Vivi didn't know what to expect from a woman like Nana. Though they had only been introduced a short while prior, she could tell that the woman recommended to her as a mentor was not someone she should cross without first considering everything else. The demi-human wasn't the type to stab someone in the back, but she did always enjoy a challenge. In this case, she had already been demonstrated the fact that she was far behind Nana in terms of skill and power. This gap would need to be remedied, she couldn't leave it as it was. There was something about even the mere idea of being left so far behind that made everything inside of Vivi scream with frustration. But she wouldn't be throwing any tantrums or taking out her anger with senseless violence. No, she'd turn it into something productive. Something she could use. Energy to fuel her rise, to make her stronger with every chance she got. And, with a bit of luck, she'd be able to thank Nana at a later date for prodding her towards a better version of herself.

She'd never had a mentor before, perhaps it would be something formative for her as the days went on. She'd make the most of that to be sure.

Of course, she wasn't certain what she could be in for with this woman. The invitation to join her for some work was something she didn't expect. She also didn't expect to be brought in so soon for something like this. But, she didn't complain. she took to it with her characteristic stoicism and arrived right on time. Literally, she was very good about that. Not even one second before the bell tolled the hour, she strolled up the path towards Nana and gave her a simple greeting by lifting her hand. When asked the question, Vivi shook her head. "No, not at all. Ghosts can die, so there is no reason to be afraid of them. If something can be killed then it is not frightening."

WC - 354

Vivi shook the offered hand from the Exceed with just two fingers. She hadn't ever seen something quite like this strange cat, but she found it oddly charming all the same. It was sort of adorable in its own way, maybe not conventionally, but she could still find the underlying sweetness to it. She had to wonder where Nana had even found a creature like it, but she didn't intend to pry about the origins of the cat while they were working. She could save it for later, there were more important things lying ahead of them at the present.

She followed Nana into the church, heeding her words carefully and trying to ignore her surroundings. She had been truthful with Nana, she was not afraid of ghosts in the slightest. But she was not a fan of holy men. The mere sight of the priest welcoming them into the sanctified hall made her stop breathing. She watched him like a hawk, feeling a bead of sweat fall down the back of her neck as every word he spoke made her feel all that more uncomfortable in his presence. She was glad when Nana cut him off and told him to stuff it. She didn't want to be around the man anymore than absolutely necessary, and her usual stoicism was replaced with complete silence.

She kept her eyes locked on the priest as Nana led her to the gate leading to the catacomb steps. Vivi did not want any surprises to come from behind her. The last thing she needed was a holy dagger being put between her shoulder blades. Maybe a priest wouldn't do something like that, but she didn't trust that he wouldn't. The self-righteous bastard was likely always looking for an opportunity to make a move, and she wouldn't give him one if she could help it, not a chance. Only when Nana ushered her through the gate did Vivi take a breath. Descending into the darkness, she found herself more at ease there than anywhere up above. Unslinging her axe from her back, Vivi led the way as Nana instructed, taking point and holding her ground as they delved into the stone halls. This mausoleum would not force her back by even a single step.

"How does one attract ghosts?" She wondered out loud. "It does not seem to me that they would be concerned with the same things a living person would be." She tapped her axe on a stone pillar as they walked by, clanging out the metallic sound through the somber hall. "Hello?" She called out, not caring who heard. "Do any spirits walk these halls now? We've come to put you to rest."

WC - 460
Total WC - 814

Vivi heard the shuffling of feet before Nana had even finished her sentence. She knew that there should be no one down here but them, at least no one with a reason to be up and walking. The dead, she knew, could be so picky about that on the wrong occasions. So, sometimes they needed to be given a bit of incentive to lie down, or perhaps a push if they didn't take to the act willingly. Either way, Vivi wasn't the type to consider much in the way of peaceful restitution for the dead. Though she may be inclined. After all, violence would beget violence in many ways, and she could use that to her advantage when it suited her. She did not figure, however, that today would be one of those days.

Giving her axe a bit of a twirl, she stepped forward as the shambling corpse and the ghost came into sight. She didn't need to make a point or show off with this, they were just simple targets that needed to be removed. There was no shouting, no exposition, she was quick and clean. Stoic as ever. Her axe came up from the ground and cleaved the corpse in two, her own strength combined with the power of her battleaxe making it an easy effort to rip old rotted flesh apart.

There was a shower of what she could guess to be rotted organs and dusty bones that quickly turned into little more than ash under the weight of her axe. She looked at the ghost next and scowled. "Will you return to your grave? Or shall I make work of you as well?" She didn't know what exactly the response she would receive would be, and she certainly did not expect what she got. A howling shriek from the man as he lunged for her. Vivi took a bounding step back to get away from his hands, and brought her axe down on his skull. He'd overextended himself, and thanks to the magical nature of her weapon it wasn't going to save him that normal steel might be ineffective. She'd never cut a ghost before, but her axe cut ectoplasm just as well as flesh and cleaved a ghostly gash in his head before he dissipated like smoke.

Propping her axe back up, Vivi looked over at Nana. "There will be more, yes?"

WC - 405
Total WC - 1219

Vivi had little trouble in finding herself resolute. She was a warrior, a magician, and many things besides. She was not afraid of what may lie in front of her, whether for ill or for gain. She had never backed down from a challenge, even those she knew she could not win. To do so would be to deny herself a chance to prove her mettle and to understand her own self in a way that few were allowed to do. If she turned away from the potential future she had laid out before her then she would never know the true depths of her abilities.

She heeded Nana's words then, spotting the ghosts further into the crypt. Clutching her axe tightly, she began to advance. As she walked, the cries of the ghost did not stop her from walking. She was prepared to strike her down, she knew that only then would the spirits of the dead cease to inflict their intent on the world of the living. She could not grant them a traditional peace, she was not versed in such things. But even should she be forced to send them back to the land of the dead in a violent fashion, she knew it was the right thing to do by any stretch of the definition.

"Be at peace," She commanded the mother as she swung her axe with precision. Cleaving the ghastly woman from head to toe, she felt satisfaction as she was granted a last glimpse of the woman she used to be. But as the apparition faded with a last gasp, she turned upon the child...and she paused. She had steeled herself to strike down one begging for mercy, but a child was another matter. She did not know what to think when confronted with this dilemma. A child was purely innocent, yes, but that wasn't the only thing that concerned her. It was her philosophy. Even as she knew it was a ghost, she had always held a soft spot for children. Children were yet blank slates with so much potential, and to harm them was to damage that unvarnished and raw potential in a way that could ruin a person. She viewed children as pure portents of strength if raised right, and so it went against everything she believed to harm one. She lowered her axe, and felt grateful as Nana's bullet impacted and dispersed the ghost. She could not have done it herself.

Turning to face her mentor, she was surprised to see no sign of judgement on her face. Giving Nana a nod, she followed her mentor back through the catacombs, eager to leave a place so dour and dreary.

[Exit]

WC-454
Total WC - 1673