The City of Mistral meant many things to different people. Some considered it the most beautiful, some the most peaceful, some the safest, some the most cultured. It was all of those, surely; but Cinder did not care about that. All that mattered was that it was neither Atlas nor Vale.
She slid the door open to her apartment. It was a traditional building made with the classic Mistralian architecture, set in the upper districts of the city. It had a great view, was quite spacious and was more than enough for a lone woman. All it was missing was a butler, but she was not that well off yet.
She had paid for it all herself; by being almost killed by Grimm and Bandits countless times. The harder the mission, the better the pay; and she made sure to do them all perfectly. No chances, no mistakes, no loose ends.
Walking in, she sat down on a couch near the window that gave way to a balcony overlooking the city. She loved looking at it, she felt on top of the world and yet, she was still far from where she wanted to be.
She looked at her scroll, it was still early in the night. She could go get a drink or some food in a fancy restaurant, yet she felt incredibly tired from dealing with the bureaucracy involved with redeeming the completion of official missions. They paid well and was legit, but it also required reports, proofs and many other documents.
No. She would order food and enjoy the quiet. There was a fantastic place that made Sushi, a dish made traditionally in Anima, and it was delicious. The last thing she needed for her evening was some good wine...
The delivery boy had come and gone on time, but just, and thus got no tips from her. No one got anything for free.
After setting the table for one, she dug into her meal. Taking one of the pieces in her mouth, she heard her Scroll ring, before quickly picking it up and hanging the call. It rang again, and she hanged up again. The third time she just let it ring until it got to voice mail.
It went silent after a few more rings. Smiling with satisfaction, she tried to eat before being disturbed once again.
Three knocks on her door. She looked at it in confusion. Another knock. It seemed that disturbances would keep coming until she faced it head on.
Gritting her teeth slightly, ready to tear into whomever dared disturb her, she strode to the door. She slid it open, air inhaled for a long rant, until she saw who was behind it.
Grey hair, black and green clothes, sporting a cane.
"Is this a bad time?" He asked with a dry voice to the frozen huntress.
"Yes." She answered after a while, voice laced with anger.
"Perfect." He answered, stepping in. She went out of his way, glaring daggers at his back.
She slid the door closed while watching the Headmaster of Beacon, who was supposed to be a whole continent away, take a look around her apartment like an art connoisseur.
"Quite ostentatious." He said. She did not know where it was a compliment or not, what with his voice being so even all the time.
"I earned this, old man." She said, almost spitting the words.
"Oh, you clearly did. I'm actually quite proud." He said, getting near her table. "May I take a seat?" He asked. Cinder took a deep breath. She had anger problems, got irritated easily, but had been taught how to let it go with breaths and meditation. It worked… at times. Others, well, she could always go kill some Grimm or train.
She took a breath to steady her voice and face.
"Please, go ahead." She said, gesturing to a chair that had remained undisturbed from under the table for a long time.
"Thank you." He said. He took his seat, but said nothing further. Cinder decided to ignore him and go back to her food, but it was hard when she could see him looking at her with a pleasant smile. He was judging her, she was sure.
"What?" She asked after a while. "What do you need?"
"Can't I just check on one of the best graduates from Beacon from time to time?" He asked. She gripped her chopsticks.
"I don't need your pity. Not in beacon, not before, and not now." She growled. At this, he frowned back, all his pleasantness gone.
"You must understand, Miss…" He said, waiting for her to give her name; her last name.
"Just Cinder." She replied coldly.
"Still no last name? No family to belong to?" He asked, smiling once again. Cinder had no last name to give. She was fine with that, it was what she deserved.
"No," She replied, trying her hardest to get the conversation over.
"Like I was saying; due to your particular situation when you entered beacon, the teachers where all concerned for you. That's why I'm so glad you are doing well." He said. She remembered it all. The questions of wether she was alright, the slightly better and more patient treatment, the invasive councilors. It all made her feel weak, and at the same time, undeserving of it. Like many things in her life.
"Still, I doubt you came only for that," She said, crossing her arms. Ozpin smiled again.
"Sharp as ever I see," He said, adjusting his glasses. "I have an offer."
"No." She replied almost instantly, almost as if on instinct.
"You haven't heard me out." He said, his voice now serious.
"I already did, many times. I'm not joining your little shadow group." She said, leaning over the table, slamming her hands with just enough force to prove her point.
"Oh, that. No, nothing like that. It's something else." He said.
She was just confused enough, and in the middle of eating, to answer with anything other than a hum.
"I want you to teach at Beacon. One of our combat instructors retired. Remember Old Man Isshin?" he asked. She nodded. Cinder remembered him, a balding, tall and lanky man from Anima. He was an expert swordsman, and extremely wise if a little eccentric. He also looked so decrepit she had feared any day he would pass away. Many students called him 'Gramps'. "Well, it will be next to impossible to replace him. However, you were his best student. I don't expect you to succeed him, but your skills left him impressed enough to recommend you as a substitute." He replied.
"But that's not reason enough to teach. I'm not good with brats." She countered.
"They are not brats, they are young adults with aspirations. And those can be hard to deal with, but you were an excellent leader for your team, were you not?" He said. Cinder looked away. "Former team." He corrected himself.
"Yeah, well, I had to get rough a few times with them. Guess they couldn't stand me." She said. She had blocked those memories from Beacon, like so many others.
"I see. Still, I'd say you are quite qualified for the position. Also, this year is shaping up to be quite extraordinary with the upcoming Vytal festival and whatnot. Having the 'Ember of Mistral' on board would be supremely helpful. The pay, of course, would be on par with the school's prestige." He answered. This year. That phrase lingered in her mind. This year was certainly unique, a special person kept mentioning it. She could never forget it, since she had annoyed her so much with the topic in their time together.
"Hey, this is her year, isn't it? Did Yang pass the entrance exams"? She asked, changing the topic abruptly. Ozpin, far from thrown off, smiled.
"With flying colours." He replied, seemingly satisfied with that result.
"Of course she did." She replied, mouth twitching upwards. She was glad the blonde girl had put all that work and dedication and gone closer to her dream, despite everything. Cinder knew she always burned the brightest.
"Another reason for you to go to Vale, you reminded me." he said. Cinder looked at him, arching an eyebrow.
"To see Yang?" She asked.
"Yang, Ruby, Tai... you know, your family? It's been many years, and while I don't keep in touch with Tai much, Qrow did mention you don't write." He said.
"Was he drunk?" She asked with a sigh.
"He was," He replied. Cinder leaned her head into her hand. Her adoptive family, second adoptive family, had actually turned out to be decent people. Especially...
"I don't know if I'm ready for that," she said.
"Well, I think it would do you some good. The students need a semi famous figure, we need region diversity in our staff, and you need to get out of this elegant hole." He said, gesturing around him. Cinder glared at the man, almost wanting to set him on fire. "No offence. But I seriously want you to consider it. If anything, you'll get a good pay without having to fight as much as you do nowadays. That should count for something, don't you agree?"
"You done?" She asked. She was tired, so tired her eyelids were falling over.
"Yes. I'll be in Mistral for a few days, so give me a call when you come to a decision. Enjoy your dinner, Miss Cinder." He said. Without another word, he got up and left, his footsteps echoing trough the empty apartment to the point it was deafening. Then he opened the door and disappeared into the hallways. She, once again, felt alone. With a sigh, Cinder decided she now needed a drink.
She sat in a popular Bar she went to occasionally. The drinks were good, and the service even better. Sometimes it was also a good place to find a partner for the night. Doing so made her feel good and confident about herself, but at time she attracted the attention of an annoying person when trying to drink and lose herself in her own mind.
That's why tonight she took extra precautions and went on the top floor, in a table far away from the dance floor and the people. She enjoyed their so-called Monkey Booze, which was apparently made with fermented fruits in a tree trunk, or something like that. It burned in her throat, but she loved it. It made her feel alive.
"Enjoying your drink kid? I go for whiskey myself." Said a raspy voice in front of her. Cinder cursed internally, looking up from her red tinted drink to see a lanky man with red eyes and raven black hair. Where had he even come from, she did not know, but was not surprised. He was an expert on that.
"Hey, Drunkle Qrow." She said. She tried to sound funny, but her voice came off as tired,
"Drunkle. You know, that nickname will go down in history thanks to you." He said, sipping some more of his beverage.
"So, you also in the 'Let's annoy Cinder' committee?" She asked, glaring at him. The older man sighed.
"I worry about you kid. We all do. And we miss you. Thought this could be a good opportunity for you to come around." He said with sadness in his voice. She hated that. She should be herself, live her life, and others should accept her choices.
"Well, I can't. Deal with it." She said.
"Don't be like that. I'm not trying to pressure you, in fact, I'm glad you managed to get your own life and actually like what you have going here. I only wish you would visit sometimes, for Ruby's sake." he said. Cinder cursed again before gulping more of her drink. Her throat burned, and she wondered why it was that Qrow was always so understanding and adult, like he had been after she rescued her. He was someone she could talk to, and he would keep his mouth shut about it.
"I just… I don't know. I don't want to intrude in their life anymore. After Summer, they need each other, all three of them. Their real family. I will only hold them back." She said finally. Despite how welcoming they had been, she still felt like an outcast. An intruder. She did not belong anywhere, and after killing the horrible owners of the Glass Unicorn, she had stopped believing in happy families, and nice human beings.
"I know how that feels." He said, gulping down the last of the drink he had.
Cinder said nothing, and after a moment of silence, Qrow stood up.
"Well, whatever you do, I have your back kid. It was nice seeing you again. Also…" He said, pulling out his scroll and pressing his finger a few times. A message popped up in her own, a video.
"Happy birthday." He said before leaving. Cinder watched the man disappear into the bar below, saying something nice to a waitress. She held her scroll. The preview of the video had Ruby's face in it. Her cheery little step sister. Deep in her heart, she missed her profoundly. Her optimism, her bubbliness, her hyperactivity. It was so endearing, even if it annoyed her.
At times, she considered that, maybe, leaving her team and her pseudo family a mistake. They had treated her so well, despite some arguments with Yang. Yet, she also felt delicate there. Weak, cared for, and she did not need that. Did not need to feel broken. And they reminded her of that, that she needed to be rescued; even if they did not know that.
Still, with force of will, she pressed the 'play' button.
'Heyyyy Cinder!' Sang Ruby. 'Super sis, It's another year for you, and even tough you don't write and only send memes in the family chat, we still think about you. Don't think for a second I forgot your birthday…'
'Uh, you DID forget it' Said another voice. Ruby looked away, embarrassed.
'I did not!' She yelled back. 'If I did, why did I ask you, today, if it was her birthday?' She asked. Suddenly, a flash of Yellow entered the screen, with lilac eyes and a cocky smile. Ruby had been forcefully shoved away as the camera shook.
'Hey troublemaker. Happy Birthday! We made you cake, and if you actually texted your address, we could send it to you. But since we can't, you'll have to settle for a video song.' She said, happy as ever, teasing her. The blonde suddenly looked back and gestured someone to come forth. From behind Yang, she saw the hulking man named Taiyang Xiao Long with a big cake that had some red frosting on top of it.
'Hey Cinder. Happy Birthday. We love you, kid; and we're proud of you, wherever you are. All of us.' He said, he obviously meant Summer. Cinder felt a tear form in her left eye, but forcefully pushed it down.
Yang began to fumble with the camera, before she finally settled it and sat in the couch she recognised was in the living room. The cake was in the table, and both Yang and Ruby sandwiched their father in the middle. The three of them began singing the birthday song, and even told her to make a wish before blowing the candles out.
'So, now we eat the cake. Sorry.' Said Ruby with a sheepish smile, now in front of the camera. The girl went silent for a moment, looking away from the lens. 'I miss you. I hope one day, maybe next year you'll be here…' She began to say.
'Ruby.' Growled Yang from outside the shot.
'Sorry.' Said Ruby, looking at her sister before looking back at the scroll.
'… if you want to come that is. Otherwise, it's fine. Maybe I can visit you.' She said. With a pause, she looked at the camera with a loving gaze that Cinder had only seen years ago. The same smile and silver eyes that once saved her, were asking her to return home. 'Goodbye Sis' With that, the video ended.
Cinder was at a loss for words. They truly wanted her back, not for slavery, or abuse, or need, but because they missed her. They even made her something.
No, this was not new. This had always been there, but she ignored it, choosing to focus on being a huntress to run away from her pain; all so she could be proud of herself, to gain some modicum of strength to finally stand on her own and be free.
But… even so…
'Run Cinder. That is all you can ever do now.' She heard Rhodes' voice in her head. She remembered her old teacher, how heartbroken he was upon learning about what she had done. She tried to look for him many times, but the man had disappeared from the face of Remnant.
She didn't want that, she didn't want that at all. She did not want to make them suffer. She owed that much to Summer.
She gripped her scroll, and with her hand shaking and her neck burning, she made a call.
A/N: Ever since V8E6 I've been thinking a lot about a Cinder AU. I saw a few and since I'm impatient for updates I decided I'll take a shot. This is a Two-Shot, with a few more One Shots set between Volumes 1 and 3. Maybe things will change, maybe not. I just want Cinder to be happy and I mean 'You are a fine human being and not a broken mass murderer' Happy. Comments to improve my writing are appreciated.