So it is done

When you look at the mirror

Jonathan, even when he had suddenly been elevated to the position of king, had the time to savor the fruits, and hardships, of his position. A private jet-ship at the snap of his fingers, high-class restaurants rented for twenty-four hours at a moment's notice, roads cleared for him to travel quietly through Glenn, anything at his beck and call.

And then there were the dozen or so RATS agents who accompanied him at all times. Of course, they were part of the hardships he would have to tread through.

The weeks of waiting to meet any new acquaintance while the agents checked their backgrounds and social circles and made sure they were 'trustworthy. The carefully planned daily schedule, every deviation from which, had to be agreed upon a week in advance, unless he wanted to cause a massive wave of heart attacks among the overexcited and overworked agents.

However, it might not sound idealistic, but at least to be honest with himself, Jonathan had to admit that he liked being rich and powerful.

Not in the sense that he liked to act like a megalomaniacal power hungry individual. He didn't waste time climbing a skyscraper, just so that he could look downwards and laugh evilly at the 'ants' beneath him. No, he simply liked the fact that he's able to call an armored limousine and several escort cars at a snap of his fingers and gain access to any building or establishment without a single question.

In fact, why shouldn't he enjoy his position, at least on some basic, universal level? Anyone would agree with him that travelling in expensive cars was more convenient than travelling on foot and in tattered shoes.

For example, travelling to the Belladonna's and their celebration only took twelve minutes. For everyone else? It would have taken hours.

But for Jonathan? His car had already been prepared in advance so that he could travel immediately when he's done with his other business. The streets had been cleared in advance for his motorcade to pass, and a teleportation gate had been reserved for his personal use. If not for that, he would have had to either stand in traffic, in Glenn and in Menagerie, for at least an hour.

Of course, in theory, he could have simply teleported directly to Menagerie to Belladonna's Manor. But excluding the need for secrecy, which wasn't that secret or problematic per se, that would still have seriously strained his guards, and Belladonna's guards at his 'surprise' visit.

So it was easier for Jonathan to use the more 'common' way of travelling than to deal with the problems of the alternatives.

And so, after only fifteen minutes, Jonathan had found himself in Menagerie, and after another ten, in front of the gates of Ghira Belladonna's mansion.

The hot, humid air was not familiar to Jonathan, it was not yet summer in Glenn, but even so, it would not be as hot as it was in Menagerie. The weather is mostly mild, and being close to the mountains and far away from large bodies of water, Glenn could not boast of any period of high humidity.

But neither it is in Glenn could one hear the sound of the surf and the cry of distant seagulls, barely audible to the ear. The palm trees dotting the landscape or the more shrouded forest of trees with vines of a tropical forest, and the yellow sandy beach... Everything in Menagerie brought to mind a holiday.

A holiday that we can only dream about.

When was the last time Jonathan had a holiday? What could even be considered a 'holiday' in his position? He has indeed spent time on resorts, hotels, and even beaches on occasion, but those were work outings, not a holiday.

When was the last time he had a day when he was not distracted by routine messages from his subordinates, but was only called upon in case of 'the most important and urgent problems, unsolvable except by Jonathan's personal intervention'? Most of his life was spent on holiday in that case.