Chapter 2 - The pub.
"Come on Jim, just one or two drinks."
"Since when have you called me Jim?"
"Since we won the war for good old Blighty of course!"
Lieutenant Charles Waverly and James Nicholls - were stood outside the small central pub in Devon town.
"Come on, now is a time for celebration, not a time to sit in our miserable B&B depressed." Charles said,
James gave a sigh, running a hand through his hair. 'One drink.'
"One drink." Charles confirmed.
So at last in the pub they went, hitting a crowd of people. James immediately spotted Alice across the room, a smile appearance at once. As he went to walk towards her, a voice distracted him, along with many others.
"Stop! That man there!"
Recognizing the voice at once, James stood to attention, raising his hand in salut. The voice had come from Jamie Stewart, James' best friend, and Major int the military.
"Just back from giving Charlie a damn good thrashing sir!" James announced back at once, putting on a false and rather alarming posh british accent. Jamie came to stand beside him.
"Good show Nicholls," he said, his voice also immitating.
"Had to ditch the crate and the drink though," James responded, dropping his hand. By now many people in the room had turned their attention to the men. "No fuel nor amo left," James continued, "but, we're still the wiz eh, sir?" James turned to face his friend.
"Carry on," Jamie replied,
"Do the Navvy!" Charlie shouted from the bar,
James' voice now changed to more effemenate, a smile broad on his face, "Can I do your nails sir?"
Both men lifted their hands to their faces, their fingers creating circles around their eyes as though they were holding binoculars.
"Reins 2000 closing fast number one!" Jamie announced,
"Stand by torps!" James responded, his voice also loud,
"Torps ready sir,"
"Fire one!"
"Fire one ..."
"Fire two!"
"Fire two ..."
"Oooh we hit it!"
Both men now laughed as they dropped their hands to look at each other. The other military men who were scattered around the bar joined in the laughter.
"They'd do it all the time in the trenches," Charlie said to a friend, "To cheer us up. Come on you two," he turned to James and Jamie, "Come back down to earth, "
Jamie turned back to Charlie, putting a feigned look of concern.
"Oh I say, Kitten ..." his voice had returned to the posh immitation,
"Oh humour them for gods sake," Charlie said, "Or we'll get a replay of the entire war!"
"Very well then!" James said. With that, he lifted his hand in the air pointing, with his voice creating the sound of a plane flying over their heads. Jamie proceeded to make gunshot sounds, whilst miming shooting an invisible gun into the air. James then recreated the sounds of bombs dropping. By now, many people in the pub were laughing,
"That's all we need, sound effects!" Charlie laughed, Jamie laughed also.
"Oh!" announced James, his voice more rediculously posh than ever. "You've gone all frosty kitten!"
"Oh is it agony? One does hope so! It if gets too cold you could always rub two boy scouts together! Drinks gentlemen!"
With a ball of laughter the three men joined each other at the bar, patting each others backs with a grin. James glanced back at Alice.
Alice couldn't help but laugh as she watched the many imitations, as they had sat back at the bar, she noticed James glance at her, and one she glanced back. "Well Alice, you say you don't want to find anyone, but sometimes things happen for a reason" One of her friends stated, she saw the way Alice looked at James. She snapped out of it, her eyes now looking over to her friends. "Happen for a reason? Please don't tell me you believe in the whole 'love at first sight' thing" She questioned. "Well I think it is lovely to believe in something like that"
"I think it is overrated" Alice mumbled, laughing to her comment, which the girls giggled also. Alice looked back towards James, she got off of her seat, settling her glass down. "Don't touch that wine Ginny!" She quickly warned, last time she left her drink alone they had contaminated it. "Wouldn't dream of it" She replied with a grin, making Alice roll her eyes slightly. Alice walked up towards Captain Nicholls, that friendly smile still on her angelic features. "James?" She questioned, her tone of voice soft yet kind. "I spoke to Albert, the boy who lent you his stallion. Thought I should let you know, that he said you can visit Joey whenever you like, he was the horse who saved your life nonetheless, Albert just thought it would only be right." She explained, her eyes never to once leave from the Captain's. She could feel her friend's eyes upon her, watching every single second. "She definitely likes him" Ginny whispered to the others, "Even if she does not know it, poor girl has never had the time to love someone, almost as if her guard is high."
"But can you blame her? From what happened in the past, she would always have some guard on her." Ginny replied in a hushed whisper.
The three men had found themselves sat at the bar, each with a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other.
"You know Nicholls," Jamie Stewart said, "It's good to see you finally relaxing."
"I haven't felt much pleasure in relaxing as of late," James replied, taking a toke of his cigarette.
"Well as your friends we say you must. That starts tonight with the drinking!" Charlie said, raising his glass.
"One drink." James reminded him.
"What you need my lad," Jamie grinned, "Is a few cold beers, a warm house and a pretty girl to give a good ol' rogering to every now and then -" the three men burst into laughter.
"Must you always be so crude?" James retorted rolling his eyes at his friend,
"I jest," he said, "But you know, the war is over -"
"Don't bother" Charlie interrupted, "You know this man's skull is thicker than a german gun. Let him relax without your pressure of trying to make him relax!"
James was distracted by the sound of his name, and turned around to see Alice looking back at him. He stood up at once, feeling a smile cross his lips. "Hello," he said. Jamie and Charlie turned around to see them both, before looking at each other with a knowing look.
The smile on his lips grew large and brighter yet at her good news of Joey, though almost immediately dulled.
"Well," he said, "That's fantastic news. But unfortunately I live up in London, I can't imagine I'll have must time for visiting once I get back into work. However, I'll be sure to make time when I can. This is a lovely town, and it would be a shame to never see uh, Joey again." James crushed out his cigarette. "Thank you for telling me, uh, would you like a drink?"
James could hear his friends slightly snigger behind his back, and kicked charlie's leg hard behind him.
"London? I have never been to London. What is it like?" She asked, genuinely intrigued by the city. She had always wanted to go to London, to get away from Devon, it was a lovely town yes, but it reminded her too much of her past. A past which Alice wanted to forget, yet each night she would wake up screaming and crying from the horrifying event. "A drink would be nice.. I did have wine, but knowing my friends they have probably contaminated with something. Let's just say the last time they did that, I had a hangover from hell" She explained, a small giggle passing her rose coloured lips.
Charlie had noticed the rather big scar on her upper arm, and a small frown creased. "How did you do that?" He questioned, Alice turned her attention upon the other male, her smile now slowly fading. "I got it when I was young." She replied, her voice had become rather timid. "It looks like a knife scar, a knife wouldn't just do that by accident" He commented again, "You're right, it wasn't by accident." She replied, her attention soon returning back to James. She always seemed to have a nervous twitch whenever she recalled to her past, her arms would cross against her chest, and she would seem to scratch her arm unintentionally. So whatever had happened to her, to gain that scar, would have been completely traumatising for someone so young, almost the same effect it would of had from the men in the army. "I have always wanted to go to London, here reminds me too much of my past.. a past I would rather like to forget." She explained to James, quickly changing the subject matter back to the city of London.