ended the song, the man who walked into the bar wouldn't have known how lucky he was to have had missed that show.