The Soldier and His Hippie (DaddysLittleSkankxFrelance)

Starshine looked in her full length mirror adjusting her braided headband over her straightened blonde hair. She placed her circle glasses on along with her braided leather belt with a peace sign belt buckle. She placed the belt on her hips over her blue loose long sleeved shirt and blue bell buttons.

She looked at her clock and realized she was running late. Straightening her hair had taken longer than she'd planned. She raced to the door of her studio apartment, slipped her worn moccasins on and grabbed her Navaho purse.

She was planning to meet her boyfriend, Krishnu, and their friends for a peace protest against the Vietnam war. This was something the eighteen year old's parents disapproved of greatly as her father had fought in WWII. Although her parents didn't know it, Starshine, whose birth name had been Marie-Alice, was proud of her father and often said she "didn't support the war, but supported the soldiers."

She quickly ran out of the apartment and unlocked her hippified Volkswagen van, and drove to the spot where she was meant to pick everyone up. It took about twenty minutes to get there and when she pulled up, the girls got in first. Her best friend, Moonshine, whispered in her ear, "Krishnu has a ring in his pocket. I think he's gonna pop the question." Starshine bite her bottom lip to hold back her smile as the guys got in.

"You look great, Star." Krishnu said kissing her on the cheek.

When they arrived at the destination, they parked and got out. The group went and set up their spot for the protest. Just a simple picnic like thing. Moonshine had brought a picnic for them to eat and plenty of water as they planned to be there all day.

Stepping off the bus that had taken him into the city from the military base he had been recovering at for the last month. Russell slipped on his jungle green military jacket over a loose black shirt that hung down just plain square belt buckle of his leather belt. He had grabbed a pair of grey cargo pants as he left the base and had been told to not wear the jacket when he went into the city because the protesters had started harassing any soldier they spotted. He had ignored the advice partly because he didn't quite believe that the protests were getting as bad as the papers were saying but also because he still found it chilly now that he was back home and out of the intense heat of Vietnam.

Russell had meant to find a clothing store and get a new jacket but he got distracted and followed a few people closer to the park that was directly across the street from the city hall. The slight limp in his right leg slowed him down enough that he did not pass the group of protesters he had been following. When he crested the last hill in the park and saw just how many people were in front of the city hall he stopped dead in his tracks. After a few moments he let his rucksack slip from his shoulder where it fell to the ground. Sitting down on it he pulled a pack of cigs from his Jacket pocket and proceeded to light one sucking hard as his eyes scanned the crowded street below.

He had just about finished his smoke when another group of protesters came up the hill behind him. They fell silent for a few moments and it was not until they spoke up did he realize that even if his jacket and bag had not given him away the way he sat straight backed as well as his hair that had just started to grow from his last buzz cut would give him away for a soldier to also anyone he saw him.

"Hey, baby killer what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in nom burning villages?" The Hippie who had spoken was by far the largest of three guys there but as Russell stood and turned to face them he was slightly surprised to see that the women in the group seemed to have more hate in their eyes then the men.

"I am not looking for any trouble folks. I was just heading this way to see where everyone was going." As he spoke he lifted his rucksack and slipped his hand inside resting it on the grip of his M1911 pistol. It had been surprisingly easy to bride the officer in charge of the armory to let him keep the weapon but now he wondered if the man had known that Russell might need it.

Starshine had turned her back for five minutes to pack up the group's belonging after everyone else had gotten completely messed up. She was honestly happy to leave, the smoke from the weed everyone was smoking was starting to burn her eyes.

When she turned back around her friends and boyfriend were gone. She sighed, they may have been years older than her but why was it that she was the responsible, sober one? She searched for them for some time before finding them harassing a man that looked like he had just gotten back from war. Krishnu was leading the verbal assault. Starshine groaned and ran over to them. "I am so sorry, sir!" She said to Russell inserting herself between the men. "My boyfriend has been drinking and may have smoked too much weed." She turned to Krishnu. "Go back to the van."

"You're defending this baby killer?!" Krishnu asked surprised and angered at her.

"He was drafted and sent over there without a choice, unlike you." She said harshly.

"What do you mean?" Krishnu stepped closer, glaring at her.

Starshine may have been on the petite side, but she was a spit fire. "Oh did the weed mess with your head?" She asked. "Remember, not more than a month ago when I told you I was late, you were all for killing babies? Your own baby, nonetheless."

He growled. "It would'nt've been a baby anyway, and besides you weren't pregnant."

"Fine, stay. See if I care." She glared at him until he backed down and left. She instantly turned back to Russell. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Russell had been assessing the group and trying to decided if he should just deck the guy or just start walking away when a petite blonde ran up and put herself between him and the ass who was on his case. As the guy took a step closer to him and the blonde Russ closed his hand on the grip of his pistol and started to pull it from his rucksack but stopped as he heard a bottle smash.

Turning his head he looked over his shoulder and saw a bottle smash just a few feet from the police standing outside of the city hall. Glancing around he noticed that in the time that it took him to smoke his cigarette the number of police had doubled at least. His attention was brought back to the women who had stepped up in his defense turned around and asked him if he had been hurt. Smiling he pushed the gun back inside his rucksack so it was hidden again as he answered her question. "No he was not stupid enough to actually touch me."

Glancing around once more he frowned as he noticed the police starting to close in. "That van you mentioned. If you have the keys to it you should leave. I doubt anyone if going to get out of here pretty soon unless its in the backs of their cars." He motioned to the police who were just starting to search the first couple of groups of protesters. He slung the rucksack over his shoulder and started heading for the parking lot thinking it would be the easiest way to slip passed the police. "Thanks by the way."

"Support the soldiers, not the war." She said. She pulled the keys out of her bag as he began to walk away.

"If you keep walking you'll be harassed more." She called out to him, trying to catch up. "I can give you a ride, consider it an apology for my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend treated you."

When she did catch up to him which didn't take long, she continued talking, "Plus I think I have a change of clothes you can have. It'll be harder for people to figure out your a soldier if you get out of the uniform." She stuck her hand out for Russell to shake. "I'm Starshine by the way, but my friends just call me Star."

Starshine was defiantly different from the average hippie. For starters she seemed pretty clean and well groomed, in fact she actually smelled pretty good, like fresh apples. She had a button nose and peach colored skin the was smooth and blemish free. Along with bright blue eyes and pouty lips.

Russell kept walking for a couple of steps as she called out to him but then slowed his pace as she caught up to him and looked her over once as he weighed his options. Pulling out his smokes he tapped one out of the pack and put it between his lips before offering the pack to her. "Alright a ride wouldn't hurt." The specks of yellow in his otherwise green eyes glinted in the light as he kept glancing around.

He slipped his smokes back into a pocket of his jacket and took her hand briefly. The inside of a few of his fingers were scares that seemed fairly recent and looked like he had cut the skin with some sort of knife. "I'll think about the clothes. Depends on what they look like I guess." There was frustration in his voice but he would not admit that he was pissed that he was going to have to hide that he was a vet if he wanted to just live a normal life now. "I'm Russell but everyone just calls me Russ. Good to meet you Star." He couldn't help but give her a sceptical look. He had heard about some of the names people were going by but for the most part the guys in his unit had just thought someone was messing around with them.

Turning to face the way they were going only served to highlight the sharp lines that defined his nose that showed signs of being broken at least once judging by the scar tissue high on the bridge and the chiselled look to his jaw. "So that guy was your man hu? Seems like it doesn't live by the peace for everyone ideals I keep hearing about." He reached down and rubbed at his thigh a few times as they walked when his limp started to get a bit more pronounced as he followed her to her van.

"It's nice to meet you too, Russ." Starshine smiled. She seemed to listen to him intently, even when she was pulling a lighter out of her purse and lightning her cigarette. "Normally he's not like that. It's when he's around other guys he feels all macho and tough. I tell him he need to just relax, but what do I know, I'm just a kid. At least that's what he says."

She stopped next to a Volkswagen Van with bright colors painted all over it along with flowers and peace signs. Inside had shag carpeting and was clearly a camper style. Despite being all "hippified" it was in pretty good shape. It was clean, had a full kitchen, seating, and probably some other stuff.

"This is it." Starshine said unlocked the van. "It's not much but it drives and is great for road trips."

"Thats not surprising guys do a lot of stupid shit when they feel they need to impress people. He is lucky you came and he had not tried anything more than just insulting me." The smirk that crossed his face as he spoke the last remark had not warmth to it. "If he's lucky maybe all this will stop the draft before his name comes up." He gestured to the crowds of protesters as he spoke.

Russell wasn't to surprised to see that the van was painted in bright colors seeing as how Star was dressed but he couldn't keep his concern off his face for just a few seconds before he opened the side door and put his bag in the back of the van.

He took a quick look around before closing to door and getting in the passenger seat. Russell took a drag of his cigarette before rolling down the window and blowing the smoke out the window. He was silent for a few minutes but as they were aproched by a police officer approached the van he pulled his bog tags out from under his shirt as he finished of his cigarette and put it out in the ash tray.

The police officer did a double take as he saw Russell and seemed a bit confused as to why he was in the van. Keeping a straight face Russell spoke up before the officer could saying. "Glad to see you have the situation under control. I was more than a little confused when I got here and saw the march. Luckily my sister found me before anything got out of hand. I see now that this wasn't a good spot to meet her but I just didn't want to wait by the bus station. Is it alright if we leave before you and your men disperse the crowd? I would like to get back and to see the rest of my family before the roads get to backed up." The officer seemed to consider the story for a minute before gesturing for them to leave before walking to the next car. Russ waited until the man was out of ear shot before chuckling and getting another cigarette out of the pack. "That was easy. An MP would never have gone for a shitty story like that." Grinning he took a drag from the new smoke before blowing a few smoke rings out the window.

"Well I'm counting this as the last straw. I'm kicking his ass out." Starshine rolled her eyes and under her breath added, "my parents hated him anyway."

"Especially since we don't look alike." Starshine giggled. And after a couple minutes of silence she spoke up, "If you're wondering, my dad served in the Army for over thirty years. That's why I'm not one of those idiots that takes out not supporting the war on the soldiers. It's hard enough being a soldier, you don't need some idiot making it worse, and I imagine they wouldn't! From what my dad told me they don't take shit. My dad actually served under Paton in WWII, so he has some stories."