Chapter Text
It had been a long day.
By the time Yor was done with her work, her head was reeling. Working at city hall wasn't the worst - being an assassin could be a tiny bit more demanding - but sorting files and typing all day could get quite repetitive. Not to mention sitting the entire time.
She released a tiny sigh of relief and closed her eyes as she took her purse, pushing her chair back under the table. She wondered if Anya felt the same whenever she came back from school. Yor had to smile a little (unsurprisingly so) when she thought about her little daughter.
Sometimes, she liked to imagine that Anya was a little like Yor herself. That, despite not being related, Yor could give Anya the very (although few) best parts of herself. She didn't expect it of Anya, of course. But it was nice to think that Yor was contributing to her habits. It was nice to think of Anya as her own child.
"...honestly, Yor, are you even listening?"
"Heh?!" Yor turned around quickly and stared at Camilla, eyes wide. Her coworker looked angry; eyebrows raised, her lips pursed. She rolled her eyes when Yor opened her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Camilla. What did you say?"
Camilla blushed, now frowning.
"Sharon wants to know if we are all meeting up in half an hour," she said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "For drinks or something."
Suddenly, Yor's eyes lit up.
"You're inviting me?" she asked. Her grip on her purse tightened, her heartbeat increasing. Although she knew she wasn't very good at it, she tried to become friends with her co-workers. It was easy to talk with Sharon about the children. After all, her son was attending Eden Academy as well.
Talking about Anya always delighted Yor and she was grateful for every opportunity to do so. Furthermore, she was thankful for all the advice she could get from a mother who was in a similar position as her, even though Yor couldn't always tell if Sharon was disinterested in talking or not.
It was a little bit harder with Camilla and Millie, though. Yor didn't think any of them were interested in weaponry or martial arts. It would have been quite easy to share her tips when it came to cleaning weapons or where to strike the target. But, it was a little unnormal, she supposed. So, talking about their relationships or gossiping were the only other options that resurfaced nearly ceremonially.
However. Yor wasn't very good at gossiping.
And that was exactly why she needed to seize every opportunity to learn - and appear as normal as possible.
"It was Sharon's idea. Her and Millie are already on their way," Camilla said. She let out a groan. "Ugh. Not coming to work, but coming out for drinks. Exactly my humour."
She pushed her hair back, letting her blonde locks fall behind her shoulders. She took her coat and slipped into the sleeves.
"Oh...weren't they told to take a day off?" Yor asked, tilting her head.
"Ugh, whatever. Are you coming or not?"
Becoming friends with her coworkers was essential for keeping her good cover. For one, it meant that Yor wasn't subdued to any reportings, but it also meant that she could learn as much from her friends as possible about being a good wife, mother and cook.
She clasped her hands into fists, holding them in front of her chest. Determined. Although she was tired, Yor was unwilling to miss such an important chance and she wouldn't step down either from becoming a very normal, very inconspicious woman.
For her family. For Loid and Anya.
"Of course I will!"
Camilla's expression changed. She looked Yor up and down, rather unimpressed.
"There's no need to shout, Yor."
Pub Walyoy was within walking-distance from city hall.
Before they had left, Yor had called her (fake) husband and asked him to have dinner without her. She had been a little enthusiastic about being invited but he had merely told her to have fun and come home safely.
Yor wasn't there to have fun, though. She needed to concentrate.
Sometimes, Yor would try to compare her commissions to a social event such as this. It was easier for her to learn when she could think of something similiar, something that was easy for her. Most of the time, her mind drifted towards her commissions though and she quickly found herself thinking about turning a napkin into a weapon.
However, closely examining how the others behaved and what they were saying, seemed to be of very crucial importance.
So, she decided to order tea instead of beer. Holding her liquor was definitely not one of Yor's strong-suits.
"You both went to the spa!?" Camilla screeched. "Do you have any idea how many files I had to sort while the both of you were doing nothing?"
Camilla looked like she was going to explode any second now and Yor wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to be mad at Sharon and Millie as well.
"Relax, it was just for an hour," Sharon said. She pushed the remaining end of her cigarette into the ashtray. "And it wasn't even that exciting. Just a massage."
"Isn't Yor an expert when it comes to that?"
"Camilla." Millie giggled but Sharon didn't look as happy. Yor supposed that was her own fault. It seemed to be a stupid cover for her killings, or else Camilla wouldn't bring it up again. Yor could only hope she would forget about it eventually - Yor was...married now and even though it wasn't that close to the truth, Loid had understood.
Somehow, that was worth more than a little teasing could hurt.
"Nevermind," Camilla said. She took a sip of her beer and Yor mirrored her action, raising the cup of tea she had ordered to her lips.
"So. Any plans for the weekend?" Sharon asked but Camilla shook her head.
"I'll need the whole weekend to recover from today."
"Millie?"
"Ohh, I heard about this new romance movie coming out. I've been thinking about going, but I don't have a date." She narrowed her eyes. "Going to the movies alone is too depressing. Maybe I'll ask my neighbour."
"Isn't he sixty-something?" Camilla's lips curled into a smile which Yor knew she couldn't immitate.
"Ew. Not that one," Millie said. Her ears were red, her lips pouting. Yor didn't understand why Camilla would suggest that. Wasn't someone in their 60s too old for Millie?
"What about you, Yor? Any plans?" Sharon asked finally and Yor nearly jumped out of her skin. She did have a commission coming up this Sunday but she couldn't talk about that. Otherwise, she wasn't quite sure. Anya had to study for a test, but Yor wasn't very good at helping her. She didn't think Loid was busy, unless there was an emergency at the hospital.
It was probably not very normal to stay home all weekend.
"Oh...I..."
"Probably staying in bed with her husband all day," Millie said. Her head was resting on her hand and she looked out of the window, almost annoyed. It looked like Millie was jealous but Yor was a little too distracted by what she had said.
Her eyes widened in embarrassment.
"Is that normal?" Yor asked quickly. She could tell her face was glowing by now.
"For those who can afford it." Sharon said blankly.
"Oh," Millie said. She seemed much more lively now, her eyes big and round. Everyone's gaze turned towards her and Camilla raised a lazy brow, "that reminds me...do you remember that weird couple I told you about from across the street?"
"Yes," said both Camilla and Sharon.
"No," Yor said. Millie's gaze turned serious, now directed at Yor.
"Listen, Yor. About a month ago, a couple moved into one of the apartments across my street. I know from my neighbours that they said they were husband and wife. The man was very tall, very handsome. The woman wasn’t as tall but she was also very pretty." Millie took a sip from her drink, taking her sweet time, and Sharon rolled with her eyes.
"Continue," Sharon said but Millie held up her hand to silence her. Once she was done, her face darkened again.
"I saw him leave the house at strange hours," Millie said. "He was always dressed in dark colours, as if he was trying to blend in. I saw her barely leaving the house and to catch them together was impossible. Their curtains were always drawn. No one knew them."
"What happened?" Camilla asked. She was leaning forward, her hand clinging onto her glass.
"Well, I've been told their neighbors got suspicious. They never held hands. Barely talked to each other. Didn't smile at each other. They didn't even kiss. The neighbors reported them to the Secret Police and bam!" Millie slapped the table and the other girls winced. "They got arrested yesterday."
"T-They were arrested for not kissing?" Yor asked. Millie shrugged.
"More or less," she said.
"So, were they even married?" Sharon asked.
"The lady next door told me they were partners in crime and just posing as a couple." Posing as a couple. Yor's fingers were shaking. She grabbed her cup. Tightly. Very tightly. "I knew right away they were up to no good."
"Good thing they got arrested, then," Camilla said. "But how stupid do you have to be, honestly? If you're pretending to be in love, you have to kiss. At least in front of someone else."
With a loud crack, Yor's cup shattered.
She looked down in horror as the hot beverage burnt her fingers and spread over the table. But, truthfully, a broken tea cup was the very least of her worries as of right now.
"Oh— I'm so sorry—" Her fingers hurt quite a bit and when she looked down, she saw that she had cut herself on the shards. It wasn't deep, but mixed with the steaming tea, it wasn't really pleasant either.
"Ugh, Yor.” Camilla threw some napkins onto the mess. "You're so careless."
"I'm terribly sorry, I will pay for it!" Yor said. If you're pretending to be in love, you have to kiss. At least in front of someone else. Yor's eyes widened in realization. She hadn't done that yet. Were their neighbors getting suspicious? If couples were getting reported left and right for not kissing, she was in very big trouble.
She swallowed.
Surely, Yor could deal with a few policemen but it would draw unwanted attention to not only her, but also Loid and Anya. Despite that, she doubted their life as a family could continue once her secret was out.
She did hope sincerely Loid would understand. But she didn't know if he'd accept her being an assassin.
"Come on, Yor. No need to look so sad," Millie said. "We will just order you a beer or something."
She waved and a waitress came over.
If you're pretending to be in love, you have to kiss. Yor could feel her ears burn. Was a kiss on the cheek enough to prove she was in love? She could manage that much, right?
But thinking about being close to Loid...Yor felt the beating of her heart behind her cheeks.
Oh, goodness, Yor couldn't manage that.
The waitress picked up the broken cup and replaced it with a bottle of beer. Yor kept apologising, but she was much too embarrassed to endure all of it sober.
If she had to kiss Loid in front of their neighbours to prove they were in love, she'd have to get used to it first. Her heart was racing in her chest, fighting against its own ribcage like a bird against its cage.
She grabbed the bottle of beer and downed it at once. Immediately, her vision started to blur and all she could hear was her co-workers laughs.
She knew she had never let anyone get close enough to be kissed. She knew she had tried to make it easier for others. She had tried to exempt herself from the outside. Lovers, friends, co-workers. Yor had reduced her contacts to an astonishing number of one. That one being Yuri.
Over and over again, she had pushed people away, so they wouldn't get hurt and truthfully, she had never felt lonely.
Now, her lack of experience was jeopardising her family.
She couldn't let that happen. Ever.
Her gaze darkened. She stood up. The chair made a horribly screeching sound when she pushed it back.
Her co-workers stopped giggling.
"Thamk you for the inwatation," Yor said. Her voice was low. Concentrating, calculating. "But I am terribly shorry. I want to go home and kish my hushband."