First mission!(Stella/Natasha

"And ya know what, sweetheart? I'm still single after all these years. I'm nearin' 40 years old at that, and I'm plenty confident I'll probably never love again. Stuff like that isn't always so cut-and-dry, Stel. As long as the man or woman of your dreams likes ya, who cares? As far as yer teacher goes, Solo's a busy man. He never struck me as the type to actively seek out women in his free time, to be quite honest."

There was a falsity to those words. Natasha had indeed experienced what love felt like, but the way that chapter of her life ended was less than ideal, and so she never fully enjoyed the happiness she had earned during that period of bliss. That was neither here nor there, though. Stella's mission was up ahead.

Finally arriving at their destination, the train coming to a pause, Natasha would motion for Stella to follow her as they exited the train. The current location was still very much civilian-based from an observer's point of view, but Natasha pointed at her watch, following the directions of the holographic map as she navigated the area along with her protege, descending toward a silent corner of the town.

"Eyes up, soldier. We're slowly movin' into enemy territory."

"Aw, shucks. Color me flattered, sugar. I only passed on some advice and told ya the ropes. Solo deserves most of the credit for pullin' ya off of the streets. Still, I appreciate the support. I reckon we'll find that special someone in due time, but for now, we've got a mission to handle."

Natasha offered parting words in response to her reassurance, finding no small ounce of amusement in the way Stella spoke so admirably about her. After all, the most crucial lesson she wished to impart currently was maintaining a diligent eye. Mindfulness of one's surroundings was a crucial skill many eager warriors lacked. Hopefully, Stella wouldn't follow that trend. Stepping through the clearing, a torrent of reishi forming within the palm of her hand, Natasha responded with measured poise.

"Not entirely so. This city's mostly hollow-free, by all accounts, but that doesn't mean some of these critters can't find a way to slip in. After all, they're attracted to spiritual energy. It isn't uncommon for a few of them to pop up. Like so."

Manifesting her spirit weapon, fashioned within the shape of a revolver, Natasha pointed up ahead as a bipedal, primate-like hollow descended toward the both of them. She didn't aim to strike it first. Curious to see how Stella would operate in battle, Natasha simply sidestepped the ape hollow. Angered by missing the mark on the prime prey encompassing its vision, it charged toward Stella like a battering ram.

"Oook! Oook! Oook! Prey! Prime Prey!"

"Ook! Ook! Ook!"

The primate spun around to avoid her axe swing at the last moment, taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention the moment she turned her head back. The wild ape hollow was mindful enough in its awareness to recognize she was no simple foe. As such, it circled her like a predator in the wild, bursting forward like a bolt of lightning as it attempted to punch her square in the chest.

Playing the role of observer, Natasha surveyed the area to ensure her live battle would go uninterrupted, spinning the spirit revolved around her finger. Offering instruction from afar, she called out to the woman.

"This thing has some wit about it. Choose your attacks carefully, Stel!"

The second counter succeded where the first had failed. The aggressive primate hadn't expected Stella would withstand its blow, and although its wit had allowed it to avoid the first strike, his aggression resulted in him losing his right arm. Angered, the hollow would retaliate by opening its maw to form a beam of light, targeting Stella directly. A cero of minor note to those of greater spiritual pressure and technique, but to a fledgling warrior like Stella, it was potent enough to exact some form of damage on her person if it landed. It seemed Stella would have to follow up with her offense if she wished to fell the wild primate entirely.

Leaping through the air as she did, Stella proved far too quick a foe to be overcome. In a contest between her speed and his cero ability, she was the superior enemy, and the next result came as little surprise. As such, her axe cleaved through its mask with relative ease.

The hollow attempted to grab onto her with feeble desperation, but the blow was far too fatal for it to overcome through sheer force of will. The hollow fell limply to the ground, slowly vanishing into nothingness. In the distance, Natasha offered applause, motioning for the woman to follow her further in.

"Nice use of blut out there, sugar. That mixture of offense and defense sent that rascal to kingdom come. Solo's been teachin' ya well, I see."