Yoshida had just returned to the sleeping quarters from a session of tactical training. He was weary and irritated, given that the AAF team was far less skilled and disorganized than what he predicted. In his mind, even cadet Farouk had more competence and was easier to work with. Yoshida’s talent either attracted flirtation or intimidation from the batch of male and female officers. It was no wonder that none of them had seen any combat on the tour.

Just as Yoshida opened the door to head for the shower rack, Broudus stood in front of him. The men starred at each other for a moment, then Yoshida walked past him. Broudus spun around and forcefully tapped him on the shoulder.

“Uh, a word, lieutenant,” he said.

Yoshida was in no mood for meaningless conversation. He stopped in his tracks and sighed without turning to face Broudus.

“What is it, ensign?”

Broudus had been trying to restrain himself, as he was seething with anger. He collected himself, which made Yoshida shrug and walk away indignantly. This brought Broudus to a new heightened level of rage. Then words tumbled out of his mouth with spit and stutters.

“You—you gave me forty-five d—days of ex—extra duty, citing I st—stole a weapon!”

To this, Yoshida smirked and turned to face Broudus.

“I did.”

Broudus was taken aback by Yoshida’s calmness.

“Why? Why would you report a lie?” he pressed.

Yoshida looked dead into his eyes and said, “I did no such thing. On that last night guard, what happened?”

Broudus froze for a moment, trying to imagine what Yoshida meant.

“Think about it,” Yoshida scoffed. “You asked Lieutenant Savoi for help, then scurried off with her crossbow like a squirrel carrying away an acorn. I couldn’t very well let her take the fall for your stupidity.”

“Th-that’s not right,” Broudus stammered.

“Oh, it isn’t” Yoshida walked over and leaned his ear closer to Broudus’s mouth. “Do tell me all that happened.”

Broudus gulped. He knew saying the wrong thing could earn him a knuckle sandwich from Yoshida, but he also knew intimidation was the reason he was in this mess to begin with. Suddenly, he became infused with more hostility. Yoshida had given him grief the moment they met. It was unfair that he would also use his position as chief armor to bully.

“It was Th-Thomasa’s—”

Yoshida cut him off before he could finish.

“Who?”

Broudus shrunk as he dug his heels into the wooden floor.

“Lieutenant Savoi. It was her idea to offer the balm for my lips because they were burning in the cold air. I was just trying to return the favor by holding her weapon while she put it on me,” Broudus answered with a tremble.

Yoshida held his close position next to Broudus and whispered,

“Did you also return the favor by running off, leaving her to go back to the armory without her weapon in tow? Forty-five days is nothing compared to the scrutiny she would’ve faced in this god-forsaken Hoboken town.”

Broudus thought to stand down after Yoshida’s zinger. It was true that Savoi’s name was murmured under many lips since she upgraded the plain broth recipe. The AAF members were uncertain of how to perceive her. Though she never carried herself like a know-it-all, the results of her work made them all feel inadequate. Still, the matter of Yoshida’s intimidation tactics needed to be addressed. He was another anomaly in their otherwise mundane realm.

“Your presence startled me that morning. Nothing I did was meant to cause trouble for Lieutenant Savoi,” Broudus asserted.

Yoshida burst into a fit of laughter at the absurdity of his comment. Seeing that Broudus was none the wiser to the severity of his own actions left nothing else to say. Yoshida gave him a hard pat on the shoulder, then turned to continue on his way to the shower rack. Just as Broudus reached for him, Roudan came humming around the corner. The two men exchanged pleasantries before Roudan pulled out the ultrasound and palmed it onto Yoshida’s chest.

“Get a load of this!” Roudan beamed.

Yoshida looked at the paper, confused for a moment, until Roudan turned it right side up.

“Is this what I think it is?” Yoshida gushed.

Broudus felt slighted from being ignored. He rushed up to peer at the piece of paper, but his presence was non-existent to them.

Yoshida pulled Roudan in for a half-hug, then said, “I’m so happy for you. We should celebrate.”

Roudan shook his head.

“Well, there’s no more ale in the storage closet. We drank the latest shipment, too.”

By then, Roudan curiously looked at Broudus but still did not address him. He continued on with Yoshida.

“I have an idea, though. Some of us are gathering in the field to play rumble tag.”

Yoshida waved his shower gear in the air.

“Hell no. I’m off to see if there’s any hot water left. Have fun.”

Broudus bolted past the two men to stand in the way. His eager eyes practically begged Yoshida to play so they could settle their business.

Yoshida rolled his eyes.

“Thomasa was right. You are a pain in the ass.”

Much of the snow melted and turned to town center field into a mud swamp. It was the perfect setup for a game such as rumble tag, in which the premise was merely to tag an opponent and wrestle them to the ground. When they got to the field, four other AAF males joined them. Everyone was already paired up into 2-men teams at the start of the game. Yoshida and Roudan sized up their opponents, then laughed.

“You call this our competition? They might as well roll in the mud now,” Yoshida scoffed.

Roudan smirked.

“Well, if you must know; Broudus and his mate were Charlie squad leaders back at the academy. The freckled-faced gent and his buddy were Deltas.”

Yoshida sat down in the mud and crossed his legs.

“That tracks, for sure,” he replied.

Broudus and his partner took that as a sign to begin. They ran up to Roudan and Yoshida with full force. Roudan dodged being tagged, which caused the opponent to slide down. Yoshida had closed eyes, but could hear Broudus approach. At the last minute, he kicked both legs out in front. Broudus ran chest-first onto Yoshida’s feet, then Yoshida laid on his back and lifted him into the air. Yoshida toyed with him in that position until Broudus spat in his face. Yoshida balanced himself to fling Broudus across the field. The other two players felt appalled, and no longer wanted to play.

When Broudus recovered, a crowd had formed. Most everyone pointed and jeered at him, which made him angrier with Yoshida. Roudan had already wrestled his opponent into the mud, and helped Yoshida to his feet. Broudus charged at Yoshida with all his might. The tackle started off in jest to Yoshida, but when Broudus sucker-punched him, all bets were off. Not even Roudan could tear the men apart.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Savoi emerged onto the field with a gaggle of children.

“Let’s get Uncle Haru to play with us,” she encouraged.

The children swarmed over Yoshida, who was on top of Broudus. They pounced on him with giggles and tickles, which allowed room for Broudus to slither away.

~The Waring Robins~