Beth had spent some time speaking with a few pilots she knew. There were a number of colleagues she was on good terms with, and she welcomed the chance to greet all of them and briefly catch up on how they were doing and any new gossip. The sentiment “glad that you’re back” and the like came up each time, though no one actually inquired directly how she was doing. She did not blame them, as it was only natural to thread lightly around delicate subjects.<br/><br/>After all this, the veteran pilot found she was still left with time to kill before her number in the queue would come up. She took notice of Mira, still talking with the mysterious fellow she could not place.<em>Ah, what the hell, the direct approach might be a more interesting way to figure this out.</em><br/><br/>Beth now approached Mira and the other pilot. “Hi again, Mira. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She now turned to the young man. “I’m Beth Raines, nice to meet you. I feel like I recognize you from some report on the amateur league, but I have to admit I can’t quite place you...?”