What does it mean, to be a good man? Who is "good"? What is "good"? Tell me, Jonathan Goodman, o blessed scion of Order of Hermes. Tell me, what does your name mean. Tell me about your life. Tell me about your Order. Tell me, what good did you do? Tell me, how many "bad" people suffered because of you? How many "good" people you've helped? Tell me, Jonathan - I'm all ears. --- RWBY and a little bit of World of Darkness (Mage the Ascension) crossover, trying to take a serious look at RWBY and moral phylosophy of one man. Oh, yes, first and foremost it's phylosophy and psychology in it's genre. But anyway, on my patreon (https://www.patreon.com/rure) you can support me and find new chapters ahead of schedule then on this site - for a price. I'm sorry, paying bills is hard!
"…and though I have learned many words in my life, none of them could come close to describing the kind of person she was." Jonathan exhaled before closing his eyes in a gesture of prayer and somberness.
"May paradise and eternal bliss embrace the one who has earned her rest most in Remnant."
After a moment, a loud sound cut through the established silence – a cacophony of gunshots as the honor guards saluted in unison – one volley of seven rifles, then a second, and a third…
'Seven by three…' Jonathan took a step from the podium as the gun salute ended, disappearing from the lens of the television camera aimed at his performance. As he walked down the podium, he cast a glance at the casket that had begun to be slowly lowered, before turning his gaze to the tombstone.
'Here rests Aisa Moira – and as long as the Kingdom of Glenn stands, she will not be forgotten.'
How long can a man, devoured from within, live? Fourth stage cancer, and she barely gave up her bad habit by continuing to smoke. Even on her last day, when she could barely move her arms, she rose to walk past the doctors stunned by such impudence to take one last smoke in the hospital garden.
And then she died, an hour after her last smoke break – forty minutes after Jonathan had seen her for the last time.
Lasted ten years – and died in an instant… so ended a human life.
Aisa… Wasn't exactly a friend.
He didn't ask her for personal advice, and she didn't invite him to her birthdays – Jonathan only saw her at work, or coincidentally on the street, and maybe at a formal function.
The most appropriate word to describe their relationship was probably as work colleagues.
Very close, colleagues that relied on each other, and not keeping secrets from each other. Well, Aisa did, some secrets that Jonathan had would simply not be believed.
They had worked, hand in hand, for almost ten years – heh.
It was Aisa who first suggested he become King Glenn, and it was in hindsight something that can go horribly wrong.
But, it was a very different time then – a mad, mad gambit by a desperate captain, a step into the void, an attempt to keep the sky falling on their heads.
Glenn was very lucky that it was Jonathan that had taken that position.
King Jonathan Goodman – Osmond the Third, ruler of the Kingdom of Glenn, even children know that. He has become as commonplace, a natural part of this world as Ozpin, as Hunters, as the sun rising in the east.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown…
The constitution, the army, votes, dust, electricity, kindergartens – Aisa has taken on every project she can, snapping desperately at the thought of anyone offering their help.
I'd rather die than let some slob ruin my life's work!
Oh, yeah, the work of a lifetime… heh.
If it hadn't been for Aisa, Glenn would have had nothing – Jonathan's only suggestion then, when he first came to his senses, was perhaps to flee, an emergency evacuation, children, old people and women ahead.
How would life have turned then?
Indeed, how would it have turned then…
Was it a good option? He would have caught Ozpin's eye and been implicated as his crony, become an agent of Ozpin like Summer.
A bad option?
There are too many bad options.
And so, the time has come that one day comes to all.
Could Jonathan Goodman have saved her? Make her immortal? Cure her of her cancer?
Maybe in five or ten years, no problem.
But not when it was needed.
Aisa wasn't afraid of death – rather, she just knew that her time was almost upon her and paid barely a thought to it.
No matter how many hundreds of unfinished business she had left, no matter how many hundreds of affairs she had planned – in one moment she simply knew that her time had come.
And so, here she is, buried with honors.
Jonathan, making his way to the exit of the cemetery, unnoticed by the Rats trained to guard him, cast one last glance at the lowered coffin, which is accompanied by a sad orchestral music. Johnathan wasn't sure what music they were playing, he was already leaving, there were a lot of things to do.
She would have approved of the judicious use of time.
If she found out that Jonathan had stayed for the entirety of the service, she would have rolled her eyes and said something like – 'don't you have anything else to do?'
Allowing a wry smirk on his face, Jonathan turned away before finding Cinder and Neo approaching him, with a glance, under the guards of the other Rats – before nodding silently at them as they approached the limousine.
Cinder, of course, had arrived before any agent, appearing in front of him in a second, opening the door, allowing Jonathan to enter, with Neo rushing inside first, before Cinder also climbed inside, closing the door behind him.
"Home," Jonathan instructed the driver, who immediately nodded and pushed the pedal, leaving the other people gathered for the wake of the legendary captain.
The world is changing, huh.
Ahead loomed a vague future – the Atlas Summit, the most important among them, and in a little over a day, Jonathan would be attending it along with Cinder and Neo. Jonathan could see the itinerary in his mind, he needed to prepare both his clothes and documents, and then travel to Atlas – they would probably arrive in the early morning. Enough time for him to prepare himself.
There were so many interested parties to handle.
Jonathan was luckily able to get his hands on the entire STRQ team, seemingly winning this round against Ozpin. To which he responded with a move of his own – making one of Summer's daughters a future Maiden.
Now, no matter how hard you try, as long as her daughter is alive – Summer will be tied to Ozpin, to his plans and goals above all else.
With that, Ozpin, as if in retaliation, had painted a huge target for Glenn, and Jonathan himself. Whether he fought with Ozpin or not, he now has to deal with Salem as she would be gunning for Yang. His lot had been cast, and now Jonathan could no longer be a neutral party. Though perhaps trying to be neutral was impossible in the first place…
Not to mention the fact that Yang, one way or another, would need to be trained to keep her from becoming a danger to herself and everyone around her. And there aren't many people in your circle of acquaintances capable of teaching a Maiden how to use her powers properly. Only one person to be exact…
And that in turn would mean that Yang would either have to be sent to Beacon, abandoning the plan to use STRQ completely, sending them back to Vale in just a year or two. Or allowing Ozpin's supervision of Glenn's Hunter's Academy, which he would simply take control of. There are no good options here.
Or we can let Ozpin's affairs run their course, ceasing to look beyond our own state, all to solve one problem that has surfaced – ceding the entire world to Ozpin in order to save our own state.
And that is just one of the problems Jonathan was now facing.
The summit, Ozpin, Salem, the Maidens, magic…
Family.
Jonathan casts a glance at Cinder and Neo who are sitting next to him.
Cinder was immersed in her own thoughts – but Jonathan had no doubt that even at this moment, she was watching him first foremost. If it was necessary, she would hand him water, shake off his clothes of dust, and shield him from a bullet.
Jonathan sighed, looking up at the ceiling before grinning slightly.
His last encounter with Aisa… was it just a few days ago? When she had regained consciousness – for the last time – Jonathan had spoken to her.
About so much, and seemingly nothing at all.
What number of words could encapsulate the last will of a dying man? His last thoughts, his last words – all his remaining plans and unfulfilled desires?
On his last meeting with her, Jonathan told her everything.
About his fears, his past, his desires, and doubts, his plans and his dreams…
And then she hummed, peeling off her oxygen mask.
"What does it matter, King Jonathan Goodman? What does it matter, the world isn't standing still, and even you can't stop it. You have so many plans – no less than I had, but the world doesn't stand still and everything you wish for you'll never achieve all of them. You will fall and rise, your plans will fail and succeed, and you will snatch incredible victories and suffer crushing defeats. So go for it, Jonathan Goodman. Be the King."
And forty minutes after our last conversation, she passed away.
Jonathan Goodman, King.
He's now the supreme power over Glenn, a big player in Remnant, an important figure on the world chess board, and one small man with a lot of grand plans.
Jonathan didn't notice as he leaned against the back seat, his body began to give up fighting his tiredness, closing his eyes imperceptibly before finally sinking into sleep.
So many plans, so many strategies, so many decisions…
Sleep, King Jonathan Goodman, sleep.
For the Awakening wears out even the greatest of us.
***
Cinder waited a few moments after the driver stopped the limousine to wake Jonathan up. But Jonathan, as always, opened his eyes soon after, with a slightly tired half-smile as he looked at Cinder after returning again from his brief sojourn to the land of dreams. With barely a pause, Jonathan then picked up his cane, whereupon Cinder immediately opened the limo door, stepping out first, letting the light winter breeze and snowflakes fall on her face.
As Jonathan took a step outside the limo, Cinder glanced at Jonathan, instantly straightening herself up after waiting a few seconds for Neo to get out next, then closing the door.
Now she had to go to her room and change quickly, changing from her dark mourning palette to her usual academy uniform.
Neo, of course, would do exactly the same, while Jonathan put on his formal attires.
Opening the door of the house, letting Jonathan inside, Cinder followed, letting Neo go ahead – as Jonathan, knowing Neo, had stepped aside.
Teleportation… Quite the effective tool at home.
There were many spell symbols on Cinder's back, including emergency teleportation – but it was exactly that, 'emergency' teleportation, not an ability she could use at any given time… Which was sad from a utilitarian point of view.
But such was life.
Climbing quickly up the stairs, Cinder made her way to her room, after which, she quickly moved to her prepared clothes, starting to change. Black trousers, a white blouse and a black jacket on top – nothing fancy. It was clothes that are ubiquitous in any educational institution, without any hint that the wearers were Hunters-in-training.
That, however, is where the restraint ended, as a Hunter by definition was a unique individual, so does their dressing style. It was pretty much accepted that Hunters wore unique styles, either when hunting Grimm, or when advertising the next cleaning product that any self-respecting housewife needs.
However, Cinder preferred to wear her uniform at almost all times, wearing it both as a casual and combat clothing as well. She didn't see much point in accessorizing herself.
Besides, she, um… Jonathan said she looked good in it.
Pausing for a second, Cinder cast a glance in the mirror before leaning over slightly, propping her perfectly decent breasts up with her elbows, assessing her pose with a critical eye. Before, after a few seconds, exhaling and returning to her change of clothes.
Cinder was already eighteen – by legal documents and laws, she was already an adult.
If only breaking through Jonathan was so easy.
No, Cinder had used a myriad of tactics and techniques over the years.
Cinder wouldn't have ever even thought before that she would one day start secretly buying women's magazines, but her determination was stronger than her preconceptions.
Besides, if magic was real, why shouldn't the advice from women's magazines be true?
In a way, Cinder could say that she had succeeded – Jonathan's personal space had become completely open to her. And, more than once, she had been the cause of accidental contact between a hand and some part of the body of hers or Jonathan's. And Cinder was getting a reaction. She knew Jonathan perfectly well and could see perfectly through his facade when he looked away too quickly, clearly catching himself looking at something he shouldn't have. Or when he changed his posture, clearly trying to hide something he shouldn't be showing, especially to his daughter.
Jonathan was, after all, just a man. A young man, far from being old – just as susceptible to feelings, sensations, and desires. Yes, his willpower was strong, but holding back did not mean not experiencing it.
And of course Cinder was by no means planning to do anything against his will – Brothers forbid – but trying to get his attention? That was an entirely different matter…
Cinder took one last look at her figure in the mirror and returned to her clothes.
The fact that these clothes were also the uniform for most of the RATS operatives was just another thing that just sweetened the pot.
Quickly changing her clothes, Cinder glanced at herself in the mirror, checking to see if she looked perfect enough for the current mission. After all, she was to accompany King Osmond to the official summit of Remnant's most powerful men, she needed to look her best.
After closing the wardrobe doors and neatly folding her clothes next to the laundry basket – she would need to take them to the laundry when she got home – Cinder left her room. She headed down the stairs to the first floor, waiting for Jonathan to finish changing and appear.
Of course, Jonathan fiercely resisted her and Neo joining him. Under no circumstances did he want to take Cinder and Neo with him to the summit, for a multitude of reasons, the most important being the issue of their safety and his own peace of mind.
And Cinder had to use all her powers, all her intellect and eloquence, to change Jonathan's mind.
No, Cinder would never do anything that would cause Jonathan's anxiety. And in any cases where Jonathan's anxiety was inevitable – she would always choose the option where it would be minimalized.
And, to Cinder's great regret, that was also the case this time.
For one thing, Cinder was as worried about Jonathan's safety as he was about hers.
At the moment, there was no way to close off Jonathan's teleportation from happening…
Apart from other magic.
And how unfortunate that one of the two bearers of that magic who might be Jonathan's enemies, Ozpin, was also to be present at the summit.
Oh, Jonathan could show off his generally pretty good acting skills as much as he liked, pretending that he and Ozpin had simply parted ways amicably while remaining friends and allies. But if even Neo, far from the most observant person in the world, could see through Jonathan's lie quickly enough – then what chance did he have of fooling Cinder?
Besides, Jonathan needed support – both in a practical sense, as an advisor, and in a morale sense. Even if Jonathan, having come a long way in becoming king, could play the role of more than a confident politician, it was not his natural state and required the expenditure of his strength, it required clear effort from him.
In the current situation, Cinder saw herself as the ideal candidate to help Jonathan. Of course, there were no situations where she would find otherwise.
Indeed, with Aisa's death, Jonathan had assumed his full mantle of power, becoming the full ruler of Glenn, and it weighed in on Jonathan. Cinder knew that she would one take on that mantle, if for nothing else, out of concern for Jonathan. This fact was understood by Cinder himself, by Jonathan himself, and by all those in power who were interested in the matter.
It was not a plan, but an already established fact, simply delayed in time – simply because it was better for everyone.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Cinder didn't need to wait long, as Jonathan appeared beside her, having already changed his clothes – the same coloration as Cinder's, except a slightly different cut to match his figure, and a cloak as an addition. Another of his artifacts – created by Cinder's own conviction. Cinder and Neo themselves had exactly the same cloak, with exactly the same functions. But due to their much more limited understanding of its functions and lesser ability to control such a thing, these cloaks continued to hang on a hanger next to the front door, completely looking just like mundane cloaks.
Cinder glanced up to the stairs, waiting for Neo to emerge from her room. From where she is – Cinder could hear rustling and the muffled clatter of drawers being opened and closed in rapid succession.
Cinder, hearing this, could only sigh. Neo was clearly trying to sort through her self-created chaos at the moment, searching for maybe her trousers, maybe her shoes, or maybe her favorite magazine, without which she couldn't go to another country.
Still just as disorganized.
Normally, if someone had detained her – or, Brothers forgive Jonathan, Cinder would already be blazing inwardly, and perhaps a bit outwardly, creating a plan in her head to punish the culprit. But in Neo's case, Cinder could only sigh, only slightly annoyed, and glance at Jonathan as she ran her hand, tucking the curls caught in her field of vision behind her ear. It was like Neo were a magnet for trouble, of her own making, usually.
Hearing the same sound she did, Jonathan though held his mask perfectly. So firmly that it would have been enough to fool the most seasoned politician or the most incisive reporter, but there were signs. It might be so small to be noticed by others, but not so for Cinder. Like a cast aside glance or a slight dilation of his pupils that in her perception were like cracks running down his mask.
Cinder allowed herself to enjoy the sight of Jonathan for a few more seconds before concentrating her gaze on his fingers, which sometimes moved very slightly. As if, even distracted by his thoughts, Jonathan was trying to automatically go through another stack of reports and documents.
Heavy are the shoulders that bear the kingdom.
Cinder had visited Aisa two days before she died.
No, Cinder wasn't close to her – if not even Jonathan was close to her, let alone Cinder. If Jonathan could feel anything more than simple solidarity with his colleague, trust, or maybe affection, Cinder didn't see Aisa as anything more than her peculiar predecessor.
Even before the hospital became a second home for Aisa, Cinder understood her role, as well as Aisa.
Cinder would become her heir, working her way up through the ranks and positions in the army, lieutenant, captain, then general – until she took on the responsibilities that Aisa had held for her in the past that Jonathan now holds.
Cinder was not a spoiled child demanding the best for herself, a child who had to go through all the positions in order to understand how a soldier was supposed to behave and how a commander was supposed to behave. Aisa, Jonathan, even Cinder herself, everyone understood that she, after a paltry amount of time to assure the more ordinary people, would take the reins.
She already has – it's just that not everyone knew it.
A favor here, a word there – and lo and behold, the RATS were dancing to her tune.
As a teenage girl with very big plans, she had already entered the… Perhaps the right word would be an internship? Yes, an internship for the RATS – without any access to classified information. Officially, at least. And therefore, once she graduated, she would instantly take a high position in the RATS. A position that she would instantly pass behind, climbing higher and higher, and then…
It's a short road from RATS director to general… if not both.
And who could defy Remnant's most powerful woman, and one of Remnant's most powerful men, if they announced their relationship? Really the hardest part was convincing Jonathan, everything else would simply fall in place.
Oh yes, Cinder was willing to do a lot to fulfil her cherished dream, and her appearance among the most powerful and influential was an important step.
Apart from the hundreds and hundreds of other reasons for her going to the summit.
Jonathan and Aisa's plans, prepared for various possible outcomes of the negotiations, made up a decent chunk of those reasons.
Neo, having finally sorted out her clothes, finally made her way down, casting an almost apologetic glance at the two waiting individuals, to which Jonathan only nodded slightly distractedly, as Cinder instantly opened the door outside.
Without leaving his thoughts, Jonathan walked ahead, followed by Neo, after which Cinder also headed towards the waiting limousine.
Also, visiting Atlas, hmm…
Cinder opened the door and waited a moment for Neo and Jonathan to settle into the car before climbing inside.
Maybe, just maybe…
Maybe, she had another little reason to visit it.
***
After the limo stopped, Neo was the first to get out.
Opening the door slightly behind her, probably more by accident, to allow Jonathan to get out, Neo glanced around at her surroundings. Usually the military airfield was already mostly devoid of people other than military personnel, but today, as Jonathan and his accompanying team, which included his two adopted daughters, were to depart, it seemed like the airport was a ghost town.
More precisely, Neo was sure that the sentry towers around the airport perimeter were at the moment the most focused, and most nervous because of who Jonathan is. Never mind the countless additional hidden sentries around, perhaps in the bushes, in the windows, on the rooftops hiding at least two small armies of RATS agents, not to mention any others present.
On the airfield, a reasonably decent-sized airship was hovering in the air above Neo's head. It was awe-inspiring to observers, with a nearby bullhead, already loaded with luggage, waiting to take off. But it was a group of two standing near the stairs leading inside the bullhead that caught Neo's eye more.
The other was a short haired man with an unrecognizable face as the guide and the RATS agent waiting for Jonathan to appear, a sight Neo was used to seeing. It was the figure of the short haired girl standing next to him, her teammate, that caught Neo's eye far more.
"Vernal!" It is what Neo could have said if she could, but unable to do so, Neo only waved to her teammate, to which the latter waved back.
Vernal Flow, the third member of team CNAV – found quite by accident in Raven's former gang and became an apprentice at the Academy by Jonathan's decision. She did, however, pass the exam, as did all the others entering the Academy, so she deserved her position all the same.
However, unlike the classical Hunter academies that accepted students either by recommendation and information from the preparatory schools or by the results of their entrance exam – Jonathan, and his academy required both. Anyone entering had to provide information about their background and if there were anyone that would vouch for them – and then pass the exam.
Moreover, not only the practical exam, which is the usual at other academies, but also a theoretical exam – where many Hunter hopefuls, unaccustomed to such a thing, dropped out, to their great surprise and displeasure.
Not that there were no exceptions, as an example, Vernal. She'd been allowed to take the exam despite her missing documents. And although she'd only miraculously managed to pass the written exam, and Neo suspected that Raven had judiciously helped her protégé – she'd ended up enrolled in the academy's first year. One of only twelve people.
Yes, there had never been many Hunters, even Beacon, the largest Hunter academy in Remnant, only had about a hundred and fifty students at a time. But still, only twelve? Such information caused many people to furrow their brows in mute questions.
Especially given the unexpected and extremely strict admission requirements for a Hunter academy, which usually are very liberal in allowing entrance to pretty much anyone who can swing a weapon well and more importantly, having an active Aura.
Only a measly few percent of all of Remnant's population could open their Aura, let alone be able to use it and develop their Aura to a level sufficient to become a Hunter. For this reason, Remnant could not easily throw any potential Hunters away, going so far as to allow any student who came out of nowhere to take a chance and attempt to become a Hunter simply by demonstrating their abilities.
The Academy, which required Hunters not only to prove their mettle, but also to display what many people, even Hunters, considered incidental to their martial skills, and to provide information about themselves, raised questions for people.
On the part of other Hunters – and many idealists who truly believe in 'everyone deserves a second chance', this caused anxiety, if not outright hostility. A Hunter academy that went against established tradition and placed such high demands on students created an aura of elitism and indolence around itself, something not so different from Atlas.
On the part of non-Hunters, though, this was primarily of self-interest and interesting gossip, like anything advertised as an exclusive.
If this academy trains only such a small number of students, and places such high demands on them, maybe the Hunters of this academy really are better than those of other academies?
Add to that the fact that Jonathan has taken a team of academy students with him to a summit filled with very important dignitaries – and boom, the explosion of popularity is primed.
Or at least that's what Cinder explained to Neo, not that Neo was particularly interested, more like she was just listening to Cinder because she had nothing else to do that day.
After watching Jonathan move forward on his own, responding with a slight nod to the agent's greeting, and as Cinder moved to follow him, standing literally half a step away and behind him, Neo headed towards Vernal.
The latter, seeing this, and after greeting Jonathan, who responded distractedly with a nod of his own – smiled as she saw Neo approaching. "Ready for the summit?
Neo only raised her hand to that, twisting it slightly in the air. 'Sort of.'
Of course, Neo and Vernal had been teammates for a few months now, so by now Vernal had learned to understand Neo's most common expressions and signs, but not to the level of Jonathan or Cinder. The both of them were able to have a long dialogue with her about the shades of color in a painting and what the author wanted to convey with those strokes without pauses in gesture.
No, of course Neo herself was not capable of such a discussion, simply because she had no interest in such things, but Cinder and Jonathan understood Neo at a level dangerously close to mind reading, unlike Vernal, for example. So instead of a concrete answer, Neo replied with a short and quite understandable gesture.
"Okay," After waiting a few seconds for Jonathan and Cinder to disappear inside the bullhead, Vernal moved to follow along with Neo.
"Our main function anyway is to just stand in a corner, looking serious, and not say anything unnecessary…"
With that, Vernal glanced at Neo with a slight smirk, "I think some of us would have an easier time following such instructions than others."
Neo only rolled her eyes at such a subtle and elegant joke from her teammate before making her way to the wall to an empty seat, hearing the bullhead door close behind her.
Actually, Neo still wanted to ask Vernal about their fourth teammate, but it was unlikely that Vernal could understand such a complicated question from Neo. And Neo didn't want to address Cinder or Jonathan, both due to trivial embarrassment and not wanting to distract those from their thoughts.
Besides, she was probably waiting for them inside the airship, arriving an hour before Neo had arrived – always so diligent and proper.
Not that Neo didn't like it, Cinder has about the same temperament and Neo got on very well with her sister. But with Cinder, Neo had literally grown up with her side by side, it would be strange if she hadn't gotten used to her peculiarities by now, while she had only spent a few months with her new teammate. Enough time to smooth the edges, but still not enough to be ignored completely.
So, distracted from Vernal, Neo sighed, leaning against the wall of the bullhead – they were only a few minutes away anyway.
Going to Atlas, huh…
Neo honestly didn't really want to go – Glenn only had mild winters, but Atlas was another matter entirely. Neo couldn't stand the cold.
On the other hand – there's clearly a buffet waiting for her, a high class one for sure as well! Furthermore, she was missing a few days of school! Which was an especially good perk – it also spared her entire course from Jonathan's lessons, at least for the time being.
No, Jonathan was the loveliest person in the world and an extremely fair teacher who really loved his subject and helped all the students…
But he also was just a very demanding teacher.
And the fact that Neo was his daughter didn't make the situation better at all. On the contrary, it made the situation worse.
Because, what to the other students was like a strange mixture of Grimmology, tactics, Dustology and history, Neo understood what it actually was far better than the others… Unfortunately.
Jonathan, on the other hand, had perfectly disguised the basics of occultism – that seemed to be the correct name for it – as something normal. Simultaneously, it also allowed him to find individuals with a penchant for learning magic and working with artifacts, passing it off as 'practical mission skills'.
Besides, Neo could take her mind off Trifa for a bit!
I mean, not that their parting had gone with any problems – after all, they were only eighteen, and their relationship had lasted maybe three months, like many experiments. But constantly crossing paths with her all last week made Neo feel rather… awkward.
And so, a week without the Trifa was exactly what Neo needed to recover a little from their awkward breakup.
Although, what else could a breakup be when you suddenly found out, while in a relationship with a girl, that you don't like girls!
Neo sighed before a slight shift to the side let her know that the bullhead had already arrived at its destination and was now looking for a suitable place to land.
Tearing her gaze away from her gray metal wall, Neo glanced at Vernal, followed by Jonathan and Cinder, and with a shrug of her shoulders, was the first to move towards the exit.
After just a few seconds, when Neo was just approaching the exit, a slight shiver let her know that the bullhead had landed. Then, with a slight creak, the bullhead's door opened, giving Neo the opportunity to step down the ramp and…
And sure enough, immediately Neo's gaze stumbled over the fourth member of the team that Neo had thought of a little earlier.
Neo waved at her, causing her teammate to nod gravely in response, before quickly stepping down the ramp, glancing at Jonathan, who was moving to follow.
There it was, the official procession of Glenn's Kingdom.
Jonathan Goodman, Cinder Fall, Neo Politan, Vernal Flow, and…
Seeing Jonathan, a short girl with shoulder-length brown hair, amber eyes, and rather tanned skin, indicating her origins were near the equator, bowed, managing to do so with almost her entire body while maintaining an almost straight posture. The action narrowing her possible places of origin to Mistral.
And Neo's latest teammate, Amber Autumn.