"So what happens now?" Mifa asked as she settled back into the chair in Ayana's office.
"Now you get a little time to think about your decision," Ayana said as she sank down into her chair.
"What decision?"
"Your decision about whether you want to stay on as a kind of ghostly Reaper or not." Ayana leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other.
"That's not a decision," Mifa said scoffingly.
"You're sure?" she asked, regarding her coolly. "It's not like you haven't earned your rest. For someone only 17, you've dealt with quite a lot."
Mifa shrugged, trying to appear unemotional. She was still hurt from earlier events but she preferred to ignore it for now. Ignoring her emotions was something she did very well as she had gotten a lot of practice over the years. For her, the best way to do that was to stay busy. "Everyone has a lot that they go through," she said as she dismissed Ayana's concern. "One way or another we all have baggage. But this is what I want to do. I will become a Reaper because I wanted to help. If there is a way I can still help, despite being dead, well that's the way I'll choose to go."
"Well, I'd be the last person to want to stand in your way, that's for sure," Ayana said and smiled.
"Thanks. So, how does this work? Do I have to go meet with someone? Attend some kind of police academy for ghosts? Do I need to check the ghost paper for ethereal apartment listings?" She added the last as a way to try to make a joke to lighten up her mood.
Ayana laughed and shook her head. She was feeling a bit better about this now. Mifa had a certain amount of spunk, a determination to get through things. Ayana admired that. "You'll be set up with something of an apartment. There's no Academy, per say, but you will be partnered with a mentor who shows you the ropes of the job on this side of the grave, and also helps you adjust to existing here."
"Lucky you, you finally get to shove me off onto someone else," she said and chuckled. Then, she paused seeing Ayana shift uncomfortably in her seat. "Wait, you mean... You're my new partner?"
"I am," she said. "Is that alright?" Not that it would really make much of a difference if it wasn't alright with her but she tried to be polite.
"I... I guess. I mean, nothing personal, it's just... the idea of starting a new life..." she shifted a little in her chair as she rolled the idea of Ayana as her new partner around in her mind. Even after getting all of her memories back, there is a nagging feeling she gets like she has known Ayana for a long time. it feels like a few fragments of her memories were missing.
"I know," Ayana said with a nod. "Especially after leaving everything behind, I can see how the idea of new life wouldn't sit too well. Nor, knowing how private a person you were, does the idea of partnering with someone who has seen you at your most vulnerable. Grieving and lost. You should know I've been there too. That's why they partner us together from the moment you cross over. That way you have one person who has been through it, so they can understand what the other is going through. My mentor was my partner from the time I died until just a few years ago. So don't worry about me having seen you in an emotional moment. I'm not going to use it against you or think any less of you for it. Besides, we're ghosts. Transparency goes with the territory," she smiled, trying to add a bit of lightness to the situation with her own attempt at a joke.
Ayana was rewarded with a returned smile, and Mifa nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"So, you spent almost fifty years with your mentor? Does it take that long to learn the ropes here? Did your mentor move on to mentoring someone else or... can we die again or something? Move on to heaven or hell or whatever is waiting?"
she decided to leave the more existential question alone for now. Answering it would likely just bring more questions, and that line of thought wasn't as important right this moment. "My partner was Usoro Alastair. He and I are more like friends. When both of us got promoted to upper ranks, we started going on missions separately. Now he decided that he is going to train newcomers. I was his first and last partner. No one saw any need to move us on to other partners until we were promoted a few years ago. "
"So now he's been doing this for a while?" she asked.
Ayana nodded. "Yes."
"Did you get a little downtime between being let go and getting me, or did you work the entire time on your own?"
"Well, there was some downtime, as you say. Regions had to be assigned and shared out."
"Regions?"
"Yes, as you would say, the area where we have jurisdiction. We have a particular region that falls under us to protect and petrol. But we can discuss more of that tomorrow. For now, we should get you settled into your lodgings. It's not quite an apartment like you're used to. You'll not have a bathroom or a kitchen as you have no real need for them. But you will have a living room and a bedroom."
"OK, one last question "
"ask"
"Why do you wear a mask?"
"for personal reasons. if you're done. shall we go?"
Mifa nodded and rose as Ayana did. She was ready to follow her new partner as Ayana showed her to her new home, but the door had opened before they reached it and a woman who looked to be in her twenties walked in.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, backing up a step so as not to be right in Ayana's face and bowing respectfully. "You asked me to get you if there was a call."
"Oh wonderful, thank you, we'll be right there," Ayana said.
"A call?" Mifa asked as the woman left the office.
"Yes, this will be a good chance to give you some training. That is if you are up to it of course."
"Sure," she said as her shoulders lifted in a shrug and the corners of her mouth upturned a bit into a smile.
"Wonderful." Ayana led her out into the wide open space full of desks, computers, and people. They crossed the room and stopped by the desk of the woman who had gotten them.
"It's a sleepover," the woman explained, pointing to the monitor where a handful of young teen-aged girls could be seen huddled around an Ouija board. "Six girls, twelve to fourteen years old."
Mifa watched, confused about what kids at a sleepover had to do with anything. They finished setting up their game, and then they each put a hand on the planchette. As they did, the phone on the desk began to ring. Ayana motioned for Mifa to watch as she picked up the phone, but stayed silent, her eyes on the monitor. The planchette made slow circles on the board, and the woman sitting at the desk turned the volume up on her computer."Is there anyone here who would like to communicate?" one of the girls asked.
"Yes," Ayana said, and on the monitor, Mifa watched as the planchette slid to that word on the board. The girls all seemed spooked by this.
"Are you serious?" Mifa asked. "This is what we do?" Ayana shook her head from side to side in reply and put a finger to her lips, indicating she should be quiet for now.
"You're moving it, Brittany." One of the girls accused another as the planchette went back to idly circling around the board.
"No, I'm not!" the one named Brittany, said loudly in protest.
"Stop it," another girl said and then asked another question.
"Did you die in this house?"
"No," Ayana said and the planchette obediently slid to that word on the board.
"What is your name?" the same girl asked as the giggles of the other girls started to abate.
"M-A-R-R-Y," Ayana spoke into the phone, and sure enough, the letters were spelled out on the board.
"Let me, let me," one of the girls said. "marry, do you know everything?"
At that, Ayana handed the receiver over to the woman. "Thank you, Betty. I just wanted to show Miss Zannah here a little of what you do." Betty smiled and took the receiver and began spelling out another answer for the teens as Ayana led Mifa away from her desk.