Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A spy.

That's what he is: an international agent of espionage trained to manipulate, exploit, and destroy intelligence, counterintelligence, or anything resembling even a mote of value to his nation's enemies.

Operating from Westalis, their top agent, Twilight, is top of the hierarchy in espionage.

There are higher ups, top brass who command respect and commit themselves to the creation of resources and services for field agents, but field agents themselves are indispensable.

Anyone can sit at a desk and stamp papers. Not everyone can infiltrate a foreign capital and plant a bug inside the office of the most well-known diplomats, an area which resembles the pinnacle of security.

Yet that is one of the hundreds of feats that Agent Twilight has accomplished.

In all intents and purposes, Twilight is the paradigm of a perfect agent.

Failure is not in his ledger, no matter how red it may be.

So his station in Ostania, implanted in the populace in order to ensure the stability of peace talks, is where he remains. With plausible reasoning, his agency is aware that Ostania is planning war on the backlines, seeking to keep up this facade of peace talks until all out war erupts.

This would be cataclysmic.

While this world has entered an era of information technology, nothing is more deadly than that of mass destruction.

This war he fights in the background, a war cold enough to freeze bone, is the one he prefers. One where the public is nowhere close–where there are no "acceptable casualties".

His career leads him to moments of absolute paramount–of absolute focus and determination.

Every decision he has made in the past has all led up to this current moment of his deployment:

Twilight is teaching a 6 year old fractions.

Sitting on a couch, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together, he studied the paper as his daughter scribbled.

Her penship was indiscriminate, crossing over and through the placement guidelines of her writing.

That, and her answers were all wrong.

Of each mission I have undertaken, this one is the most tolling. Everything brinks on the skill of others, skill that I must cultivate, he thought.

Peace of our nations, within this powder keg of a continent, is fickle at best.

Is it moral to place these implicit expectations on someone who doesn't even know the definition of puberty?

Missing the questioning glance from his "daughter", Twilight slouched and sunk further into his thoughts.

She is not a daughter of mine, that we are both aware. But Anya is an orphan, it is the life she was handed. My own facade's are made of my own choosing–of my own crafting.

Hers…? Hers was handed to her. I mold not just her facade, but her entire existence.

A child is malleable–terrifyingly so.

This is simply a chapter in my life, an adventure I will one day forget about entirely.

For her? It is her entire upbringing, something I have little experience in having nor forging.

Twilight could not resist a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes.

This whole scenario is completely asinine. Why must we go through such a selective process when just an ounce of suspicion will lead to armed secret police kicking down my door?

Donovan Desmond is the reason–my target.

This is not a simple elimination of threat; this mission requires a delicate hand to craft and plant the strings of a puppeteer before handing the controls to my superiors.

If Donovan dies, then he will simply be replaced by an individual of greater bitterness and resentment to my country. But with some blackmail, he will become a tool.

The procurement of this blackmail is the issue, as Donovan only presents himself publicly at formal affairs regarding his children at Eden Academy

Twilight rubbed his eyebrows.

Anya may not need to do much–just avoid expulsion. That is my hope, at the least.

It is unclear how much I will be able to complete from my level of access as a guardian of a student, but first comes our facade as a family.

Twilight opened his eyes again, catching a glimpse of Anya as she looked away from him and back to her paper.

Even a lapse of my own judgment causes her to cease her work. This is tiring.

A different pair of footsteps interrupted his next thoughts. He barely heard the soft brushing of feet on the wooden floor before Yor came to his side. There was a silver platter in her hands that she laid down in front of them, three empty cups and a teapot adorned on it.

Yor quickly began pouring each cup halfway full and distributing them.

"How is it going? Getting much done, Anya?" The woman asked in an endearing tone.

Anya jumped, as if surprised by the voice. Twilight imagined it must have been how silent things have been in the room, now realizing how silent he has been in his scrutiny.

In reality, Anya just gets surprised sometimes when people speak aloud instead of in their head.

A telepath, Anya must never reveal her secret. But her ability allows her to see in the mind of others, it is an area that people have yet to guard. She knows the most paramount secrets of both her parents and several others, just by proxy.

Others see a happy family, but she is the only one who is able to see the thin veneer placed overtop it. It is naught but a veil she can see through as it deceives others.

The veneer doesn't frighten Anya–it merely adds excitement and intrigue into her life.

Anya nodded happily and held up her study paper for her adoptive mother.

Yor smiled in response and reached a hand forward, brushing Anya's hair in a head pat.

"That's very good, Anya! Your fractions are coming along well, as well as your geometry! But…" Yor paused awkwardly, "when they ask for the name of the shape… I think they were looking for 'Hexagon', not 'Hotdog.'"

Anya frowned as she took her paper back. Her expression lightened up before meeting her mothers eyes with a smile again, "but I wanted to give her a name!"

Yor always enjoyed the innocence of a child, both from her own brother and now that of Anya.

She couldn't help but laugh with the young girl, lifting her spirits.

Twilight barely heard it, staring at the teacup he held in both hands.

His blue eyes studied the decorations, the flowerlike patterns scrawled on the side that made up the adornment.

A simple teacup would suffice, yet we live in this higher level of refinement.

Such is necessary for that of Eden Academy families; elegance of a supernatural state is demanded in every aspect of our mere involvement with the school.

His eyes focused now on Yor as she covered her mouth with a giggle, speaking with Anya.

My wife; someone who is at best a friend of mine. No.. not of mine, she is a friend of Loid Forger.

If someone asked me how much of Loid Forger consists of myself… I would not know.

This family is not of my own, but a sham. This whole scenario is a facade of value to both myself, Yor, and Anya.

Anya has value in having a family, even one that is fake.

Yor would likely be reported to secret police if she remained single till her 30's.

I find value in gaining access to Eden Academy.

These acts of kindness we show each other, of paternal guidance and loving care…

It is nothing else than verisimilitude that keeps us safe.

Yor took notice of Twilight as she finished giggling. She gestured to the tea in his hands, "how is it? I made sure to brew it especially for the both of you!"

Twilight looked down at the mostly clear liquid with hints of green. Bringing the cup to his lips, he took a sip while Anya reached for her own cup.

Expecting it to be cooled, Twilight took a long drag of it. He nearly coughed when it singed his mouth, forcing him to swallow it quickly.

Hot! Very hot! My drawn out thoughts have warped my perception of time…

Forcing his expression to remain calm, he lowered the teacup and gulped. As the pain subsided, Anya stared at him in surprise before studying her own teacup. She stared at the liquid before blowing on it a few times. Taking a sip, she smiled happily at the cooler temperature.

She's intuitive, I don't even feel the heat through the ceramic of this cup.

Meeting Yor's eyes he smiled brightly, "it's delicious, thank you, Yor."

"But… it's just water?" Anya asked in confusion.

The woman is an assassin, a warrior of stealth and perfect execution on selected targets.

While she lacks the espionage and intelligence side of Twilight's career, she excels in elimination. She has even gained a name for herself in doing so.

However, she is not much of a homemaker and is aware of this, consistently working to improve upon her skills.

The entirety of this facade, for her, is to avoid being reported falsely to the secret police and to continue her assassinations. She understood everything from a torturous perspective, reverting to murder for the solution of basic social problems.

Little did she know that the man she claims to be married to is a spy to a foreign nation, nor her daughter a telepath.

It's true… there is very little tea within this tea.

I didn't have the heart to say it to her face though.

Yor and Twilight both stared at Anya before the woman lurched forward, picking up her own tea. Sipping on it, she frowned softly in embarrassment.

"It seems I… didn't steep it enough. I'll make another."

Twilight reached up a hand, keeping her seated, "that is alright, it will continue to steep in the teapot here. Anya could use a guiding hand in her mathematics. If that is alright with you, that is."

Yor's eyes brightened as she nodded. The woman left the couch to take Anya's side kneeling on the floor.

Twilight was about to retake his position of pondering before Yor sifted through a couple of the papers Anya had. Finding one and holding it up, Yor smiled with a soft blush, "is this… us?"

Anya held her fists excitedly by her chest and nodded ecstatically, "yeah! One of the teachers in school asked us to draw something that brings happiness, so I drew this!"

They were likely searching for creative, philosophical answers, Twilight pondered.

Yor held up the paper so Twilight could see it too.

It was a simple drawing of figures crude enough to be described as stick figures. One clearly wore a dress, another a green suit, and in the centre was a girl roughly the size of Anya in her school uniform. Both the depictions of himself and Yor had a hand out, holding the both of Anya's.

Twilight scrutinized it immediately in his logical mind.

The proportions are off, as well as our heights. If we both held onto her hand like that, I'm not sure she'd even be touching the ground.

A mote of sadness immediately entered Anya's expression as he thought that. Spurred by her emotion, in a way that not even he could explain, he studied it again.

It is a picture that encapsulates everything our facade is. We strive to be the epitome of a happy family, looking out for their daughter. A loving mother and endearing father raising their child the best they possibly can.

It was impossible for Twilight to ignore the joy on Yor's face nor the excitement Anya initially had while presenting her work.

Her confidence and joy made his heart rate climb happily. Rarely letting his own body relax, Twilight found it impossible to create meaningful social connections.

It's not that he didn't care about them, it's that he's forgotten how to. His life has kept him away from love, even platonically.

But seeing this depiction of himself in a way that he'd long forgotten possible, it made it difficult to hide his smile.

Maybe… what if one day our verisimilitude manifests itself into reality?

That in itself is a delusion, but I'll allow myself a delusional moment of escape.

Twilight smiled and let his eyes soften as he reached out for the paper.

Anya had lost her sadness, instead looking at him in confusion. It wasn't his actions that confused her nor the sudden smile on his face; Anya just didn't know what half the words he was thinking meant.

The paper crinkled against his fingers as he stared down at the drawing.

For once, he could feel his own genuine smile emerge. A soaring pride rose as he stood up, striding away with the paper. Anya moved to follow but promptly tripped on her own feet, tumbling forward.

Yor was swift due to her lifestyle, catching the petite girl and lifting her into her arms.

Following Twilight she called out, "Loid? What are you doing?"

"Something a good father would do."

His back was turned at the fridge for a moment before he stepped to the side, revealing his own work.

Anya's face roared with pride as Yor smiled delicately, seeing what Twilight presented.

The thin paper, a drawing of a happy family, was now presented on their fridge door by a small magnet.

Twilight moved forward and took Anya into his own arms, feeling something he was unable to describe.

He didn't know the feeling was a fatherly pride–a pride only grown from the truthful love of a child.

This family may be a sham… but it has its moments of truth. Our cohesion in this inane world is out of coincidence and necessity, but the connection that Anya feels?

That is real.

A world where children need not cry, that is the world I strive for.

No, not just that.

Twilight couldn't stop his own smile when looking down at the wide eyes and grin of his daughter.

I want to make a world where every child can smile as beautifully and as genuinely as Anya.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet day.

The sun bore down on the citizens outside, casting its gaze across the entire city of Berlinst.

Not hot enough for a heat wave but not cool enough to comfortably enjoy the air–an annoying accompaniment.

Such is why Yor now stayed with Anya as Loid was out working. While the former believed him to be a psychiatrist, the latter knew deeper than his cover story.

Luckily, they worked different days, which is why Anya was rarely left alone.

A shame for the girl, who was itching to snoop.

But today was her chance. By reading her mama's mind, she picked up on a tune the woman was thinking but couldn't place; as soon as she finally thought of the name, Anya was ready to act. After turning on the radio and happening to switch it to that exact song, Anya slipped away as her mother sliced vegetables for dinner.

The hallway door loomed above the girl as she smirked devilishly.

Spy stuff… gad-gets! Her mind was a one-track train right now. Ignoring her mother's door and trotting up to her dad's, she reached up on her tiptoes.

Grasping at the door with her fingertips, she eventually got a grip after hopping. Twisting the metal knob, she pushed her way inside with a giggle.

Anya was excited and left the door ajar as she stepped into a pretty standard looking office.

There was a bed to one side and a desk to the other as well as a bookshelf.

Where to start? It looks so… normal… she thought.

Under the bed!

Nothing. Not even a dust bunny.

Is a dust bunny a real bunny?

No.

And you're not allowed to read the narrator's mind, Anya.

S-Sorry…

Next she crawled around, already on her hands and knees from looking under the bed. Not finding any loose floorboards, she found herself under the sturdy looking desk.

Is there really nothing in here? Then why am I not allowed? It's unfair!

Anya pouted and crossed her arms. Crossing her legs, she sat underneath the desk for a moment and huffed in disappointment.

The cool shade was nice–for now before the sun shifted.

She looked up, debating if a prayer would send her a miracle.

Whether it was divine inspiration or not, this motion was the salvation she had been searching for.

Within a leather holster taped to the underside of this desk, was a dull grey pistol.

Anya's eyes widened as did her smile.

Woah! Is that… real?!

She sat up immediately, reaching up towards it.

Then she paused, imagining what Loid would say if he caught her.

The thought of him taking it from her and turning it on her was the last thing she wanted.

M-Maybe I'll look for something else… I don't want him to know that I know.

I also don't want mama to know that I know about papa or let him know that I know about mama. Or if he finds out about me then I couldn't let him know that I know that that he knows I know he's a… uhm… I-I'm confused now…

I'm just gonna get in his chair.

Anya can get lost in her thoughts sometimes.

However she did as she intended, leaving the firearm where it was and climbed into her papa's chair. It swivelled slightly and her arms swayed to keep her balance. Clapping both her hands onto the desk, she steadied herself and studied the contents of the tabletop with a renewed vigor.

A pen… pemcil… book #1… book #2… pen #2…

Papa is a boring spy.

Anya frowned, not seeing anything of interest. If anything, some of the half-filled papers looked similar to homework and she was not going near that.

So instead she picked up a metallic looking pen and messed with it as she sat on the wood.

"This is capi-tan of the U.S.S. Miss-is-ip-peepee. Heh… peepee."

Anya looked around to make sure no one heard her as she giggled.

Soaring with the pen for a while, her arms dropped a minute later.

I'm bored! Why can't papa have cool things like a laser pen?! Woosh! Zap!

Anya twisted on the side of the pen as she pointed it down at the desk, making the sounds a laser would in her mind.

She certainly did not expect the tip of the pen to glow red, emanating heat, before a thin red line of light swished forward.

Her imagination came to life.

Am I… more than just a telepath? Anya stared at the pen in amazement.

No. She just got lucky it was a real pen that could fire lasers.

Less luckily, Anya quickly came back to reality as she smelled burning.

The laser had been fired directly at the tabletop of the desk, a small black scorch mark left behind, residual smoke lifting upwards.

Uh oh.

It wasn't on fire, but it left a mark of evidence Anya would not be able to wipe away.

The girl was smart enough not to touch the spot as she put the pen down.

Frantically looking around, searching for a solution to her problem, she found one quickly.

Perfect! He'll never know!

Anya put her hands on her hips while standing on the chair. Staring at her hard work, she studied the quarter she had placed overtop the black spot. It just barely covered it but did smother any possible chance of a flame.

Papa is gonna kill me!

Anya was barely keeping her balance on the chair as one detail came to light in her mind.

It was not the sunlight filtering in between the blinds of the room, nor the mild smell of charred wood. No, it was the ever-looping melodious sound of music from the kitchen.

Or more accurately, the lack thereof.

A mother has certain instincts, even if her child is not of her own birth. Anya is a rambunctious child, one who is always making noise while watching the tv or playing with stuffed animals.

Such is why alarm bells had rung in Yor's head when she hadn't heard a peep from Anya in minutes.

Anya realized this crucial mistake as she stumbled out of the chair, slinking towards the door to make her escape.

But it was too late.

The door flung open, Yor's unnatural strength pushing a wave of air into the room immediately. There was an ominous aura to her as Anya covered her face from the wind. When the little girl opened her eyes again, her mama's face was hidden by shadow but she knew her eyes were staring back. The woman's eyes reflected a scarlet red as terror flooded into Anya, tears threatening to burst from her at being caught.

Found you, Yor thought.

"BAHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SOWWY!" Anya couldn't contain her fear of being caught not by a parent, but by an assassin while she was inside of a spy's bedroom. Darting forward, she made an escape into the hallway, dipping between her mother's slim legs. Longer legs had an advantage in this situation, Anya knew she had very little chance but she still attempted to persevere–perseverance was nonetheless in vain.

The terrified Anya quickly found her feet sliding out from under her as a hand lifted her by the back of her shirt collar.

She was turned around to face Yor who held her. The woman was highlighted in the sunlight she faced, the scowl on her features only invigorated Anya's tears.

"What were you doing in Loid's room? You know you're not allowed there!"

"I-I… I w-was… I want-ted t-to… WAHHHHHHHH!" Anya could barely push out words between her sobs as tears ran down her face.

In the moment, Anya wasn't sure if she was more scared of the assassin or her mama right now.

This is it. Anya made the fatal mistake of getting caught snooping. This life had been a dangerous and short one.

Oh no… I think I scared her too much. Am I a bad mother? Thought Yor, to the surprise and confusement of Anya.

The woman let go of the girl's collar, pulling her in and hugging the crying girl to her chest. Anya quickly found her cries being smothered, shutting her eyes at the sudden sensory overload.

Anya was still a child, and she had the sixth sense of telepathy. But with an extra sense comes sensory overload. Terror and fear only made it worse as she completely shut down into tears, unable to hear any thoughts–not even her own. She barely perceived anything at all, just sinking into the warmth that pulled her in and kept a pressure on her back.

Anya never noticed Yor close the door to Loid's room nor walking to the living room. It wasn't until a minute passed she realized her hair was being stroked, her mama whispering to her.

"I'm sorry about that, honey. Is it okay for me to call you that?"

Anya nodded and sniveled, keeping her head against her mother as her tears stained the soft fabric.

She never saw Yor's smile as the woman sat on the couch, holding the crying child in her arms. Anya's hands clutched at her shirt as she straddled the woman.

Yor whispered soothingly, "I did not mean to frighten you, not that much at least. But it is important for you to know that you aren't allowed in his room nor mine."

I can't have you finding my poisoned needles… she thought.

"I know I am light on my feet, I sneak up on people a lot. But I was worried about you. Please do not run off on me like that again, alright?"

Yor let out a sigh of relief as Anya nodded, still crying into her sternum.

In reality, Yor was just as terrified as Anya. She'd never made a child cry before and it felt absolutely gut wrenching for her.

Picking up a brush from a side table, she pulled it through the now-demure girl's hair.

"It's alright, Anya. I'm not mad at you, alright? We all make mistakes and it's our job to learn from them." The girl pulled away and Yor reached down with a tissue to wipe away Anya's tear trails. Her cheeks were a bright red as well as her nose, the area around her eyes slightly puffed.

"There there, it's alright. We'll keep this our little secret from papa, okay?"

Anya nodded so quickly Yor was worried her neck might snap.

Yor couldn't stop a giggle before whispering, "alright, but you've got to make me a promise, okay?"

Anya thought for a moment but then nodded adorably a moment later.

Holding up a pinky finger in front of the girl, Yor urged her to reciprocate it.

"It's okay to make mistakes. I encourage you to since that's how people learn. Make any and every mistake possible but take a lesson from each one. I won't be upset, I promise to you. But promise to me that when you learn from it, you won't make the same mistake twice."

Anya had to think it over, extending her hand for a second. Pulling back she whispered nervously, "but what if I forget? I make a lot of mistakes…"

Anya wasn't expecting to see a bright smile from her mother.

"Well, so do I! I've failed to make tea properly five times in a row now… but as long as we learn a different lesson from the same mistake, then that'll be our little exception."

Anya looked down, studying the pinky finger in front of her. Determined, the girl reached forward and linked her own pinky. Her hand was smaller than Yor's, but not nearly as much of a difference between herself and Twilight.

So the promise was made for self-betterment.

As soon as it was made and the two looked satisfied at each other, Yor smiled guiltily.

"If I'm being honest… I haven't learnt anything about teamaking."

Anya immediately pointed at the woman with a gasp, "but you said to learn from the mistakes!"

Rising with the calmed child in her arms, Yor laughed, "I did, but I'm an adult so learning is hard."

"That's not true, Papa learns things really quick! You're just bad at it."

Sometimes the truth can hurt, especially when it comes from a child without a filter.

"M-Maybe you have a point. Why don't you help me make some drinks for your papa before he gets home then?"

"Cocoa?"

"You can have some, my treat for scaring you."

"Yay!"

Yor couldn't stop her own wide smile as she carried her "husband's" daughter in her arms. This girl was completely dependant on her at the moment and it was impossible for Yor not to feel like her true mother.

The woman wasn't even sure whether calling Anya her own daughter was acceptable or not. Of course, she knew the girl was okay with it as she called her "mama" on several occasions.

More than once, Yor had let it slip in the heat of the moment. She lost the time for pondering as they entered the kitchen. Anya giggled and laughed as Yor sat her onto the counter.

"Why don't you choose the music for me? Set the atmosphere."

"At-mo-shere!"

Letting out a giggle, Yor couldn't help but watch over her daughter with a newfound pride.

She truly is a gift to this world.

I think… if I ever get to have my own daughter, she'd be just like you.

Scratch that.

Anya, right now you're the daughter I am yet to have.

You made a promise to me to learn from your mistakes, so I'll make my own promise.

I promise to you, my dear child, to protect you from whatever dangers lurk and to prepare you for the world out there.

I won't just play the position of your mother, I'll fill the role and every duty that entails.

I'll take you into my arms whenever you may need it; when the day comes that I put you down, never to pick you up again, I pray your wings spread wider than my own ever did.

After all, a sweet and precious girl like you could never be anything but an angel.

Chapter Text

Promises had been made between mother and daughter a mere hour ago.

Anya resisted her urges to snoop, being content to help her mother prepare supper. She didn't end up helping much since Yor wasn't actually cooking, so she got to just drink hot cocoa and watch.

Yor was a bad cook, so much so that she never prepared full meals for the bunch. Loid could cook and often did, so she would prepare the raw ingredients for him whenever possible. Most of this work was knife work which was by far the best quality of Yor's preparation.

The time finally came, however, when the father of the household approached the door. Anya recognized him from the mannerism of his thoughts–the pattern of thinking he always had.

Yor recognized him from his footsteps, his gait being oddly specific with how even his stride was and accompanied by his surefooted manner. The woman set to putting some tea on as she thought, I've always enjoyed giving someone a gift when they get home. I hope his day was alright!

Anya hopped off the counter, thinking about her mothers thoughts.

Should I get a gift? I don't have one… I'll just say hi instead! He'll be really proud at out el-E-gent I am! young Anya thought.

The footsteps approached the door before selecting the house key from his other keys on the first try. Twilight never fumbled his keys, always knowing every excruciatingly miniscule detail to his life.

Anya stood a few feet away from the door, excitedly hopping in place as she waited for her papa.

The door teetered open.

The air grew heavy in an instant, sending chills down Anya's spine when she saw her father.

Loid Forger was exhausted, the overtime Twilight was forced to do weighed on him. The man's shoulders were slumped slightly, purple bags under his eyes and a tired frown on lips.

He stood tall nonetheless, towering over her as he emitted an aura as terrifying as Yor had just an hour before.

It didn't take her long to figure out why as Twilight sighed and sunk into his thoughts–a brief moment of recluse.

The pretense of work is hardly a pretense at all when it comes to WISE. When I told my handler I could drive, I didn't think to mention that I didn't know how to  race!

Why the hell am I the one having to break up smuggling rings and street racing competitions?

Anya flinched slightly at the curse, surprised to hear her father do so for the first time.

Can this not be handled by local law enforcement? They have secret police to root out political traitors but cannot even protect their own citizens? What kind of absurdity is this?!

Twilight sighed and let out a twinge of a smile on one of his lips.

At least I can relax for a bit now, this family usually helps to cheer me up.

Anya brightened up, latching onto the moment of relaxation from the tense and ominous man.

More thoughts drifted in as two women passed by in the hallway, whispering to each other.

He's home late again? One of them thought. Probably out watching some dancers and ignoring his family.

Anya could only hear their thoughts, but it was Twilight whose left eye twitched as he heard their whispers that mimicked their thoughts.

The man turned and slowly closed the door before locking it.

When he turned back, the brief moment of joy was eviscerated.

His aura was even darker, a heavy gloom washing over him as his smile turned to a scowl.

I've done so much recently… I only got 1 hour of sleep last night for all of this, he thought.

Son of a bi-!

Anya was used to hearing people curse in their head. She didn't blame them, they had no need to censor themselves inside of their own skull. Of course, she appreciated they never swore around her, but it still frightened her. His mind went on, a torrent of frustrations being vented to himself. Anya eventually turned off her sense as best she could, holding her hands to her temples.

Papa has a potty mouth.

Twilight dropped his bag with a thud against the floorboards and looked down, now finally taking note of Anya watching him.

Her shocked expression and fear is all he saw.

The air lightened immediately, each and every emotion filtering out of Twilight's face.

Such was Loid Forger brought forward.

Anya stared at the surprisingly glee man now standing in front of her, removing his outer jacket and hanging it.

"Hi, Anya. What have you been up to today?"

I was in your office snooping around. I found a gun and a pen that shot lasers!

I… probably shouldn't say that. He's still in a bad mood even if he makes himself look happy.

You're a spy but… you don't fool people that easily.

Yor popped around the corner of the kitchen, having missed the entirety of Twilight's entrance. She greeted Loid, "Hi, Loid! How was work?"

"Pretty good, my patients were calm today."

I nearly got run over by a mustang and my hand still throbs from when I broke the driver's jaw.

Yor smiled and returned into the kitchen, "Good to hear! I'm just finishing up in here."

Anya stared, flabbergasted, as her mother walked away.

Papa is either a really good liar or mama is really bad at reading people.

Both. The answer is both.

Loid looked down to Anya before smiling, "my question still stands. Get anything done?"

Anya froze, I had homework.

The girl tapped her index fingertips together, "Y-Yes…"

Loid sighed and his smile only widened.

Twilight's inner scowl only deepened.

I wish I could do her homework for her, if only the academy didn't do random inspections on the handwriting. Making a forgery is risky.

This is too much for me to handle today.

Oh wait, I need to cook too.

Loid rubbed his throbbing hand before gesturing to the couch, "why don't we get started then? I'll help you."

Anya followed him hesitantly, not wanting to get on his bad side when he was in such a bad mood.

Empathy is something Anya is familiar with. If anything, she is beyond empathy. Being able to look into someone's mind and find their true intentions, motives, and feelings, it was easy for her to have incredible insight. But it also made her get emotionally attached easily to others problems, something she has learnt to distance herself from.

So even despite Twilight's sour mood, she took solace in the positive outward expression on his face.

Even though she was only 6, she had the wisdom in knowing that what Twilight presented was not just Loid Forger but the same feeling he wanted to inspire within her. He kept his misery to himself in order to not spread it to, knowing children could be affected easily by the mood of their parents.

Although he had no idea that she was reading his every thought and knew about each of the steps he took to protect her.

Anya didn't have much of the intelligence for her homework, but she was one of the only people alive wise enough to know that all her father needed was some time to relax and sleep.

He sat down on the couch while Anya fetched her papers, spreading them out on the table. Kneeling down, she began working on them silently, glancing over at her father once in a while.

Anya would usually be talking, scribbling, or slacking off–intentionally or otherwise.

But this time, she worked diligently, not in need of a guardian's watchful gaze.

Her wisdom blossomed as her plan worked almost immediately, Twilight's attention span shortening before he deemed her capable. His eyes blinked lazily before he leaned back, crossing his arms.

After another five minutes of Anya focusing more on her schoolwork than she's focused over the past week, Twilight allowed his eyes to close for just a second.

They flicked open once.

Then twice.

Thrice more.

Before remaining closed, his head drooping slightly.

Anya shook a fist in celebration, he's asleep! Now I can stop working and turn on cartoons!

Moo-ted, of course.

Anya smirked devilishly before putting both her hands on the table, pushing herself upwards. She looked over to Twilight as he napped peacefully.

It was interesting to her to see his face completely mute, devoid of any expression. He was always forcing himself to present a certain emotion and when his face held back his thoughts, his eyes spoke volumes of his inner machinations.

But now, there was a certain bliss to him.

This was the relaxed face of Twilight, a rare sight indeed.

It was peaceful.

"Loid! The kitchen is ready for you!" Yor's voice rang out.

The peace was broken half a minute after it had begun.

Twilight jumped in panic, his left hand instinctively reaching into suit jacket and grabbing onto something. His sudden movement made Anya jump as both of them sat up straight, staring at each other. Anya bit her tongue in fright as Twilight breathed heavily, being jerked awake.

His eyes met Anya's as he remembered where he was. His eyes drifted down to his hand in his jacket.

L-Let's not draw a gun on a child, Twilight. Get it together.

Anya's eyes light up with both excitement and fear, Papa has a gun?!

Twilight let go of the firearm and cleared his throat. Reaching forward, he brushed his left hand onto Anya's head and ruffled her hair, "keep working, Anya. You're doing great. I'll be right back. How does ramen sound?"

The throbbing in my hand is worse, just brushing her hair hurts.

Anya pulled her head away from his hand upon reading his thoughts–shying away. The girl didn't want to put her father in pain just because he was praising her, it wasn't worth it in her mind.

It was almost, very nearly, worth it, but not this time.

Anya saw the confusion in his eyes and diverted the subject back to the conversation, "M-Mama said we were having stir fry…"

Loid smiled slightly before loosening his collar, "r-right, she told me that this morning. Good catch."

Twilight frowned under Loid's smile, how could I forget what we were having? That's an easy detail.

Anya held both hands over her head, keeping him from brushing her hair again, as he strode away. Once he got past Yor, he rubbed his eyes and slouched ever so slightly, limping into the kitchen and out of sight.

Yor put a cushion out for herself and kneeled beside Anya, "and how's the homework going? My my, you got so much done!"

I did because I had a good plan! But you woke Papa up and ruined his sleep.

Now she's just gaslighting herself into forgetting she just wanted to watch Spyman.

Regardless, Anya nodded proudly as Yor praised her hard work.

The woman smiled and folded her hands in her lap, "then I don't think you need much of my help. Loid's been taking really good care of you and he's in such a good mood too! It's amazing how he's so optimistic about life."

Anya just stared at her mother.

Mama is kinda stupid.

Yor's smile cracked in embarrassment as she noticed the stare, "w-what is it?"

"Nothing," Anya whispered before picking her pencil back up.

She immediately placed it back down, refusing to do any more work than she already had.

Yor took notice, but there was a question on her mind that she wanted to ask anyways.

"Hey, honey? Your real mama. Was she… nice?"

Anya turned and stared at Yor in complete and utter surprise.

My real mama? That's right, papa told mama that he lost his wife… whatever that means. My real mama?

I… don't know.

Anya couldn't remember much of her parents. Anything she did was dominated by that of scientists and experiments. She was nothing more than a gerbil running in a wheel for years before her escape. Anya had never cared for the scientists, they always shrugged off emotion and she was scolded whenever she did feel anything.

It's horrid to say that her orphanage wasn't much better. Twilight had seen the sorry state of it, but the management was even worse. There was never anything to do, food was never in excess, and any families that came in weren't going to make a happy home no matter what children they took in.

Anya had naively sought out any family that came in. But she was always brought back.

Not only returned, but exchanged.

There's no child in the world who wouldn't be hurt by such actions.

Tears muddled her sight as Anya stared at her homework, "She… wasn't very nice."

Yor clicked her tongue and reached out, pulling Anya into her lap and holding the child, "I'm sorry, it's not my place to ask you such questions."

"You're a better mama than she ever was."

"W-What…?"

Yor blinked in surprise, looking down to the girl that balled up the fabric of her shirt into her fists. A tear slipped out of one of Anya's eyes as she looked up to meet the gaze of her mother.

"You're the first one that doesn't yell at me behind your eyes."

Anya buried her head into her mother's chest, letting free the tears of a child afraid to be abandoned.

There were no words that came to Yor.

What could she even say? This was a child she's known for a handful of weeks yet… she's been the best mother that Anya had? Even over her birth mother?

She was sure that Loid's wife was just as kind as he was but…

It doesn't matter much anymore, does it?

There's a girl here in my arms who needs raising. If she says I'm doing alright, then I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

"There there, Anya. You'll be alright, darling. I'll be here to care for you."

Yor rocked back and forth softly with Anya in her arms, hushing the crying girl as she had done earlier.

Anya didn't cry for as long, she was determined now. She's had a while to come to terms with her displacement and she wanted to focus on the future.

Her future was this family and she had a sudden moment of clarity–an epiphone.

Anya pulled away and wiped away her tears as her sobbing came to a stop. She had an immaculate resilience and mental fortitude when she wanted to.

"Mama, what's a hand massage?"

Yor blinked again as her smile cracked at the sudden change of topic.

"I… uhm it's a… massage for the hands? W-Where did you hear about that?"

Anya smirked behind her smile, "Papa said he used to get them from old mama and misses them."

I actually saw people doing it at the park once. It was gross.

Yor was about to speak up but Anya was set on the path of her plan, leaping off of the woman. Grabbing her hand and leading Yor towards the kitchen, Anya stomped along.

The only remnants of her tears were her red eyes.

She didn't want to think of her failed families, of the families that failed her. There were two people here who cared for her and she wanted them to get closer too. Anya didn't like the thought of her Papa being in pain.

In the kitchen, Twilight was currently sorting out the cut vegetables, preparing to turn on a pan. There were about three times more ingredients here than he needed, Yor really went above and beyond.

In reality, Yor just got carried away and used it as an excuse to keep Anya by her side.

When he saw the two women of his household enter the kitchen he waved them away, "I don't need any help, I've got a handle on this. You two can relax and- huh?"

Anya was jumping at his side, reaching for his left hand that was just out of her reach. There was a certain determination to her as she glared at him that urged Twilight to offer his hand to her.

Now Anya stood holding both her parents' hands, forcing them to slouch just slightly to keep her on the ground.

Yor and Loid met eyes, exchanging a confused glance.

Anya stood still, thinking to herself.

I forget the next step to this plan…

I wanted to trick Mama into holding Papa's hand but… I got carried away.

Maybe I can just…?

Anya brought her hands together, placing Twilight's left hand into Yor's right. She let go and they stayed locked together for a moment as Anya nodded proudly.

Perfect!

"Is everything alright, Anya? What's gotten into you?" Loid asked.

He let go of Yor's hand and rubbed one of his knuckles.

Not perfect!

Anya panicked and hopped up, slapping her hand across the back of her father's left hand. A resounding smack was heard as she clapped his injury.

She could hear his pained thoughts, OW! What the- Why'd she do that?!

There was a grimace of pain and a wince from Loid as he withdrew his hand, cupping it to his chest. He looked down accusingly at Anya as did Yor.

"Honey! Don't slap people like that! What're you-?"

Before Yor could finish, Anya shrunk down and skittered away out of the kitchen. A moment later, both parents clearly saw her fingers creep around the corner, the edge of her head visible as she peeked to stare at them.

Loid frowned and continued nursing his hand, "she's certainly never done that before."

"Do you think she's upset with you? But then why'd she bring me here? Anya-" As soon as Yor turned to address the girl, she hid back behind the corner.

A few seconds later, she poked back out, failing her second stealth check.

Yor just smiled and shook her head. Turning back to Loid she whispered, "just when I feel like I've figured her out she goes and does something like this. Are you alright?"

Loid waved his right hand, "I'm alright. She's an enigma alright. I'll make sure to have a word with her about that later."

Twilight frowned under his facade, I just wish she didn't hit that specific spot.

Yor moved during his thoughts, completely unseen by him. Once he did notice, her fingers were already partially around his left wrist.

Damnit, if I pull away now, that'll just be more suspicious!

Loid scoffed, "I'm alright, I promise. No need for an inspection."

Yor smiled wide and raised an eyebrow. "An inspection? It's your hand, not a restaurant under review."

Twilight wanted to punch himself.

It's hard enough holding this conversation than picking appropriate words. I'm light-headed as it is.

He acquiesced and held his hand out to Yor.

This is fine, she's a worker at town hall. There's no record of medical training, she'll have no idea.

"You're right, I was just surprised. I hope Anya didn't leave a bruise."

Yor giggled, "it was a good hit, wasn't it?"

Loid raised an eyebrow for a moment, "she certainly has more strength behind her, just like you."

"Then I'll make sure to be gentle on you," Yor whispered.

The woman paused before blushing momentarily.

Anya glared in confusion as she stared at the couple.

Mama is having weird thoughts.

Yor cleared her throat and continued, "w-well it looks like you're okay. Although, she did mention hand massages that your wife used to give you. Were they… common?"

Twilight and Loid both moved as one now as he tilted his head, trying to meet the eyes of their eavesdropper. The girl hid away from him before he shook his head, knowing he couldn't contradict any details she gave out.

"N-Not common, per say, but a welcome rarity."

"May I then? I give good and thorough massages," Yor smiled innocently.

If there is a god, I am praying you not to. My hand hurts enough as is.

"W-Wait…" she whispered.

Loid looked down to his own hand as Yor now studied it closely, her joyful expression changing to a serious tone.

Attempting to see what she was seeing, Twilight's mind was blinded by his exhaustion. Nor did he know that Yor was an assassin, one who has had to treat her own share of bullet wounds, stabs, and broken limbs.

Both her hands clasped gently around his before she applied pressure onto the knuckle on his ring finger.

Twilight knew how to hide his pain, but a simple twitch in his smile was all Yor needed.

"Loid Forger, I thought you told me your clients had been calm?"

Twilight crumbled at the interrogation immediately, being completely blindsided by the question.

Attempting to recover a moment later, all he could manage was a stammer.

"You must've been utilizing that concussive therapy again. Oh dear, your finger is broken, maybe even part of your hand."

Broken?! Anya and Twilight's mind aligned.

I didn't even notice it was broken! How can she tell so easily?! Twilight immediately scrutinized his wife, suspicious at her knowledge.

Loid pulled on his collar with his right hand before realizing it was already loose. "R-Right, the concussive therapy from the day we got married. It came up once today."

Being pulled out of the kitchen, Yor began leading Loid towards the bathroom, "you've got a first aid kit, I remember seeing it earlier. Come on, we can handle dinner afterwards."

It was a small apartment they lived in, thus Twilight didn't get a chance to refuse before he was already being set down on a cushion in the bathroom. He adjusted his knees and Yor kneeled likewise in front of him, opening the red and white case.

While Yor was doing so, Twilight leaned to the side and looked out the door, spotting young Anya peeking around the doorframe.

She even followed us here? There's no way she noticed I was hurt, right?

No. She's just a child.

Unless she's not.

Shut up, Twilight, you've got a bulb loose if you go down that road of thinking.

She got lucky, that's all.

Anya couldn't help but smirk from beside the doorframe, proud of herself for thwarting the spy.

Her pride didn't last long as Yor strode up to her.

"Sorry, dear, but this'll be private. I'm sure you don't want to see Papa while he's hurt."

The door was closed on Anya.

No! I mean I don't want to see him having a hurty but… I wanna listen!

Anya pouted for a moment before standing up and pacing around the door.

Getting onto her hands and knees, she lowered her head to the bottom of the door, attempting to listen in.

She heard murmuring, but nothing intelligible.

I could just listen to their thoughts, but thoughts don't always match words.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Anya had her second epiphany of the day, this one much brighter to her than the last.

A devilish smirk grew across her face before she skipped away.

While they do that, I can watch cartoons for as long as I want!

Or if I somehow block the door I could watch cartoons forever…

No, they'd be really mad.

Cartoons it is!

The couple didn't hear their daughter leaving before Yor held a bag of ice onto Loid's hand as he winced. He didn't need to express his pain, but he felt he should instead of taking it silently as per usual.

They were both silent as this happened, looking awkwardly away from each other's eyes.

It was Yor whose words tore the veil of silence, "I asked Anya about your wife. She… didn't have many positive things to speak of. Is that true?"

Twilight and Loid both met Yor's eyes in surprise, not having expected Anya to take such steps.

Yor jumped, "s-sorry, pardon my prying. I'd asked her out of curiosity."

Twilight squinted, I see. The girl must've been looking back at her orphanage experiences. Not even I know what has become of her original parents.

Even in this sub-par state, Twilight's mind was still sharp.

"She had her flaws, as we all do. After having Anya she was… more distant than I would've liked. I'm afraid she wasn't quite ready for a child despite wanting one."

Yor nodded along as she took away the ice pack. Pushing his ring finger and middle finger together, she began wrapping them in a bandage to keep his finger in position while it healed.

Neither of them could stop the realization of how soft the other's fingers were.

At the same time, neither of them mentioned it.

"Were you ready for a child?" Yor asked.

Loid scoffed, "a child? Sure. Anya? She's a bit more of a handful."

Giggling, Yor responded, "she is, but she's fun to be around. I'm afraid I missed her younger stages but.. she's a lamb."

Twilight smiled in thought, "she really is. I'm sure if my wife saw her now she'd be proud."

"What kind of person was she?"

Twilight's mind was on overdrive as he came up with a lie, one he would have to continue with for years to come.

"She was… considerate. I think that describes her best, a jack of all trades. Able to do anything, master at nothing."

Yor nodded along, subconsciously comparing herself.

Twilight picked up on her intentions and continued, "but of course there were occasional issues. She was argumentative, picking fights at the worst of times. Not just with me, but other people. It wasn't the easiest to deal with."

Yor nodded along, "I can see that part of Anya."

Twilight scoffed, "you're not wrong. Did Anya say anything about you? I haven't quite asked her opinion of you just yet."

If I can get an insight into what Anya spoke of, then I'll keep myself from making a contradiction.

Yor blushed softly, "she said that… that I was the… best… mama she's had."

Twilight had been intending to hop onto whatever she said and agree with it, but this made him ponder.

From her perspective, she's referring back to just my old wife. But Anya? I wonder if she truly meant that.

I shouldn't be so cynical of a child.

Twilight lifted his right hand as Yor finished wrapping his left. Clasping her hands between his, he looked up into her eyes and held the gaze. A soft blush entered both his face and Yor's as he had to keep his voice steady.

Why am I flustered? Stop that, they both thought.

"No matter what my previous relationship was like, I'm dedicated to the present. I'm putting the work and care into this family, even if just for Anya's sake. If you're willing to work with me, I know she'll be happy. If Anya says you're the best mother she's had then… I won't deny it. I certainly wouldn't from the evidence I've seen either."

Yor smiled and looked away with a blush, having to remind herself this family is just for show. Otherwise she'd catch feelings, which she totally hasn't already.

"You're a good father, as well. She's adorably sweet, I see she got that cup of sugar directly from you."

Twilight and Loid both blushed now at the praise, not used to genuinely receiving it.

"Just… try and not hurt yourself any more, alright? She was certainly worried about you."

Twilight took in a deep breath and sighed, "yeah… I'll try that."

Yor was genuinely concerned as she studied him, "Did you sleep well last night? You look exhausted."

Twilight knew the best way to lie is with a hint of truth:

"Oh, I lost a number of hours to some research. I'll be okay."

"That's why you seem so sluggish. Your movements are quite slow right now."

His gaze bore a hole into her eyes as he stared.

H-How did she know that?! I must be slipping if she could notice that…

Partially, but Yor was an expert in assassination, so it was easy for her to notice when people aren't moving as they usually would. That's how she also knew about his minor limp, supporting his side as she helped him up.

"There's no need for that, I promise I'm alright."

Yor grinned, "No, I'm going to take care of you. It's something a good wife would do."

"I assure you, there's no need to go to such lengths for- woah!"

Yor opened the bathroom door before leaning down, swiping her forearm into Twilight's knees.

She was significantly stronger than he gave her credit for as she swung him into her arms in a bridal carry.

He wasn't even holding onto her but the woman hefted him with ease as she stepped out into the hallway.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"You'd best not deny you've got a limp, it'd be really easy for me to drop you."

Loid's eyes widened slightly, "y-you wouldn't."

Yor smirked devilishly, replicating one of Anya's smiles. It broke apart a moment later as she giggled, "I wouldn't want to hurt you, but you get the meaning behind it."

"R-Right. This is… embarrassing nonetheless."

Yor scoffed as she strode out into the living room with him, "Not all that much, it's not like anyone will see us in-"

Yor froze midstep, looking over to the tv that Anya was infront of.

The girl was standing inches away from it, but the sight of her parents was difficult to look away from.

W-What did I miss? she thought.

Her face quickly turned to that of disgust because boys are gross and seeing her parents sharing an endearing moment is always embarrassing.

Not just for the children either, as both adults now blushed. Yor quickly lowered Twilight to his feet as she whispered, "I-I'll put you down now…"

Twilight brushed himself off, careful not to rub his wrapped hand.

Yor covered her face with both hands as she turned beet red, just now realizing what she had looked like.

Twilight and Anya both stared at each other in silence before she slowly reached up and turned the tv off.

The girl backpedaled, approaching the hallway to their bedrooms before slowly disappearing behind the corner with a glare of disgust.

Twilight rubbed his eyes, that's certainly not embarrassing.

He rubbed his head as he wobbled for a moment, his light-headedness returning.

Yor silently glided to his side, ushering him to the couch. Sitting him down first and then encouraging him to lay down, he acquiesced.

"Loid, you're more exhausted than you let on. You look dreadful."

Twilight's eyes shifted and met Yor's as she sat beside him with a hand on his shoulder. He adjusted the pillow under his head before groaning, "I'll be fine. I need to start dinner."

Yor stood up, "oh no you don't, I'll handle dinner."

She jumped at the look of horror on Twilight's face.

"I'm not cooking it! I'll just order something."

He immediately calmed down, letting his head sink into the pillow, "a-alright, that should be fine."

Yor picked up their landline phone, "good, why don't you just rest for now?"

"For just a few minutes, I have work to do."

Yor took a few minutes to decide where to order before doing so, keeping her conversation quiet in order to let Loid sleep.

Once she was done and hung up the phone, he was already asleep, a soft mellifluous snore coming from him.

Yor couldn't stop a smile before going out and opening the closet in the hall. Taking out a long wool blanket, she noticed Anya staring at her from down the hall. The girl came bounding down, "is Papa dreaming?"

Yor blinked in surprise, how did you know he was asleep?!

She shook her head and smiled widely before responding, "yes, dear. Why don't you grab a blanket with me for him? He might get cold without one and you don't want your Papa to get sick do you?"

Anya immediately shook her head and excitedly grabbed a blanket alongside Yor.

The woman was thankful that Anya was pretending like she hadn't seen anything earlier; the embarrassment is enough to spike Yor's blood pressure.

Anya ran in without her, bounding to her father's side and staring at him. The man was lying on his side, one hand underneath the pillow as Anya studied his face in amazement. The same look of peace and bliss was on his face, something she longed for him to feel all the time.

The girl grinned and she struggled to climb onto the couch. Before Yor could stop her, Anya lifted Twilight's arm and slid under it, cuddling against her father's chest as he slept.

Yor stood tall and watched the loving act with a smile. Her heart fluttered when Twilight shifted in his sleep, his arm wrapping around Anya to keep her safe.

Even in his sleep, he protects her. I wasn't lying when I said he was a good father.

Smiling deeply, Yor picked up the blanket Anya had forgotten about. Spreading it over Twilight and Anya, she tucked them into the couch.

Anya couldn't stop a sense of wonder from washing over her, staring up at the loving motherly figure looming above her.

I've never been tucked into bed before! It's… it's nice.

Anya closed her eyes happily and giggled as the wool tickled her nose.

Yor pat Anya's head and whispered, "careful, you don't want to wake him. It looks like you're trapped, so stay with him for a while. And don't press on his hand, alright?"

Nodding vigorously, Anya couldn't suppress her gleeful smile.

The girl froze when Yor leaned down, kissing the side of her head before brushing her hair a moment.

Anya stared at her mother in amazement. This was the first time she'd been kissed, she'd always dreamt of what it felt like. While it was just a simple peck on her temple, it carried so much more weight to her little heart than Yor could ever realize. Anya giggled to herself and shut her eyes as she cuddled her father, smiling brighter than ever before. It was such a wide smile, her cheeks began to hurt before long.

Yor pulled the blanket up a bit further, ensuring they'd both be warm. Anya took a deep breath in, trying to match her breathing to that of her father. However, his breathing was extremely deep and consisted of long inhales followed by a longer exhale–an extent of his training.

Before long of the meditative breathing, Anya drifted to sleep beside the figure she looked up to the most.

All while under the watchful, loving gaze of someone she could depend on for support, care, and protection.

Anya doesn't know the meaning of love, not yet.

But through this family, she knows it will not just be defined for her, but it will come naturally.

This isn't just a family for Anya, it's her whole life.

It's a life she refuses to give up on.

Chapter Text

Today was a festival–a carnival for families to visit.

Of course, Anya begged for her parents to bring her. There were dozens of games to choose from and she had to play each and every one.

She didn't expect Twilight to agree so easily, but figured him out quickly as he had to pick up his mission assignment from the carnival anyways.

Yor hopped on the bandwagon, receiving an assassination assignment only a few hours earlier; her target was hidden somewhere in the carnival and this was the perfect excuse to go.

Such is the family that entered this common festival. A man sharply dressed in a dark brown suit, black gloves tight against his hands. The mother, a long red coat with plenty of pockets, her thin gloves holding the same hue.

Between them was the daughter, an ecstatic girl with a short dress, her skirt swishing in the wind as she hopped around.

Anya wasn't worried about her parents' assignments, she knew their line of work. As long as she didn't get kidnapped again and her parents stayed safe, she was happy.

The air was jovial. There were long lines of stalls that made intersecting paths within this park of the city. Colourful banners and flags flew through the air, different stands playing music or telling stories. The fresh scent of baked goods drifted through the air with naught a sight of a bakery. The sun beamed down, continuously warming the head of anyone that wandered through. Yor kept her hair free while Loid kept a small white hat on to deflect the heat from his otherwise dark ensemble.

"Loid! Over here, man!"

The trio looked over to a nearby stall, a familiar voice calling out.

Loud smiled and opened his arms wide, "Franky! Good to see you. This is my wife, Yor, and you already know my daughter."

Franky, with his bushy black afro and square glasses was dressed in a colourful Hawaiian shirt. His equally colourful shorts were hidden behind the counter as he bowed ostentatiously, "it is an honor to finally meet you."

Yor bowed back, "good to meet you too. Are you an old friend of Loid?"

"In a way. I-"

"Scruffy!" Anya jumped up excitedly, attempting to clamber onto the counter he stood behind.

The girl went limp as Twilight slid his hands under her armpits and lifted her away.

He held her suspended in the air as he met Franky's eyes, "an old client. There were many things he came in for."

Alright, alright, I know when I'm being threatened, Twilight, Anya listened to Franky's thoughts.

The man was unphased, stepping back as Anya was lowered back onto her feet. Holding out his arms to present the stall beside him, he cried out, "tada! I made this game myself for this festival! Give it a whirl, man. First shot is on the house."

Anya waved her hands, trying to reach up towards the bar she was too short to see over. Yor picked the girl up, letting Twilight take part in the game alone.

Twilight reached forward, picking up a small wooden pistol with a rubber plunger on the end. He studied it before tilting his head, "and what am I supposed to do with this?"

Franky smiled widely as he strode in front of the targets, pacing back and forth.

"Well you see, Mr. Forger, this is a game of dexterity and skill. Only the strongest can make their way through this obstacle course built from the fires of he-!" Franky glanced to the child being held by her mother, "the fires of the... underworld! Hit the cans for a small prize, the bobblehead for a medium, and the floating spaceship for our jackpot, the stuffed unicorn! So, which one will you-"

"Cool."

Twilight immediately took a shot at the metal cans, stacked on each other to form a triangle. Franky let out a yelp, ducking for cover with his hands pulling his afro down with him.

Thuk!

The plunger slapped onto the center of one of the cans, shoving it back and tipping all three over. Franky peeked over the counter, glaring at Twilight before hissing, "you could've warned me."

"You were taking too long."

Franky grumbled to himself but acquiesced and handed Twilight a small stuffed dog, the small bead eyes glaring back at him. Twilight studied it as he thought, I've always hated the S cipher.

"Papa! Why'd you only go for a small one?! Go for the unicorn!"

Twilight turned to his daughter, "there's no need for-"

Franky verbally jabbed at Twilight as he hopped out of the firing range and back to his booth, "yeah! Come on, old man! The girl wants a unicorn."

Twilight stared daggers into Franky as Anya listened to his thoughts, old man?! I'm in my late twenties!

The man sighed before handing a quarter to Franky, "alright, one more shot then."

"You're the man!" Franky chuckled, pocketing the quarter with a grin.

Yor watched in anticipation, completely invested in this game as Twilight glanced back to them.

His mind raced while studying the plunger pistol.

I can't take a perfect shot, that'll be much too suspicious. I have impeccable marksmanship, but that doesn't mean Loid does. Sorry, Anya.

Loid raised his right hand, aiming for the ufo. At the last second, his aim twitched to the side, firing the plunger into the ceiling.

Franky had to hop to reach it, doing so a few times while Loid turned back to his family.

"Sorry, you guys. I guess I'm not all that great with-"

Twilight stopped as he saw Anya verging on the brink of tears. Her cheeks were turning red with her fists balled up at her chest. Her lower lip quivered as Twilight's heart shook.

Yor cradled the young girl before giving in and pleading to her husband, "why don't you give it one more try? Then after that we can try a different game!"

Anya nodded softly, but her eyes focused on Twilight, waiting for his response.

"I… Fine. One last go. Catch, Franky," Twilight flipped a quarter to the man who caught it out of the air.

"No problemo. Take the shot whenever- hey why is one half of this quarter black?"

Twilight didn't say anything, just watching Anya as the girl smiled immediately. Her tears disappeared and all the colour in her face returned to a normal healthy blush.

I'm being held hostage at a children's game by a child.

And I thought I was the spy.

Twilight glanced up, raising the pistol and firing immediately.

The plunger latched onto the red painted circle on the cardboard ufo–a direct hit.

"Well I'll be damned, Loid, that was my only unicorn."

Anya raised her fists, letting out a squeal of glee that her mother replicated, sharing in Twilight's victory, one he didn't share himself.

Handing the stuffed animal to Anya directly, Franky whispered, "careful with her, Sparkles can be a bit tardy."

Anya held a wide smile in glee, squeezing the neck of the unicorn so hard Yor was sure it would be suffocating if it were alive.

Twilight rejoined his family, this was uneventful.

Finding himself studying the joy on the face of his daughter, his thoughts lightened away from work for a moment.

Maybe not that uneventful.

Anya took no hesitation in leading the both of her parents around. Once she was out of her mothers arms, the girl darted in between people and under them, nearly tripping them once in a while with her toy. Yor had to rush in order to keep her from running rampant.

While they were distracted, Twilight ducked around a stall and took out his magnifying glass. It was one specifically made for studying the engravings on diamonds to validate their make. He used it now on the right eye of the stuffed dog he had been given by Franky.

Huh, an informant?

It's not common an informant will cut their ties and start selling information to the competition, but that's what happened. A Roman Seldrick used to be a Westalis contact in this city, but recently went dark. There's reason to believe he is now selling information about WISE to Ostania.

That's bad, he might even know about the Forger's and Operation Strix.

I am to steal what information he had and silence him.

If he doesn't cooperate, lethal force may be necessary.

Twilight sighed deeply, dropping the bead. He crushed it underneath his heel before tossing the toy into the garbage.

I don't enjoy getting my hands dirty like that when it isn't mandatory. I can find some dirt on him easily enough. First I just need to find where he is within this carnival.

He's like a damn needle in a haystack.

Twilight rejoined his family right as Anya was bobbing on her tiptoes, staring at a specific booth. An out of breath Yor held her hand, smiling in her success of not losing the girl.

"Papa! There's cups!"

"So there is."

The booth was a game he's partaken in several times. It was simple, the organizer simply put a ball under one of the cups and then switched the cups around. As long as you could track the right cup, you'd win.

It was an easy game at times, but many people rigged it.

It's obviously a scam. Must we play this one?

Anya waved her hands, "we must!"

Twilight turned his head like a stone statue of a gargoyle, staring at his daughter in surprise as she responded to his thoughts.

Anya was too excited to be scared, pointing at the older man sitting at the table, "it's a dalc to play! I wanna do it!"

"Do you have a dalc?"

"No… Can I have a dalc?"

Twilight frowned but Loid smiled, crouching down. The father scooped his daughter into his arms and handed her the small bronze coin. "Hand it to the kind man and then keep your eyes on the ball. You can help too, Yor."

The woman nodded and leaned forward, focusing on the cups.

Placing the coin into the man's wrinkled hands, he pocketed it. It looked like he had parkinsons with the way his hands shook, placing a small white ball under the middle red cup.

Maybe it's not a scam after all. Well then let's see-

The old man grinned before moving at a brilliantly blinding speed. His hands lost all form of their shakiness, moving swifter than a coursing river. The cups shifted between one another so fast an optical illusion was made, looking as if they passed through each other.

I lost it! Twilight thought.

That speed is amazing, Yor pondered.

I don't even need to watch the cups, Anya grinned.

The old man grinned and crossed his arms as he stopped the cups, presenting them to the family.

"You may lift one, but only one. If you get it right, you get two dalc back."

The man stroked his scraggly white beard as Twilight hovered his hands over the cups, completely unsure of which one.

D-Damnit, it's a 33% chance. Maybe I could just-

"It's this one!" Anya declared, lifting the center cup.

The old man jerked forward, slapping his hands onto his knees as she lifted the correct cup.

The ball laid barren in the sunlight like a diamond in display as the parents fell silent.

"Anya… that's… amazing!" Loid exclaimed.

Genuine surprise filled his system as he held his daughter up a bit higher, Yor pinching the girl's cheek.

"I don't know how you even followed that, honey!"

Anya giggled happily and laughed before meeting the gaze of the older man.

He was scowling as he took two dalc back out, holding it to the family. Clenching his fist around the metal a moment later, he gave an ultimatum.

"You can have your two dalc of winnings, or you can double down and get 4 dalc if you guess it right again. This is a game of skill, not for fluke guesses."

Anya pouted, I didn't guess! Papa was the one doing that! You knew where the ball was, I just needed to read your mind.

"Maybe another time when-"

"You're on!" Anya declared.

Twilight sighed but hefted his daughter up, "well, it's her dalc afterall. But if it's harder this time, let it be your lesson in greed and overindulgence."

"Over-in-what?"

Yor brushed her daughters hair, "it's when you take more than you need. What Loid is saying is that if you choose the wrong one, then you lost your original coin and winnings."

Anya giggled when Yor booped her nose at the end of her explanation.

The girl understood perfectly, but was confident enough to continue.

Placing her two coins onto the table, the older man cracked his knuckles. He gently placed one ball under the cups in plain view and prepared himself.

My trick of feigning illness won't work anymore. These parents are watching like hawks now. Geez, what's with the seriousness of those two?!

They scare me…

But they should learn to be scared of my skill! No one has ever beaten me at my prime!

If she guesses, I'll know!

Silence grew around the stall. All sound of wandering voices drifted away, a stillness reflecting the crisp focus of the spectators rose up. If a pin needle were to be dropped, they'd all hear it.

Like a gun firing to signal a race, the old man's hands tensed. His movement came at a flurry, somehow faster than before. But now he wasn't just shifting the cups back and forth, he lifted the cups and swung the ball to transfer it. A new layer of complexity was added.

Loid focused, I know these tricks! He swirls the cup the ball is under just before lifting it to toss the ball. Knowing we'd see the motion and assume the ball moves, he keeps it within the same cup swirling around the inside because of the centripetal force!

There! That was a fake swap!

A real one!

A f-fake one?

Oh no…

Loid lost.

Yor ignored the cups completely, focusing just on seeing white flashes of colour. Once she caught sight of the ball, she just had to remember the cup it went under. This made it easy to spot the fake swaps.

Catching a glimpse of white and focusing on it, Yor paused.

Wait, that white was the inside of the cup, not the ball?

Where did I last see it?

Yor lost.

Anya was just watching the pretty colours.

A minute, the man slammed the three cups down. Leaning back, he didn't even wipe the sweat off his brow before crossing his arms proudly.

"Hmph! I'd like to see you guess the right cup now!"

Fools, they don't even know they've been tricked.

Anya focused, reading the man's mind.

"It's gotta be the left one," Loid pointed.

"No, I swear I saw the ball right at the end under the right," Yor explained.

They went back and forth for a moment before Anya pulled on Loid's jacket, wrinkingly it slightly.

Point at the owner of the game, there were tears in her eyes. "Papa! He broke the rules! He's holding the ball in his hand!"

Silence.

Loid was the first to move, staring at his daughter dumbfounded.

Holding it?! When did he manage that?!

Glaring at the owner, the man raised his hands in defeat. He was proud of his craft, but he knew when he was made.

Extending his right palm, he opened it up to reveal the white ball and two extra dalc coins.

"You've got a bright kid there, mister. Outsmarted botha ya'."

Anya reached forward, scooping up the four coins into her hands and staring at them incredulously. A moment later she wrapped her arms around the neck of Loid, "I did it!"

Loid blinked a few times before raising a hand and patting Anya's back, "you did, that was incredible. How'd you do it?"

"I just watched the ball, Papa."

Twilight died on the inside, a-am I getting old?

Yor was just staring at the cups, completely lost. Loid could practically see the smoke rising from her fried brain.

He bowed to the man as a line began growing, letting him get back to his cup playing.

Anya counted the coins as her dad held her, "are these mine now?"

"They could be if you don't give them to me."

Anya immediately clutched her fists around them, staring accusingly at her father in case he tried to steal them. The man simply just chuckled, "they're yours then. Don't spend them all in one place."

Nodding happily, she kept the coins in one of the pockets in her dress.

It was barely a minute of walking later before they walked by a man on a stage, holding a pink mallet. It looked soft, as if to lighten any impact if anyone was struck with it.

"Come one come all, to our test of strength! The world's strongest men have come and fallen at our exhibit! Come see if you've got what it takes at our brand new machine!" There was a small crowd gathered around the man as the Forger family studied what he gestured to.

There was a tall wooden board with numbers etched in black scaling upwards. 100 was at the top, a bell lying in wait beside it. At the bottom was a circular pad with a target painted on it. A small knob was just above it at the base of the board.

The man stepped onto the pad as they studied it and it sunk ever so slightly. The knob raised, reaching up to the number 10.

"This is not an easy game, you should note. Be careful not to pull your shoulders in swinging this big thing. Volunteers? No volunteers? How about you, darling?"

The tall, slender man with a bushy moustache curled on both sides had gestured to Yor, singling her out from the crowd.

People immediately separated, not having the courage to be the first ones to try this game.

The Forger family was left stranded as the ocean of people swerved away.

Yor looked around in confusion, her eyes still spinning from the cups. She pointed at herself, "m-me?"

"Yes, you. 50 dalc to the first person to strike the bell! Once that happens, I pack up and leave. I plan on being here the entire day, unless anyone would like to try and evict me."

Yor thought for a moment and looked over to her family for advice.

"You got this, Mama!" Anya cried out enthusiastically.

Twilight already knew what was coming, "just don't break it… Try your best, honey." Twilight's voice fell off on the last word, feeling awkward saying it for the first time.

Yor couldn't stop a wide smile with a soft blush before looking back up to the moustached-man.

"I accept your challenge."

"Then step on up here, gorgeous."

Yor frowned and the man jumped at the threat under her scowl, "excuse you, I'm clearly a happily married woman."

"R-Right… my bad," his voice was suddenly small, not having expected such presence. He handed the pink and red hammer to her as Yor studied the button, figuring out her best plan of attack.

"It's usually a dalc per attempt, but I'll let this one be on the house as our first contestant."

Yor nodded as she flexed her hands, loosening her muscles.

Anya started cheering for her, raising her confidence.

One other joined her shouts.

Then three more.

Another five joined in.

Soon enough, the entire crowd was cheering this slim woman on to bring down her hammer. No one was courageous enough to get up there themselves, but they were quick to raise up the one person who did.

"Come on, Papa!" Anya grabbed onto Loid's tie and shook it, "cheer for Mama!"

"Go, Yor…"

"Papaaaaaaaaa!"

Twilight sighed and cleared his throat, "hit it out of the park, Yor!"

Hearing the crowd and at the behest of her family, Yor was prepared.

Rearing backwards, she raised the heavy hammer as if it were a toy.

With a WHOOMF it swished through the air, slamming down into the pressure plate in front of her. The entire stage shook from the impact and scattered dust, blinding a few people.

Everyone waited with baited breath as they heard the knob scraping against wood, travelling upwards.

Ding.

The crowd went buckwild.

There was cheering, exclamations, and even hats being thrown.

Anya took the liberty of stealing her fathers hat, tossing it into the air.

Twilight immediately lost sight of it.

He frowned at his daughter, but it didn't hold long before he reciprocated her bright smile. The dust settled and Yor waddled to the front of the stage, holding the hammer in both hands with a blush on her cheeks at all the voices.

Twilight joined his daughter's voice, congratulating his wife despite not wanting to draw attention to themselves from the public.

The organizer sunk to his knees, "I-I don't believe it. You looked so weak I thought-" He jerked up as he realized he was speaking aloud. He fumbled around for a coinpurse before holding it out to Yor, "y-yer prize…."

The woman delicately reached forward, cupping the bag in both hands with a smile. Bowing to him, she kept a hand on the hammer despite him urging for it.

"Can I keep it? It's well-balanced."

She held out a singular dalc for him in repayment. His smile cracked in defeat and he begrudgingly accepted the coin, "s-shure. Just take the whole stage, why don't you?"

"Am I allowed to do that?"

"No! Just… please leave…" the man whispered.

He couldn't take his eyes away from the grey bell at the top with a sizable dent on the bottom of it–one that wasn't there before.

Yor crawled down the side of the stage as people began dispersing, talking amongst themselves happily about the event.

"Mama! That was amazing!" Anya got down from her father's arms and wrapped herself around the leg of her mother. "You were like schwing and the stage went boom and-!"

"You did good, Yor" Loid smiled calmly, cutting off Anya. The girl returned a mildly annoyed frown; it disappeared a moment later as she clung to Yor's leg, refusing to let go.

The woman blushed and handed the coins to Loid, "why don't you take these? I know I'll spend it all at one place."

"But Papa said not to!"

Yor giggled and held out her hand for Anya, which the girl took after a moment of hesitation.

"He did, which is why you should listen to him. Your papa is wiser than I am and I don't think I earned that. I feel kinda bad for beating it on the first try."

Loid nodded, "I agree, did you want to return some for him?"

"That's probably for the best."

Twilight did as she said, returning half the dalc to the thankful man before they made their way into the crowds yet again.

Himself and Yor were beginning to tire of these games, but Anya hasn't had her fill yet. One last spot caught her interest, a small field where people were handing out metal handcuffs.

Woah! Spyman used one of those!

"Mama! Papa!"

She didn't even need to elaborate, simply dragging her parents by the hands towards her destination.

Yor's thoughts were brazen and hard not to hear as she studied her hammer, I hear blunt force trauma is a pretty bad way to go if it takes more than one strike. How lovely!

Mama, you're really scary.

The family was quickly dragged into the carnival game. Anya paid for it herself with one dalc for the each of them.

The aim of this game was simple. They were all handcuffed with metal police handcuffs and given a set of lockpicks. They had one minute to free themselves or lose the dalc they'd put in.

Twilight frowned as the timer started, staring at the metal links.

Well this is cheap, the majority of the populace has no idea about how lockpicking even works. These are police cuffs, I recognize the model. They were discontinued a couple decades back–it seems the public has them now.

There are likely a number of security pins in here and I doubt an amateur raking could break it. Otherwise they would've run out of business long ago.

Twilight sighed but placed the lockpicks into lock and began working; he was completely oblivious to his daughter that watched the way his fingers moved while listening to his thoughts.

Honestly, this is a game?

Entertainment just gets weirder and weirder.

I can't go for the shortcut either, that might out me as being more knowledgeable to the others.

But I wish I could, it'd be so easy.

These cuffs were discontinued for a reason–people figured out how to break into them with ease. All you need is something metal and thin, like a lockpick, and slide it in between the metal casing and the lock itself. Then with some shimmying, you can shiv the bar that holds it closed directly.

Honestly it was designed so poorly that even children could-

"Papa! I did it!"

WHAT?!

Twilight opened his eyes immediately, staring at Anya. Indeed, she was pulling the metal latches away from her wrists; they'd needed a smaller version specifically for her otherwise she wouldn't need to lockpick them at all.

Yor was working with her back turned to them as Loid stared at his daughter and her bizarre set of skills.

"H-How did you…?"

Anya smiled wide and pat the ground, "I got lucky!"

Twilight squinted, she's lying.

Maybe she really is a genius? She took the shortcut and shivved the bar…

Anya's smile just widened as Yor glanced over and turned, "oh you got them, good job, dear!"

Loid and Anya both stared at Yor, seeing what she had been doing.

The woman's smile cracked as she adjusted her thumbs. They were both clearly dislocated, flopping slightly, as she slid the handcuffs off her slim wrists.

"W-What…? Is this not how you're supposed to solve this?"

Twilight just blinked in confusion.

What is happening right now? Am I hallucinating things?

Yor popped her thumbs back into place and Anya covered her ears, "gross!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Nope… this is definitely real.

Twilight sighed and his hands twisted, swiftly correcting the last pin and twisting the lock. The cuffs slid right off and he stood up, offering his hands to both the women.

"Let's go do something else."

"Mama, Papa is upset because he was last."

"I am not!"

Maybe a little bit–I should've taken the shortcut.

In the end, Any and Twilight both earned an extra dalc. Now Anya had 7 of these coins that she cherished with all her heart.

Yor was allowed to have her dalc back but didn't get double like the others did; they even had to rewrite their rules, stating you must unlock the handcuffs not just escape.

A haunted house.

An attraction where people go in purely for the thought of getting scared. People would jump out at you, sounds would roar when you turn corners. Monsters lurked around every corner–an experience to enjoy a feigned fear.

Twilight hated haunted houses.

Of course, Anya begged her parents to go in.

"Alright, go on in then."

"A-Alone…?" Anya stared at up Twilight with pleading eyes.

Those were eyes he couldn't refuse, "Alright alright, just once."

The outside of the building looked dilapidated, inspiring feelings of fear from before they even stepped in. Inside wasn't much different, the colour palette of black and purple being used without it. Fog machines created a thin layer of clouds along the floor, obscuring vision of the ground so they'd stumble over random objects once in a while.

Sounds of scratching in the distance, like claws on metal, reverberated through the halls.

A screech erupted from the right side, making Anya and Yor both jump, clinging onto Twilight.

Seriously? A cheap scare from a soundclip? At least the atmosphere is alright.

Anya continued on with Twilight for a few steps, leaving Yor behind without noticing. The woman jumped, "w-wait for me!"

They'd separated at the opportune moment, a iron bar door sliding in between Yor and the others. Her hands pulled on it, but it was shut tight.

"I-I'm trapped!"

"Mama!" Anya closed her eyes in prayer and clasped her hands together, "we won't forget about you."

Yor crouched down with a panic in her eyes, "I-I'm not gone yet!"

"It's like I can still hear Mama's voice…"

"Anya!" Yor took a deep breath and calmed herself, standing back up to meet her husband's eyes.

"Looks like you'll need to find a way around."

Yor took a step back and looked around, her fear fading as her mind started working. "Y-Yeah. I'll uh… make my way back to you." She smiled happily, "don't wait up for me!"

Anya wished she was on the other side of the bars now as her mother thought, my quarry should be inside these walls. I shant be long.

Twilight turned and looked down to Anya. He brushed her hair to comfort her, "Yor will meet us deeper in, or maybe at the end. Why don't you take my hand and- woah, where'd she go?"

Yor was gone in the second that he had turned, not even making footsteps as she backtracked.

This family has weird skill sets. Operation Strix, you'd best not fail on me.

Anya took her father's hand, squeezing it several times as they made their way through more of the haunted house. Twilight moved quickly, pulling her along at times before he realized he should slow down and let her experience it.

Just because he didn't feel frightened doesn't mean Anya isn't allowed to.

But when he let go of her hand, she didn't cling to him like he expected.

Instead, she bounded ahead, pausing at the corner. Studying his daughter, Twilight watched as she snuck up to it, preparing to pounce like that of a cat hunting a mouse.

Suddenly she jumped around the corner and stamped her feet, "Boo!"

"AHHHHHHHH! Oh, it's just a little girl." A feminine scream cried out before the voice cleared their throat, a masculine voice coming out afterwards.

Anya stomped back towards her father happily, taking his hand with a proud smile.

Twilight waved to the teenage boy wearing a clown mask as they strode by, apologizing for the scare.

That's not Roman.

Sigh, I've been searching for ages.

Back to Anya: interesting she even knew he was there. I've seen plenty of hiding places around this area but they've mostly been false alarms so far. Maybe she just sensed something I didn't.

Anya grinned, holding her head high at his words.

Truthfully, she just has the ability to sense other intelligent minds in close proximity, even if those minds are silent. Thinking minds are easier to find and spread further, but no one was able to hide from Anya once she got close.

That's why each and every person set inside this mansion failed to scare Anya even once.

After a few minutes, she even sensed Yor coming from a hallway near them.

The woman slipped in behind them, patting a hand onto Twilight's shoulder. The man jumped, twitching and turning towards the individual he never even noticed.

"Y-Yor! Don't scare me like that!"

The woman's nervous smile shook, "s-sorry, I couldn't help myself. There were quite a few scares on the way here, I'm so thankful to see you both here."

Twilight calmed himself and fixed his tie, "there's been a few with us too, but Anya seems to have conquered this house."

Anya put her hands onto her hips, "I'm scare proof!"

Yor clapped her hands together, "that's good! Because I'm getting a little freaked out the longer we stay here? Can we leave?"

Twilight looked around, "let's. Just give me a moment, I want to go back and talk to that teenager Anya scared."

"You did what, Anya?"

"Boy's scare really easily, Mama!"

Yor giggled and then waved to Twilight, "alright, we'll move on for now then."

Loid bowed his head, "don't trip, there are loose cables."

"Oh, thank you."

Anya looked back as she took her mother's hand. She only caught a glimpse of Twilight as he darted down the hall that Yor had come from.

If there are other hallways in here, I need to keep searching for hidden passages. Roman might be hiding in here.

Anya frowned, I don't get to see either of my parents missions! Although.. I don't know if I want to have seen Mama's… She's really proud of herself right now. That means she wins! She finished her mission before Papa.

Mama is so cool.

Twilight searched diligently, running his hands along the walls and studying parts of them with a flashlight. He had to turn it off when staff got close, but he otherwise had free reign in searching.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Come on… there has to be something! I'm running out of places to search outside of this haunted house and I'm tired of playing random carnival games.

Anya has more energy than I can handle.

Wait… this wall is hollow.

Twilight knocked on it for a moment, hearing a resounding echo inside. Finding a crack in a brick, he pulled on the loose stone.

It pulled out slightly before clicking. Gears turned as the hidden door opened, revealing an empty hallway behind it.

Jackpot. Yahtzee. Bingo.

Whatever you want to call it.

Twilight slipped inside, pulling the wall back into place. Leaning up against one wall, the spy pulled a firearm out of the back of his pants, a holster attached to the inside of his belt. Pulling a silencer out of his sleeve, he quickly spun it onto the threaded barrel of his pistol. Once it was attached, he slithered down the hall without a sound.

Avoid the broken tiles, they'll make noise.

Twilight got beside the only door in this hallway that looks like it's been recently moved; all the others had cobwebs and dust scattered along them.

Testing the doorknob, it was already unlocked. In fact, the door was ajar.

"Aghk… a-ah…. H-...help…" a whisper came from within, the voice bubbling and choking.

Twilight peeked inside before pushing the door open, clearing his corners. Deeming the room to be safe, he took a step in.

It was a small storage area turned into an office. Many of the previous decorations and filing cabinets were pulled to the side or tipped over, a poor quality desk in the center of the room. Behind the desk was a fancy looking chair.

The highlight of this dull grey room, were the splatters of blood. It stained the desk and part of the wall behind it. But mostly, it dripped down the body of the man in here.

That's him… That's Roman.

The man stood at the end of the room, up against the grey concrete wall. His blue denim jacket was stained red, a red deeper than the ginger colour of his hair. His voice tried to reach out to Twilight, but it bubbled away as he breathed in nothing but blood.

The reason: a golden needle sticking out of his throat, recently placed.

It was angled downwards, piercing through his neck and embedded into the wall behind him. This man wasn't standing, he was skewered to the wall with his toes half an inch above the ground.

Twilight lowered his gun, staring at the dying man in front of him.

Then he shrugged, "intriguing."

The terrified eyes in front of him widened in terror as their presumed saviour turned and instead of calling for help, the blonde man locked the door.

"Roman Seldrick, yes?"

The man nodded as best he could, weakly raising a hand to his bloodied throat.

"Don't touch that." Twilight approached slowly, scanning the area for booby traps. Once he got to the man he studied the wound intently. "This looks like the work of the Thorn Princess… I've heard of her signature weapons. I won't condone her actions, but I will attest to her efficiency and brutality."

Twilight adjusted his gloves before reaching up, grabbing the needle.

"I won't remove it, that'd kill you within seconds. This was inserted with surgeon-like precision. It impaled your vocal cords as well as severing one of your vertebral arteries. You'll die in seconds if this so much as even shifts."

Twilight saw the pleading of help from the man in front of him.

He leaned in, merely an inch away from his enemy before squinting.

Letting go and opening the man's jacket, Twilight began sifting through his pockets.

"You feel that sluggishness in your body? That's not what you're supposed to be feeling yet. Usually you'd be pumping with adrenaline. You'd be surprised how much a man can survive from that alone; I once saw someone run a full block after taking a bullet to the heart. Of course, he was dead as soon as he stopped, but he did it nonetheless.

"As much of a waste of life it was, it was a reality. As is your predicament right now.

"You're poisoned–a dead man no matter what I do.

"So I'll be taking this."

Twilight pulled out a white envelope from the inside of the denim jacket.

"Thorn Princess must've missed this. Now let's see…"

Twilight tore it open and read the letter quickly. He scoffed before reaching down, now searching through the desk drawers and checking for secret compartments.

"Wow, you really did this to yourself. I was wondering why an Ostanian assassin got here quicker than I did. The only reason you were able to sell intel from Ostania is because you stole it. The only reason you were going to sell this," Twilight gestured to the envelope, "is because you stole from Westania, from WISE.

"All that and you planned to sell now to a third party? You were playing three different sides and expected to stay safe hidden inside a haunted house?

"Don't make me laugh."

Twilight's brain was on overdrive. The contents of that envelope had been about Operation Strix, of his own family. If that got out, then everything was done for. It didn't look like there were any copies made, especially since this office was empty.

"Y-you…" the voice gurgled with every ounce of strength, "A-Anya…You b-brought a… a c-child into t-this-"

The voice was cut off as Twilight appeared in front of him, moving faster than light. His threatening aura strengthened tenfold as the man shrunk away in fear, staring into the eyes of a spy he'd nearly outed. Eyes of fury seemed to pull in all the light of the dim room, casting a dark haze around him.

Twilight gripped the needle embedded in Roman's throat and twisted it, digging it deeper in by a centimeter.

"You keep Anya's name out of your mouth."

Pulling away, Twilight let go and the man gasped for breath, nearing his final minutes.

"She doesn't deserve this mission, believe me I know. But I know she'll never disappoint me as much as you do right now. That girl is six years old and she's accomplished more for the world than you have in your entire life.

"Isn't that sad?"

With those final words, Twilight slipped out of the room and left the door ajar.

Like a ghost, he was never there. Even better, the corpse was hidden behind a secret wall. It'd be a while till anyone found him and even when they did, he'd have cemented a perfect alibi.

Let's get back to my family.

A man in a wolf mask twitched as a little girl jumped around the corner at him, frightening him instead of the other way around.

Oh geez, she saw me? Was I breathing too loudly?

Anya just grinned and kept walking, swaying her arms happily.

Oh, but there's more footsteps! Maybe I can still get a scare in!

The man jumped out into the hall in front of Yor, waving his hands and growling.

He came to immediately regret this decision.

Everyone has a fight or flight instinct, choosing to either run away or stand their ground.

The thing about Yor is that she puts the fight into fight or flight.

The woman screamed in terror before jabbing forward with her left hand, her fist connecting solidly with the young man's nose. It compressed as he let out a grunt of pain, falling back and onto his tailbone.

Yor raised her pink hammer, ready to bring it down before the man raised a hand, "w-wait! I'm sorry, ma'am! I-I… ow ow ow…"

She realized her mistake now, rushing to help him to his feet, "oh my, are you okay?! I completely forgot people are working here!"

"Is my nose bleeding? Yeah it's definitely bleeding. I… I'm gonna take my 15…"

Yor waved awkwardly to the man as he removed his mask, holding his head upwards and clasping his nostrils shut.

"Mama, you rocked him."

"W-Where did you learn that saying?!"

Placing both hands onto her cheeks, Yor looked around in a panic.

I don't belong in a haunted house! I wish I never had to come in here-

A hand touched her shoulder.

Eep!

Yor swung around immediately, aiming a kick at whoever had placed a hand on her. She watched in slow motion as Twilight leaned backwards, narrowly avoiding her high heel from taking his head off her shoulders. The man made sure to grab her wrists so he didn't get hit by a hammer, "Yor! It's me!"

Yor breathed heavily before stepping forward, hugging Twilight tightly. Her arms squeezed his ribs as she held onto his shoulder blades.

"Oh my god, thank you. Please get me out of here. I hate it here."

Twilight raised an eyebrow and put his hands awkwardly onto her back, "why do I get the feeling you learnt the hard way why you don't enter these kinda places?"

"Because it's true! I think I broke that poor boy's nose…"

Anya was staring up at her father, he completed his mission after all! I did miss it! NOOOOOO!

He missed the stare entirely.

Twilight looked down at the woman before pausing, "you have blood on your coat."

Yor just shrunk more into him, "probably from that boy, his face was pouring."

Anya snickered and Yor looked over with embarrassment in her face, "it's not funny! That'll be hurting him for a long time."

Anya quieted down, realizing her mother was completely serious.

Twilight calmed, seeing it to be a reasonable explanation. He lowered his arms around the back of his wife and held her close, hugging her for the first time. Scanning his surroundings, he lost himself in thought.

The Thorn Princess was in here, not even but ten minutes ago. She might still be here, which means we are in danger. I don't ever want to meet that woman, she's likely hungry for violence and enjoys the suffering of innocent people.

Little did he know, he was pulling the Thorn Princess into him right now, the woman that had murdered his target.

"Stay close, Anya, we'll find an exit. I don't think there's much of this left."

Yor kept pace with Twilight, keeping her arms entwined around his left arm, refusing to let go in case she struck another worker.

Anya stuck by her father's side, but eventually got careless in her joy. She knew the Thorn Princess was her mother, so there wasn't actually any danger in these halls at all.

Opening a cabinet, she frightened the middle-aged woman hiding inside before grinning and shutting it again.

"Don't go in there, there's a witch."

"I-I'm a ghoul…" the voice whispered.

Anya ignored the witch, skipping down the hallway.

Twilight called out, "careful, Anya, I told you not to go so far."

"I'm alright!" She shouted with glee.

Today has been a good day, an amazing one for Anya. She got to play games, enjoy the sunlight with her parents, and accompany them on their missions. Never getting to play a part in them was a shame, but Anya was happy nonetheless.

And she was scare proof. Not a single person could remain hidden from her to scare her.

This haunted house was spooky at first, but she truly has conquered it.

Even Twilight was impressed.

She truly may be a genius, I guess I was wrong. Looks like Eden Academy isn't as daunting as I originally thought.

Anya grinned as she skipped fifteen feet ahead of her parents, "I can see light! I think the way out is-"

Without warning, a cardboard cutout of a werewolf sprung up directly in front of Anya. There was a loud roar from a speaker attached to the bottom of it.

Anya stumbled backwards with a yelp, a cry of terror emitting from her as she fell backwards. The girl fell on her rump, slamming her tailbone before crawling away from the vicious animal on her hands. Tears leapt to her eyes from the fear and pain. Anya scrambled to her feet and panicked, sprinting back to her parents.

"AHHHHHHHH PAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Loid's eyes widened as the girl cried out for him, holding out her arms. Crouching down, she slammed into his chest–nearly winding him.

Twilight wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl who'd scraped her knees. He put an arm under her rump and supported her while lifting her, letting her hug his front. The girl straddled him and balled up his suit jacket in her hands, her tears staining his vest.

Keeping a pressure on her back and soothing her, he stared worriedly. Yor let go of Loid with one arm, placing it onto the back of Anya's head and brushing her hair.

"IT S-SCAW-WED MEEEEEE!" She cried, her voice muffled from having her head buried in his chest.

She can handle scares from people like none other but just some cardboard…? Really Anya…

Twilight studied the sobbing girl and the way she clung to him for safety. With the fatherly pride filtering in, as well as the soft approving look from Yor, Twilight couldn't help but just smile.

You were too young for this place anyways.

Carrying his daughter, he pushed aside the flimsy werewolf. Yor interlocked her arms through his again, being scared herself from the werewolf.

But their parental focus was now entirely on Anya.

Twilight rested his jaw on her head, brushing her back with one hand to soothe her sobs. Sunlight washed over the family, warming their faces and smiles.

I could do a couple more games, for Anya.

I won't be coming in last again, though.

Chapter Text

"He's asleep, move in."

"Copy, strike team A coordinating attack pattern 3. Has strike team B reported in?"

"Negative, they're still locating the woman; they should be sweeping the apartment now. Ignore the child–neutralize if she attempts to alert authorities of your presence."

"Roger. Let's move." A man dressed in tight black clothing lowered his hand from his covert headset.

Clinging to the side of the building, he reached forward and planted a circular device on the window leading into Loid Forger's room.

There were three others with him, clinging to the side of the brick wall with metal claws.

It was a cold night tonight, a brisk breeze drifting along the narrow slit of exposed skin around their eyes.

All we need to do is silence them, a simple sweep under the rug.

Keeping silent in the night air, nary a sound was made while he rotated the circular blade on the window. Cutting the glass, he used a suction cup to remove the disk. After reaching in and unlocking the window, the four of them slithered in with the intent to kill.

Two of them sweeped the room corners, ensuring it was empty while another quickly began searching the desk.

The last man, the leader of this tight-knit group crept slowly towards the bed, a figure sleeping in it currently.

Perfect, he's turned away from me. Even if he wakes up now, there's no way he'd move in time.

If you've got a god, I best hope you're praying right now, Loid Forger.

Or should I call you Twilight?

It didn't matter either way as the assassin raised his right hand, drawing a thin blade.

In one clean motion he brought it downwards, striking the back base of Loid's cranium.

A collective sigh went through the room, knowing the threat was eliminated as their search quickly grew both in speed and sound.

"The target is eliminated. Searching for the intel, how copy?"

"Message received, well done."

"W-Wait…"

The leader paused as he pulled back on his blade, intending to retrieve it.

It's sliding too easily…

Pulling back, he studied the room now as paranoia sweeped in. It looked safe, just a simple bedroom and a desk. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow as the man crouched, his fingertips touching the bottom side of the bed.

He suddenly dropped to the floor, aiming a pistol underneath the bed.

Nothing.

N-Not even a dust bunny…

The man laughed to himself, I'm being paranoid.

He lifted up his blade and began cleaning the blood of it.

Or at least he thought he would before he realized the blade was completely clean.

W-What?

Turning towards the body in the bed, the leader scrambled to turn it over.

This was no man, it was an elaborate stuffed pillow. It even had blonde hair stitched into it, pale makeup applied to the face and pajama clothing.

Twilight had outsmarted them.

"C-Command! The target is onto us!"

"S-Str- -eam B is- -report back-" The radio cut in and out, bringing more static than any responses.

Eventually it cut out completely.

All eyes now centered on the fireteam leader as a collective panic began to brew.

"F-Focus up. Keep searching, afterwards we sweep the rest of the building and coalesce with strike team B to-"

A crash.

The breaking of ceramic or porcelain, some kind of pot or plate smashed outside of the door.

It shattered the silence, cascading chills down the spines of each operative as a result.

The four of them shifted at once, pulling firearms and aiming at the sturdy wooden door. Expecting something to come crashing through, they eerily waited with baited breath.

After a minute, the fireteam leader let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Form up, we find strike team B now."

"But sir-"

"I said now, Johnson."

"Copy."

The unit moved as one, shifting back to back as they approached the door. The fireteam leader swung it open swiftly, grabbing it before it slammed on the doorstop.

A sudden movement with a silent end.

An empty dark hallway loomed ahead of them, a broken potted plant at the end of it.

That must have been what we heard.

When the leader took a step, so did his subordinates in keeping his rhythm. They'd trained for years together as practically a family, coming together for the top priority missions. They knew they'd failed their objective of eliminating Twilight, but they'll recover whatever sensitive information they can.

At best they can eliminate the witnesses of his wife and daughter.

This was supposed to be a quiet op, damnit! Where the hell is strike team B!?

The team approached the end of the hall where it turned to the left.

Fireteam leader sprung around into the empty hall, crouching as he did so. The three others took up places behind him before he even got down, aiming their weapons above him and into the rest of the house.

Pure darkness, an empty house.

The kitchen and living room is up ahead, I can see the couch. So where are the others…?

"Forward," the leader commanded.

Moving back to back, they turned and circled around each other while checking their corners. This team has never failed an operation, they were some of the best the SSS have ever trained. Not even the leader of their country knew of their existence.

Yet not even they noticed one of their members get grabbed and pulled into the hallway they'd just left, a hand clasped around their mouth. The woman tried to alert her comrades–the needle against her throat was quicker than her own reactions.

The three shifted past the kitchen, swarming into the living room. It's as if their feet glided along the air, not even leaving imprints of their feet in the carpet.

One of them began scouring the kitchen while another turned to the right, checking the windows.

Fireteam leader approached the door, losing sight of his ally in the kitchen.

The bolts are still in place?

What the hell…? Did strike team B not even get inside the building?

Lost in his thoughts, he completely missed the sound of splattering blood from the kitchen.

"Johnson, contact strike team B."

"..."

"Johnson?"

"I-I found them…"

Turning around, he stared at his companion. Johnson was staring at the window looking down.

"They're gone… T-They never got inside."

The leader's eye twitched.

H-How?! They contacted us when they got in! Command told us so! What is going on here…?

The leader rubbed his eyes before turning, undoing the locks of the door.

"Team, retreat. The four of us will return to command and regroup. On me!"

Opening the door, he turned back to confirm the positions of his teammates.

Johnson was still staring out the window, unable to take his eyes away from the corpses of his once-friends.

Or so the leader thought before the man tilted to the side, crumpling to the floor lifelessly.

A silhouette figure against the window stared back at him, a dark aura looming. Chills went down the spine of the leader as his entire body stiffened–paralyzed by fear.

She had a feminine figure and her dark dress made it harder to spot her in the dim light of the room. Red needles stained her hands.

No… those needles are golden just smeared with…

My team…

I don't know if that spy is disguised as the Thorn Princess or if it actually is her… but I need to retreat.

The man grit his teeth, looking to engage but his body refused.

"You'll pay for this…! One day!"

Turning to flee, he bumped into a new individual.

Stumbling back from the man he ran into, fireteam leader tripped and fell onto his back. With a groaned pain he lifted himself up with one arm, staring at whoever got in his way.

Loid Forger, better known to this man as agent Twilight, was looming in the doorway, a glint of hatred in his eyes.

W-What? Where did he…?

"Your command center has fallen. Any last words?"

The leader's eyes widened at this revelation.

No. N-No that's not true.

Twilight took a slow step forward, adjusting his green suit and unbuttoning the center button. Looking down to his watch, his eyes shifted to meet the man who had broke into his home and attempted to assassinate him. Twisting the radial dial on his watch, there was an earthquake. The room lit up a bright orange before a deafening roar ripped through the air.

Turning back to the window, all he saw was an orange haze outside–a billowing cloud of fire. Smoke began to rise as even the Thorn Princess turned to look, witnessing the onset of destruction.

"I found your armory. You lot had too much plastic explosive for your own good."

Fireteam leader barely heard him, tapping on his headset to call command.

All he received was static.

T-That's not possible…

Twilight sighed as he raised his right hand, a silenced pistol in tow.

"No last words then?"

"W-Wait! I-"

A suppressed shot cut off what the man was about to say.

Twilight adjusted his tie, smearing the blood spatter slightly as he stepped overtop the newly made corpse.

His eyes narrowed, studying the figure at the end of the room as she held onto two golden needles dripping red with blood. His mind immediately took in the scent of blood from both the kitchen and the woman.

"You've been busy, Yor."

"I could say the same to you, Loid."

Twilight smirked, checking the chamber on his pistol to ensure it wasn't jammed, "drop the pretense, call me Twilight."

"Y-You… Who? Who are you?"

"I'm a spy, is that what you want? I know of you, Ms 'Thorn Princess'. Or I suppose it's Mrs now."

Yor brought one foot back, taking a combative stance, "you're a dirty spy… I see. Allow me the honour of taking your life."

"You may try. I doubt you will since you're just a lowly assassin. Your spree ends here."

Silence rose up as they both confirmed the other as their enemy. Their bodies tensed, ready for anything as they glared at their opponent. The orange haze in the room from the falling ash outside was barely able to overcome the dark oppressive threat of these two individuals.

The clock chimed–signaling midnight.

They both shifted, their bodies moving with killing intent. Twilight raised his pistol while Yor ducked to the side, grabbing the corpse of the man she knew to be named Johnson.

A human shield? Disgusting.

Firing, Twilight had supreme accuracy. He emptied his chamber repeatedly, the shells cascading to the floor beneath him as Yor charged with an alarming speed.

In between his seventh and eighth shot, Yor dropped the body and lurched forward, grabbing the warm silencer in her left hand and shoving it into the air.

The bullet left a hole in their ceiling as Yor grabbed Twilight's collar with her left.

He tried to shy away and break her grip at first but his attempts were meager in comparison to her strength.

"So, what now?" Twilight grinned.

All he got in response was an angry growl, Yor's red eyes piercing into his soul.

The crushing of metal was heard as Twilight glanced to his pistol, watching the silencer crunch and distort under her grip.

"O-Oh…"

He grabbed onto her hand that clutched his collar, tilting backwards and rolling with her. He kicked upwards as his back touched the ground, forcing Yor back into the doorframe behind him.

Her grip on him slipped and she struck her spine roughly. Expecting her to be stunned, he stood up and worked the twisted metal, twisting it and removing the silencer as quickly as he could.

The agent certainly didn't expect Yor to push off the doorframe, landing with just as much vicousness than before. Her needles swung around her index fingers as she closed the gap, slashing in a torrent at center mass.

Twilight's evasion was his only protection as his hands continued to work, backpedaling and ducking under each strike that came at him.

She's fast! Too fast!

He just managed to get the silencer free and dropped it to the floor, not having any need of the impediment.

Yor's feet worked just quickly as her hands, the side of her heel catching the metal cylinder and thrusting it as a projectile towards Twilight.

It scratched along his cheek, a trickle of blood flowing down as Yor took her advantage. Twilight had to defend his face from her attack, leaving his main hand open. Slashing across his forearm, Yor felt the exhilaration of a successful strike.

Twilight flinched at the pain as a cut opened up on the inside of his forearm.

This suit is stab-proof! What the hell has this woman been eating?!

The injury weakened his grip, allowing Yor to twist the gun he held, nearly breaking his finger as she pulled it away from him.

Twilight ducked as she took it in her hands, dropping her needles and aiming it at him.

She expected him to shift and try to evade her so she took some extra time to aim since firearms weren't her specialty.

In that split second decision, her hesitation was all that Twilight needed.

Instead of evading, he got close and reached both hands out to the firearm.

He flicked the safety on, dropped the magazine, and racked the gun to empty it all in one smooth motion. Then as he pulled back, Twilight dismantled the slide, taking it with him as he slipped away.

Yor just stared at the now useless hunk of metal in her hands.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

"That's almost impressive," the assassin hissed.

"Took me two years to perfect."

Twilight rolled to the side as his previous firearm was thrown at him, cracking the wall under the window that it struck. Rolling beside the couch, he dove his hands under the cushions and produced another firearm.

It was kicked out of his hands, a high heel piercing into his skin.

Ow! I can't get a chance to get any of my stashed weapons!

Dodging and ducking to the side, it was all he could do to avoid a new pair of needles that swung at him.

She has a unique fighting style… and where does she keep getting these?! It's her third pair!

Reaching a hand into his suit jacket, he went with a new plan.

Yor swung one arm after another, using the spinning momentum of her needles to keep him guessing. No one has stood their ground this well against her, it was a rarity.

Swinging one leg at him, Twilight ducked under it and bodychecked her with his shoulder. Stumbling away with her back to him, she regained her footing quickly. Turning with a high kick aimed for his head, Twilight leaned away, nearly tripping in the process. Leaning forward, Yor hopped and struck her foot into the ground, aiming for his shin.

He narrowly got out of the way before the floorboards cracked and broke under the impact.

The man suddenly let out a sigh and adjusted his tie, "alright, it's done."

Huh? Yor thought. Standing up tall, she went to move to throw a needle at him.

Clink, her hands were suddenly restrained.

Glancing behind her, the assassin found herself handcuffed with a set similar to the carnival.

Turning her head slowly to meet the man who outsmarted her, her head lowered with a glare of daggers at his confidence.

Twilight studied his forearm, seeing the blood seeping into his jacket.

There was a crack from Yor as he swivelled his head to her. He smiled, "dislocating your thumbs doesn't work against those, so don't-"

Her shoulders tensed as she took a step forward, forcing her hands apart. The reinforced metal links pulled and stretched before snapping apart, sending a couple shards of metal debris out from behind Yor. She held her hands at the ready as a bead of sweat trickled down Twilight's temple.

"In hindsight, that was a bad idea to begin with, huh?" He asked.

Yor grinned at his words, but took her advantage and lunged forward. Twilight raised his hands to defend himself, expecting more slashing. But this time, Yor grappled him, gripping onto his forearms as she swung her body towards him.

Twilight was shocked at the speed and elegance the woman displayed as she wrapped around him, spinning around with her own momentum. Before he knew it, he found himself by the window as she leaned up, locking his hands together around his neck.

The woman sat on his shoulders, her thighs squeezing the sides of his head, partially suffocating him.

But that would be too slow, so she raised one hand, preparing to bring down a needle into the top of his skull.

A glint of metal… inside his sleeve!

Yor leaned back a millisecond before a single-use gun fired from within Twilight's left sleeve. The bullet grazed her left jaw and she immediately felt an uncomfortable warmth crawl along her skin.

Using her momentum of leaning back, the woman reached down until both her hands planted themselves flat on the floor. Her thighs let go of Twilight but it was only half a second before her interlocked ankles slammed into his neck, stuck under his chin.

Hurk!

Twilight was pulled backwards as Yor continued with her momentum, pulling Twilight back and off his feet.

All Twilight saw was the room moving further away from him, the shattering of glass against his back.

She threw me out the window?

She threw me out the window!

There was one detail he now saw as Yor finished her movement, her skirt billowing. Around the upper part of her right thigh was a garter, a dozen or so golden needles attached to it. There were a few sets missing, but it's obvious this is where she got them from.

Even in freefall, his mind took note of this fact.

Panicking, Twilight tinkered with his watch as the wind buffeted him, the heat of the nearby fire touching his back.

Clicking the radial dial into place, a short grappling hook shot out from it. Latching into the brick wall just above his window, he tugged on it and the string tightened. It was a jarring motion to go from falling to swinging, but Twilight held on tight to his wrist as he swung downwards, aiming for a glass window. He caught the slightest glimpse of Yor peering out from where he'd been thrown, watching him.

He didn't even see the needle she threw at him graze through his hair, missing his scalp by a centimeter.

Crashing through a window two stories below, Twilight rolled along the ground, coming to a clean stop on his hands and a knee.

The man grabbed a tv remote from the table beside him, turning and preparing to throw it towards the window if she followed him.

Silence.

All Twilight heard was his pumping heart and breathing as he stared out at the shifting smoke outside.

She must be taking the stairs.

Twilight stood up and studied the empty room around him–it looked a lot like his own apartment.

Alright, Twilight. Let's turn this house into a home.

Yor huffed as she got to the door that led into the room she saw Twilight crash into. Or, at least the room she hoped it was. She'd already broken through the wrong door once and frightened a small child currently watching tv while their parents were asleep.

Her muscles were beginning to ache, Twilight was certainly putting her through the paces right now. Raising her right foot, she slammed into the wood of the door beside the door knob.

The door was pretty sturdy, but the doorframe wasn't. The mechanism sheared through the weak wood and flung inwards as Yor rushed in.

I've got you, Twilight! H-Huh?

Yor looked down as she felt a tug on her ankle. Looking away from the living room, she spotted a thin wire she had tripped. It had been tied to the door and connected directly to Twilight's watch taped to the doorframe.

A flashbang?!

Yor realized what the wire had activated a moment before it started, a bright white light and resounding clap emitting from the small device. It fried the electronics and rendered it useless in the future, but this watch had served Twilight well.

Yor stumbled into the room, covering her eyes and ears as best she could but it was no use, she'd been too late.

It was easy for Twilight to sneak up behind her, having been waiting behind the door. He took out his earplugs and dropped them before raising an aluminum baseball bat.

Sorry, Yor. It's just business.

He brought it around horizontally, cracking it into the back of the woman's head.

She stumbled forward from the impact, somehow remaining conscious to Twilight's surprise. To his horror, Yor not only kept her footing, but slowly turned to him. Her eyes burned a scarlet red–a murderous intent looming.

Looking to the baseball bat, Twilight twitched as he saw the dent made in it. The metal had been weaker than her body.

That's… i-interesting…

There was a trickle of fear in Twilight now as the woman's fingers cracked, her hands tensing.

"P-Parley?"

Her right hand shot towards him, gripping his neck before he had a chance to even recover from his surprise.

Uh oh.

Yor twisted around, throwing Twilight into the ground behind her. He skid along a rug, bunching it up as he skid across the floor. The floorboards cracked from his initial impact, sending pain through his body. Groaning in agony, the man pushed himself up slowly, barely managing to avoid being winded.

Yor took a moment to focus, that strike had sent her head reeling. Rubbing her temples, she fell into her thoughts.

OW! My eyes aren't focusing… I think I have a concussion…

Despite her thoughts, Yor smiled to Twilight while he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"How's the poison treating you?"

"Hardly feel it."

That was a lie–he could feel it coursing through his veins.

Damnit, I should've known her slash to my forearm had been laced. If I escape I can find a contact and synthesize an antidote, but I have to deal with her first.

Twilight glanced to his left before reaching out.

Even with only a few minutes of preparation, he'd still managed to stash a few weapons around this abandoned apartment.

Pulling out a throwing knife from the underside of a side table, he grabbed the blade and pulled his arm back. Even with blades, he knew how to hit a target the size of a quarter from 15 meters away.

Shifting forward, the second the blade left his fingers, he knew it was a perfect throw.

Watching it swish through the air, it closed in on her clavicle just above the sternum.

To his horror, Yor was faster than a speeding blade. Reaching up with her left hand, the woman caught the blade between her index and middle finger–inches away from a killing blow.

She's… damn…

Yor couldn't stop a grin as she dropped the knife, letting it stick into the ground under her. Her grin turned to a flirtatious smirk as she widened her stance and raised both arms. Bending her elbows, she shifted her weight to one hip, letting her hands slip onto the back of her neck. The voluptuous curves that her dress hugged were presented as she purposefully posed.

Twilight was entranced for a moment before he focused. This was not the time to admire his enemy.

He couldn't stop the slightest grin, however.

If I didn't know any better: I'd think she's flirting with me.

With wide eyes, his smile fell to a slack jaw when he realized why she'd taken that pose.

Yor shifted her weight to her other hip again now as she raised her hands, ten knives inbetwixt each finger that she pulled from the back collar of her dress.

…

Good thing I knew better.

Twilight ducked to the side a second before a knife struck where he had just been, piercing the rug. Seeing Yor moving at blinding speeds, he practically had to guess where she was aiming rather than react. He forced himself to fall away from where he'd been running, three knives sinking the entirety of their blades into the drywall. Scrambling forward, two more struck where he'd almost fallen.

Dipping into the kitchen, Twilight grabbed a wooden cutting board from the drying rack, holding it up as a shield.

His muscles cried out in exertion as he shifted the wooden board, intercepting two more blades that pierced into it.

That's eight.

Twilight crawled back out of the kitchen, having to scramble to avoid the sightline of the assassin who walked calmly after him. Her highheels clicked against the wood as she whistled to grab his attention.

Twilight looked over right as she threw one more knife. It caught the side of his wrist, forcing him to shift in pain and drop the board.

Falling to the ground in a stumble, Twilight watched her rear her hand back with her last blade.

As soon as she threw it, he crawled back as fast as he could to cover ground.

The man separated his legs, nearly doing the splits horizontally, as the knife slammed into the wooden floorboards half an inch from his groin.

Breathing heavily, he looked up with sweat on his brow.

The man couldn't stop a slight grin, "got anymore of those?"

Yor reciprocated his smile–one that didn't touch her eyes.

"Didn't get enough of a workout?"

Twilight's smile dropped as the assassin charged at him, rearing up with two needles drawn from her thigh. Grabbing onto the knife in front of him, he went on the defensive again.

They clashed, narrowly escaping killing blows from one another.

Damn, I can't get a hit in! they both thought at the same time.

Yor ducked under one of his stabs, slashing the side of his ribs. Blood poured down his side as Twilight felt the pain but ignored it. Turning the opposite way, he swung towards her neck as she stood back up from crouching under his arm.

Yor barely managed to lean out of the way, the blade opening a shallow wound onto the back of her shoulder.

In this game of retaliation, whoever got a clean strike first would win. These glancing blows only do so much which is why evading or blocking every hit was paramount.

Yor swiped a leg, looking to sweep Twilight's out from under him.

The man jumped, avoiding the swipe before he realized his mistake. Being airborne made him immobile, meaning it was impossible to dodge the roundhouse kick Yor threw at him.

Bringing his arms up, her shin cracked against his forearms. Twilight was sure she just fractured the bones in his arm from the impact, but he refused to falter.

Planting his feet on the ground, Twilight grabbed onto Yor's right leg with both hands as he twisted to the side.

The woman let out a petite yelp of surprise as she was thrown across the floor, landing on her side and rolling away. Recovering quickly into a kneeling position and glaring at Twilight, she shook her hands in frustration. Reaching down to select her new pair of needles, she realized something was wrong.

Her eyes centered on Twilight as it was his moment to have the advantage.

He whistled the same way she did when throwing the knives, bringing her attention to him. She watched in horror as he stepped calmly to the side of the room, twirling a hand beside his head.

On his raised index finger, was the black lace garnet she wore–or used to wear–with eight needles still in tow.

"Let's be done with the poison, yeah?"

Yor frowned, glaring at the man as he held all the cards now.

Twilight grinned, tossing the garnet onto a table.

If she wants to retrieve them, that'll give me the perfect opportunity.

Yor's hands clenched into fists, her gaze piercing into the spy. "You're lasting longer than anyone else I've been with."

Twilight smirked as he began removing his suit jacket, slipping it off his shoulders with a shrug. He folded it and set it onto the same table while adjusting and straightening his deep green vest. Unbuttoning the sleeves of his white dress shirt, the man rolled it up to his elbows.

"Any man would take that as a compliment."

The assassin didn't seem to respond to his snarky reply.

Yor hadn't quite heard him as she stared at his shapely hands as they worked. The veins on his forearms were exposed, the muscles around them tensing and shifting visibly with the movement.

He is definitely flirting with me.

Twilight took a deep breath before standing tall, running both hands through his hair from front to back.

Looking back down and meeting Yor's eyes as she expelled her soft blush he whispered, "may I take the lady for one last dance?"

Yor grinned, raising her hands and preparing herself, "it'll be your last."

"The last for one of us, at least."

With that, they both closed in on each other.

No more gadgets.

No more thrown blades.

No more firearms.

Each and every resource they both had were exhausted, now having to resort to purely hand-to-hand combat.

Their movements were a flurry, a mix of strength and skill clashing against and with one another. Each maneuver led to a counterattack. Every time there was an opening, it ended up being a feint or trap, leading to both parties wearing themselves down slowly.

Beaten and bruised, they grappled for a moment, holding each others wrists.

They shook with the exertion, both breathing heavily.

Yor looked up to Twilight with wide puppy eyes, "you wouldn't strike a woman, would you?"

"You've broken three of my ribs, I plan on returning the favour."

"Then allow me to shatter another," Yor smirked as she pulled on his wrists, forcing him to lean forward. Ramming her right knee into his chest, Twilight did indeed hear the shattering of one of his bones before he felt it.

Reeling back with a cough as she let go of him, Twilight stumbled and bumped against the kitchen counter.

His eyes were blinded with tears and splatters of blood as he tried to focus. Once he finally did, he witnessed Yor pulling away from the table that had her garter.

No! That's bad…!

Twilight wheezed as he shifted to the side, pulling on a drawer to support his weight. It creaked open and he searched frantically inside for some kitchen utensils.

He didn't find what he was looking for, but instead spotted a small handgun.

I'm not gonna ask nor complain.

Pulling it out, he ducked away from Yor as she approached him. Narrowly slipping away as she broke a piece of the marbled countertop, he stepped out into the open room.

Yor sprinted at him, still keeping her balance in high heels despite her exhaustion.

She realized too late what Twilight had found as she raised her right hand, ready to plung the needle into his chest.

A crack erupted with a flash of light and her right hand immediately searched with pain, the needle falling out of her hand.

Determined and ignoring the metal shrapnel in her hand, the assassin clenched her fist and swung it at Twilight, decking him across the jaw before he could get another shot off. He stumbled to the side, one of his feet unintentionally tripping Yor. Her ankle twisted and she fell towards the ground, grabbing onto Twilight to try and slow her fall.

His left hand slipped onto her back, stopping her from landing on it. Yor blinked her eyes open, seeing Twilight's a few inches from hers, holding her up. She was practically horizontal to the ground as he supported her, as if they were posing at the end of a ballroom dance.

A spotlight above them opened, highlighting the both of them in a steady white light.

They both breathed heavily, staring in surprise at one another's eyes.

Yor's right hand was on Twilight's shoulder as he smiled softly. The woman reciprocated it before she heard a click–the cocking of a pistol.

Glancing down, Twilght's right hand held it pressed against her abdomen.

"It looks like…" he wheezed from his broken ribs and punctured lung, "...I won…"

Yor's eyes widened in fright for a moment before she swallowed her fear as well as some blood. Meeting his gaze she replicated his smile, "look again."

Twilight did as she said, now spotting her left hand near his torso.

There she held a second needle, one he hadn't seen before. It was already embedded a centimeter into his skin, ready to plunge deeper in between his ribs.

"I can move faster than you pull that trigger."

"I don't doubt it, but I'll still have enough strength to pull it anyway."

Twilight adjusted the angle of his weapon, aiming it upwards towards Yor's chest, the barrel pressing into the fabric covering her bosom.

The woman sighed, "just as well, it seems fitting for it to end like this. So…" she coughed, "what now?"

"Any… last words?"

Yor scoffed, "like you gave that other guy?"

Twilight just leaned closer to study her red eyes, "you're one to talk; you took them out without giving them the chance."

Yor grinned, knowing he was right.

"You're efficient. You're… good at what you do," the man whispered.

Her eyes widened slightly before she relaxed.

"And you're the one who took me out. Your organization might hold a big funeral."

Twilight scoffed as she had done before, "not likely, there's no one to attend the funeral of a man without identity."

Yor giggled but it was cut off as her sides shook with pain. "So… who will you die as? A spy… or my husband?"

Twilight leaned slightly closer as Yor studied his lips, the upper one split from when she had punched him.

"We never did seal our marriage with a kiss, did we?" he asked.

His left hand repositioned, pulling her upwards and closer to him. The wife pulled herself up as well, their face less than an inch apart.

Yor could feel his breath on her lips as their heads turned, angling with one another.

"How about we rectify that?" Yor whispered.

Twilight felt a rush of air as she exhaled, a cherry scent flowing from her lipstick.

It made him wonder if her lips tasted the same as her breath smelled.

Anya woke up to a cold sweat.

The girl sat upright in bed as the clock in the living room chimed–signaling midnight.

Breathing heavily, she stared at the wall across her bed before a disgusted look entered her expression.

EWWWWWWWWW! Mama and Papa are gross!

Anya tilted back, rolling side to side trying to forget the final scene she had just witnessed.

After a minute she stopped and pulled her comforter close.

The start of that dream was soooo cooooool! I wonder if I could go back to it right now if I close my eyes…

Wait, they're coming!

Anya shut her eyes and started snoring softly, hugging her white pillow beneath her head.

Her door cracked open, light trickling into her bedroom.

"I could've sworn I heard her shifting, Loid."

"She's a child, Yor, she shifts a lot."

"It sounded different."

The man chuckled before taking a deep breath.

"She looks at peace," he whispered.

"She… She really does. Alright, lets not wake her up."

"Good idea. I'll help you with the dishes."

"It's not very fair for you to cook and clean, you know."

Anya heard their laughing as they shut the door to her bedroom.

She huddled into her pillow, cuddling it against her face as she breathed deeply. Her bed was so soft, softer than the orphanage ever had and bigger than the sleeping bag she used in the lab.

Anya smiled as she nuzzled into the cloud, my parents are awesome.

I hope they never fight like that.

With that, Anya drifted back into the fields of sleep–it barely took a minute.

To her dismay, she never did return to her dream.

Chapter Text

The news is important.

Sure, the media always twists and contorts it to fit their view and to spread propaganda towards the populace, but it's still necessary.

Without it, many events in the city would go unnoticed, like a body being discovered in a haunted house; this was the current headline as Loid Forger sat in his living room, watching the tv intently.

There's no current suspect–good.

Of course, the message of his death was still sent. A single strike through the vocal cords, a threat of what would happen if others try to sell out Ostania.

It'll be harder to find informants willing to come forward now.

Oddly though, it seems the area got swept by some third party. The report given to the public lacked any mention of a golden needle and the room lacked the distinct splatter I'd seen walking in.

Perhaps the Thorn Princess doesn't work without contacts.

Or perhaps she'd gone back to clean it herself afterwards…

It's that last one, Papa! Anya mentally exclaimed as she read her father's thoughts.

It was late into the evening, dinner already being eaten. Yor was currently showering as Loid sat on the couch, his daughter standing on the cushions beside him.

The man was currently ignoring her.

Not because he wanted to exclude her, but because he didn't want to see the smug look on her face.

The father was getting used to his daughter's antics, but she grew more confident every day. Whenever he gave her an inch she took a mile.

When she asked for hair ties, I thought she would be using them on her own hair.

This is silly.

Anya giggled at her father's thoughts but continued working nonetheless.

While he watched the news, she worked slowly in reaching up and grabbing random tufts of his hair, grouping them together before securing the hair tie around it.

"Your hair is really short, Papa."

"Really? I didn't notice," he replied sarcastically.

Anya took no offense, just laughing at his casual remarks. She genuinely enjoyed herself, knowing she earned this break for finishing her homework earlier.

This went on for another ten minutes and left nearly none of Loid's hair loose. Each and every strand was pulled, sometimes roughly, into one of the mismatched and lopsided groupings.

Anya studied her work as Yor sat delicately onto the couch beside Loid.

His head turned like a statue, she could almost hear the stone grinding as his still eyes met hers.

"Y-You look… nice…" she spoke awkwardly.

Loid smiled softly and closed his eyes in joy, "of course, Anya is an artist after all."

"Oh, that's good. You're such a good person. I thought you might be annoyed that-"

"How about we let you have a turn being a canvas?"

"W-What?" Yor stared at Loid in horror as Anya's eyes widened with glee.

"YEAH!"

The girl didn't hesitate, running to her mother and grabbing onto her hair recklessly.

"Hey c-careful! It's still a bit wet!"

Anya giggled but loosened her grip, ensuring she didn't pull strands of hair out of her mother's scalp.

Twilight sighed with relief, successfully diverting Anya's attention away from him. Opening up a small makeup case he always kept on him, the man studied himself in the flip-up mirror.

I look horrendous.

Well, I'll leave it for Anya.

Just until she heads to sleep–I can already feel the tension headache these are giving me.

Anya ignored her fathers thoughts, pretending not to hear them.

Glancing over to his wife, Twilight thought for a moment as she fought back against her daughter, not wanting to damage her long hair.

Maybe I should intervene? Yor's hair is nice and it would give a bad impression if we went out with her looking poorly.

It's more acceptable for my hair to be a mess, I am a man after all.

I don't care for these double standards, but society does. That's all that matters.

"I'll help you, Anya. Do you know how to braid hair?"

Anya turned to her father and let go of the fistful of hair she'd been holding. Yor quickly smoothed the creases out, studying the black silk to make sure it hadn't been torn or ripped.

"Braid?"

Twilight sat by Yor's right as Anya stood by her left. Gesturing to Yor he spoke politely, "may I?"

The woman stared for a second but drew her lips into a soft smile. Folding her hands into her lap, she put her trust in him and nodded.

Why is she blushing?

It doesn't quite matter.

"Well first," Twilight separated Yor's longer hair into two pieces, split vertically along her scalp, "you take a section of hair. Then you split it into three equal pieces."

"That's a third each!"

Loid couldn't help a smile, "very good. Now you fold them together like this beginning at the top and moving down. Once that piece overlaps the center, then you…"

Going on to explain how it worked, Anya focused on listening.

However, the girl focused too much on listening and didn't actually take in the information.

Re-explaining himself, Loid eventually got the process across to his daughter as they worked on separate sides of Yor.

The woman was too shy and embarrassed to actually speak during the process. Staring at her hands, she just smiled nervously and listened to the voices of her family.

The news continued to play for another ten minutes before the duo eventually finished. Loid could've done both sides in less time, but he had to take his time in teaching Anya. There were many times when he had to correct her mistakes or to tell her to be more gentle when Yor winced.

Braids looked good on Yor, maybe not in a formal sense, but nonetheless it was a nice look. The two separate interlaced strands now fell along the front of her shoulders, coming to rest on the curve of her chest.

"And there you go, Anya. Now you can torment your mother with braiding her hair any time you want."

And leave mine alone.

"Yay! When do I get to braid your hair, Papa?"

He squinted, studying his daughter as she perfectly contradicted every thought he had.

"Sorry, but my hair is too short for that. How do you like it, Yor?"

The woman blushed as she studied the work. Of course, the right braid looked better than the left but it didn't look bad either. She'd never braided her hair before; of course she's styled it several different ways with different buns and do-ups but this was new for her.

It felt nice.

There was a certain specialty to it as her cheeks burned, enjoying the proximity of her family.

Closing her eyes she brushed her hands over the braids, "I love them. It reminds me of when-"

A peck of lips on her right cheek.

Yor jumped in surprise, turning to Loid as he stared at her with shock.

"L-Loid did you j-just…?!"

Now it was his turn for his cheeks to burn, "w-what?! No! I…!"

His eyes shifted, meeting the smug stare of his daughter.

Anya, you are some kind of criminal mastermind. Where did you even learn the concept of framing someone?!

AND WHY DID YOU JUST FRAME ME FOR  THAT ?!

Stammering and waving his hands, Loid gave up as Yor stared at him, her entire face turning red.

Brushing the back of his neck he whispered, "I just couldn't take my eyes off you. I didn't realize what I was doing until afterwards, I apologize. If you'd like-"

"Thank you, Loid," Yor whispered with a girlish smile.

Cutting himself off, the man stared at the demure reaction. Yor didn't look up to meet his eyes–nervously staring at her lap. Her hands ran themselves over the right braid of her hair, appreciating each second of dedication put into it.

Loid sighed with a soft smile, "it was my pleasure."

Anya giggled and hugged her mother, laughing not specifically at her antics, but for having successfully pulled one over on the spy.

Papa let his guard down! That was fun, when can I do it again?

No, not now. That'd be too supp-spicous.

Even though her fathers thoughts were muddled with confused feelings, Anya basked in his awkward smile as well as her mothers.

It's easy for a child to embarrass her parents like this.

Anya yawned suddenly, interrupting her giggle. The attention of the parents immediately diverted to her, watching her drowsy blinking.

Yor checked a clock on the wall, "oh, honey, it's past your bed time!"

"N-No it isn't!"

Twilight smirked and stood up, "you heard your mother, bed time."

"N-no! Wait!"

But she was already being scooped into her father's arms, leaning against his chest.

Her eyes focused on the glare he gave her, a malicious smirk as he strode away from his wife.

"I'll be just a moment," his voice whispered with a hinted threat.

Papa is gonna kill me. I went too far…

Tears were already leaping into Anya's eyes before she realized they were in her bedroom. Twilight pushed the door closed with his foot and stepped into the center of her decorated room. Instead of studying his surroundings, he just stared into the soul of the girl he held.

"I-I'm sorry, P-Papa…" Anya snivelled.

"Mhmmm," he hummed as his eyes narrowed.

Silence grew as Anya felt a welling inside her chest, a growing pressure of fear in her contrite heart.

The father pierced the silence with a sigh before smiling, satisfied with his silent revenge.

Walking over, since she was already in her pajamas, Twilight opened her comforter and placed the girl into bed. Pulling it up around her, the man slipped the stuffed unicorn that he had won at the carnival a few days ago beside her.

All while the girl stared at him with terror, her emotions making it impossible to read his thoughts.

There's nothing more that Anya feared than the unknown; not knowing what someone was thinking while talking to her scared her just more than any scary monster could.

"It's alright, Anya. But don't do things like that again, okay?" The father smiled kindly.

The girl immediately nodded, pulling the comforter up to just below her eyes.

Sitting on the bed beside her, Twilight reached a hand forward and brushed her hair, "look, I'm not all that great with comforting others and I apologize for that. Which is why it's not my place to scare you as I did. You pulled a prank, a good one at that."

Anya grinned slightly, her tears falling away.

"But some pranks can be pretty mean."

Her grin died.

"Try not to play with our feelings. I know you probably feel comfortable and cemented within this family, but it's still new for your folks. I don't want to lead Yor into thinking I'm comfortable with more than I am; I don't want to break her heart by refusing an advance she's been led to think is alright. That's called emotional manipulation if I did things like that intentionally."

Anya nodded along despite not understanding the last couple words.

Twilight brushed her cheeks with a thumb, wiping away her tears. Sinking into his thoughts for a moment, I can't let emotions break Operation Strix, not my own nor this family's. There's only so far I'm comfortable going with a fake family, a wife who is my wife purely for show. We sleep in separate beds for a reason–we aren't intimate with each other.

These games she plays on us is fun for her in the short term, but could destroy this family in the long run.

Anya stared at her father, destroy this family?! I don't want that… I don't ever want that!

"D-Don't leave Mama b-because of m-me…!"

Loid jumped at the sudden burst of emotion from his daughter. Crouching down beside her bed, her cupped her hands in his own and looked her in the eyes.

"I won't, especially not because of you, Anya. Don't put all that pressure onto yourself to keep this family together, alright? That's too much for your shoulders. Let your mother and I carry that burden."

If it even is a burden. To be honest… I quite enjoy this family sometimes.

Just for show… of course. Anyways, when this ends we'll-

"I love you, Papa," Anya whispered shakily.

"..."

Twilight's eyes widened in shock, staring now at the eyes of the little girl. There were tears in her eyes, her hands trembling as they held tightly onto his own.

"H-Huh?"

"You're a good Papa… and Mama is a good Mama! You both care. I-I don't want to be without you… I never want to be alone again!"

The words of a child that's never been loved before.

A child who's never been told "I love you".

A child that's never had someone genuinely care about her.

A shimmer of light burst into Twilight's fortified heart, piercing the seclusion he's been forced to live for years.

The man sighed and squeezed the girl's hands.

I care about you, Anya. This family is a sham, but I know it's real for you. The lines between reality and our verisimilitude are blurring and I know that'll continue to do so as time progresses. I wonder what kind of woman you'll grow to be–what lessons you'll take from me. You're making me wish that you were my own daughter, one I don't think I'll ever have the luxury of having.

To hell with Operations. Tonight, you are my daughter.

I don't know how to express my feelings for you; they're mixed as they are for this whole family. I truly do want you to grow to be the best version of yourself. I wish to cultivate you into whatever it is you want to be. You've been trying so hard recently, you even did your homework on time today.

I'm proud of you.

I'm glad you're by my side.

I'm delighted that you're the girl I chose over all the others–or more accurately that you chose me.

I don't know how to express these things so I'll just condense it into this:

"I love you too, Anya."

Anya's eyes were already dripping with moisture but these words sent her into sobs as she held onto her father's hands. The man just smiled, watching over her as both a protective guardian and loving father.

Pulling her stuffed unicorn close, the girl wrapped her arms around it and took deep shuddering breaths. Twilight stayed there for a few minutes, brushing her hair and soothing the girl.

Leaning forward, he kissed the side of her head and stood up.

She fell asleep so quickly after she stopped crying. That's a quirk about her, it always leaves her so exhausted.

"Sleep well, Anya. Don't go having any dreams that are a bit too strange.

I'll see you in the morning," he whispered the final words as he snuck to the door, watching over his daughter for one last moment.

When he shut the door, Twilight and Loid both felt suddenly alone.

It felt weird leaving her alone after such a heartfelt moment. His heart was still beating fast as he took deep breaths, striding back out into the living room.

Yor hadn't moved an inch, still brushing her fingers over the braids of her hair.

Both the parents' faces turned red before they averted their gazes from one another.

Clearing his throat, Twilight forced his heart to remain still. Sitting calmly beside his wife he opened his mouth to speak.

But Yor was faster, holding up a plastic container, "may we? I'd… like to spend the night inside with you."

Twilight blinked a few times as Yor held up a movie, hiding her face behind the container.

W-Why are we so flustered about this now? We've gone on dates before. If anything, this is easier because it's in private.

Loid smiled and plucked the movie out of his surprised wife's fingers, "sure, let's go for it. A… horror film? I thought you didn't like scary."

Yor nervously smiled, "well it's a fickle thing… I enjoy the gore side of horror…"

"Right… well I don't see why not then."

I'm both surprised and not by this revelation.

Slipping the disk into the player underneath the tv, Twilight began the film for them both. Preparing some simple popcorn and sitting a foot away from Yor, they began watching it.

They sat in silence, making the occasional remark of the film but otherwise hardly even glancing at each other.

Nonetheless, Yor was invested.

Twilight was disturbed.

T-This movie is 90% gore… Why did I agree to this? And how can she keep eating?!

Yor's head perked up and Twilight looked away, feeling flustered if she were to meet his gaze, although he wasn't sure why.

"Did you hear that? I think Anya woke up. I'll check on her."

The woman stood up quickly, her motherly instincts kicking in. Loid stared in confusion for a moment before pausing the film, following the woman.

He leaned over her as she opened Anya's door a sliver and peeked inside.

"I could've sworn I heard her shifting, Loid."

"She's a child, Yor, she shifts a lot."

"It sounded different."

The man chuckled before taking a deep breath.

"She looks at peace," he whispered.

"She… She really does. Alright, let's not wake her up."

"Good idea. I'll help you with the dishes."

"It's not very fair for you to cook and clean, you know."

They both laughed a moment after the door was closed, leaving Anya to her peaceful slumber.

Twilight glanced back to the door for a split second, she's feigning that snore–it's too forced. I hope she sleeps well nonetheless and that it wasn't a nightmare that woke her.

Moving to the kitchen, the couple washed the dishes from popcorn quickly together. There wasn't much, mostly only a pot since they were still eating.

Back in the living room not even five minutes later, the film was resumed.

Twilight kept the volume low so the tortuous screams wouldn't wake Anya as they both watched intently. He rubbed his eyebrows and leaned forward, pouring himself a small glass of liquor–a bottle he'd recently presented to Yor as a gift.

It has half empty from previous days of poking at it, but he was drinking more to ignore the details of this movie.

Looking back to his wife, he caught her staring at him.

Instead of looking away shyly, she met his gaze and smiled delicately.

"I know this isn't your cup of tea, Loid, but… thank you."

Loid just grinned and leaned back with closed eyes, "no problem. We can't always do things that we both enjoy when-"

Twilight froze as a pair of lips brushed his cheek–a smooch left behind by his wife.

Opening his eyes, he stared in shock at the woman who rubbed her hands awkwardly. "I wanted to repay you for… earlier…" she whispered.

"I-I… I don't know what to-"

"Don't say anything! Ignore that!"

Yor jumped, her face turning a bright red while turning away. Reaching forward, her right hand wrapped around the neck of the liquor bottle a second before she held up to her mouth.

A stunned silence grew as both Twilight and Loid watched the woman down the entirety of the bottle, slamming it onto the table.

…

Belch.

"Oops! I'm sorry," Yor whispered with a giggle and covered her mouth. Her words were already slurring together as the lightweight wobbled from side to side.

F-For chugging the bottle or for burping…?

The woman wobbled slightly as the alcohol affected her immediately and she smiled widely at her husband. With the film playing in the background, Loid went to refocus his attention on it but couldn't help but feel the hot glare from his wife.

"Y-Yes?" He asked.

Yor leaned towards him and shimmied until their hips touched. Her eyes narrowed accusingly, "how many of your -hic- patients are women?"

Loid tilted his head in confusion, "about half…?"

"Did one of them leave you a gift?" Yor jabbed a finger into Twilight's cheek.

Narrowed eyes met narrowed eyes as Loid reached up to brush Yor's hand away.

You're kidding, right?

No, the look on her face is completely serious.

"N-No, Yor. That lipstick is your own."

Even in her drunk stupor, the woman still reacted girlishly, putting both hands onto the side of her cheeks in shock. She genuinely had forgotten out of her embarrassment. Shifting side to side, she whispered to herself unintelligibly with a giggle.

Twilight's eye twitched.

I've never met more of a lightweight than you.

"Let's get back to the movie, shall we?"

"Right, right. Movie time," Yor nodded, trying her best to focus on the film that she'd chosen.

Her focus centered at the most inopportune time, one of the only jumpscares of this movie leaping up right as her vision sharpened.

Jumping in immediate fright, the woman let out a mellifluous yelp and latched onto the arm of Twilight beside her. Her grip strength threatened to pop his shoulder out of socket as she pushed her head into him, shutting her eyes.

Twilight jumped too–because of Yor, not the film.

Calming himself and breathing deeply, he pat a hand onto one of her's that clutched his elbow.

"You really don't handle horror well, do you? Honestly, I don't understand how you can enjoy this while you're-"

The woman slumped, her grip loosening around him. Thankful she let go of his arm, Twilight was too absorbed in his momentary pain to stop her from falling.

Yor sunk down, her head falling to the side, the back of her head to his stomach, as she landed in his lap.

On top of the pillow of his thighs, she laid there to rest with a soft delicate snore.

"-you're asleep. Gotcha…"

Twilight looked around awkwardly, not entirely sure of what to do as he was forced to give this woman a lap pillow.

Frowning and rubbing his eyebrows, he paused the film so he wouldn't have to endure any more of it.

Leaning onto a fist beneath his chin, he fell into his pondering.

You blacked out after almost a minute of drinking that bottle. That's actually impressive at how poorly you handle alcohol. At least this means I'll be able to get to sleep early for once. If only I could slip by without risking waking her up.

Honestly I doubt anything would at this point but I can't leave her here either.

He sighed, I suppose I'll need to carry her to her own bed. Or grab a blanket for her.

I wonder what she would prefer?

Looking down, Twilight thought of this last question as her stared at the face of the woman pretending to be his wife.

Or the woman that technically was his wife.

No, she is his wife, they have the certificate even if the date is off by a year.

It was all a technical process, one of necessity. They were a couple purely for mutual benefit.

So why is it that Twilight found himself unable to look away from the woman's sleeping face?

For a few minutes, he just sat there in silence, staring.

No thoughts passed through his head. Whenever he began a string of logic, it fell apart to silence soon after.

Something about her expression was disarming him of his wit.

She's… perfect.

Twilight immediately averted his gaze, his face turning red at the spontaneous thought and shoving it away.

Looking back, it filtered back in.

She's not wearing makeup, or at least not much. A minor gloss of lipstick and eyeliner to pronounce her expression. Even after showering, she enjoys wearing something for flair–a spark amongst her ensemble.

This face is… a perfect canvas. As a master of disguise, there's only so much that can be done for some faces and body types.

My own face by itself is dull and average. The only pronounced part is my jawline, something that an artificial jowl can be added to diminish. That's why disguise works so well on me.

It would go well with her too. Raised cheekbones, a defined jaw with a slim nose and full lips. Her eyes always carry so much emotion behind them, much more than her smile.

But right now? I've never thought a sleeping face to be beautiful before.

I guess there's a first for everything.

Twilight smiled softly, losing himself in the light growing within his heart. Leaning down, he brushed the braided hair away from the woman's mouth. Pushing it behind her ear, her face felt warm to the touch.

Tempting himself uncontrollably, his fingers reached forward, brushing over her cheek with a feather touch.

Somehow he already knew her skin with be silky smooth.

The calm breathing, a soft rise and fall in her chest, kept him grounded. Her lips were parted ever so slightly but she breathed through her nose.

There was hardly even a snore coming from her as Twilight found his fingers studying her jawline, just his index finger touching her skin.

His eyes completely focused, he simply just couldn't look away from the woman.

Pounding was the only way to describe his heart as his hand shifted, reaching further down.

Her lips were defined, pronounced by the dark lipstick she wore. Twilight's hand moved on it's own.

He snapped back to reality just as his thumb brushed Yor's bottom lip, testing what it felt like.

Pulling his hand away in shock, he stared at. A fire burned on his face, smoke rising off him as he calmed himself.

What just came over me?! What am I doing!?

It's scandalous to touch a woman in her sleep.

Just… play it cool. Let's get that blanket.

Almost as if in response to his thoughts, one of Yor's hands opened partially, her palm pointing to the ceiling. Her delicate fingers called for a partner.

Twilight's mind refused while his heart yearned to accept.

His heart won this battle.

Reaching forward, he tenderly slid one hand into hers, his fingers interlacing with Yor's. Her hands were cold but quickly began to warm as his palm slipped into her own.

Despite his rampant blush, Twilight still smiled.

Reciprocating his touch in her sleep, Yor's fingers curled closed, locking Twilight into his choice.

Looks like I'm stuck here now. Was this a mistake?

Panic entered his system as Twilight imagined what they looked like.

They looked like a loving husband and wife.

His rational mind calmed itself as the man gaslit himself.

This is just for appearances, a rehearsal for when company is over.

Yeah, that's all.

Smiling and brushing her hair once with his hand, careful not to disturb her braids, Twilight watched over his wife.

Leaning his head back against the couch, he took in a long deep breath.

Real or not…

We are a family.

Chapter Text

Eden Academy.

The most prestigious school in all of Berlint–possibly the entirety of Ostania. Entrance was strict with a nigh-impossible exam and even more streamlined interviews of the families.

Only those of utmost elegance and prestige were permitted entry. Even more effort was required to remain in the school.

Anya had done well, firmly completing the exam and handling the interview. There had been complications along the way, but overall Operation Strix was moving smoothly.

One step closer to Donovan Desmond.

In fact, tonight might very well be the opportunity Twilight has been searching for:

Eden Academy was hosting a formal masquerade ball.

So the family of three entered into the school grounds, a large rectangular ballroom ahead of them. The floor was marble white, speckled with black and grey. The ceiling held an assortment of glass chandeliers and spotlights shining down brilliant white light onto the people below. Closed balconies laid to either side and looped around to connect at the far end of the room, the far corners housing spiral staircases to access these hidden rooms. A large staircase descending down to the main floor loomed in front of the family as they strode in elegantly.

Loid Forger was adorned in his usual green suit, a few extra pins and a deep green pocket square on his breast. He wore foundational makeup to cover any small imperfections like a singular freckle on his left cheek. Lastly was a dull emerald mask that matched the colour of his ensemble; it only covered the top half of his face.

Yor only owned one dress. It had one pencil skirt that stopped halfway down her thighs with a longer one extending from her upper waist. This longer skirt didn't wrap around to the front, only covering her sides and back down to just above her ankles. For some flair, she also had the addition of a translucent red silken scarf draped over her neck. Her mask, like Twilight's, covered the top half of her face. It was more lace in nature showing several bits of her skin through the black strings that resembled a fox.

Anya wasn't allowed to wear a mask, none of the children were. Instead she wore her usual school outfit, freshly ironed.

She felt out of place as Loid led Yor into the room, holding one of her hands up elegantly at chest height between them.

The room was a bustle of activity, no one quite staying still as social circles were already being formed.

Behind them, a shorter gentleman in a white tuxedo, the attire of Eden Academy staff members, grabbed a microphone and took a deep breath.

"Introducing Mr and Mrs Forger! Accompanied by their daughter, Anya Forger!"

Faces turned and eyes stared from under masks, an immediate scrutiny on the new arrivals.

Loid released Yor's hand before taking a deep bow to greet the room.

His wife reached down and pulled her skirt to both sides slightly, placing one foot behind her and dipping her head in a curtsey.

Anya mimicked her mother as per the instructions Twilight had given her just minutes ago.

A mild applause went through the room before conversation picked back up, the room seeming to accept the newcomers.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief and Yor smiled nervously with a glance to one another and a nod.

Behind them, light footsteps approached.

Speakers crackled to life once again as they all heard, "introducing Damien Desmond of House Desmond! The solo representative of House Desmond for tonight!"

Twilight bit his tongue, damnit! Donovan won't be arriving then.

Yor didn't react, the names not having any meaning to her.

Anya just scowled, glaring at the boy who strode towards the trio.

His hands hung at his side, his chin high within his school uniform. It was neatly pressed and flattened, the boy wearing longer pants that covered his black socks. Dress shoes tapped against the floor before the boy stopped and crossed his arms.

"Sy-on boy."

"Shrimp."

Shrimp? Why is the son of my target calling Anya a shrimp…? Twilight's eye twitched.

Yor stood tall beside her husband, placing a hand on the head of Anya, looking down at the boy she's never seen before.

Damian's gaze shifted from Anya to her parents, a threatening aura oozing from the both of them. Her father's eyes analyzed every movement he made while the mother bore a hole straight through his soul.

Damian shook in his shoes and took a half step to the side, "n-nice to m-meet you… F-Forger's…"

"Likewise," whispered Yor. Looking down to her daughter she asked, "is this boy your friend, Anya?"

Anya wanted so badly to say no, but she knew how much Twilight needed her to be on friendly terms with Damian.

So with a smug smile, Anya held her chin high and met Damian's eyes, "yes, Mama."

"Good," her threatening aura immediately diminished into a friendly smile, "then you can play with him for now! Mama has a stomach ache so she'll be right back."

"Likewise, I have some friends to make and others to meet. Stay safe, Anya," Loid spoke while stepping away.

Anya whipped her head around, staring at her parents as they both abandoned her right as she held the upper hand against the bully.

Focusing on her mother she heard, my target is around here somewhere, likely on the balcony floors. That's where the important people usually are. I won't be long, Anya. I just need to find Reyna Reinhardt and take her out before the ball is over.

Mama is on the hunt?! Tonight?! Anya's eyes widened.

Switching to her father for some better news: Donovan is a bust. Time to contact my handler and finalize plans regarding this event. We shouldn't spend too much time here if there isn't anything to gain.

Papa is doing spy stuff… and they left me alone with sy-on boy!

Anya frowned and glared at the boy who let out a sigh of relief, no longer feeling like his life was in danger. Crossing his arms yet again he stared at Anya, "your parents leave you like this a lot? That's the kinda stuff I expect from outsiders."

"Your dad isn't even here, sy-on boy."

That struck a nerve with the boy, not expecting someone to defy him so openly nor so effectively. His fingers curled into fists as he turned and stormed away without a word.

It's not my fault he doesn't see me yet. I just need more stella stars, then he'll show up!

Anya grinned devilishly, skipping to keep pace with her prey, intending to make fun of him for as long as she could. Being alone, he'd be avoiding large crowds too which made it easier on Anya's sensitive psychic powers.

Loid weaved in between the social circles, popping into them with ease before ducking out after introductions and friendly remarks. There were plenty of people here, many of which could be important marks for future missions and operations. But he didn't risk bugging them here, not when there were so many eyes.

This event seemed much more catered to the adults than the children. It was a show of wealth with parents bringing in their best jewelry and clothes. There were platinum bands and expensive looking rings.

This is just a competition of flaunting power. Yor nor I belong here, overstaying our welcome is more likely to damage our reputation than to strengthen it. I need to re-evaluate my options pronto.

Slipping out of the final social circle, Loid made his way towards a side door. Moving to the private bathroom, he went to push it open.

Click.

Locked? What the… this is a public bathroom, why would it be locked? Surely if there are people in there…?

Loid put his ear to the door in curiosity.

A moment later he backed away with a twitch in his eyes.

The only sounds behind that door were intensely amorous, deeply invested in their current activities.

There are kids here! T-There's more than two voices…! Also, is that the… Defense Minister?! That's obscene… I'll just find a door outside.

There was one nearby, an area for smokers who needed away from their children.

At least Eden Academy keeps second hand smoke in mind.

Loid stepped out into the brisk night air, looking up at the starless night. A lonely cloud drifted by, highlighted by the moonlight as Twilight pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Lighting it with a silver lighter, Twilight took a deep inhale of the smoke.

Exhaling slowly, he settled his nerves.

Water vapour, it doesn't sting the lungs like I imagine real cigarettes would.

My body is my work, I wouldn't dare put those chemicals near it. Still, appearances is important.

Twilight drifted away from the other smokers before looking down to his watch. Pulling out on the dial that would normally be used to set the time, it disconnected entirely. Placing it into his ear, Twilight double tapped on it and the earbud turned on and dialed.

Click click.

"Agent Twilight."

"Correct. Donovan won't be making an appearance."

Twilight's handler adjusted her phone, pulling on the coiled cord while shifting it to her opposite ear. "Shame. How's the ball?"

"Lovely," Twilight spoke through grit teeth.

"I'll take that as boring and full of stuck up snobs. Well there's a brightside to this, I've got a new objective for you. A vip recently arrived at the ball; she's an Ostanian diplomat who is willing to be an insider for us. Your objective is to keep her safe–we have reason to believe an assassin is on her tail."

"Affirmative, mission received. What's the name of my client?"

"Reyna Reinhardt. Ensure she survives the night, that is all."

"It won't be easy to put up appearances with my family while protecting her. The upper balcony is closed off to just adults so I'll be needed up there for Reyna as well as the main floor for Anya."

His handler sighed but moved with forward thinking, "Operation Strix takes priority. If your cover is at risk or the girl is in danger-"

"Her name is Anya."

"-if Anya is in danger," his handler spoke with a hint of annoyance. However, she wasn't able to talk back much to Twilight as he was in a position of importance within Operation Strix, he was irreplaceable within this well-oiled machine. Letting his handler continue, "then put faith into Reinhardt's security team. They're roaming the premises as well as her office and will coordinate with you for assistance. Utilize them."

"Understood. Twilight out."

Removing the earbud, Twilight replaced it into his watch.

All communications with his handler while he was in the field was smooth and crisp, no need for idle chit chat while anyone could be listening. He was risking this conversation outside where other smokers might turn a corner and walk by, overhearing him. He never even waited for a confirmation that his handler was finished before he straightened his suit.

Dropping the fake cigarette, he stepped on it and smothered the flame.

Looking up to the moon, Twilight squinted at it.

An assassin, huh?

I pray I don't come face to face with them.

"So what am I doing here again? Just sucking up to these snobs? I could be sitting back and sipping on champagne instead of this bs."

A feminine voice complained as she leaned back in an office chair, already sipping on a glass of champagne. The office she sat in was well decorated with dark oak furniture and light green tapestries and green flat carpet.

A knock on the door.

The black tuxedoed man beside it raised a hand to the two others in the room before pulling out his silenced handgun, hiding it behind his back in preparation.

Opening the door a sliver, red eyes stared back at him.

"How's the aged cheese?" The guard asked.

"Finer than a thursday evening."

"Git yer ass in here, then," the guard grinned and opened the door.

A tall man strode in dressed in sharp green. Adjusting his emerald mask before running a hand alongside his jet black hair, he strode up to the desk a woman sat at.

I hate minimal disguises like this. I can't change suits or put on a mask when I may be needed by family at a moment's notice. I'll just have to go with dyed hair and coloured eye contacts. Luckily there are others here wearing a green suit similar to I.

The woman in front of him had two feet on the desk, rather un-elegantly given they were inside Eden Academy.

"Agent Twilight? You look… familiar. Have we met before?"

"I would hope not, no one alive knows my true appearance. This skin is simply a mask," he pulled on his cheek to reinforce the lie.

"Hmph, whatever," the woman waved a hand to disregard him. She was dressed in a sparkling white, a slim dress that hugged her body all the way around. It ended just beneath her armpits, not using her shoulders for support. A minimal amount of cleavage was visible as well as one leg from the side slit.

Twilight's eyes bore a hole into her own as he frowned.

"Get up, we're moving you."

The woman scoffed, "like hell you are, work around me."

Twilight's eye twitched twice before he looked back at the three bored security staff.

"Fine, this room could use a new coating of red, anyways." Striding towards the door, Twilight went to make his leave.

"W-Wait!" The woman called out, taking her feet off the desk with a new nervousness.

Twilight smirked under his angered facade, his bluff pulling through.

"What do you mean by a new coating of red?"

"I mean blood. Viscera. Maybe a splash of intestines across the balcony window."

The woman shivered at the thought and put her glass down.

"R-Right, I'll take your advice then. I've heard of some of your accomplishments. I'm Reyna Reinhardt, ex-wife of the Defense Minister."

Twilight's eyes narrowed, Defense Minister? I wonder if his current wife was one of the other women in that bathroom.

Shaking that disturbing thought out of his head, Twilight gestured around, "this room is exposed and you've been here a while. I can guarantee someone has either ratted you out already, or will before the end of this event. This room is destined to fail, so follow me."

Escorting her out of the room, Twilight formed a diamond around her as they strode. These upper balcony areas were mostly empty, the main floor currently being the main attraction. There was one staircase that led upwards, presumably to the roof, but had a staff member standing in front of it.

Walking around the entirety of the balcony to the otherside of the room, Twilight ushered the four into a new office.

Reyna turned around, studying the interior.

"What the hell?! This room is identical to the other one!"

"Your point?" Twilight adjusted one of his gloves.

"My point is it isn't any safer, you dimwit!"

Her security eyed Twilight cautiously, unsure of his decisions now. The man just sighed and rubbed his eyebrows, "Ms. Reinhardt, your name is on the reservation list for that room specifically. If I were here to kill you, I would find that first to find exactly where you were. Being inside this random room gives you a percentage chance of being found, avoiding a possible assassin entirely. I'd much rather keep you hidden than create a fortress around you."

The woman barely listened to him after the first six words. Moving to an armchair, she slumped down and popped the cork to a bottle of white wine.

Twilight was getting tired of her carelessness. Grabbing the bottle and pulling it away from her before the woman could drink from it, he recorked it.

"Hey! I paid for that bottle!"

"No, you paid for the bottle in the other room."

Twilight tossed the bottle to the nearest security guard who fumbled with it, nearly dropping it entirely. "Look, Reyna," he stalked towards her and planted two hands on each side of the armchair to glare directly into her eyes from inches away, "your life is in danger. You might not walk out of this building. Work with me, or kiss your corgi goodbye."

"H-How do you know about Noodle?"

"I know everything about you. Now, where's the rest of your security detail?"

Reyna gestured out the door, "patrolling, but they won't know where I am anymore because of you."

"Get this through your skull, that is for the best. "

Twilight's firm voice shook her resolve, urging the woman to gulp nervously and nod to him.

"You three, keep your weapons drawn at all times–fingers off the damn trigger. Watch the windows for anyone crawling in from above and ask for the passcode before opening the door. You look like a bunch of amateurs." One of the men opened their mouths to retort but froze as Twilight turned to glare.

"You realize if Reyna dies, then you'll likely be executed for suspicion of conspiring with Westalis, right?"

All three men straightened up, slowly drawing their weapons and scanning the room.

"I'll secure the perimeter myself and ensure we left nothing behind. I'll be a moment. Do not fear letting me down–it's the assassin you should worry much more about."

Twilight slid out of the room before any of them could respond. He could own the attention of a room when he demanded it, keeping an aura of confidence. There was a good chance no assassin was even present in the building, it'd be ballsy for them to try and enter such a prestigious event.

Nonetheless, Twilight would perform his job elegantly and efficiently.

Before he could even begin his patrol though, he spotted a familiar face across the ballroom on the opposite balcony.

It was Yor, currently looking down, presumably studying her feet while in one of the closed spectator booths. They both jumped when she looked up, meeting Twilight's eyes. The man raised a slim green hat from a nearby hat rack before she saw him, covering his black hair. Luckily he was far enough away that his red eyes, that matched her own, wouldn't be visible.

Yor smiled brightly to him and dipped in a curtsey, tempting an elegant bow back from Twilight. Giving into temptation, Twilight returned the gesture. Dipping his head in exit, he cast one wave to his wife before stepping away, continuing his search for Reyna's guards.

Little did he know, the woman he just waved to currently had her high heel embedded in the airway of one of those guards.

Leaning down to the dying guard, Yor gripped the side of his head, his five o'clock shadow fuzz scraping against her fingers, snapping his neck with barely a sound. A final breath bubbled out as the woman sighed, knowing she couldn't take out the entire security detail–it's too risky.

She already has to hide this body somewhere later, for now she had to leave it here in a corner.

Beginning to search the body for any information, Twilight walked right past the room she was currently in. Just one layer of wood unknowingly separated the spy from the assassin. Moving three doors more, Twilight turned and entered into the office Reyna had recently been staying in.

Sweeping the corners, ready to draw his pistol at any moment, he looked for any breach.

It's clear. Time to ensure she didn't leave any sensitive information behind.

Twilight took to the desk, disappointed to see the quill here had been recently used. This was a large desk, but the drawers slid relatively easily and avoided scraping. There were several papers, but he didn't know which ones were from Reyna. There were a few left from previous inhabitants that never cleaned up after themselves. Many of these were half-written postcards and abandoned christmas letters.

Then he spotted one, Reyna Reinhardt addressed at the bottom as the author.

A letter to… WISE? She just leaves this kind of stuff lying around?!

I can't believe I'm tasked with protecting someone this careless.

Well, let's just return… to…

Twilight's thoughts drifted off as he studied the writing. Re-reading the letter, it didn't have much sensitive information in it.

No, it's not the information he was looking at, it was the handwriting.

The gears in his brain turned as he stared at one of the j's.

That curve is familiar. The way it tails off and leaves a smudge as she dots it…

Where have I seen that before?

Twilight racked his brain for a minute, pacing the room with the letter.

The colour drained out of his face when it clicked, handwriting he'd previously read perfectly overlapping with this new letter.

Reyna… no. You've  got  to be kidding me!

Twilight's eyes shifted, staring emotionlessly across the ballroom at the office he knew his client was staying.

Her life was now in significantly more danger, he had to move quickly.

His hands clenched into fists, crumpling the damning letter he held before he pocketed it.

Moving to the desk he wrote out a new letter, one he would leave on top of the wooden surface.

This room is compromised already, all I need to do is wait.

Annnnnnnnnnd… done.

Setting down the letter he signed with the name "Twilight", the agent straightened his tie.

Taking a deep breath and moving to the door, he prepared himself for the rest of his night.

Wanting to move quickly back to Reyna, he had to waste time beforehand to enact this plan of his. Still working out the details, he began pacing the balcony areas deep in thought.

Suddenly he stopped, catching a faint whiff of something dire.

Blood? From… in there!

Twilight acted quickly, keeping a hand behind him and ready to draw his pistol. Barging into the spectator booth, the scent only grew.

But it was empty, no assassin sight.

Shutting the door and peering over the ledge, his mind was on overdrive.

I saw Yor over here in this exact room…

Glancing down and into the ballroom as several couples were slow-dancing together, he scanned the crowd.

Twilight let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he spotted his wife with Anya, brushing her hair and checking in with each other.

Thank god, she's alright. I was worried this blood was hers. She must've left shortly before the assassin came in here… so then where-

Twilight turned, trying to find the source of the smell before his eyes riveted in the corner, spotting a man huddled there. His knees were drawn to his chest, just barely hiding the blood that drained from his neck.

-oh.

He was dressed in a black suit, one of the security guards for Reyna.

Twilight's hands adjusted his gloves as his eyes narrowed, so there is an assassin after all. I'd been preparing for the worst, but the worst is certainly now a reality. And this wound…

Twilighted lifted the head of the man, staring at the precise hole.

It reminds me of Roman at the haunted house. This wound is smaller, meant more to kill than to leave a message.

Could this be the work of the Thorn Princess? Again?

How many times must we run into each other?

Twilight sighed and stared at the body, this is a hindrance. Or… wait a moment.

The spy grinned, a malicious twinkle in his eye as the final piece of his master plan fell into place.

No, this is  perfect.  I needed to kill some time, you'll do perfectly. After you, I return to Reyna.

Yor brushed Anya's hair as the girl tried to shy away, not wanting to be seen by sy-on boy while she got babied.

"Mama! You're embarrassing me!"

Yor brought her hand back, "oh, I'm sorry! Have you seen Loid around? I thought he'd be back with you by now…"

Anya shook her head before taking a sip of her fruit punch cup she'd gotten from the table they stood at. "Papa is making friends."

Yor clapped her hands together with a smile, "really? He's such a friendly man, I'm sure he's friends with everyone here already!"

Anya giggled with her mother but knew her father was really up to some type of spy activity. He's never gone this long without going on some adventure.

Yor looked around nervously, I'd better move soon, else someone'll find the body I left behind!

Anya stared at her mother in utter shock as the lady wiped her brow.

I got the reservation for the room Reyna is in though, I can move in and take care of her. But she'll have guards… I'm not sure how well I can take them all out without alerting everyone down here. Maybe I can crawl unseen through the upper windows…

Anya nearly squeezed the cup in her hands, exciting! Or… maybe not?

Suddenly, the young girl opened her arms and hugged the leg of her mother.

Yor jumped and looked around nervously, worried she'd get weird stares from the other guests.

"H-Honey? Is everything alright?"

"I don't want my Mama getting hurt…"

Yor crouched down as Anya let go of her. The woman wiped the cheek of her daughter with a thumb, "don't worry about me honey, I'll be alright! Now I'm gonna go… to the bathroom again. My uh… stomach is upset."

You used that excuse already, Mama.

And I don't like the bathrooms here.

Anya had walked by the same bathroom Twilight had previously. The thoughts coming from inside were intense and almost animalistic, she understood nothing of what was going through their minds.

Regardless, she felt uncomfortable and has been avoiding that side of the room ever since.

The girl didn't stop her mother as the woman strode away quickly, beelining for one of the spiral staircases up.

I wish I could follow, but I'm not allowed up there. And the dance floor scares me, there's so many voices.

Anya sighed and looked up to the balcony area, wondering where her father is right now. Even better, she wondered where sy-on boy had scampered off to.

Twilight counted the seconds on his watch, hiding in the room just opposite of Reyna's.

In 3, 2, 1… now!

Opening the door, Twilight peeked out just as two security guards walked past. Entering their blind spot, he stepped forward and pulled out his set of lockpicks. It only took a few seconds before the lock clicked, the door to Reyna's office opening.

Peeking the door open slowly, he spotted just one guard who stared at the windows.

Like I thought, she sent two of them out into the halls. That's why there are more patrolling.

That'll be your final mistake.

Aiming his right hand towards the guard, Twilight pulled back on his sleeve with his left hand. Triggering the mechanism inside his sleeve, a tiny dart shot forward. It sunk into the flesh on the back of the guard's neck. His hand flung up to it but it was too late as the venom from the projectile began working.

Within seconds, the guard crumpled to his feet, snoring loudly.

Reyna went to scream but Twilight crossed the room before she could, clasping a hand over her mouth.

"Don't make a sound! You'll get us both killed!" Twilight hissed.

Reyna stared at him with wide eyes, glancing to the guard he'd just knocked unconscious.

Her eyes were confused and Twilight capitalized on that, "your security team has betrayed you. Follow my each and every instruction if you want to live."

Releasing her mouth, he slowly pulled away. However, Twilight remained prepared to clap his hand around her again if she went to scream.

Thankfully the woman spoke in a hushed tone, "w-what?! My team?! But why-"

"Why isn't very important while they report your movements directly back to the assassin."

Reyna's eyes widened in horror, staring at the guard unconscious on the floor. Her gaze shifted back to Twilight as he continued.

"Reyna Reinhardt, look at me. I am the only man you can trust right now. Step with me and follow my instructions exactly and you'll get out of here alive."

"But where-"

"We need to move, now!"

Reaching down and grabbing her wrist, Twilight pulled the woman out of the armchair and to her feet. Practically dragging the dazed and confused woman with him, his plan continued without a hitch.

He slunk back into the hallway, avoiding the two guards as he dragged Reyna out of her hidey hole. They ducked down behind a reception counter.

Twilight looked down, studying her from top to bottom.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Reyna asked, terror in her voice. "Will you tell me what is-"

"Take off your heels."

"W-What?"

"Your high heels: take them off. You can run faster without them."

"..." she just stared at him in shock.

"Well? Do you want to live, Reyna? Or do you want to die with the primary part of your identity being an ex-wife? The fate of the world rests on your life right now. Trust me , I am your lifeline here."

The diplomat was too confused, too dazed to comprehend what he was saying. However, the urgency slapped her across the face.

Removing her high-heels, Twilight stashed them in a drawer beside them.

"What are we-"

"On 3 we run, alright?" Twilight cut her off.

"I.. w-what? I… okay, yeah. Yeah on 3…?"

"Go!"

"What happened to on 3?!" she hissed at him.

Grabbing her arm, Twilight ran with her, moving swiftly past the guard who just walked by. His gait adjusted to Reyna's, ensuring she moved with as much speed as possible without tripping her.

Twilight pulled Reyna into cover as they reached the staircase leading to the roof, the staff member still standing in front.

Having already done this once before, Twilight lifted his left hand and tapped on his watch. A remote speaker he'd planted earlier crackled to life.

The sound of shattering glass was hardly audible over the voices below, but both him, Reyna, and the staff member heard it.

The white-clad man grumbled, "what the hell? Is someone breaking phantom glass again? I swear, if I don't find something broken like last time, I'm gonna go insane."

Stepping away, the staff member entered the nearest spectator booth to investigate–the same one where Twilight had discovered the corpse.

"Was that breaking glass? Does that mean the assass-"

"Let's go!" Clutching onto Reyna's arm, Twilight pulled her along with him as he sprinted for the stone staircase leading up.

The woman barely kept up with him despite his hand roughly gripping her forearm. His pull hurt as he yanked her upwards.

"Keep moving! They're onto us!" Twilight urged.

There were tears in Reyna's eyes as she looked back, not seeing any pursuers.

"T-They aren't! They're-"

"You're not looking hard enough! Keep pushing! When we get to the top, run! I'll fend them off!"

Reyna couldn't do anything but nod, blinded by confusion and hastened by Twilight. The man got to the top of the stairs, opening an unlocked metal door and shoving it open.

Moving to stop, hesitating to look at Twilight, her eyes were drawn to the firearm he pulled.

"Go!" He hissed at her, aiming down the stairs.

Reyna nodded repeatedly, running forward onto the sharp gravel. It immediately cut into her feet as the tears streamed down her face. She pushed past the pain, waving her arms to keep her balance as she got out to the center of the roof. Eventually she let out a cry of pain, tripping and falling forward. Cutting her hands on the stones, she rolled onto her side.

"Twilight!" She called out, "w-what do I do now?!"

Looking back the twenty or so feet to the doorway, Reyna called out to her guardian.

All she received was a cold glare from him as the man slowly holstered his pistol.

"T-Twilight?! W-What…? What do I do now?!"

"Look down, Ms. Reinhardt," the spy spoke coldly, his tone completely devoid of emotion.

The woman wiped the tears out of her eyes, doing as the man commanded her.

To her left was a set of familiar eyes.

Reyna covered her mouth, muffling a horrified screech, as she stared at the corpse of one of her security guards. Reaching a hand out partially, it shook far too much before she could even get halfway.

"J-Jarvis…? Jarvis!" She cried out, hoping he would wake up.

Bodies do not simply wake up, to her dismay.

"You're a traitor to both of our countries, Ms. Reinhardt," Twilight spoke.

Reyna's head turned to him in horror, slowly putting together the pieces of what just transpired.

"I know what you did."

N-No… he couldn't know…

"You were the one who sold Roman Seldrick the information on Operation Strix."

He knows… Reyna's eyes widened in gut wrenching horror. She'd put her trust into the one man who had reason to want her dead.

T-That's why he's familiar! If his hair was blonde he'd be…

"You're no longer under my protection," Twilight's voice spoke in a thick Westalis accent, disguising his true identity–knowing there was an eavesdropper.

He stepped forward, grabbing the round handle of the metal door. "When you sell out the organization that's keeping you alive, I'd suggest changing your handwriting next time. I'll be taking my leave, now."

"W-Wait! You can't just leave me stranded up here!"

"Oh, but of course. I've found you a playmate to keep you entertained during your final moments."

Pulling the door part way towards him, it was now perpendicular to the doorway. He stood on one side while a new figure was revealed to Reyna. A woman stood just behind the door, a golden needle twirling around one finger.

The traitor's body was paralyzed with terror, unable to look away from the two pairs of crimson eyes that glared at her. They shared the exact same malicious, murderous smile.

Half an inch of metal is all that separated Agent Twilight and the Thorn Princess. Even more so, they were both completely aware of each other.

Twilight scoffed and turned around, speaking through the door to the assassin he knew was just on the other side, "I've done the housekeeping for you. A bit sloppy on the positioning, but a clean kill nonetheless. You're lucky I'm the one who found it."

"..." The assassin remained silent, her eyes focused entirely on her prey. It's a good thing she did too, Twilight would've instantly recognized her voice.

Scoffing, Twilight continued, "fair enough. If that is you, Thorn Princess, then do me this favour: I've delivered you a traitor, a mutual enemy. Make this one a bit more discrete, I still intend to enjoy the event downstairs."

"..." Silence again, he wasn't getting a response.

Twilight was tempted to peek around the door but forced himself not to. He purposefully never stepped a foot out onto the roof for this purpose–he wouldn't dare let the assassin get close enough for a strike.

Glancing down, however, he did see a piece of paper brush past on the ground.

The brisk night breeze picked it up and whisked it away as Twilight remembered writing it:

"Assassin, you'll find your mark on the roof soon enough. Ensure you don't shoot the messenger.

Yours truly, Twilight"

Twilight grinned, taking that as confirmation of his request. The paper holding his offer of this temporary armistice was whisked out of view, carried off by the wind.

Looking back to Reyna, he gave only so much as a side eye glare–refusing to grant her any respect.

"You two have fun now," he hissed before reaching out, shutting the metal door to the roof.

"W-Wait! Twilight! Don't leave me up here with this psycho! TWILIGHT!" The woman cried out his name, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Not even the ball-goers could hear her up here. The cloudless night pulled her voice from her, but not nearly as much as the fear did from watching the slow stride of the Thorn Princess.

"Reyna Reinhardt, allow me the honour of taking your life."

A full moon highlighting the silhouette of Yor Forger, her silken scarf billowing to one side, was the last thing Reyna Reinhardt ever saw.

Adjusting his tie, Twilight made his way to Anya. His hair returned to his natural blond and the red contact lenses removed.

Reyna Reinhardt no longer exists , he smirked under Loid's smile.

The girl he approached heard his thoughts from a mile away, wondering what his words meant. Her well-dressed father approached her but refused a drink of punch from the staff member offering it. Reaching a hand down and brushing Anya's hair as he had seen Yor do he smiled, "how's it been so far for you? Making friends?"

Anya tapped her index fingers together, "T-There's a lot of people around here…"

I'll take that as a no.

Loid shrugged and smiled comfortingly, "that's alright, this atmosphere isn't for everyone. I doubt we'll be staying here much longer. Do you have a headache?"

Anya was rubbing her temples, the mass of hundreds of voices starting to cause a migraine. The girl nodded her head and Loid scooped her into his arms. Carrying her into the nearby corner, there was a seating area. The few other people here also looked to be avoiding the main social circles.

It seems you're not the only one here who hates crowds.

Sitting Anya down into one of the armchairs he spoke, "stay here for a while, close your eyes if you have to. Don't worry, you're safe here."

Anya nodded and closed her eyes at the behest of her father. It helped with her migraine, but the voices were still deafening.

Focusing, Anya tried a new tactic. Trying to force all the voices away led to them rushing in like a wave breaking through a dam. But what if she tried to focus on just one or two thoughts? That's what she attempted, sensing her mother now approaching the duo. Focusing on just her parents, Loid turned to greet his wife.

The woman was smiling, "there you are, Loid! I was worried you'd gotten lost."

Loid grinned, "around here? Not likely, I was just checking up on Anya."

Yor strode forward, brushing a recently washed hand through Anya's hair, "that's really sweet of you." Turning to her husband she continued, "had an eventful night?"

Twilight smiled confidently, eventful doesn't even start to describe it. I just fed my own client to an assassin after finding out she'd been the one to sell out my family. The Thorn Princess… she's ruthless but knows when to stay her hand. I'm thankful she worked with me on this one. I doubt our mutual symbiotic relationship will continue like this–she is technically an enemy of mine. Nonetheless, there was some sort of spark, a synergy I haven't experienced before.

"Boring as usual. How about yours? I hope no one tempted themselves to flirt with a married woman," Loid responded.

Yor giggled, hiding her mouth behind a hand as she did so.

Could I describe Agent Twilight's actions as flirtatious? Possibly, he had such confidence and a smooth way of talking. There's something about him so… temptingly familiar. I know I should be against this spy, but I've never been served my quarry on such a silver platter before.

Removing her high heels, leading her out of her fortress, and abandoning her on a secluded rooftop with gravel too sharp to walk on?

It was quite literally perfect. He's a gentleman, almost as much of one as Loid.

"No, you would be the first to know if that happened."

Loid smiled brightly, "I'm sure his face would be the first, not I, when you leave a handprint in it."

Yor laughed, "that would be more likely…"

Anya's headache was throbbing less now as she stared up at her parents.

Mama and Papa are in really good moods…

Their emotions seeped into Anya's as she couldn't stop watching their smiles.

The sound of footsteps resounding through the room continuously grew, dress shoes and high heels clicked against the marble floor. Musicians in the far corner played classical ballroom music as a dozen or so different couples held each other hand in hand, twirling in a slow dance.

Within the confines of Eden Academy, it took courage to step out to perform a dance in front of both the school staff and other parents.

It clicked now as to why that is for Twilight.

This is more than just a flaunt of power, it's a show of elegance. Ballroom dancing is a prime indicator for high society.

Turning his head to look into Yor's smiling eyes, he couldn't stop another pierce of light from entering his heart. His previously good mood only continued to soar as he offered his hand to her.

"May I take the lady for a dance?"

Immediately blushing, Yor instinctively nodded and slipped her hand into his own.

She didn't have the heart to tell him she didn't actually know how to slow dance. It was too late to tell him either way as he led her towards the center of the room, leaving Anya behind as a spectator.

Yet again, the girl took no offense, invested in her parents and curious as to what they were doing.

Riding the high of both their missions, Loid and Yor shifted in between the various social circles until they approached the edge of the dance floor.

There were about a dozen other couples already inside, twisting and turning in step with one another. Skirts swished and billowed, vests being pulled taught by stretching movements.

It looked all smooth and elegant–a proper display with a thorough physical workout.

It all had a fine line to it. The more elegant movements were more strenuous; the more strenuous the movement, the more work and effort required. Overexertion would be the killing blow for any couple here, sweat stains permanently destroying their image.

To succeed in this endeavor was to gain respect.

Fail, and they would sink to the bottom of the food chain.

From one of the spectator booths above, the one Twilight and Yor both knew used to house a corpse, was Henry Henderson, a housemaster of Eden Academy. His white moustache drooped and he studied the dancing couples with a golden set of binoculars held up by a thin wire. Looking to the side, a scribe took notes beside him.

Everyone here truly was under heavy scrutiny.

But Twilight was confident and jovial, feeling the adrenaline of a mission complete.

I've memorized the footwork to dozens of formal dances to prepare for this. I've seen Yor move before also, she's light on her feet. I have little doubt she'll be able to keep up.

"Are you ready, Yor?" Loid asked his wife. Stepping close to her, she slipped her right hand into his left–letting her husband guide her and hold her hand aloft. Taking a step closer, Yor's left slipped onto the back shoulder of her man while his right touched her waist lightly, grazing her with the touch of an angel.

His vanilla scent washed over her, their eyes connecting in a genuinely loving gaze.

They lost themselves in the verisimilitude as a few people near them whispered, studying the newcomers.

"I'm with you, darling."

Twilight would never be able to properly explain why he blushed at those words.

With that, they turned in a spin and whisked themselves into the other dancers.

This was a war of attrition–whoever lasted the longest won. Anyone that showed exemplary skills would break down the wit of those less skilled, forcing them to retreat out of the circle.

Twilight noticed this now as he received harsh glares from each of the other contestants, furious they had more competition.

Normally he'd be stressed, focusing on acting in accordance to his mission in gaining respect. But right now, he was lost in the moment; the smile and giggle of his wife disarmed him of wit.

Never staying in place for long, Twilight and Yor spun around one another, her skirt swishing with the movement. The red silken scarf around her neck pulled this way and that, lagging momentarily behind her movements. White light bore down on them as the lights outside the ballroom dance floor dimmed. All focus of the room now riveted on the dancers, the musicians commanding the rhythm.

It wasn't extravagant, but Loid and Yor made their rounds across the floor.

However, the other couples were struggling to keep up to the music as the pace shifted slightly faster.

One of the women by Yor overstepped, twisting her ankle and breaking one of her stiletto heels. Falling to the floor with audible gasps from the spectators, the woman rolled towards Yor.

The assassin's eyes widened, preparing to step awkwardly out of the way. It would ruin their dance rhythm, but she didn't want to get her ankles swiped by this mishap.

Little did she know, Twilight had it under control.

Letting go of her hand, he planted both of them onto her waist. Twisting with a twirl, he lifted his wife and spun her around him. Swishing over the fallen woman whose partner quickly helped her up, Twilight and Yor continued without losing pace.

Twilight raised an eyebrow for a moment, confidently smiling at the stare of awe he received from his partner.

A mild applause went through the room as two of the other couples witnessed this moment, deciding it was time to exit the floor before they were outmaneuvered.

With more space, Twilight and Yor continued to dominate the floor.

Movement came easily to both the spy and assassin, each step resulting in an immaculately elegant display. His feet replaced her own as they stepped, eyes riveted on them as other couples ducked out of the floor when they found the opportune time to do so. The spy and assassin exuded prestige, their movements like a flowing river. The way Yor shifted around her husband was as mesmerizing as the elongated steps he took with her. Despite the extra movement, neither of them were even close to breaking a sweat.

Only two other couples remained as three spotlights flicked on, focusing and following the three pairs.

Raising one hand and twirling his wife, Loid presented her to the room. Her smile only emphasized his own, their masks doing little to hide the joy in their eyes.

Their aura contradicted the other two pairs who focused intently, silently preparing to curse their partner if they faltered.

One man from the other couples took a glance at his competition, his lapse of focus resulting from his stare at Loid and Yor.

The man was unable to look away from the pristine masks and beautiful smiles–the picture perfect couple.

His feet slipped, stepping offbeat and stepping onto the toes of his partner. Nearly tripping and having to wave his arms to keep his balance, he corrected himself.

Moving to collect the hand of his partner again, the man was mortified when the spotlight above them shut off abruptly.

Eden Academy was now purposely eliminating any who made a minor mistake.

The man's wife was furious , grabbing him by the ear and forcefully dragging him out of the area.

Then there were two.

A tall man dressed in all black, moving in step with his wife dressed in slim green, opposed the assassin and spy.

The latter hardly even noticed, being lost in their partner's eyes.

Bated breath watched the two couples, waiting for the moment that sealed the victor.

Twilight stepped towards Yor, raising his left hand and guiding her into a twirl.

The other couple motioned to do the same a few feet away, perfectly replicating the singular twirl.

Or at least they thought it would be only a single one, but the woman stared in horror as Twilight spun his wife once, then twice, and thrice more. The red scarf swished around her similar to that of the red stripe on a candy cane.

The musicians pulled the music higher, a growing pressure leading to a crescendo.

Having to maintain their competition, the other couple maintained the spin too, his wife's eyes growing dizzy after just two.

After four spins, Yor was still giggling. She was an assassin, her sense of balance and footwork was second to none. This was an easy feat for her, even surprising Twilight at her swift movement.

Looking to test her our of curiosity, Twilight stepped away and tugged gently on her hand.

Leaving their spin in a sudden, but still on beat, Yor stepped towards her husband, expecting to retake their spinning step.

She didn't expect him to step towards her, spinning his chest in place against her's and past her. His narrowed, ecstatic eyes followed her own gaze, making her heart flutter with the sudden proximity.

Stepping away from each other, their hands tightened as their arms pulled taught, stopping them in place and supporting one another even across the distance by leaning away.

The sudden movement placed Yor coming to a jarring stop a foot away from the other couple.

Flinching, expecting to be ran into, the black-clad man jumped and his hands faltered. The spin his wife endured crumbled as she tripped, falling into him.

The two fell onto the floor with a lack of grace, the man protecting his wife from the impact of the floor.

Their spotlight fell away to darkness.

The only visible light, a bright cylinder from the heavens, shone directly on Twilight and Yor. The spotlight separated into two, focusing on each individual now, granting them pristine lighting as they held the pose, their hands pulling their arms tight.

Twilight moved first as Yor smiled in awe, barely recognizing how she was moving as she did. Pulling her towards him, Twilight leaned forward, extending his other hand as he turned in a circle.

Knowing she didn't see where she was turning to, he slid a hand onto the small of her back and twisted his body.

Slowly leaning down, Yor's feet nearly slid out from under her as her husband leaned her towards the ground. Her right hand rested on his front shoulder, her left pulling on the side of his torso. But she barely needed to support herself, his own left hand resting between her shoulder blades.

As soon as he stopped moving, her left leg raised with her knee touching his hip. Yor's scarf hung down from her shoulders, grazing the ground. The man's right hand moved instinctively, pressing her skirt against her thigh as they held their final pose.

The whole room was silent as the spotlights coalesced, the musicians hitting their crescendo right as the couple ceased their movement. The room was cast into a hushed silence–all eyes riveted.

Anya stared at her parents with wide eyes.

That's soooo COOOOOOOL!

But.. why do I get the feeling I've seen them do this before…?

Anya would never figure out it was from a dream she can hardly remember.

Twilight and Yor stared at each other, breathing heavily from the sustained movement. Her calves were aching as Twilight's tensed thighs cried for release.

But they held the position, not to purposefully captivate the crowd of observers, but because they couldn't look away from one another's eyes.

Her scarlet irises fell into his blue eyes, her lips parting slightly. Their heads were an inch apart now as husband and wife stared at each other.

It was now that Twilight took note of the eyes all staring at them, awaiting the part they knew that came next.

They expect us to kiss… I should've known.

Well, I don't have much choice here.

Let's make sure Yor knows it's just for looks.

"May I-" he started.

He never got the question out before Yor's right hand pulled on his jaw, her own head tilting to the side.

Her eyes were already shut as her lips met his–an immediate ecstasy.

Twilight and Loid's eyes fluttered closed a moment later as his hands clutched onto her, keeping the woman close against him.

The crowd went wild.

Applause went out, several whistles being announced with several different colour flowers being thrown. Henry Henderson had tears falling from his stoic face, speechless at the skill and elegance displayed.

Anya was the only one who looked away awkwardly, not wanting to see her parents doing something so lewd.

Yor's lips tasted of cherry, but that might just be her lipstick. Regardless, Twilight couldn't pull away even if he wanted to, Yor's right hand sifting into the hair on the back of his head.

His breath smelled the same as he tasted–vanilla.

The sound of the crowd filtered away from the couple despite roaring in volume.

While all they felt was each other, there was only one sound beating through their ears; The sound of one another's heart–both beating out of pure love.

Chapter Text

"The sun rises in the east. So at the end of the day, who can tell me where it sets?"

Anya wasn't paying attention to her teacher, turning to the thoughts of her peers.

Those were her parents?

Isn't her dad just a doctor or something?

I heard her mom taught her dad how to dance like that. Men aren't smooth enough to know that.

I heard her parents earned a stella star… that's unfair.

That last one isn't true–parents cannot earn stella stars.

However, they can earn themselves respect and their children clout within Eden Academy.

Anya Forger had more than enough to go around, her new stella star worn on her dress. The girl couldn't help but smile happily, taking in every ounce of attention.

Sure, they weren't all nice comments, but she was proud of being recognized either way. It wasn't long ago since she saved a boy from drowning and now her own parents had impressed the parents of her peers.

Damian was in her class and she caught sight of him easily; it wasn't hard to spot the movement when his head is the only one that turned to avoid her gaze.

Anya smiled with her classic smug, even he's embarrassed!

While Damian wasn't all that embarrassed by Anya's newfound power within the school, he was a little bit irked that it had been her out of everyone to earn it.

The real reason he didn't meet her eyes is because it's something he struggles to do with anyone. Whether they are friends, family, or strangers, he deeply struggles to maintain eye contact for more than a couple seconds. It was even harder because of Anya who would constantly look around her and stare at people–especially him.

Damian's eyes glanced to her before looking away again a few seconds later.

She can't take her eyes off me. I bet she doesn't even know how to dance like her parents can.

Damian sunk into a momentary daydream before shaking his head–refusing to let those kind of thoughts linger.

No! I won't be the one to show her…!

There was an embarrassed frown on his face at the thoughts before Anya turned away sharply from the boy. She very much wanted to wipe her brain of the daydream she'd just witnessed. She'd no sooner dance with sy-on boy, yet alone touch his hands, than she'd willingly eat garbage with a spoon.

Anya sighed in defeat and leaned onto her desk.

How am I supposed to be friends with him? I know it would help Papa but this boy is really mean. His thoughts argue with themselves and he's always insulting me on instinct alone. Why couldn't Papa want me to be friends with anyone else?

Becky jabbed an elbow into Anya, who sat to her left, "hey! Don't fall asleep in class again!"

The girl perked up, looking to the chalk board quickly, feigning interest. Her focus only lasted for a minute before she slouched again.

The girl beside her, Becky Blackbell, was one of her only friends in Eden Academy.

It all started back when she'd hit Damian. She'd lied and said it was in defense of Becky, but every one else turned away from her. Today feels like the most normal day with her stella star and parents helping to give her an immense amount of respect in the school.

Sadly, it all seemed to equalize and she was right back where she started when she was enrolled.

At least Becky stayed by her side, being the only one to actively defend Anya and talk to her. The girl even sat alone with Anya at lunch, choosing to be with her over the other social groups. She got some heat from other students for doing so, but the girl never seemed to mind.

She was kind-hearted and seems mature for her age as well as patient beyond reason.

Maybe her patience is the reason why she's the only one able to deal with Anya when she tended to be a bit of a brat.

Nonetheless, these two were friends.

This is why Becky risked talking in class, leaning over to Anya.

"Ignore Damian, it's not like he'll praise your family for their elegance. I bet he's just jealous."

Anya sighed and tapped her desk in thought as her friend consoled her.

"Yeah, super jealous," is the best reply Anya came up with, grinning confidently.

"There you go! Rub it in his face. I wish I could've seen his face when a girl got a stella before him!" Becky giggled, sharing Anya's smug look back to the boy.

He just frowned and glared, suspecting they were whispering of him. However he broke eye contact first and turned away, not able to meet two of those smug smiles at once.

Anya twitched, wait! I could've bragged about it at the dance last night! Her shocked expression and regret was visible to Becky.

The girl immediately went to console her friend, "b-but maybe we still can! Or y-you can… how about at lunch, I distract his lackey's and you get him alone? Then you can say what you want without them butting in all the time."

He'll still interrupt me when he's alone. Boys are mean like that, Anya thought with a glare at Damian.

But… maybe I can convince him to be my friend if I get him alone?

Hmmmm….

If I grab his leg, I can make him agree to be my friend before I let go!

Yeah, that'll do. There's no escape for you, Damian.

Anya's smug smile made Damian turn away again, unsure what was even going on in this class anymore.

"Good idea, Becky! Thank you…" Anya admitted, not exactly sure how to thank others.

The patient girl just smiled with closed eyes, "no need. Emile and Ewen are surprisingly easy to mess with. I've seen you handle Damian before though, you got this! You've gotta be pretty smart to be able to do that and-"

"Anya Forger, can you answer the question?" Their teacher suddenly broke into their hushed conversation.

The two girls immediately sat up straight, sweating bullets as they stared at their teacher, missing the question entirely.

Uhm… uh… I… uhm…!

"Peanut!" Anya exclaimed confidently.

The classroom fell silent–all eyes boring a hole into her. The heat of their stares made Anya sweat more, so much so that she couldn't focus enough to try and gauge any of their thoughts.

She didn't have to when her professor sighed and spoke in monotone, "No, Ms Forger, the sun did not rise today at 'peanut'. It was at approximately 7am."

The class immediately jumped into laughter at the poor girl who hadn't been paying any attention. Becky didn't laugh, but she certainly felt sorry for her friend. At the same time though, she was proud of Anya for taking the bullet instead of her.

Like I had a choice… Anya stared at her desk with her head down, trying not to let her classmates provoke tears.

Sensing the thoughts of Damian as his laughter rang out as the loudest, Anya hung her head low.

What a dimwit. Imagine thinking any answer in this class would be "peanut"!

In just a few seconds, all of her clout from her parents was squandered.

Fighting back her embarrassment, Anya finally made it to lunch.

The girl ate with her only friend, as usual.

She probably won't be all that hungry after being laughed at like that… Becky thought with pity.

Anya didn't hear her thoughts as she slid into the table, picking up her fork. Digging into the omelet, the petite girl began devouring it.

O-Or not… I guess she's a stress eater. I wouldn't be able to touch my own meal!

Despite a few others disgracing Anya for her lack of elegance in dissecting her food, which she more accurately tore apart, Becky praised her for the appetite.

Nothing of Anya's antics phased Becky anymore; she watched the girl eat like this almost every day.

The only downside is that they couldn't talk much while Anya ate with due haste. And Becky wasn't about to pose a question knowing her friend might talk with her mouth open.

That's one pet-peeve that Becky absolutely despised–open mouth eaters.

Luckily for her, that is one of the first things Twilight had wrung out of his daughter's bad habits.

Barely keeping up, Becky cut into her own omelet.

Unsurprisingly, Anya finished first and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. The girl pat her stomach before remembering she was in Eden Academy and leaned forward, putting her fork and knife onto her cleaned plate.

"So, when are you gonna distract those two?" Anya jerked a thumb at the two boys eating across from Damian.

Becky raised an eyebrow, "after we finish our food? There's a break between this meal and our next class you know."

Anya in fact, did not know. She stuck to her schedule by pure luck, just following around students who were heading to the class she knew she had to go to. There were plenty of times when she went into the wrong room and had to be escorted to the proper one.

Smiling and nodded her head, Anya stared at Becky as the girl continued to eat.

A relentless stare, just waiting.

A bead of sweat rolled down Becky's temple, s-she could at least not stare… I feel like I'm in a zoo.

The girl eventually finished her meal and the students took their break now to relax, preparing for the rest of the day. Anya bounced on her toes excitedly, knowing she could prod at Damian and embarrass him as much as possible without getting reprimanded.

It was time for a bit of payback for all the mean things he's said as well as laughing at her in class.

Becky did as she said she would, dragging away the two boys who stuck to Damian's side like barnacles on a ship. Who knew all it took was a girl begging to show the boys a cute frog?

Anya was impressed with the act before she realized there actually was a frog.

It took every ounce of her restraint not to run over and stare at it too–it would ruin the distraction.

Instead, she followed Damian out into the main courtyard out front of Cecille Hall.

The area was relatively empty, but that just made it more serene. The air was warm, a soft breeze tickling Anya's chin as she stepped outside. There was one tree in this courtyard, a cherry blossom. The tree wasn't currently in bloom, not producing bright colours just yet, but it was still in good health.

Damian sat on the stairs leading away from the building, his elbows on his knees with his hands supporting his chin.

The sun is really bright. My father told me I should shine brighter than it, that it was my duty as being a part of House Desmond.

Isn't that a lot of pressure? Sure, I want to be an imperial scholar like my brother but… it sounds hard. It is hard.

He sighed to himself and looked away from the bright ball.

But I'll do it! No one better stand in my way.

Glancing behind him at the footsteps, his eyes met Anya's as the curious girl approached him.

His heart rose on instinct.

It fell immediately when Anya crossed her arms and turned away from the boy with a hmph!

Forcing his smile away, Damian glared at the girl. He turned away himself and huddled his knees in, staring down the stairs.

"Did you come out here to just turn away? You're just wasting your time, let me be."

Expecting the girl to leave, Damian shrunk into his shoulders.

My dad would hate it if he saw me right now…

The last thing the boy expected was for Anya to skip up behind him and plant both hands onto his shoulders. Leaning over him, she stared at him with her head upside down and blocking his view.

Her hair hung down as her upside down eyes studied his from an inch away. While he was on a lower step and sitting, Anya was able to lean over him. However she didn't have much leeway and was on her tiptoes, struggling to maintain this position.

"Are you sad, sy-on boy?"

"I'm… not in the mood, Peanuts."

Anya giggled before pulling away, sitting beside the sulking boy. She didn't take insult to the new nickname, if anything she thought it was a compliment because she loved peanuts.

Hugging her knees close to mimic Damian, Anya smiled smugly and met his gaze.

"Don't look at me with those eyes," he whispered and looked away.

While her face held a wide smile he knew just made fun of him, her eyes always spoke more. This girl held eye contact for uncomfortably long too, something Damian could never pull himself to do. Whenever people looked at his eyes, he was always the first one to break contact.

Whether he did it by raising his chin and closing his eyes or turning around to stamp away, there were never a pair of eyes he met for long.

Anya's gaze bore into him and he could feel the heat on the side of his face.

Glancing to the side at her again, her smugness was gone. Instead was just a surprised expression and a curious stare.

"What do you want with me?" He asked.

Anya's head tilted to the side as she looked into his eyes, trying to search for the emotion behind his eyes.

The hardest time for Anya to read people was while they were riled with intense emotion. Things like grief, remorse, shock, and fear, eliminated all thought. She couldn't sense emotions, so when people's minds were clouded and confused, there was no other answer than intense emotion.

This is what she read from Damian now and why she tried so hard to understand what was going on.

"Are you sad?" She asked bluntly.

"It has nothing to do with you," Damian broke eye contact and looked down the stairs again.

The girl pouted before leaning forward, tapping his shoulder with her index finger.

When he didn't respond, she kept prodding him.

This minute of silence went on as her prodding turned to jabbing.

"Cut that out!" he swatted at her hand. Pulling away from him, Anya giggled and jabbed the sides of his ribs.

"Don't you know it's rude to-ah! Haha…" his words were cut off by her touch. The boy jerked to one side before scooting away, holding his side. His face flared up in embarrassment at having let out a laugh.

The smug smile™ returned.

"Are you ticklish, sy-on boy?"

"No. I wouldn't stoop so low as to be- hey!" Damian jumped to his feet as Anya dove for him, trying to touch his sides to test her theory.

Dipping and dodging, the two quickly devolved into a game of tag. Damian wanted to stop the girl from touching him at all costs, he didn't want to know what would happen if this demon pinned him down.

Seconds turned to minutes as the two skittered around the courtyard.

Insults turned to laughing, despite Damian trying not to.

He still wasn't able to meet her gaze for long, but whenever he did, Damian could see the genuine joy she was having in this game.

In reality, Anya wasn't focused on toying with Damian anymore. In the moment, she forgot entirely about his ticklishness as she chased him around.

Anya has never played tag before.

She'd never been allowed to. Physical activity was restricted in the lab other than on the testing treadmill and none of the other children in the orphanage were strong enough to play for long. Of course, Loid and Yor would play with her from time to time, but it isn't the same as with another child.

This was the first moment in Anya's life where she was playing with someone her own age. When Damian's thoughts filtered back into his mind is when he began laughing too. She wasn't able to catch him though as he moved entirely on reaction, not making a plan of attack in his head yet.

Both of them breathing heavily, Damian looped around the cherry tree with the girl on his heels.

Clinging onto the wood, the boy quickly clambered a few feet upwards. Hugging the tree, he had to take deep breaths to stop his laughing. His sides hurting, he looked back down to the girl.

"That's huff cheating!" She called out.

"Nuh uh! You just need to get stronger!"

Anya pouted but continued trying to climb the tree. She stopped when she felt the tones of Damian's thoughts change.

His laughing came to an abrupt stop as he focused on his breathing.

I-! I forgot…

I'm not allowed to laugh out loud like that.

My father would be furious if he saw me…

Damian's thoughts began to cloud over again. His eyes studied the grains of the bark he hugged as the pressure of family continued to bother him.

"Is your dad nice?" Anya asked curiously.

Damian looked down, meeting her eyes immediately at the jarring question.

"W-What? Why would you ask something like that?! Of course he is! He's the leader of the National Unity Party!" Damian instinctively reacted.

Anya's head just tilted to the side, "so your dad is nice because he's powerful?"

"Obviously!"

Anya looked down, breaking the eye contact first, to Damian's surprise.

Papa is a powerful spy, the best one! He's stopped new-clear weapons!

And Mama is really strong! She took down that rampaging bull one time!

My parents are really powerful. They make me really happy. Mama and Papa make sure to play with me and they always think of my feelings. I'm happy they chose me.

Anya looked back up and re-connected her confused gaze with Damian.

"Then why aren't you happy?"

Damian's eyes widened suddenly with shock, staring at the girl beneath him. He still clung to the side of the tree, his fingernails digging into the wood as her words repeated themselves in his head.

Breaking eye contact, he stared back into the wood and pressed his forehead against the rough bark.

"I am."

I'm not.

"I just won't let myself show weakness."

I'm not allowed to look weak.

"He only has time for those really powerful. He's a really important person!"

I'm not powerful enough for his attention yet.

I'm not important yet–that's why he doesn't see me.

Damian took a deep breath to try and clear his mind. There was a clink of metal below him and he opened one eye to look down at his interrogator.

There stood Anya beneath him, holding out the stella star she used to wear.

"This is important. Would you want it?" The girl asked innocently, being genuinely moved by his pain.

He was a bully to her at times, but that didn't mean Anya would be mean to him.

She knew she needed this stella star for Twilight's plans, that it was absolutely paramount to the whole operation.

But seeing another child suffer at the lack of attention that reminded her too much of the orphanage and the lab–that was too much.

Anya would do everything in her power to ensure another child never suffers like she did.

Damian's eyes affixed to the pin, staring at the golden sheen.

"You're… giving it to me? Just… like that? Don't you know how much those are worth?"

Anya shrugged, "it's just shiny. Like a really clean coin!" Her giggle flabbergasted Damian.

The boy wanted to take it–snatch it out of her outstretched hand. Stella stars were needed for entering the Imperial Scholars, the elite of the elite.

But while Damian was desperate, he knew the physical form of a stella star was just ceremonial. They tracked the number each student had in ledgers inside the buildings.

Taking it from her would be of no benefit.

But staring down at her, hesitantly meeting the gaze of the girl who'd chased him into this tree to begin with, his heart jumped.

The pure innocence of her washed over him, the carefree smile she offered him washed all the way through her eyes and into her soul. Damian was so used to two-faced conversations, speaking with Anya who laid out all her thoughts and emotions with no filter was new for him.

He knew this girl had no idea about the ledger. Right in this moment, she truly believed she was giving up her stella star.

All for him, just because he looked sad.

It doesn't matter much to him that she'd been right about his emotions, that this stella star was exactly what he needed.

The message got across of her wanting to help and it planted itself like a seed.

"P-Peanuts… I…" he started.

He was interrupted in his pause by a flash of blue streaking towards Anya. The girl never noticed the water balloon until it struck her in the back, pushing her to the side. Nearly dropping her stella star, she stumbled and put a hand onto the tree to stay upright.

The balloon broke, splattering water across her back and drenching that section of her dress.

Damian studied the water in his surprise, seeing bits of dirt, mud, gravel, and leaves inside it. Some of the liquid splashed up to him and it was rancid–reeking of filth.

Both the children looked up, seeing three boys in a higher grade laughing. They were at maximum in grade 4, but that was much higher than Damian and Anya who had only just been enrolled.

They had a small bin of balloons between them as they laughed.

"Ha! Serves you right! What about the tree hugger?" One of them laughed before gesturing to Damian.

"Don't, he's part of House Desmond. Looks like the girl was harassing him, what a shame, isn't it?" The tallest boy grinned with narrowed eyes and pat the shoulder of the smallest one who was grabbing a new balloon.

"It sure is. We don't let insolence like that happen around here. Outsiders like you don't belong here, commuter!" The boy growled, rearing back and throwing a yellow balloon.

There were issues in Eden Academy about "purity". It came with any high prestige school, but children that came from a family of little renown were typically bullied and discriminated against by their peers. There was a certain distinction between having something exquisite to arrive in like a limousine or to stay in the dorm houses. But for people who took a regular school bus? The entire school took notice even if they weren't supposed to.

Not many would act on these notions, but these three boys were searching for select students they knew to come from less reputable families.

Thus they filled these balloons with polluted groundwater and random bits of leaves and muck, just to embarrass anyone they struck.

They can't do this, Damian thought. This kind of thing is prohibib- prohibi- probihit…

It's not allowed.

As the yellow globule of dank water traveled through the air, Anya and Damian both just stared in confusion. Damian snapped back to reality first, realizing what the boys were doing and why they were targeting the girl who just made him feel genuinely moved for the first time in months.

"Hey! Get out of the-"

Anya didn't react soon enough, the balloon warping around the upper part of her head before breaking. The water seeped immediately into her hair, turning it into a darker colour with bits of brown mud and green algae. It dripped down onto her dress, soaking her with the disgusting water.

The three boys just laughed, nearly doubling over in doing so.

Water dripping from her sleeves, Anya extended her arms and looked down at herself.

Sniff…

Damian heard the poor girl snivel. Holding back tears, she clutched the stella star to her chest and stared back at the bullies who grabbed hold of more balloons.

"Oh man, did you see that! A perfect shot!"

"Good one, Armin! Awwww look at her little face! Are you gonna cry, baby?"

"Ha! That's right, call for mama and papa! Cry all the way home–far away from here!" The middle-height boy growled with enjoyement and reared a hand back.

Throwing a red balloon, Anya barely saw it hurtling towards her through the tears in her eyes.

Their words cut into her like a serrated knife, leaving her feeling seperated and alone. Closing her eyes and preparing to just accept her fate, she huddled back against the tree and raised her hands to protect her face.

Flinching in anticipation, she waited for more of the horrible water.

But it never came.

Opening her eyes, Anya looked up into the sun and it temporarily blinded her.

That is until Damian stepped forward, blocking it out of her eyes as he stood above the cowering girl.

In his hands was a red water balloon.

He… caught it?

Damian grinned confidently, holding up the balloon in his palm and clutching it with his fist.

"You see? That's how-"

The boy was cut off as a pink balloon splattered against his back.

…

"Hey, you hit the wrong kid."

"Are you kidding me?! You're the one that threw it!"

"Nuh uh! Everyone knows pink is your favourite colour!"

The three boys immediately devolved into arguments as Damian blinked in surprise.

Watching Damian's expression harden, Anya just stared at the boy.

He's never looked this angry before. Not even at me…

Turning to the three boys, Damian glared at them, meeting their eyes without hesitation. His gaze was as sharp as a dagger as he studied the boys.

If Anya hadn't conditioned him into meeting eyes for long periods of time, there's no way he would've been able to hold this gaze.

Yet Damian stood his ground as the three boys met his eyes all at the same time, freezing in their tracks.

Like a deer caught in headlights, the courtyard fell still.

"C-Come on, lets get out of here!"

"Y-Yeah, before the housemaster arrives!"

The last boy was silent–he was already fleeing.

Leaving the bucket of balloons behind, the boys fled away from the courtyard, back to whichever dorm they lived in.

As soon as they turned away, Damian let out a deep breath and shut his eyes. Trying to ignore how rancid he knew his back smelled, he turned back to the cowering girl.

Staring at her attackers who now fled from the boy in front of her, she just looked at him with wide eyes.

Despite having glared down those three boys, Damian wasn't able to hold Anya's gaze for long before looking to the side with a blush.

"I didn't know you could be nice," she spoke softly.

Dropping the red balloon and extending his hand out to the crouched girl, Damian gestured for her to take it, "come on then, before I regret it."

Gladly taking his hand, it made a squelching sound from the moisture.

Hauling her to her feet, Damian stared at his hand and the muck left behind from Anya's.

"...aaaaaaand I regret it."

Anya raised her chin and smiled smugly at the boy as he awkwardly kept his hand out, not wanting to brush it onto the rest of his uniform.

The smugness faded as she looked down at herself miserably, seeing the state of her uniform.

Damian didn't help console her, "you smell really gross."

"You're a boy, so you always smell gross," Anya retorted.

Damian turned away with crossed arms. Glancing back, he watched her try and wipe off her hair in vain.

Sigh, I guess I should help.

"Hey, Peanuts," he whispered. Looking up to the boy, Anya caught just a glimpse of his eyes before he looked away–a heat on his cheeks. In his hand was a white handkerchief he extended to her. "Take it. And keep your stella, I don't need it."

Pride filtered into Damian as he remembered getting to protect someone, something he's never had the opportunity to do before. Somehow, doing so for Anya felt even more special, but he'd never admit that.

Anya smiled with glee and took the white cloth, wiping it across her hair. Pulling a piece of algae out, she couldn't help but read more of the boy's thoughts.

I had fun, even when I'm not supposed to. Maybe… getting to help people isn't so bad.

I want that stella. I really want that stella.

But right now?

I feel powerful enough to earn my own.

Anya just stared at the boy, feeling joy in his own feelings. This is exactly what she'd wanted to inspire within him, even if she didn't realize it.

The girl barely noticed Damian reaching out, plucking a string of algae out of her dim pink hair.

When she did though, she giggled and opened her arms towards him. Skipping forward, she went to wrap her arms around him.

"Touch me and I'll put it back."

His threat wasn't enough to stop Anya from wrapping her wet arms around his torso. Damian could feel the water passing into his own clothes and wrinkled his nose at the rancid smell.

"Thank you, sy-on boy."

Damian blushed immediately but managed to force it away a second later. Hesitating on whether he should shove the girl away from him or not, he silently beared the awkward hug. It was surprisingly tight, his ribs compressing a bjt.

"I was defending the school, not you," he lied.

Maybe a little bit because of you…

Damian let a smile touch one corner of his lips.

But only because you made me laugh.

The girl squeezed him and he jerked in pain, urging her to loosen her arms.

Anya did so, letting go even though she wanted to tease him for longer.

Smiling confidently, she studied the wet splotches that wrapped around the boy now. He held his arms out to the sides, studying the stains too. There were brown marks of mud on his back in the shape of her hands.

This time, his gaze met her own unwaveringly.

"I regret helping you. And you do smell really really bad."

Damian Desmond was lucky the girl didn't slap him.

Chapter Text

Eden Academy has high standards, for both the students and the parents. There are certain precedents that dictate the behavior of students; things like always carrying a handkerchief, showing due respect to the country and one another, as well as dedicating oneself to education as early as possible were all statutes of prestige.

So when Anya and Damian arrived to their next class drenched in water and mud, they were promptly turned away and sent home.

Loid and Yor were both preocccupied at the immediate moment, so it was Franky who had to come pick her up.

Clambering into his beige car, the girl left wet spots wherever her hands touched.

"Scruffy!"

"Anya!" He returned the enthusiasm while adjusting his square glasses. "Sheesh, what'd you do? Roll in a puddle?"

Anya planted her bottom into the passenger seat and started waving her feet. Staring up at him, her eyes widened, "that sounds like fun!"

Franky scoffed and shook his head, reaching over her to close the door she'd left open.

Pulling down the seatbeat and clasping it around the girl he whispered, "your Pops would kill me if you got hurt, so make sure to keep this on."

Anya pulled her face away from his arm, a stench leaping off of him.

"Ew! Scruffy you smell bad!"

The man just laughed and put the car into gear, "That makes two of us. Sorry kiddo, I work at a tobacco store–it's bound to happen. But I have this at least!"

He tapped a plastic green tree hanging from his rear view mirror. The poor car freshener had stopped producing an odor long ago, Franky just never remembered to replace it.

Anya held onto her nose, her voice distorting slightly, "what's a tobacco?"

"They're smokes. People er… smoke em."

Anya just stared at the man, "Papa said those are bad for you!"

"Then he'd be right!" Franky leaned over and whispered, "seriously, they're gross aren't they?"

"Super gross!"

"Mega gross!" He chanted along with her with a wide smile.

Laughing with the girl, it wasn't long until they arrived at her home. Putting the vehicle into parked, it lurched before coming to a full stop outside Anya's house.

"Oh, kiddo, I need you to give this to your dad. He forgot to pick up his change last time he was there."

Franky held out a quarter to Anya, urging her to take it before she undid her seatbelt.

Undoing it anyways, Anya stared at him as his thoughts came to her.

His next mission is a simple reconnaissance one, but this is a good opportunity to give it to him. Damn, I'm good at this. Maybe I should become a field operative like Twilight.

"But Papa doesn't smoke… he wouldn't buy from your store!" Anya exclaimed with a smirk.

She knew full well that Franky Franklin was the main informant for her father and commonly forges documents for the Forgers. He often worked smoothly, but never as smoothly as Twilight. There were times when he almost let slip about Twilight's career when Anya was around. Interestingly, the man was always more tight-lipped around adults.

Thinking about his missions with her father, Anya always learnt more and more about him whenever Franky babysat her.

It was always a highlight of her day getting to mess with him, making him think he nearly blew the operation. She'd never willingly ruin things for the family, but it always made Anya giggle when Franky panicked and tugged on his tie.

His hand twitched for a second as she contradicted him, "o-oh! Uhm… w-well he w-was buying for… a friend! Yeah!"

O-On second thought… I'll leave the deception to Twilight.

"Papa doesn't have friends."

"Now that's just plain sad… Wait! W-What about me?!" Franky jumped and stared at the girl.

Calming himself down, Franky shook his head. "L-Look, can you just give this to him?"

Anya opened her mouth to toy with the man further.

"I've got a piece of candy with your name on it if you deliver the coin–upfront."

Her mouth clicked shut with wide eyes.

Sinking into thought, Anya pondered as a droplet of water fell from her bangs.

"Two pieces."

Franky grinned, "you drive a hard bargain, kiddo."

I've only got one candy and it's been sitting in the glove compartment for much longer than it should've been.

"How about one candy and a secret about your dad?"

Anya's eyes widened, nodding so quickly she flung water onto the ceiling of the car.

"Alright alright, stop that!" Some of it splattered onto Franky's glasses but he smiled smiled and wiped the water off.

"Listen close, I'm only gonna say this once."

Probably because he'd make me bite my tongue if he ever finds out I told her this…

"But a few years ago, he was trying to get close with a girl. This was long before him and your mom were a thing, but it didn't quite work out for him. You wanna know why?"

Anya nodded repeatedly but had to stop again because of the water.

"How badly?"

"Really badly!" She shook her fists out of excitement.

Franky chuckled under his breath, "alright then. After a week or so of getting to know this girl, he missed out on one crucial detail. Somehow missing it from every family member and conversation with the girl herself: he only found she was gay when he asked her out!"

The man laughed to himself, leaning away before he noticed the confused look on Anya's face.

"O-Oh, right. It means that she wasn't interested in dating boys, but girls instead."

Now Anya smiled, understanding the irony. She laughed along with Franky, their voices filling the vehicle.

"The best part of it all: her dad was interested in boys! So poor Loid ended up courting her father instead!" Franky just laughed harder, his hands on his chest.

Anya leaned into her seat, swinging her feet as she joined him.

Papa dating a boy?! That's funny! Anya giggled louder.

A snort.

They both turned to look at each other suddenly as Franky snorted in his laughter.

…

They both erupted in their joy tenfold, now laughing at the awkward sounds Franky made while chortling. It was a neverending loop: the more he laughed the more chance he had to snort. Any sounds he made resembling that by even a fraction made them both giggle louder.

A knock on the car window interrupted them.

"Shhh shhh, play it cool!" Franky hushed himself and the girl beside him. Clearing his throat and straightening his tie he smiled as lowered the passenger side window.

Yor's face shone in the sunlight as she looked inside the car, smiling at Franky and glancing down to her daughter.

"Hai!" Anya smiled gleefully–still covered in filth.

"Hi there, honey. How was Uncle Franky?"

"Scruffy is awesome!"

The driver gave a thumbsup and a smile, encouraging the girl and making her smile brighter.

Yor let out a sigh and smiled, "that's good to hear. Now let's get you cleaned up quickly."

Opening the door, Yor went to scoop her daughter into her arms but stopped when Franky jumped.

"Oh shoot, Kid!" Reaching forward, he placed his thumb under the quarter he held and tossed it to Anya with a ting.

Nearly dropping it after fumbling to catch it, Anya clutched it with both hands. There was an explosion of excitement in Anya's face as she clasped both hands around the coin as if her life depended on it.

I can't believe I get to deliver Papa's next spy mission! This is so cool!

Remembering something else, Anya reached forward and pulled onto the handle of the glovebox. Reaching in and taking the half-melted caramel candy, she clutched it in her hand opposite of the coin.

Franky jumped, w-what?! I never told her where it was!

Anya just gave a smug smile to Franky before Yor grew mildly impatient, picking up her daughter.

"Did Franky give that to you? What do you say, Anya?"

"Thank you, Scruffy!" The girl announced as she popped the candy into her mouth.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he gave a friendly wave, "any time, Kiddo. Stay safe!" Yor smiled to him as her daughter returned his wave. Shutting the door for him, Franky watched the mother clutch her child to her and stride back towards her home.

Leaning back, he wiped the final bit of smudge off his square glasses.

That kid is really something else. I can see why Twilight likes her so much.

And the dude convinced a woman like that to marry him in what… a day?

Damnit Twilight, you're going to give me baby fever. And wife fever!

Franky leaned forward in defeat, his forehead slapping his steering wheel.

Yor turned back as she heard the horn of the car wail for a split second. Witnessing the flustered expression of Franky for just moment, he put the car into gear and pulled away from the house.

"He's always in a good mood when he gets to babysit you. I hope you two didn't get up to anything while you were out."

"Nope!"

Yor's eyes narrowed on her daughter's gaze as she carried her indoors, pushing the door closed with her foot.

"Are you sure? I know he bought you ice cream last time."

Anya's eyes widened, not expecting her mother to have known that. Either way, she spoke truthfully and shook her head, "no ice cream this time. Could we go out for some?!"

"I'm sorry, honey, but not like this. What happened?" Yor had a long stride due to her tall legs, taking them across the apartment in just mere moments. Setting Anya onto her feet, Yor began collecting a towel and hand cloth.

Anya remembered her bittersweet day, the three boys and Damian flashing through her head.

"I got hit by water balwoons. There were some mean boys at school."

Yor frowned and looked down to her daughter.

There were other kids that did this to her? I thought maybe she'd fallen but… that's horrible!

People are so difficult…

These problems would all go away if I was able to choose my own prey.

The woman shook her head as her daughter stared at her in horror.

No no no! I'm an assassin, not a monster.

Waving Anya into the bathroom, Yor locked it behind them.

"Your father will be back soon, so let's get you cleaned up. Are you hurt?"

Anya shook her head, "nope! But I feel really gross…"

"I'll wash your clothes for you later and I've got a clean dress for after this. The tub is ready for you, dear."

Having been preparing for the arrival of her daughter, Yor had already drawn a bath and prepared soaps and shampoos.

Anya was pretty self-sufficient, but Yor still helped her as the wet clothing stuck uncomfortably. It truly did reek of algae and muck as Anya sat in the bathtub.

To her delight, it was a bubble bath. The white suds covered the entire surface of the water and clung to her fingers and skin when she shifted.

Yor crouched beside her, the woman's red sleeves rolled up past her elbows.

Beginning to scrub her daughter's hair, the girl just laughed at the touch.

When bathing, Anya usually did so alone. Age 6 was a time when some children were deemed safe enough to be alone in a room they could drown in, but Twilight saw her as capable of her own safety. Especially since she'd saved one boy from drowning, he wasn't necessarily worried about her finding that same fate.

Anya had to clean herself from a much younger age. She absolutely despised the lab which had cameras and several groups of people assisting her to ensure nothing bad happened to her. She always felt more like an object they were protecting–a valuable merchandise they couldn't afford to replace.

The orphanage was the complete opposite; the facilities were barren and unkempt. The children there were often ridden with dirt simply because they didn't know how to clean themselves and no one bothered showing them. Luckily from the lab, Anya had learnt how to do so out of spite and was able to use those skills.

Here at her forever home? It was perfect. A clean bathtub with a selection of soaps and optional assistance.

But still, there were a few times when Loid needed to help her when Anya was delirious from being too tired or simply refused to get a bath.

There was always a professionalism to him when he did so, a focused and stern look on his face. When Anya read his thoughts, there was always an underlying uncomfortableness in him. Eventually she figured it out; he had absolutely no idea how to bathe someone else. Finding some parental resources he eventually learnt and assisted her but it still felt structured and strict in how he washed. Reading his thoughts, she learnt it was the same routine he'd go through himself; she'd never understand how he would never take the time to enjoy the hot water in his own showers and baths.

There was one time where he thought of brisk showers during a war, but those thoughts had been pushed away quickly by the man. She never did learn more about that.

Yor, on the other hand, just smiled and gladly helped her daughter. There wasn't a sign of her being uncomfortable or awkward, she was wanting to make sure her daughter was safe. Anya has experienced the same amount of care and protectiveness from Twilight, but the nurturing hands of her mother always felt more soothing when she'd take the girl into her arms.

"Anya?" her mother's voice broke into her thoughts. The woman's fingers continued to drag themselves through Anya's shorter hair as the girl looked to her. "Can you tell me anything about those boys? I'd like to bring it up with the school."

Anya looked down at the bubbles, swishing them around as she tried to remember.

"Not really… they were all different heights."

"I-Is that all?"

"I wasn't really…" Anya wanted to explain herself, that she felt too scared to try and study what they'd looked like. In the moment, she just covered her face and wanted to be safe.

Yor watched the girl's eyes drift out of focus, a frown on her lips. "I'm sorry!" she immediately consoled her daughter, "I know you must've been frightened…"

"They were really mean!"

Yor let out a sigh of relief, glad her daughter didn't burst into tears. Picking a piece of green slime out of her daughter's hair and placing it into a garbage bin beside them, she picked up her voice again, "it seems like it. But I'm sure not all the boys there are mean like that, those were just some bad apples."

Anya immediately thought of Damian, the boy that had defended her after playing with her.

Then she remembered his last words to her.

I regret helping you. And you do smell really really bad.

Pulling up her knees and wrapping her elbows around them Anya whispered, "yeah but boys are gross. And confusing!"

"Confusing?" Yor's head tilted to one side.

"Yeah! They'll be nice one second and then say mean things the next."

Yor sighed and leaned to the side to look at her daughter's eyes.

"Some are like that, but that's usually when they're confused themselves. Are you talking about one boy in particular?"

Yor smiled softly, recognizing Anya's train of thoughts as the same she'd once had herself long ago.

Anya frowned, not wanting to admit it but eventually nodded her head and lowered her knees.

"That's what I thought," Yor smiled and reached a hand forward.

Booping Anya's nose, she left a blob of bubbles on her skin. Laughing instinctively despite trying to pout, Anya swatted the bubbles away and waved her hands through the top layer of the water.

"Is it the same boy we met at the dance? Other than that girl, Becky I think, you haven't mentioned any other friends. Was he there with you?"

"Mhmmm! He got hit too."

"Oh dear, were those meanies targeting the both of you?" Yor whispered and used words that Anya would better identify with.

"No… it was just me. Damian got in the way of one of the balloons."

Yor smiled and dumped a small bowl of water over Anya's head before reapplying more shampoo.

"Do you think he was trying to help?"

"Well… kinda. He caught one but them said I smelled bad–that's mean."

Yor just giggled but didn't have the heart to tell Anya she truly did smell bad before they'd come in here.

Anya just sighed in defeat, "I don't know how boys work. And they're gross!"

Yor smiled nervously, she says that an awful lot…

"Do you think Papa is gross?" Yor asked her daughter.

This made the girl pause, staring down at the water in thought. Waving her hands through the bubbles, she took a few seconds before answering.

"That's different!" Anya changed the subject slightly, turning it onto her mother, "don't you think boys are gross?"

Yor blinked in surprise at the question.

Looking up in thought, Yor looked internally to find her true feelings and what she could tell her daughter.

Looking back down, Yor smiled brightly with closed eyes, "well… I guess boys are kinda gross…"

Anya smiled gleefully, so she's on my side!

"But men on the otherhand… they're quite attractive."

Anya stopped, staring at her mother. Her hands sunk into her lap as her head tilted to one side in confusion.

"Men? But isn't that just a boy but older…?"

Yor giggled, "technically, yes. But I see it as more maturity and attitude than their age."

"So… you like Papa because he's a man?"

Her mother immediately blushed and looked to the side for a second. Clearing her throat and scratching her neck awkwardly, the woman left a few suds along her skin.

"W-Well… y-yes…" she whispered quietly.

Clearing her throat again, Yor continued.

"Loid is very mature, but that's not his only quality. He's kind-hearted, always putting you above himself. There's this act of selflessness he has that displays him as a cut above the rest. He can cook, he knows how to clean and take care of himself, and he always has a clear goal in mind. He's not just bumbling around, throwing emotional insults or acting in self-interest.

He can be a bit boy-ish at times with his excitement when it comes to you… but I find that quality to be a little… cute…" Yor fell apart again, the blush returning to her cheeks.

Anya just stared at her mother, a slow disgusted look entering her face.

"Mama, do you have a crush on Papa?"

"W-Well…" Yor wiped her hands before continuing to scrub Anya's hair, "we are m-married…"

Ewwwwwwwwwwww! was all that went through Anya's skull.

But nonetheless, she was interested in what her mother was teaching her.

"How do you tell a boy from a man?"

Yor appreciated the change of focus as she washed Anya's neck with the hand towel.

"That's not easy–it's all about interpretation. Boys start out as boys and grow into men. You'd just have to get to know them to find out… but some are pretty obvious. Like those boys who pelted a poor girl with filthy water balloons? Those are some pretty mean boys."

Anya studied the bubbles surrounding her.

So… what would that make Damian? He stood up to those boys without a word…

Anya wouldn't admit it, but she was truly delighted that Damian had defended her earlier. It annoyed her that he was still rude to her afterwards, but she couldn't ignore the evidence of his thoughts contradicting themselves.

Once in a while, there were always a few nice thoughts about her, ones he never expressed.

Thoughts were more than just words; there were times in his head where she'd see a picture of herself smiling with closed eyes or staring at him.

Anya just sighed and looked back up to her mother.

The woman just smiled, "I'm trying to say that not all boys will throw water balloons at you if they got the chance. Don't go treating all boys poorly just because a few were mean to you."

"I'm gonna tell Papa you has a crush on him."

"W-What?!" Yor's voice shook at the jarring conversation shift and embarrassment. "N-No! Don't say something like that!"

Anya grinned before giggling, closing her eyes and focusing on the fingers massaging her scalp.

Her mother let out a thankful sigh, glad to have finished this conversation.

Isn't Anya a bit young to be having talks about boys? Camilla and the other women at work are always talking about these kind of things and more… intimate topics.

I guess… I did enjoy this conversation.

Yor closed her eyes and smiled to herself.

Especially about Loid.

The woman shook her head and tried to expel the blush that slowly filtered into her expression; she didn't manage to while she dried and clothed Anya–it stayed in the background the entire time.

Remembering to take the quarter Franky had given her, the two women stepped out of the bathroom.

Anya's hair was still a bit damp but she didn't seem to mind as she twirled in her new dress. It was a peach colour and flowed out in a circle before the girl stopped in place and giggled.

"You look much better, honey," Yor smiled and pat Anya's head.

The girl missed the implication that she looked bad before, just taking the compliment and raising onto her tiptoes.

Click. Creeeeeeeeeak-

"Papa's home!" Anya cried out immediately as the door to their apartment opened. Spreading her arms out wide and mimicking an airplane, she sprinted away from her mother.

Yor sighed and followed calmly, peeking around the corner as Anya raced towards Loid.

Dressed in a light brown suit, he laid down a briefcase and turned to his daughter. Crouching down, he caught her by the armpits before she collided with him.

"Papa!" Anya called out as he lifted her into the air, spinning in place with her.

"Anya!" He replied and came to a stop, holding the girl up by holding her legs to his chest and letting her sit on his forearm. "How's your day been?"

Anya smiled in glee, "I got pelted by water balloons!"

Yor just held a soft smile as she eavesdropped, Anya is in a much better mood now. Loid always inspires such happiness in her.

Shock entered onto Loid's expression, "what?! Who would do that?!"

However, under Loid's facade, Twilight's expression was as calm as ever.

I already know, Anya. I still need you to tell me about your day though–Loid doesn't know anything. I keep my eye on you at Eden as much as I can when I don't have any missions. Those despicable boys threw a bunch of rather large multi-coloured balloons, I witnessed the whole thing.

I approve of the one who stood by you when I wasn't able to, but I still wish you'd never been in that scenario.

Twilight's fingers clutched onto Anya instinctively as he held the girl closer.

I wish I could tell you that the housemaster is going to find an envelope full of pictures of those boys in the act of throwing those balloons, but Loid doesn't know such things.

Still though, I won't let anyone treat my daughter with such barbaric actions. Those boys deserve the tonitrus bolts they'll surely receive.

I wish I could make things even worse for them. Their parents would be furious if they were to receive those same photographs.

Anya wasn't sure what was worse, her mother wanting to murder the boys or her father wanting to destroy their lives.

Either way, she felt nice and safe.

Twilight realized how protective he was becoming of Anya and adjusted his tie, for the health of Operation Strix, of course. I can't have her position harmed by those of a few.

Just staring at her father, Anya took in all the information. Telepathy can be difficult with minds such as Twilight's since thoughts don't take breaks to breathe or rely on the speed of vocal cords. They're rapid fire, almost instant for some people. Twilight would often have thoughts twenty times faster than he could communicate, working through information and stimuli in a fraction of a second.

It was a wonder Anya didn't fry her own brain trying to read him sometimes.

Anya smiled gleefully at her guardian and replied to his previous question, "a buncha boys!"

Loid raised an eyebrow at the emphasis on the word "boy" as he put Anya down.

Opening his mouth to reply, he suddenly stopped.

A weight? My breast pocket… it's circular in size… was I bugged?! When?!

Papa found it really fast! He's so cool!

Anya stared at her father in amazement, these thoughts running through him only a few milliseconds after he'd placed her down. The surprise didn't even have time to enter her expression before his hands were in motion.

Reaching in, Twilight expected to pull out a circular radio device.

But instead, it was just a shiny silver quarter.

Moving it to the side, he stared at the proud smile of his daughter.

"Did you put that there? When did you learn to do things like that?"

The girl would never admit she learnt it from watching him. Instead she said, "from Spyman! Scruffy wanted to give that to you."

Recognition flared in Twilight's eyes as he stared at the coin, seeing the ever so slight seam along the edge.

"So he did. Why thank you, Anya," he whispered as he put the coin back into his pocket for safe keeping.

Yor stayed hidden around the corner, not wanting Loid to see her as she blushed. She wasn't able to push it away while staring at the man who'd nearly made her heart stop from pure elation the night before.

Twilight knew she was there the entire time, her eyes staring at his own. Forcing himself not to give the woman away, and being too embarrassed to meet her gaze as well, he turned to the side while speaking with Anya.

"Have any homework?"

"Nope! I missed the class that gives out homework!"

"R-Right… that's not good," Twilight rubbed his eyebrows, wondering how he'd be able to rectify that.

He never got a chance as Anya stepped closer with wonder in her eyes, "Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you learn to dance?"

Yor's eyes widened with interest, listening in with a deeper fervor.

Twilight scratched the back of his head, I studied for an hour to memorize 2 and a half dozen different dances just for the off-chance there would be one.

Loid shrugged his shoulders casually, "I remembered it from my wedding with my first wife. It was… fun…" Twilight and Loid couldn't stop the heat on their cheeks, knowing who was eavesdropping, "to experience again."

"Can you show me how?!" Anya's fists balled up under her chin.

Twilight raised his eyebrow again and crossed his arms, "you asked me that last night."

"Yeah but you said you were too tired. So I'm asking again!"

The man let out a sigh of resignation, despite his growing smile, "alright then. But then I need to get supper started and I'll need your help otherwise it'll be late."

"Deal!" The girl exclaimed before holding her hands up for his.

Twilight shook his head but smiled brightly at the convivial girl, her emotions seeping into his own.

Parents moods are affected by their children's as well as vice a versa.

So the man took both of Anya's small hands into his own palms, cradling her hands with care as to not pull or yank her. She quickly stepped forward onto the tips of his sleek dress shoes he hasn't had the chance to take off yet.

Yor watched with a fluttering heart and warm smile as her husband and daughter smiled and laughed with one another.

Stepping in a circular pattern, Twilight took small steps so that Anya wouldn't slip and fall. Whenever she did, he just lifted her back up by her hands while the girl laughed.

It wasn't extravagant to watch, but the pure emotion and joy from the two were undeniable.

The worries and torments from Anya's day fluttered away from her like butterflies on a gentle breeze. The stress of speaking the wrong answer in class, the insults she received from both Damian and the balloon throwers, and the fear of ruining her position with Eden Academy, all faded away.

All that was left was the intense joy and pride in getting to be with her genuinely amiable family.

It's everything Anya has ever wanted and she hasn't let a single day go by without thanking the world.

To be under the watchful loving gaze of her mother and in the hands of her protective guiding father–there's nothing more the girl ever wished for.

Ever since Twilight picked her up from the orphanage, her dreams have come true every day since.

Chapter Text

Welcome to the one where Anya is sick.

Guess what?

Anya is sick.

Whether it was from being drenched in dirty water for half an hour or from ingesting a candy well past its expiration date, Anya now sat in her bed sniveling.

Delirious from the fever, the girl barely kept her eyes open as her mother pat her forehead with a damp cloth.

The room was decorated with pink wallpaper, a scale-like pattern sinking down from it. A Spyman poster loomed over her as well as a few small paintings. A short desk and colourful drawers on a dresser drew the eye, but it was the sound of snot and mucus that currently captured the attention of all within the room.

Only Yor sat beside her daughter, worriedly watching over her.

"Are you feeling any better, honey?" She asked for the umpteenth time.

With the evening glare casting its fading light over Anya, the girl blinked a few times. "W-Wha…?"

"I'll take that as a no… Keep Mr. Chimera and Sparkles close, alright?"

Anya nodded slowly to her mother, barely hearing her nor noticing the line of snot that dribbled down from her nose. Clutching the chimera and unicorn in both arms, the girl hugged them tight. The delicate girl just smiled gleefully, despite feeling wretched, when her mother leaned forward and pat her head.

"You're such a strong girl for getting through this with a smile, Anya."

"Fank you, Mawa…" Anya's words slurred together as she wobbled side to side.

"Why don't you lie down? It's almost bed time."

"I don' wamma schleep…!" The girl whispered before lying down on her back anyways.

Coughing into the air above her, Yor held a tissue over her mouth to try and stop the spread of germs. Crumpling it into a ball and throwing it into a half full trash bin, Yor watched the girl nervously.

My brother used to get sick all the time. I think it might've been because of my cooking more times than not…

But still, she reminds me a lot of him when he was younger. I'm just glad I don't need to always be leaving for work and I can actually stay by her to care for her.

I think… I'm getting better as a mother, Yor smiled to herself.

Anya would've leapt up and encouraged her, but the girl simply didn't have the mental capacity or the energy. Shivering despite overheating, she was constantly tossing and turning, never letting her blanket lie fully on her.

Helping her daughter as much as she could, Yor dabbed her head with a hand cloth again before re-wetting it in a bowl on the nightstand.

"Do you know if you'd be able to eat any more? Loid did make that soup especially for you."

Frowning, Anya knew she was hungry. But anything she ate made her stomach roil and turn–twisting itself into knots.

The girl shook her head despite having loved the creamy chicken soup. Immediately regretting her decision, she groaned in pain as her headache throbbed worse than before.

"Try and lie still, dear. Today will be the worst of it. How about you have a spoonful of cough medicine?"

"NO! It's gwoss!"

Yor just smiled and shook her head softly, receiving the same answer she had the last time she'd asked that question.

"Alright, alright, no medicine. Can you smell what your father is making you?"

Raising her head above her stuffed snugglers, Anya tried to sniff but both nostrils were full. Shaking her head, the girl just stared at her mother waiting for the answer.

Yor smiled brightly, "you'll find out soon."

Soon couldn't come soon enough for the excited six year old.

Luckily it was only a few minutes, light feet stepping through the hall. Pushing her door open with his back, Twilight strode into the room carrying a glass bowl in both hands.

A sweet aroma wafted into the room, even stronger than it previously had been for Yor.

While she'd been taking care of Anya, Loid had been making a rare snack for the girl–wanting to make sure her spirits remained high. With his white dress shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows, he smiled to the girl who studied him.

"How's the cold?"

"I don't like it," Anya giggled despite her torment.

"I don't know anyone who does," Loid laughed, bringing a smile to her face.

Looking to Yor, his laugh ended prematurely and awkwardly, both of them averting their gazes from one another.

Anya was just conscious enough to stare at them, wondering how much longer they would continue this; the parents were avoiding each other.

Ever since they kissed, they haven't interacted with each other. Choosing to stay with Anya at separate times and having a plethora of convenient excuses, they've avoided having a proper conversation.

It was almost funny to Anya to see her parents acting so childish.

Neither of them had the courage to bring up the kiss from the ball they'd attended, not properly working out their feelings yet regarding it.

Yor was embarrassed, too flustered whenever she thought of how she'd cut him off and pulled his head into her.

Twilight was equally embarrassed, feeling guilt for having offered the dance in the first place–he should've known a kiss would be expected.

Yet neither of them communicated to each other, just exchanging a minimal nod as Loid strode past his wife.

Holding the bowl down to Anya, he presented what he'd been working on.

Although she couldn't smell them, the girl recognized them immediately.

Homemade honey roasted peanuts.

The tiny nuts were darkened, a glaze surrounding them. The honey looked as if it was caramelized, sticking some pieces to others. A sprinkle of salt and chili powder was visible, albeit not much of the latter because Anya didn't like spice.

They were still warm as Anya eagerly reached forward for a handful.

"Not many, alright? Your stomach won't be able to handle these."

"Yes it can!" Anya urged, pushing away her cough as best she could.

She's gonna regret that attitude tomorrow, Twilight pondered.

Crunching into her treat, she sat up and cuddled the bowl in her lap. The honey helped to soothe her throat while the salt only made it worse–balancing each other out.

As if that would limit how many she'd eat. Anya would order another bowl right now if she were allowed and eat nothing but these for the rest of her life.

"Tank 'ou, Pa'a!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

Anya didn't respond, continuing to munch happily on the warm snack.

"Those look hard to make. Where did you learn?" Yor asked him.

Loid sat down beside Anya, brushing her cheek with a cloth when honey stuck to her. "Oh, nowhere extravagant. I just glanced over a cookbook."

The woman just stared at him in awe, "just a glance?!"

"Well… yeah. I'm good with instructions." Twilight frowned to himself, wait, I was only going to make this for Anya once she became an Imperial Scholar.

I got carried away it seems.

Brushing her hands and avoiding eye contact, Yor whispered, "you're very talented. I would've ended up with a fire in the kitchen."

Loid laughed while Twilight looked out the balcony door and away from his wife, "I'm sure your exaggerating. I can show you how to next time."

"Y-Yes… next time."

Anya just watched her parents, invested as if she were watching a drama show. Opening her mouth to speak, all that came out was a petite squeak of a sneeze.

Putting the bowl onto the nightstand beside her, Loid held out a tissue for her. Gladly taking it and blowing her nose, she handed it back to the man. He showed a hint of disgust at having to hold the partially wet tissue but disposed of it nonetheless.

Half the bowl had disappeared, the peanuts sitting happily inside the jovial girl's tummy.

Her hunger sated, her exhaustion leapt forward. Drooping eyelids were accompanied by a wide yawn and a fit of coughing.

She takes a while to get tired but once she does, Anya always passes out. I wish I could sleep like that.

Reaching forward, Twilight urged her to lie down again.

"You need to be getting your sleep. You'll be feeling better in the morning."

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Anya stared up at her father with pleading eyes.

Holding his ground, Twilight thought for a moment.

His indecisive hesitation was a bad sign for Anya so she shifted her gaze to Yor.

The woman crumbled immediately to the puppy-eyes.

"N-No, we wouldn't send you to school sick, right?" She spoke nervously, glancing to her husband.

Sighing, Loid smiled, "we wouldn't want to be a family who would infect Eden Academy with the common cold. We'll see how you're feeling in the morning."

Anya nodded happily, knowing that's the best she'd get. Sinking into her pillow and warm bed, the girl just smiled happily.

Her joy was overflowing as Loid pulled the comforter up around her shoulders. In silence, Yor stepped forward and made sure Anya's stuffed toys were within reach under her blanket.

The girl wasn't sure which of her parents left a kiss on her hair–she didn't care all that much. The sentiment was enough to send a beaming smile through her whole body, clinging to Sparkles the unicorn to her. Coughing a few times before coming to rest, Anya's entire body relaxed. It wouldn't be long until sleep would take the girl as her room faded to darkness.

Both parents slinking out of her room, she barely caught a glimpse of them staring at her through the creak of the door.

"Do you think she'll sleep alright? She was awfully nauseous."

"She's got a high fever too. That comforter is going to be turned upside down by the end of the night. I think she'll be alright but we can take turns checking on her."

"That's a good idea. Now… yawn… I'm going to crawl into my own bed. Good night, Loid."

"Night, Yor.

Sleep well, the both of you."

Anya barely heard the creaking of her door as it closed, sleep taking her.

Anya's body did not take Twilight's advice.

Twisting and turning throughout the entire night, pillows were shoved around and her blanket tossed to the floor. Overheating with no blanket but shivering while covered, there was no salvation for the poor girl.

The sickness of her body affected her mind too, her dreams twisting and contorting the images she'd usually be seeing.

Dreams turned to hallucinations that quickly turned to nightmares.

One particular nightmare sent Anya's nerves on end, bringing her to tears before she even woke up; when she did, the girl sat straight up with a cold sweat and cry of fear that rippled through her household.

Anya breathed heavily, staring across the room trying to remember where she was. She didn't even remember screaming, nor had been able to stop it. Her room was silent now, the girl's heart beating in her ears and deafening her.

Moonlight filtered into her room from her left, drifting through the open windows of her balcony.

Pulling her knees to her chest, Anya stared at the wrinkled sheets in front of her. Tears rolled down her face as she lost herself in her thoughts, her nightmare rolling through her head again on repeat.

She never heard the rush of footsteps in the hallway.

Opening the door and bursting through it, Yor held her fists at the ready, "get your hands off-! Oh."

Seeing the room was empty, other than her daughter, the woman calmed down immediately. Her satin turquoise nightgown came to rest just above Yor's ankles and shifted with her movement as the mother rushed to Anya's side.

"Are you okay?! What happened?!"

Anya didn't respond, just hiding her face behind her knees. Tears were the only thing evident from her as the girl suddenly shifted, holding out her arms to her mother.

Yor accepted endearingly, pulling the girl into her lap as she sat onto the bed.

"Shhh shhhh, it's alright. It's okay. Did something scare-"

Another pair of footsteps slid down the hall this time. Bursting into the room with just as much vigor as his wife had, Twilight appeared with uncanny speed.

A pistol in both hands and raised by his head, he called out instinctively, "hands up and- oh."

He stared back at the two women. Recognizing Anya clutching onto Yor, the latter just staring back at him, Twilight shifted and let his body relax.

Switching the safety on he took a deep breath, realizing there wasn't any danger.

"W-Where do you keep that…?" Yor asked in surprise, staring at the firearm in his hands. She never expected Loid to know how to use one.

Panicking, Twilight lied on the spot, "o-oh… this? It's for… home defense. I haven't touched the thing in years."

Yor was incredibly gullible and she calmed down, nodding with understanding. The man took a moment to place the firearm outside of Anya's room on a small table in the hall. Coming back into the room, he shut the door.

He slept in an attire that Yor didn't expect. Having both raced here to protect their daughter, neither of them quite had time to change. So while she was wearing something fairly conservative although admittedly thin, Twilight wore only a pair of plain grey pajama pants and no shirt to speak of.

Sitting down beside his family, neither of them got a chance to mention it as Anya shifted. Her crying was the only thing audible in the room now as she let go of Yor with one arm, reaching out to her father with it.

Taking the embrace with her, Twilight hugged the other side of the girl as she pulled both her parents in.

It was an awkward three way hug before Yor and Twilight put an arm around one another, caring more for the comfort of Anya than their embarrassment at the moment.

She must've had a nightmare, he thought.

"P-Please d-dont leave m-me…! I don't wanna go back to the orphanage!"

It clicked now for both the parents, understanding what had scared their daughter so much as to cry out in her sleep.

Anya had a deep fear of abandonment, one that likely wouldn't go away until much later in her life. Having accepted that fact, Yor and Loid both worked to comfort their daughter and make her feel as safe and secure as possible.

Each using one hand to brush Anya's back and hair, they hushed her.

"We're not going anywhere, Anya," Twilight whispered.

"We're here for you, " Yor followed suit.

Anya's crying only doubled in intensity to the worry of her parents.

It was the next sentence that ushered silence into the room.

"D-Dont sell me back t-to the lab!"

This is what truly scared Anya. She'd be able to handle another trip to the orphanage. Losing this family would be leaving a piece of her soul behind, but the girl knew she could survive such a grievous wound.

But going back to the lab after so long? That feeling of betrayal she's mortified of ever experiencing?

It would be absolutely heart-rending. The mere thought paralyzes her.

Having a nightmare where that exact exchange happened is exactly what made her cry out in the first place.

Yor and Twilight both stared at the distraught girl who clung to them with every ounce of her strength. Looking up and exchanging a glance, they made a silent agreement.

Let's not ask. It was only a nightmare.

"You're not leaving us, we're a family now," Twilight whispered.

Yor followed, "you're one of the Forgers now. We'd never think of separating or doing something as horrible as selling you."

Looking up to her parents, Anya barely saw through the blinding tears.

Her terrified mind didn't believe them at first as she took shuddering breaths.

"Don't worry, dear. It's alright. You're safe here, it was just a nightmare."

Twilight nodded and brushed a hand onto Anya's head and ruffled her hair as she snivelled again.

"That's right. You're part of our lives just as much as you're a part of ours."

Nodding to both herself and her parents soothing words, she was pulled back in by the both of them.

Silently sobbing for a few minutes, her fear was unending. A bottomless well of terror, afraid to be let go and forgotten.

Twilight and Yor ran out of words to say, resorting back to repeating themselves and hushing their daughter.

It took a full ten minutes before Anya started taking deep full breaths, the only interruptions being coughing.

Letting Yor wipe off her face with a cloth, Anya wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her onesie.

"Are you okay, honey? I've never seen you more scared…"

Anya wanted to explain it, but the lab was something she could never speak of. It would out her telepathic abilities and she knew her life here would be irreversibly changed.

Nodding her head, she hugged both of them and whispered, "thank you, Mama and Papa. I'm just s-scawed…"

Twilight and Yor both smiled, thankful the girl was safe and now feeling at least a bit better.

They stayed for another five minutes in each other's arms, refusing to let the girl go.

All of them took a deep breath, settling their nerves. The parents had been just as scared as Anya, worried something horrible had happened.

Perking up, Twilight plopped Anya into Yor's lap. Both girls watched him as he stood up, striding over to the balcony doors. Reaching out, he began pulling on the ties of the curtains. Having to reach up and undo a few knots at the top, the muscles of his bare back shifted visibly. His shoulder blades pulled in and away rhythmically as Yor stared at him.

Anya looked back to her mother, the girl beginning to forget about her dreams entirely.

Instead, she watched the daydreams inside Yor's head.

"Mama?"

"Mhm?" The woman hummed without looking away.

"What's a hickey?"

…

Yor's thoughts suddenly forced themselves away at Anya's jarring question.

Not having expected this from the girl, as well as panicking for having been thinking about what she'd asked, Yor's head shifted like a gargoyle.

Turning to stare at her daughter, the woman's eyes went wide.

"What was that?" Twilight turned and spoke, not quite having heard what Anya had asked.

"NOTHING! It was nothing! J-Just a s-sneeze," Yor stammered and bumbled around with her words. Clutching Anya to her chest, she smothered the girl and muffled any objections.

"Oh," Twilight's eyes narrowed slightly, curious as to what she was hiding. Considering what Anya had just gone through, he decided to let it be, "bless you."

"T-Thank you…" Yor's face was bright red as she pulled Anya away from her. The girl immediately took a deep breath, no longer suffocating, before meeting the cherry red face of her mother. "W-Where did you learn that word?!"

From your mind, Mama.

You have weird thoughts sometimes.

"I dunno…" Anya lied, not wanting to cause trouble for Yor.

The woman wiped her brow in a panic and whispered softly, "w-well it's not an important word, alright? D-Dont go saying it… it's an adult word!"

Ewwwwwww, adult words are always something gross.

You're gross, Mama.

Yor let out a sigh of relief when Anya nodded.

Her face turned red again as Twilight sat back down beside her.

"Everything alright?"

"Mhm! Just fine!"

The man just raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding why she was so flustered.

"Riiiiiiiight. It's time we were heading back to sleep–it's 3 in the morning. So let's-"

"No!" Anya cried out, keeping Loid from standing.

He frowned slightly but tilted his head and asked a silent question to his daughter.

"I… I don't want you to leave…" She whispered shakily. Her back shook already, threatening to begin crying once more just from the lack of proximity.

Letting out a sigh, Twilight looked down at her small bed.

It's a twin–barely enough space for one person yet alone an adult and a child.

"I don't want either of you to leave…!" Anya corrected herself at her father's thoughts.

His frown deepened, it'll be cramped.

Looking back to Anya, he knew he should. But he hesitated and glanced up to Yor, seeing a flustered smile.

"I'm okay with it if… you are…?" She whispered.

Twilight raised an eyebrow and huffed, not entirely sure what he should do.

Looking back down to Anya, she returned large eyes with fists clutched under her chin. Her irises resembled a pair of saucers that pleaded for him to stay.

"You won't get us both sick, right?" Loid smiled and wiped a tear off of Anya's cheek with his thumb.

He pulled away as the girl nearly sneezed on his hand before being able to respond.

I'll take that as a no.

Still… this deep-rooted fear of hers could be incredibly debilitating for the future of Operation Strix.

I'll have to swallow my own pride.

"Alright, we'll share the bed."

"Yay!" Anya immediately lightened up.

Her mind wasn't focused on her nightmare or her fear anymore. Anya only had the mental capacity to focus on one thing right now and when her parents agreed to both stay the night with her, she latched onto it.

Crawling into bed and throwing the comforter open to let her parents in, she waited with baited breath.

They slid in awkwardly, both of them keeping their hands to themselves. Yor was on Anya's right with her back to the wall while Twilight took the left, facing away from the edge of the bed.

The parents connected their gazes above their daughter in between them.

They didn't get to for long before Anya's hands waved in the air, urging the both of them to take a hold.

With that, Yor took Anya's right while the girl clutched Loid's with her left. Her fingers were small and had a weak grip, but she pulled both the hands in to hug them anyways.

Giggling and smiling, her parents' hands were better for cuddling than any stuffed animal.

Twilight leaned up and awkwardly pulled the comforter up and around the three of them with his other hand. The blanket brushed Anya's chin while coming to rest on the parent's shoulders.

Anya shifted happily, lying on top of Twilight's right arm and pinning it to the bed as she clutched his and Yor's hand.

Opening his mouth to complain that his arm would eventually fall asleep, Twilight couldn't bring himself to do it.

It was now he discovered that Anya's smile had the same way of disarming him of wit that Yor's did. Not to mention that when he saw both in front of him, thinking anything rational was made difficult. It was entirely impossible for him to make any logical thought at the respectively awkward and delighted smiles from his wife and daughter.

He just stared at the two.

Yor stared back, meeting his eyes before shifting to study Anya.

Before they even realized it, the young girl had already drifted to sleep; the combined scent and protectiveness of her parents beside her was more soothing than any scenario she could dream up.

Twilight just smiled delicately.

His smile twitched when Anya began snoring.

Before he could do anything however, Yor shifted. Slipping her hand away from Anya, the girl just clutched onto Twilight's with both hands now.

Yor's petite hand moved upwards, gently closing her daughter's jaw. The girl shifted but began breathing through her nose now, the snoring coming to a stop.

Luckily she'd blown her nose earlier, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible. But for now at least, there was peace.

"She looks so sweet when she sleeps," Yor whispered. Drawing her hand forward, she adjusted Anya's bangs. Flattening the back of her hand, she whispered again as to not wake up Anya, "her fever is really high. I'm not sure if it'll be down by tomorrow."

"Then we'll take care of her then too, right?" Loid whispered back with a smile.

Yor just giggled, "that we will. Don't you have work?"

"I'll make time."

Yor exhaled softly and smiled, "you always manage to."

…

"Hey… Loid?

"Yeah?"

"About the dance…"

Oh god, it's finally here.

Twilight spoke in a hushed whisper, "don't worry about it! It's my fault for asking you in the first place. I shouldn't have forced you into that scenario when I knew there was-"

"Forced?" Yor asked with wide eyes. They softened as she shifted to get more comfortable on her side. Twilight had to focus on her eyes lest he wanted to get caught looking down at the thin satin that was hugging a couple more curves than he'd expected.

"You didn't force me into anything. In fact, you were the one about to ask me if you could kiss me… but I never gave you the option to say no."

Twilight blinked a few times, not having expected this from her. This entire time, he thought she was avoiding him because she truly disliked the experience.

"Did you… like it?" She asked the same question that was lingering in his mind.

"I…" Twilight stared at her dumbfounded. His face turned red as he thought back to it, the way the stares all resolved to nothingness–how in the moment, it was just them alone in each other's hands.

"I… wouldn't say I disliked it…"

Twilight couldn't bring himself to say he genuinely enjoyed it.

"It is it s-same for me."

Neither could Yor.

"But…" she continued, "if that situation were to come up again, where you need to kiss me." Or you just want to, she thought. "Then, well… you don't need to ask. J-Just watch the hands!"

"Of course! I would never…!" Twilight defended himself instinctively. Both adults took a deep breath and calmed themselves, staring at each other while lying sideways just a foot away.

Anya's deep breathing was all they heard for a moment before Twilight shifted, "are you sure? I know it is better for when we have company over but I do not mean to intrude on your boundaries…"

Taking a slow exhale beforehand, Yor spoke calmly, "Im sure. I'm feeling like a real member of this family more every day. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't imagine you as my real husband sometimes."

Her face turned red but she kept her cool for as long as possible. Barely getting through her sentence, she covered her face with both hands afterwards.

"You're… not alone there…" Twilight admitted to himself.

His eyes widened when Yor's fingers opened, her red eyes peeking at him from inbetween the cracks.

Realizing he'd said that outloud, he went to cover his nervous smile with his hands–they were both trapped by Anya.

Now it was his turn to blush and avoid eye contact, looking up at the white headboard of the bed.

He didn't expect Yor to let out a deep breath and giggle to herself.

"Thank god, I thought I was going insane for doing so. During that dance, it all felt so real."

"Like a dream come true, in a sense."

Yor smiled at his words and nodded in agreement.

"I was worried you were mad about that kiss this whole time," Twilight admitted awkwardly, not being able to scratch his head or neck with his hands trapped.

Yor shook her head repeatedly, "no no no! Not at all! Your touch was so…. Your lips were quite… y-your…"

She couldn't bring herself to say any of the final words.

Instead she focused on their daughter sleeping soundly between them.

"You're a great husband and an even better father."

Reaching forward through Twilight's surprise, her words leaving him stunned, Yor shimmied forward.

The comforter fell away from her shoulder for a second, the moonlight twinkling off of her satin gown in her movement.

Slipping Anya's hand's away from Loid's, Yor undid the knot of fingers. Sliding her left arm under the young girl, Yor pulled herself closer. Now also resting on Twilight's right arm, near the elbow, she placed her own right hand into Anya's clasp.

The sleeping girl immediately clutched the new hand, accepting and pulling in the warmth it provided. Yor cradled the girl against her chest, placing a kiss onto the top of Anya's head. Letting her left arm wrap around the girl, the mother kept her daughter in a close hug and studied her unmoving eyelids.

All Twilight and Loid could do was just watch the genuine act of motherly love.

The man couldn't stop the smile from broaching his lips even if he wanted to–which he didn't.

"If I'm a good husband and father, then I don't even know where to begin with describing you," Twilight whispered as he shifted closer.

Yor stared at him in surprise at the movement, resisting every urge not to study his shoulders and biceps as he moved.

Curling his right around her midback with his hand resting on her shoulder blades, Twilight moved his left hand that Yor had freed. Placing it onto her hip, he pulled himself closer. Their heads were close enough to feel the heat of each other's breath, their eyes looking into each others.

Red met blue, yet these opposites attracted the gaze of the respective wearer.

Curling his left hand onto her back, Twilight let his elbow stay on her hip as he covered as much of her back as possible protectively.

"Anya and I are lucky to have you," he whispered.

"I… I was going to say the same…" Yor responded, her eyes still locked with his.

Both of their eyes drifted down just slightly, studying the lips they've gotten to taste just once before.

They were so tantalizingly close, all it would take is a curious urge from just one of them before they would surely enter another dance.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be; Anya shifted and turned suddenly in her sleep, turning towards her mother and huddling close.

"Mamaaaaaa…! Don't kill Papa…"

Twilight and Yor both exchanged a panicked glance, worried about their covers. Looking away from each other towards the ceiling, they realized there was no possible way.

It was just another dream of Anya's.

"Let's… not ask about that one either, yeah?" Twilight pitched.

Yor caught the proverbial baseball, "absolutely."

Looking at each other awkwardly now, both the adults shifted like children.

Taking a deep breath, Yor yawned before lazily blinking her eyes. Letting them shut and pulling Anya in close to her, The mother held her daughter protectively to keep her warm.

Twilight took Loid's place in clutching his wife close while she held his daughter sandwiched between them.

While her touch was soft, caring, and motherly, his was one of possessive protection.

As Twilight felt his own eyes pulling down with the anchors of sleep, not even he noticed the smile on his own lips that mimicked Yor's.

Despite Anya's illness, this was the best sleep the Forger's have ever experienced.

Chapter Text

Is this how I die?

Is this truly it?

Time slowed, nearly coming to a stop as Twilight looked inward–his life flashing before his eyes. The setting sun stared at him, lighting the clouds overhead ablaze with an orange hue, warming him before the inevitable end.

I was sloppy. There were more than I thought there possibly could be. I was so caught up in the moment and made too many rookie mistakes.

I can rationalize it however I want, but it's clear what went wrong; I played the hand I was dealt completely wrong. I walked right into this–I should've known.

No use learning from this mistake–it's going to be my last one.

All I hope is that Anya isn't the one who finds my body first.

The life of a spy, one where I mustn't draw attention from the public…

and here I am about to be the next news headline.

How disappointing.

So this is it… this is how Operation Strix ends.

A few hours earlier:

"Your client is within the Hallowed Hotel, Thorn Princess. This one is… particularly elusive. Unfortunately, I do not have more details for you.

You'll be working under Marcus Manuez, a beneficiary of ours. Meet with him on the premises and he'll point you towards the client.

I apologize for not being able to give the name for your client, but a certain amount of discretion is desired from our partner. He has told not even me of the client's name–be wary.

The method will be up to your own discretion. I suspect this client has some… unique interests.

Good night, and good luck."

That's what Yor had been told by the Shopkeeper.

This wasn't typical of her assignments. Usually she'd be given all the details since she didn't have the luxury of working with allies. It was almost entirely solo work with a secure building she needed to infiltrate and then eliminate her named target.

This time, there was a middleman–quite strange.

But she would not disobey the Shopkeeper, this was her contract.

Twilight, likewise, had been given a mission. Having received the coin from Franky and cracking it open with a thin needle, Twilight read out his objective.

Marcus Manuez is rumored to be staying at the Hallowed Hotel this upcoming Saturday.

The reason for his visit and whether or not he will be having any company is unknown

Infiltrate the hotel this Saturday; it is a five star establishment, so finesse and grace will be required during your stay.

Find what it is he is doing there. Marcus is not a high value target, but we urge you not to eliminate him without due reason; this is a reconnaissance assignment–not an assassination.

If there is any chance of your identity being exposed, abort.

Observe, report, exfiltrate.

Such was the mission given for Twilight.

However, Loid took it upon his own hands to bring his family along for the night.

Stepping out of a black limousine and extending his hand out for Yor, the woman took it graciously. Standing tall, Anya skipped to her parents' sides and stared up at the tall building that loomed in front of the family.

It stood tall with over a dozen stories, a large crane on the top of it moving some metal beams. This was one of the tallest buildings in the city and it was only getting taller. The sun streaked steadily towards the horizon, casting a golden glare across the sleek windows and polished beige exterior of the Hallowed Hotel.

Thus the family of four strode onto the hotel grounds and into the main lobby.

Twilight and Yor wore their usual formal wear respectively: a green suit and a dark black dress. Anya was adorned in her new peach dress again and skipped alongside her playmate, giggling at the furry friend that accompanied them.

They received a few glances and whispers, but this wasn't out of the ordinary for the Forgers.

Arriving at the check-in desk, Twilight opened his mouth to address the dark skinned woman. She wore a deep blue suit as well as a tie and shirt that matched her attire with a muted blue.

The concierge spoke first, "sir, we do not accept dogs on our premises."

Twilight sighed, knowing this would come as he looked down to their families newest addition:

Bond.

A large fluffy white dog that Anya couldn't stop petting. Aptly named after Anya's cartoons of Bondman, the dog constantly shed–spreading white hair everywhere. Yor never seemed to mind cleaning it even though the white stuck out easily on her dress. Even now, small threads were noticeable near her ankles and knees whenever Bond brushed against her.

Having taken the dog in no more than a week ago, Twilight had taken down a plot against one of the political figures in the city. He was unknowingly assisted by his daughter and by Bond himself.

The large cloud was a military experiment long ago but recently found his way into the hands of the Forgers. Still learning how to be within a loving family, the dog commonly experienced bouts of divination–insight into the future accompanied by visions.

Unable to do much with these visions from a dog's life, it was Anya who utilized the information as best she could. By reading the pet's mind, the girl was able to witness the same visions. It was often painfully meaningless information like the meal they were going to have or if the mailman was coming by or not, but sometimes there was something especially interesting.

Bond had a small bowtie for a collar and sat politely, staring up at the concierge.

Anya hugged the dog, intending to never let go. Bond was so fluffy, however, that she sunk halfway into him and nearly disappeared from view entirely.

Twilight cleared his throat, "my family was intending to stay the night at the finest establishment in town. I assure you, we can cover any additional cleaning fees required."

Loid smiled as Twilight frowned beneath the facade.

Usually I would just flaunt a bit of wealth and make to leave, forcing the concierge to practically beg us to stay. There's almost no place in the world that would let a rich and careless family leave; the Hallowed Hotel is one of those places–they couldn't care less if we left to find a different place or not. Wealth was hardly a concern for them anymore–it's the five star rating they needed to maintain.

The concierge studied the Forger family intently. The woman's blue eyes contrasted her black skin as they faced her scrutiny head on with a smile.

Sighing, she folded her hands politely on the desk she stood at.

"As long as you are aware of the fines: there will be a flat rate for pets, the larger the animal the larger the fee; it begins at 50 dalc. Any noise complaints from barking will net another 50 per complaint. Any and all damaged furnishing, electronics, and other accessories of your room will be replaced with extra interest. If your animal is found to shed, then another 300 dalc will be applied to your tab. If another guest has an allergic reaction as a result of your proximity, you will be required to pay for their medical bills and exempt the hotel of-"

Twilight's eye twitched, not expecting there to be so many fees.

Glancing down at Bond he thought, I should've left him behind. The agency won't be happy about this bill…

"-if you understand, please sign this waver," the concierge finished.

"R-Right. Yes, of course."

Stepping forward, Loid began filling out the form he was handed before paying for a room.

Anya waved her hands and giggled as she sunk into the fur. Coughing after inhaling some of it, the girl backed away and shook her head. The dog just turned to look at her, staring with a blank tilt of his head.

Fzzzzt…. Skrrt-

Anya perked up, he's gonna see a vision!

Bond and Anya both stared at each other. The dog's eyes lost focus, staring with a mile long gaze as if he were a war veteran suffering flashbacks.

In his mind, an image formed as he stared at the young girl in front of him. Her innocent giggle turned to a frown. The image in the vision he saw began to animate, showing itself like a video playing in his mind.

A pristine bedroom lay ahead of him with Anya standing just in front of him. Her head was hung low, hidden by shadows. The only light was a lone lamp, the windows showing nothing but a dark sky. Tears fell down Anya's face as the girl tried to remain strong, but her strength didn't last long.

Yor stepped past where Bond sat in the dark room, scooping up the young girl into her arms. Watching them as the woman sat down onto a bed, she stared at a tv playing across the room. While Anya burst into tears in her arms, calling out for her Papa, Yor couldn't do anything but just stare at the news as it played.

On the tv was a police barricade around a section of sidewalk outside the Hallowed Hotel. A white tarp was spread across a lump on the ground.

Parts of it were speckled a horrible red.

The mother clutched her daughter as the duo began to sob. A deep wail of mourning rung out, shaking the walls of the room.

Bond wasn't sure whether that was Yor's voice or Anya's, all he took note of was the volume and intensity–a deep emotion that begged for release.

Blinking out of his vision, Bond's eyes now centered back onto the horrified Anya's. The dog immediately stepped forward, booping his nose into her shoulder.

Anya jumped out of her own head, now taking note of Bond again.

"W-What was that?! Have another one, doggie! Show me what that meant! W-Why were we…?" Anya planted both hands onto Bond's head, shaking the poor dog's brain to try and jog another vision that would make more sense to her.

Why were Mama and I crying? W-Where was Papa?

Anya never got a chance to answer these questions.

Loid brushed a hand onto Anya's head, "Anya, leave Bond alone. Don't shake him like that!"

Especially not in public…

"Y-Yes… Papa," Anya whispered apologetically. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she'd just witnessed.

Walking with her family, the four of them entered into an elevator. Climbing to the 10th floor, the family took a deep breath.

Loid adjusted his tie and handed out an extra room key to Yor, "here, you should take this. I'll be out pretty often to meet a few clients so you shouldn't rely on me opening the door."

The woman graciously took it and bowed her head, "thank you. It's so nice of you to service your patients in such a place. Do you not usually do this kind of thing in your office?"

"Uh… well, I'm more of a… traveling psychiatrist. I meet my patients where they are more comfortable," Loid explained as Twilight lied.

"Oh, that makes sense! I'll be out exploring a bit too since we have the time. If you'll take Anya to her room, I want to see what services they offer here."

Twilight frowned, I'd been intending to slip away first. It seems I'll have to stick with Anya for a bit then and show her the room. No worry, I have the whole night.

It's a shame I won't get to sleep in the five star bed for long, though.

Stepping out of the elevator onto their floor, Loid nodded his head, "I can do that. Stay safe out there and hopefully I'll see you back at the room before I have to leave."

Yor waved her card to him and smiled, "I'll see you then!"

In this innocent moment, the gentle separation was on track to be the last one between the parents.

Watching as her husband took Anya's hand and Bond's leash, Yor stepped away towards a set of stairs. Slipping in without being seen, she quickly descended two flights with ease. High heels were never a hindrance for this woman, her gait not slowed by a millisecond on the stairs.

The echoing sound of her footsteps faded away as she stepped out onto the 8th floor. Pocketing her families room key, she slid forward and knocked on a specific door.

Hushed whispers came to silence before footsteps approached the door. Yor studied the peep hole with a blank expression, waiting for them to open the door.

Nothing.

The woman let out an exasperated sigh before reaching down, pulling a golden needle from her garnet. Raising it beside her face she shook it, "are you just going to stare or shall I just break the lock?"

Hands hastily unlocked the door and pulled it open. Striding into the room, Yor immediately took in the stench of cigarettes. Over a dozen men lounged around this hotel room, sitting and standing between the two beds and small round table. The table itself housed five gentleman currently engaged in a game of poker. One of them had a cigar hanging from his mouth, puffing smoke. They were all wearing different coloured suits, some of them more wrinkled than others.

Eyes turned and stared at Yor, some of them admiring more than just her face.

Catching one of the men's eyes glancing down, she glared at him with annoyed eyes.

Smirking, the man opened his mouth to talk.

In less than a second, he found the tip of a golden needle hovering inside his mouth. It almost brushed the back of his tongue as he froze, his eyes widening at the sudden speed of the petite woman in front of him.

Too terrified to close his mouth in case the needle were to pierce any of the soft flesh, the man was paralyzed in place and raised his hands.

"Choose your next words very carefully," Yor hissed with a lowered head. Staring into the soul of this well-dressed yet unkempt man, he immediately understood that she truly would end him for just one misstep.

Slowly taking the needle out of his mouth-before he accidentally licked it and succumbed to the poison-Yor pulled away. Twirling it around her index finger, the man bent over and coughed, wiping his tongue with both hands just in case.

All eyes now averted themselves, staring at the walls, floor and ceiling.

The only pair that met Yor's was the man smoking a cigar at the small round table.

"Full house, baby. Hand it over, chumps," the man ignored Yor, just scraping a handful of bills and coins towards him.

"You must be Marcus Manuez, I assume?"

"Yeah yeah, and I know you. Yadda yadda, you work for me. Don't worry about that little act I just witnessed, I don't give half a shit. Kill him if you want, these men are expendable." The other guys at the table just sighed and rubbed their eyebrows, wishing they were able to talk back to Marcus.

However, they knew they'd face the end of a smoking barrel if they opposed him for even a second.

"I just might," Yor whispered, glancing at the hoard of manpower Marcus had at his disposal. "But that isn't what I'm here for. Where's my client?"

"In a hurry to please? Geez you and the Shopkeeper really are a buncha whores," the tanned man chuckled and slapped the shoulder of the nearest guy. Laughing nervously, the young man wasn't sure of who he was afraid of more right now: his boss or one of the world's deadliest assassins he'd just insulted.

"I'll ask again. Where's-"

"Fuckin A, lady, would it kill you to have a laugh?"

"I'm here to do a job. Now speak before you become my next target."

Marcus was unphased by her as he leaned an arm over the back of his chair, "you're in a cramped room with over a dozen of my own with another dozen in the room beside this. You wouldn't want to overstep your welcome." Yor glared daggers and opened her mouth to speak again.

Marcus waved a hand first, "but fine. If you'll do the dirty work for me, then fine. I'm here to set a trap. I recently sold some fake information to an informant for Westalis. They took the bait-first time in months-and ran with it. Rumor is, they're sending their best agent to this hotel all for me. My boy's and I will be setting up a trap but I want you to roam the building. Avoid the construction areas above the 18th floor, we'll handle there and above. For the rest of the building, search high and low," Marcus grinned and let out a puff of his cigar. Placing it back into his mouth he smirked.

"Find me Agent Twilight."

Yor's eyes opened slightly wider, both recognizing the name and showing interest in having a difficult quarry.

Her eyes narrowed a second after, "finding people isn't my strong suit, eliminating them is."

"Okay? What's the problem then? A woman can't learn?" Marcus laughed again, his own chortle causing a ripple of grins around the room.

Yor noticed their stares and the growing confidence of the men.

He's charismatic, I shouldn't linger.

I'd much rather not kill them before my target is found…

Bowing her head Yor replied, "of course, I'll do what I can."

Stepping away, Yor made her way to the door. Marcus paid no more attention to her and the men she strode near took a cautious step away, not wanting to incur the wrath of the slim woman.

Exiting the door and shutting it behind her, Yor leaned against it and took a deep breath of fresh air.

She hated second-hand smoke with a passion.

Fixing a crease in her dress and adjusting the collar of the black lattice, Thorn Princess began her lurking of the hotel.

Agent Twilight, hmmmm?

I remember you from the ball.

Thorn Princess sighed deeply, I've taken out agents from Westalis before but this is a shame, I liked you the best out of them.

While you served my prey on a silver platter back then, I'm afraid you'll be the main course for my employer this time around.

It pains me to know I'll never get to truly repay that favour.

Now… How hard could it possibly be to find someone?

Someone who is a master of disguise, never had their natural face seen, and whose only name is an alias…

I guess I'll just… walk around?

Twilight had left the room almost immediately. Leaving Anya to settle in with her luggage and to take care of Bond, he let her fend for herself. Loid and Twilight just had to pray Yor would return soon in case Anya got up to any of her usual antics. However, the girl seemed too focused on the dog, asking him to show her "dreams".

That girl has a wild imagination.

Well, maybe not as wild as my line of work.

Twilight scratched the side of his face, careful not to tear the realistic mask he wore. Picking up a glass mug and cleaning the inside of it, the spy studied his surroundings.

The main bar on the bottom floor of the hotel, the Hallowed Ground, was fitting for this establishment. It had clean floors, spotless tables and bartop with neatly placed tables and stools. It sported a light blue neon strip of light halfway up the wall. The wall beneath the light was black and above it was white, creating an inviting atmosphere along with classical music playing from speakers embedded in the ceiling.

This is where Twilight came to be, replacing one of the staff members who had fallen ill and were currently staying in their room. All he had to do was intercept their call to cancel their shift and make a duplicate of their face.

Such was Loid abandoned and Felix Finley brought forth. He wore a black vest and a white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. Sporting a black bowtie, Felix was a young, soft-spoken but dedicated worker.

Felix finished cleaning the glass mug before filling it with beer and serving it to one of the patrons at the bar. Moving to the side, now cleaning the countertop, Twilight studied the room.

There's plenty of people, but not much info. It may be a destination of prestige, but this establishment is not popular just yet.

It seems I may not find Marcus by doing this. I should seek out the concierge and steal the booking list and look for his name on there.

If I can find his room, I'll find him.

Even if he's not in there, I can always find a lead.

But for now… oh…?

As Twilight sunk into his thoughts, a figure he wasn't expecting walked in.

Felix's eyebrow raised as a slim woman in a dark dress strode into the bar. Her shoulders were slumped with exhaustion on her face. Slinking towards the bar, Yor slipped into a barstool and started rubbing her aching calves.

Having walked through every hall of all eighteen floors, she was finally to the bottom.

I did it… she smiled to herself.

I found absolutely nothing… her smile died.

"What can I getcha?" Felix spoke with a soft foreign accent.

"A-Anything… literally… WAIT!" Yor sat up, planting both hands on the countertop before Felix could serve her. "Not anything! Something non-alcoholic! I shouldn't drink tonight…"

Yor frowned–desperately wanting to drink out of spite for her worst assignment yet.

Felix shrugged while Twilight smiled, she's looking out for Anya, good. I wouldn't want to be hammered while taking care of the girl either. It's the same reason I'm not drinking now either–that and my mission.

Although Twilight's rational mind always created a reason, the reason wasn't always correct.

In reality, Yor couldn't drink because she was terrified of blacking out mid-engagement with her target.

The woman huffed in disappointment at herself, studying her hands as Felix turned his back.

"Well hellooo there," a masculine voice reached out. Yor glanced to the side as a tall man slipped into the barstool beside her. "What brings you here, madam?"

Felix glanced to his new customer while Twilight glared, already wishing to dispose of this man.

He was dressed in a deep red suit with a similarly coloured dress shirt and black vest. A slick jawline, green eyes, and straight teeth adorned his smile as he raised an eyebrow at Yor.

The woman perked up immediately, staring at the new arrival.

Twilight?!

Yor's mind had been fried at the constant walking; when anyone approached her she just assumed them to be Agent Twilight.

"H-Hi. I'm Yor Forger," Yor spoke with a smile.

"Roderick Rumples, at your service. I'll have another of whatever the lady is having," he addressed Felix.

Quickly duplicating the drink he'd already been making, the bartender brought it over in record time.

Turning away to clean the back area, Twilight kept all his focus on Yor and Roderick now.

Why am I so irked by this?

She's just talking to someone. Yor mentioned she wanted to explore, that's what she's doing.

It's not like she's flirting with him.

It's a sham of a marriage anyways, cool yourself, Twilight. If she wants to pursue others, that's her choice. That may not even be her intentions either, don't go assuming things. There's no need for you to get territorial here. It's a fact she's good looking, especially in that dress. She's sure to be flirted with on several occasions both now and in the future. But… still, I can't help but want to see how she'll react to it.

This man is obviously interested in her but I know how oblivious she can be.

Yor tested her drink, sipping on the martini glass.

It was exquisite–exactly to her tastes.

Before she got a chance to ask what it even was though, Felix had turned his back to her. Slumping down slightly in disappointment, she turned back to Roderick.

The man quickly had to hide his disgust at the drink he'd just taken a sip of. Leaning onto an elbow he gestured to Yor, "a beautiful woman like you mustn't have come here alone, have you?"

Yor's brain suffered from her physical exhaustion.

I did come into the bar alone, Loid and Anya are still in our room.

Yor smiled politely, "I have arrived alone, actually. And thank you, you're well-dressed as well." Roderick's eyes perked with interest, seeing he may actually have a chance. Opening his mouth, he was curtly interrupted by Yor, "what do you do for work, Rhoade?"

"It's R-Roderick…" he tilted his head in surprise, "and I'm a professional poker player."

Yor's eyes widened, "so you're a good liar?!"

Twilight's eye twitched as Felix cleaned, what the hell are these questions, Yor?!

Roderick laughed with a deep rumble originating from his chest, "oh, well, you wound my pride by phrasing it that way. I have been called two-faced by many, yes. What do you do for work?"

Yor waved a hand and downed the rest of her drink, "oh, I'm a civil servant at city hall. Otherwise a lot of my time is spent taking care of my daughter."

Roderick flinched, as if struck across the face by the word "daughter".

"I'm s-sorry… daughter?" He asked.

Yor smiled and nodded proudly, "oh yes, she's an absolute lamb." Turning to Felix, she thanked him as he replaced her empty glass with a full one.

"I thought you came here alone?"

"I… did," Yor looked around her, confused by his question.

Twilight, with Loid seeping into himself, just peered at his wife, mildly confused by her as well.

"Do you…" Yor started shakily.

How do I ask if someone is a spy who excels at disguise without asking directly? I can't reveal myself either…

"... roleplay as other people?" is the best she came up with.

Both Twilight and Roderick jerked in surprise.

Roderick coughed on his drink, sputtering for a moment at the question. Using a handkerchief from his breast pocket he wiped his mouth off.

"I… w-well…" he tugged on his collar before clearing his throat, "I do have some unique… interests… similar to those. I'm afraid I didn't bring any of my preferred maid costumes on this trip, however. If you'd like we can go back to my room and-"

"Oh, one moment!" Yor stood up quickly, leaving her empty martini glass behind.

Leaving Roderick mid-sentence, Yor fled awkwardly into the women's bathroom on the opposite side of the room. The drink Felix had made for her ran straight through her, requiring relief already.

The man stared at her in shock, not understanding a second of conversation with this woman. However he did understand her movement, his eyes shifting downwards and focusing on the clicking of her hips as she strode away.

Clink was what Roderick heard as he turned back around.

In front of him, Felix had placed a small white card overtop the unattended drink Yor left behind.

Roderick scoffed, "sir, you hardly have need for such things. You really think I would-"

"Yes. It is a precautionary measure we take for all patrons. This is a place of high standards after all," Twilight hissed as Felix spoke calmly with a timid hand gesture. Roderick's eyes followed Felix's hand, witnessing a separate employee placing a card overtop a man's drink as he rose to cross the room.

Nonetheless, he took offense.

Roderick scoffed again but upturned his chin, "ridiculous, this is what this is. Surely you do not intend to insult your guests by-"

Felix straightened up and glared at Roderick as the man reached out to remove the thin piece of plastic.

"Remove that card, and I remove you from this bar," Felix warned.

Roderick laughed to himself and leaned away for a moment. Crossing his arms he looked back to the washroom he knew Yor was in.

There was a certain sudden presence beside him that caused Roderick to turn back to Felix. The bartender had slipped both hands onto the bar, lifting himself slightly higher to peer down at the customer. There was a new look on his face, one Roderick couldn't explain. It's as if this was an entirely different person all of a sudden.

Gone was the soft-spoken nature of Felix.

Staring into the face of Twilight, Roderick flinched.

A cold frown met him, wide furious eyes that reached out to Roderick with cold fingers. Chills ran down his spine as a spark of fear ignited in his heart.

The eyes of this man threateningly looming over Roderick told him exactly what he needed to know: this was an incredibly dangerous figure.

"Touch that fine woman?" Felix whispered.

It was Twilight that hissed the next phrase like a panther ready to pounce.

"Then no one will ever find your corpse."

Roderick froze in place, paralyzed by the petrifying gaze he met.

The man never even noticed Twilight turn away, letting Felix get back to serving other customers as if nothing ever happened.

D-Did I hallucinate all of that…?! N-No… that was real…

Yor plopped back down into her stool, smiling widely at Roderick.

"Where were we-?"

Roderick immediately yelped in fear, flinching away from the woman. Slipping and almost tumbling out of the stool, he narrowly avoided hitting the ground.

Pulling his hands close and loosening his tie, the man slowly backed away from Yor and the threatening eyes of Twilight just behind her.

"N-Nothing! I didn't say anything! I'm… I-I'm actually not into roleplay!" The man panicked, not able to meet the burning eyes of the Westalis agent nor the woman he watched over. Turning away, he fled from the Hallowed Ground, waving his arms to keep his balance.

Silence swept through the bar as all the patrons turned to look, watching the once confident man flee with his tail between his legs.

…

"What's that guy's problem?" A random patron laughed.

The room joined them, jesting at the expense of Roderick.

Yor and Twilight were the only ones silent, although Felix had to laugh with the room.

The woman turned back to the bar and slumped onto it, I guess that wasn't Twilight…

"Having a rough night?" Felix pitched in.

Twilight studied Yor, she looks genuinely upset. Is it possible she's just looking to make some friends? She doesn't seem all that mentally present at the moment either. Either way, I didn't want him near her.

Twilight had completely forgotten that he had been trying to convince himself that he was okay with Yor flirting with other men.

"Yeah…" Yor whispered, reaching up and removing the plastic card and downing her drink again.

She drinks those awfully fast.

Shit, I didn't give Roderick enough time to actually pay for the drinks.

…

Why am I acting like I actually work for this place? I'll just avoid charging her.

Shaking his head, Twilight let Felix focus.

"Can't quite find the right man?" He asked.

I feel bad for testing her, but I am truly curious how she reacts when someone other than Loid flirts with her.

Yor sighed deeply, "finding people is hard. Why can't people just be exactly where they should be?" The woman took a deep breath and rested her hand onto her chin, staring at the friendly barkeep.

I wish I could find you, Twilight.

Then I could rip your throat out and be done with this god forsaken assignment. I'm never working with a middleman ever again.

The innocent barkeep just tilted his head with a grin, "well luckily for you, people are my expertise. Anything you're lookin' for?"

Yor perked up, curious as to what she could be taught. "Yes, actually! My brother used to get me to try this exercise all the time: tell me one truth and one lie. I… don't think I'm good at distinguishing between them."

Twilight nodded and adjusted his black bowtie, "alright, fair enough. Let's see… We'll do this: I once stopped a train seconds before it crashed into a passenger car. The other is-"

"That's amazing! Where did this happen?!" Yor asked, immediately intrigued.

"T-That kinda ruins the point of this…"

I couldn't explain it even if she wanted–I've ridden trains, but none that have nearly crashed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Go on," she whispered in embarrassment.

"The other is that I am incredibly attracted to you."

Yor's eyes squinted before she smiled delicately. Pointing to the ring finger of her left hand, she showed off her wedding ring.

"Sorry, I'm married. But I appreciate the compliment! Even though we don't know each other…" she whispered awkwardly.

Twilight facepalmed mentally, she just took them both as truth?!

She's not kidding, she is bad at this. No wonder Roderick's intentions went right over her head.

Continuing with his plan, Felix leaned his elbows on the bar, "exclusively? I'm sure we can find some middle ground where-" reaching forward, Felix went to brush a loose piece of Yor's hair behind her ear.

Twilight certainly didn't expect the lightning fast speed from Yor as she raised her hand off her empty glass, gripping his wrist. Her grip was tighter than iron handcuffs as she twisted his wrist and held it tight enough to cut off blood circulation.

Wincing in pain immediately, Twilight had to lean to the side awkwardly to avoid having his wrist broken entirely.

"Did you not hear me? I'm married, exclusively. Don't overstep my friendliness," Yor commanded while glaring at the surprised eyes in front of her. Letting go, Twilight and Felix both took a step away to rub their wrist which stung harshly.

Yor jumped at the reaction, reaching a hand forward, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I just don't like being touched! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine…" Felix whimpered.

Yor folded her hands apologetically and bowed, "I'll be taking my leave then. I should be checking on my daughter. Let me pay-"

"That's alright. The drinks are on the house… as an apology," Felix told the woman, his timid eyes looking at the countertop.

Twilight grimaced, still trying to regain feeling in his fingers. She has a really strong grip…

His wife bowed her head again, "thank you, sir! Please be more careful about that in the future!"

Felix didn't get a chance for another word before Yor lowered her head and shuffled out of the Hallowed Ground.

This will leave a bruise for sure.

At least I don't need to have any other doubts of her loyalty to me- er -to Operation Strix.

Maybe… I have trust issues. It comes with being a spy, I suppose.

Glancing around, Twilight exhaled deeply and began cleaning her glass. And I've still not learnt any-damn-thing. Like Yor said, I wish people would be exactly where they should-

"Hey, did you hear?" A construction worker spoke as he sat down with a coworker at the bar.

"They halted the construction of the rooftop penthouse–some third party is doing an inspection."

"That's not in the schedule. I thought there was an inspection just last week!"

"There was, damn it! It's a buncha bs if you ask me. This job gets shittier everyday."

"Well it can't be that bad, we're getting paid to drink right now."

"I'll cheers to that!"

Twilight grinned under his facade, or apparently I just need to stay in one spot for long enough.

Chapter Text

Anya was in the hotel room, staring at Bond.

The room had beige carpet that contrasted the dark grey walls. There two beds in this room, both of them had dark comforters and white pillows embellished with silken covers. A minifridge was beside the main dresser a small tv sat on. There was a well-furnished bathroom immediately to the left when entering the hotel room. Anya now stood in front of the dresser, meeting the confused gaze of the fluff cloud in front of her.

"Okay, doh-gie, look at this. Look reeeeeeeealllllyyyyy hard!" Anya held up both arms, gesturing to the tv.

Bond sat politely on one of the two beds, staring at the girl. The dog tilted his head to one side, not sure what she wanted. Shaking his head, Bond's entire body shifted and a cascade of white fur drifted out into the room.

Anya's hands fell to her side in disappointment.

I've gotta figure out how to get Bond to show me more!

"Okay Bond, lookie!" Anya tried to pick up her father's luggage but it was too heavy. Instead, she sat on it and waved her feet to get his attention.

…

That didn't work, Bond's head is still empty.

Opening the suitcase and digging through it, Anya kept searching for something–anything. It's already been close to an hour since her parents had left.

The room Bond saw was in darkness, so it must be after sunset. There's not much time until then…

"Okay, Bond, sniff this!"

Holding out a family photo that Twilight had packed, Anya held it above her head and in front of his face.

Bond just stared at it and then went back to the girl. Leaning forward, Anya held her breath as Bond stared harder at it. With bated breath, she focused and waited for the vision to appear.

Instead of giving any type of prophecy, Bond licked the glass.

Anya fell backwards, flopping onto the ground and let the picture fall out of her grasp.

"This is hard, doh-gie. I gotta figure something out! Maybe if I go through Mama's stuff too…" Anya grinned and pushed herself up. Crawling to her mother's suitcase, she began zipping it open.

Zrrrrrrt… Skrrrrrrrr-

Anya immediately flung her head up to Bond.

The dog didn't notice her, instead staring out the window at the sinking sun.

The ball of fire was close to touching the horizon as Anya closed her eyes and focused on her pet's thoughts.

A wash of orange–the bright colours of a sunset.

In all of its glory, the sun was more than halfway past the horizon. The colours it flung turned the clouds into smooth streaks like brush strokes on a canvas. Oranges shifted to purple which trickled into blue, crawling across the beautiful sky.

It was peaceful.

Until it wasn't.

Just for a fraction of a second, there was a flash of green. Time seemed to slow as Bond focused. The vision came to a stop, a single image appearing as the final keyframe.

Loid Forger, Anya's father, was outside the building. His tie billowed upwards, his clothes flickering wildly as his back was parallel to the ground.

The whites of Anya's eyes widened and her entire body froze as she realized what she was looking at.

Her father was going to fall to his death during the sunset.

The vision came to an end and Bond looked innocently down to the girl.

Anya grasped the situation better than he did–a blessing and a curse to the young child.

Horrified, her body was paralyzed.

Papa is gonna… die?!

But… no! That can't happen!

L-Let's see…! T-The sun! It was to the right of Papa and s-setting so… soooooo…!

The sun r-rises in the east and sets in the…. WEST!

What's not-clockwise from west?!

Uhm… uh…. N-Nor-... South! Papa is on the south side!

Pushing herself to her feet, the girl clung to Bond. With white fur clenched between her fingers, she stumbled for the remote control. Flicking the tv on and navigating to the weather channel, Anya's entire body shook with fear.

The sun sets in… 15 minutes?!

That means…

That means in less than 15 minutes Papa will be…!

Anya fought back tears as best she could, dropping the remote and stumbling to the door to their room.

Reaching up, her fingers just scraped the door knob.

Please! Please just… open!

Anya jumped to reach the door knob but tripped, falling backwards. Landing on her rear, Bond sniffed the distraught girl as she stared at the door.

P-Please! I.. I don't want…!

As if to her prayer, the brass doorknob suddenly turned.

Unlocking the door, Yor poked her head in after hearing a petite thump. Looking down and seeing Anya nearly in tears, the woman pushed the door open immediately.

"Anya! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

Yor reached down, gently picking the girl off the ground. Before she'd even been lifted, Anya pointed upwards and spoke as best she could without crying, "up! Anya wants to go up!"

Yor nodded, sensing the urgency. Picking up the girl, she held her in her arms and began cradling her like a baby. "There, is that better?" Yor sweat nervously, the panic of her daughter leaching into her own emotions already.

"Higher! Anya needs to go up!"

"B-But why? Let's sit down and have some-"

"Sunset! Anya wants to see the sunset!"

Yor just stared at the begging child. Anya clutched onto her dress, taking the black fabric into the clutches of her fists, "please, M-Mama! I'll cry, really, really loud!"

Yor jumped, nervously looking around knowing there were other occupied rooms. Seclusion might be better for a sunset view anyways.

"O-Okay, okay! Come on, Bond."

Taking the dog's leash, Yor led them towards the elevator. Pressing the button, the family of three waited patiently for it.

All of them except Anya, that is; every second it delayed was another one that heightened her blood pressure.

"C-Can we see it on the south part of here?"

Yor blinked a few times, trying to comprehend the sentence.

"You want to see it from the south side of the hotel? Wouldn't the west be better?"

"South!" The girl cried out.

Yor leaned side to side with her, trying to calm Anya as her volume increased, "okay, alright. South side it is. Is everything alright?"

Ding.

The elevator arrived. Stepping inside, Yor pressed the highest number–eighteen.

Anya hugged her mother as the doors closed, "I'm scawed…!"

"I know, honey, I know. It's okay. Are you scared of missing the sunset?"

Anya thought for a moment and nodded, "I really want to see the s-sunset. I need to!"

"O-Of course, honey. That's what we'll do, then. Let's finding a seating area and a nice window to- hey!"

As soon as the elevator door opened, Anya pushed away from her mother. Placing the girl onto her feet before she fell, Yor was struggling to mentally keep up with her daughter. The urgency and fear both scared Yor and confused her.

Either way, Anya fled from her mother. Entering the hall and turning left, Anya shoved open a door into the stairwell.

"Anya! Wait!"

Before Yor could follow, she had to scramble to grab Bond's leash that Anya dropped. Once she did, the mother gave immediate chase.

It didn't take long to catch the girl who had to pause at a few steps while Yor skipped two at a time.

While climbing one stair on the 21st floor, Anya tripped. Jamming her knee into the next stair and falling to the side, her head plummeted towards the railing. Her breath left her as Anya's panic rose to impossible heights.

Soft hands caught her, cradling the young girl before the head injury.

Yor pulled her daughter in, "Anya! What has gotten into you?! Never run from me like that! What are-"

"PAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Anya burst into tears the instant she caught her breath.

Staring down at her child, Yor had no idea what to do.

My dear… what is going on?! Loid isn't up here, he's with his patients…

Anya shook her head, tears flinging side to side.

"He's up there! Papa is up!"

Yor's eyes widened at that.

He's higher than here? But this area is all construction, Marcus told me so. It's where Marcus is setting that trap...! If Loid's gone higher, then Marcus might find him! This is bad!

Lost in her thoughts and attempting to work through the information, Yor went to pull Anya into a hug but the girl pushed her away for the first time in her life.

Yor paused, staring at her daughter in surprise.

The girl wiped her eyes with her palms as her crying echoed throughout the concrete stairwell. Her small fingers clenched into fists before pointing up the stairs.

"S-SAVE MY P-PAAAAAP-PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She wailed.

Anya gave up all pretenses of deception and lying for why she wanted to ascend. The sun was setting–time was running out.

If the choice came down to exposing her powers or saving the life of Twilight, her father, Anya Forger would choose the latter.

Each. And. Every. Single. Time.

Not saving Loid Forger, or Felix Finley, or even Nguyen.

It was Agent Twilight that came to the orphanage.

It was Agent Twilight who chose to keep her even when he had ample reasons to return her.

It was Agent Twilight who made her happy.

Anya knew that deep down, Loid Forger wasn't just another face that Twilight wore. Loid may have started as that, but since has slowly contorted and become reforged through this family.

Loid is the side of Twilight that had been locked away long ago–a family man. He is the personification of the craving Twilight feels for the normal life he has been exiled from.

Twilight, the same entity as Loid Forger, was the agent she knew was minutes away from disappearing from her life permanently.

Thus Anya refused to acknowledge the pain of her scraped the knee nor allowed herself the consoling hug of her mother–those used too many of the seconds her father required.

It was this intensity that Yor felt. This was not a scared child, but one in emotional agony.

Already feeling the need to save her husband, Yor had even more reason to ascend.

Placing Bond's leash into Anya's hands she whispered, "hold onto this really tight, okay? Bond, keep her safe. I'll come back for you!"

At that, Yor sprinted up the stairs, skipping a couple with each step. It tore her heart apart to leave her crying child behind, but she knew she was faster without her.

That's exactly what Anya knew too–that she would only slow her mother down.

Floor 23… 25… 28… which one do I go to?!

Anya said south earlier… should I just check a random floor?!

Well, here goes!

I'm coming, Loid! Marcus better not lay a finger on you!

Twilight crept up to the final floor, floor 38 of this hotel.

It was a dizzying height just knowing how high up he truly was. Thankfully he wasn't near any ledge as he pushed open a metal door.

Pulling up his suppressed handgun, Twilight cleared his corners.

This floor truly was a penthouse under construction, a crane in the midst of laying down metal beams.

But like the construction workers had mentioned, it was halted for the day.

Expecting something foul, Twilight was unsurprised to see there weren't any inspectors. In fact, the whole half-built penthouse was empty.

I don't trust this. My instincts tell me no but my mission demands yes.

I must search and investigate, my report will be incomplete and inconclusive otherwise.

Without this rooftop, I have no other leads.

A fake inspection–this certainly has to be the spot.

But it's so open… the second I begin clearing the rest of the area I put myself in danger.

My protection as a spy is my ability to hide among the populace. Alone on a rooftop isn't exactly where I thrive. Felix won't exactly bail me out of any situation that occurs up here.

Sighing deeply, Twilight, portrayed currently as Felix Finley, readied himself before continuing forward.

Construction supplies laid to every side. Metal beams, wooden planks, drywall, power tools, every single thing a person could possibly need. There were several floors beneath here that were barren construction floors too, the drywall not even in place yet.

There was one detail of this floor that caught his attention, a heavy wooden desk. It looked to be an ornate oak desk, one similar to those inside the Eden Academy ballroom offices.

From an initial glance, it looks to be clear, but there are a lot of open spaces as well as corners. I don't know the layout of this floor nor how many hiding places there may be.

Nonetheless, I must search it.

Stalking around, Twilight searched as best he could.

However, the desk called to his need for information. There were papers scattered across the top of it and some poking out of the drawers.

There must be something there. If this was a meeting place, they may have not cleaned it yet.

Just one peek… no!

Clear the floor first, there's an upper balcony you have yet to check.

There's too much drywall, how am I supposed to-

Twilight hushed his thoughts as he passed by one such wall he'd been pondering of.

Was that a footstep? Right on the other side of this…?

Slowly backtracking, Twilight moved silent as a cat. His feet barely left footprints as he crept back towards the corner he'd initially walked past.

Peeking around the corner, all he saw a glint of metal.

Ducking away, a machete cleaved into the drywall, inches away from him, right where his head had been. The man who swung it let out a warcry, wrenching the blade from the wall. Dust burst forth as Twilight lowered his firearm, firing into his attacker's thigh.

His armed assailant fell to the ground immediately, his warcry turning to a cry of pain.

But the damage had been done by his eruption of sound–the trap had been sprung.

To his horror, two dozen different men crept out from different hiding places. From between wooden posts in the walls, the upper balcony, even under the desk he'd been so tempted to search.

A number of them barred his direct path back to the door–his only escape.

They probably wanted me to search it first–I'm not that naive.

But this is bad either way! There's too many to-

Behind!

Twilight's mind warned him as he heard a shifting of dust.

Ducking and twisting, Twilight reached forward and gripped the collar of the man who charged at him from behind. He had a bent golf club ready to swing, but it didn't come down in time. Twilight twisted to the side, throwing the man to the ground as hard as he could. Landing on his back, the wind was shoved out of his lungs.

He missed his swing, but it gave his friends enough time to close in, all sprinting at Twilight with murder in their eyes.

This is no longer about wounding to escape, I need to defend myself with lethality.

So be it.

Aiming his pistol, Twilight exhaled slowly.

5 shots.

5 bodies that dropped to the ground.

That was as many as he could get before another machete swung at him. Ducking under it and jabbing the barrel of his gun into the ribs of the man, Twilight pulled the trigger again. The bullet tore into the heart of his foe, but it didn't stop him from gripping onto Twilight's wrist.

Unable to escape the grasp, Twilight stumbled for half a second.

Forced to let go of his gun, the dead man took it with him. It was either that or be dragged down with the man.

Two men charged at him from either side, wielding a switchblade and kitchen knife respectively.

What's with these weapon choices? How can these men be so ill-armed?

Turning and twisting towards the man wielding the kitchen knife, Twilight grabbed onto his wrist. Moving faster than his attacker possible, Twilight raised his arm and brought it down across his shoulder.

Bone cracked and cartilage sundered, his elbow breaking as Twilight bent it the wrong way.

Twilight let go of him, letting the tanned man fall to the ground as his friend moved to avenge him.

Shink! Skrrrrrrrip-

The knife flew towards Twilight, striking him in the side of the ribs. Looking to sink it into his body, the bloodthirsty man pushed the blade further in as the agent glared at him.

Pulling the blade away, he expected a gush of blood.

Instead, the man stared at his flimsy blade in horror as it had been crumpled.

My training lets me ignore pain to a certain degree. My body has been hardened to a minor feat of durability, however it is my stab-proof suit that keeps me the safest.

I may as well be wearing chainmail with-

A loud crack, the explosive gases of a firearm detonating, erupted from ahead of Twilight.

Hurk!

Twilight's left shoulder suddenly jerked backwards, an impact that tore through his suit.

Footsteps stopped as all eyes centered on Twilight and whoever had struck him.

Looking up, the eyes of Felix stared at Marcus Manuez, the latter holding a six barrelled revolver.

The tip was smoking and still pointing at Twilight as an uncomfortable warmth crawled from his shoulder. His fingers tingled, going partially numb.

T-That caliber is enough to pierce my suit…

I can't allow that.

Twilight and Marcus glared at each other as people cleared the line of fire, not wanting to catch the next bullet.

The two duelist's stared each other down as Marcus pulled back on the hammer of his revolver, clicking it into place.

They both took a deep breath as silence fell.

In a sudden burst of movement, Twilight shifted first.

Jerking to the side, he stood tall with his side to Marcus–minimizing the target the man had to aim at.

Holding out his right hand, Twilight formed a finger gun, his index and middle pointing out with his thumb to the orange sky, aiming it towards Marcus.

His hand made the form right as his opponent fired.

Keeping his nerves calm, Twilight barely flinched as the bullet narrowly missed him–aiming where he'd just been.

Lowering his thumb, Twilight took his opportunity.

On command, the hidden mechanism inside his right sleeve clicked into place with his muscle movement. A single-use pistol bullet was struck by a hammer, firing towards where his hand pointed.

The bullet struck the cylinder of Marcus' revolver as it had been turning, twisting and jamming into the metal. Rendering his opponent's weapon useless, Twilight could see Marcus' teeth grinding in annoyance.

Twilight took a step back, this thing is wildly inaccurate at that distance, I was aiming for his head!

… I'll take it nonetheless.

"Kill him!" Marcus commanded his lackeys.

Twilight took another few steps away before studying his swarming attackers.

Standing tall, he clicked his heels together twice.

Immediately, two thin blades protruded from the tips of his dress shoes.

There was only one man who noticed these blades–he quickly fled the fight and hid in one of the half-constructed walls.

Twilight fended off his attackers as best he could, but this type of melee fight wasn't his forte. Injuring most of them, it was incredibly difficult to land any fatal nor crippling blows due to their insurmountable numbers.

Raising his knee, Twilight struck the first clean strike after a few minutes. His right foot's blade sunk deep into the ribs of one man. Breathing heavily, blood dripping from his jaw, Twilight grinned with a mote of confidence.

It was dashed within a second.

To Twilight's horror, this nigh-fatal wound didnt stop the figure from grabbing onto his foot–locking him in place.

Trying to pull away, Twilight realized his mistake when a wooden baseball bat cracked overtop his knee.

It was hard to tell whether it was his bones that cracked or the baseball bat.

Freeing his foot after, Twilight stumbled back before something metal and blunt struck his spine.

Flinching and stepping forward, all Twilight could do was raise his arms to defend his face.

Blow after blow rained at him before a blade sliced at the back of his knees, forcing him to fall forward.

Landing on the ground, Twilight endured the assault of a dozen of the men who were still standing.

He's not sure how long he stayed there, receiving insults in a foreign language, before Marcus called out to them.

"Woah woah, calm down! Boys! Don't kill him just yet!"

Feeling the blows came to a stop, one last man spit on Twilight, the globule landing on his right forearm. Opening his eyes and pushing himself to kneel, a figure came forward to crouch in front of him.

Marcus Manuez stared at him, his head cocked to the side with a smile.

"Agent Twilight, is it? You're a real piece of work. One man and you've killed or crippled half of mine already."

Twilight scoffed before coughing, blood spattering onto the concrete floor.

Looking back up to Marcus he whispered in Felix's soft accent, "what? Is that all you can do?"

Marcus' eyes widened sadistically, "oh no, there is much, much more. You there," he pointed to a man trying to put pressure on a bullet wound in his knee, "take his face off."

"His face?" One man asked with a bloody gash across a cheek, staring at Marcus in horror.

"The fuckin mask! You goddamn imbecile. I refuse to believe it's a pipsqueak that has caused so much trouble for us."

The wounded man grumbled to himself but acquiesed, crouching down beside Twilight. Reaching forward, his fingers sunk into the fake flesh. Pulling away, it tore like tissue paper.

What stared back at him was a slim face, a clean jawline and clear skin. Clear of acne, that is–his face was full of blood from his bleeding nose. There were cuts across his cheeks and along his forehead that drenched his face with red.

Some of his blood seeped into his eyes, turning Twilight's vision red as the man unmasked him.

The first and very last man who would ever make such a mistake.

Searing eyes full of burning hatred is all the wounded man saw before Twilight reached to the side, grabbing a broken piece of glass from a wine bottle someone had struck him with earlier. Twilight inadvertently cut his own hand in doing so, but he didn't care in his fury.

Clenching his fist around it, Twilight jammed it into the side of the throat of the fool who had unmasked him. The rest of the men all backed away a couple feet in fear as their comrade grasped at his throat for a few seconds before stopping–lying still indefinitely.

With one more down, Twilight pushed himself to his feet.

Or at least he tried to before Marcus' boot crunched down onto his chest.

Feeling his ribs push inwards, but thankfully not break, Twilight was shoved back to the ground.

"You little shit!" Marcus brought up one foot, bringing it down again on Twilight's left wrist. Shattering the watch face and electronics inside it, the glass and metal dug into the agent's skin.

Pulling Twilight partially to his feet, Marcus slugged him across the jaw. Twilight had been badly beaten and bruised, he was struggling to perceive his surroundings yet alone fight back.

Marcus let him go with a laugh.

Twilight didn't have time to fall to the ground, all of the men latching onto him and forcing him into a kneeling position. A rough rope was used to bind his hands behind his back.

His back was to the edge of the tower, the wind picking up faster when they were this high up. Wheezing, Twilight looked to meet his assailant in the eyes, barely seeing through the blood that dripped into his eyes.

"You'll regret that, for however long you have left to live. Agent Twilight, your story ends here. It seems we didn't need that Thorn Princess to help us out anyways. So," Marcus gestured widely as he raised one boot, resting it on Twilight's shoulder. The agent leaned back from the weight.

Stay calm, Twilight. You can escape from any and all bindings, especially amateur ones like this.

With his hands bound behind his back, Twilight took a deep breath before silently starting his escape. His fingers worked quickly, untying the bonds behind him.

"Any last words?" Marcus asked as he pushed Twilight an inch closer to the ledge.

Glancing back, it was a long way down to the bottom of the hotel. Only a couple inches separated Twilight's kneeling body away from a treacherous drop.

If I talk and buy some time, I can remedy this. All I need is a few seconds.

"I promise to you, I'll find you and-"

Twilight's sentence was cut off as Marcus shoved his thick boot against his shoulder roughly.

Tipping back, Twilight didn't have time to undo the rope. It only came free once he'd gone past the event horizon, his centre of gravity moving past the ledge, slipping off the side of the building.

His fingers clutched at nothing but dust, missing the ledge by mere centimeters.

Agent Twilight began to plummet with a cry of frustration and disappeared from view.

Marcus' men looked to their boss in shock.

"What? Don't look at me like I'm the monster here."

Twilight barely heard those words as the wind filled his ears with a screech.

The wind buffeted Twilight's body, the pressure only adding to the agony he was already in. With his watch broken, there was no saviour through a grappling hook or other gadgets.

This freefall was inescapable.

The floors of the building cascaded past him as his eyes stared blankly at the sky overhead. His back was to the ground and he was thankful for that. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to remain in his thoughts right to the end; Twilight didn't want his last moments to be fear and terror.

Is this how I die?

Is this truly it?

Time slowed, nearly coming to a stop as Twilight looked inward–his life flashing before his eyes. The setting sun stared at him, lighting the clouds overhead ablaze with an orange hue, warming him before the inevitable end.

I was sloppy. There were more than I thought there possibly could be. I was so caught up in the moment and made too many rookie mistakes.

I can rationalize it however I want, but it's clear what went wrong; I played the hand I was dealt completely wrong. I walked right into this–I should've known.

No use learning from this mistake–it's going to be my last one.

All I hope is that Anya isn't the one who finds my body first.

The life of a spy, one where I mustn't draw attention from the public…

and here I am about to be the next news headline.

How disappointing.

So this is it… this is how Operation Strix ends.

The worst part is that Twilight had time to think before he met his death at the concrete below.

A long fall with a sudden stop is all that awaited him.

Twilight's body felt cold, the shock of the situation sundering his emotions as they fluttered away.

Was I a good spy?

No that's not the question I want to be answered… was I even a good person?

As a father?

As a husband?

Am I content with what I've accomplished?

Twilight slowly closed his eyes, letting his body relax as much as it could with his injuries.

I did my best with what I had. I knew that if a conflict broke out on that rooftop I wouldn't be able to stop it. I'm not an assassin, I'm a spy.

It's my own fault for walking into that trap.

…

This is not the time for self-loathing or pity.

I won't spend my last moments hating or critiquing myself–what a horrendous way to go.

A pair of familiar heels came to a screeching halt against a concrete floor beneath him; an all-too familiar voice calling his name in a cry of shock that he never heard.

One of my only regrets is that I won't get to see Anya grow up into a flourishing woman.

I wish I'd told you I loved you again before I left–I never imagined it would've been the last time I'd see you.

I'm sorry to leave you so disappointed… dear.

But at the same time, I have you to thank.

You're likely one of the only ones who'll ever remember me for… me–however little of myself I ever showed to you.

If there was one moment where–

Pain–instantaneous within his right wrist.

Sudden and lurching, Twilight felt his right arm pull taught roughly. It's as if his whole arm was about to rip out of its socket. Opening his eyes in shock, his rational mind still knew the ground was a long way from here.

In front of him were the tear-stricken eyes of Yor Forger–his wife.

Her left hand clutched his right wrist, having caught him from his freefall. One of her feet was hanging over the edge of the building, her right hand extended behind her. Holding onto a steel beam, it's the only thing that kept both her and her husband from tumbling.

If only she knew that all she had to do was release him in order to fulfill her mission.

The world may never know whether she'd have been able to force her heart to do so if she knew of Loid's true identity.

Twilight just stared at her, unsure if this was a hallucination or not.

He saw her shout something and he only knew it was his name because he could read lips.

No... not my name… Loid's.

…

…!

What the hell am I doing?! I AM LOID!

Snapping back to reality, Twilight grit his teeth and clasped his hand around the forearm of his wife, trusting in her superhuman strength.

Time slowed as his body transitioned from a fall at terminal velocity to being pulled up by one hand. His shoulder was likely broken but it didn't matter to either of them.

The silhouette of a dark billowing skirt and flickering suit jacket of husband and wife were highlighted against the setting sun.

Yor's grip on the metal beam crunched and distorted the metal, threatening to tear off the chunk she held onto.

Luckily it held just as strong as her determination to protect and Twilight's desire to persevere.

Pulling her husband away from a certain doom below, he came flying towards the woman.

Falling back into the building, she caught him in her arms before tripping backwards.

Landing just a few meters from absolute peril, the couple landed on top of one another. Yor immediately wrapped her arms around Loid and squeezed him, nearly breaking more of his bones. His head sunk into her chest as she barely held back tears.

"Loid! Loid oh my god, y-you…! Are you okay! What happened?! Why are you up here!?"

Twilight's eyes just blinked in utter surprise.

"You… saved my life," he whispered.

"Are you okay?! Can you breathe?!"

"My life… saved by…" he whispered again.

"Did someone do this to you?! You're bleeding, Loid! Are you-"

"Yor," Twilight cut her off as he leaned up.

The terrified woman stopped, staring at her husband as he now loomed over her. Blood dripped off his face from various cuts and welts. There were no words to describe how desperately she wanted to embrace him, to console him after the man nearly lost his life.

But Twilight has faced death before–this one just hurt more knowing he had family that would miss him.

All he needed was exactly what he found in front of him: a caring face.

Lowering himself, Twilight and Loid both laid down onto Yor. His head sunk into her neck, pushing forward until it touched the ground beside her. Letting his hands wrap around her shoulders and pull himself close, all he could do was let out a heartfelt whisper.

"You saved my life, Yor. Just… can we stay like this a moment? No questions… not yet."

Her hands slowly wrapped around him. Her right hand sifting into his hair made Twilight exhale deeply before inhaling the scent of her perfume–something he thought he'd never smell again.

"Of course… of course," Yor whispered and exhaled softly, urging her heart to lie still from the panic she still felt.

Silence swept into the building as the lovers cradled one another, offering and receiving the comfort from this near-death experience.

Rational thought had yet to form, both of them taking the time they needed to come to terms with the adrenaline and shock.

Eventually, Twilight leaned away and flopped onto his back with a pained groan.

"Don't move like that!" Yor chastised him immediately before kneeling by his side. She covered her mouth, "s-sorry for yelling."

"Yor? You don't have need to apologize for anything. Because of you… Anya still has a father," Twilight smiled genuinely as Yor exhaled deeply.

Suddenly her eyes opened wide, "ANYA!" Looking back to the staircase she'd emerged from, Yor remembered who she'd left behind.

Standing nervously she held out her hands apolgetically, "s-stay right here, alright?! D-Don't move!"

"I… I don't think I have a choice."

Yor nodded in understanding, taking in the beaten state of his body. It looked like the man had been in a car crash with the blood and torn clothing. She was amazed he was even conscious yet alone writhing in pain.

Through all this, Twilight stayed on his back, staring at the ceiling above.

Too lost in his thought, he was just thankful to be alive–yet to acknowledge his injuries.

He never saw his wife cast one last cautionary glance to him before sprinting away back to the stairwell.

T-This has been an eventful night…

I'm… alive?

I'm alive… I definitely am.

It's been close before… but never that close.

J-Just get your breathing under control.

Calm yourself.

Inhaaaaaaaaaale.

3

2

1

Exhaaaaaaaaaaale.

3

2

1

The door to the stairwell crashed open with a wham!

Descending quickly, nearly hopping down half a flight at a time, Yor desperately wanted to reunite her family.

Why was he up there?! Loid's patients sure choose dangerous spots…

Marcus, if it was you that touched my family I swear to you-

Oh no.

Arriving back to the 21st floor in the stairwell, Yor searched for where she'd left her daughter.

It was empty.

All that was left was some tufts of white fur and blood.

Blood?! A-Anya!

Staring at the red splotches that had trickled onto the ground, the liquid was still wet enough to flow. There was a smear against one of the walls that leaned upwards. Glancing the way Yor had come from, she realized there was a trail.

Blood marked the railing and walls, climbing upwards.

Yor's eyes hardened into that of the Thorn Princess.

My family is  off limits.

Ignoring the pain in her legs from having to climb sets of stairs repeatedly all in this one night, Yor flew up them with the anger of a mother and drive of an assassin.

She was so fast -so silent- that not even Twilight heard her as she ascended the building.

The trail thinned before the blood disappeared altogether. But it was too late, Yor already knew where it led to. Arriving at a set of metal doors, she glared at a bloody handprint that had been used to push it open mere moments ago.

Taking a deep breath, Yor stepped forward and entered the half-constructed penthouse as the Thorn Princess.

Ahead of her was a swathe of men scrambling around. Drinks look like they'd been passed out, but were now being stowed back into the lone desk.

Marcus Manuez leaned against the front of it, head in his hands.

"What the hell do you mean there's no confirmation?!"

"H-He's not down there… we'd be hearing sirens already if there-"

"Then find him!" Marcus growled before glancing over, spotting his assassin.

"Good, you're here. I never expected you to be this incompetent. You never found him, did you?"

Yor twitched, I forgot to be searching for Twilight!

I was so caught up with Anya…

Glancing around, Yor saw plenty of blood and bodies. It looks like a fight had broken out up here and there were several men being treated with gunshot wounds and slashes to their faces and bodies.

"Yeah, that's the work of the agent. It's been one complication after another. This fuckin worker was a couple floors down too, but we took care of him, didn't we boys? Now as for that agent, find out how he-"

Yor didn't hear anything after that, freezing with shock.

A worker?

Loid?!

Needing confirmation, Yor stepped forward, "y-you threw the man off the building, didn't you?!"

Marcus squinted at her before crossing his arms with a grin.

She must be talking about Twilight.

"Heh, you bet yer ass we did. Left him a few bruises to remember us by."

Marcus certainly didn't expect a dark frown to enter Thorn Princess' face.

Jumping and looking away, he gestured to the side, "we've got our contingency, relax. Bring em out, boys!"

Yor tilted to the side, watching as two figures were brought to the desk he leaned against.

Anya Forger, her mouth duct taped and hands bound with rope in front of her, was pulled along by her hair. Yor watched in horror as her daughter stumbled, barely even walking as she was lifted–unable to cry out. There were tears on her face from the fear–her only comfort walking beside her.

Bond was dragged along by three separate men, even then they struggled to shift the large dog. Nonetheless they'd utilized rope in fashioning a muzzle on the dog. Around the maw of Bond was red-stained fur.

Marcus grinned, "we found ourselves a couple of mutts in the stairwell. The damn dog bit one of my men, left a mess down there. Anyways, we'll use her as a hostage against the spy."

Yor just stared at her daughter. Thankfully the girl was let go, nearly falling if she hadn't been able to lean against Bond.

Looking up to meet her eyes, Anya's were filled with pure terror. She didn't know where she was, who these men were, nor if her father were alive.

Thankfully she was unharmed, but this did very little to comfort Yor.

"You'd take a little girl as a hostage? When do you plan on releasing her?" Yor asked, walking a thin line between her cover and her deep desire to protect Anya.

Marcus raised an eyebrow before grinning and pulling out a large hunting knife.

"Release her? Nah, we'll slit her throat once the agent comes back. Let's break his spirits before breaking his skull," Marcus laughed and encouraged his men to do so too.

He stopped awkwardly when he met the shocked gaze of the Thorn Princess.

You'll… kill her?

For what?

What do you have to gain in harming a child of pure innocence?

Surely you couldn't slaughter an angel in such cold blood…?!

Yor took a deep breath, her eyes unwaveringly boring a crater into Marcus'.

"Close your eyes, Anya. Really really tight. Don't open them up for anything, got it?"

The terrified girl nodded repeatedly before clapping both hands over her eyes, leaning into the fluffiness of Bond. Thorn Princess strode calmly to the three men attempting to restrain the dog. Waving them away, Bond stood up and growled at them before coming to stare at Yor. His posture shifted calmly, coming sit by his owner.

The dog's eyes went distant, literally seeing what was about to occur.

Thorn Princess laid a hand on his head as Marcus waved a hand around, "who the hell is Anya? Are you seeing things, lady?"

Everyone whispered silently before coming to a sudden stop when the Thorn Princess yanked the rope muzzle off of Bond.

Leaning up to stare daggers back at Marcus, no one even noticed her already holding two golden needles.

The air chilled, fear striking into the heart of every man on this floor. A dark aura oozed from the emotionless assassin, her unbridled fury only visible in her eyes.

Thorn Princess' voice resonated with a loathe targeted towards Marcus' soul.

"Taking your life is not an honour–it is an obligation.

"You monster.

"Get the hell away from my daughter."

Marcus' hand twitched as his cocky smile fell into a frown. For the first moment facing this woman, he felt true fear.

"D… d-d-da-daughter?! Kill her! Don't let the bit-"

Those were the last words Marcus Manuez ever spoke.

Himself and two dozen men barely managed to overwhelm a spy, someone who used combat as a defense for after they'd been caught.

Against an assassin?

This was a bloodbath.

One that Bond had already seen the entirety of.

Instead of watching or fleeing, the dog turned to the cowering girl as the sound of combat rose into the air. Biting into her wrist restraints, being careful not to harm Anya, he dragged her under the thick desk. Throwing the crying girl under, Bond curled up against her. The dog barely fit under here with his immense size, but at the same time he blocked the entire entrance.

Only a small bubble was left under the desk as his fur blocked out most of the light.

Bond shoved his head under Anya's–urging the crying girl to come closer.

Anya didn't need an incentive, wrapping her arms around the neck of Bond.

Outside the desk were the sounds of warfare, different firearms erupting and weapons being swung.

Cries of pain and the sound of splattering liquid is what Anya blotted out as best she could.

The girl was strong, but even this was becoming too much.

Zrrrt… Skrrrrrt

Anya's eyes opened, staring at Bond's.

A vision… now?!

O-Okay… Bond… show me.

Focusing her telepathic powers to focus on Bond, her other senses faded.

Anya was so focused that she never even noticed the man who fell from the top balcony, the desk taking the brunt of his fall.

All that her and Bond saw was a single image.

A bright bathroom–the one she had previously explored inside the hotel.

It looked like she was peering through a keyhole as Anya recognized both of her parents.

Both of them were hurt, Loid having incredible injuries across his body with bits of blood and yellow bruises. Her mother looked hurt too, but not as badly. There were bandages across both of them. In the one image she witnessed, Yor was in the middle of wrapping a bandage diagonally across Twilight's barren chest–providing him aid.

On both of their faces were bright, thankful smiles. In both of Twilight's hands cradled in front of him was the family photo he had packed, his eyes staring at it.

While he was distracted by the picture, her mother was staring into his eyes, searching deep.

Her parents were both alive.

Even moreso, the image now began to move. But instead of seeing more of her parents, Bond's vision shifted and turned away from the keyhole he'd been peering through.

In the vision, he took a step away as Anya saw herself excitedly take his place. Shutting one eye, she watched herself peep on her parents with a wide smile.

No longer did her face give Bond the premonition of a painful wail–a cry of mourning; now, all he saw was an excited giggle of a girl peeping on her parents.

Suddenly, Anya and Bond felt themselves pull away–the vision coming to an end.

All fell silent outside of the desk as Anya gained her senses back. Hugging the neck of Bond, the girl just cried.

Not out of fear, nor anguish, but out of joy.

Her father was alive.

She'd done it.

Anya didn't care about what was happening outside, about the pain of having her hair tugged on or hands bound. She'd gladly do it all again if it meant she could keep this family.

So when Bond was pulled away, stepping out from the desk, Anya didn't break down from terror. All she saw in front of her as the sun sunk its final curve past the horizon, was her mother crouching down.

The woman was drenched in blood, her hands quite literally dripping with it. Yet on her face was a soft smile, "Anya! Are you hur-"

Rushing forward, Anya went to clutch her arms around Yor. The woman shifted quickly, holding out her hands to stop Anya from touching her.

Yor took a deep breath to calm herself.

"K-Keep your eyes closed! I-It's… uhm…!"

Anya took a step with her mother as she shut her eyes again. Reaching over, Yor wiped her hands onto the tie of the man lying with his back on the desk. After cleaning her hands somewhat, the mother reached down and took one of Anya's to guide her.

Anya tried to ignore the splashing of their feet in the sinister liquid that soaked this entire floor. Being led by her mother, the woman crafted a lie on the spot.

"Me and my f-friends were… uhm… cooking! A-And we just spilt some ketchup…! Yeah, that's all!

"…

"P-Please don't tell your father about any of this!"

Anya whispered in response to her panicking mother, "O-Okay… Mama…"

Anya knew it was to protect her mother's cover, but she also never wanted to mention the awful lie her mother had thought of.

Where a normal child would be traumatized and in tears, Anya was just proud they'd gotten through this. She's been kidnapped before. On her first days with Twilight, she'd literally watched a man take a bullet to the forehead.

This time, somehow, wasn't as bad. She didn't actually see anything. With how active her dreams have been recently of her mother's profession, Anya has already come to terms that she will be seeing death and injury throughout her life.

What's more important than anything she'd witnessed:

Her family was whole.

Her father was alive and they'd be finding him soon after her and her mother cleaned up.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Twilight was in quite the amount of pain.

Pushing himself up the stairs one at a time, the man readied a tall metal pipe he had found.

I can't leave Marcus here. Not while my family stays in this building.

All I need to do is confirm his position. If he's on the roof, I'll bar the door and call in a sniper team from WISE. There's other buildings around here aspiring to reach the clouds–The Hallowed Hotel does not stand alone.

It'll be easy shooting and keep me out of the danger.

I'm not in any shape to be of any more assistance anyways.

Then I'm going down to be with them for the night. I'll be seeing you soon, Anya.

I'll see you after every mission.

I've never valued my own life more than I do right now.

Cresting the last stair, Twilight limped towards the set of metal double doors he knew led to the penthouse.

The man paused, staring at a bloody handprint against the door. It was partially dried.

However, there was another red handprint. It was soaked onto a white paper that was tacked to the metal door by a golden needle.

A needle from the Thorn Princess.

Staring at the sloppy handwriting, it's clear that the writer was attempting to disguise themselves.

Huh, seems she learnt from the mistake Reyna Reinhardt made. Nonetheless… why the hell did she leave a note?

It's addressed to…

Me?

Twilight ripped the note from the needle, not daring to touch it knowing the poison it was laced with.

Reading it, he placed a hand on the metal doorknob.

Your repayment for the ball, a professional courtesy.

These men were no ally of humanity, regardless of their nationality.

The contract on your head has been nullified–until you make more enemies, that is.

I will not work alongside monsters.

You've shown me you're not one, continue to do so.

Thorn Princess

Twilight's eyes frowned, what? Surely she didn't-

Opening the door, Twilight feasted his eyes on the bloody destruction. Every single piece of drywall had either been punctured or painted red. Several of the power tools and construction implements he'd seen earlier had been utilized in this bloodbath. At least a dozen different golden needles stuck out of bodies or were embedded into the ground.

Lying on top of the desk was Marcus Manuez, a needle driven from the bottom of his chin vertically into his skull–nailing his mouth shut.

It seems she did.

I served her prey to her last time; this time I was the one who had been granted the same favor.

I never thought I'd be more thankful for an assassin's existence.

Despite your monstrous capabilities, Thorn Princess, you seem to be more humane than even myself.

Maybe you're not as bad as I assumed you to be.

Shutting the door, Twilight limped back down the steps. Leaving the bloodied paper behind, his work was fulfilled.

Limping down one step at a time, Loid froze as Yor, accompanied by Anya and Bond, stepped out of a bathroom beside the 18th floor stairs. Standing in the doorway to the residential area, Twilight stared at his family.

Anya was staring at her mother, not having noticed her father yet.

Mama cleans really fast…

Yor's clothes were mostly ridden of blood. Of what remained, it would be easy to explain it was blood from her own wounds which were evident across her chest, back, and face.

Anya's skin had been completely washed, splotches of blood barely even visible on her peach dress.

Even using just the supplies in a general bathroom, Yor had managed to clean all the blood entirely off of Bond, his white fur puffed outwards from being roughly dried with a hand towel.

"Y-Yor? You're hurt-" Loid and Twilight began–confused by her injuries.

The woman yelped, not having noticing him. Once she did, she cut him off by rushing forward, wrapping her arms around him.

"Loid! You shouldn't have come down from there by yourself! There were some bad men up there!"

Twilight let out a sigh, she must've gotten caught by them in the hallway at some point. I did see the blood trail, that must've been her blood.

The only reason the trail didn't lead further down is because Yor had taken the time to clean their feet before venturing down, not wanting to leave a trail of red footsteps.

The man slowly embraced the hug with a wince of pain. The grip around him loosened, knowing he had several painful injuries.

Yor opened her mouth to speak but it was Anya who cut her off.

"PAPAAAAA!" She cried out, her voice coming to her for one of the first times since being separated. Jumping up, Anya hugged both her parents.

They crouched down, pulling each other all close.

Twilight took a deep breath, They're okay. I was worried they'd get captured by Marcus or worse… But they're here. It looks like Yor kept her safe after all. I'll have to ask more on her injuries… but that'll come later.

Yor tried not to cry, her day being tossed and turned from every which way. First her worst assignment in history of her assassinations, then Anya's panic leading to her catching her husband who was falling to his death. Then dealing with the kidnapping of her daughter and frantically cleaning before anyone found them.

Pulling her husband and daughter close, Yor let herself relax–it was over.

He's okay. Marcus isn't able to touch my family ever again.

After beating my husband half to death and then leaving him to plummet and kidnapping my own daughter, I wouldn't have let him live even if he begged.

But they're both alright, my family is safe.

Anya didn't have the strength for thought. Just clutching her arms around her injured and exhausted parents, Anya held them as close as possible.

Staying like that for a minute, Twilight and Yor's heads sunk to press their foreheads together. They both looked down to Anya who just cried, refusing to let her parent's out of her grasp.

So that's where they stayed, kneeling and leaving small droplets of blood on the carpet, until the noise complaints began to ring out.

Chapter Text

Today has been a long day for the Forgers.

They've only been in this hotel for two or so hours and have already had enough excitement for the rest of their lives.

After returning from the rooftop, the family of four retreated to their hotel room. Both of the parents were separately concerned about leaving a trail and minimized their presence.

Almost immediately after returning, Yor stepped into the bathroom to make a call while Twilight did likewise on the balcony.

While he ordered a cleaning squad to sweep the upper floors to avoid his family from being linked to it, Yor anxiously awaited the Shopkeeper to answer her call.

Click.

"Thorn Princess? I trust your client is pleased."

"Uhm… well… you see…" Yor laughed nervously, "I'm afraid I took to Marcus Manuez as my client instead… I may have gotten a bit… emotional."

"...Oh."

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again-!"

"May I inquire as to why?" The Shopkeeper asked calmly. Yor straightened up in surprise as her employer continued, "I trust in your judgment of eliminating the enemies of Ostania but I must still ask."

Yor twiddled the curled phone cord around her index finger, "w-well… he took a hostage–a child."

"Ah… I see. Your daughter, I presume?"

How'd he know?! He's so observant…

"I…! Y-Yes!"

"So be it. We do not sacrifice innocent lives to eliminate our enemies–we would be nothing more than mere dogs. Marcus was a known arms trader and a possible contributor to local acts of domestic terrorism. He is… or was… charismatic to the point where he would convince his clients to purchase the weapons his very own men held. As a result, his forces were usually armed with melee weaponry instead of firearms. Although, I imagine you figured that out already.

"While a financial ally of ours, he was by no means a friend.

"As for you? There will be no repercussions. You are in the clear, Thorn Princess."

Yor let out a deep sigh at his words, but kept her tongue as the Shopkeeper kept speaking.

"I would not provide you this liberty if I was not aware of your skill sets and reliability.

"After all, a rosebush protects itself through the thorns it produces.

"Marcus is at fault for his ambition to pick the youngest seed yet to blossom–neither flower nor thorns. I am completely aware of how this family is imperative for your safety from secret police–a force I cannot reliably protect you from. If a contract interferes with your personal safety through this family, I would sooner burn the forest to provide for the health of the rosebush."

Yor took a deep breath of relief and nodded as if the Shopkeeper could see her. "Perfect, thank you. I must return to my family and-" Yor winced as she turned slightly, pain flaring up from her back, "-a-and tend to them."

"Tend to yourself, as well. I will speak to you the next time I require you. The Garden is proud to present the bouquet you provide."

With that, the Shopkeeper hung up, leaving Yor to slowly place the phone back onto the wall.

The woman sighed again, letting her body relax before another shooting pain rippled through her. Patting a hand onto her lower back, she felt a squelch from her dress and the blood it was soaked in–her wounds weren't closed yet.

The woman needed to tend to her body, but first she wanted to tend to her family.

Walking back into the hotel room, she saw Loid was already back from his call. In fact, he was picking up food from a staff member–collecting roomservice he'd previously ordered.

"I figured you'd all like to eat here," he spoke with a wince, limping with each step. His suit jacket and vest was already removed, the red splotches more visible against his white dress shirt.

"Yeah!" Anya excitedly waved her feet, sitting on the edge of the bed. Even Bond was excited for food, knowing he would be receiving scraps.

The family ate together, albeit mostly in silence. However they stayed in close proximity, the parents especially sticking close to Anya.

The girl was ecstatic. Even though she had reason to be terrified from her experiences today or horrified at her parents physical state, the girl was prouder than a gold-medal olympian to have both her parents by her side–both of them still alive.

She'd been spared most of the violence by Bond's vision, not even hearing about 90% of the entire battle. Anya was thankful for this, but either way she wasn't all too affected.

The girl had an extremely strong willpower. While still a child, often crying out of fear, her mind was incredibly resilient to manipulation and normally traumatic events.

She still felt fear and still experienced terror, needing consolation in her darkest moments. However, it was significantly easier for her to rebound back afterwards. The girl was likely better at handling trauma than even Twilight, a man who has experienced war and undergone years of harsh training as an agent of international espionage.

Whether this was a result of her experiences in the lab or her telepathic abilities, Anya was in a giggling mood while most children would be in tears or frozen in shock.

While Twilight kept her plate full of food, Yor constantly wiped her daughter's mouth.

The parent's exchanged some glances, but held their questions.

Right now, their daughter was the priority; this priority only lasted for another thirty minutes before Anya was struggling to stay awake.

Picking her up, Twilight held to the tired girl. Striding over to her bed, he sat on it and opened the comforter.

Reaching up to pull her away and set her to sleep, the father hesitated. Instead, he placed his hand onto the back of her head and pulled her in closer–keeping his daughter by him.

Her elbows wrapped around his neck, embracing him with a smile as he closed his eyes.

I was afraid I'd never be able to experience this again, he thought.

I was afraid I'd never come back to this family.

I was afraid I'd never get to hear her say-

"I love you, Papa," Anya whispered to him, trying to remain strong and not cry while reading her father's thoughts.

-yeah, those ones.

Twilight took a shallow breath- deep ones hurt too much -before sighing calmly.

"I love you too, Anya. I hope you had an uneventful day."

"Mhmm!" The girl giggled, knowing what she'd prevented.

"Good. Don't become a psychiatrist. Now, get some sleep."

Twilight smiled to his daughter before leaning down, placing her under the comforter. Pulling it up around her, he leaned down and planted a kiss onto her forehead.

Anya stared at her father, her smile widening with glee, both overjoyed and surprised at the first time he's done this.

The father had a smile that seeped into his eyes, studying the face of the child who was nearly the final regret of a dying man.

I'll nurture you and fashion you into whatever it is you want to be.

No matter what road you go down, I know you'll be the best at it.

Patting the bed, Twilight urged Bond to climb up with her. The dog gladly did so, twisting a few times in place before plopping down beside Anya. She hugged his neck as if he were one of her stuffed animals with a giggle before yawning.

Twilight smiled at her, brushing one of her cheeks with his thumb to remove one last crumb of food.

"Sleep well. Papa is just going to clean up before getting in bed himself. Trust me, I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Anya," he repeated, having a need to say it every time before leaving her now.

The girl giggled gleefully, proud that he said it without her prompt for the first time, "I wuv you too!"

Reaching over, Twilight went to flick the lamp on her nightstand off. Putting too much weight on his right leg, he winced and his weight faltered.

He would've fallen forward if it wasn't for Yor who slipped to his side, supporting him with her hands on his shoulders.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Please, this is the least I can do. Let's clean up, alright?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Twilight nodded before putting an arm around the shoulders of his wife. Reaching out, he grabbed their family photo before anything else.

She switched the light off for him before supporting him back to the bathroom.

Turning the fluorescent light on with a flick of the switch, the couple stumbled into the room. Setting her husband onto a cushioned-bench on one side of the room, she stepped to the counter on the other side.

This bathroom was extremely well-equipped. It had a shower, bathtub, makeup station, large mirror in front of the sink, plenty of soaps, and a first aid kit.

Taking the first aid kit, Yor lifted the chair from the makeup station and set it in front of Loid. Sitting delicately on it, she started sorting through the white and red box, setting out different supplies.

"Did you run into them too?" Twilight and Loid asked her suddenly.

Yor jumped, not having expected the question nor the stare from him. Taking a deep breath, Yor made a lie of omission–the only type of lie she could reliably make.

"I found them while looking for Anya. She was okay, but I earned a few of my own scrapes in getting to her."

Twilight nodded, not all too focused on detecting any lies. He reached up, slowly undoing his dress-shirt button by button.

Normally, Yor would watch with bated breath, but she was entirely focused on his well-being.

"Was a client of yours up there? Are you okay?!" Yor asked the questions she'd been holding in for an hour.

Twilight smiled calmly and lied as easily as he breathed, "one of my clients was on edge, so I took a break to get some fresh air while they took some personal time. A group of bandits- that's the best I'd describe them as -attacked me. They didn't even take my wallet. They assaulted me and well… you know the rest."

"I do… yeah…"

An awkward silence rose up as Twilight let his dress shirt fall behind him. Sitting up slightly, he rested his head on the wall behind him and placed his hands into the knees of his suit pants.

A moment after, Loid broke the silence.

"How'd you know to be there? It's incredible you were at that exact spot at that time," Twilight mentioned, finding the chances of his survival to be that of a lottery.

Yor smiled, "oh, actually it was Anya that wanted to see you. She was insistent you had gone up but she also wanted to see the sunset on the south side of the building. We got lucky."

Anya? Did I not sneak away properly?

Twilight opened his mouth to speak, but there was a sharp pain in his ribs as he took in the breath. Yor's eyes riveted on him, staring at his wounds.

There were masses of yellow bruises, many that would turn purple and black within time. His face had multiple cuts and scrapes. His right shoulder looked twisted–likely broken from when she'd caught him. His ribs didn't look broken but they were certainly bruised. Most of his injuries overall were directed at his chest and face.

However what caught Yor's attention first was the bullet wound on his left shoulder.

"Loid! You never told me you took a-"

"You never told me you took one either," he countered with a soft smile.

Yor's mouth clicked shut, flinching and glancing down to her right. The blood soaked portion of her dress was more visible now as her wound still bled from her lower back.

"Good with pain?" Twilight asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I am a woman."

His suspicion immediately faded, "you… make a fair point. Still, where did you learn such intensive care?"

He watched her work as she pulled out a set of metal tweezers. Shifting closer, she studied his wound.

"I just learnt it over time. I've had to care for Yuri and myself for a long time. That and I took a nursing class on weekends as a teenager."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, that wasn't in her files.

Instead of suspecting she was lying, he was much too thankful for her existence right now to even encroach that thought. As his wife and caregiver, he trusted her entirely right now.

The Twilight from a few weeks ago would've seen through the lies Yor spoke.

I'll make sure to amend them, then. Franky will be able to-

Twilight was forced from his thoughts at a sudden pain in his shoulder. Clutching his fingers into fists, he shut his eyes and grit his teeth in silence.

A few seconds later, it came to a stop.

Letting go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he opened his eyes to his smiling wife.

Dropping the bloodied bullet she'd pulled out into a metal tray, she began preparing bandages.

They didn't speak for a moment as they looked at the dented metal.

As an assassin and a spy, they were both aware of how deadly firearms were. Just one stray bullet, even just a lucky shot, was enough to end the life of any skilled combatant. If this bullet had been just three inches to the left, Twilight never would've made it out alive. They both knew how equally lucky he was that the bullet didn't fragment and cause greater bleeding.

Looking down, Twilight studied the family photograph in his hands. Letting his wife lean around him, wrapping the bandage diagonally around his chest and shoulder, it already began to feel better. His blood soaked into the wrapping, turning it partially red already.

Wiping his thumb over the glass, Twilight couldn't look away from the nervous smile of his wife nor the strained one of his daughter.

They weren't good at looking natural, but back then they'd still tried their best. Each and every day, however, the look they strived to imitate became more and more real.

This is one of our only photos as a family. For them, this would've been the only thing they'd have to remember me by.

Maybe… we should take another someday.

Looking up to his wife, Yor immediately looked away after having been staring into his eyes.

Tying the bandage tight, the both of them now felt a spot of heat on their sides–a stare from an unseen individual.

Both the spy and assassin swiveled to stare at the door, their eyes locking onto the keyhole.

"Eep! Go Bond, go! Quiet!" Both parents heard their daughter as she skittered away, fleeing back to her bed.

Yor just smiled and stood up. Approaching the door, she didn't open it. Instead of trying to catch her daughter peeping, she just locked the door and placed a thin bandaid over the keyhole.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want her seeing these things," she admitted.

"Don't apologize for that, I agree with you. You've been a great mother to her."

Yor flinched as she sat down, not from the pain she felt in her back, but from the surprise of his words.

"W-What?"

"You've been an amazing mother," Twilight went further. With a growing smile, he looked up to meet her eyes and explained the thoughts he'd nearly lost the chance to ever explain, "my previous wife had her own issues, ones we've discussed before. But you…? You're more than I ever expected. I asked you to pretend to be my wife just so Anya could attend a school. But each day that goes by you tend to her with more love than I ever asked you to."

Yor waved a hand, "I'm enjoying her company! It's not that-"

"Yor," Twilight and Loid spoke with a serious tone, staring into Yor's eyes, "you took a bullet for a girl who isn't even your own daughter."

The woman just stared at him in surprise. Lowering her hands and folding them in her lap she whispered, "Anya deserves the world, the least I could do for her is some effort."

Sighing softly, his gaze warming as he studied his wife, Twilight just smiled. She's perfect for this family. I couldn't imagine anyone else in her place.

Twilight nodded proudly but changed the subject, "we've tended to my worst wounds, so let me tend to yours. Turn around," he commanded.

Yor's face flushed with red before she nodded and obeyed.

Moving to stand up, the woman immediately faltered and sunk back into her chair with a pained expression. Clutching onto one of her thighs, she grit her teeth while Twilight held out his hands–worried she'd fall.

"Are you okay?!" Both Loid and Twilight asked in a sudden worry. When his wife nodded and took a deep breath, letting herself relax, he did the same. Glancing back up to her, "I'm not the only one with a limp–don't try and hide it. Where'd they hurt you?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice when he thought of Marcus and his men.

To his surprise, Yor shook her head, "not there. Most of where I got hurt is on my back, my legs are okay. They're just cramped from walking up dozens of flights of stairs today," she winced again as she put her feet back onto the floor.

Climbing the stairs? Why would you not use the elevator? Twilight thought. Well, I suppose she was exploring for a while. I wouldn't put it past her if she'd searched every floor looking for something interesting.

Reaching down, Twilight brushed a hand alongside one of her calves, "may I?" he offered.

Yor nodded to him, curious as to what he planned. She jumped when he reached down, gently taking her right foot into his hands. Sitting forward, he lifted it so it stood on the corner of the bench between his legs.

Tracing his hands along her calf he explained, "I may be a psychiatrist, but I actually used to work as a physical therapist. I know how to treat sore and cramped muscles. If that's alright with you, that is."

That's a lie. It's because I had to go to physical therapy more than my fair share of times. Mostly because of that one mission…

Twilight shuddered from the embarrassment.

After infiltrating a high and mighty art gallery, I stole the smuggled paintings out of a golf course they were being held at. After sending them off with my contact, it was a smooth, stealthy mission complete. After  all that , I got run over by a drunk teenager driving a golf cart and she broke my leg.

A golf cart.

Geez, I didn't want to remember that.

Twilight looked back up to his wife, confused as to why she was covering her mouth with one hand and looking away. He completely missed her other hand that pressed down on her skirt to keep herself covered.

Her face was turning red as she nodded, not trusting her own voice.

With her confirmation, Twilight reached up and gently slipped off her thigh-high boots. He moved slowly, ensuring he didn't pull on her leg or twist her ankle in doing so.

Twilight began massaging the lower muscles of her calf and shin. He was both surprised and unsurprised by the dense muscle. While Yor looked slim, her unnatural strength came from her incredibly dense muscle fibers–especially in her legs. So while Twilight put a normal amount of pressure that would usually be needed for soothing muscles, it barely affected her. Having to almost quintuple the strength he used, Twilight saw the confirmation.

Yor's head leaned back, resting against the neck of the chair she sat on with a deep sigh.

As she relaxed, closing her eyes and focusing on the soothing rhythm of his hands, so did her entire body. It only made it easier for Twilight as he rubbed a muscle knot away and shifted slowly forward.

As his hands wrapped around her thigh, he didn't expect Yor to jump, staring at him accusingly. He never noticed her right hand shift, nearly slapping him on instinct. Pulling herself back, Yor just stared at him in surprise.

"I can stop if you'd like," Twilight whispered, sensing she may be uncomfortable.

Yor was torn. Taking a deep breath as his warm hands ran over her knee and back again, her right calf was feeling much better. While she was incredibly flustered, she wasn't embarrassed.

His touch is… nice… if I admit it.

She wouldn't ever admit that to him–she'd sooner pass away on the spot than embarrass herself like that.

"No, keep going. I'm just… t-ticklish… is all," Yor whispered in a panic before covering her mouth again and looking away.

Twilight tilted his head, that's a weird thing to lie about…

Nonetheless, if she leaves a pulled muscle for tomorrow, it won't look good for our family. Having one parent with a limp is alright, but both?

We should avoid dragging any unwanted attention considering the visceral scene in the penthouse. Hopefully the cleanup team will arrive soon.

"Alright, let me know if I do anything wrong," he spoke calmly before returning to work.

Pressing his hands inward and then out, he worked from the bottom of her thighs up. Even more than her calves, her muscles were like steel fiber. Whenever she'd accidentally flex, he could feel the strength in her body. No wonder she hit like a truck.

While his fingers experienced the silkiness of the soft flesh on her thighs, Twilight hardly took it in. There were certainly moments where he admired her legs while they were in his hands, but it wasn't entirely in a lascivious way, although he did have the occasional dirty thought while brushing her inner thighs. Moreso, Twilight was impressed by her figure in combination with how well-muscled she was. In all intents and purposes, she was at the pinnacle of health.

Completely focused in his task of trying to soothe the muscle he was barely able to shift, he never noticed his wife's expressions. Keeping her mouth covered, her face turned red as his hands ran over the more sensitive parts of her body.

But this was exactly what she needed. The knots of muscle were wrung out and her cramps soothed by his warm hands.

Moving to her other leg, he replicated his efforts in silence.

It took around ten minutes before he pulled away from her left thigh, rubbing his sore fingers.

"Better?" Twilight asked, proud of his effort.

"Mhmmm, y-yup…" Yor whispered back.

It truly felt like a miracle had been worked on her but the woman was too flustered by the wild thoughts running through her head.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her expression and opened his mouth to ask. Before he could, Yor shifted to turn around like he'd asked before.

The woman still didn't trust her voice and was too nervous to meet his eyes.

Standing up, she turned to straddle the chair with her back to her husband. The woman jumped when he reached down and pulled the chair closer while she was still in it. Hugging the tall back of it to her chest, Yor closed her eyes.

Twilight just stared at her lower back, seeing the hole in her dress where she'd been shot. Reaching up, he undid the three buttons that held together the clasps of the black lattice around her neck. Slipping it forward, he knew he couldn't properly treat the wound while her dress was in the way.

She has other wounds too, but the only threatening one seems to be her gunshot wound. Let's treat that one first.

Determined to assist her, Twilight slipped his fingers under the top of her dress on her back, pulling the entirety of it down.

Yor stiffened up in shock as her dress fell away to her hips. There was pain from the clothing shifting off her wound, but it was nothing in comparison to the embarrassment she now felt. Clutching the chair against her now-barren chest, she stared at the mirror ahead of her in shock at her husband.

Twilight didn't notice, just studying the various bruises and cuts on her shoulder blades. The bullet wound itself didn't look as serious as he expected–Yor did have a stronger body than he did when it came to these things.

Reaching forward, he traced a hand around some of the cuts, gauging their depth. In an immediate response, Yor stiffened further and shied away from his touch.

"Yor? I can't help much while you shift around like that. Try and hold still while… what?" Twilight now noticed her staring at him in the mirror, her entire face beet red.

Twilight was confused.

Yor opened her mouth to speak but was too flustered to form a sentence. So instead, she just lowered her embarrassed face against the chair and wrapped both arms tight around it.

In this movement, Twilight now noticed a new shifting in the mirror, his wife's cleavage that was visible as she pressed against the back of the chair. The padding acted like a push-up bra, grabbing his attention from the movement.

Now he realized what he'd done in pulling her dress off of her in his haste to treat her wounds.

"...o-oh…" his face turned just as red.

"Should I…uhm…?" Twilight wasn't sure what to do, debating just pulling her dress back up.

I didn't even realize! I was so caught up in wanting to help her. I hope she doesn't hate-

"I-It's alright," she whispered. Clearing her throat, Yor stared at him in the mirror, "just… be slow."

"Are you sure? It wasn't my intention to put you into this position and-"

"Loid?" Yor asked, meeting his flustered eyes in the mirror. Twilight looked away awkwardly a moment later. Feeling the heat from her stare, the man slowly met her eyes again in shame.

The woman just giggled, her voice coming back in strength, "I… don't mind. Out of anyone to be in this scenario with… I'd rather it be you."

Unable to find his words, he nodded awkwardly and cleared his throat along with his mind. It clouded again with new thoughts as his eyes studied Yor's back again. Her muscles rippled as her arms clutched around the chair, her strong shoulders working with ease despite her injuries.

Her skin was soft to the touch.

His fingers were a soothing trace of warmth along her back.

The lovers took a moment to themselves to enjoy the feeling of each other's skin, not realizing they were both sharing similar thoughts and daydreams.

Jumping from his mind, Twilight turned to the first aid kit.

Taking a few minutes to clean her smaller wounds, the man placed small square bandages onto her skin. She didn't bleed much, most of these wounds being superficial. While he reasoned them to be glancing blows, it was actually her dense muscle fiber that weakened any slash or blunt force she took.

Studying the bruises that were still forming, Twilight couldn't stop a deep feeling of hatred.

I had my own reservations about killing them when they'd attacked me but…

Not anymore. They deserved it for striking a woman as beautiful as this.

For daring to strike my wife.

Twilight paused and blinked to himself.

Why am I being so possessive? Cool yourself, Twilight. Don't go grasping at straws of feelings you shouldn't be nurturing to begin with.

Finishing the treatment of her other words, he broke the silence as he held out metal tweezers.

"This is bound to hurt; are you ready, Yor?"

"Mhmmm," she hummed with her eyes closed, hugging the chair.

Venturing in, Twilight had to practically fish around for a moment to find the metal.

Creeeeeeak…

Pausing, Twilight's eyes glanced up to the sound of metal bending. Looking to his wife's thighs, he took note of her strength as her bare thighs crushed the metal sides of the chair inwards–nearly breaking it entirely.

Urging himself to work faster before he caused her further pain, it wasn't long before Twilight found it.

This one too hadn't fragmented.

Pulling it out and dropping it into the metal tin, Yor's entire body relaxed with a sigh.

Putting a hand forward, he placed it onto the back of one of her shoulders, "everything alright?"

"Y-yeah… keep going…" Yor whispered, breathing heavily from the pain.

There was a pause of silence and Yor jerked up, realizing how that may have sounded for her to whisper.

Lowering her red face, she pressed it into her hands to avoid the embarrassment.

"Yor?"

Her heart sank, knowing he was about to address it or make fun of her.

Oh god, does he know what I've been thinking? Does he realize that I'm sitting taller than I need to? It's not that I'm trying to expose myself to him, I just can't help but know what he'd look like while studying me!

Opening her mouth, Yor stuttered and stumbled over her words.

She never got a chance to fully form her thoughts.

"Thank you for saving my life," her husband whispered–not a single lewd thought in his head from the way she'd whispered.

Yor just stared at him in shock, "h-huh?"

Leaning down, he began cleaning her wound before beginning to dress it.

"You caught me after I thought I was already gone. I'd made peace with my death but you pulled me from that mental ledge." Yor barely felt the sting of her hydrogen peroxide on her back as Twilight spoke with a smile, "I should be more scared right now, more traumatized by such a close call, but the reality is that I'm not. I've had patients pull some dangerous stunts before and I've been mugged once or twice. But… I never had anyone by my side to save me before–someone that I would've never pulled through without their existence." Taking a deep breath, he met her shocked eyes with a genuine smile. "So, thank you. For saving not just my life, but for the life of Anya's father. I'll have to repay the favour sometime."

Yor took a deep breath and hugged the chair in thought, his words warming her entire body. "I… I don't know what to say to all that…" she admitted.

"You don't need to say anything. It's something I needed to say."

Yor smiled softly, staring at her husband as he gently wrapped a bandage around her waist. Pulling her stomach from the chair, she studied how careful he was to stare at her back, not allowing himself a chance to peek at her as she pulled away from her cover for a couple seconds at a time.

I can tell he wants to look but stops himself.

Somehow, that makes me feel safer.

Smiling to him, Yor responded in a soft tone, "I'll be here for you whenever you need me. Whether it's someone to hold as comfort for after a long day or a helping hand, I want to keep you safe."

Twilight scoffed as he brushed a hand over her treated wounds, "I was going to say similar to you. I wish you'd never gotten into such danger."

Helping her pull her dress back up, Yor covered herself and redid the collar lattice.

Turning around to sit properly, she smiled delicately, "as long as you stay away from ledges from now on, I'll be more careful."

Twilight laughed to himself for a moment before stopping from the pain in his ribs. Looking back up he nodded, "deal. And again I'm sorry for… you know…" he gestured plainly to her chest.

Yor shrunk down for a moment with a blush, "It's alright, truly."

Twilight took a breath in and calmed himself. "Good, because there's more to be done. We can't exactly go out looking like this," he gestured to his own face, "I have my makeup kit here but I need to see what matches your skin. Could you lean forward a bit?" He gestured for her to do as he said.

Tilting her head in confusion, Yor leaned forward politely. Her husband immediately began studying her bruised face, looking for a good foundation colour in his mind.

The woman certainly didn't expect him to be so close to her. His breath touched her cheek and lips as his eyes sifted, reading her skin as if it were a book.

Red uncontrollably began to seep into her face.

It tripled in pace when he reached up with his left hand, clasping it around her chin and jawbone. His palm held her chin softly as his fingers brushed her cheeks and jaw with a feather touch. Guiding her head left and right, he continued his scrutiny in memorizing her face.

While he worked completely focused, Yor tried her best not to melt in his hand.

W-What is happening?! W-W-W-Wh-Why is he…?!

Her eyes went hazy as the woman become increasingly flustered.

Twilight frowned in pain, his ribs not liking how he was leaning forward. Tilting back he pat the cushions on the bench beside him, "come closer."

The woman was staring at his eyes as his hand pulled away–she never noticed him gesture to the spot beside him.

Obeying him, Yor stood up partially. Reaching out and placing her hands onto the wall on either side of Twilight, she stepped forward and leaned down. Sliding her thighs onto either side of him, she folded her legs and sat onto his lap. From the massage earlier, her thighs didn't feel strained at all as they squeezed gently against his sides. Shifting forward to make herself more comfortable, her chest was a couple inches from his face as she stared into his shocked eyes.

"I-" Twilight started, his hands hovering over her hips in shock.

"I didn't mean on my lap…" he whispered as it was his turn now to become flustered.

Yor had to focus to listen to his words. After listening to them repeat over and over in her head, she jumped as she realized what she'd done.

"Oh? OH!" She twitched, immediately looking to push away. "I'm so s-sorry I thought-" she twisted awkwardly while trying to lean away, her gunshot wound flaring with intense pain.

"Hey! Careful!" Twilight ushered his wife to stop shifting–to stop causing involuntary pain. In his worry, he put both hands around her and onto her back. Pulling her closer, he kept her as safe as he could by limiting her movement.

Yor grimaced in pain but accepted the embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as well. Leaning down, she breathed heavily as the pain fell away. Her body relaxed and shifted, sinking into Loid's chest and lap as she turned her head to the side. Opening her eyes, she studied the neck of her husband lying in front of her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be, you're in pain," he responded.

Yor let herself lean away, her hands on the chest of Twilight.

The lovers stared at each other, studying each others eyes.

Twilight looked for pain, to see if there was anything more he could do for the woman who had saved his life.

Yor searched for him, looking through the windows of his soul at his very essence itself.

What both of them saw: unconditional love beginning to blossom.

Twilight's hands settled on her hips as Yor shifted slightly closer. Looking down into his eyes, neither of them looked away.

Yor pressed her hands on his shoulders for a moment, I won't let anyone hurt you like this again.

My family is off-limits. If anyone dares to touch you or Anya again, they'll end up just like Marcus.

I'll protect you, Loid, just as I will Anya. Not just for my own safety, but for the joy I find from the both of you.

Twilight's hands pulled her slightly closer on his lap, continue to do everything you're doing, Yor.

I'll never be able to repay you for having saved my life today and for protecting Anya.

Operation Strix requires all three of us.

However, I want all three of us.

This family surpasses verisimilitude every day, tonight is no exception. If any moment will make me fall for you, it is moments like these–reminiscent of when we'd laid together on that concrete floor.

I know you do not need my protection, but I will still offer it. I'll watch over you from the shadows, ensuring your safety without you ever knowing.

I care for you more than I do myself, they both thought.

Staring at the respective blue and red eyes, Loid and Yor's heads moved closer without realizing it.

Barely feeling the breath of their partner of their lips, the lovers continued to stare at each other.

It wasn't until their heads turned to opposite sides, their lips pushing up against each other, that their eyes fluttered shut.

Neither of the lovers could pull away even if they wanted to. Twilight's hands pulled onto Yor's back, keeping her chest pressed against him. Her hands held onto his jaw, one sifting back into his short blond hair.

What they expected to be a butterfly touch and go quickly devolved into an ecstasy-fuelled passion.

Yor smelled like a rose while she tasted of cherry.

Twilight always tasted of vanilla with an undertone of almond.

Pulling one another in tighter, the unexpected passion grew by the second as neither of them could get enough of the taste.

When they did pull away for a moment, it was only to take a deep breath. A thin trail of saliva connected their lips before they tilted their head the opposite way, reigniting their spark. Letting their tongues do the work for them, Twilight let his hands roam upwards.

At the same time, Yor's hands moved down, tracing small shapes onto his shoulders and pectorals.

Once his fingers crested the top of her dress, Twilight could feel the urge to pull it back down.

As if she could read his mind, Yor breathed heavily, exhaling into his own mouth a mellifluous sound–her hips shifting ever so slightly.

Is this alright? He asked himself.

To hell with rules and regulations.

This is what I want–what we both want.

Let us enjoy the moment.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight's fingers clutched the back of her dress, beginning to pull it down.

That is until he shuddered, an immense pain rippling through his body.

He realized his mistake as Yor also accidentally pressed a hand onto his bruised ribs.

Taking in a deep breath had filled his lungs too much in comparison to the shallow breaths he'd been taking thus far. Pushing out on his chest, the contusions rippled with pain.

Unable to ignore it, his passion faltered.

Yor followed suit, pulling away first with worry. Pulling his head forward, she held it against her chest and brushed her hands through his hair.

"Breathe, it's alright," she whispered to him before wiping a hand over her lips–brushing away excess saliva, "I've got you."

Twilight had to focus and gripped his hands onto her hips, trying to breathe properly through the pain.

"Slow breaths, one at a time. It'll pass," Yor whispered to her partner, wanting to carry him through the exertion, "you're strong, I know you are. I'm right here with you, lean on me."

Listening to her whisper, it wasn't long until the pressure faded from his chest. It had felt like every muscle had pulled taught across his lungs before he began to breathe easier. Taking short breaths like he was instructed, Twilight came to rest.

Leaning his head back against the wall, they both met eyes and reflected on their passion.

They both realized at the same time that they'd kissed and where it had been heading.

Anyone would've been able to see the smoke rising off the both of them as their faces turned red with embarrassment and looked away.

But deep down, neither of them regretted it. If anything, they wished they hadn't needed to stop.

At the same time, neither of them knew how to move back together and resume it–nor if the other even wanted to.

Either way, neither of them had the courage to ask nor find out.

Leaning down to her husband, Yor just hugged him. Wrapping her arms tenderly around his waist, she felt his own hands do the same around her. Leaning their heads onto their partner's shoulder, they both sighed.

"Are you alright, Loid?"

"I'm more than alright, thank you. It just… hurts."

Yor scoffed before wincing as she stretched her back, "I know what you mean."

Taking a deep breath, she made a request that he'd made to her only an hour or so ago, "can we stay like this a moment?"

Twilight smiled softly as her thighs tightened slightly around his hips, knowing she was already locked in, "of course." There was a question burning in him, one he wanted to make sure didn't go unanswered like they'd done regarding the ball dance.

"Hey… you don't… regret that do you?"

Yor jumped but was careful not to press against his chest in worry of further hurting him. Thinking for a moment, she sighed and sunk her head into his neck. Whispering by his ear, "no… no I don't. But I am curious… were you about to pull my dress down again?"

Twilight twitched with shame, "w-well I… I was lost in the moment a-and I-"

Yor giggled, "I would've let you, j-just this o-once." She was lost in the moment too and still was–her future self would feel immeasurable shame in having admitted this to Loid. Her face turned red with the daydream of what would've happened if pain hadn't struck him so suddenly.

Little did she know his face reflected hers with a blush, "you… would've?"

"Maybe… b-but I wanted to ask because you forgot to unclasp the lattice first," she giggled nervously.

Twilight paused, looking at her skin in front of his eyes. Sure enough, the lattice was still in place–connected by the three buttons at the nape of her neck. It didn't have enough slack for the dress to pull down to reveal anything while it was still in place.

The man just smiled, knowing how embarrassing that would've been if he'd attempted it. Taking a shallow breath, he whispered to his wife.

"Share the bed with me tonight, just us."

Now it was her turn to twitch, "y-you mean t-to…?! But Anya might w-wake up…!"

Twilight squeezed her hips at the miscommunication, "no! I don't mean for us to do that! I just… I'm worried about you. I want to take care of my wife and it's easier if you're sleeping beside me."

"O-Oh…" Yor whispered, wishing to tape her mouth shut lest she said anything else her mind was imagining.

She took a deep breath, one Twilight was jealous of, before exhaling.

Leaning forward and closing her eyes, she pecked a kiss onto his neck, leaving a small smudge from her already-ruined lipstick.

"I'd love to. But I'll be the one caring for you–you're more hurt than I am."

Twilight froze at the kiss, unable to summon the words to tell her she was wrong. He didn't know that was part of her plan–he never would.

Sighing softly, he tightened his embrace around his loving wife and took a breath in of her rosey scent.

The couple stayed in that position for another ten minutes, finding it too painful, both emotionally and physically, to rise any sooner.