The stamp struck the paper as it had so many times before. Another document signed and another paper put away. This was the work of a wing commander. Day after day the signing and approval of documents was necessary to the survival of order in the times of war. The importance of a commander's position was not only to lead others into battle but to deal with the stress of the paperwork that came along with it. Though some say, like any position, the work becomes easier as more time is spent in the position, but people who toil away in this line of work know that is not true. Things never become easier as time goes by, we just become stronger.
"These are the last of the papers you need to sign, Commander" The Captain with brown hair tied back into twin tails said as she placed a small stack of papers on the Red Haired Commanders desk. The girl sighed as she began to flip through the work to see what it held. A few shoot down confirmations and some paperwork for an ammunition resupply. Nothing out of the ordinary, just boring old paper work. The Girl began to sign off on the pages one by one.
"Tired?" The Girl in the grey uniform asked as she pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the desk. Looking up from her papers the red haired girl lets out another sigh before responding to the question.
"I'm a bit worn out from all the work. I know you don't want to hear me complain, Barkhorn, but all this work has been really repetitive this past month. I guess it's slowly taking its toll." The Commander said to Captain Barkhorn as she caps her pen and places it on her desk.
"I guess it just comes with the territory, and a break isn't really an option seeing we are on the front lines of a war. Although I do respect your ability to handle the stress of all of this work. Although I would not hesitate to take command of a fighter wing I do feel like all of this work is a large burden that would definitely make me think twice about taking the position." Barkhorn said.
"I don't think I can survive all of this stress. You say I can handle it but it is a harder battle than you think. Having to watch over all of you is hard enough without all of the work that has to be done to support you all." Minna said with a smile. She never sat back and really thought about how much work she does for the others.
"If it isn't the enemy that kills me it's going to be all the work that eventually does me in." She joked as she stretched her arms out to the sides and twisted her back. She had been sitting for so long that her joints felt tight and uncomfortable.
"You should come down to hanger. Captain Yeager set up the movie projector, it's nothing like the theaters that are in Gallia but the girls are trying to make something of what they have. It was nice of command to let us have a projector for R and R, we always had to use the same projector the Major used for missions to watch movies." Barkhorn smiled as she told this to the commander.
"Ugh. It would be nice if command sent some films along with the projector. If I have to watch Casa Blanca one more time I don't know what I would do. I can probably recite every line in that move I have seen it so many times." Minna said, not enjoying Barkhorn's idea of a break.
"I guess you have a point commander. It would be nice to get some different entertainment around here for when we aren't fighting or training. I always hear about larger units having singers and dancers come to entertain them. That would really be something. Although our unit is very small, command normally sets up bands for the bigger platoons and navy ships." Barkhorn said as she slides down in her seat. The two sit there silently thinking of some way to enjoy the time they aren't on duty. As they think a knock comes to the door. The door opens before the two can respond and a girl with short blonde hair walks in.
"Oh, hey Erica" Minna said as the girl walks in and pulls up a chair.
"I thought I might find you two here, you don't mind if I hang out here for a bit, I couldn't watch Casa Blanca again. It's starting to become burnt into my eyes." Erica said sitting down next to Barkhorn.
"You're in the same boat as us, we were just talking about that. We need some other form of entertainment, Minna is going crazy from all the work she has been doing and needs some relief." Barkhorn said.
"It's not that big of a deal. I don't really need it, I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place." Minna said.
"It's only rite, as our commander you deserve a break. If only we had enough people around here to convince command to allow us to have a band come here for a day. I'm sure the Commander would love to see something like that.
"Can't we still do that anyway?" Hartmann asked kicking her feet up onto the desk and putting her arms behind her head.
"What are you talking about?" Barkhorn asked the girl.
"I'm talking about the ship that is coming in to dock for a day. It's filled with soldiers who have been patrolling the ocean for a while. Can't we call up command and request they allow us to book a band to entertain us and the men and women on that ship?" Erica asked.
"Hartmann… that's a really good idea" Barkhorn said pushing the girl's feet off of the commander's desk.
"Yeah, I had completely forgotten about the carrier coming to dock at the base. I'll give command a call to get the ok, but what band are we going to get?" Minna asked as she picked up the phone on her desk.
"Just leave that to me. I can make a call and get a jazz band in no time." Hartmann said standing up.
"Are you sure you can get a band in time, you may want to leave it to me or the commander" Barkhorn said knowing her friends track record for laziness, she wasn't sure Hartmann could handle this kind of responsibility.
"Don't worry about it Trude. Have I ever let you down before?" Hartmann said with a smile across her face as her friend gives her a look of doubt.
"Yes. Multiple times." Barkhorn said.
The days went by quickly and the aircraft carrier was on its way to the base. It wouldn't be long before they were at the docks. Hartmann had put a lot of work into booking a band for the entertainment. They were a fairly popular band from Liberion. Hartmann stood outside the base next to a jeep as she waited for Barkhorn to come outside. The girl sees her friend leaving the base as she puts on a jacket and walks over to the jeep.
"Thanks for coming along to meet up with the band with me, Trude." Hartmann said as she got into the jeep with the girl.
"It's no problem. I'm actually kind of curious as to what this jazz band is like, you got them on such short notice that it kind of scares me. We can't let the Commander down. I know she has been looking forward to this and I would hate for it to be ruined by a bad band." Barkhorn said as they drove towards a train station where they would meet the band for the first time.
"Come on, have a little confidence in me. This band played for the troops I was with when I was stationed in Orussia. They were great, everyone really liked them. I know you and Minna are going to like them as well." Hartmann said. Barkhorn let out a sigh.
"I guess you made it farther than I thought you would, I thought you were going to put it off for the last second and forget to even book a band. The fact that you got them all the way out here in such a short amount of time is commendable." Barkhorn said as they pulled up to the train station and started to walk towards the large doors at the top of the steps. Hartmann pushes through the door and holds it open for Barkhorn who follows close behind.
"Thank you, you should trust me more often with greater responsibility." Hartmann laughed.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You haven't proven yourself yet. I don't see the band anywhere." Barkhorn said as the two look around.
"Yeah. I guess the train is running late. I'll go ask someone who works here when the train is coming." Hartmann said running over to one of the booths. Barkhorn takes a seat on a wooden bench as she watches her friend talk to the person behind the bars. She can't hear what they are saying over the sound of people talking and walking around along the loud trains pulling in to the station. She sees that their conversation has ended and Hartmann starts to walk back towards her. Instead of walking to the bench Hartmann walks to the wall next to Barkhorn and puts her back to it. She then drops to the ground and puts her face in her hands. Barkhorn quickly stands from her seat and confronts the girl.
"What happened? What did the guy say?" Barkhorn asked.
"There was an attack by the neuroi a day ago. No one was hurt in the fighting but a bridge was destroyed. There is no way they can get the trains through for a few days." Hartmann said. Her words muffled by her hands.
"And that means?" Barkhorn asked.
"The band couldn't make it though. They aren't even close to us right now. It'll take workers days to fix that bridge and we need them in a few hours." Hartmann said, still not raising her head from her hands.
"Ugh… come on. It's alright" Barkhorn said trying to pick her friend up from the ground and get her on her feet again. She was starting to draw attention.
"Minna is going to think I failed her. What am I going to do?" Hartmann said.
"It's fine we'll figure something out, let's just get you out of here" Barkhorn said as she dragged her crying friend from the wall out the door and down onto the side walk. She looked around and saw a café next across the street and took Hartmann there. The place was very quiet, mostly filled with wood furniture and the lights were very low. There was a stage in the corner with a microphone set up but no one was playing anything at the moment. She walked her friend over to the counter and sat her on one of the stools.
"What are we doing in here?" Hartmann asked sadly as she put her elbows on the table and dropped her chin down on her arms.
"We can't go back to the base without entertainment for the troops. I always thought cafés were good places to come up with ideas. We'll figure something out." Barkhorn said as a waitress walked over to get them a drink.
"Two coffee's please, and something sweet for my friend here. She is having a bad day" Barkhorn said as the waitress writes it down and walks away.
"We all get days like that" Barkhorn heard from where Hartmann was sitting. She was surprised to hear a boys voice comment on what she had said. She turned to see a guy wearing a nice, dark blue jacket and tie. The boy removed his hat and placed it on the table next to Hartmann before pulling back a stool and taking a seat next to the girls.
"What seems to be the problem?" the boy asked.
"She had to do something for a friend but some complications came up. We're trying to brainstorm some way of fixing the problem." Barkhorn told him.
"There is nothing we can do about this problem" Erica says as she presses her face against the table.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Anything a stranger can do to help?" He asked.
"Why do you want to help us?" She asked
"You two are witches right? I can tell from the uniforms. You're witches, I knew some witches back in my home town." He said smiling to the girls.
"Really, where are you from?" Barkhorn asked.
"Hoboken, New Jersey." The boy replied.
"Really? You are pretty far from home, aren't you?" Barkhorn said as the waitress brings the girls their drinks and also gives the boy a coffee as well. Barkhorn noticed the boy never ordered anything though.
"Yeah. I have been traveling for a while. Seeing the world a bit. I stopped in here to earn some money to get back on the road." He said as he took some milk and added it to his drink.
"Really, so you have been working in this coffee shop?" Barkhorn asked.
"You can say that. What do you two girls need help with though?" He asked taking a sip from the cup.
"We were out here looking for an entertainer that could-"Barkhorn was saying before she was interrupted by the waitress returning to them.
"Uh… Frank. My boss says he isn't paying you to flirt with girls. He wants you up there on the stage. I would hurry, he says if you don't finish the set you won't get paid for the day." She said before walking away.
"Sorry. I need to get back to work." The boy said getting up, grabbing his hat, and walking towards the stage. As he walks some other men get up and walk up with him. The boy walks up the steps and takes center stage in front of the small coffee shop of people. He takes the silver microphone in his hand and pulls it off the stand. He taps it a few times to make sure it is working. He walks up to the front of the stage and begins to speak as the men behind him start to make sure their instruments are in tune.
"Hello everyone, I'll be your entertainment for this morning. I hope you all are enjoining yourselves today." He said as he looked over at the two witches sitting on the other side of the shop. Barkhorn turns all of her attention to the stage as she shakes Hartmann to get her up.
"What?" Hartmann asked looking up.
"Look" Barkhorn said to the girl, Hartmann looked at the stage and saw the performer standing there.
"I'm dedicating this song to the two witches over there" He said pointing over to Barkhorn and Erica. Barkhorn's cheeks turn red when he said this, Hartmann was just waiting to see what he was going to do. This could be the thing that saves her today.
"The witches put their neck on the line every day to protect us. I hope this shows our appreciation of what you do." The boy said as he then turns around to the thumbs up of the band. Clutching the microphone harder in his hand he begins to snap his fingers to keep the beat and start the band off. The wind instruments behind him start to play a slow tune that repeats and then goes into a spinning decent. Gripping the microphone stand and the mic the boy began to sing.
"Those fingers in my hair, that sly come-hither stare, that strips my conscience bare it's witchcraft." He sang in a charming melody. Hartmann was on the edge of her seat as she listened to the song. She was radiating with excitement while Barkhorn was less than impressed. She had never heard this song before but was waiting for the boy to do something worth her time. She knew they couldn't just take him on as their entertainer after only one song. He could be good at singing only one verse and forget the rest.
"And I've got no defense for it, the heat is too intense for it, what good would common sense for it do?" The boy sang confidently as he lets the mic stand go and begins to swing with the music. Barkhorn could see he had some kind of charm to him, she couldn't explain why she was impressed by his music. He was only a coffee shop singer, but he had a very professional feeling to his music.
"'Cause it's witchcraft, wicked witchcraft! And you know I know it's strictly taboo!" The boy sang loud and proud, holding the last word long. As he sang the chorus Barkhorn could have sworn she saw him wink at her. She rubbed her eyes to make sure her sight was correct. Hartmann was sold, it wouldn't take much for her to find a replacement to save her butt.
"When you arouse the need in me my heart says "yes, indeed" in me. "Proceed with what you're leadin' me to". It's such an ancient pitch, but one I wouldn't switch 'cause there's no nicer witch than you" he said this time clearly pointing to the two sitting there. When Hartmann saw this she smiled and her cheeks turned a little pink. On the other hand Barkhorn did not want any part of it, she crossed her arms and madly looked away although Hartmann could see the Captain's cheeks were red as well. The drums then blasted in with the horns as they played an instrumental of the song. It was amazingly loud as the boy just sways, smiling and snapping along to the band. He then takes the mic off the stand and moves it to the side before he proceeds in walking down off the stage, among the people as he continues the song.
"'Cause it's witchcraft, that crazy witchcraft! And Although I know it's strictly taboo! HEY! When you arouse the need in me, my heart says "Yes, indeed" in me "Proceed with what you're leadin' me to"" The boy sings once again as he allows the last words to drag long in his charming voice. He walks towards the two girls in the back of the café. Barkhorn thinks to herself that this boy could not be serious with what he was doing. The music slows down as he approaches the end of the song and the girls.
"It's such an ancient pitch, but one I'd never switch" He sang as he approached the two. As he was about to take his final step in the cord was caught and it pulled him back a bit. He looks back at the stage with a smile and then back at the girls. He mostly focused on Barkhorn as he sang the final words.
"'Cause there's no nicer witch than you" he smiled. The crowd clapped as the song came to an end and the boy walked back up on to the stage. He bowed to the people and then held his hand out to the band as they started to clap louder. Hartmann could not contain herself as she clapped but she couldn't help notice Barkhorn wasn't clapping.
"Come on. He was good." Hartmann said. With a sigh Barkhorn began to clap as well.
"Thank you, thank you. Don't forget to tip your waiter" The boy said before running off stage. He was followed shortly by the band. The girls saw him leave through a back door.
"Let's go" Hartmann said grabbing Barkhorn by the jacket and dragging her to the front door.
"What? Why?" Barkhorn asked.
"We need to go around and catch him before he leaves. He could be my only chance at saving today." Hartmann said as they ran out through the front door and around the alley. Hartmann looked around the corner to see the boy was standing by a truck while the rest of the band packed their things in the back.
"Come on guys. We have a good thing going here. A few more shows and were on our way" the boy said as the men got up into the truck without him.
"We barely got by on this show. You are more invested in impressing those girls then you are in making any money. Were completely different people Frank. You may be able to take it or leave it but we are looking for some money. We don't need you and your songs to make money anyway." The band member said as he turned the key in the truck and drove off with the others. The boy was now alone for all he knew.
"Fine! Who needs you! You won't make it a day without me!" he said and then proceeded to kick a dumpster as hard as he could. He then picked up his bag that was filled with his belongings and throw it against the brick wall of the adjacent building. Hartmann felt bad for the boy as she watched him fall against the wall and sit on the ground. He was holding his face in his hands like Hartmann had not long ago. She could see they were both in the same boat now.
"What happened?" Barkhorn asked looking around the corner with the girl.
"The band left without him. He doesn't have anyone now. It's so sad" Hartmann said trying not to tear up.
"Then now is the time to get him" Barkhorn said not wanting to sit around and wait.
"Wait! Trude!" Hartmann whispered harshly but it was too late, Barkhorn was already upon the boy. He was still sitting there looking down. His eyes showed that he had no idea what to do at the moment.
"Hey. You look like you're in a bad spot" He heard from above him, looking up he sees the familiar face.
"Oh… Hey there Witch. You see all that?" He asked.
"We saw enough" Hartmann said running over.
"Why are you two out here?" He asked.
"We had a question that could benefit you and my officer here." Barkhorn said pointing to Hartmann.
"We wanted to know if you could sing at our base for the soldiers and witches. The band I scheduled is who knows where… and I really need your help" Hartmann pleaded with the boy.
"You want me to sing for you?" he asked
"Yes. We can pay you very well" Barkhorn said.
"You would really be helping me out" Hartmann said. The boy was silent for a few seconds before he stood up.
"Alright. I'll come with you. I just need to find some instrumental records to sing too seeing as my band is gone." He said.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Hartmann said as she hugged the boy. She squeezed him tight as she was relived her problems were over.
"Alright, calm down. Minna isn't going to like the change of plans." Barkhorn said.
"She'll be fine. When she sees we have such a talented singer she'll forget all about it." Hartmann said as they walked the boy to the jeep.
"Speaking of telling her who we found. We don't even know your name. I'm Erica Hartmann" she said looking over at Barkhorn.
"*sigh* And I'm Captain Gertrud Barkhorn" She said.
"Gertrud. That's a cute name. Do you mind if I call you by your first name" He asked, not wanting to call the girl something she didn't want to be called.
"I would prefer if you called me Captain or preferably not talk to me at all" she said sternly at his comment, shooting the boy down.
"Ouch. You were all ears back at the coffee shop, now you don't want to know me?" He said.
"She grows on you" Hartmann said.
"I can tell." He smiled as they got into the car. He got into the back seat as the two closed the doors to their sides.
"What can we call you?" Hartmann asked.
"My names Francis Sinatra. But people mostly know me as Frank Sinatra" He said as Hartmann started the car and they drove off towards the base.
(Well this is something i just felt like writing. I need to work on so many different stories, i don't know why i keep putting new ones out here. I'm going to make this one short because there isn't much to write for this kind of story. Tell me what you think of the story.)