Settling in...sort of

[Rarkasha]

Rarkasha sat in a large, cushy, swivel chair that he was testing inside a large office room with a nice view of the green plains in the background. Guixian, the only person who had come with him, raised a questioning eyebrow, and a pink haired girl of about 19 or 20 crossed her arms and watched. She was wearing a gray flight suit. Rarkasha stood up.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think she belongs here. She is, admittedly, a good pilot, but she decked a man within 5 minutes of touching down!" said Guixian, clearly exasperated.
"He said I'd been drinking!" Mina retorted, her arms crossed
"AND YOU WERE! That was 36%BAC! You shouldn't be able to stand properly right now, much less fly a plane!"
"And I am standing still," she said calmly
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Guixian's arms flailed wildly as he spoke

"Calm down, Guixian. You'll pop a vein, or something. Mina and I have known each other for a long time. I owe a lot to her. And since the world has changed a lot since then, I have an obligation to take care of her," interjected Rarkasha smoothly. He stood up, and put his hands on Mina's shoulders, then gave her a hug.
"It has been awhile. I...I'm glad you came," said Rarkasha, somewhat sadly," did the others...?" Guixian stared, puzzled.
"They're... around, is all I can say," said Mina, tentatively
"Nari, Ikaki?"
"Arguing, as usual"
"And..."
"Sashi is here, Rarks. I know you missed him. Don't tell him I told you, but he misses you too," said Mina. Rarkasha smiled, looking out the windows. He no longer looked like the slightly mysterious and unpredictable benefactor he made himself out to be. He looked like a young child, lost in thought and longing.
"I thought that one day we'd have some time. I guess strife is what keeps us both going."
"Don't talk like that. One day."
"Yeah, yeah."
"You act a lot more like him, I can tell. I guess he acts a lot more like you now, now that I think about it."
"I guess I'd expect it, from all of us. We did cause quite a stir. It's only natural we rubbed off on each other. Still... I'm the same on the inside. I think once Sa... one he's back, I can go back to being the way I feel."
"You two were always a pair, I guess. Like two parts of a person that just somehow went together."

Guixian put himself in between the two.
"I hate to interrupt this moment, but we have work to do," he said, slightly irritated. The two friends snapped back into reality.
"Of course," said Mina coolly, then looked back to Rarkasha and said "One last thing. He will be here, but not just yet."
"Got it. In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us busy. I need pilots to test out the vehicles I develop here, in Shireroth, and the weapons I develop in The Corporation. That's why I've assembled some people in my private employment," Rarkasha sounded more businesslike, as usual
"You mean like mercenaries, in a way," said Mina
"In that they have no political loyalties, and they are privately trained, then yes, they are. You are to be the head of this squadron, unless your... "Peers" prove to be more competent than you are, but I doubt that."

"And they are?" Mina queried
"Hu Shien Tou is your first newbie. Hot headed, cocky, you know the rest. But he's smart. Knows what he's doing when he looks like he doesn't. Never gets into a fight he knows he can't win. Unlike you, but you know that," Rarkasha said, smirking. Mina rolled her eyes
"Sounds like a pain the ass. Call sign?"
"Razor. Not particularly original, but very appropriate, I think you'll agree. Next is Neira Obysk, call sign Snow. Very upbeat girl, you gotta admire her energy. Which, however, means you'll enjoy her as much as you enjoy rubbing sandpaper into your eyeballs, I bet. Another one who looks like she has no clue, but really does. Surprisingly, she is not very manipulative. Pure as snow, but cold as it when necessary."
"All right. Last one?"
"Wukaimo Kategashi"
"Wow. That one just rolls right off the tongue. I swear, you pick them for the names," Mina sighed. Rarkasha smiled a little, and then picked up a piece of paper from his desk.
"Just call him Wu, then," he said," He is probably one of the most qualified applicants we have. Also one of the smartest, he seems to have at least basic to intermediate knowledge in nearly everything. Haven´t tested his IQ yet, but it must be well over 150. Very focused, does everything with precision. His call sign is Swordsman. Anyhow, his attitude is proportionally the worst. Not cocky, just superior. You´ll have to kick him down a notch. But don´t do it too hard, we don´t want him to do anything that might cause him to leave."
"I´ll try not to break more then five of his bones then," said Mina, smirking devilishly and putting a fist into an open palm.
"Additionally, try not to break the ones we need at the time," said Rarkasha mildly. He sat back down in his chair and put his elbows in his desk, interlacing his fingers," You´ve also been ass I realize that you don´t like people telling you what to do, but think of it as a favor for me. The operator you´ll be working with is Shelly Casiro, AWACS High Eye.

For the next two weeks or so, you´ll be testing the Ravenclaw, our first aircraft. It is a multi-role striker jet, able of carrying a fairly good payload and capable of very nice maneuvering. Delta wing, single engine configuration. A very nice all around plane, if I may say so myself. That is all, Mina. I´ll see you later, then?"
"You can count on it," said Mina cheerfully, winking. She walked out with a bit of a swagger, same as when she had entered.
"Strange girl" muttered Guixian
"I trust her. I know her that well enough to know how she will react."
"Good to know you´re not all about the mushy feely stuff," said Guixian, adjusting his glasses casually.
"Oh, you can never tell when I´m acting or not, you know."