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Chapter Text

Loid Forger spent his early childhood being poked and prodded inside a laboratory, wishing for the parents he barely remembered, wishing to go play with other kids, and wishing he couldn’t hear every thought the scary scientists had. 

The scientists told him (and often thought) that he was the best subject they had. 

Test subject Twilight. 

A child with the ability to read minds. 

Eventually though, he managed to escape the scientists and test subject Twilight became Loid Forger. He was an orphan, like so many others during the war, but it ended up being a good cover for him after making it to Ostania, the country the scientists came from, and wouldn’t expect him to be. 

He bounced around a few orphanages growing up, and never managed to stick with one family for very long, but he managed to find decent success. He went to college, and nowadays, he worked as a psychiatrist. 

Sometimes patients would say it was as though Loid could read their minds, and he just laughed it off and joked that it was his job. They had no idea he actually was hearing everything they thought, but to Loid, it was the only good thing he could do with his powers. 

Outside of work though, he mostly just picked up on neighborhood gossip by accident. If he wasn’t too focused on tuning things out, then he could hear all about the neighbors upstairs who disagreed about what school they should send their child to, the lady across the hall who spied on her neighbors, and the mailman who was planning the best way to ask for a raise at work. 

It was all normal, run of the mill stuff that he tried to not to pay too much attention to. 

Until one Saturday afternoon when he decided to go for a walk. The park he walked past was surprisingly empty. The only people there were a little, pink haired girl, running around the park, while an older lady looked on. 

Then, the older lady sighed. I know Garden rescued her and the other kids from bad orphanages, but she’s too young to start training! I mean, really. There's no reason these kids need to be trained as assassins. Find adults for that, for Christ sake. 

Loid nearly fell to the ground. 

Garden?! Assassins ?! 

The lady shook her head, and her train of thought continued. At least Anya can run around and play before the training. Let her be a kid for a while. 

Loid looked over in the direction of the little girl, Anya. She sounded excited, and happy, which he supposed was nice, but the lady was thinking about Anya being trained as a child assassin. 

Maybe he was overthinking this. The lady was 

older, maybe she was the little girl's grandma, or something, and she was just thinking about a TV show.  And the little girl was thinking about a place called Miss Cherrys, and wanting to be a spy. She probably just had an active imagination. 

That had to be it. 

But then, he heard the lady talk to Anya. She told her it was time to go, and then she thought, hopefully Anya likes the orphanage. She did seem excited to meet new kids… 

The lady then handed Anya a piece of paper. Loid couldn’t help but focus on what Anya was reading and it was even more shocking. 

Anya, the heads of Garden have chosen you to carry out an assignment of utmost importance. We have been hired to keep an eye on the children of Chairman Donovan Desmond, as our client fears their relation to the Chairman places his children in a dangerous position. Of course, it will be difficult for us adults to infiltrate the school, and so we require you and another school aged child to apply to Eden and report on any threats made to his two children. You will watch Damian Desmond, the youngest son. We will send you to Miss Cherry’s Children’s Home to locate a suitable family. You have one week to find a family, enroll, and be accepted into Eden. If this mission proves successful, Garden will provide a permanent home for you. Good luck. 

Hearing that entire paragraph made Loid want to faint again. Especially when Anya’s mind began racing so fast that it was giving Loid a headache. 

A family in a week? How can I do that? How can I protect the second son? I’m not an assassin like the grown ups!

There was no way this little girl was expected to carry out a mission on behalf of some government official. There was no way she was going to be trained as an assassin. 

But they said…if I do a good job…they’ll give me a real family! 

Loid’s heart broke hearing that. She just wanted a family…

Loid took a couple of deep breaths. He tried to rationalize things. What he was hearing couldn’t be real,

It just couldn’t!

Well, look who’s talking. Loid thought to himself. His childhood as a test subject was real. There was a chance Anya’s situation was real too. 

Loid certainly hoped it wasn’t. 

——————————

The next day, Loid found himself walking to Miss Cherry’s Children’s Home, unable to forget everything he had overheard. 

The place was in a…shady…area, to say the very least. 

The grass was all dead out front, and every business surrounding the orphanage looked as though it had been long abandoned. The only indication that the Orphanage was open were the lights coming from the windows. 

Loid knocked on the door, and a moment went by with no answer. He knocked again.

Before the man even opened the door, Loid could hear his grumbling thoughts. 

What’s this about? State inspection again? 

When he actually opened the door, Loid could immediately tell the man had maybe drank a little too much the night before. 

“Um, hello. I’m Loid Forger, my wife and I are looking to adopt. You see, we-“ 

“Just come in.” The man said. Don’t care, is what he actually thought. 

The place was a bit of a mess. Dusty surfaces, toys and belongings scattered around everywhere, and no kind of formal entrance. Loid didn’t remember the orphanages being like that, instead, he remembered them being neat and with quite a few caretakers. At the very least, the kids here seemed well taken care of, if in need of a little more attention. 

The man led Loid into the main playroom. 

The other kids were busy watching the TV, or playing with blocks, but Loid noticed Anya immediately. It was hard to miss her, with her bright pink hair and the cone hair clips. But that confirmed it for Loid. 

Every single thing he heard was real. 

“Well, these are some of the older kids. That’s Anya there, she’s new-“ and a bit weird. The man kept introducing the other kids, but Loid wasn’t paying much attention. 

He caught Anya’s eye. The little girl looked at him up and down, and asked herself, Could he be a good Papa?

Loid tried to hide his shock when he heard that. He was only 27, definitely not old enough to be a father!

Wait… it was actually weirder for him to be single at his age. He swore he could hear the voices of his coworkers bugging him about his single status.

Loid cleared his throat. “Hi, Miss Anya. How are you today?” 

“Anya’s doing good.” She replied. 

“Good, that’s nice to hear. How old are you?” 

I have to be six to go to school and watch the second son!

She held up five fingers, and proudly announced she was six years old. But she was so small, and her reaction meant she was probably four, maybe five, and even that was pushing it. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Loid continued. “Oh, that looks like a nice drawing! Is it a…Princess?” Loid glanced down at the drawing made up of shaky pink lines. 

“She’s a spy.” Anya bluntly said. 

“Oh…right.” 

Come on mister, stop looking at the drawing and adopt! Adopt, adopt, adopt! Anya chanted in her head. 

Loid really wasn’t sure what to do here. Anya seemed dead set on whatever mission she had, but she was just a little kid. 

Adopt, adopt, adopt!

Loid remembered nights in the orphanage, wanting to be one of the lucky kids that got adopted. Even before that, he remembered nights in the lab, where all he wanted was to leave and have a family and be a regular kid. 

Because she was picked up by some kind of assassin organization, Anya wouldn’t get any of that, just like Loid didn’t get any of that. 

He didn’t know what motivated him to do this. He didn't know what on Earth he was thinking, but at that moment, he didn’t care how much of a risk it could be. 

“Well Miss Anya, how do you feel about me adopting you?” 

——————————

It was worrisome how quickly Loid adopted her. He was mentally preparing himself to deal with home visits, interviews, paperwork, and fees to prove he was a suitable caretaker. He certainly remembered hearing the annoyance from parents looking to adopt when he was in orphanages. 

But instead, they just let her leave. The man had Loid sign a few quick forms, made note that Anya was adopted, and sent Loid on his way, a child in tow. 

That’s where he found himself now, walking home with the little girl, still a bit surprised by his own actions. He was not one to make big decisions in the moment, but this time, he had, and now he was someone’s legal guardian. 

“So, Miss Anya.” Loid spoke up. “You can call me Loid, if you don’t want to use dad.” 

“It’s ok. I’ll call you Papa. And just call me Anya!”

“Oh…ok.” That would be weird getting used to, but at least she seemed comfortable with him. 

I’ll have to convince him to sign me up for Eden! 

Loid had heard about Eden Academy. Who hadn’t? It was one of, if not the best school in Ostania. Getting Anya in wouldn’t be easy. He knew the admissions exams started in a week- the neighbor down the hall had been making her kids study for it for a month. 

“So Anya, what kind of things do you like to do?” 

“I like to draw! And watch TV.” Cmon, talk about school!! 

Ok. He’d humor her. “Do you like school?” Loid asked. 

“Yes! I like school very much!” Not really! “I wanna go to a fancy school, like Eden!” 

“Eden, huh? That’s a tough school to get into.” 

“I can do it!” I think…  

“If you really want, I can try to sign you up.” 

“Yes!” Anya said happily. 

“It won’t be easy though. Eden is a very difficult school to get into.” Loid explained the process of tests, and the interviews as he walked into the apartment complex. He heard Anya start to get a bit overwhelmed, so maybe switching topics was a good idea. 

“Oh, we’re here! This is my apartment. It’s yours now too.” Loid told her. He opened the door, and Anya’s mouth dropped open. 

“Whoa…” Anya said, looking around. “A TV!” 

“You can watch it if you like.” 

Anya excitedly turned it on and switched to a cartoon channel. Loid had seen advertisements for this Spy Wars show everywhere. 

Maybe when I’m older they’ll let me do all this cool spy stuff! Ohh, maybe Papa can help me train to be a spy- wait. I can’t tell him.

Loid had to restrain himself from laughing at that. 

But then, he realized he had to keep a secret from her too. 

If Anya knew he could read minds, chances are she would immediately tell whoever ran the Garden. And if they really were the intense, secretive, organization Loid thought they were, then he really didn’t want them to find out about that. 

Basically, he’d have to try to support her without letting her know what he knew. 

…This was gonna be a lot of trouble, wasn’t it?

——————————

It was a bit strange to get used to having a child in the house. Loid’s apartment was usually a quiet place. 

Now though, Anya was there to liven the place up. From sun up until sun down, she was a bundle of energy, and she was really happy. She loved her bedroom, loved going to the park, loved drawing and loved watching her spy cartoon. Loid was glad he could offer her at least some support, even if Anya didn’t realize he knew all about her assignment. 

Though, even as happy as Anya seemed, parenting proved to be difficult. 

For example, Anya wanted to follow Loid everywhere . He had to scramble to find a babysitter or daycare for Anya while he was at work, and Anya wasn’t too fond of the daycare. 

She was picky when it came to food, too. Loid was going through a process of trial and error, trying to figure out what things Anya liked other than peanuts and bacon. 

And the biggest obstacle so far? Studying. Anya absolutely loathed it. She was generally well behaved, but as soon as Loid mentioned it was time to practice studying for the entrance exam, Anya became as angry as a storm cloud. 

Unfortunately, studying was important. If Anya wanted to go to Eden, which she was very adamant about, there was no other choice. 

“Ok, Anya. This question is asking about the clock. If the big hand is pointed here, and the small hand is pointed here, what time is it?” 

“Uh…” Anya looked down at her fingers. Her thoughts were filled with nothing but confusion. 

Loid didn’t know what he could do. But then, he had an idea. 

“Anya…what if we take a break?” 

That peaked her interest. 

“No more studying?” 

“For right now, yes.” 

“Ok!” 

Anya cheerfully got ready without any complaint, and then they headed out to meet Franky Franklin, a colleague of Loid, who dealt in intel.

The two of them had been friends since college. Franky was Lois’s closest friend, especially after he learned about Loid’s secret. 

If anyone could help him get Anya into Eden, it was Franky. 

“We’re going oot!” Anya cheerfully announced as they walked on the street. 

“Do you mean out?” Loid asked, but she didn’t respond. When they made it to the tobacco stand, Anya was still humming about going “oot.” 

“Loid, hey!” Franky waved, before frowning. “ Whose that?” 

“This is Anya. I…well, I just adopted her.” 

“You, Loid Forger, adopted a kid? When did this happen?” 

“Last week.” 

“Last week?!” 

“It was a spur of the moment decision.” A decision Loid still had trouble believing he made, but here he was. 

“Adopting a kid isn’t exactly a spur of the moment decision!” 

“I know.”

“Then why? Did she find out about you-“ 

“No! And I’d like to keep it that way.” Loid cut Franky off, and nervously glanced at Anya. But she was too busy glancing at the newspapers Franky had for sale to have overheard anything. “Look, I can explain things later. For right now though, Anya needs help getting into Eden academy. Would you happen to have anything about their entrance exam?” Loid whispered. “And I could use documents for Anya too.” 

“Oh my god. Something really is wrong. First, you adopt a kid on a whim, and now you’re encouraging cheating?” Franky said with a smirk. 

“I’m not encouraging it, but it’s…complicated.” Loid couldn’t exactly tell him the truth out in the open. 

“Alright, man.” Franky shrugged. “It’ll cost you though. Those exam papers are not easy to come by, and faking documents isn’t easy either.” 

Loid eventually agreed to a price, and a few days later, the papers came into the mail. 

He didn’t particularly like that Anya had to cheat, but she desperately wanted to get into Eden. 

He helped her memorize what answers she could, and then sat nervously as she took the exam. 

Anya came out of the exam hall looking more exhausted than what should be possible for a four year old, but her face brightened up once she saw Loid. 

A little while later, the results were posted. 

“Ok, K-212, K-212….” 

“Papa, look!” Anya tugged at his sleeve and pointed at the board. 

“You did it! You passed!” Loid smiled. 

“Did I do a good job?” 

“You did a great job!” Loid suddenly felt overwhelmingly happy for Anya, and even more, he felt proud of her. He picked Anya up, and she cheered, sounding just as happy as Loid was. 

And then, Loid fell over. 

“Papa?! Papa!!” Anya continued to tug on his jacket while Loid stayed laying down in the grass. 

As it turned out, parenting was more exhausting than he realized. 

——————————

Anya was watching Spy Wars and drawing Bondman while her Papa took a nap. He seemed really tired, so when the doorbell rang, she didn’t wake him up, and instead opened it herself. (Even though Papa told her to never open the door for strangers.) 

“Hi, this is Anya’s house!” Anya proudly told the mailman. 

“It’s a very nice house.” The mailman told her. “Here, could you give this to your mommy or daddy?” 

“I have no mama.” 

“Oh- uh-“ 

Anya took the letter from the mailman. “I’ll give this to Papa!” 

“Um..Ok. Have a nice day.” 

Anya closed the door, and then walked over to Papa. He was still fast asleep. Anya felt a little tired too, now that she thought of it. She crawled onto the couch and snuggled underneath his arm. 

Then, Papa woke up, startled. 

“Hey! Don’t scare me like that!” 

“Sorry.” Anya replied. “The mailman brought us this!” Anya handed over the letter. 

“How many times have I said not to open the door?” Papa shook his head, but opened the letter. 

“Who’s it from? Scruffy head?” 

“It’s from Eden! It says we have a day planned for the interview…” 

“Interview?” 

“The teachers want to talk to us and see if you’re a good fit for the school.” 

“Oh…” 

“Ok, it’s in a week, and…both parents need to be present. No exceptions…” 

“But…Mama doesn’t exist.” 

“I know. We’ll have to figure this out.” 

Anya hoped they would. Otherwise, her assignment could be over before it even started. 

Chapter Text

Yor Briar had to grow up quickly. After losing her parents, she was left to raise her brother all alone. 

It wasn’t easy. They didn’t have much, and finding a consistent, steady job in their small Ostanian town was difficult. So, when Yor stumbled across a spy doing a job for an agency that operated for Westalis, she didn’t report them, but begged for a job instead. 

Since that day, Yor had become one of WISE’s top agents. She was the strongest of the lot by far, and was often assigned the toughest combat missions, which she carried out almost flawlessly. 

Not everything about being a spy was exciting, however. She still had her civilian life to keep up, so she worked a cover job at the Berlint City Hall. She could blend in, and still keep an eye on some important figures. 

But, she was a bit of an outcast at her cover job. Instead of talking much with her coworkers, she normally just thought about her upcoming tasks while she worked. Today, she thought about how she needed to get her fancy dress repaired, after it had gotten torn up during the last mission. 

She was lost in those thoughts and was caught off guard when her coworker, Camilla, invited her to her dinner party that Saturday. 

“It’ll be fun, Yor! Plus, it’ll give you an excuse to go look for a date!” 

“That’s nice, but I’m not really looking for someone at the moment.” Relationships were risky for a spy, after all. 

“It might be best if you do.” Another coworker, Sharon said. “After all, people are getting reported left and right for anything suspicious, including being single.” 

“Yeah, especially being single at your age!” Camilla added. 

“I’m…not that old…” Yor stuttered out. 

“I know, but people get suspicious if you’re not at least dating by 20, and you’re 27!” Millie said. 

Was it really that weird to be unmarried at 27? If that was the case, it could cause problems, especially for her real career. 

And even besides that, Yuri, her little brother, had been so busy with work, and he worried about Yor being alone. 

Maybe she should go try to find someone. At least to calm her brother’s nerves and clear herself of any suspicion. 

“Um, ok. I guess I’ll go to the party!” Yor said. 

“Great! Make sure you don’t come alone!” Camilla said, as she left the room. 

The other two girls followed her, having some task to complete. Yor was all alone. Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the still silence of the break room. 

She picked it up quickly. 

“ Good morning, Ms. Briar, or should I say good evening ?” 

It was WISE…likely with another mission. 

“Yes Handler?” 

“ Go retrieve the newspaper left outside of the room you are in, in front of the door. We will be using the C cipher.”

The C cipher? That must mean this mission was extremely important. Yor had to stop herself from groaning in frustration. Ciphers were never her strong suit, and this particular one was difficult. 

“Understood, Handler.” Yor said. She heard a click, and the call was over. 

Yor did as she was told, and sure enough, a newspaper had been set down in front of the door. 

Cipher C…Cipher C… Yor ran it over in her head. 

“Ok, I think I’ve got it…” She mumbled to herself and began reading. 

“ We’ve received intel that Donovan Desmond is planning on enacting a war between Westalis and Ostania for personal gain. We need you to get close to him, and stop his plans before they can be put into action. However, this is going to be difficult, as Desmond never shows his face, and only attends one event for the elite students of Eden Academy. We’ll need you to find a child to enroll into Eden, help them become an Imperial Scholar so you can infiltrate this meeting, and make continuous contact with the target. Good luck.” 

Yor dropped the newspaper. 

A child? In a week? And a boyfriend for the party?

How was she supposed to do that?!

——————————

“Where are we going again?” Anya asked, walking beside Loid.  

“To the tailor.” 

“The tay-lor?” 

“Mm Hm. They make clothes, and we need to get some nice clothes for you for the interview.” 

“When we’re done with clothes, can I get a pistol with a silencer?” 

“If there’s one on sale.” Loid answered, ushering Anya through the shop’s door. 

“Come on dear, let’s go take your measurements!” The shop owner said, taking Anya by the hand. 

“Papa! I’m being sold off somewhere!” Anya yelled. Her imagination was certainly an active one. 

“You won’t be if you behave.” Loid remarked. 

“Um, hello?” A girl said. Loid turned around, startled by the new voice. 

It was a young lady, probably around his age. She’d managed to get inside so quietly. Loid hadn’t been too focused on the thoughts around him, but he usually noticed when someone new walked in a room with only few people Heck, he was usually much more aware of his surroundings even without powers to assist him. 

But this lady had gotten behind him so quietly…

“Can I help you sir?” 

“Huh?” Loid asked. 

“It’s just, you’ve been staring at me since I walked inside…” Maybe he thinks I’m cute? Could he go to the party with me on Saturday? 

That thought had Loid frozen in his spot. She wanted him to go to a party? 

“Um no, I just was…admiring how pretty you are!” Loid stuttered. 

“Papa! I know how long I am now!” Anya came shouting.

“Uh-Do you mean tall?” Loid asked her. 

Wait, who’s this? He heard Anya and the lady think at the same time. 

Could she be a good Mama? 

Oh no, he has a child! And a wife…if she knew I wanted to go to the party with him, she might try to kill me, but then I’d have to fight back! No, no, you can’t think that Yor! That’s exactly the kind of thing that will get you exposed as a spy! 

Loid’s jaw dropped to the ground. 

A spy?! 

“Sir, are you ok? You look shocked!” 

“It’s nothing! Just surprised by…how tall my daughter is now!”

“I didn’t tell you how tall I am, Papa.” 

“You didn’t? I could’ve sworn you did!” Loid laughed nervously. 

Papa’s weird. Anya thought. 

“Anyways,” Loid composed himself, and faced the woman. “I’m sorry to have given you a scare.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it!” She responded. 

She could be a good Mama… Loid heard Anya think. He looked down at her, and saw Anya looking between him and the lady, a glint in her eyes. Suddenly, she turned around, crossing her arms over her chest, and swaying back and forth, saying- 

“Anya is so lonely because I do not have a Mama!” 

“What brought this on?!” Loid questioned. 

“I long for a mama!”

“Does she…not have a mother?” The lady asked. 

“We lost her a few years ago.” Loid quickly answered. “I’ve been raising her by myself since.” 

The lady’s eyes lit up. That means he’s single! I can ask him to pretend to be my boyfriend for the party! And if it all works out, maybe he’d be willing to enroll his child at Eden…

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, I have a question to ask….” 

——————————

“And so, if you could go to this party with me, it would be a big help.” 

Yor stepped outside with the young man, Loid, she had learned, and his daughter. 

After they introduced themselves, she explained her situation. 

She told Loid that she needed a pretend boyfriend for a party on Saturday, just to ease her brother's nerves. And if that went well, then maybe she could get the fake family she needed for Operation Strix too. 

“Well, I’d be glad to help.” Loid said. Yor signed in relief. “But…I think I could use some help with something too.”

“Oh, of course!” 

“You see, my daughter passed the Eden Academy entrance exam, but for the interview, she needs both parents to be present. Since it’s just me and Anya…” 

“You need me to pretend to be her mother?” 

“It’s a big favor to ask-“ 

“I’ll do it!” 

Yor couldn’t have asked for a more perfect meeting. It could be trouble trying to convince Loid to stay in a fake marriage, but it could work. For now, this was a great opportunity for her mission. 

Operation Strix was no easy task, but if it prevented a needless war, and kept the country where she and her brother lived safe, she’d gladly go through with it. 

—————————-

That Saturday came quicker than she realized. Her dress was set out, her fancy hair pieces were ready…this was going to be fun! 

But then, the phone rang. 

“Hello?” Yor answered. 

“ Hello, Thorn Princess. I’ve got another job for you. A smuggling ring has stolen priceless pieces of art from both Ostania and Westalis, and we’d like you to recover them. Otherwise, the theft could be used to sow conflict between the countries. This mission will happen Saturday, at 2000 hours.” 

“I understand, Handler.” 

“ Good luck.” 

Click. 

Yor sighed. Why did it have to be tonight?

She supposed she could deal with things quickly, and then make it to the party. She’d have to be careful not to tear up her dress or anything, but she could do it! Missing the party was not an option, not when Loid had agreed to go with her, and she had agreed to help him. 

——————————————

It was a good thing the job didn’t take too long. The thieves really didn’t put up much of a fight. The few that proved to be some trouble went home with injuries that would definitely discourage them from stealing again. 

Yor recovered the gems, put them into a truck, and let WISE handle the rest. She rushed over to the place she agreed to meet Loid, and managed to get there only a few minutes late. 

“Oh, Yor! There you are.” 

“Hello, Loid! Sorry I’m a bit late!” 

“Don’t worry about it. Um, are you ok, though?” 

“Hm? Why do you ask?” 

“You’ve… got some blood on your face.” 

“That? I just tripped! Yeah, that’s it! Should we get going?” I don’t need to tell him that it’s not my blood! 

Yor saw Loid briefly make a weird face, but he nodded, offered her a handkerchief, and he and Yor made their way to the apartment. 

When the door opened, Camilla seemed surprised. 

“Wow Yor, I’m so glad you could make it!” Camilla said through a fake smile. “And who might this be?” 

“I’m Loid Forger. Yor’s husband.” 

“Husband?” Camilla raised an eyebrow. 

“Ah, I mean-“ Loid started. He must’ve made a mistake, Yor thought. It would make things tougher, since she just needed a boyfriend for the party, but she could work with this! Spies were nothing if not adaptable! 

“We’re very glad to have been able to come here. Thank you for inviting us.” Yor interrupted. 

“Of course! We’re glad to have you!” Dominic, Camilla’s boyfriend said. However, Yor could tell that Camilla wasn’t that glad to have her there. 

Yor’s coworkers crowded her with questions once she and Loid came inside. “I was just a bit nervous to introduce my husband to you all, since we met and got married rather quickly.” 

“Oh you shouldn’t have been nervous! That’s so romantic!” Millie gushed. 

“Congratulations, Yor!” Shannon smiled. “And you too, Mr. Forger.” 

Camilla stood back from the other coworkers, her face growing red, like she was jealous of the attention Yor was getting. She picked up a tray of food and tripped, sending it flying in Yor’s direction. 

It wasn’t that tough for Yor to stop it with just a kick.

“Wow, I admire your dedication to not wasting food, but isn’t it improper to use your feet?” Loid questioned. 

“Right! I’m sorry Loid!” 

“You know Yor used to work giving clients massages!” Camilla yelled out. It was really a cover for spy work, but Loid and the others didn’t need to know that. 

“I know.” Loid responded. “Yor lost her parents at a very young age, and she worked hard to provide for her brother. I think that sacrifice is immensely brave, and Yor has my respect for it.” 

Yor stared at Loid in amazement. She had barely mentioned her family to Loid, but he managed to come up with that? It was an impressive cover up. 

Yor was snapped out of her thoughts when Loid said, “should we be going home now?” 

“Yes, that sounds good.” Yor replied. “Thank you for the party! It was very nice!” 

And just like that, the two of them left. 

“Thanks for your help back there. It was a pretty impressive story you came up with!” Yor said. 

“I remember you told me a little about your family, so I figured that was the reason you’d  go into a dangerous line of work.” 

“I see. I should probably get going now, I bet your anxious to get home to Anya!” 

“Alright. We should meet up again, before the interview, so we can practice.” 

“Sounds like a plan!” 

“Oh, I should give you my house number, hang on-“ 

Yor watched Loid look for a pen or something in his suit jacket, but they were quickly interrupted. 

By a man with a gun. 

——————————-

Even though he knew Yor was a spy, Loid couldn’t say he expected to be caught up in her missions. And yet here he was, being chased by a smuggling gang intent on taking out his fake date. 

His fake date, who was currently panicking. They must know I’m a spy! This is bad, I have a civilian with me! 

A criminal grabbbed Loid by the shoulder. Loid whipped around and punched him in the face. 

As soon as Loid was old enough, he spent a good chunk of time practicing self-defense, in the event the lab ever came back for him. He was no expert, but he could hold his own in a fight. 

“Wow, Loid! You’re pretty good at fighting!” Yor said, as she effortlessly kicked a goon across the street. 

“I took a few self-defense classes a while back!” Loid shouted, knocking another thief out. 

“There’ll be more on the way, we should hide!” Yor exclaimed. 

“How about there?” Loid pointed at a factory across the street. 

Yor didn’t answer him, but she took off towards the factory. Loid was gonna run out of breath trying to keep up with her. She was a fast runner. 

“So-“ Yor began, running out of breath herself. “I was thinking- why don’t we get married?”

Loid tripped and face planted on the ground. She was definitely not thinking about that. Loid would’ve heard her. Or maybe he was too focused on the criminals thinking, get them! 

“This is really sudden! Can I ask why you want that!?” Loid said, while Yor helped him up. 

“Well, it works out for the both of us. I need to be in a relationship so my brother doesn’t worry-“ and so I can keep up Operation Strix, “and you need someone to pretend to be Anya’s mother.” 

Loid knew these missions were extremely important. Anya would be able to have a normal, happy childhood if hers was completed. Yor’s mission was all about keeping world peace. 

If marrying Yor really could help the two girls complete their missons, it would be worth it, wouldn’t it?

“Ok. I agree. We can swing by City Hall on the way home.”

“That fast?!” 

“No time like the present, right?” 

“There they are!” Loid heard the shouts of the criminals who had just found them.”Fill them with lead!” 

Yor and Loid ducked behind some kind of power generator. They were firing their weapons rapidly. Their supply of ammo had to be infinite! 

Loid could barely think straight, not with the racing thoughts of Yor and the criminals clouding his own thoughts. 

He needed a plan, and fast! 

He looked down, and saw something that had landed in front of them. A grenade. 

He’d never thrown one, but it couldn’t be that tough, right? The criminals had to know he had it, because their thoughts were getting harder to hear, so they were probably running away, But, as his mind raced with all of the thoughts around him, one particular thought hit him.  

It didn’t make much sense for their situation, but it was the only clear thought he’d had since the criminals started chasing them:

He needed a ring. 

“Yor…even in sickness…” 

He grabbed the grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it over the wall, knowing it would further scare the smugglers off. 

“Or in sadness…” 

He took her hands, and placed the pin on her ring finger, as he heard the explosion behind them.

“No matter what hardships await us, let’s get through them together.” 

“Alright…”

Until her mission….

Until my mission….

Do us part. 

Chapter Text

It was only a few days later that Yor moved into the apartment with Loid and Anya. 

Anya tried (keyword, tried) to help him clean up and prepare some food, but he didn’t need to be a mind reader to know she was much more interested in eating cookies than baking them. 

They helped Yor get settled in, and Loid picked up one of her boxes. Yor panicked immediately. 

“Um, it’s alright! I can take that one!” I have poisons strong enough to kill an elephant in there! 

Loid had to restrain himself from dropping the box like it was a bomb. 

Yor gingerly took the box and put it into her room. 

“Papa looks a bit scared.” Anya announced. 

“What? Scared? No, I’m fine!” Loid insisted. 

As they settled down, Loid began to realize what a strange situation he was in. 

 Loid found himself married to a spy, and a good one at that. His adopted daughter was a child picked up by an assassin organization, and Loid was a literal mind-reader, who knew everything. Meanwhile, the two girls knew nothing . 

He knew he had to keep it secret. Who knew what a spy or an assassin agency would do with someone who learned their secrets? What would they do with someone who could read minds? 

That wasn’t something Loid wanted to find out. But these two still needed help, and being in a family certainly helped Loid look less suspicious. 

And so, the three of them, an assassin in training, a spy, and a telepath, would begin living together as a family under one roof.

This was going to be an experience, to say the very least. 

——————————-

WISE did their investigation into the Forger family the day after Loid and Yor became “engaged.” 

Everything came up looking normal. Loid Forger grew up in multiple different orphanages, and didn't even have official documents until he was 7 years old, but WISE said that was common for orphanages operating during the war. When he was old enough, he went to college and became a psychiatrist. He had a daughter, Anya, and was doing his best to raise her after losing her mother. 

Now, Loid and Anya were trying to get Anya into Eden College. It was perfect for what Operation Strix required, and after they were cleared, Yor got the greenlight to proceed Strix with the Forger family. 

First things first, was to spend a little time with the two of them. So, on the Sunday after Yor moved in, she suggested a family day out in the town. 

Not only would it help them bond as a family, it would help them blend in with the Upper Class families at Eden.  

Loid was enthusiastic about the plan, and even put together a list of things they could do to that fell into the upper class category. 

They walked along the sidewalk from the bus stop, making their way to the Opera House in the center of Berlint. Loid was able to get tickets through his work, and Yor started to think that being a doctor came with more benefits than being a spy! 

She had to admit though, taking a nice walk was a refreshing change of pace from her normal line of work. Loid looked relaxed, and Anya was happily singing a song about their family ‘ooting,’ which Yor thought was the cutest thing! 

“Hey Mama, wanna hold hands?” Anya asked. 

“I’d love to!” Yor eagerly grabbed Anya’s hand. It reminded Yor of her brother when he was little, and adorable. She’d have to be careful, though. She didn’t want a repeat of the time she hugged Yuri so hard she broke two of his ribs. 

“What?!” Loid suddenly exclaimed. 

“Loid, are you ok?”  

“I’m alright, just…coughed.”  

“Alright, then.” Yor responded. 

The Opera turned out to be a bit boring. Loid looked like he was enjoying himself, at least, but Anya had fallen asleep 20 minutes in. Yor had to say she was quite bored herself, but they stayed for a bit longer, and decided to go to their next stop. 

—————————

Loid knew that Anya would be excited about the art museum. She enjoyed drawing quite a bit even if Loid couldn’t make much sense of her drawings. Yor agreed that an art museum was perfect to prepare for Eden, as the academy placed a high value on the arts. 

Loid reminded Anya to be quiet, but she loudly exclaimed what she saw in every painting. He also heard her think where are the cartoons?

Anya spent more time looking around, when Loid decided to head out to the kids section, which was part of the reason he picked the art museum. He knew Anya would enjoy it. 

 He looked around to let Yor know he was taking Anya to the kid’s section, and he found her standing at a painting. He tapped her shoulder. 

“Hey, Yor, I’m going to take Anya to the kids- Yor?” 

Yor didn’t hear him. She was busy staring longingly at a painting of a guillotine. 

Wow! Just look at the artistry and detail on this! It’s so accurate to this particular weapon! 

Loid briefly wondered if all spies were in love with their weapons. 

After Yor moved on from that painting, they sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee, and let Anya run around the kids play place. It had giant whiteboards stocked with every marker color imaginable, and Anya was certainly enjoying it. 

Yor and Loid enjoyed their coffee, and then Yor reminded him that their lunch reservation was soon. 

“Anya!” Loid called, walking over to her. “We’re gonna have to leave soon- oh wow. That’s quite the masterpiece you’ve drawn. Is that a pig in a forest?” 

“It’s Mr. Chimera. He lives in a castle.” Was Anya’s blunt reply. 

“Ah- but that’s Bondman there, right?” 

Anya nodded. 

“And that looks like Princess Honey!” Yor cheerfully said. 

“It’s a spy princess.” 

“Ah- right.” 

I can’t believe Mama and Papa didn’t know she was a spy! Anya thought. 

I want to get along with Anya, I guess I need to learn more about her show… Yor thought. 

After the museum, they went to a nice restaurant, far nicer than any Loid had been to before. 

Yor looked around the restaurant, and it seemed like she felt as out of place as Loid did. This is where upper class families like to eat. I think. 

Loid had to admire her. She was really dedicated to helping them pass the Eden interview. Their food was served fairly quickly, and wow, was it expensive! (That was a thought Loid and Yor both shared.) 

The three of them finished their meal, and left, Anya excitedly asking where they would go next. 

“Hmm…maybe a bakery?” Yor suggested. 

“Yes!” Anya cheered. 

Loid knew that Anya always had room for desserts. “I know a good one down the street from here. The hospital I work at isn’t too far.” 

Yor smiled at him. “That sounds nice! Do you have a favorite treat, Anya?” 

“Peanuts.” 

“I think Yor means a favorite dessert, Anya.” 

“Oh. I like chocolate cake!” 

Anya and Yor had a spirited conversation about the best kinds of desserts as they walked through the shopping center. 

Loid was glad Anya wasn’t paying much attention, because the National Unity-Party was having another demonstration. They weren’t a very pleasant group. Their thoughts were loud, and constant, and tended to spark strong reactions from people around them. He would usually go out of his way to avoid them.

But now, he was walking right across from them, and it was starting to get overwhelming for him, fast. His head started to ache, and he started to feel exhausted.

Loid stopped for a moment, putting a hand up to his forehead. 

Yor turned around. “Uh, Loid? Are you feeling alright?” 

“Hm? I’m ok, just, a little tired. I didn’t sleep very well.” 

“Are you sure you’ll be ok Papa?” The worry in Anya’s voice made him feel bad for stopping. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

“Hm, maybe we could go somewhere less crowded?” Yor offered. “I think there’s a park close by, and we could go to the bakery after.” 

Loid took a moment to gather himself, and said, “That sounds nice. Ready to go, Anya?” 

“Mm hmm.” 

——————————

Anya had an amazing day with her parents. They went to something Papa called an “opera,” Anya got to draw on a big wall, and they went to a fancy restaurant. (The peanuts were the best part.) 

They got to finish up the day by going to a really pretty park, something that Garden didn’t let the little kids do often. Usually they played inside. 

Anya liked how you could see a small shopping center from the park. Mama knew a really good place to go! 

Papa held on to her as she sat on the edge of the fence, taking in the view. 

Anya thought he looked much better. The fresh air must have helped him a lot! 

“Are you feeling better, Loid?” Mama asked. 

“Much better. This is a great spot, Yor.” 

“I like to walk here during breaks. It’s pretty quiet.”

“I like it!” Anya said. “But… Can we still get dessert?” 

“Sure.” Papa answered. “But that means you have to eat all of your dinner, because you only ate the peanuts on top of your lunch.” 

“Hmmm…fine.” Anya agreed. 

The three of them sat still a little while longer, enjoying the view and the slight breeze. It was calm, and peaceful. 

But that peacefulness didn’t last long. 

“Help! Someone, please!” An older lady shouted out loud. Anya looked in the direction she heard the shouting, and a man was running away with a purse, but no one was helping the lady! 

“Mama, Papa, did you see that-“ 

All of a sudden, Mama was gone. All Anya saw was a blur of pink and black. 

“Yor, wait!” Papa shouted after Mama, but it didn't do much good. She had already run away. 

Papa held onto her tight, and ran through the park. 

“Look, Mama’s down there!” Anya shouted. 

“This isn’t good…” Papa mumbled. 

Anya looked over the ledge, but the bad guy wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Mama seemed to have lost him too, because she was standing in the middle of the street, looking around wildly. 

Anya glanced up at Papa, ready to ask for him to help, but he set her down at the ground. 

He looked focused on something. He started to look dizzy again, like he was going to fall over, but he pointed at a shop and yelled, “Yor! The bakery!” 

Mama quickly turned around, and saw a man walking slowly, keeping his head down. 

She tackled him to the ground. 

——————————

“I was going to use that money to buy a present for my grandchild. I can’t thank you enough!” The elderly lady took Yor’s hand and shook it up and down. 

“Oh, I can’t take all the credit, it was Loid who saw him.” Yor told her. 

She then took Loid’s hand, and shook it too. “Thank you, really. You are a nice upstanding gentleman!” 

“Thank you.”

“Do I get a thank you?” Anya wondered. 

“Well, you were the one who pointed out the thief to me…so you did a great job!” Yor told Anya. 

“Yay!” 

“You know Yor, I have to thank you too.” Loid said.

“Hmm? What for?” 

“This whole day was your idea, and it was really nice. Not to mention, you helped when I was feeling a little ill earlier. It was a great way to relax, and it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.” 

Yor felt herself blushing. She felt embarrassed, which caused her to blush even more. 

“Mama and Papa are flirting.” Anya stated. 

“No we are not!” Both Loid and Yor shouted at the same time. 

The old lady watched the whole exchange and giggled. “You are all such a lovely little family. Here, this is for you, sweetie!” The old lady handed over a sweet treat to Anya. 

Loid cleared his throat. “Now, what do you say Anya?” 

“Thank you!” 

Everyone was tired when they got back home, but they were all in a good mood. 

They all agreed on taking another attempt at practicing the interview, and Yor had a feeling they were going to nail it when Anya recounted the day's events. 

Even though the day was really just to prepare for the interview, and get Operation Strix off the ground, Yor felt excited for the next time they went out as a family. 

Chapter Text

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Loid asked. 

Yor checked in her purse. “All clear.” 

“Are our appearances neat?” 

Yor quickly checked her hair, and Anya’s cardigan, straightening it out. “All clear.” 

“Good. And Anya, how are we talking today?” 

“Very polite, please.”

“Good.” 

With that, the Forgers left for their greatest challenge yet.

Eden Academy’s interview. 

Loid wasn’t the only nervous one. He could hear Anya and Yor’s anxiousness, both of them worried that if they failed, peace between the two countries could be on the line. 

The interview was certainly more high stakes for them than any other family applying. 

“This place is huge…” Yor remarked as they walked up to the main entrance. 

“And there are so many people…” Anya added on. 

“Well, there are a lot of applicants.” Loid explained. 

“Hey, Loid, are you going to be ok in this crowd?” 

“I’ll be fine, Yor, thanks. Are you two ready?” 

“Yes, please!” Anya chirped up. 

They followed the crowd, walking through the school’s plaza, when Loid had an eerie feeling. 

Like he was being watched. 

Yor felt it too, based on her thoughts and how she was looking around. 

Hmm, I don’t think this is an enemy…the other families are being watched as well… she thought. 

Loid glanced around the plaza, but he didn’t have to look long. 

K-314, Pass. 

T-213, Fail. 

It was the instructors. They were already judging families before they even sat down for the formal interview. 

“Guys, we need to be on guard. The instructors are already judging us.” Loid whispered. 

“Got it.” Yor responded. 

Based on what he was hearing, there were people on the bridge, and in the corridors on either side of the plaza. 

Loid took a deep breath. They had this. They practiced, they knew what they were doing. 

First, they came up to the centerpiece of the plaza, a giant statue of the founder. Loid was vaguely aware that one of the highest ranking staff members was watching them, and so, just as they practiced, the three of them stopped to pay their respects to the statue. 

Good, the teacher likes that we did this…but why does he keep thinking about elegance? 

The late founder of Eden. The intel WISE gave me said he is highly revered here… 

This guy's name is baldy-baldy! 

At the next stop, families were already being sorted. The Forgers were directed into waiting room one, which meant they had gotten past the first test. 

“Help! Help me!” 

Loid turned his head, and saw a young Eden student, stuck in a gutter. 

“Help me!” I just have a little longer to go, and then I’ll get that extra credit! 

So this was part of the test, too. 

Anya walked over to the boy, Loid in tow. 

“Do you need help, please?” 

“Yes! I’m stuck!” 

Loid grabbed the young boy's hand, and pulled him out of the gutter, getting sewage on his own suit and on Anya’s nice clothes. 

“Are you ok young man?” 

“Uh, yeah…” but now these nice people are going to fail because of me!  

Loid glanced at the window where he knew they were being watched. 

Clearly I expected too much. No way they will proceed to the interview with dirtied clothes! 

“Um, mister? I’m sorry about your clothes.” 

“That’s alright.” 

“Mm hmm.” Yor agreed. “We anticipated something like this might happen, so we brought a change of clothes!” 

What? Who in their right mind anticipates something like that?! 

Loid sighed in relief. They had gotten past this obstacle. 

“Loid, I think it was a good thing you changed outfits. This grey suit is much nicer.” Yor commented. 

“I agree. Thank you young man, for giving us an opportunity to change clothes.” 

And now they’re thanking the boy?! These people are too elegant to be real! The Forgers haven’t passed just yet, though! 

Loid wanted to roll his eyes at the examiners. How many tests could someone possibly go through before they even make it to the interview? 

Yor spoke up. “I think we should get moving now.“ 

“That sounds good. Let’s get-“ 

“Everyone move! The farm animals escaped!” Someone shouted out loud.

What ? Loid turned around and saw a stampede running towards them. 

Wasn’t this too far for a test?! 

He picked up Anya and they started to run. 

“Is this a test?!” Yor asked. 

“I don’t know, just keep calm. We’ll deal with this gracefully!” 

“Yeah, grape fully!” Anya shouted. Loid didn’t have time to correct her mistake, because his head started to spin a bit. The panic was getting to him and making him dizzy. They managed to get off to the side, out of the animals path, and Loid leaned against the wall. 

“Loid?!” Yor looked worried.

“Here, take Anya, I just need a minute…” 

“Wait, dad!” Loid turned in the direction of the shout. A little boy, dressed nicely for the interview, was right in the path of a giant cow that had to be herd leader. 

Loid dove in front of the thing and got the little boy out of the way. 

Yor caught up, set Anya down, and muttered something about how she could handle it. 

In the blink of an eye, the cow had collapsed, and Yor landed effortlessly. 

Loid and Anya couldn’t help but stare at her in shock. 

“Uh, it’s nothing! I took a yoga class, so I know which pressure points can freeze something, and thought it would work on the cow!” 

Loid and Anya continued to stare as the other farm animals backed away. 

“Don’t look at me like that!” Yor cried. 

Loid set Anya down. “We need to tidy up- hey, Anya, don’t go near it!” 

Anya didn’t hear him. Well, it was either that, or she was ignoring him, which was more likely.  She kneeled down next to the cow and put a hand on its, gently stroking its head. 

“S’okay please. Don’t be scared, please.” 

The cow seemed relaxed by that, and got up to follow its herd, leaving the courtyard peaceful once again.

“Anya, what did I say?” Loid scolded. 

“Sorry.”

Yor walked over and dusted off Anya’s dress before facing Loid. “Loid, are you still feeling bad?” 

“No, I’m a little better. I can keep going.” 

“If you say so.” 

“Forger!” Another voice shouted. It was the instructor whose thoughts Loid had been hearing. 

I recognize him! Yor realized. Master Henderson! 

“Forgers…” Master Henderson seemed out of breath. “That was very elegant. You have bested me for today. We can pause your interview, and give you some time to tidy up.” 

“That’s very generous, but we anticipated this, and brought another change of clothes.” Loid explained. 

Henderson gawked at their new outfits. This has nothing to do with elegance anymore…these people are just scary! 

——————————

Loid was someone who mostly kept his emotions to himself, especially when he was in public. But while they waited for their turn, he couldn’t help looking nervous. 

The interviews sounded intense, based on what he could hear, though it was Yor’s thoughts that were giving him the most anxiety.

I’ve never felt this nervous before! I’ve fought an entire terrorist organization, I’ve stopped a missile from launching with one second left, and yet relying on civilians is the scariest thing I’ve ever done!  

The door opened up, with two displeased parents and a little boy who was crying. This wasn’t going to be easy. 

“Mr and Mrs. Forger? Please, come on in!” One of the interviewers called out. 

Yor was shaking. This is it. The most crucial moment of Operation Strix! 

I have to pass this interview and protect the second son! Anya determinedly thought.

Loid had read up on all of the headmasters, just like Yor had. It was Headmaster Evans who welcomed them to sit down. Headmaster Swan looked annoyed already, and Headmaster Henderson was sitting in the corner, keeping a steady eye on their family, like he was trying to learn everything he could about the Forgers just by staring at them. 

“We usually like to start these out by asking a few questions of the parents.” Evans explained. “I’ve been informed that this is your second marriage. How did you two meet?” 

Getting right to the point, apparently. “We met at a tailor shop. The one this school uses for its uniforms, actually. I was in awe of how gracefully she carried herself, and after we spoke more, I learned she was a very kind person. Of course, I was nervous to pursue a new relationship after losing my first wife and having my daughter to raise alone, but Yor proved to be a great person who cares deeply about family.” 

Good, that’s what they want to hear. Yor thought, still incredibly nervous. 

“Ah, how nice. And you ma’am, how do you feel about your family? 

“It’s lovely! Loid is a great person who cares about his daughter and I very much, and he’s made me feel very welcomed into the family.” 

“Hmm. Why would a young woman like yourself want to marry a man with baggage?” Master Swan asked. 

“Master Swan, that was rather uncouth.” Henderson cut in. 

He’s the one I’m worried about. His wife filed for divorce and he doesn’t have custody of his daughter. He probably likes to take out that frustration on other families… Yor thought.

That man is scary. Anya thought. 

“Moving on…” Evans said. “Why did you choose to apply to our school?” 

“We want the best education we can possibly get for our daughter.” Loid began. “No other school has the legacy, tradition, and class that Eden and its instructors have. If we want the best for Anya, this school was the only choice.” 

Hmm. A very elegant answer indeed. Well done, Loid Forger. 

“Alright, I’d love to hear one of you describe your daughter. Her strengths, weaknesses. Honesty is a given, of course.” 

“Of course! Anya is an extremely curious child, but that’s due to her intelligence.” 

Henderson raised an eyebrow. Her? Intelligent? 

Loid pretended not to hear that part. “Sometimes her curiosity keeps me on my toes, but I think it’s a real strength. I think a weakness is that she’s a picky eater. We’ve been working on that.” 

“And you madam, how would you describe your parenting style?” 

“Oh…well, as you’re already aware, I’m not her biological mother. At first, I spoiled her and hoped that would win her favor, but I’ve learned to be a bit stricter. That balance could help Miss Anya to be a better person.” 

“Of course.” Evans smiled. “Now, your husband mentioned she is a bit of a picky eater. That begs the question: what kind of meals do you cook at home?” 

“Huh? What kind of meals do I cook..?” 

“I actually do most of the cooking.” Loid interrupted. “Of course, if I’m too busy, my wife will kindly fill in for me.” 

“You're joking!” Swan spoke up. “What kind of wife doesn’t cook for her husband? I’d worry about being stricter with yourself than with that child!” 

Loid frowned. “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Yor is incredibly tidy and keeps the house spotless.  We find a balance with housework, and she is an excellent mother to my daughter.” 

“Yes, those are all things I would expect of a woman, don’t you agree?” 

“That’s not-“ 

He’s getting too worked up! “It’s alright Loid, really.” 

Loid glanced at Yor, her expression becoming slightly more nervous than it already was. 

Right. I need to calm down. She’s not even your real wife. You can’t get so worked up that it’ll jeopardize their missions! 

Swan scowled. Look at them. So lovey dovey it makes me want to puke! 

Loid tried to relax. Swan was trying to get them to trip up. They needed to be on guard. 

Evans clearly wanted to move on. “How about we ask the young lady some questions?” 

Here it comes. The toughest part of the interview. 

“Could you tell us your name and address please?” 

“Yes. I’m Anya Fol-Forger. And my address is in Berlint…120…8 Park Avenue!” 

“Thank you very much. And now, what will you do when you get to school?” 

I have to protect the second son for the boss, so I’ll say that! 

“I have to help the organization boss!” 

“The organization boss? Do you mean the headmaster?” 

“I apologize for my daughter!” Loid laughed it off. “She’s very ambitious, and wants to learn from people who are successful. People like the headmaster.” 

She wants to learn from her predecessors at such an early age? That is quite elegant! “Young lady, do you know the name of our headmaster?” Henderson questioned. 

“Um, it’s Be-Be…” 

They practiced this. Benedict Ivan Goodfellow. Anya could get it right. 

“Benedict Advent Goodhellow!” 

Loid supposed that was close enough. 

“Good.” Henderson complimented. “But, he had to work very hard to get to where he is. Do you understand how difficult it can be to succeed as he has?” 

“Yes! It’s like going through a jungle without any supplies! Or dancing with death over and over to get brave, like disarming bombs and stuff!” 

Lois sighed. Anya had just described the plot of last week’s Bondman episode. 

Henderson, however, was very impressed. Such great resolve! I have underestimated this young lady! 

“I don’t think it would be that difficult.” Evans assured her. “Now, for another question, what does your dad do for a living?” 

“Papa’s a psychiatrist! He’s so good, sometimes it’s like he can read people's minds!” 

Loid went rigid for a split second, but he relaxed. There wasn’t anyway Anya could know. 

“Ah, well that is their job, isn’t it?” Evans replied. “Now, you have a new mother. How do you feel about her?” 

“She’s very nice!” 

Oh thank god! Yor thought. 

“But kind of scary sometimes!” 

Oh no! 

“That’s very nice.” Evans commented. “So, if you had to give your parents a score, out of anything, what would it be?” 

Anya gave her answer without hesitation. “A perfect 100 points! They’re very fun, and I love them very, very much. I want to be with them forever!” 

Loid was a little shocked. Anya wanted to be with them forever?

Swan scoffed. Please. No one needs this kind of rubbish. 

“Who do you like better, your new mom or you old one?” 

“Now, that’s not appropriate-“ Evans tried to intervene. 

“May we respectfully have a different question?” Loid said, trying not to sound as angry as he was feeling. 

“Absolutely not. She answers or loses points.” 

They couldn’t expect Anya to answer that

Loid wasn’t sure what to do. I have no idea how she ended up with Garden, and by extension in that orphanage, but there's a good chance that her real parents are already… 

Loid heard sniffling. 

Tears were rolling down Anya’s face.

“Mom..my…?” Anya’s voice was shaky. 

Yor stood up. 

“Mommy.” Anya repeated, trying to hide her face. 

“Well, that answers that.” Swan answered. 

Anya’s crying had become louder. Loid felt himself getting even more angry as Anya cried about the parents she wasn’t with.  It was bothering him, but why? 

Why couldn’t he stand this? 

Oh. 

It reminded him of his own sorry childhood. That was why. 

It reminded him of when he was stuck in that lab. When he was bouncing from orphanage to orphanage, no family to support him. 

When the only thing he could do was cry. 

Loid was lost in his own thoughts, but Yor comforting Anya snapped him out of it. She placed her hands on Anya’s shoulders, and shouted, “How could you ask that of a child? This is cruel!”

“We have many students who live in dorms and rarely even see their parents. If something that trivial sets her off, she’ll never survive this establishment.” Swan continued. 

“I think everyone needs to calm down-“ Evans insisted. 

Yor didn’t seem to be keen on relaxing. Loid heard her knuckles crack as she glared at Master Swan. “Trivial? You call this trivial? ” 

Stay calm. Loid told himself. Stay calm, or you could put both of their missions at stake. 

“Whoa, Miss Second wife- don’t snap at me because she loves you less!“ 

Then, something inside Loid just snapped. 

Calm down. He told himself. 

Swan was barely holding back a smirk. There, now I feel better. 

Loid suddenly found himself standing up, fist drawn back.

Stand down, Loid! 

A loud crash rang out across the room. 

Swan was leaning backwards on the couch, face stuck in fear, at the cracked table in front of him. 

“Sorry. There was a mosquito.” Loid said. He wasn’t lying. There was a mosquito, in the middle of the crater Loid had punched into the table. 

“How dare you!“ Swan shouted. “Don’t think for a second your family will be admitted now!” 

Loid stood up and grabbed the door handle. “Hm. If making light of a child's feelings is part of your education policy, then I’m afraid we’ve chosen the wrong school.”

Without another word, he ushered Yor and Anya out of the room, and slammed the door shut. 

———————————

It wasn’t until they arrived in their apartment that Loid realized just how badly he had screwed up. 

In one fell swoop, he had ruined both of the girls' missions before they could even start. 

They didn’t say a word to each other, but even without his mind reading, he knew they were upset. 

Yor quietly mentioned something about tea and went to the kitchen. Loid and Anya sat in the living room. 

“Papa?” Anya quietly said.

“Yes?” Loid looked up at Anya. 

“I’m..I’m sorry. I shoulda done better at the interview. I’m so, so, sorry!” Anya’s voice trembled. 

“Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. You don’t want to go to a school like that.” 

“But I do wanna go to school. If I don’t…” We won’t be together anymore. 

Loid tried his best to comfort Anya as Yor walked into the room with her tray of tea. 

This is bad. Operation Strix could fail, and we’re back to square one… and Loid looks really upset. I hope he doesn’t blame himself…

If this failed, this family wouldn’t be a thing anymore. Loid knew it wasn’t permanent from the beginning, but…

He sighed. “I’ll be honest, things aren’t looking good.” 

“No, no, it’ll be alright!” Yor panicked. “It’s not your fault, I was the one who got upset first! And I’m sure we didn’t do so bad!” 

“Yeah!” Anya suddenly cheered. “The grandpa with the glasses and the grandpa with the half glasses were really nice!” 

“Exactly. I’m sure they’ll vouch for us!” Yor exclaimed. 

Well, the other teachers had both been pretty annoyed with Swan. Loid took a deep breath. 

“You’re both right. It’s out of our hands now anyway. We just have to believe we get the results we want.” 

That would be difficult, he thought. He had trouble believing in anyone. He knew all too well how many people lied and only pretended to be decent. 

But…he couldn’t help but think he was starting to believe in Anya and Yor. 

Chapter Text

Today was the day: the day they found out whether or not Anya made it into Eden Academy. 

The day they found out whether or not Operation Strix could continue. 

Yor was shaking as they walked to Eden. She thought the walk and wait before the interview had been bad, but this was somehow worse. 

Anya wasn’t even singing her little songs she liked to sing on walks. They were completely quiet and tense. 

The silence was broken by a small snap. 

“Oh no!” Yor exclaimed. “My bracelet broke…” It was a bracelet she'd gotten from Yuri for her birthday a few years ago, and one of the only nice jewelry pieces she had. And it broke on their way to get the results… 

“I’m sure we can get it fixed.” Loid spoke up. That was so like him- always trying to keep a situation calm, and always offering a fix to whatever problem they had. And Yor did start to calm down a bit.

 Until she saw the black cat. 

“Loid, look!” 

“A cat…? Are you superstitious?” 

“Not normally…” 

“I’m sure it’s fine. There are a lot of cats around these park areas.“ 

“Papa?” Anya cut Loid off. 

“Yes?” 

“I think I just stepped in poo.” 

Yor’s eyes went wide. This had to be some kind of omen!

But Loid, as he always did, took charge, and got everyone to Eden in one piece. They got through the crowd, and looked over the board. 

K-212 was nowhere to be seen. 

“That can’t be right…” Yor nervously chuckled. She scanned the board again…and again. 

Nothing. 

Operation Strix was over. And if Operation Strix was over, then peace between Westalis and Ostania was over, and the Forger family was over! 

“Yor? Anya? Are you two ok?” Loid asked, concerned. 

Before either of them could respond, Master Henderson had cut them off. 

“Forgers? May I have a word with you all?” 

They agreed. Yor took Anya’s hand, and followed Loid and Henderson to an alley on the side of the school. Yor glanced around. It looks secure enough, no easy entry, no decent fighting space making it a poor place to attack…

“Huh?” Loid muttered. 

“Uh, is something wrong Loid?” 

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m good!” 

“Ok…” 

“Well, Forgers. I have some good news for you.” That caught all three of them. Henderson held out a piece of paper. Anya’s name was listed at the top. 

“What’s this?” Loid asked. 

“It’s a waitlist, of sorts. Every year, a few students drop out for one reason or another. The students on this list then get accepted. And your daughter is on the top of that list.” 

“Anya made it in?!” Anya shouted. 

“Maybe.” Loid corrected. “If one student doesn’t go to Eden, then you will be able to go here.” 

“One student…” Yor trailed off. 

If all it took was one student, then certainly WISE would approve of handicapping one of the parents… 

No, no! Yor shook her head. You can’t think like that! I’m so sorry, to all of the other students' parents! 

She glanced up, and saw Loid making a very concerned face. “Oh, Loid! Are you ok?” 

“Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be?” He answered  hastily. (Yor was starting to think he was just nervous about Anya getting into the school.)

“If you two are done, I think that should be everything.” Master Henderson finished. 

“Wait!” Loid suddenly said. 

“Yes?” 

“I’m just a little confused. After the way the interview went…” 

“Hm? Oh, yes. You see, before everything went…south…your answers were satisfactory. And then, of course, you saved Master Swan.” 

“Saved him?” Loid repeated. 

“Yes. You saved him from that mosquito in the room. Unbelievable as it may seem, they are the most dangerous animals on the planet. You did Master Swan a great service back there.” 

“Right…” 

“I should warn you though, Forger. I may not be at this school much longer. I did what I could in the interview, but I do not have that much say. I do, however, think your family is worthy of applying to our school. You should receive a call regarding the waitlist sometime soon.” 

“Thank you, Master Henderson. Really.” Yor smiled. 

Yor felt a wave of relief. She thought Operation Strix was going to end right then and there. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but there was still a chance Anya would get into Eden. 

——————————

“I’m gonna get into that school! I’m gonna get into that school!” Anya danced around, chanting a song over and over. 

“What on Earth is she doing?” Loid wondered aloud. 

“I think it’s pretty simple!” Yor joked. “She’s performing a prayer dance so she can get into Eden.” 

“Ah. Obviously.” Loid replied. 

Anya was still dancing around when the phone rang. 

Loid was up and out of his chair in an instant. He grabbed the phone, and listened to the message.

Anya and Yor were watching him, both with baited breath.

“Alright. Thank you.” Loid said. He put the phone back down. 

“Well?” Yor asked. 

“Anya made it in!” Loid grabbed a party popper he had bought just for this moment, and set it off. 

Anya’s face lit up with excitement. “I passed! I passed!” 

“Congratulations Anya!” Yor said. 

“Mama, Papa! I did it!” 

“You did.” Loid smiled. “I’m very proud of you! And Yor, thank you! We couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Yor blushed. “It was really all you guys! You worked very hard for this!” 

Their short celebration was interrupted by a ringing doorbell. 

“I’ll get it.” Loid answered. 

To Loid’s surprise, it was Frank standing at the door. “So, I heard she got in!” 

“Yeah. Word travels fast, I guess?” 

“Hey, knowing things is my job. I’ve got food on the way, let’s celebrate!” 

“Scruffy head!” Anya cheered. 

“Scruffy head?” Yor repeated. 

“I’m a friend of Loid’s from college. You must be the Mrs-“ 

——————————

A short while later, the table was set and food was served. Franky had ordered a whole feast for everyone. 

“And to think, all this happened cause’ I stole the answer sheet!” 

“Shut up, they’ll hear you!” Loid whispered. 

“But they didn’t!” Franky retorted.

“Wha- what was that?” Yor said, a wide grin on her otherwise unfocused face. Anya was paying attention to her food, and didn’t seem to hear anything either. 

“You’re being a party pooper man. Aren’t you gonna drink some?” Franky swished around his glass of wine. 

“No thanks.” Loid preferred not drinking. Being able to read the minds of everyone around him could get overwhelming at times- alcohol certainly didn’t help that. 

“Ah, bummer.” Franky scoffed. Then, he turned towards Anya. “Hey, did you know your Daddy told me he’d buy you whatever you want for getting into school?” 

“Hey, I didn’t promise anything like that-“ 

Anya’s eyes lit up. “Papa! What I want is to do something cool!” 

“Oh- uh, sure. As long as it's within reason.” 

Anya’s smile grew even bigger, if that was possible. She set up the TV and showed Loid and Franky an episode of her favorite cartoon. 

She pointed at the screen while Bondman fought through wave after wave of goons to rescue a Princess from a castle. 

“That’s what I want to do!” Anya proclaimed, her thoughts filled with ideas of fighting bad guys, Princess dresses, and the castle, which didn’t explain much to Loid. 

“I don’t get it…could you just tell me?” Loid asked.

“I want to play ‘save Anya from the castle!’” 

Loid didn’t hesitate to say, “Nope.” 

It was impressive how quickly Anya teared up. Loid wondered if those Garden people taught the kids to cry on command, or if Anya was really that upset. 

“You’re being such a big meanie!” Franky pouted, and shook Anya’s shoulders. “If you won’t do this, I’m not gonna go to school!” 

“You don’t speak for her.” Loid told him, but Franky was no longer paying attention. 

“Hey, I think that’s Newston Castle! They just remodeled it into a cartoon theme park! It’s got traps and games, and you can rent the place out!” 

“I think that’s a bit out of my budget.” 

“Well, we can still go! Anya worked so hard for this, right Anya?” 

Anya rubbed her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like “sniffle, sniffle.” 

Lois shook his head. This was emotional manipulation! 

“Ok, fine. We can go, but I can’t rent the place out.” 

“But we can still go!” Anya cheered, her unhappiness completely forgotten. 

“Maybe I could rent it out.” Yor suddenly cut in. 

“Yor, I couldn’t ask you to do that!” Loid exclaimed. 

“It’s fine! I have work connections!” Yor gushed about her coworkers, and then had a hiccuping fit. 

Franky was almost as excited as Anya. “You know, we better strike while the irons’ hot! I’ll book the castle, Yor, could you arrange a ride?” 

“Wait, we’re going tonight?” Loid asked.

“Of course we are!” 

——————————-

Yor’s spy agency was all too happy to get her what she wanted, and apparently, that included an airplane. 

Loid was in disbelief as standing outside of it. 

“It’s so neat! I’ve never been on a plane before!” Anya exclaimed while Loid helped her with the flight suit. 

“I haven’t either, so I guess this will be something new for both of us.” 

“Yeah! Hey, Papa, do I look cool?” 

“Very cool.” 

“Yor, how’d you get a plane?” Franky wondered. 

“My work buddies!” Yor gestured to the pilots. “Thank you guys for being so cool!” 

“Of course, Mrs. Forger.” One of the pilots replied. I can’t believe I got to meet Thorn Princess! Is what he thought. 

They all climbed into the plane, and took off. Anya’s eyes were wide with excitement. 

And then, they pulled up to the castle. 

Loid couldn’t believe that a spy agency actually let them rent out a castle. Or more accurately, he couldn’t believe Yor convinced them, being as drunk as she was. 

They had full reign of the place for the next few hours. Anya ran around the ballroom shouting and cheering, and Franky ran after her, shouting about tag and how he was it. 

“Y’know Loid, this is really amazing!” Yor said while they watched the other two. And then, Anya ran in front of them, and came to a slow stop. She hung her head, and stared at the floor.

This isn’t right. Anya thought.

Not right? “Hey, what’s the matter?” Loid gently asked.

“It’s not right.” 

“Not right, how?” 

“It’s so empty. There aren’t enemies or maids or even furniture. It’s just a big empty house. It makes me feel sad…I don’t think I can go to school anymore.” 

“What?!” Yor shouted in shock. 

“Hm, you’re right Anya.” Franky agreed. “It’s not very castle-y, is it? Guess your Daddy better step up his game!” 

What was Loid supposed to do about that?! 

“No, no, no wait! I’ve got this!” Yor insisted. 

Not even twenty minutes later, Loid heard helicopters overhead.

 A slew of agents dressed in fancy clothes and carrying food and furniture burst into the room. It only took a minute for everything to be set up, and the empty space became a full, bustling, ballroom. 

Wow, that’s really Thorn Princess! One agent looked at Yor in awe. 

I’ll have to get her autograph later! Another thought. 

“Working  at City Hall must get you more connections than I realized…” Franky whistled. 

“Mm hmm.” Loid agreed. 

“Ok, Papa!” Anya tugged at Loid’s shirt. “It’s your turn to do cool stuff now!” 

“What ‘cool stuff’ exactly?” 

“Saving Anya from the castle!” 

“Anya, I thought-“ 

“Cmon Loid! It’ll be fun!” Yor said, as she poured yet another glass of wine. 

Loid stared out across the room full of agents. Was he really supposed to embarrass himself in front of the entirety of a spy agency?

For their mission, I guess I have too. “Fine.” Loid agreed. 

Yor took the microphone. “Everyone, thank you for coming! This is important to Operation- uh, my family! My daughter Anya has a game to play! You guys will all be enemies trying to stop Bondman from rescuing the Princess!” 

I don’t understand much…but if the Thorn Princess has a plan, I trust it!

This will be a true test of skill! 

WISE will handle this mission perfectly! 

Yor had to have been really respected for the agents to take this seriously. 

Franky took the microphone next. “Ladies and Gentleman, it’s time to meet the cast! In our starring role, Princess Anya!” 

Anya grabbed a plastic tiara she took with her and twirled around. Then, she took the microphone from Franky. 

“This is the spy who is going to save me, Loidman! The bad guy is Scruffy head! And Mama…Mama can be whatever!” 

“Huh?!” Yor cried out. 

“Alright guys, you heard Yor!” Franky shouted. “Your job is to stop Loidman from saving the princess at all costs! He’s got some good fight experience, so don’t be afraid to really go after him!” 

“Wait-“ Loid tried to interrupt. 

“However you guys want to stop him is up to you! Really try to make him suffer!”

Loid glanced out at the crowd.

Hm, isn’t this guy a civilian? 

Well, if this is what Agent Thorn Princess says is for Operation Strix! 

A civilian with fight training? Impressive! 

Loid gulped. 

“You guys know what to do! Now, let’s go!” Franky cheered. 

Just as quickly as the agents had entered the room, they were gone, leaving only Franky, Yor, Anya, and Loid left. 

Franky opened up a curtain and backed up into an elevator. 

“Catch us if you can!” He laughed. 

“Save me, Loidman!” Anya cried. 

The elevator was off, and Loid didn’t realize the game had already started. He rushed into the second elevator, and pressed a button Anya had labeled. 

The cart traveled up and outside, where Loid had a full view of the castle’s courtyard, as well as the cart the rest of the group was in. 

“Alright, Loidman! If you want to rescue the Princess, you first have to get through my fiendish obstacles! First up, a pop quiz made up by Anya herself! If you fail, you’ll be putting on that, your very own Bondman costume! Oh, and no cheating Loidy-boy! I’ll know if you do, and the costume will go on!” Franky cackled.

Loid cursed the fact that Franky knew about his mind reading, and then glanced down at the floor of his cart. Sure enough, a mask and pair of gloves were laid out for him. 

“Ok, first question! What does Princess Anya like about Bondman?” 

Loid wasn’t sure. Was it that he was a spy? Or did Anya like how he looked?

“Um…you like his face?” Loid guessed.

Anya mimicked a buzzer going off. “Wrong! I like that he has a pistol with a silencer!” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really!” Franky interrupted. “So sad her own Father doesn’t even know that about her!” 

(Loid quietly vowed to never spend time with drunk Franky again.)

“Ok, next question!” Loid shouted. 

“Alright, what is Anya’s favorite food in the whole world?” 

“Peanuts!” Loid quickly answered. 

“He’s right!” Anya smiled. 

Franky looked annoyed. 

“Ok, that was too easy! Next up- what does Anya want more than anything right now?” 

How could Loid know that without mind reading? 

“Five! Four-“ Franky began counting down. 

“You didn’t say there was a time limit!” 

“I’m saying it now!” 

Ok, just focus. What does Anya want, more than anything else at this moment?

“She wants Loidman to save her!” Loid blurted out.

“Well, Princess Anya? Is he right?” Franky asked. 

“Hm…what I want…more than anything…is a glass of water because I’m really thirsty!” 

“Oh! You were wrong!” 

“How could I have known?!”

“By cheating!” Franky laughed. “Alright- it’s time to make good on your end of the deal.” 

Loid felt his face get warm. This was for Anya, he reminded himself, as he pulled on the gloves and tied the mask around his head. 

“Ah! It’s Loidman!” Anya laughed and jumped up and down. 

“Now, it’s time for the next obstacle!” Franky announced. 

Their carts became separated by one of the castle towers. Loid’s cart came to a stop, and an arrow pointed to a dark slide- which appeared to be his only way out. 

Loid jumped in and slid down.

When he reached the end, a good chunk of agents were standing on the stage, while Anya and Franky’s cart came overhead to watch the “battle.” 

“If you want to save the Princess, you’ll have to get through my army!” Franky shouted. 

“Oh no! You have to help me, Loidman!” Anya shouted, not sounding afraid in the slightest. 

The agents began to run at him. Loid had a small panic attack- there was no way he could go toe to toe with trained spies- but then, they unknowingly gave him an advantage. One of them set off fog machines, and several spies tried to sneak up on him. 

They didn’t know Loid could hear every single plan they came up with. 

He dodged multiple agents, and felt a little bad after he punched a few, but he made it to the tower. (He had to admit, he was a little proud of some of the comments he heard the agents think of.)

Wow! He made it to the tower! I would expect nothing less of the partner Thorn Princess chose for her mission. 

Loid approached the tower steps, but Franky was looking even more ticked off. Had he forgotten this was a game? 

“That’s not all! Catch us if you can!” Franky clicked a button, and their cart began to rise up the tower. 

“Oh no! Please Loidman! Help me!” Anya shouted. 

“What a pain.” Loid muttered to himself. He went inside the tower, and focused, listening out for anyone. 

Sure enough, the rest of the agents were lined up on the towers’ steps, armed with toy guns. 

He covered his head as he was pelted with the rubber balls the guns used for ammo. He ducked underneath the stairs, and listened closely. 

Where’d he go? 

I can’t see him…

I think I’ve shot enough at the guy…

Maybe if I peek over the edge-  

Bingo! Loid watched as one of the agents peered over the staircase, and Loid was ready. 

Loid took one of the balls, and threw it at the agent. The agent, a bit shocked, dropped his gun right into Loid’s hands. 

Loid ran up the stairs, firing at everything that moved, and the agents were so committed to their roles that they sat down and didn’t move when Loid “shot” them. 

“So cool!” Anya squealed. 

“Come on minions! Stop him!” Franky groaned. “Loid, let them hit you!” 

Loid rolled his eyes. He knew for a fact the agents weren't exactly trying to take Loid out, and he’d been hit enough times already. 

But still, Loid kept going, until he finally reached the top of the tower. 

“Not so fast!” Franky continued. “If you want to reach us, you’ll have to find another way to the tower!” He cackled as their cart went to its final destination. 

The only way Loid could get over there was on the zipline attraction. Loid vaguely remembered Bondman pulling off that stunt in the cartoon. 

He huffed, but grabbed on to the zipline’s handles and took off, thankful he did not have a fear of heights. 

There were explosions going off as he sped down the Zipline, and heard Anya cheer even more about how cool Loidman was. 

(At least this whole thing was making Anya happy.) 

He finally landed at the tower. Anya and Franky were behind a few couches arranged like a barricade. Yor wasn’t with them, for some reason? 

Franky gave an evil laugh. “I’m surprised you made it this far Loidman!” 

“Oh no! Save me, please!” Anya acted. Loid heard more footsteps, and turned around to see all of the agents lined up behind him. 

Loid was certain his face had turned bright red. Am I really supposed to act out this silly play in front of all these agents? 

He looked up and saw how happy Anya was. 

Even if he was embarrassed, he had to do this. For the sake of Yor and Anya and their missions!

“Um…hand over the Princess, fiend.” Loid stuttered out. 

Franky laughed again. “I told you it wouldn’t be that easy!” He snapped his fingers and the elevator doors opened up. Yor leapt out of them, and stumbled towards Loid, still clearly drunk. 

“Behold your doom!” Franky announced. “The most powerful witch, Yorticia, who will literally take your breath away!” 

Since when were witches a part of this story? Loid shook his head. That didn’t matter, he just needed to finish this little play. 

And then Yor kicked him. 

Loid stumbled backwards from the sheer force of it- and felt a bit of blood running down his cheek. 

Wait, what’s going on here? 

“Those who dare to hurt Anya must pay the price!” Yor shouted. “It’ll cost you your life!” 

Wow! I can’t believe we get to see the Thorn Princess in person! 

Of course she would be protective of her daughter! 

We get to see her acting skills up close! 

Acting skills? Yor was definitely not acting. 

“Yor, calm down!” 

Loid was forced to block hit after hit, and he was reminded just how strong she was. 

If she keeps this up, she might actually kill me! 

As Loid braced himself to take another kick, he heard a sudden snap, and Yor fell to the ground. 

“Um, Yor? Are you alright?” Loid slowly inched towards her, and she was passed out completely. Her shoe heel had broken, which is why she fell down, but it looked like all the wine she drank was finally getting to her. 

“Hahaha! Nicely done getting this far Loidman! But it will take more than that to beat me-“ 

Loid cut off Franky’s monologue with a swift punch to the face. A punch Loid didn’t feel too bad about. 

Anya looked up at Loid wide-eyed. So cool! 

He felt the mask fall off his flushed face as he stuttered out another line. “I’m- I’m here to save you, Princess Anya.” 

“Papa!” Anya hugged him. 

“Wait, are we done pretending now?” 

Anya continued to hug him. An agent tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Ah, hello Mr. Forger! I’m a coworker of your wife, it’s nice to meet you! Sorry about pelting you with the guns back there…Anyways, we set up a spot for you and your daughter to watch the fireworks on the balcony there.” 

“Fireworks? Um, thank you. Want to go, Anya?” 

“Yes please!” Anya took his hand and led him to the balcony. 

Loid thought he heard the agent think, Thorn Princess chose well, didn’t she? 

The castle lights dimmed down, and the show began. 

Anya looked up at the night sky in amazement. As the fireworks went off, the agents cheered for Anya. Even Franky thought about how proud he was of Anya. 

Come to think of it…Loid felt that way too. He wasn’t just saying it to keep up the family facade…he really, truly felt it. 

——————————

The agents cleared out, and informed a half asleep Yor that a plane would be there shortly to take the Forger family home. 

Loid and Anya waited at an outdoor patio overlooking the lake. 

“You know Papa, since you got me from the orphanage, I’ve had so much fun! I got to do a lot.” 

“I’m happy for you.” 

Anya tugged at his sleeve. “I promise, I'm going to do my best at school.” Not just for the mission, but for Mama and Papa too! 

“I know.” Loid smiled, and put a gentle hand on Anya’s head. “Congratulations, Anya. You got into Eden.” 

Anya had worked hard for this. But Loid felt a bit sad when he remembered she had more hard work to do. She was a child herself, expected to keep tabs on another child for a shadowy organization. 

That was why Loid was happy Anya got to go to this castle and make a whole make believe game. 

Even if he had to embarrass himself for it, Anya could just be a kid for the night. 

—————————-

A few days later, at WISE’s Ostanian headquarters, Yor sat shaking as she looked over the expense report she had to turn in. 

She was never going to drink again. 

Chapter Text

“It looks like you're about 99.7.” The seamstress announced. 

“That’s two whole millimeters longer than last time!” Anya proudly told her parents. 

“Are you sure?” Loid asked. 

“Well, kids grow a lot at this age.” The seamstress said. 

“They do! I remember when my little brother was this age. It felt like he grew out of everything in a week!” Yor recalled. 

“With that in mind, we should probably get your uniform a bit bigger.” Loid decided. 

“I can do that!” The seamstress said. As she took more measurements, she began to make small talk. Yor didn’t mind- she was very familiar with this place. If she needed new clothes for a mission, or just needed something repaired, this was where she liked to go. 

“You know Yor, I can’t believe you never told me you were married! I can understand not making a big deal about it, but for a whole year?” 

“Ah, well, we just got busy. You know how it is, school enrollment, and all that.” 

“Ah, of course. Eden is not a very easy school to get into you. Congrats, dear!” 

“Thanks a bunch!” Anya said.

“Mr. Forger, is it safe to assume you’re an Eden alum?” 

“Oh no. I went to a lot of small schools out in the countryside. I moved around a lot.” Loid laughed. 

The seamstress didn’t seem to think that was a good thing, though. Her eyes flashed dangerously. “You’d better be careful, then. I hear there’s something of a wall between the alumni families and first generation students. Not to mention the bullying between those children, hazing from the honor students, tension between the dorm kids and commuters…” 

Yor hadn’t heard of any of this before. Intel gathering wasn’t exactly her strength… 

Anya began to shake. But, the seamstress kept going. “Speaking of that, I hear there’s been kidnappings of commuter students. I suppose it’s not a surprise, since most of the children are from rich families.” 

Anya turned her head, a frightened expression on her face as she looked at her parents. “I don’t want to go to school anymore.” 

“Uhm, I’m sure it’s not that bad!” Yor stammered. She couldn’t have Anya not wanting to go to school! 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you, dear. There’s plenty of fun to be had at Eden!” 

After that, the Forger family was given their total, and that was before they even bought school supplies. Who knew school would be so expensive? 

Maybe Yor could have WISE help with some of it. She didn’t want to leave Loid to pay for everything! 

When they left the shop, Anya clung to Loid’s leg. 

“What’s the matter?” He gently asked. 

“I am in fear that I will be kidnapped.” 

“Ah, I see…” 

——————————

A few days later, Yor was called into WISE’s headquarters. 

She told her family she had a girls day planned with some coworkers, and went off to the secretive building. 

“Good morning, or should I say good evening, Agent Thorn Princess?” 

“Hello, Handler. I’m here for the briefing?” 

“Right, of course. But first….what was with all those expenses last week? A plane? Furniture? A castle rental?!” 

“I- I assure you it was all for Operation Strix! Oh, Um speaking of, this might be a bad time, but…here!” Yor kept her head down as she held out the receipt for Anya’s uniform and school supplies. 

“You’ve got a lot of nerve handing me more receipts.” 

“I'm sorry! It turns out school is very expensive, and I didn’t want to put all the burden on Loid. I'm the one who barged into their family, after all.” 

“Sometimes I think you’re a bit too considerate to be a spy.” The Handler shook her head, but she had a small smile on her face. It only lasted for a moment, though and it was back to business. “And Dr. Forger…he won’t find you covering these expenses suspicious?” 

“Oh, no! I’ve already got it covered.” Yor had told him her work would cover uniforms for working parents. A complete lie, but it was one Loid seemed to buy. 

“Alright, good. Moving on, we have Phase Two of Operation Strix laid out.” 

“Already?” 

“Of course. As you remember, Desmond only attends a gathering for Eden’s Imperial Scholars. Your next step is to help guide Anya into earning eight merits, called Stella Stars. They are awarded for outstanding achievements in academics, arts, sports, and other kinds of extracurriculars. Once she gets eight stars-“ 

“She becomes an Imperial Scholar, and I can get into that gathering!” 

“Precisely. But I need to warn you- Anya can earn demerits as well. These are called Tonitrus bolts. Eight of those will result in automatic expulsion from Eden.” 

——————————

Yor had spent the next few days with a sinking feeling in her stomach. 

She was given instructions to make Anya into an honors student, but Yor didn’t feel like she could do that.

Yor was a great combatant. Most of her missions involved fighting through enemy after enemy to accomplish her goal. That was why she was surprised Operation Strix was given to her. Intel and infiltration weren’t her strengths- and that was the bulk of this mission. 

Plus, there was the fact that she wasn’t Anya’s actual mother. Her marriage was a marriage of convenience, and she didn’t feel like it was her place to try and make Anya into an honors student. 

She decided she’d just have to try and support Anya, encourage her to get good grades, and help where she could. 

And right now, she could help by picking up Anya’s uniform. 

She wasn’t surprised it was done so quickly. The seamstress always took good care of Yor’s orders. Yor also didn’t mind when Loid asked if she could pick up the uniform, since he got called into work unexpectedly. 

And truthfully, Yor was excited to go. Anya looked so cute in her uniform! 

“Mama, does it look cute!” 

“So cute!” Yor gushed. “We should go to the portrait studio later! I bet Loid will want some pictures!” 

Anya did a little twirl. “Ta-da! Do I still look cute?” 

“It’s not going away anytime soon!” 

“How many times are you going to say that?” The seamstress wondered aloud. 

Anya had decided she wanted to go to the park, and Yor thought it would be nice for her to get out for a little bit. 

Yor watched amused while Anya showed off her uniform to the park’s patrons. 

“Oh, is that your daughter? She’s adorable!” One nearby mom commented. 

“And she goes to Eden too? I’m so jealous!” Said another. 

“Um, thank you!” Yor said. 

“Mama, I’m hungry!” One child tugged at his mom’s sleeve.

“Hm? What do you want for dinner?” 

“Hamburgers!” 

“You say that every time-“ The mom laughed. 

For some reason, that comment made Yor a little sad. 

“Who do you prefer? Your old mother, or your new one?” 

“I want to be with them forever!” 

The memory of their interview stuck out in Yor’s mind. Yor couldn’t have expected to replace the role Anya’s birth mother had…but Yor still wanted do right by this family. Even if it was for a mission. 

“Mama!” Anya called, running up to Yor. “I showed everyone how cute I am! We can go home now!” 

“Ok!” Yor agreed. She took Anya’s hand, but then noticed the supermarket across the street. “Hey Anya…what if I cooked something for dinner tonight?” 

“You can cook Mama?” 

“Uh…I can try!” 

Yor hadn’t cooked a whole lot in her adult life. She grabbed quick meals and ate out a lot. Work kept her busy, so she didn’t have much time to learn how to cook. 

Now though, part of her job was to be a good mother and wife, and part of that was being able to help around the house. And if that meant cooking, then Yor would gladly cook up what she could.

She wandered up and down the aisles, picking out ingredients that looked like they could be healthy. She wasn’t even sure what some of them were, but she could probably make a nutritional dinner with them. 

“Mama, I’m bored. I’m gonna go outside.” Anya decided. 

“Ok, just don't wander far!” 

“I won’t!” 

Yor finished picking out her groceries, and was paying for everything when she noticed a commotion outside. 

A group of people were laughing, and saying something about Eden… 

When Yor glanced outside, she saw they were holding Anya. 

No way…was the seamstress right? People really were kidnapping Eden students?! 

Yor didn’t hesitate. She didn’t even pause to set down her grocery bags. 

She slammed one of the kidnappers across the face with one of said bags.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Yor spat out. 

“Uh oh. Looks like we’re gonna need to tack on some medical bills too.” One of the men laughed. “Let’s see your wallet Ms. Nanny!” 

“Hm. I’m afraid I’ve used all my money, so there’s nothing of value here. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” 

“Guess the uniform is our ticket after all.” 

Yor kept a steady gaze on the man. He bent down and picked up one of the vegetables. 

“I hope you’ve got somewhere else to go, cause her Mommy is gonna fire you so fast, it’ll make your head spin!” The man shouted and threw the vegetable at her. 

She destroyed it with her bare hands, a fact that obviously terrified the rest of the gang. 

“I am that girls mother!” Yor yelled. “If you don’t want to end up like that vegetable, you’d better leave right now!” 

That did the trick. The gang ran away instantly.

“Mama’s so cool…” Anya quietly said. 

Yor quickly turned around. “Oh Anya!” 

She knelt down next to her and hugged Anya tightly. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off of you! Are you alright?!” 

“Mm hmm.” 

“Oh look, I ruined our groceries too! I’m a failure of a mother!” Yor cried. 

“There there!” Anya tapped Yor on the head. ”I love my Mama! She’s so strong and cool!” See? Super killer punch! Kapow!” 

“Please don’t do that in public!”

“Hey, maybe you can train me! Please?” 

“Train you…?” 

“Yeah! It’s really dangerous to be an Eden student right now. But…if I train and get stronger, it won’t be as scary! I’ll be super cool, like you!” 

Anya looked up to her a lot, didn’t she? Maybe…maybe Yor would never be a normal mother. But Loid and Anya had welcomed her into their home, and into their lives. For as long as Yor was with them, she’d do the best she could. 

She would be the best mother she could be, for the mission. 

(And maybe just for Anya’s sake too.) 

“Ok! Let’s go home and train!” 

——————————-

It had been a late night at the hospital. Loid didn’t get called in late often, but whenever a superior wanted to have a meeting, it was outside of his work hours. 

He was looking forward to a quiet evening, but quickly realized he wasn’t going to get that when he came home to Yor teaching Anya how to properly throw a punch. 

“What’s going on here?” 

“I’m preparing Anya for school!” 

Loid suddenly got an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Ah, there it was. Anxiety, my old friend. 

——————————

“Congratulations to you all. You chosen few have made it into Eden College, Ostania’s premier academy. Due to your hard work, and your parent’s determination, the 228 of you who have made it into Eden truly deserve your seat here.” 

The crowd of students and parents began to cheer.

Yor allowed herself to take in the sight of happy families. They had made it through the door, and that was worth celebration in Yor’s book. 

“Papa, all the kids are wearing the same clothes as me!” 

“Yes, that is the point of a uniform.” Loid explained. 

Yor chuckled, but the comment made her a bit nervous. Anya was still so young, there was so much she hadn’t learned, like what uniforms even were! 

Could Yor really help her to become an honors student? 

No, Yor! You mustn’t doubt Anya. She’s a wonderful and very intelligent little girl! Yor shook her head, as if to rid herself of any doubts she may have had. 

“And now, to announce the houses each of your students will be in.” A teacher said to the room. “Please come forward when your name is called.” 

The announcer began to list off names. 

“Which class am I going to be in?” Anya wondered. 

“I have no idea.” Loid told her. 

“I’m sure it will be a great one.” Yor gave Anya a smile. 

Yor certainly hoped that Cecile Hall would be a great class, as it was the one Anya was put into. Handler had thought it might be a good idea to keep tabs on Desmond’s children as well, and said she would have Anya placed into the same class as Damian Desmond, the youngest child of the Desmond family. 

By sheer coincidence, Anya had ended up in the same class as the boy anyway. Yor just hoped Anya and Damian could become good friends, enough that Damian might tell Anya about his family, or invite her to his home, with Anya’s parents in tow. 

Of course, it was just a backup plan, but Yor always felt a backup plan could never hurt. 

“Now for Class 3, Cecile Hall!” The teacher announced. 

Sure enough, Damian Desmond was in the class, along with the children of extremely important, wealthy, or well known families. 

Yor hoped it wouldn’t be overwhelming for Anya. When her name was called, she glanced at Loid and Yor, as if she wanted their approval to go. 

“Well?” Yor encouraged. “Go on!” 

Anya grinned a nervous grin, but got up and joined her class. 

Yor looked over at Loid, who was watching the students walk to their respective classes, and he had an almost displeased expression. 

“Loid?” Yor said. 

“Hm?” 

“You look worried.” 

“Huh? Oh no, I’m not! I just hope Anya will be ok. I mean, I remember what that seamstress said.” 

Of course Loid would be worried. He always got worked up when it came to Anya. 

“I think she’ll be fine. She’s a tough one!” Yor said, and she truly meant it. 

—————————-

“This is the dining hall.” Master Henderson told the class. It was so fancy, Anya couldn’t believe it was her school! 

Mama and Papa had told her to be good, and Anya knew the grown ups from Garden would want her to be good too, so she sat and patiently listened to Master Henderson explain Stella Stars and Tonitrus Bolts. 

Being an Imperial Scoo-lar sounded like a lot of work. Anya wasn’t sure if she would want to do that.

But the boy she was supposed to watch, the Sy-on of the Desmond family, told a bunch of other kids he was going to be an Imperial Scoo-lar too. 

“I mean, my dad is the head of the National Unity Party.”  Sy-On Boy bragged. 

What was that? Anya wasn’t sure she had heard of it before. 

“No way, really?” One boy said. 

“My Father says we owe a lot to the Desmond group!” A girl exclaimed. 

“Students, no private conversations now. Please follow me, we will continue the tour.” Master Henderson called out. 

“Hmph. They’re all just kissing up to him.” Becky whispered, as the other students walked by. 

“Kissing up?” Anya repeated. 

Then, Sy-On Boy Walked by them too, and caught Anya’s eyes. 

“And what about you? What does your father do? If he’s important enough, I’ll consider letting you be my friend.” 

Yes! That was what Anya needed. “He’s a psy…psychia… a feelings doctor!”

“Doesn’t sound that important to me. I bet you’re not even very rich either.” 

What did he mean? Papa was very important, he helped people! And what did it matter if they weren’t very rich? 

Gotta stay cool for the mission! Anya reminded herself. 

She pointed at Damian. “I want to be your friend!” 

“These peasants are getting really bold now!” One of his friends laughed.

“Get your peasant germs away!” The other said, and he shoved Anya away. 

That was so mean! Now would be the time to use her killer punch! 

But then, Anya remembered what Mama had taught her. 

“Anyone that lets their emotions guide their fists doesn’t know the meaning of true strength. If someone is being rude, being able to smile and laugh it off makes you the cooler, stronger girl!”

Anya knew Mama was right. She had to smile, and stay calm. 

“At least say something back!” Becky told Anya. 

“Hm. I don’t care what you have to say.” Anya put on a nice smile, and laughed. “Heh.” 

She took in the Second son’s confused looks. 

“Wow! I didn’t know you were so grown up!” Becky gushed. 

“I’m grown up?” Anya repeated. So, smiling really did help?

She turned around and smiled at Sy-on Boy again. 

“Hey! Don’t get so cocky, you dumb, ugly…uggo!” 

“Hey you three! You can get in trouble on the first day!” Master Henderson called. 

It turned out Mama was a liar. Smiling didn’t help at all!

—————————-

The tour continued, so far without any incident. 

Until Anya felt something hit the back of her head. 

She turned around. Sy-On Boy was whistling, looking away, but his friends were laughing. 

Anya smiled again, hoping that would do anything, but it didn’t seem like it would. 

“If you don’t stop right now, I’m gonna tell the teacher!” Becky said.

“There’s no proof we did anything. Just get out of my way.” He elbowed Becky, and pushed her backwards. 

He stopped in front of Anya and she decided she didn’t like this boy very much.

“Listen, Uggo!” Anya glanced up at Sy-On Boy. “Everyday, I’m going to make it my mission to bully you. When I’m done, you’re never gonna smirk like that again.” 

Stay calm. Stay cool for the mission! 

“If she cries, maybe her feelings doctor Daddy can fix her!” One of his friends laughed.

Anya didn’t care what the boys were saying to her. They were just being dumb and mean. 

But what they were saying about Papa… 

“Aww, Daddy’s whittle baby!” Sy-On Boy and his friends kept laughing. 

Anya looked down the hall. Master Henderson wasn’t looking their way… 

“Hey! Don’t look away from me, Uggo! Are you scared or something?” 

Anya punched him.

He tumbled into a trash can, and started to cry.

Hm. Anya’s not the only one who cries sometimes! 

“What is going on here?!” A voice shouted. 

Oh no! The teacher! 

“Teacher, this girl just punched Lord Damian!” 

“No. I just held out my hand, and he ran into it.” Anya said. 

“That’s a lie!” 

“Yeah, you even made sure the teacher wasn’t looking before you hit him!” 

“There’s no proof I did anything.” 

“We can see the mark your fist left on his face!” 

“Lying is very inelegant, Anya Forger.” Master Henderson scolded. 

“That’s not what happend!” Becky suddenly spoke up. “She was holding back all day but these bullies went too far!” 

“So you did hit him, then?” 

“I….” Then, Anya remembered what Mama had told her a few days ago. 

“You should never use force, unless it’s like, a situation where you need to save a friend!” 

“He stepped on her foot.” Anya pointed at Becky. “And I got really mad. I’m so sorry.” 

“Hmm. I see. Defending a friend is noble, but you still did hit someone…” 

——————————-

Hm…it seemed the Desmonds didn’t even show up today. Yor thought. 

Loid could tell she was trying not to seem disappointed. They had been at a social gathering for the parents of the students, and Loid would be honest, he felt way out of his element among all of the CEOs and wealthy families. 

But if it could help Yor with her mission, he’d deal with it.

He also looked for the Desmond’s, but he didn’t see or hear anything. It was kind of strange, seeing as every other parent was here for their child’s first day. 

Not even when the kids came to see their parents did he see the Desmond’s. 

Although, come to think of it, he didn’t see Anya either. 

And then, Loid recognized the voice of Master Henderson as he entered the room. 

“Forger? A word, please.” 

———————————-

“She…punched another boy?” Loid stared at Henderson in disbelief. 

“Oh, no! Anya, are you hurt?” Yor panicked. Loid was grateful she was so preoccupied with Anya, because Yor didn’t get a chance to hear that Anya had punched Desmond’s son, because of course she had. Who else? 

“Normally an act of violence would result in three Tonitrus bolts, but at my discretion, it became one.” Henderson informed. 

It’s the first day of school, and she’s already lost a point…. He thought. 

“I’m so sorry, Loid! This is because I trained her!” Yor groaned. This could be bad for Operation Strix! 

Later on, in the courtyard, the Forger family couldn’t even bring themselves to smile for the group photo. 

Chapter Text

Loid had woken up bright and early the next day, and quickly got to making breakfast for the three of them. 

He heard Yor walk into the kitchen. She gave a groggy “Good morning.” 

“Morning.” Loid greeted her back while he set down their breakfast plates on the table. 

He seems…not angry. But I bet he’s so upset! I trained Anya after all…

Did Yor really think he was upset with her? “Um, you seem a bit down this morning, Yor. What’s the matter?” 

“I just feel awful. If I hadn’t taught Anya, she might not have punched another student!” And Damian Desmond, no less! 

Ah, right. Of course Yor would be stressed about that. “You were just helping Anya out after that scare you two had last week. It’s not your fault. Speaking of Anya though, I should probably go wake her up-“ Loid glanced at Anya’s door, but saw she was already up. Anya was hiding behind the hallway, her faced flushed and embarrassed. 

“It’s alright, Anya. Come sit down and eat.” Loid assured her. 

Anya glumly took her seat. “I’m sorry I’m so bad at school already.” 

“I’m not mad. We can’t change what happened, so you just focus on making it better. Besides, you’re not bad at school. Your classes haven’t even started yet.” 

“Wow, that’s so sweet, Loid!” Yor gushed. 

“It’s the truth. You just have to keep working at it Anya, and I bet you’ll be able to do great at school.”

When he and Yor took Anya to the bus, Loid nervously sent her off. “Make sure you apologize to Damian!” He called after her. 

“Will do!” I have to make up with Sy-on Boy,  for world peace! 

Loid shook his head, but smiled a bit. That was Anya alright- ready to make friends for the sake of her mission.

“Well, I should be heading off now.” Yor said. 

“Yes, it wouldn’t be good to be late.” 

“I know. I almost slept past my alarm this morning, it’s a good thing I didn’t do that!” Yor laughed. I was up late putting reminders to apologize all around Eden! It’s the least I could do. Hopefully, Anya will see them!

And that was so like Yor, Loid thought. Always working for the sake of her own mission. 

—————————-

Anya stepped off of the bus, with a goal set for herself. All she had to do was find Sy-On Boy, apologize, and be his friend. Then, she could make sure he was safe, for world peace! 

“Alright, this is your stop, mi’lady.” 

Mi’lady? Anya turned around and saw Becky step out of a fancy car. 

“Woah, you’re really a mi’lady?” Anya asked in amazement. 

“Well, that’s what my driver calls me. Did you come here on the bus today?” 

“Mm hmm.” 

“How about I have my driver give you a ride to and from school from now on?” 

“Really?” 

“Of course!” 

“Does that make me your sister?” 

“Huh? It’s just a ride, we’re not adopting you…” Becky said. “Y’know, I am jealous of the dorm kids though. They just have to walk a few minutes…” 

Anya tuned out a bit of what Becky was saying. She searched the crowd, hoping to spot Sy-On Boy. 

She saw him and his friends walking down the steps that led to the dormitories. 

“Ugh, those jerks are here too.” Becky groaned. 

Anya didn’t pay her any mind, and walked up to them. 

“Hey, what are you doing here, dumb Uggo?!” One of his friends pointed. 

“We’re walking.” Becky retorted. “Come on, Anya.” Becky grabbed her hand and pulled her away. 

“Wait, I gotta say sorry! I have to apologize for world peace!” 

——————————

It was Anya’s very first class of the day. The very first class of her entire school career. 

And it was very scary. 

She could hear people whispering all around her. It didn’t even sound like they were trying to hide it! 

They didn’t like her already…they thought Anya was scary! 

“Hey, Anya, don’t worry about them. Everyone’s so shallow.” Becky stated. “I guess I’m the only one here who knows how nice you are!” 

“You think I’m nice?” 

“Well, yeah!” Becky smiled. “Oh, here, look at this! How cute is it?” Becky held up a pencil topper that looked like a sheep. It was really cute…and made Anya feel a little better. 

Maybe school won’t be so bad…

Anya spent the rest of the lesson trying to focus, but it was boring and confusing. 

The teacher kept talking about fract-ons and dem-inators. Anya tried and tried to pay attention, but then she felt like she was being watched. 

Mama had taught her to always pay attention to her surroundings like she should pay attention to school. So Anya looked around, and Sy-On Boy was staring at her. 

He quickly turned away, leaving Anya to wonder what that was all about. 

She faced the board again, but she suddenly found herself getting very sleepy. Maybe a quick nap wouldn’t hurt… 

——————————-

“Anya! Wake up, we have Science class next!” 

Anya picked her head up off the desk, and Anya frantically looked around the room. 

“Where’s Sy-On Boy?!” 

“Sy-On Boy? You mean Damian? He and his goons left already. Why do you wanna talk to him so bad?” 

“I have to apologize!” 

“Is that what you’re so worried about? It’s ok if you don’t. It was their fault. Besides, you’ve got me in your corner now!” Becky smiled. “I'm gonna protect you, promise!” Becky pulled Anya in for a quick hug. 

Anya felt so happy to know she wasn’t alone, and that she had a best friend! But Mama and Papa had really wanted Anya to say sorry.

They went to Science class and the teacher took them outside. Anya found this class way cooler than Math. The teacher was talking about reflections and lights…and then Anya noticed something on the ground. 

A shadow that spelled out, “Today is a good day to apologize!” 

Where was that coming from? Was that a message from god?! 

The day went by and Anya kept getting more and more messages. 

Her book in Reading class was different from everyone else’s. The story was about someone who didn’t want to say sorry, but her book said that the boy did apologize. 

The plants outside spelled out “Sorry.” 

When it was finally time for lunch, Anya’s omurice even had “Sorry” written in ketchup! 

“I don’t think I’m going to order that.” Becky commented. 

“I guess I really need to say sorry.” Anya mumbled. 

“It’s ok, Anya, really.” 

“But, my mama and papa said I have to apologize…and if I don’t, there won’t be world peace!” 

“Do you mean peace in your school world?” 

“Um, yes.” 

Becky sighed. “I guess, if you really want to.” 

“Thanks Becky!” Anya cheered. She slid off of the bench, and went straight to Sy-On Boy’s table. 

“What? Are you here to fight again?” The friend with the tall hair glared at Anya. 

“No! I’m here-“ 

“Here to what, stubby legs?” The other friend said. 

“I…” Stubby legs? 

“That was great, Emile!” The tall-hair one said. “She does have stubby legs.” 

Anya felt her lip begin to wobble. Sy-On Boy's friends just kept laughing at her… 

“I…I’m really sorry!” She finally managed to force it out. “I’m sorry I hit you!” She started to cry. “I just wanted to be your friend, I promise!” 

Anya finished, and rubbed at her eyes, trying to stop her crying. 

She glanced up at him, and to her surprise, Sy-On Boy’s face had turned bright, bright, red.

“Leave me alone! I'd rather die than let you win!” He shouted suddenly, startling Anya. “I’ll never, ever forgive you! My pride won’t allow it!” 

He ran out of the lunch hall, face still as red as a tomato. 

“Hm. Lord Damian won’t fall for a woman’s tears!” Ewen smirked, with pride. 

“We’ll let you off the hook today, but you better watch out!” Emile yelled, as he and Ewen went after Sy-On Boy. 

Anya blinked. That was certainly not how she expected her apology to go. 

School…school was kind of scary. 

——————————

“So, the denominator is three, which makes this number one third. If you add three thirds, it makes one. Simple, right?” 

“Uhhhhh…” Anya’s mind was swirling. Loid could tell she didn’t understand her homework despite his best efforts to help. 

“Maybe it’s time for a break?” Yor suggested. 

“No, I think it’s best if we finish this tonight, so she doesn’t fall behind.” Loid decided. 

But my cartoon… Anya thought sadly. 

“Anya, if you finish this, you can stay up late to watch your cartoon. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to watch it.” Loid offered, hoping a reward of some kind would get her attention. “Ok, let’s try this. What if…we had a cookie, and it was cut into three parts. If we take one part of the cookie, it’s one third.” 

Anya looked dumbfounded. I don’t get it! There aren’t cookies on the paper. How can a number be smaller than one? This doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to study but I gotta do this! 

“Mama…” Anya slowly lifted her head to look at Yor. “Can you help me?” 

“Oh, alright! We can look it over together!” 

Maybe Yor would be able to help Anya better? She had raised Yuri after all, and probably had to help him with his studies. 

Let’s see…the denominator is five, so that’s five pieces. Loid’s example used cookies. For visualization, let’s rip all five limbs off of a gingerbread man’s torso. Oh, but then the head gets it the way! Hm..five, five…it’s kind of weird how a five looks like an S… 

Loid’s jaw dropped. He didn’t think Yor would be able to explain things to Anya any better than he could. 

“Mama?” Anya desperately asked. 

“Um, ok. Imagine a gingerbread man split into five parts-“ 

Anya’s thoughts were even more confused and stressed. 

Suddenly, she cried out, “I don’t want to study anymore!” 

“Hey, wait!” Loid called out, but Anya had already shut her bedroom door. 

“Um…Loid?” Yor quietly said. “I don't think it’s a good idea to be too forceful at times like this.” 

“I know, but she has to study. That’s how she can be an Imperial Scholar.” 

“Is that what Anya wants? Or is it just what we want?” Yor looked down. I know how important this is for my mission but she’s still so little.  “Maybe…if Anya really enjoys school, she’ll want to study more. She’ll be happy to go, which means…” 

“We shouldn’t put too much pressure on her.” 

“Yeah. I mean, she’ll still have to study to keep her grades up, but…” 

“Of course. You’re right.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Yor suddenly exclaimed. “I’m butting into your family matters-“ 

“No, it’s fine. I appreciate it. Sometimes I lose my cool a bit.” Loid admitted. 

“I’m sure every parent does. Why don’t I make some tea, and we can relax?” 

“That sounds perfect. Thank you Yor.” 

Yor went into the kitchen, but Loid still stood outside of Anya’s door. 

Gotta keep studying. It could help me with the mission. I have to stay at school. 

Yor had been right, in more ways than one. Anya was still so young, with a lot on her plate. No child should have to worry about the safety of another student, or a mission on their shoulders, but Anya did. She didn’t need more stress on top of that. 

Loid took in a deep breath. He remembered all too well what having a responsibility forced upon you at Anya’s age was like.

“ Twilight, it’s time to study.” 

“But I wanna draw! You said I could draw!“ 

“Right now, you must study. You have to do that, if we want to achieve world peace.” 

They didn’t want him for world peace. Twilight knew that. They just told him that so he would cooperate.

Twilight felt his eyes sting, and start to water. 

He didn’t want to study anymore. He studied all the time. They tested him all the time. He had been so good. Why couldn't they let him draw? 

Why couldn’t they leave him alone?

“Now, now, there’s no time for tears.”

He was told he had a responsibility to use powers he had never asked for, all for “world peace.” 

Anya was told she had a responsibility to protect another child, by people she didn’t choose to be with, all for “world peace.”

He didn’t want Anya, or any other child, to have to deal with that. That was the reason he had adopted her in the first place. So she would have the support he never did. 

So she wouldn’t feel like the only thing she could do was cry.

Yeah. It would be best to give studying a break for the night. 

“Hey Anya, Yor is making hot cocoa. How about you come out, and we can watch your spy cartoon?” 

She didn't answer. Loid listened out for her thoughts, but he didn’t hear anything. He slowly pushed the door open. 

Anya had fallen asleep on her desk, sprawled out all over her homework. 

Loid glanced at the papers, and the pencil in her hand. She had fallen asleep trying to study…  

Loid gently took the pencil from Anya, and lifted her up. He tucked her into bed, making sure she had the plushie she carried all over the house, and turned the light off.

Guess I’ll have to record her show for her. 

Chapter Text

“Torture me all you want! I’ll never tell you anything!” Bondman yelled. 

Anya was a hundred percent focused on the cartoon. Loid wished she could put that kind of concentration on her studies. He had made sure to not overdo studying time, but it was still something Anya had to do. 

“This is bad, I only have two bullets left!” Bondsman told the audience to mark the end of episode. Anya clicked the TV off, still intently staring at the screen. 

“Papa, how many bullets can Bondman’s pistol have?” 

“If I remember correctly, it holds eight, right?” 

“So that’s two-eights.” 

Loid stood up off of the couch, partially in shock. “Yes, that’s right! Good job!” 

Anya’s eyes flashed with determination. “He has two eighths of his bullets left.” 

“You know what that means?” Was the cartoon the key to teaching Anya? 

Loid was eagerly thinking of ways he could incorporate this to help Anya. If it could make studying fun, and easy to understand, it could help Anya and Yor a lot! 

Then, the door burst open. Loid cringed when he heard how hard it slammed against the wall, but that noise was in nothing in comparison to Yor’s panicked thoughts. 

“Welcome back, Yor. Is everything ok?” 

“No! It’s not ok!” She yelled. Loid was sure he had gone pale. If everything wasn’t ok, maybe Yor had been discovered as a spy! Or had an extreme emergency to deal with?! 

“Mama! He has two eights of his bullets left!” 

“Uh, what?” Yor briefly questioned Anya, but shook her head, and went right back into panic mode. “It’s my brother, Yuri! He’s coming here! Tonight! Here!” 

“What?!” 

“I know! We can’t let him find out the marriage is fake!” It’ll ruin Operation Strix! 

“Calm down, Yor! We’ve prepared for this!” Loid exclaimed. Whenever they had company, Loid and Yor had a plan in mind to play the perfect, lovey-dovey couple. 

Though maybe, the “lovey dovey marriage kit” was a bit too…extreme. 

Loid felt his face flush when he and Yor set up his room to look like they shared it. Her face had gone redder than his. 

“Mama and Papa are flirting.” Anya bluntly stated. 

“No we are not!” Loid and Yor shouted at the same time. 

——————————-

A few hours later, everything had been set. Dinner plates were cleaned, the living room tidied up, and the lovey dovey marriage kit was set out. All that was left to do was to wait. 

And wait they did. The clock chimed, making the Forgers aware of the late hour. 

“Mama’s brother still isn’t here yet?” 

“He’s your uncle, and no, it doesn’t seem so.” 

“Unkie…” Anya muttered, then let out a giant yawn. 

“It’s a bit past your bedtime, Anya.” 

“But I want to meet my Unkie too.” She sleepily said. 

“He probably just got held up at work again.” Yor said, from her place at the window. 

Anya let out another yawn, and then promptly fell asleep. 

Yor apologized for the later hour again, and again, but Loid assured her it was alright. He took Anya to bed, and went to help Yor set out some coffee. 

Loid’s attention was caught by the sound of their doorbell. 

“Ah, that must be him!” Yor said. 

Loid opened the door. 

Yuri Briar looked just like Yor. The resemblance was clearly there. He held a bottle of wine in one hand, and a giant bouquet of roses in the other. 

But the most startling thing to Loid was the bright smile that didn’t match Yuri’s thoughts. 

I’m going to find out whether or not you are worthy of my sister, Loid Forger. And if not, I’ll have you sitting in a cell for the rest of your life! “Hi, I’m Yuri! Thank you for having me.” 

“Of course. Welcome!” Loid grinned, trying to move past what he had just heard. He was certain it was just a case of an overprotective brother, but if Yuri actually had the authority and intent to have Loid arrested, things could get messy. 

“Why don’t you two catch up? I can go make something to eat real fast.” Loid offered, taking the moment to gather himself. 

“Oh, I’m not hungry!” I’d never eat something he made. 

“What’s with the scary face, Yuri? You don’t need to be nervous!” Yor reassured him. 

“Oh, I’m relaxed!” Ugh, I’m letting my hostility show! I guess I’m still worked up from that interrogation…  

Interrogation? Did Loid hear that right? 

Yuri wasn’t a cop. He worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not entail any kind of interrogation. 

Unless…he didn’t actually work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs…. 

Relax Loid. You’re just on edge. You’ve never had a visitor over except for Franky. 

“These flowers are so nice, Yuri.” Yor smiled. But Yuri didn’t reply. He took a seat in the living room chair, a still hostile look on his face. 

“You know Yor, I still haven’t accepted your 

marriage.” 

“What?” Yor turned around. 

“Why did you keep it a secret for a year? I can’t give you my blessing until you give me an answer.” 

That was a reasonable question, Loid thought. 

Earlier in the day, Loid had suggested telling the truth. They were in a marriage to protect Yor from suspicion, however Yor was quick shut that idea down. 

According to Yor, Yuri had always been sensitive, and if he knew that the marriage was fake, that Yor wasn’t with someone she actually loved, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

There was also the fact that she didn’t want to blow her cover. Not that she told Loid that, but he knew that was the reason Yor would pretend to be in a real marriage, and she wasn’t about to tell Yuri that either. 

Yor told Loid she had a perfect explanation for Yuri, and Loid figured he had to trust her on that. After all, she was the one who knew Yuri best. 

Yor took a seat on the couch. 

You’ve got this, Yor. Loid silently encouraged her.

“Well? Why didn’t you tell me?” Yuri asked. 

“You see…I just, well…I just forgot!” 

Loid dropped the dish he was cleaning into the sink. 

Yuri had a blank look on his face. “Huh?” 

“I just spaced out!” Yor explained.

“But the other week…” Yuri started. “On the phone, you said you had a date!” 

“I just forgot that I had forgotten to tell you I got married!” 

Loid dropped another dish. 

This was Yor Briar, aka, the AgentThorn Princess, the best spy in all of Westalis and Ostania! That’s what she came up with?! 

“I guess I just have to take your word for it!” Yuri said. 

Loid’s jaw dropped. That worked?! 

“Wow sis, you really can be such a scatterbrain sometimes.” Yuri joked. 

“I know!” Yor laughed. 

Was this normal for them? Loid wondered as he set down the food on the coffee table. 

Yuri scoffed. Where does he get the nerve to butt in like that? …I gotta cool it with the attitude. I can play nice for a bit. Yuri took a bite of the fish Loid had made up earlier. His eyes went wide, and he took another bite…and then another. 

“Loid’s a wonderful cook, isn’t he?” Yor grinned. 

Yuri continued eating the food, but he wasn’t happy about it. It’ll take a lot more than food to win me over, you scumbag! 

Loid was still slightly impressed by how Yuri acted polite when his thoughts were anything but. 

“Oh, I nearly forgot, I brought some wine!” Yuri picked up the bottle and handed it to Loid. 

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Loid said a quick thanks. 

I’ll get you drunk and expose you for the liar you really are! 

That…was less thoughtful. But still, Loid would drink a bit to be polite. “Yor, I think it might be best if you abstain tonight.” 

“That’s a good idea.” She agreed. Too bad. But I remember what happened the last time…

“So…” Yuri began. “Where’d you two meet anyway?” 

“A little boutique on 3rd street.” Loid answered honestly. 

“I'd never had a man stare at me so intently before! Like, what’s his deal?” Yor recounted. 

“Yeah, well, she was just so beautiful!” Gotta change the subject. We don’t want to mess up and get caught in the lie. “Then, after we went to dinner a few times, things just took off.” Loid explained. 

Yuri leaned forward. “Tell me a little more about these dates. What restaurants did you go to? What did you order? How many dates? When did the two of you decide to get married?” 

“Uh…” Loid stopped. This felt like an interrogation. 

“What do the two of you like to call each other?” 

“Um, I call her Yor?” 

“Yor!” Yuri shouted. But that’s our thing! “What do you call him?” Yuri’s voice was desperate. “Loi-Loi…or Loidy?” 

Yor didn’t even have time to answer. Yuri grabbed the bottle of wine, and began chugging it like he hadn’t had anything to drink in a week. He yelled about the name “Loidy,” and then crashed into his seat. 

“Look, I just call him Loid!” Yor insisted. 

Yuri looked a little…out of it, so Loid offered him a glass of water. 

What does she see in this guy anyway? So what if he can cook? And he’s tall…handsome. Thoughtful. A doctor… 

“Damn it!” Yuri stood up and chugged even more wine. 

“Yuri, calm down!” Yor chastised. 

Was this normal for them too? It didn’t matter. Loid just had to divert the conversation to Yuri, or some other topic. 

“So, Yuri, Yor tells me you’re some kind of diplomat? That’s quite an impressive line of work. And your big sister sure loves to brag about you.” 

“Yes, Dominic told me you went to Hugaria recently!” Yor said. 

“Oh, yeah. Still just for work stuff though. I mean, the city was beautiful. I wish you could’ve gone, sis. You would’ve loved it. There were so many cafes. This one store I went to made a killer stew.” Good, this tactic is working. It came straight from my SSS manuals, but they don’t suspect a thing! 

Loid froze. 

SSS? As in the State Security Service? The Secret Police force that silenced anything or anyone they deemed a threat? 

A threat… like someone who could read minds. A threat like a spy. A threat like a girl taken in by an assassin organization. 

And Yor had no idea! Loid had never heard her think about that once! 

Loid had to take a deep breath. He had to be rational about this. It could be dangerous, but as long as Yuri didn’t figure out who the Forgers actually were, then it’d be ok. 

He hoped. 

“That explains the wine then!” Loid commented. 

“I picked it up from a little shop on a place called Hedger street.” 

“I hope it wasn’t too pricey.” 

“Not so bad. It was around 200 dalc.” 

“Ah, well that’s fancy enough for me!” Loid put on a fake smile. “I guess the drinks will be on us next time.” 

Yor smiled. “It’s great you have a cool older brother now, huh Yuri?” 

Yuri went quiet. He suddenly stood up, slamming his hand on the table. “I don’t recall ever giving this my blessing! He’s not my brother, understand me?!” 

Yor frowned. “Yuri, don’t be so rude!” 

“You’re right about me.” Yuri looked at Loid. “I have a respectable job, a good future. I can afford to buy nice bottles of wine. But that’s all because of my sister! We lost our parents and we had no money. We couldn’t even afford to buy school books. But Yor went out…and she…she worked herself bloody. Just to make me happy. So I decided, I’d work hard to be the kind of man who could protect my sister. She’s the most important thing in the world to me. Think about it! Can you even imagine how it feels to have some random guy show up and take away the person you care about the most?” 

“Yuri…” Yor trailed off. 

“I mean of course I wanted you to get married, and find true happiness, but with the right guy! The kind of guy who can protect you, and be there for you! Are you telling me you’re that guy?! Loidy?!” Yuri pointed at Loid. 

Loid remembered just how intent Yor was on keeping up the marriage facade. Even though she wanted to get married for the mission, Loid knew it was also important to Yor that she didn’t make Yuri worry about her. 

“I love Yor just as much as you do, if not more.” 

“Huh?!” Yor exclaimed. 

“My daughter loves her very much too. She’s already a part of my family. And if spears, or bullets, or even meteors rain down, I’d give my life to protect Yor!” 

Yuri gasped. I can do spears or bullets, but meteors? Is he crazy powerful?! How could he?! “Yeah, well- talk is cheap! So you can say whatever you want! I can see you lying all over your liar face!” Yuri continued to point at Loid, but shook the table and accidentally knocked his water glass down. 

“Oh, Yuri!” Yor said. 

“I’ve got it.” Loid reached for a napkin on the table…but Yor did too. 

Their hands brushed up against each other’s. They quickly pulled away, faces turning red. 

Yuri studied them. “Hmm…that’s weird. You guys have been married for a year and you do that when your hands touch? Wait…are you even actually married?” 

“Of course! Look how in love we are!” Loid reached for a faked picture of him and Yor hugging. Yor grabbed the other end, and held it up too. 

“If you’re as married as you say, you’re gonna have to prove it to me somehow.” 

“Would you like to see our marriage certificate?” 

“That’s not what I mean! You’ve got to kiss her right here and now.” 

Now, it was Loid and Yor’s turn to gasp. 

“Why are you shocked? It should be easy if you’re madly in love.” Yuri said. 

“You’re making it awkward…” Yor muttered. 

“If you can’t kiss, I’m gonna go to city hall and get your marriage annulled!” 

No ! That would ruin the girls’ missions, and Loid’s cover! He had to act fast! Think Loid…think! I’ve been in relationships before. I’m sure Yor has been in plenty of fake relationships for her missions. It’s just one kiss. One kiss and it’ll be over! 

“Well, if that’s all it will take.” Loid forced out. 

“ What?!” Yor screamed. 

“Come on Yor, we kiss everyday.” 

Yor’s face went redder, if that was even possible. 

I have to do this! I have to do this for Operation Strix! 

Loid put a hand on her shoulder, and leaned in. 

Yor looked terrified, and kept making a high pitched, nervous and drawn out sound. 

What do I do?! I don’t know what to expect! I read somewhere your first kiss tastes like lemons- that’ll go great with the fish! Will it?! Oh no, what do I do?! 

Yor backed away from Loid. “Um…shall we?” He asked. 

“We shall, in one minute!” Yor swiped the bottle of wine off the table, knocked off the cap, and began to drink. There’s no way I can do this sober!

When she polished off an impressive amount of the wine, she slammed the bottle back down, wiped her mouth on her sleeve, and then hiccuped. 

Was she already drunk?! 

“Sorry for the wait honey. Let’s do this.” Yor slurred over her words. 

“Um, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Loid whispered. 

“No, we have to-“ Yor hiccuped again. “We have to keep up appearances!” 

“Whispering isn’t helping your case you know!” Yuri yelled. “Are you gonna do this or not?! Prove to me you’re really a married couple!” 

Then, Loid felt a breeze pass by, and heard a metallic clang. 

Yor had thrown a fork at Yuri, and it was so precise, she had actually managed to graze Yuri’s cheek. 

“Quiet Yuri. If you just watch, we’ll show you how in love we are.” Yor seemed extremely confident now, as she leaned in closer to Loid. 

“Um, ok, Yor…” He closed his eyes. 

“Wait, no!” Yuri shouted suddenly. “I didn’t mean…why are you being so obscene! I can’t see you kiss someone in front of me!” 

Loid opened his eyes. Yuri was sprinting towards him and Yor, eyes wide in horror. 

Unfortunately for Yuri, Yor also opened her eyes, and saw Loid, who was still leaned in close, but also looking away from her. 

“I knew it! I can’t go through with this!” She raised a hand, like she was going to swat Loid away- but ended up hitting Yuri instead. 

He went flying across the room, and crashed into the vase of flowers. Loid was horrified- but still a little impressed at Yor’s show of strength. 

Yuri slowly sat up, face bloody and bruised. 

Yor stretched out a hand. “Yuri?” 

“I can’t believe it. You’d really hurt me sis? For stopping you from kissing him? I can’t believe…you’d want to smear your own lips all over this guy so badly!” He’s not worthy of Yor! No man is! 

“Um…you’re bleeding.” Loid pointed out. 

Yuri narrowed his eyes, and glared at Loid. “For now, Loid Forger, my sister's lip are yours. But-“ 

“Huh?! Why would you say that?!” Yor shrieked, and she slapped Yuri. Again. 

He crashed into the same wall. Yor buried her face in her hands.  

Yuri slowly, and shakily, stood up. “I’ve let you win this round! But don’t forget-“ 

“Bleeding. Still.” Loid had to wonder if the Briars had always been this bad at handling alcohol. 

“Oh Yuri! Are you ok, you’re about to fall over…” Yor said, as she herself stumbled over to her brother. 

“You’re about to collapse too.” He said, grabbing onto Yor for support. “You are such a worry wart sometimes…”

It didn’t take long before both of them were swaying, so Loid did his best to help them upright. The scene was kind of sweet, despite what happened before it. 

“Hm? What’s with that smirk on your face? Are my failures that amusing to you?” Yuri demanded. 

“Oh, no! I was just admiring the bond you two have. You each had each other for support, but you’ve got me in your corner now too. Yuri, thank you for protecting Yor up until now.” Like she needs any protection, Loid thought. “But I’m here to protect her with everything I’ve got too. Let’s give Yor the happiness she deserves.” Loid tried to resolve the situation as best he could. 

“What?! Why would I ever want help from a guy like you?! I’m going home!” Yuri picked up his briefcase and his coat, and grabbed the door handle.

“You’re welcome back anytime you want!” Loid offered. “I’m sure Yor would like that. And you could meet my daughter too.” 

“Oh, she’s so cute, Yuri! You’d love her!” 

Yuri looked like he could just explode. “Oh I’ll come back alright! But not cause I want to! It’s because I'll prove you tricked my sister into marrying you!” 

“I’m not being tricked!” Yor retorted. 

“I swear Loid Forger. If you make my sister cry a single tear, I’ll have you exec-uh, you’ll rue the day! Yeah, that’s it!” Yuri drunkenly stumbled down the hallway, yelling about how he'd make Loid pay. Yor called after him, telling him to get home safely. 

He was definitely going to say executed, wasn’t he? Loid let out a breath he felt like he had been holding all night. 

This could be concerning. 

——————————

Loid felt like he was being a bit paranoid as he checked for bugs, but he knew how the SSS operated, and Yuri was an officer with a grudge. 

He didn’t find any, thankfully, but the nerves remained. Loid had gone under the radar for almost twenty years, and of course he knew there would be risks involved when he entered a fake marriage with a spy…but she was working for Westalis, and they had no knowledge of Twilight, as far as Loid knew. 

Yuri on the other hand…well, he was the biggest threat to Loid, and now, the biggest threat to the Forger family. 

But still, something kept nagging at Loid. Yuri had said he Loid tricked Yor into this marriage, and…he had, in a way. Hadn’t he? 

He read her mind. He knew things Yor had worked so hard to keep secret, and isn’t that why he agreed to the marriage? Because he knew that she needed help with Operation Strix? 

Loid had long since gotten over the guilt he felt about using his powers. He couldn’t exactly help that, and as long as he wasn’t using what he heard to his own advantage, it was fine. 

Even then, though, he felt like he had used their secrets to his advantage. He was old enough to look suspicious without a family, and well, if their missions failed…it wouldn’t be good. For him, or for anyone. 

Would he have agreed to that marriage or the adoption if he hadn’t known? 

It’ll be fine. It’s not like you’re telling everyone their secrets. He thought. He picked up the dirty plates and brought them to the kitchen. 

He joined Yor at the sink, where she was glumly washing the dishes. What a disaster. Yor thought to herself. 

“Well, that was certainly an exciting evening, wasn’t it?” Loid said. 

“I guess. You know…I just wanted to say thank you. You still welcomed Yuri into your family even after the way he behaved.” 

“I can tell you two are close.” 

“Hm. We are.” Yor smiled. 

“I’ll admit, I was a bit envious. Besides Anya, I don’t have any close family or even many close friends.” And Anya’s not even my real daughter. “In any case, I’m glad he didn’t find out about our big secret!” 

“Yeah!” And I’m glad he didn’t find out about my secret either! “All of the exhaustion is hitting me at once. Let’s finish cleaning and go to bed! Uh, after we fix the room of course!” 

“Of course. That sounds great.” 

Chapter Text

Yor felt terrible the next day. It felt like everything that could go wrong with meeting Yuri went wrong, and Loid was forced to smooth over the situation. 

She hated that. She hated putting any part of the mission on his shoulders, but that was exactly what had happened last night. 

Yor decided she wanted to help out more. She could be a better wife and mother, and that would only help Operation Strix. “Loid, don’t worry about making breakfast this morning. I can handle it!” Yor announced. 

“Ok. Thank you, Yor.” 

Yor got to work immediately. She wasn’t sure what she could make, but she threw together a few nutritional ingredients, some salt and pepper, and served everything up. 

She set the table, and then went to get ready for the day. 

Anya walked into the bathroom, rubbing her eyes. 

“Good morning Anya! Did you sleep well?” 

“Mm hm.” 

“Good! You were pretty tired last night. I’m sorry you couldn’t meet Yuri, but he should be able to visit again!” 

“Who’s that?” 

“Huh?!” Yor didn’t understand. Anya was so excited last night! 

Though, maybe it was for the best. Things got eventful, to say the least. It would probably be better for Anya to meet Yuri when he had warmed up to Loid a bit more. 

Yor didn’t expect him to be so hostile, but Yuri distrusted Loid as soon as they met. 

She hoped Loid wasn’t mad. He didn’t appear angry, but he still felt…distant, that morning. 

He had welcomed her, and her brother into his own family, and that was all the thanks he got for it. He probably was a bit upset with her. 

Yor wondered what she could do as she sat down to breakfast. She needed to make it up to Loid. 

“Anya, come sit down and eat. You don’t want to be late.” Loid told her. 

“Papa, I heard a loud noise last night. What was that?” Anya asked. 

“That was your uncle. He… tripped. But he was ok.” 

“Was dinner exciting?” 

“I guess you could say that.” Loid remarked. 

“You mean, I missed something exciting?!” Anya shouted. “No! Give me back the excitement I missed!” 

“You’ll get to meet him, Anya. Yuri will come over again.” Yor said. 

Anya sadly took a bite of her food. Then, she grimaced. “Mama…you’re not a good cook.” 

“Anya!” Loid scolded. 

Yor’s eyes went wide. “Oh no! Was it that obvious?!”

——————————

Yor’s mind was wandering while she and Loid walked Anya to the bus stop. 

She was certain he was annoyed with her. That was why he was distant. Why wouldn’t he be? He was putting a real relationship on hold for the sake of his family, but Yor hadn’t been very wife-y at all! 

“Have a good day at school at Anya.” Loid said. Anya looked at the both of them curiously. 

“You and Mama should get along again. You guys were all weird this morning.” 

“We aren’t fighting.” Loid stated. 

“He’s right! We’re fine!” 

“That reminds me. You need to try and get along with your classmates, ok?” 

“Ok.” Anya agreed, and she climbed onto the bus. 

Loid said a quick goodbye to Yor, and went on his way to work. 

—————————-

Yor’s job at city hall was just a cover for her. Since she had an established identity with family in Ostania, she couldn’t just disappear, like the other spies in WISE. 

So, when she wasn’t acting as Agent Thorn Princess, carrying out missions, she was working an office job at city hall. Yor treated this job seriously, just like she did with her missions. 

But that day, she had been finding it a bit difficult to focus. 

And so, she did something she rarely ever did. 

Go to her coworkers for help. 

“Are you really asking how to become a good wife?” Sharon sounded annoyed. “Why, is there trouble in paradise?” 

“I don’t think I’d say that. It’s just…this is my first time being with someone. I want to make sure I’m acting right. I’m worried things will just fall apart at this rate. It doesn’t help that I’m a horrible cook on top of everything else.” 

“Why don’t you just break up with him?” Mille rolled her eyes.

“I’d like to avoid that!” 

“ Hey! You four, quit talking and get back to work!” Their manager interrupted. Yor’s coworkers went back to their work, leaving Yor with barely any advice. 

“Yor, would you take this to the post office for me?” Her manager said. 

“Oh, sure.” Yor took the envelope and walked to the office, passing a bank on the way. 

There was an advertisement, showcasing shared bank accounts for married couples. 

Yor and Loid even had separate accounts. Maybe she could contribute more of her actual earnings to the family? 

No, Loid didn’t need a lot of financial help. He made that clear in their agreement it wasn’t her responsibility to help him with anything. Besides, he might get suspicious if she suddenly had more money than she should. 

“Yor? Is that you?” Yor whipped her head around. It was Loid, right behind her. 

“Loid? What are you doing out here?” 

“I was on break. There’s a great cafe a little ways away.” 

“Oh.” 

“Are you on break?” 

“No, just running an errand for my boss.” 

“Ah.” 

“Excuse me?” Another voice said. 

Yor glanced at the newcomer, a man wearing an SSS uniform. “Are you Loid Forger?” 

—————————-

Loid kept a calm expression as he and Yor walked with the officer into an alleyway, despite the nerves he was currently feeling. 

“Officer? What is this about?” 

“We received a call that you were behaving suspiciously. We take those things very seriously.” That Briar kid was very insistent we look at Forger. 

So, that was it. He wasn’t really in trouble, but Yuri had wanted him investigated. Of course. 

“Ah, I understand… I can assure you that I’ve done nothing to arouse suspicion.”

“Do you know who called in the tip?” Yor asked. 

“We do, but that’s not information we can divulge.” His sister wasn’t supposed to be here. God, this is annoying. 

“Then can we know what exactly I’m suspected of?” Loid questioned, keeping his tone calm. 

“We were told you tricked your wife into marrying you, and that was cause for concern. And any threat, no matter how small, is something we take seriously. We may have to go ahead with interrogation, Mr. Forger.” What a pain that would be. He’s not even nervous! This guys got nothing to hide.

Good, that was working… 

“That’s ridiculous!” Yor stated. “I can tell you, here and now, there was no trick. My husband is a good, upstanding member of society. He’d never do anything to harm this country!” 

There it was…that guilt again. 

The officer looked at Loid, at Yor, and back again.

“Well…I suppose the tip we got was a bit…paranoid.” That Briar kid probably just picked a fight with his sister's husband. Looking for evidence that’s not there. “That will be all.” 

“Thank you, Officer, for ensuring the safety of our country.” Loid added, just to assure the officer even further that the Forgers had nothing to hide. 

Still, Loid felt relief wash over him when the officer was out of sight. 

“What an ordeal.” Loid sighed. 

“Who would have called in a tip like that?” 

Yuri would. “Mrs. Wendy, probably. She’s an older lady in the apartment complex. She’s always been a bit suspicious of everything.” Loid lied. 

“Ah…I see.” Yor looked down. I can’t believe this…I almost got arrested. I almost got Loid arrested! That would’ve ruined my family, and the mission! 

“We’ve had a quite interesting couple of days, haven’t we?” Loid spoke up. 

“Yeah. It’s been a bit rough. I'm sorry, I’m just…not very good at this. I mean, what kind of wife can’t even cook breakfast?” 

So, that was bothering Yor. She was so confident when it came to fighting, or any of her other missions, all except for Strix. Loid was positive she’d never had a mission like this one before. 

“You know, I think everyone feels like that at some point. Plenty of families have people playing parts. They think, ‘this is how a wife should be,’ or, ‘this is what parents should do.’ Of course, wanting to live up one’s ideals is admirable, but if you focus too much on what you think you should be doing, you could lose sight of yourself. A lot of my patients at the hospital struggle with the same things. It can be exhausting, pretending all the time.” 

“Definitely.” Yor agreed. 

“Just be yourself. That’s all you need to do.” Loid said. “The more confident you are, the less people will suspect anything. Besides, I think Anya would rather see you happy when we get home!” Loid smiled. 

“Thank you for that.” I can’t tell them about my job, or my mission. But…I can try to be confident! “Thanks for the help.” 

“Of course. I’m sorry if I was acting weird this morning. I was just recovering from the night before. And…well, what Yuri said about me tricking you? I guess it really got to me.” He admitted. “I guess…I felt like I did trick you. It was beneficial to me for us to get married, and well-“ 

“Loid.” 

“Um, yes?” 

“I was the one who came up with the idea to get married, remember? You definitely didn’t trick me. You’ve been so welcoming, even dealing with all that stuff last night! If anything, it might’ve been me who tricked you!” Yor softly smiled. “You know, I’m truly grateful I married you, Loid.” 

Loid felt his face grow warm. “I uh- thank you.”

“I understand feeling a bit off though. Yuri was really trying to get under your skin.” She shook her head. “Last night was certainly interesting, wasn’t it?” Yor giggled. 

Loid could feel the tension he had felt fade away. “That’s one way to put it. Anyways…we never did anything for our ‘one year’ anniversary, did we?” 

“No, I don’t think we did!” 

“How about we get some dessert after work? I bet Anya would like cake.” 

“That works for me!” 

——————————

The day had gotten off to a rocky start, for sure, but Yor felt better when she and Loid talked. 

And, it really did make her happy when Anya came home, glad to see Loid and Yor were getting along again. 

“I told you we were never fighting.” Loid amusingly smiled. 

They weren’t exactly fighting, but Anya was very perceptive to notice they were a bit off. 

However, that had long passed. Their fake marriage was still intact, and Operation Strix could continue smoothly. 

And sharing a cake with her husband and her daughter made the rough day even better. 

——————————

“What do you mean there wasn’t anything suspicious about him?!” Yuri shouted. 

“I mean it. Your sister even vouched for him.” 

“Yor was there? She vouched for him?!” 

The officer shrugged as he walked out of the room. 

Yuri scowled. Loid Forger may have won this time, but this war was far from being over! 

Chapter Text

“I have returned!” Anya announced. 

“Hello, Anya! Welcome home!” Yor greeted her.

“How was school?” Loid asked. 

“Kind of boring. But in a few days, we get to play sports in P.E. Becky said we might even get a Stella star!” 

Yor kept a calm face, but Loid knew what she was feeling. It was like she was squealing and jumping up and down for joy, but in her own head. Her excitement hit Loid so fast, he almost fell to the ground. 

Luckily though, Loid didn’t fall over. “That sounds fun.” He commented, while he was busy trying to steady himself.

“Mm hmm. Becky really wants to get a star. Sy-On Boy does too!” 

“Sy-On Boy? Is he your classmate?” Yor asked. 

“Yes. They want to get stars and be imperial schoo-lars. But it sounds tough, so I don’t want to do that.” 

Oh no! I can’t have Anya not wanting to get any stars! Yor panicked. “I'm sure it’s not so bad! And it means you’re a good student!” 

Anya looked very skeptical. That won’t help with the mission. 

Anya had been working hard to be friends with Damian Desmond, as part of the mission she was supposed to carry out. Loid still didn’t like that Anya, an actual child, had an assignment like that, but being friends with a classmate couldn’t be too bad for her. 

And anyway, Yor needed Anya to get Stella stars for her mission. 

“Anya, you know a lot of kids want to be friends if you have a Stella star.” Loid told her. 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

“Hmm…then I guess I want to get a Stella Star!” 

“It is hard work though. You have to be a good student to get one.” Loid explained. 

“So if I'm good at sports, I can get one?” 

“Maybe.” Loid answered. 

“Oh, how about I help you train!” Yor exclaimed. If she does good in the game, we’ll have a star down! “What sport are you guys playing?” 

“Dodgeball.” 

“Hmm…Dodgeball. That’s the one where you throw the ball at your opponent to do them in, right?” 

Do them in? That’s one way of describing it. Loid thought. 

“That sounds so cool!” Anya gushed. “Teach me your killer moves, Mama!” 

“I’d be happy to! You’ll show ‘em what you’re made of, and get that star!” 

“Yeah! I didn’t know you liked sports though, Mama.” 

“I don’t play them, really! I just played catch with my brother when he was little, sometimes!” I can’t tell them I fight and throw people around for my job! 

——————————-

“Alright, first up, we should start with strength training.” Mama explained. 

Anya was ready for this training! If she got a Stella Star, then she could be friends with Sy-On Boy, and be able to tell the grownups at Garden if he was safe or not! Or at least, she would have an easier time doing that, because at the moment, Sy-On Boy wouldn’t tell Anya anything. 

So, Stella Stars were her best option. 

But strength training was hard. 

“Alright, that’s one sit up! Great job!” Mama encouraged her. “Two…three…four…” 

Anya couldn’t do it anymore! 

“Um, ok. We can count that as five!” Mama said after Anya had barely sat up all the way. 

——————————

“Stamina is very important! You need to be able to run for a long time in fig- I mean, sports!” 

Anya tried to keep up. But Mama was so fast! She was way ahead, and Anya was tired. 

She fell down. It didn’t hurt, but she was so tired, she just wanted to stay on the sidewalk. 

“Anya?! Are you ok?!” 

——————————

The rest of the week went by with more and more training. 

Mama had taught Anya the best way to throw a dodgeball. They meditated. They climbed lots of stairs. 

And Anya was certain- she was going to catch that Stella Star. 

——————————

The big day came. Anya had her P.E uniform set out, and a special headband that she told Papa she needed for the game. 

She even had a name for her special, killer move. 

She was gonna get that star, for her mission, and for world peace! 

“Hey, shrimp! You’d better not hold lord Damian back!” Emile taunted. 

“Ugh, why do we even have to play with them?” Becky muttered in disgust. 

Sy-On Boy. The target of Anya’s mission. She had to be friends with him, so she could make sure he was safe. If she did that, the Garden adults would get her an actual family! Maybe, she’d even be able to stay with her Mama and Papa! Plus, if Sy-On Boy stayed safe, there would be world peace!

“Hey, Uggo! What’re you looking at?!” 

Unfortunately, Sy-On Boy was a meanie and Anya didn’t like him very much. 

“Gather round, students!” Master Henderson called. 

Anya and the others followed his instructions. They were all eager to start the game. 

“Coach Bobby is out today, so I will be acting as his substitute. Remember to behave in a sportsmanlike way, and make some elegant plays! Today, we will start with a game between Class 3, Cecile Hall, and Class 4, Wald Hall. Begin!” 

Master Henderson blew the whistle, and tossed the ball into the air. 

Cecile Hall grabbed it first. Sy-On Boy caught the ball, and scanned the other side. 

Anya saw what he was looking at too. 

Another student in their class that towered above the rest. 

Sy-On Boy launched the ball towards him, but he caught it. Anya thought she saw the ball begin to smoke. 

“No way…” Sy-On Boy mumbled. 

“How is he that big? There’s no way he’s our age!” Becky shouted. 

“That’s Bill Watkins…” another classmate mumbled. 

“He’s the son of a major military general! They call him Bazooka Bill…he was an early bloomer and won all kinds of tournaments in kindergarten!” Ewen said, shaking. 

“What kind of kindergarten tournaments was he in?!” Becky exclaimed.

Sy-On Boy put on a brave face. “You know, wearing those glasses is dangerous in this game, old man!” He taunted. 

“Hm. That was a good throw.” Bill said, in a deep voice. Anya was starting to agree with Becky. There wasn’t anyway this guy was only six years old! 

“I would expect nothing less from the son of Donovan Desmond. But, you should know. Hits above the shoulders don’t count.” Bill paused, and took in the other classroom. 

He threw the ball- and wiped out four of Anya’s classmates. With one throw! 

Anya wondered how much training Bill had to have done with his parents. 

The whistle blew. “Four hits!” Master Henderson announced. 

Anya stared wide eyed at Bill. He was determined. He wanted that Stella star too. 

“This is crazy!” Becky shouted again. “If he hits any of us, we’ll die!” 

“I will try to hold back on the girls.” Bill stated. 

“Now that just made me angry!” Becky picked up a dodgeball, and tossed it right at Bill. He caught the ball, and threw it at Becky. 

“One hit.” Master Henderson announced. 

Becky somberly walked to the sidelines. This game was going to be really tough! 

“You sure like to talk a lot of smack, don’t you?” Sy-On Boy scoffed. “News flash! You can’t win dodgeball all alone. Formation G!” 

“Right!” Ewen and Emile responded. 

So they had been training too! No wonder Sy-On Boy was so confident. 

It looked like their practice was going to work! Sy-On Boy worked with his friends, and leapt high enough to throw the ball at Bill-! 

But again, Bill caught it. With a single toss, four more students were put out of the game. 

“This isn’t over!” Sy-On Boy yelled. 

He and his friends took the center of the court, and unleashed their special move. 

“Shadow Clone Attack!” 

Anya thought this was it! Surely, that would put Bill out of the game! 

Then, the ball came flying back, more forceful than it had been before, and it came flying at Sy-On Boy. 

And then Emile jumped in front of his friend. The class was silent as he blocked the hit…with his own face. 

He rolled over on the ground. Ewen rushed to his side, tears beginning to fall. 

Anya thought the whole thing was a bit dramatic. But Ewen didn’t see Bill aiming the ball again… and he got knocked out too. 

It was just Sy-On Boy, Anya, and another classmate left. 

Anya gulped when she looked at Bill. It looked like it would hurt if she got hit! 

Then, she saw a glint in his eyes. He was looking at Anya! He was gonna throw the ball at her next! 

In a split second, she threw herself to the ground. 

The ball went sailing over her head. 

That worked! 

Bill scowled. He raised another dodgeball, and threw it. 

Anya dodged again. She remembered what Mama had taught her about the dodging part of the game- keep an eye on your opponent, and try to predict where they’re gonna throw the ball next! 

Bill was eyeing the left side of Anya. So she raised her left arm, and the ball missed! 

He tried to throw it at her right, and he missed again. 

Bill shouted something. It sounded like “Homing Beacon Shot.” Wasn’t that a move Bondman used? The gun shot a bullet that changed its target at the last second…so that meant, if Anya tried to dodge, it would hit her! 

She stayed perfectly still. The ball hit her classmate off to the side. 

“One hit.” Master Henderson said. 

Bill had tears in his eyes now, clearly in shock at how Anya had dodged. 

Even Master Henderson seemed impressed. “What an elegant play!” 

“Ah! Anya, look out! Behind you!” Becky yelled. 

Anya put herself on the ground again, and felt the ball whoosh over her, as it bounced back into Bill’s hands. 

Her eyes went wide as he drew his arm back, aiming right at her. 

“Die!” He shouted. 

Anya shut her eyes, bracing for impact- but it never came. 

Sy-On Boy had jumped in front of her. He tried to catch the ball, but he dropped it. 

“One hit.” Master Henderson said again, sounding a little sad. 

“Sy-On Boy, you protected me. Are you actually a good guy?” 

“I wasn’t trying to protect you! I was just annoyed he kept picking on our team, so I tried to catch the ball. That’s it.” Sy-On Boy grumbled. “You’re the only one left, so try not to mess it up.” 

Anya pulled herself to her feet. This was it. The last chance she had to win at the game. 

“Anya, this is your final lesson. When you throw the ball, you have to put your whole weight into the throw. If it helps, you can think of it like an arrow of light.” 

Anya took Mama’s words to heart. This was the time to use her advice. 

The time to unleash her killer move! 

“I won’t let your death be for nothing!” She proclaimed. 

“I’m not dead, dummy!” 

Not even Sy-On Boy’s meanness could get to Anya. “I promise. I will avenge you!” 

She planted her feet, steadfast on the ground. 

Mama told me to shift my weight. 

Anya took a big step. 

The strength from the big step should go into my shoulders! 

She twisted around. 

Then the strength goes into my hands, and Um…yeah!  

She prepared to throw. 

“Killer shot: Star Catch Arrow!” 

She let the ball go, and- 

It bounced in the court. Once. Twice. It stopped at Bill’s feet. 

He picked it up, threw it, and Anya was out of the game. 

The whistle blew. “The game is over. Wald Hall wins.” 

The other class erupted into cheers. They swarmed Bill, praising him for winning the game. 

“That Stella is as good as yours!” One classmate said. 

“Stella? We do not award Stella for winning one small game in one small class. That would be quite ridiculous. However, I have no trouble handing out a Tonitrus bolt for yelling ‘die,’ at a classmate.” 

Bill hung his head. 

Anya felt upset too. It turns out she couldn’t even have won a Stella star at all! 

Sy-On Boy walked up to her. He took a deep breath. Then, he began yelling. “What the heck was that? That was the worst throw in history! I should’ve never defended you!” 

“I don’t think I like you very much.” 

“Huh?! What did you say, Uggo? 

“You shouldn’t talk to girls like that!” Becky interrupted. 

As they argued, Anya sighed. 

Nothing Mama teaches me ever helps. 

Chapter Text

Loid was silent as he held Anya’s graded tests she brought home. Two zero percents, one four percent, and one seven percent score. 

“Anya…about your grades…” Loid began. 

“Anya isn’t here right now.” She bluntly replied, not moving away from the TV for a second.  

Loid got up from his seat, and flicked the light on. 

Anya gasped. “No! I don’t want to study!” 

She tried to run, but Loid stopped her. “We made a deal. Five o’ clock is study time.” 

Anya kept kicking the air, hissing, and rambling about how she didn’t want to study. 

Loid knew the feeling, but still, it was important so she didn’t get kicked out of Eden. 

“I’ve told you before, Anya. This is spelled with an E, not an A.” Loid tried to explain. 

Anya wasn't very interested. She was swinging her legs, moving the pencil around, and clearly getting restless. 

Yor came into the room with a coffee and hot cocoa. As she set the tray down, she picked up one of Anya’s tests. “You know Loid, this isn’t that bad…considering. She did better than last time!” Yor flipped the math test around. “Good job, Anya! Keep it up!” Maybe if I encourage her, she’ll want to get Stella stars! 

“He has two eighths of his bullets left.” Anya stated. 

That’s right…Loid remembered how the cartoon had helped Anya understand fractions, at least a little bit more. 

“See this proverb here? Bondman was saying it in episode 16.” 

“I…don’t remember.” 

“Can you try to? It was the episode where the bad guy with the sideburns showed up.” Loid said, amazed he even remembered that. 

Anya really is trying. Yor thought. HQ suggested altering her grades, but that would be too suspicious! Before we can do that, Anya has to improve on her own. But she really doesn’t like studying…

Anya hung her head over the paper. 

Loid knew Yor was right. If they wanted Anya to improve, she couldn’t hate studying or school. 

Maybe Loid was pushing studying too much. There were other ways of earning Stella, after all. 

“Ok.” Loid stood up. “How about we take a break. Anya, do you wanna draw?” 

Anya’s pouty expression disappeared immediately. She ran for her paper and crayons, and began drawing away. 

Problem was…Loid couldn’t exactly tell what she was drawing without reading Anya’s mind. 

“Oh! I know- it’s a cheetah, right Anya?” Loid asked. She blankly stared at him. “Ok then. I bet it’s a panda!” 

“It’s a cow. The one from school.” 

(Maybe Loid should have read her mind for that answer after all.)

“How about we try playing music?” He suggested. “I’ve had this old violin for a while. It was a Christmas gift when I was little! I never picked it up though.” Loid dug out the old, cheap violin he had gotten from some orphanage toy drive. He only had it because he could never find anyone to buy it. 

It was almost a silver lining he could never sell it, because Anya seemed interested. She eagerly grabbed it, and then broke every string while she was playing. 

“There’s always sports!” Yor said. “Those are fun extracurriculars!” She held up two tennis rackets. Loid didn’t know that Yor played tennis. He’d have to ask about that later.

Like with the violin, Anya was enthusiastic. She grabbed the racket, but every time she tossed the tennis ball, she missed hitting it completely. 

Anya said she wanted to keep trying, so Loid put out a stool like a vaulting box, something he remembered would be in Anya’s P.E. classes. 

She tripped on the first jump and rolled over onto the ground. 

Anya cried the second she got up. Loid helped her to stand again. 

“It’s ok, don’t cry.” He tried to comfort her. 

Sometimes, with the way Anya was focused on her mission, it was easy to forget that she was only in first grade. (And she was likely not even old enough for first grade.) 

Of course she would cry over a small accident like that. 

Once Loid and Yor helped Anya calm down, Anya said she was ready for the next activity 

“Here, you can try jump roping!” Yor encouraged. “It’s a lot of fun!” 

Anya made one jump, then two, and then tripped again, somehow getting tangled in the rope. 

Yor was horrified. “Are you ok?!” 

“I’m fine Mama. I don’t think I like sports though.” 

She doesn’t like sports? Then I guess that’s one less way to get Stella…I know this was a long term mission but I don’t know how much time I have! What if Desmond makes a move soon? Oh no, that would be bad! Yor’s thoughts began to spiral, the way they often did when she got stressed. 

“That’s ok, Anya.” Loid assured her, and also indirectly tried to assure Yor. “I know you’re trying your best!” 

It’s not like there was one way of getting Stella…Anya had other options too. 

And then, Loid had an idea. 

“Hey, Anya. Why don't we go somewhere tomorrow?” 

“An ooting?”

——————————

Another way students could earn Stella stars was through long term volunteer work. 

Loid figured it couldn’t hurt to start on that with Anya. She could build up enough good credit to help earn a star, but volunteering was a good thing for her to do anyway. 

He looked up places where families could volunteer together, and found a hospital that was open that weekend. 

Yor couldn’t come that day. She said she had lunch with some coworkers, but Loid knew she was really going to take down an arms dealer. This outing was just him and Anya.

“Thank you all so much for coming to volunteer today!” A nurse welcomed their groups into the hospital. “I’ll assign each of you jobs to do!” The nurse went down the list, speaking to a few families before talking to Loid and Anya.

“And if the Forgers could please clean the dressing rooms, that would be great!” She pointed at a board with room numbers listed on them. 

Anya pointed at the board and excitedly shouted, “They have a pool!” 

“I’m sure it’s for physical therapy.” Loid explained. “We’re going to go help clean the dressing rooms.” 

——————————

The task was simple enough. They just had to fold hospital gowns, wipe down counters, and generally make the place look nice and clean. 

It should have been simple, but Anya broke a vase after trying to fill it with water. 

“Um…maybe cleaning the dressing rooms was a bit much. How about you help in the library?” The nurse suggested. 

Loid put books on the shelves, organizing them, and Anya was carrying books to him that needed to be shelved. 

Until she wasn’t next to him. He really should have expected she’d run off. This was Anya after all, and she had more energy than she knew what to do with. 

Loid closed his eyes, and listened out for Anya’s thoughts, but instead, all he heard was a very upset nurse. 

“Sir, will you please go do something about that?” 

She pointed at a couch, where Anya had given up on shelving books, and was enjoying reading them instead. 

At least she’s reading…? Loid thought. 

The Forgers got shuffled around again. They went to the cafeteria, where Anya dropped a tray of food. Then, they went to the laundry room, where Anya fell asleep on a pile of clean clothes. 

They got moved again. 

“I’m bored with chores.” Anya decided. “I wanna do the job where I hold the tools for the doctor!” 

“You mean the scalpel? Hey, wait!” Loid called after Anya, who was now running down the hallway. 

She didn’t make it very far before she ran into that same, grumpy nurse, and fell down.

The nurse’s eye twitched. Loid arrived just in time to hear her yell that they had done more harm than good, and needed to leave. 

“I’m sorry, Papa.” Anya mumbled. 

“It’s ok. Everybody makes mistakes.” 

But I really wanted to get a star. I wanted to help.

She sounded so disappointed…Loid wished he could do something. 

Then, he saw another nurse walking down the hallway. She had a stack of towels piled so high up, she could barely see over them. 

“Anya, do you want to do one more thing before we leave? I bet you could help that nurse carry the towels.” 

“Yes! Let’s go, let’s go!” 

The nurse was happy to let Anya and Loid take the towels away from her, and gave them instructions to go to the pool. 

“I get to see the pool after all!” Anya happily ran towards the pool, leaving Loid’s sight completely. 

“Anya! Wait!” 

——————————-

The pool was huge. Anya thought it looked fun to swim in, but Papa had told her it was for physical therapy. (Whatever that was.) 

There were a lot of adults in the class, but there was one boy, maybe a bit older than Anya, who was walking on crutches. He kneeled down, and stuck his hand in the water, wincing when he felt it. It was probably cold. 

Maybe he would need a towel to warm up?  Anya had come here to bring towels anyway, so she decided to go offer one to the boy. 

And then, he fell in. 

Anya was a bit shocked, and he looked caught off guard too. 

She waited for a few seconds to see if he was ok…but he didn’t come back up. 

He had been on crutches, which only people with hurt legs used. 

He couldn’t swim! 

Anya didn’t know what else to do, but to jump in and help him. 

Anya had only been swimming once, and she wasn’t great at it, but she couldn’t stand there and do nothing. 

She reached out a hand, but the pool was so deep. The boy kept sinking further and further, and Anya was running out of air. 

I can’t….

Anya knew she was going to pass out. She couldn’t save him, and now she put herself in danger. 

——————————

“Anya!” Loid yelled. She had taken off so quickly, Loid couldn’t keep up. 

She was excited to go to the pool, so that’s probably where she ran, but Loid didn’t even know if Anya had gotten there or not. 

Well, it was worth checking. 

He had reached for the pool room’s door, when he heard Anya’s thoughts. 

I can’t…

She couldn’t? Couldn’t do what? 

Then, he heard another voice. 

I’m gonna drown! 

Loid didn’t waste a second. 

He shoved the door open, ran past a confused group of people, and dove in the pool where the panicked thoughts sounded the loudest. 

Anya and another boy had fallen into the pool. Loid grabbed them both, and pulled them to the surface. 

“Are you two alright?!” He rushed out. 

“Ken!” One of the instructors shouted. She bent down, and picked the boy out of the water. “Someone call a doctor!” 

Loid thought it wouldn’t hurt to have both of the kids looked over. Anya was coughing and coughing, and Loid patted her on the back, hoping that would help her.

“I’m sorry Papa. I took the towels here, but then I saw him fall in and didn’t come up, so I tried to help” 

“Ken! Ken, come on, wake up!” The instructor yelled. 

“Try to calm down-“ Loid suggested. 

Then, Ken woke up. He took a few breaths, and then started to cry. 

At least that meant he was breathing ok. 

“Hey, is everything ok here?” Two more instructors walked over, along with one of the ladies from the class that had been taking place in another pool. 

“How could none of us have noticed?” The lady said. 

“That’s just how it happens.” Loid said. “When children fall in, it’s so quiet, hardly anyone notices. But Anya here did. You did great, but you were still reckless.” Loid scolded. 

“Sorry. I just wanted to help.” 

Loid gave her a soft smile. “I know. And you did help. Well done, Anya. You saved his life!”  

———————————

There was a ceremony at school the following Monday. 

Anya had done it. She got a Stella Star! 

Now, Sy-On Boy would definitely want to be her friend. 

But also, Anya was just happy. She had made Mama and Papa proud! 

When she got home that day, Ken and his Mama and Papa visited the Forgers to say thank you. 

Anya waved goodbye, and then Mama hugged her tightly. 

“Well done Anya! What an amazing girl! I’m so proud of you!” Mama squeezed her even tighter. 

“Mama…!” Anya gasped. 

“Sorry!” Mama said, and let go of Anya. Papa patted Anya’s head.

 “Great job, Anya. I’m proud of you too.” 

Anya grinned. Not only had she earned a Stella Star, but she had saved someone! 

The adults at Garden told the little kids when they were old enough, they would be trained to fight people. But Anya didn’t want to hurt anybody, and so she took her mission on to get a family and not fight people. 

And now, Anya had actually saved someone. She started to really like helping people. 

“Anya, I’m going to cook something special for you tonight!” Mama declared. 

Anya grabbed Papa’s leg. “I think Papa should do the cooking.” 

“Huh?!” 

———————————

The train car that Handler had picked for their meeting was empty, except for her, and for Yor. 

But still, Yor really wished Handler wouldn’t give her these meetings early in the morning during work. She wasn’t sure her boss would believe that Yor got held up at the bank…again. 

“I heard that your daughter earned her first Stella. Congratulations.” 

“Thank you Handler! I’m really proud of her, she did great work-“ 

“Do you think she’d be able to do it again?” 

Yor hesitated. Anya’s Stella had been earned because she was in the right place at the right time. Earning stars for her schoolwork and extracurricular activities would be much more challenging. 

“I think we could manage.” Yor lied. 

“That was an obvious lie, agent.” 

“That bad?! I’m sorry!” 

Handler sighed, but moved on. “We could use more personnel to manufacture scenarios, couldn’t we?” 

“Yes…but wouldn’t that be suspicious? If Anya got every Stella star from saving people? Besides, we shouldn’t put more agents on this. I know WISE has been spread thin lately.” 

“That we have.” Handler shook her head. “Well, if you think earning them the normal way is the best play here, then we can go with that.”

“Is HQ getting impatient?” 

“No, but our recent intel has found several businesses Desmond is connected to making shady financial transactions. It would be best to try and make contact with Desmond, and fast. Just…give your daughter some candy to motivate her, or something.” 

——————————-

Anya proudly wore her shiny Star badge to school the next day. 

“Morning Anya!” Becky greeted her. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Anya said. “From now on, you’ll call me Starlight Anya.” 

“Uh- ok.” 

They walked through the courtyard to their first class, and Anya drew the attention of all the kids that walked by.  

“This is crazy! You’re like a celebrity now!” Becky said. “I bet you could make 100 friends by the end of today!” 

“100 friends?” Anya repeated. That would mean Sy-On Boy would be her friend! 

She could imagine it clearly… 

“ Anya! You’re so cool with your star! You should be my friend!” 

“Yeah!” 

Then, Anya could keep Sy-On Boy safe, and the world would be at peace. 

Anya grinned thinking about it. This was perfect- she’d do well on her mission, and save the world! Nothing could ruin her good mood. 

Until… 

“Don’t get a big head about this!” Sy-On Boy yelled when Becky and Anya got to their lockers. He huffed, and walked away, before Anya could even ask to be friends. 

“Ugh, what’s their problem?” Becky muttered in disgust. 

That didn’t go well. Guess the world’s doomed. 

“Class is gonna start, let’s go Anya!” Becky said. 

Anya blankly stared ahead. 

“Um…let’s go, Starlight Anya.” 

“Ok.” 

——————————

They got to class early, which meant all the kids had time to talk before school officially started. 

But they were all talking about her, and they weren’t being very nice. 

“I can’t believe she’s wearing the badge to school. It’s like she’s shoving it down our throats.” 

“I can’t believe someone that violent would be a big hero…” 

“They told us she saved a kid from drowning, but she probably kicked him in and watched him sink!” 

“Now that, I’d believe.” 

“Her family probably paid the school off for it!” 

“Really? She doesn’t seem that rich to me!” 

“Oh no…” Anya listened to all of the conversations in shock. Hadn’t Mama and Papa said getting a star would help her make friends? 

Becky put a hand on Anya’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just jealous!” 

“Damian!” One girl said. “I bet you agree with everyone, huh?” 

“Yeah, she totally cheated!” Another chimed in. 

“Is that what you think?” Syon Boy said. “You think we go to some third rate school that would just hand out Stella to people who don’t deserve it?” 

“Well…no.” The first girl stammered. 

“Wow. Didn’t expect that from him.” Becky stated. 

Anya didn’t either, but he defended her. Maybe they could be friends after all. 

——————————-

“So, have you decided what your reward is gonna be, An- I mean, Starlight Anya?” Becky asked while the two of them took their lunches to their usual table. 

“A reward?” 

“Yeah! When you do well on a test or a recital or something, you’re supposed to get a reward!” 

“So I can get peanuts?” 

“Sure, but I wouldn’t waste it on something so cheap. Remember that test we had the other day? My reward for doing well on that was a cute dress and a tiara! I’ve gotten some other things too, but I guess they haven’t been that cool.” 

“Alright…I want a castle.” 

“That might be asking for too much. Where would you even put it?” 

“Hmm…then maybe I do want peanuts. But forever?” 

“That’s probably super doable, but is that really what you want?” 

Anya sighed. “Rewards are hard.” 

“I get that. I think the reward that made me happiest though, was my little Wiesel! Oh, that’s the name of my puppy, he’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!” 

“A puppy…” That did sound cool… 

Anya then noticed Sy-On Boy and his friends walking by. “Sy-On Boy! Do you have a dog?” 

“Yeah…” he mumbled. “But why do you want to know? Who cares?” He walked right past them. 

Anya had a great idea. 

“ Whoa, your dog is cute! You should be my friend so we can hang out and see whose dog is cuter! My dog, or your dog!” 

And so, the world would be at peace! 

——————————

That night, Anya presented her idea to her parents. 

“You want a dog for a reward?” Papa repeated. 

“Having a dog will bring peace!” 

“You mean…peace of mind? Well, I was thinking of buying you something soon anyway.” 

“Now Anya, taking care of an animal is a big responsibility.” Mama explained. 

“Responsibility!” Anya repeated. 

“A dog…yeah, maybe. I’m open to it.” Papa said. 

“Really?” Mama asked. 

“I have always wanted a pet, but I was just too busy for one. It could be a good way for Anya to learn more responsibility too.” Papa continued. 

“True! And a dog could be good for home security!” Mama said. “But still, they could be violent…” 

“I want a small puppy. A cute one.” Anya quickly stated. 

“Oh, uh, sure.” Mama said. 

Papa smiled at Anya. “How about this weekend, we go to some pet shops?”

“Yeah!” Anya cheered. 

——————————-

“So, do you know who they’re selling these dogs to?” 

“Some group of college kids fighting for their cause, or something.” 

“What? They're gonna use them as bomb dogs?” 

“Don’t know. They’re not gonna be our problem after tomorrow. Hey! Quit barking if you want to eat!” 

The two men that fed the dogs yelled that every single night. He never barked though, just watched as they slid the slop into his cage. 

It was dirty, and dark, and he despised  it. 

He just hoped that those people he saw, the ones that were smiling at him, would be a part of his near future. 

Chapter Text

Loid felt like he was sleepwalking his way back to the apartment.

The hospital he worked at was hosting an important yearly medical conference, and it kept Loid incredibly busy. There were more meetings than usual, giant assemblies, people he had to meet and make connections with, and that was all on top of his day to day psychiatrist work. Plus, being surrounded by even more people than usual meant his powers were going into overdrive, causing him to feel tired and slightly dizzy almost all day. 

It had been a very exhausting week, and he was glad that in a few short days, the conference would be over. 

He staggered up the flight of stairs to his apartment, when he overheard some of the neighbors talking. 

“You know, I’ve got a bad feeling about that family across the hall! Especially the husband! I mean, it’s the weekend and he’s still out ‘working late?’ I don’t buy it.” 

Loid quickly ducked behind a corner. 

“That poor little girl. She must be starving for attention.” Another lady commented.

Was it really that suspicious that they’d be working late? Loid remembered how just a few weeks ago, he and Yor nearly got arrested by the secret police. He didn’t want a repeat of that. 

“I think he’s out cheating on her! Either that, or he got fired and can’t bring himself to go home!”

He and Yor must have gotten too careless lately. Any suspicions their neighbors had, not matter how small, could be dangerous for the Forger family. 

He rushed up to the apartment as fast as he could. He shoved open the door, and announced to Yor and Anya, “This next weekend, we’re going to have a family day! It’ll be great. So, where are we going?” 

The girls both looked confused, and concerned for Loid, who was busy having trouble keeping himself upright from how exhausted he felt. 

“Anya, is that a penguin you’re drawing?” 

“…Yes.” 

“How about we go to the aquarium? They just renovated it, and they have a huge penguin exhibit.” 

“Um, Loid?” Yor gently asked. “It’s pretty obvious you’re exhausted. I think you need to rest.” 

“The medical conference ends in a few days. I’ll have time to rest before then! Besides, we haven’t been doing a lot to keep up the family facade. It couldn’t hurt to go out.” 

“Ok…” Yor said. That could help Strix.. . I think I have a few missions next week, but I’m sure I can handle them before we go. 

“I think the aquarium sounds cool!” Anya chimed in. 

“Alright, it’s a plan!” 

——————————

The next week went by in a blur, and Loid felt refreshed and prepared for their family day. 

But Yor…she was a different story. 

It was as if she and Loid swapped their exhaustion. WISE gave her so many missions over the past week, it was Yor arriving home late looking like she had fought in a war. (Which probably wasn’t too far off.)

Her hand shook as she picked up her purse, and announced she was ready to go. 

“Yor, I think maybe we should postpone. You might need rest more than family time.” Loid stated. 

“No, no! It’s ok! You were right last week. We need to do this to keep the family image safe!” 

“If you’re sure…” 

“I am sure! Ready, Anya?” Yor weakly smiled. 

“Mm hmm!” Anya skipped down the hallway.

“Oh, if it isn’t the Forgers!” One of their neighbors said as she opened the door. Loid recognized her as the one who was the most suspicious of him and Yor. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you all in one place!” 

“Work kept my husband busy last week, and then it kept me busy this week! We’re just happy to finally have a break.” Yor explained. 

“And today seemed like a great day to go to the aquarium. I know Anya’s excited!” Loid jumped in, hoping to take attention off of Yor, who was about ready to pass out. 

“Papa is taking us on a completely normal family ooting!” Anya said. 

That sounded very suspicious to Loid. Hopefully the neighbors wouldn’t think much of it. 

—————————- 

Yor felt more drained than she ever had in her entire life. 

WISE suffered a personnel shortage a few months ago, and Yor had mostly avoided the extra missions because of Operation Strix. But a mission had gone wrong last week, ending with several agents having too much suspicion placed on them to do their next missions. 

So, those missions went to other agents. Like Yor. 

She yawned as the family waited for the subway, with Loid sending worried glances her way. 

And then, Yor saw it. The snack stand had the WISE signal stuck to the front of it, which could only mean one thing. 

Another mission. 

“You guys stay here, I’ll go get some drinks!” 

“Ok. I’m alright though. Do you want anything, Anya?” Loid asked. 

“Orange juice, please.” 

“One orange juice coming up!” Yor went to the stand, and placed her order for the juice and a very strong coffee. 

“Agent Thorn Princess, it’s good to see you.” The lady at the counter whispered. “We’ve got another additional mission for you today, so-“ 

“I’m so sorry, but I can’t.” Yor cut her off. 

“It came directly from WISE HQ.” 

“I can’t. Operation Strix needs my full attention today!” 

“Mama!” Anya shouted, as if on cue. “We need to hurry or the aquarium will go out of business!” 

“It’s not going to go out of business, Anya.” Loid assured her. “We just have to wait a bit more.” 

Yor turned back to the lady. “See? We have a full family day ahead! Now, I’d like to order a coffee and an orange juice, please.” 

“Wait, did she say the aquarium? That’s perfect! That’s where this mission is happening. I admire how prepared you are, agent Thorn Princess.” 

“That was a coincidence. Can I order now?”

“There’s going to be important intel traded at the aquarium!” 

“Can I have my coffee and juice, please?” 

“This intel is information on how to produce a deadly chemical weapon. It could be disastrous if it leaks!”

——————————

Anya gleefully ran around the aquarium’s first room, pointing out all of the sharks and the fish she saw. 

Loid was glad Anya was enjoying herself, but Yor…

“Yor? You look a little pale.” Loid observed. 

“I’m perfectly fine!” I feel so tired, but I couldn’t say no to that extra mission! 

“If you insist. Hey, Anya!” Loid called. “Let’s go walk around-“ 

“Well, if it isn’t the Forger’s from across the hall!” A familiar voice shouted. Loid saw the neighbors, the ones that had been gossiping about the Forgers last week, waving at him. 

“Hello!” Yor stammered. There’s no way! Of all the days they could go to the aquarium! 

“Mrs. Forger, it’s so good to see you! You seemed awfully busy last week.” The older neighbor said. 

“Well, that’s how work is sometimes! City Hall was hosting some famous politicians.” Yor lied. “If you’d like some company, you’re free to join us!” 

Yor! Loid internally shouted. 

He didn’t miss how panicked Yor’s thoughts sounded. It’ll be more difficult to handle my mission, but they need to see us act like a family! I’ll just knock this mission out ASAP and then have a fun, family day! “Hey you guys, why don’t we go to the Penguin exhibit? That’s what Anya was most excited for!” And where my mission needs me to be. 

“Yes! I wanna see the penguins!” Anya declared. 

—————————

“P-P-Penguins…!” Anya said in awe. 

Anya was certainly having fun. Loid was enjoying the exhibit too. 

And then there was Yor, whose thoughts were like a storm cloud of nerves. 

Which one of these penguins is the target? How can I tell which one swallows the capsule? Who would even try to use penguins as a method of transport for important intel? That’s just cruel, and very strange. Ugh, why did I have to have a mission today? 

Loid made it a point to not interfere with Yor’s non Strix- related missions directly. He had no reason to, after all. But she could really use the help here. 

She was looking for a penguin that had swallowed intel. He could work with that! 

He shut his eyes and concentrated, trying to tune out everything else he was picking up. 

This fish sure is tasty. 

Where did that kid run off too? 

I hope my girlfriend lightens up after this. 

Reading animal’s minds was always difficult. Loid had tried it a lot when he was younger, but he could never get clear thoughts and it put a lot of strain on him. It wasn’t impossible though, and if it could help Yor, he’d try.

Cmon, focus…

Then he heard it. A penguin feeling distressed, and making noises like they were choking. 

That had to be the penguin Yor was looking for! 

“Hey, does that penguin look a little sick?” Loid pointed out. 

“Papa, can it breathe?” Anya asked, very scared for the penguin. 

This is probably the penguin with the intel! Ok, think Yor! You just need a plan. Ooh, I can sneak into the med bay, and help the penguin there! But first, I’ll have to tell an employee the penguin is sick…

“Um, excuse me!” Loid spoke up, catching one of the penguin handlers’ attention. “Sorry to bother you, but that penguin seems to be a bit sick.” 

“Hm?” The handler went over and picked the penguin up. “Oh jeez!” The man pulled a radio off of his belt, muttered something about the Medical station, and took off, with the penguin in his hand. 

Now is my chance! “I’ll be right back! I'm going to go grab more drinks!” Yor announced. 

“Is Mama ok?” Anya looked up at Loid. 

“I think the exhaustion is making her thirsty.” Loid lied. 

“Oh.” Anya stood still for a minute. “Ok. I’m going to go make sure Mama feels better!” 

“Anya wait!” Loid yelled, but it was to no avail. She had already taken off. 

—————————— 

Yor wandered around until she found an employee’s only door. 

She just had to intercept that employee, take the penguin, and recover the intel. It would be easy. 

It was an easy plan. She felt bad she had to knock the poor guy out, but he’d be ok! She knew exactly where to hit to make someone sleep for an hour or two. 

And now, she had the penguin. She wandered around until she found a room with catwalks over an empty tank. No one else was there. 

“Alright, little guy. Let’s get that intel out of there.” Yor kneeled down, and examined the penguin. This was definitely the right one, but how was she supposed to go about taking the intel out? 

“Excuse me, ma’am, what are you doing with that penguin?” 

Yor turned around. An older gentleman was standing in the doorway. 

“I’m taking this penguin to the clinic. He’s sick.”

“In that case, I can take it from here.” 

“I’m sorry, sir, but only aquarium staff can handle the animals.” 

“You don’t appear to be dressed like the rest of the staff.” 

“Oh, I’m the uh..general manager!” She quickly thought. “Usually I don’t handle the animals, but today we’re a bit understaffed.” 

“Well, I can help out there.” The man passed Yor an I.D. card. It looked official to her, but then the penguin started wriggling around, and Yor dropped the card. 

“Oh no! I’m sorry, let me get that-“ She reached for the card which had fallen into a puddle. The ink had been smudged. I.D. cards were usually well made, or protected at the very least. They didn’t smudge like that. 

“Sir…this I.D is fake.” 

“What? How could you know that?!” The man drew a gun, eyes wide and scared. 

It didn’t matter- Yor was faster than he was. 

She knocked the gun out of his hands. Left without his defense, the man sprinted away. 

Yor prepared to follow him, but then another door burst open, revealing several angry aquarium employees. 

“Hey! What are you doing with that penguin?! You don’t work here!” 

“Um…I…!” 

Anya watched the whole thing unfold from the rafters. She wasn’t sure what Mama was doing with the penguin. Maybe it had run away from the doctors, and she was helping it. 

But that guy had a gun, and he was running away! Mama looked angry with him, so maybe he was a bad guy who would hurt the penguins?!

Anya decided she was going to help as best she could. She couldn’t let a bad guy get away. 

She went to the hallway where the other man had gone, and saw him sprinting down the hall. If she stopped him, then the aquarium would be saved! 

Anya ran to him, grabbed his coat, and held on tight. 

“Hey, what the? Get off, kid!” 

“Papa! Mama!” Anya yelled, praying they were nearby. “Help! I’m being kidnapped!” 

Anya?! Loid thought. 

For some reason, Anya was being dragged along the hallway by some older guy. He didn’t even question why, or pause to read their thoughts. “Hey! Get your hands off my daughter!” 

He jumped in front of them, and punched the guy square in the face. 

Anya and the man tumbled to the ground. He looked like he had been knocked out. 

“Anya, are you ok?!” Loid picked her up, and held her tight.

Anya, amazingly, did not seem very phased by what happened. “M’good.” 

By sheer coincidence, Yor had been running away from the aquarium staff. She had been able to remove the film, but they weren’t happy she had essentially kidnapped one of their penguins. 

As Yor ran by, she saw Loid, holding onto Anya and standing over the enemy agent, who was passed out on the ground with a giant red mark on his cheek. 

All Yor could think was, “ Wow .” 

——————————

Needless to say, Yor was not welcome in the aquarium anymore. 

The Forger family’s outing had been cut off early. Yor glumly walked back to the exit with Loid and Anya, but Loid turned around, saying he had to go do something. 

The neighbors were leaving too. Yor had completely forgotten they were at the aquarium! 

“Mrs. Forger! It seems you and your daughter had a great time.” 

“You could say that.” Yor nervously laughed. 

“But, where’s your husband? We never saw him after you went to get drinks.” 

“Oh he’s-“ 

“My intuition screams cheater!” One of the neighbors declared. 

“Mine too!” The other chimed in. 

Cheater? Even if their marriage was fake, Loid wouldn’t do that, would he? Surely, he was with Anya having a great time while Yor dealt with the mission. 

“Sorry that took so long!” Loid suddenly spoke up. He came back to the aquarium’s lobby, holding a gigantic penguin plushie. “There was a penguin naming contest, and this was the prize! I just had to get it for Anya.” 

Anya’s eyes went wide. She took the plushie from Loid, holding onto it like it was made of gold. 

“It took a few tries! Finally got him, though.” Loid laughed. 

“I was wrong about you…” The older neighbor said in awe. “You’re an amazing father.” 

“Thank you.” Loid blushed a bit. “I feel like I’ve been flailing around in fatherhood, but I try!” 

He really did, Yor thought. Loid always got so worked up when it came to his family, and would go to great lengths to make Anya happy. Yor really admired that about him. 

And it looked like the neighbors did now too. Yor relaxed, thinking of how the day’s goal had been accomplished. Maybe she should ask for a break from HQ. There were just so many missions… 

“Mama! The penguin is taller than me!” Anya giddily shouted. Her smile was so big and bright, Yor’s heart just about melted. 

Actually…she didn’t need to take that break. Seeing Anya so joyful, it reminded her why was she still worked as an agent. She joined WISE to provide for Yuri, to give him a happy childhood. And now, she did this work to give people like Loid and Anya peace and safety. 

They definitely deserved it. 

——————————-

“My name is Director Chimera! I’m the boss of the secret organization, P2! You must be the newbie, am I right?” Mr. Chimera leaned close to Penguin.

Mr. Penguin held up his arm in a salute. “My name is Mr.Penguin, and I come from the aquarium, please!” 

“Now, Agent Anya, you should know what happens next!” 

“Yes, sir!” Anya saluted. She jumped on top of her chair, stretching her arm as far as she could to reach her bag of peanuts. 

She cracked one in half, and gave each half to Mr. Penguin and Mr. Chimera. “To show that you are officially part of our organization, we’ll each eat a half of this peanut!” Anya looked at Mr. Chimera, and then Mr. Penguin, and ate the peanut halves herself. 

“Now you have a new name, Agent Penguinman. Do your best for world peace!” 

—————————— 

It was a quiet afternoon in the Forger home. 

Loid was reading a newspaper and Yor was enjoying a new tea she had just bought, taking a well deserved break, in Loid’s opinion. 

Loid didn’t pay much attention when Anya walked into the room, but he noticed she was pulling her giant penguin around.

“This is the hideout's central command! We get all our intel from this machine here!” Anya pointed to the TV. Then, she pointed at Loid. “That’s Agent Papa, he’s P2’s best doctor, and an elite agent!” 

She’s pretending to be a spy? How cute! Yor smiled and set her tea cup down. 

“And that’s Agent Mama. She’s super strong, but not good at most things.” 

“Anya!” Loid said. 

“Am I really that bad?!” Yor cried. 

Anya continued her game without giving much thought to what she had said. 

“Well, that’s young kids for you.” Loid shook his head. 

“I guess…she does seem to like that plushie a lot, though!” 

He and Yor went back to their activities, and everything seemed quiet once again. 

Until he heard Anya thinking about going into his room. 

Loid was up and out of his chair in a flash, and picked up Anya before she could open the door. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” 

Anya’s eyes welled up, and she immediately began to cry as soon as Loid put her back down. 

“Ah, don’t cry! It’s just, I have a lot of supplies in there that are dangerous! Like, scissors and heaters and stuff!” His bedroom was where Loid kept all of the household items that could become very dangerous in the hands of a four year old. 

“The same goes for my room!” Yor tried to explain. I have poisons and weapons in there! 

Loid often forgot that Yor’s room doubled as a mini weapons depot. Another good reason Anya shouldn’t go in there. 

Anya, however, was still crying. Her voice trembled as she cried out- “I hate you both! I’m gonna run away!” 

Loid and Yor gasped. Anya was four, how did she know about threatening to run away?! 

Oh no! This could end Operation Strix! 

Loid had to think of a way to calm Anya down, and fast. 

He grabbed the penguin, and spoke in a cartoony- voice. “You don’t need to cry, Agent Anya! We have to finish the tour, and protect the world!” 

“Crying does not compute!” Yor faked a robot voice, holding up another of Anya’s toys. 

Anya still sniffled, but calmed down. “There’s…there’s bad guys in the candy shop on second street! We need to stop them!” 

—————————-

Loid and Yor played along, even if they were both getting weird stares from other people. 

Spies shouldn’t stand out…but all these people are looking at us! 

However, they continued the game of holding up plushies, listening to Agent Anya, and ducking around corners until they got to a candy store, where Anya’s mood greatly improved once Agents’ Mama and Papa bought her a snack. 

Thus, peace was once again restored in the Forger household. 

Chapter Text

“ And now for our top story. Foreign Minister Brants and his entourage from Westalis were greeted today by officials at the Berlint airport. The much anticipated Ministerial summit will begin tonight, focused on peace talks between the East and West. ” 

“Papa! Can I put on Spy Wars instead of the news?” 

“If it doesn’t slow you down while eating and getting ready, then go ahead.” 

Anya was up and out of her chair in an instant. She switched the channel, and came back to the table while Yor set breakfast down. 

As it turned out, Loid didn’t need to worry about Anya slowing down. She was inhaling her breakfast like she hadn’t eaten in her entire life. 

“Anya, slow down.” Loid warned her after she nearly choked. 

“I'm already done! Come on Mama and Papa, you guys gotta get ready so we can leave soon!” 

She had been a bundle of energy the previous day, and all of that morning. Anya couldn’t stop talking about their future dog. 

That talking then turned to singing as they walked to the shelter. Anya sang the words “Woof, woof, woof,” over and over again. 

“I'm glad to see you so happy!” Yor said. 

“Do you think Mister Dog will want peanuts?” Anya asked. 

“Probably not.” Loid answered. 

“Puppies have special food they like, it’s much better for them!” Yor explained, as they came to a stop in front of a small pet store.

“Here we are.” Loid told the two girls. “This looks like a nice spot, Yor.” 

“Yeah! A co-worker told me about it!” WISE actually sent us here. They said there are some great guard dogs. 

“Let’s head in, shall we?” Loid held the door open. Anya’s mind was racing with excitement about the dog they were going to adopt. 

That excitement didn’t last when she saw the dogs…and Loid couldn’t blame her much. 

They were the meanest dogs Loid had ever seen, and had to be quadruple Anya’s size. 

“Well, whaddya think? They’re the best guard dogs out there.” The shop owner proudly announced. 

“They’re nice!” Yor lied. I'm not sure how much Anya would like them, but WISE did suggest a guard dog.

“Anya, they're kind of cute, right?” Loid tried to help Yor. 

Anya didn’t answer. She stared straight ahead at the dogs. 

After a minute, she slowly turned her head to look at Loid and Yor. 

Anya didn’t need words. Her face said it all. 

Oh no! Loid and Yor thought together. That look…complete and utter rejection! 

“Um, do you have any smaller dogs?” Loid asked the shopkeeper. 

“None here. But I think there’s a big adoption event happening downtown.” 

“How about we check that out instead?” Yor looked at Anya. 

“Yes, please.” 

“Thank you for the help sir, but we should get going!” Yor said. 

“Yes, thanks.” Loid added on. “Come on, let’s head out-“ 

“Actually!” Yor quickly yelled. “Um, something is really not agreeing with my stomach, so I think I’m gonna go to the restroom! But you two go on ahead, ok?” I can’t believe they gave me a mission! Today of all days! 

“Mama, I know you aren’t the best cook but your food can’t be that bad!” Anya pouted. I really wanted Mama to come find Mister Dog too! 

“Hey, that was really rude-“ Loid chastised. 

“No, she’s right! My breakfast is what’s bothering me. I have to go now, but I’ll catch up!” 

“If you say so. Come on Anya.” Loid held out a hand, which Anya glumly took, and left the shop, wishing Yor good luck on whatever mission she had this time. 

——————————

Yor got nervous as she recognized the road being taken. 

Her fellow agent was going all the way to HQ. 

“Just so you know, I can’t be gone that long! I mean, if I am, my family will get suspicious!” 

“You can take that up with Handler. This is a major emergency.” They came to a stop light, and the Agent handed Yor a stack of papers. 

She scanned them quickly, and was in complete disbelief when she finished. “This is a plot to kill Foreign Minister Brants?” 

“That’s what HQ thinks. A group of isolationists, mostly college students from Berlint University. We’re positive they’re planning to attack the summit tonight.” 

“How did you guys even figure this out?” 

“We caught one of them scoping out the embassy. He’s being interrogated right now.” 

“Then why was I called in? I'm not very good with interrogating, that’s mostly Handler’s strength! Oh, and Nightfall’s too, plus there’s-“ 

The other agent sighed. “Operation Strix isn’t exactly a combat mission, but you seem to be doing just fine with it.” 

“You think so?” 

“I mean, yes. Being an Agent and a mother? That’s a tough balancing act. I think you’re the only one who could have pulled it off.” 

“…Thank you.” 

“It’s possible they want you to intimidate the kid, though. So far, he hasn’t given up any information at all.” 

Yor glanced over the papers again. “He’s so young. I can’t believe he’s part of some terrorist plot…” 

“You and I both, Thorn Princess. You and I both.” 

——————————

It had been a long time since Yor was involved in a mission like this. There was a room filled with agents, all of them with grim faces as Handler told them what they were up against. 

“Bomb dogs? You can’t be serious.” Yor said. 

“Unfortunately, I am. “ 

One of the agents shook his head. “How do college students even get their hands on that sort of thing? I mean, bomb dogs take a lot of money and time to train.” 

“Some of our intel gatherers have found these dogs have connections to military training, and even experimentation. We have reason to believe some of the dogs came from Project Apple.” 

“Project Apple?” Yor asked. 

“It was an experiment program conducted illegally. We don’t know a lot, only that some of those involved used to conduct experiments in Westalis. They stopped shortly after the war began, but we’ve never been able to find anything else about them, their whereabouts, or their test subjects.” 

“Ah. I see.” Yor somberly replied. 

“So, what’s our play here?” Another agent piped up. 

“Stop them before the dogs even get out. It would be tough to stop a dozen military trained animals. Even for you, Thorn Princess. However, I do have a plan in mind that could use your skills.” 

“Of course.” Yor agreed.

“We were able to get intel from the young man we arrested. He gave us several hideout locations, and we can attempt to subdue the terrorists as soon as we can. That is where Agent Thorn Princess will come in.” 

“Understood, Handler.” 

“A few of you will serve as backup to Agent Thorn Princess. The rest of you will work behind the scenes. Go ahead and quietly leak the plot to the ruling party. They’ll want to avoid a national incident, without canceling the summit.”

“Ma’am.” One of the agents left the room. 

“This mission is of utmost importance. East and West relations are already on thin ice. Even a failed assasination attempt could cause that ice to break.” 

——————————

“Wow! Papa! Papa! Look at the animals!” 

“I see them.” Loid smiled at Anya’s excitement. 

Anya gasped, and let go of Loid’s hand. “Look! Tiny puppies! Ooh, and kitties, and those are bunnies over there-“ 

“Hey, calm down a little. I know it’s exciting, but I don’t want you to get lost. Promise me you’ll stay in the area with the dogs?” 

“Promise!” 

“Thank you.” Loid sighed in relief. “Now, let’s go see what dogs they have!” 

“What dog is this?” Anya asked. 

“That’s a daschund. They’re very cute, aren’t they?” 

“Even with stubby legs? Does that mean Anya’s cute too?” 

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Loid asked, but Anya had already moved onto the next kennel. 

“I know these ones! They’re pomp-eranians!” 

“Pomeranians, Anya.” 

“Hello!” An employee walked up to Anya and Loid. “Are you two looking to adopt a pet today?” 

“Yes, we are.” Loid answered. “I was wondering, is there a breed that’s good with young children? Maybe easy for them to take care of, too?” 

“Certainly!” 

Loid listened intently to the lady describe different breeds, when he suddenly became aware that Anya wasn’t next to him anymore. 

“Excuse me for a minute!” Loid said. The employee smiled, and walked off to help someone else.  

Loid found Anya looking  out the window at a giant, white dog. The owner was pulling the leash, but the dog wouldn’t budge. He was staring at Anya. 

Then, an image flashed into Loid’s head. 

A grainy image of him, Anya, and Yor. 

It wasn’t coming from anyone else, it wasn’t coming from any of the animals either.

He suddenly realized… it was coming from that dog. 

The owner met with another man, who also had a dog on that leash. They walked up a staircase in an abandoned building across the street.

Loid was baffled. He had never seen anything like that before, not from an animal at any rate. Most of the thoughts he heard were words anyways, not images! 

And why did it have an image of them?

“Papa…that doggy looked sad.” Anya interrupted Loid’s train of thought. 

“He did…but, it’s not our business.” Loid said. He was curious, there was no doubt about that. A dog he had never met having a mental picture of their family? Loid would like to find out more, but there was no way he could do that. 

He couldn’t exactly say to the owners, hey, I read that dog's mind and he knows about my family even though I’ve never met him! Where did you get him? 

“Let’s see what other dogs are here.” Loid suggested. He and Anya looked around some more, and then Loid struck up a conversation with another employee, asking some questions he had about different dogs, while making sure Anya was next to him.

“Did you hear that, Anya? They have poodles here, I know you were interested in them….Anya?” 

There was no way. Loid looked away for 5 seconds. 

Clearly, he had underestimated Anya’s ability to run away. 

But he had an idea of where she had gone. 

Loid ran across the road and up the dusty staircase. 

Sure enough, Anya was standing at the top of the staircase, clearly guilty. 

“Anya, what on Earth were you thinking!” 

“I wanted to help Mister Dog! He looked so sad…” Anya pointed at the opposite wall, where the big dog, and a few others, were tied too. 

“I understand you wanted to help, but you can’t run off like that!” 

“Wait, Papa! Do you hear that?” Anya’s voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. 

Loid stopped talking. He heard it too. People talking coming from the other side of a door. 

“Today is the day. We will destroy this fake peace between Ostania and Westalis. We will restore Ostania to its former glory, and Minister Brants will get the honor of being the catalyst for war. We’ll bring those arrogant pigs of the west to their knees!” 

Anya gulped. These are bad guys! 

“It’s ok Anya.” He assured her. “We’re gonna get out of here and tell the police. Just hold my hand and we’ll leave quietly-“ 

“And who might you two be?” A deep voice suddenly said. 

Loid turned around. A tall, imposing man had snuck up behind them. 

“I apologize for the intrusion.” Loid said, as calmly as he could manage. “My daughter followed a dog up here. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be heading on our way out.” 

The man sneered. “I don’t think so.” 

Loid squeezed Anya’s hand tighter, preparing himself to run, but before he knew it, the door flew open. 

“What the heck?” One of the kids exclaimed. 

“These two heard everything!” The man who found Loid and Anya shouted. “What do we do, Keith?!”

“Yeah!” 

“How’d these guys even end up here?” 

The man with black hair, presumably Keith, stood up. 

“What do we do? We deal with them.” 

Loid put an arm out in front of Anya. He was desperately listening to the gang’s thoughts, hoping for a plan, but they didn’t give him much. 

He could deal with this. He knew he could. He hadn’t spent years learning how to fight for nothing. 

But now, he had Anya here with him, and that changed things. 

“Listen!” Loid shouted. “My daughter followed a dog here. That’s it. Let her go .” 

“No can do. She’ll just squeal to her Mommy, won’t she?” Hm. They were lucky Anya wasn’t going to do that, Loid thought. 

He watched Keith carefully as he walked towards them, holding a knife out. He could easily predict the kids movement, but again, Anya being behind him would make things tougher.

A growl came from the other room. The giant dog Anya had followed jumped in front of him and Anya, growling at the other gang members. 

Until one of them picked up an abandoned pipe and threatened the dog. He hid behind Anya and Loid, tail tucked between his legs.

What a great guard dog. Loid grumbled to himself. 

The gang and Keith were becoming increasingly annoyed. Loid was still searching for a way out, when he noticed the dog’s ears perk up. 

Just like before, Loid saw a picture in his head, but this one was more like a movie. The film looked blurry, but Loid could see all of the other people turn their head toward a ringing phone. 

What the…? 

“Let’s get this over with.” Keith muttered. 

The phone rang. 

Loid stood still. 

This was exactly what the dog had shown him. 

Was the dog showing him the future? 

That couldn’t be possible, could it? 

Yeah. Loid thought to himself. Says the guys who can read minds. 

The students all had their focus on the phone. Loid glanced at the door- This was their chance to slip away! 

Loid picked Anya up and ran. The dog followed them, running at his full speed. 

“Papa, where are we going?!” 

“Anywhere away from here!” 

Loid kept going, even when he began running out of breath. He kept going until he couldn’t hear the gang or their thoughts anymore. 

He set Anya down. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Loid asked her in between deep breaths. 

Anya shook her head. “I'm ok. But that was really scary…” 

“I'm sure it was. You were really brave, Anya.” 

“I was brave?” Her eyes lit up. 

“Very.” 

“Mister Dog was brave too!” 

“Yes he was.” Loid agreed. “Now, I’m going to call the police, and they’ll take care of everything.” 

—————————-

The phone rang once, then twice. Loid impatientently tapped his foot while he waited for the police to pick up. 

“Come on, I don’t have time for this!” He muttered. 

“Hey, Papa…were those really bad guys?” Anya quietly asked. 

“Yes, they were. But we’re safe now, and once the police answer the phone, the bad guys won’t be able to hurt anyone.” Loid gave her a smile. 

Truthfully though, he wasn’t sure what the police would do here. Those kids had probably abandoned their hideout already, and were probably also looking for Loid and Anya. 

It unnerved Loid how determined they were to carry out that plan, all in the name of returning Ostania to its “former glory.” 

Loid huffed. There was no glory in a country starting war. It never did anyone any good- not even for the people who actively wanted violence. 

Finally, the phone picked up. 

“ Hello? Who am I speaking to?” 

“Hello, I’m Loid Forger. I’m calling from 30 Park Avenue. I accidentally overheard someone talking about a plot to attack the summit tonight. They had a hideout at this address…” 

Loid listed off the address and with the guarantee someone would handle it, he hung up. “Alright. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. We should head back home.” 

“But what about Mister Dog? And Mama?” 

“We can bring Mister Dog to the shelter. And we can stop by the pet shop on the way home to let Yor know. Does that sound good?” 

“I don’t really want to leave Mister Dog there.” Anya frowned. 

“It’s our best option right now.” Loid tried to explain. 

Then the dog started barking. Very loudly. 

“Hey, what’s gotten into you?” Loid questioned. 

Another image flashed in Loid’s mind. 

There was a clock tower, the clock tower in the center of Berlint. It was wired with explosives, blown up- and Yor was one of the victims. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, Loid saw a war raging after. The explosion would be the catalyst for another horrible conflict. 

This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be. 

Then he remembered the ringing phone. The dog had somehow predicted that. It wasn’t a stretch that this was a prediction too. 

He snapped out of it, trying to process everything he just saw. 

“Papa?” 

“I…think Yor is in trouble.” He mumbled. 

“Why would Mama be in trouble?” 

“Um, those bad guys! They might find her. So, I have to help.” Loid internally scolded himself for saying that out loud. He had probably just scared Anya even more. 

But..he had to do something.

There was no way  he was going to let another war start. 

There was no way he was going to let Yor die. 

Chapter Text

Yor stared at the group of college students tied up and blindfolded, baffled. 

How could kids this young, with their whole lives ahead of them, throw all of their opportunities away for this? 

How could they throw away their futures for another pointless war? 

Yor didn’t feel much remorse when Handler kicked one of them for spouting about how the East would eliminate the West. 

“Have any of you actually fought in a war?” Handler began. “Have any of you watched your homes be blown up? Your lives destroyed in a matter of minutes?” 

They were all quiet. 

“Hmm? What about losing your family? Ever see a loved one be crushed underneath a building? Perhaps you have experienced what it is like to have no food? Clean water?” 

Again, they said nothing. Of course they didn’t. 

None of them had experienced that, and they were incredibly lucky that they hadn’t. 

Handler scoffed. “I thought not. It appears your university has taught you nothing about war.” Handler turned to the agents that had brought the students in. “Get them out of here.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

When the room was cleared, it was just the Handler, Yor and a few other agents.

“We know they have hideouts at these sites, B1 and B2. Since B1 is the most likely point Keith will be, I want you there, Thorn Princess. Stop them at any cost.” 

——————————

Loid rushed to a police station. He wasn’t just going to call them, he was going to go there in person, and make them listen. 

Originally, Loid had thought about going to the clock tower himself, but he wasn’t going to leave Anya, and he definitely wasn’t going to bring her there. 

So, the police were his best bet. 

“Alright, you sit here. Don’t let the dog out of your sight.” Loid instructed, pointing at a row of chairs in the lobby.

Anya sat down on the chair, with her arms folded, and grumpily staring at Papa. 

“I know Papa lied about Mama. It’s not the bad guys that are chasing her.” She pouted. Mister Dog nudged her leg. 

“What is it, Mister Dog?” He looked where Papa was standing, at a counter, telling a policeman he had an emergency to talk about. 

Papa wouldn’t tell her what was going on, but he would tell the police what was going on. 

She snuck out of her chair, and behind another row of chairs, closer to the counter, so she could hear what Papa was saying. 

“Yes, I’m telling you, there’s a bomb set to explode at that clock tower!” 

“How do you know that? Are you absolutely positive?” A police officer said. 

“Very positive. And like I told you, I’m Loid Forger. I called earlier to report a group of people plotting an attack. I heard them talk about the bomb at that clock tower. It’s going to go off in an hour!” 

The officer sighed. “Fine. We’ll send some security there to check the place out. I can tell you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you head home?” 

“Not until you guarantee that the tower is safe.” 

There was a bomb? At the big clock? 

Was that why Mama was in danger? 

The officer sighed. “I promise sir, we’ll send security and officers to check the place out. I’m placing the call right now.” 

Papa was still standing with his arms crossed, waiting until the officer was done. 

“Alright, it’s out there. Now, you’re welcome to stay here, or go home.” 

“I’ll stay here.” Papa said. 

Anya thought she heard the officer mumble something like, “stubborn.” 

Anya couldn’t believe it. If Papa knew that Mama was in danger, why wasn’t he going to go help her himself? He couldn’t help Mama if he just sat around the police station! 

That’s when Anya came up with her own plan. 

“Mister Dog?” She whispered. “Can you get me to the clock? And don’t let Papa see, otherwise we can’t go!” 

Mister Dog nodded. He walked away. Papa was still up at the front desk, like he had to watch the officer tell the other officers to go to the tower, or else they wouldn’t do it. 

He wasn’t looking at Anya. She followed Mister Dog outside, and she climbed on top of him. 

“Let’s go save Mama!” 

——————————

Mister Dog ran all the way to the clock tower. 

Anya held on to him for dear life. Even though it was scary, it also ended up being pretty cool. 

The more Anya thought about it, the more she realized she could get another star for saving Mama! 

Starlight Anya would shine again! 

They finally got the tower. Poor Mister Dog was panting, but they didn’t have time to rest. 

“Ok, ok! Papa said it’s gonna blow in an hour! We have to stop the bomb before then!” Anya tried her best to read the clock. She didn’t understand it, at all. 

“I…I dunno when it will be an hour. Ok, if the big hand is like this, and the small hand is like this, that means it’s…I don’t know!” Anya cried. Reading clocks was hard. 

She scanned her surroundings, and saw an old man sitting on a bench. He could probably help her! “Excuse me Mister Sir! Do you know when it’s gonna be the next hour?!” Anya frantically pointed at the clock. 

“Do you mean when the bell will ring? That marks the start of a new hour. It’ll be in about half an hour.” 

“That’s thirty minutes!” 

“Right you are.” 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Anya rushed out, giving a quick bow, and heading back towards the tower. 

Mister Dog sniffed the air, and then went running to a building next to the tower. Anya chased after him, and up several flights of stairs. 

Anya took a look around. The hallway was dusty and lined with old boxes. No one else has been here, except for the bad guys. 

“Is this it, Mister Doggy?” Anya said between breaths. “Did we make it?” 

He sniffed the air again, and pointed his head towards a door at the end of the hallway. 

“That…that’s it, right?” Anya stepped towards the door, reaching out a hand for the knob. 

Mister Doggy barked really loudly, and bit  Anya’s jacket, yanking her away from the door. 

“Do you think it’s trapped?!” Anya yelled. 

Mister Dog barked in response. 

“It is trapped! That’s the door. If Mama comes here, and opens it, she’ll be exploded! We have to get in there!” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small opening that led into the other room. Perfect! That was her way in. 

She climbed on top of the cardboard boxes underneath the opening, but she couldn’t get through. 

“Mister Dog…help. Please.” 

Mister Dog pushed Anya through the opening, and she fell onto even more cardboard boxes. 

When she sat up, she saw the bomb, messily taped to the wall and connected to the door. 

“I’m gonna have to disarm it!” Anya took her gloves, and pulled them on tight. She stretched her hand out to the wires, but suddenly stopped. 

“Wait, how can I even disarm a bomb? Just think! Bondman has to cut a red wire, right?” Anya searched the bomb for red wires. 

“No! These are all black! And I don’t even have scissors to chop the wires!” 

Anya paced around the room. “What do I do? I could tell Mama when she gets here, but then I’ll get in big trouble for running away from Papa! Then they might not want me anymore, and I’d have to go back to Garden! I don’t want to do that! But if I don’t do anything, then Mama’s gonna die…” 

Anya desperately needed a plan. Anything to warn Mama of what was going to happen. 

A warning! That was it, she could leave a warning! 

Anya found a bottle of ketchup sitting on a crate. 

“Yes!” She cheered to herself. 

——————————-

Yor and the other agents arrived at site B1. 

It was an old, emptied out building next to the clock tower. The only things left were cardboard boxes, empty crates, and a lot of dust. 

No wonder it was used as a secret hideout! 

“Do you see anything?” Yor asked. 

“Nothing yet.” The older agent said. They snuck around the corner, the agent holding a gun, and Yor holding her needle weapons. She always preferred those more. 

“Wait!” The agent harshly whispered. “There’s something on that door, it looks like a message. Written in blood?” 

“It kind of smells like… ketchup?” Yor mumbled. Yor was very familiar with that smell. Anya poured ketchup on everything Yor cooked. “It doesn’t even look like anyone’s here.” 

“That’s not something I'm willing to gamble on.”

The other agent went down the hallway, right to the door. 

—————————-

Anya watched the clock tick closer and closer to the end of the hour. 

“Mama, please be ok!” 

—————————-

Loid ran as fast as he could go to the clock tower. 

The bomb was going to go off any second, and he couldn’t find Anya! 

He was certain that he knew exactly where she was though, assuming she overheard his frustrating conversation with the police man. 

Please be ok, you two. Please.

—————————

“I have a really bad feeling about this!” Yor said, clutching onto the other agent’s hand. “That message says ‘No’. We shouldn’t be too rash!” 

The agent backed away. “You’re right. Let’s see if we can find another way in there.” 

“That might work.” The third agent pointed out a small opening. 

The older agent took a mirror and held it inside the entrance. 

“Jesus- there’s a bomb back there.” 

“So that tomato looking thing is supposed to be a bomb?” Yor wondered. 

“I guess. If we had opened that, we would have blown the whole place up. Good call, Thorn Princess.” 

“Who do you think left the message?” The third agent chimed in. 

“I don’t know, but I don’t think we should stick around and find out.” Yor suggested.

All of a sudden, a police siren went off. Yor ran to the window. Sure enough, there were several police officers evacuating the plaza. 

The older agent glanced out the window too. “If those guys are here, the secret police won’t be too far behind. Let’s leave a message for them and get out of here.”

——————————

“Sylvia?! What in the world are you doing? One of your boys just came in and stole the clothes off of my back!” 

“I can assure you, Minister. This was for your own safety. I believe our agents needed your clothes to throw your scent off. Everything is being taken care of. Now please, go put on some clothes before the summit begins.” 

—————————— 

Yor waited on the bridge she had been instructed to stand by. 

The older agent had disguised himself as the minister, and was luring Keith to the empty street, where Yor could deal with him. 

She waited and waited for the signal. 

Finally, her fellow agent picked up his radio. 

“Now approaching the bridge! Thorn Princess! Get ready!” 

She watched the black car with the fake minister speed by. 

Keith wasn’t too far behind. 

I’m sorry about this, poor puppy! Yor thought to herself, as she jumped from the bridge, landed calmly on the road, and kicked Keith’s car. 

His car spun out of control, and hit the sidewalk. 

Yor walked over to the crashed car. Keith had been knocked out completely, but at least the dog seemed ok. 

Yor felt awful for the poor thing. It was being used just to further some human conflict. She shook her head, grateful that the dog was ok and that WISE would take good care of him. 

“Come here, let’s get that vest off of you…” 

—————————-

“Anya?! Anya!” Loid shouted. 

He had looked all over the clock tower courtyard until the police kicked him out. 

So, he went back to the police station he reported the crime to in the first place. 

When Anya wasn’t there, he went back to the first pet store the family had gone too. It felt like that was years ago, but it had just been a few hours. 

“Anya!” He called again. 

-Papa? 

That was her! Those were her thoughts! 

Loid glanced around the area, and saw her riding the gigantic, future telling, dog down an alleyway. 

And then, Yor came walking down the sidewalk. 

Loid felt like all of the tension, and anxiety he had experienced finally let itself go, when he saw that the two of them were safe. 

(Though the stomachache he was experiencing felt like it wasn’t going away any time soon.)