Ryan sat atop one of the crates the rest of the squadron had gathered around. 
It wasn't his first new squadron; he'd been in others and been the new guy there, and it was a familiar dance. Just the steps were a little bit different each time, what with the different personalities, traditions, routines and the like. 'Relaxed' though, was something he could do; he'd been in front-line squadrons more than once, and there the standards were relaxed a little on a regular basis. As such, he wore his flight suit, but with the sleeves rolled up and his hair was certainly more than a few inches past what was technically regulation. 
 
While he wasn't a total outsider, he didn't feel quite at home yet, or at ease, so the American sat on the edge of the group, attentive and with a modicum of relaxation as he perched on top of a crate. He'd reported in the day before, made a few introductions and seen the others around - just not yet had the chance to get to really speak with any of them, what with all the preparations for the Big Day.
The excitement and tension in the air ahead of 'zero hour', the SDF-1's big liftoff and departure, the moment where ten years of long, hard work got to prove itself was coming ever-closer and there was an electric thrill running through buzz of activity all around the hangar, and beyond. 
He could see it in his fellow pilots too; the boisterous and pretty blond one was doing (quite distracting) sit-ups, the boss was a picture of concentration as he checked everyone in, and off of a list. For Ryan, it came out as his left leg jiggling. And when he noticed and stopped that, it was his hands and fingers tapping against the edge of the crate. 
Huffing, he forced himself to sit still, and looked up as another female pilot arrived; dark-haired and small with tanned skin, she reminded him of some movie star he'd seen in a few action movies. 
He gave a quiet smile at the thought, but kept quiet, only nodding and grinning slightly at Kat's words. 
"Take a seat," he added after she'd spoken. "You're lucky there's a few left" He said with a smile.