So it is done: Good wizard (Patreon)

As it so happens, though perhaps to be expected, Cinder Fall has a very large social circle. Ranging from simple acquaintances, ‘buddies’, friends of friends, or even subordinates.

Judging by the lists of people she knows, some people might say that Cinder has many friends – but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There were plenty of people who considered themselves her friends – but for Cinder, she would say that she had… maybe two friends. But that number was only if you counted her little educational experiment as a full-fledged bond of friendship. No, Cinder loved Nora, but she still didn't consider her as a friend.

In Cinder's mind, a 'friend' was a concept applicable only to those who were not only presently close to her – but also equal in status, something that since Cinder's childhood only counted Neo amongst that group.

That was why Cinder did not consider Jonathan her friend either – though she would never say that in front of him.

Unlike her, Jonathan's notion of what is a 'friend' was radically different, which meant that Cinder's admission would probably upset him. So Cinder simply acted what he wanted to see.

For Cinder, Jonathan is not a mere ‘friend’, rather.

An idol, perhaps.

Some kind of tribal definition of a deity – powerful patron, but still not so all-powerful that one would expect heaven-splitting miracles from them. Though perhaps from Jonathan, that is still in the realms of the possible. No, Jonathan was like an object worthy of recognition and worship for Cinder – and so at the same time a cherished figure, whilst also serving as its Achilles heel.

A strange phrase, a saying originating not from Remnant but, like so many others, Jonathan brought with him from another world – and Cinder learned it, as she learned all other things from Jonathan.

And what believer, after all, would give up the chance to worship their idol, a chance which is usually only allowed on holidays?

Cinder already only sleeps four hours a night, somewhat less after borrowing some experimental samples from Jonathan – but before her day with Jonathan, she spent two or three hours in a feverish semi-dream, never managing to calm her mind completely.

No, this was not a date, as much as Cinder wanted it to be, and just because she thought it was, it wasn't going to be – Jonathan was in a bad mood and needed a distraction. A trip around his city to clear his head seems to be the best thing. If it also gave him the chance to gain a fresh perspective for his decisions, then all the better.

Cinder's role in this occasion was nothing more than a companion, nay a guide. She has to supervise Jonathan to prevent into falling into another pit of doubt, and to show Jonathan that life continues outside of his office as well.

And Cinder was quite happy with such a walk.

Even if she wanted more.

There was no need for the ‘talk’ – Cinder knows all about where babies came from or why a boy might suddenly want to kiss a girl. Medical textbooks held a lot more answers on that subject, including questions that no one in their right mind would think to ask.

And yet, knowing what her hormones were doing, and actually having to experience her fourteen-year-old body’s hormones playing havoc with her were two starkly different things. But, there was nothing she could do about it. Neither sleeping nor getting up very early in the morning, which should rather have been called late night rather than dawn, helped her.

In the end, even her usual daytime workout, in which she dumped most of her raging hormones, couldn't help her. And so, by the time Jonathan was awake and finished readying up, dressed and combed, Cinder was literally on her last legs.

Jonathan, whenever he has the time, usually goes out along with her and Neo every Sunday, but it wasn't often that he goes with Cinder alone. He definitely never spent a full day alone with her, either.

Well, there’s the driver, so they aren’t ‘totally’ alone. But, as long as he stayed behind the sound-proof and bullet-proof solid partition in the car – Cinder was willing to pretend he didn't exist.

“Cinder?" Jonathan addressed worryingly to the obviously sleep-deprived Cinder, and he could only sigh. He knew that Cinder had most likely already been awake even when Jonathan himself was deep asleep, and by now, ten in the morning, had already accomplished more activities than Jonathan would in a day. Jonathan knows that her day would only end by midnight.

Jonathan in turn smiled slightly at his thoughts. "Practically an everyday Cinderella…"

But he didn't elaborate further on that thought, he didn’t really want to dwell on the thought of being a parent who has their children working till midnight. "Good, I see that you’re ready for the day, Cinder. So what to do… I don't know, maybe we could go up to the mountain? There's a nice restaurant and an observation deck there.”

Mount Glenn, though it was called so, was not actually located on top of a mountain – but more specifically at the foot of a string of low mountains. Mountains, which, with their large deposits of dust, were the thing that first attracted settlers to settle at the foot of the mountain. But, when the deposits turned out to be much smaller than the first exploration had predicted and quickly ran out, leaving Glenn stuck as something in between a large village and a proper city. Seeing the settlement as a loss maker, but too large to be easily dismantled, Vale began using it as a dumping ground for its undesirables. Refugees, generals that were perhaps too influential, scientists with ideas that were perhaps too radical, and Bohr.

Since the Tragedy, however, the city has, paradoxically, found its second wind and now a few of the more adventurous investors have even created something of a tourist spot in the mountains. As far as Cinder herself knew, thanks to its unique vistas combined with the mountains themselves – few could compete with the few resorts that had opened in Glenn, except perhaps for those in Mistral. But, seeing as weekend trips to another state were nothing more than a pipe-dream for the vast majority of Remnant residents, accidentally, Glenn had somehow become a small tourist pilgrimage destination for the people of Vale.

“That sounds good,” Cinder nodded, "Which limousine should we take?”

“Limousine?" Jonathan blinked, then nodded, "Yes, that's right, a limousine…”

Jonathan had plenty of different means of transportation at his disposal, but rarely did he choose anything other than a limousine. One reason was because he was unable to drive himself, and, second, it was not easy to find a good car with a driver. And the fact that Jonathan had forgotten this indicated that he was even more absorbed in his own thoughts than usual.

“Do you have your boots with you? I've already prepared mine." Seeing Jonathan’s state, Cinder finally took the initiative. "I don't think you want to walk in the slush.”

Jonathan nodded, because of the snowfall mixed with rain it was unpleasant to walk on the roads now. And since, just teleporting openly was understandably impossible for Jonathan within the city, Cinder already figured that they would be walking. Jonathan seemed really out of it.

What Jonathan was thinking now? There’s really no need to guess – it wasn't difficult. Vacuo continued to trouble him. Jonathan was the kind of person who could ponder on the same topic for hours before reaching any conclusion, but before that point, he would agonize over it for days. If there was any silver lining to his propensity to overthink things is that he would pursue the answer he had arrived at vociferously, subsequently accepting it as the only true answer.

The situation with Vacuo was not out of the ordinary for a head of a nation to think about – intervention or non-intervention…

Aisa was old and for all Jonathan's wonders – even he was incapable of making her immortal. Which meant that when Jonathan finally made up his mind about Vacuo – then the dilemma of Glenn's entire foreign policy after Aisa passed would also be resolved.

Cinder did not want to annoy Jonathan when he already had a lot on his mind, but she could not allow him to get himself further worked up either, so she stood up from her seat and smiled, "Shall we go?”

Jonathan just nodded.

***

The Glenn mountains were not really that tall, so there was no discomfort with the lack of oxygen, not even for Cinder, and not even for Jonathan, who was vulnerable to it.

However, as natural, it was colder in the mountains, and already this was affecting Cinder and Jonathan. So after standing on the observation deck for a few minutes and observing the tiny town at the foot, they retreated to the nearest small café, having previously fully rented at double the price from the owner for the day.

However, neither the quality lunch nor the view could distract Jonathan from his musings. So, when an ice cream was brought to them as dessert, as weird as it was to eat such a cold delicacy while on a mountain and Jonathan didn’t even react in any way, Cinder had to intervene personally. “What do you think of Neo's decision to join the army?”

“Hm?" Jonathan was finally knocked out of his thoughts and looked at Cinder, not understanding the question for a few moments before the fog cleared, and his eyes focused.

“She hasn't decided to join the army yet – she wants to be a Huntress.”

“And then go into the army,” Cinder nodded, before continuing. “She never made a secret of her plans for life.”

Jonathan just sighed, "I have no right to forbid anything for Neo, but…”

Cinder only inwardly winched, ‘no right to forbid’. If anyone in the world had the right to forbid anything to Neo, it was Jonathan – but the only one who had that right considered himself not entitled to it. An irony of national proportions.

“But I wish she wanted a quieter job,” Jonathan sighed. “No parent wants to send their child into a dangerous profession…”

I wonder what the hundreds of idiots who put their children in Hunter Academies would say to that?

“And you?” Jonathan looked away, and Cinder congratulated herself for successfully distracting Jonathan from his thoughts. “Neo was almost offensively obvious about where she wants to go next, but I haven't heard much about you…  I mean, clearly you want to go to the academy as well, but what comes next?”

“I apologize if I’m being too blunt,” Jonathan smiled slightly and for the smile that flashed across his face for a moment Cinder was willing to give a lot “But I don't see you as a Huntress, protecting Glenn or Remnant as part of a team, doing missions.”

Cinder was in agreement with Jonathan – except that her thoughts extended further.

It was normal to have different kinds of higher education – there were mathematical streams for the more precocious of the exact sciences, and there were Hunter Academies for those gifted with superhuman powers. But the very existence of Hunters was a relic of eras past when wars could be resolved by duels of the strongest, and even their role as Grimm hunters were being subsumed by the army. There were schools for people that wanted to learn to defend themselves but didn’t want to become a Hunter or join the Army. But there were no such things as a 'free guild', any sniper school being pretty much an advertisement for the Army. But still, no state was stupid enough to try to limit the populace right to bear arms.

Anybody exceptional would be picked up by the army sooner or later, and it was unclear to Cinder why Hunters should be an exception to that.

Outstanding hunters with unique talents could find themselves outside the army – as could any soldier who suddenly discovered a talent for engineering or a love of history during training. But the bulk of hunters were only highly trained, specialized cadres of soldiers adapted to fighting mostly Grimm. Why on Remnant Hunters remain separate from the army – or any other centralized control body for that matter, Cinder decidedly didn't understand.

In that respect, she liked the Atlas model, where any graduate of their Hunter academy was given a choice to be a Specialist for the Atlas army. But even in Atlas, the Hunters were not overtly pushed to the army – which in Cinder's own view was insufficient.

Hunters had to be completely controlled by the state and the army, to become a special branch of the army, of sorts…

“I would like to go into the Special Forces,” Cinder, making sure Jonathan understood her, finally confirmed what she had said. “ More specifically, RATS.”

Jonathan blinked, then closed his eyes, "I can definitely imagine you in the RATS…”

Cinder smiled too – with her media fame she couldn't be a secret agent, but there were plenty of positions in RATS besides field work. Spying for example would not be hindered by her fame, it would aid it greatly, in fact.

Jonathan thought for a second – and Cinder could literally read his mind.

He clearly meant to say that the work in the RATS was difficult, dirty, and dangerous. But, at the same time, he was also clearly aware that Cinder herself was well aware of this and had already reasoned from her balanced position that she was ready for such a move.

Besides, Neo's situation and his reluctance to stop her, had trapped him, so it was impossible for him to oppose Cinder's decision. And also, judging by the way he looked up, Jonathan knew Cinder as well as Cinder herself knew Jonathan, and therefore she already knows of any objection he could raise.

Such a complex system of mutual thought and trust made Cinder unable to hold back a slight smile, and Jonathan, clearly following her thoughts, smiled as well.

Cinder could congratulate herself on her victory, as Jonathan was once again distracted from his thoughts. Though for Jonathan, the distraction, from thinking about Vacuo’s fate to thinking about the dangers of their future professions, was not at all reassuring. But still, he allowed himself a small smile. No parents disliked thinking about the future of their children, after all.

Even as a distraction, there was no match for Cinder.

“Tell me, Cinder," Jonathan sighed, "Will Neo ever be half as wise as you are? Will I?”

Cinder carefully worded her answer in so as not to push Jonathan back into the abyss of his thoughts, "I had a good teacher.”

“You're praising me too much,” Jonathan smiled again, and Cinder felt her bones aching as she was holding back her excitement inside, wanting to keep that smile on his face as long as possible. “I'm not the most mature person myself.”

“Mature enough," Cinder realized she'd almost continued her words with the phrase ‘to take on the responsibility of the state’, but that was a clear landmine, one that she carefully sidestepped. “To be a single father, and then raise his daughters well.”

Cinder didn't want to remind herself that she was, officially, his adopted daughter, but it was better than spoiling Jonathan's mood yet again.

“Sometimes I wonder if it's really true." Jonathan sighed. "I still don't know how to use the washing machine – you've been doing most of the chores in the house.”

“And I do it willingly," Cinder smiled. “And as for knowing how to use the washing machines…  Not many people really know how to use them. Actually, I don't think anyone reads the instructions before they even start using the appliance.”

“That's one of the two things that scares me about you, you actually read the manuals.” Jonathan smiled, clearly indicating that he was joking. “The other is your ability to sleep so little that it seems as if you don't sleep at all.”

Cinder just smiled at Jonathan’s joke. “If even you couldn't make me sleep for longer, then God himself would not be able to.”

Jonathan, who had heard Cinder use a phrase that she had picked up from him, smiled wryly, and Cinder congratulated herself that with this unsophisticated trick she had knocked Jonathan off his mind about Vacuo again.

“By the way, the ice cream is melting,” Cinder nodded at the already out of shape slowly melting ice cream. “If we let it melt completely, I'm afraid Neo will not forgive us.”

And watching as, with a sniffle, Jonathan set to work with a small spoon on the dessert – Cinder could only smile.

Even if in order to distract Jonathan from Vacuo she would have to wipe Vacuo himself off the face of Remnant…

Who cares about Vacuo anyway?

***

While the day didn’t pass perfectly – for all her powers, Cinder Fall was not omnipotent. And it would definitely take the omnipotent to fully reassure Jonathan of his further musings. But, in her own opinion, it passed quite well.

After lunch, Jonathan and Cinder visited the cinema together – also fully rented out.

Unfortunately for him, his mere presence did not allow him to be in the same room with ordinary people – all conversations would inevitably stop and everybody’s glances would immediately turn to him. Absolutely no one’s idea of a relaxing day, being gapped at by everyone like an animal in the zoo.

And Cinder, for her part, was only too happy to spend some more time alone with Jonathan.

Of course, she would absolutely prefer Jonathan's joy to her desires – and Jonathan, for some reason, enjoys mingling with the masses. Something that could only be done by using either the Rats or her Order as extras, and Jonathan knew all the members of the former and the latter quite well, so it would not have worked. More likely, a fake mass of people would produce the opposite result than what Cinder could have hoped for, so they had to spend the whole time exclusively on their own.

Not that Cinder was against it, of course.

And so, as a result, that Sunday evening, after their visit to the empty cinema, Cinder and Jonathan were sitting at home while Neo herself was out celebrating something or other with her friends. The both of them, now with a cup of tea in hand and a basket of biscuits placed beside them – were the very picture of comfort. Given the weather that had changed outside the window to heavy, fluffy snow, all that was missing for the very picture of home comfort was a burning fireplace.

Jonathan refused to install one in his house, however, not wanting to burden Cinder with yet another responsibility – not that Cinder herself was against it, but you couldn't go against Jonathan. So rather than sitting in front of the fireplace, it was now substituted by sitting in the living room, both wrapped in blankets and enjoying the silence of the slowly coming winter.

Cinder, for her part, wanted to talk – to get Jonathan as far away from his thoughts as possible,  but she didn't have the heart to break the comfy atmosphere, warm and securely sheltered from the oncoming snowy evening.

So, taking a sip of tea from her cup, she could only stare at Jonathan, wondering about – probably even the same questions Jonathan himself was asking.

What was going to happen next?

Jonathan, like any human or faunus, liked to put off solving hard problems and answering the most serious questions, but sooner or later he had to answer them.

Cinder would have gladly gone back in time and demolished Vacuo itself, just to prevent Jonathan from being sad about it now. But even Jonathan didn't know how to go back in time – in fact, it was one of the hardest acts of magic that Jonathan could remember. So Cinder was forced with painful awareness to watch Jonathan agonize over Vacuo.

Cinder valued the life of people… generally speaking that is. She valued lives – not quite from a classical perspective – but she did.

A person's life is a resource. A dead man doesn’t pay tax, doesn’t work in the factory, and definitely won't be having three more children in twenty years.

But this did not make Cinder a humanist. Even recognizing the value of life itself did not mean that she believed it to be sacred. Cinder did not think of a person’s life as something that cannot be traded for. Its value is heavy, for sure, but it does not mean that it cannot be weighed on a scale.

Jonathan was not like that.

Cinder thought of life as a resource – convertible into other currencies and values, while Jonathan saw it as the highest value. As a result, all other currencies and values had to be spent in order to secure even one life.

So he agonized in his thinking, trying to arrive at the rate he was prepared to exchange a life for, taking into account all the pitfalls and unpredictable twists and turns. Luckily for Glenn’s citizens, he also put their lives on that same pedestal, so he won’t be letting his ideals kill his own citizens.

All the more reason as to why Jonathan’s mind seems to be going round and round on the same debate. Should he send his citizens to defend a Kingdom that seems hellbent to get themselves killed? Or should he let the city die, as their rulers point at each other for blame?

Had Cinder been in charge instead of Jonathan – she would have done neither. Sure, she would still send the army in – but she would order them to wait. No, she would wait until the Super-Horde broke Vacuo’s wall before storming in. The Super-Horde would be much easier to deal with, their full attention on Vacuo’s army and the populace.

The favor she would win after that, would make gaining Vacuo as an ally child’s play. Perhaps, depending on how she played the situation and the damage the Super-Horde does to Vacuo, she might even have a chance to unofficially vassalize it. With how ineffective Vacuo’s council was doing, it was definitely not as far fetched as it might have been if the council were more competent.

If nothing else, her plan would gain Glenn, even if not the strongest, ally in the geopolitical stage. Having Vacuo as an ally would weaken the influence of Atlas, or more importantly, their grip on Glenn’s dust supply. The ensuing refugee crisis, both workers and the military kind, would only help bolster Glenn… after a thorough scrutiny of course.

But Cinder was not Jonathan, and Jonathan was not Cinder –  their willingness to get their hands dirty or to sacrifice people for gain, personally or globally, differed by orders of magnitude.

And that's why Jonathan couldn't make up his mind to take a certain step.

Cinder didn't think Jonathan wouldn't make up his mind in the end. Jonathan was a humanist, perhaps even a bit of an idealist – but one that is capable of actually taking actions – even tough ones.

But for Jonathan, that still didn't make their acceptance any easier or more painless.

Cinder blinked, returning from her musings to look at the already empty cup in her hands, setting the empty cup aside. The sound of the cup clinking in turn brought Jonathan out of his musings, causing him to glance at Cinder as if he just woke up. Realizing where he was, he could only shake his head, he was too engrossed in his thoughts, “It was a good day.”

“Of course," Cinder smiled back, "I hope that every day will be like this…”

***

When you think about it, there was no shaking our old habits.

Closing his eyes and rolling in bed, Jonathan can't stop his mind from whispering.

If we intervene, we will save lives in Vacuo, but the cost would be the lives of our army! But then how do we justify personal non-interference, hmm? Can you give me a hint, by any chance?

The soft sheet was digging into his back like a hundred blunt needles, irritating his mind with a torrent of unpleasant sensations.

She might find out that the first time wasn't an accident, or at the very least, something that we can repeat at will, that I had the power to keep destroying her Grimm.

She might. Or she might not find out and decide that you only had the strength for two of her hordes. Or maybe she has already decided that you can do it. There are a lot of possibilities, nothing is definite.

Jonathan closed his eyes.

It's as if he could feel the hand of time shifting over and over again, relentlessly counting down the seconds.

The clock, so quietly reading off each second, sounded like gongs in his ear. Each second was like an army of Grimm marching in silence, approaching Vacuo every second.

What should I do?

Slowly, images began to seem to pop up in front of Jonathan's eyes.

What should I say?

At first, it was difficult to understand what he was experiencing. It was as if he was here, on top of his bed trying his best to sleep, and not there at all, as if he was having an out-of-body experience.

It was as if he was looking at a painting, and from inside the painting he was looking at himself.

Whom to save?

He could see lots of people, mingling among the ruined city walls, and coal-black shadows full of teeth and claws seemed to be covering them.

How to save?

And he realizes that he is now seeing himself. But it was not as he was now, he was seeing his past self.

Sees from the past, the present self, and sees from the present, himself of the past.

And his self from the past was reaching out to him.

Save us! Save us!

I can't!

He tries to shout, to tell his past self that he cannot act – but he can't.

You have to do it yourself!

I can't!

And he knows that he can't. He knows that he's been here before, seen the same people, the same pictures, the same shadows and the same city.

But this time he can't. He does not have the time or the strength, he is no longer whole – he…

He will die.

There will be no good wizard! You must do it yourself!

But he cannot.

And Jonathan stares at himself, watching as a vague mass of shadows and fangs gradually creeps closer and closer, full of malice and hunger, a single desire for death guides them. They want to kill him – and there is nothing he can do.

The darkness rises higher and higher and…

No!

***

Cinder blinked, her mind elsewhere as she exercised. Seeing that she had finished her exercises, she sets the dumbbells aside.

For a Hunter, normal gym equipment was rarely of use – and as a Hunter aspirant, normal gym equipment was also of little use to her. And so her gym equipment had been specially modified.

Working out serves multiple purposes for her, like training efficiently so that she can fall asleep tired so that she doesn’t need to think about her unstable hormonal urges.

So Cinder liked to start and end her day with a workout before going either to a fruitful day of work, or to her own soft bed.

And so, after finishing her workout and taking a shower, she could head back to her room with an ever-so-slight smile on her face.

She enjoyed her workout – but not to the point of smiling after, but it was especially hard to keep the smile off her face thanks to the whole day spent alone with Jonathan. She kept remembering those moments, bringing Cinder both joy – and some regret. From the fact that it was over – and from the fact that she wasn't as perfect as she wanted to be.

Cinder knew more about Jonathan's gastronomic habits than Jonathan himself knew about them. She knows his gait and his habits, his thoughts, and his doubts. And so when she, with each new encounter, learned a little more about Jonathan, she was both glad for the opportunity to add to her storehouse of knowledge – and saddened for not knowing it before.

Shaking off more thoughts about Jonathan before she could get more worked up, Cinder stepped out of the shower, drying off before putting on her pajamas… until suddenly a sound attracted her attention.

She froze, listening. She clearly heard a suspicious sound that seemed familiar to her – but what exactly it was she couldn't figure out.

For a second, Cinder tensed – even if Jonathan's house was guarded, as the past had shown, sometimes even the best security have holes.

Changing her stride slightly to shift her weight evenly from heel to toe, to make as little noise as possible, Cinder quickly took a few steps towards where he had heard the sound. Reaching the first floor, she could hear the sound more clearly.

Someone was vomiting the contents of their stomach into the porcelain throne.

Rolling her eyes at the silly occurrence, and her own reaction, Cinder immediately relaxed.

As to who was doing it and why, Cinder already knew.

And so, with a much louder step, Cinder headed forward, before suddenly stalling at the coffee table next to the sofa.

"I'm off on a business trip – I'll be back in a week tops. Jonathan."

Jonathan had gone to Vacuo after all…

Probably… Perhaps that was not the reason as to why Jonathan had left, but whatever it was, what matters to her is that now Jonathan was already out of her reach. Teleportation was not only a powerful weapon – it was also a somewhat inconvenient ability in case you wanted to keep your target in place.

Jonathan is a grown man – he can take care of himself…

Cinder could only sigh before she was distracted again.

“Neo!" Cinder's voice echoed through the house. "You don't have to hold back, Jonathan's not home!”

And Neo responded with a sound Cinder really didn't want to hear. The sound of a stomach turning inside out was quite unpleasant. Making her way around the first floor a little further, Cinder found exactly what she had expected.

Neo, sitting on the restroom floor, hugging the porcelain, trying her best to show that her meeting with Trifa today was not a harmless sit-down. Her father's departure on a business trip had clearly contributed to this as well.

“Jonathan will be gone for about a week,” Neo only lifted her hand up very languidly at these words, trying to show an ‘okay’ with her hands before folding in half, spewing whatever else she could out of herself.

“I'll hold your hair,” Cinder sighed and walked closer, ending up next to Neo before gathering her hair and pulling it back.

Neo wasn't thinking straight at this point, but she probably would have said ‘thank you’ to Cinder if she could have. Cinder, on the other hand, would only have had to respond with ‘that's what friends are for’.

And unlike many such responses from Cinder – this one would have been sincere.

However, Cinder would still be more than happy to remind Neo constantly of her fuck-up.

After all, that's what friends are for.