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It was just a normal day for the Forgers. Yor Forger née Briar just sent off her daughter and husband and was making plans for her day off. Suddenly the telephone in her room rang.
After confirming that no one was there, Yor picked up the telephone.
"Hello?" greeted Yor with a hidden cautiousness.
'Thorn Princess, you have a new customer. He requests the best service for this evening, no more and no less."
Yor was surprised as it was supposed to be her day off but accepted the customer nevertheless. The Shopkeeper briefed her on the details and it looked like she had to attend one of those fancy banquets again.
But, now the legendary assassin faced a 'hew-ge' problem in the form of her stepdaughter. Yor, who would usually go to the bus stop to take Anya home when she arrived from school couldn't do it today. She had to travel to the other side of Berlin to give the 'treatment' to her 'customer'.
Yor was worrying about her daughter when she suddenly realized something. Loid Forger, her husband, and Anya's father would be off work early today. She could ask him to take their daughter home.
Satisfied with the alternative, she called in at her husband's workplace personally, and fortunately, Loid who just happened to be back from a 'miss-shun' received her. After apologizing and explaining her current circumstances to Loid, who, much to her relief, happily offered to do it, she went away to pack her needles.
After settling everything at this side, Mama Yor transformed into Thorn Princess and went to the previously said location.
The place which was so far away from Loid and her shared apartment was a drug exhibition in disguise. And as a matter of fact, it only took Yor an hour to 'serve' her customers.
On the way, she cleaned up and went to Anya and Loid's favorite patisserie to buy them a strawberry and blueberry cake and a chiffon cake for herself.
She soon reached home and knocked on the door. It was a habit of hers even if she had a key. To find no one opening the door, she was surprised and decided to take matters into her own hands.
Just as she entered the house, she heard Loid's sharp and cold voice ring out from the living room. The atmosphere was eerily cold and it was oddly silent as she expected Spy Wars to be going on this time.
As soon as she could catch a view of the events, she was surprised to find Anya standing a little distance away from the wall and Loid hovering over her. He was only half a metre away from Anya and he held an equally long and very thin wooden stick in his hand.
"Stick your hand out, Anya. You ought to be punished for not being a good girl lately."
'But, Pa! I haven't done anything wrong. Bond can serve as my 'wit-ness'." Anya retorted bravely.
"Your excuses won't work on me, young lady. You haven't been doing your home assignments lately and have been on the phone all day with the Blackbell girl. And when it's study time, you use Yor to get away and watch Spy Wars to your wish. And worst of all, you sneaked into my room and tore up important documents to make paper planes."
“They weren't paper planes, Pa. They were just flowers I wanted to make for Ma—”
Loid felt he could let the list go on and on. He hadn't wanted to punish Anya by hitting—he loathed the idea—but after all if the rod is spared, the child will be spoiled.
Thinking so, he made Anya stretch out her palms and smack— fell the stick on her hand.
She winced in pain and tear droplets started forming in her eyes.
He was about to hit her other palm when a voice suddenly broke out— "Loid, what do you think you are doing?"
It was Yor who came back from her work. She had gotten out of her trance and questioned her husband.
As soon as Anya laid her eyes on her Ma, she took advantage of Loid's momentary distraction and ran towards her.
Yor immediately caught the little girl and brought her over to her chest.
"Are you okay,Anya dear?" Yor asked with concern which made the latter burst out in tears.
Anya buried her face in her mother's bosom and started crying loudly. Yor gave a deep stare at Loid and took Anya to her bedroom and shut it loudly.
Loid, who was left behind by the girls, sat down on the sofa, and deeply contemplated things. Maybe he had been a little too hasty in doing things. He had been a little off his game lately.
'This is not good. A spy must always play the role perfectly.'
Loid's mind thought of lots of things, his childhood with his mother and how she used to comfort him. His dad.....wasn't quite his favorite. His face was blurry in his memories. All he remembered was how he used to be punished after messing up his clothes and made the house dirty. His father didn't stay long; he was called away to fight in the war. His mother supported the house and raised him until--
Loid sighed. He didn't want to be reminded of his mother and the gruesome incidents that led to her death. But he remembered one thing about the sweet lady - her warm hugs that always comforted him. He would cry himself to sleep after being punished by his father. And his beloved mother - was be the one to wipe his tears and comfort him.
Thinking of the current predicament he was in, it really resembled his childhood. his father would admonish him, he would cry and run to his mother just like Anya did.
Loid got up and approached the door of Yor's bedroom. He hadn't really come in here before. Their marriage was purely contractual and they valued privacy. Just as he touched the knob, the door opened by itself and in front of him stood Yor who held the nowsleeping Anya in her arms. She had a completely blank face, just as she had been in the photo that Frankie gave him as part of the file. She looked like a doll who didn't have emotions of her own.
Loid was about to utter a word when Yor made a shushing gesture at him and went into Anya's bedroom. She tucked the little girl in her bed and kissed her forehead. Then, she turned to Loid, her expression anticipating a explanation.
Loid stared at her face before opening his mouth. He had an apologetic face that would lure the other person into his trap of deception." I truly didn't want to scare her, Yor. I honestly don't like punishing children but—"
For the first time in a while, Loid found himself to be at a loss of words. The usual master liar Twilight had been off his edge recently. His fingers were fidgeting about as he racked his brains for an appropriate explanation.
"I understand, Loid. You didn't mean to be a bad father. But, hitting children is a not a good way to punish them."
Loid listened intently. He didn't want to be seen as an absolute scum.
Yor went on," You could have given her some math problems, or make her face the wall. Using the stick should not have been a decision, Loid. Do you understan—? Loid? Loid, are you crying?"
Yor looked up to see tears dropping from his eyes. Her stoic and aloof husband was crying silently. Yor panicked and hugged him out of impulse.
Loid cried for a while and then he realised something. He had been lying against something soft...
And he immediately distanced himself.
'Congratulations, Twilight. You have inappropriately touched your fake wife after making a pathetic mess in front of her. The key to remedy this—'
"Loid, are you alright now? What happened?"
Twilight lied,"I just remembered something from my childhood. My father punished me whenever I did something wrong and I tried to do the same thing to my daughter..."
It wasn't completely a lie but Loid trailed off. All of a sudden, he found Yor staring at him. Her expression was one of grief.
"Huh, Yor, are you sad?"
"It's nothing, Loid. I think I—I overstepped my boundaries. I'll be going now—" Yor stopped as her hand was pulled. It was her husband.
He was the father of Anya, while she was her fake stepmother. She couldn't exactly criticise him for his parenting. Besides, she had done something that recurred his trauma....
The rims of his eyes were red. He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her. Hard and tight.
Minutes later, they parted. And then an awkward silence ensued.
Both stared at each other for a while, hoping the other would say something to break the silence.
"Yor, would you—"
"Loid, shall we—"
They stopped again as their voices mixed in unison. Then, one broke into a smile which infected the other and soon a series of laughter ensued.
Yor and Loid laughed at each other's faces that had looked pitiful...and a bit funny.
"Shall we go check on Anya?" Yor asked her husband.
Loid hesitantly agreed with her and they both went to their her bedroom.
When they saw her face, it was obvious she had cried herself to sleep. Loid's inner guilt increased 86 folds when Yor gently woke up Anya and she stared at him with fear and sadness.
"Anya, Pa is sorry. I will never hit you like that again. Will you forgive Pa?"
Loid knelt on the ground and slightly bowed to Anya. Anya wasn't used to seeing him like that, so she gawked at him for a while and slowly said, "Pa, what will you do if I forgive you?"
Yor was actually surprised by a man like Loid kneeling respectfully on the ground. She smiled slightly as she saw Anya trying to threaten her Pa.
At the end of the day,Anya was definitely cute. And Loid would never hit her with a ruler, ever again.
Extra
"Pa, you said you would do anything if I forgave you,right?" Anya asked her Pa one Sunday afternoon as the Forgers were resting on the couch.
"Of course, my dear daughter. What do you want me to do?" Loid casually replied as he expected her to ask some volume of Spy Wars or a surprise toy.
"I've been really lonely these days, so, can you and Ma get me a younger brother?" Anya asked her parents innocently.
"Tha—That's—"
Yor stammered as her face turned brightly red, and so did Loid's.
'Ma and Pa truly get shy for just about everything, huh.'
Anya smiled secretly as she read the thoughts of denial and embarrassment in her parents' head.