The Forgers were being followed. This was no secret. At least, no secret to the best spy from Westalis. A dark figure crept behind the family at a good pace, not bringing too much suspicion to themself, yet their efforts were in vain. If Twilight wasn't the best, the figure would've been completely hidden from the public eye.

Anya could barely breathe. A dark figure?! Following them?! That sounds bad! That sounds… exciting!

Damian could tell Anya was worried about something… Her face looked scrunched up in all kinds of uncomfortable ways.

"Are you constipated or something?"

"What's that?"

Quietly, Yor leaned over to Loid's left ear and whispered ever so quietly.

"I think we are being followed."

She caught that? Maybe the dark figure was more obvious than Loid thought.

"I saw that, too." He whispered back quietly. "Follow my lead, don't question anything."

"Got it."

Suddenly, Twilight grabbed the children's hands and leaned into a full jog, picking up the pace bit by bit. With a smile on his face, he laughed,

"I just overheard that the creperie is making a once-in-a-lifetime special that will be discontinued this afternoon! What do you say we stop by there on the way home?" Loid was running way to fast for the poor kids who were being jostled around like dolls.

"W-What?! I'm not r-running for a crepe let go-!"

"Y-yay-y! Anya l-loves crepes! A-Anya will die if I don't get crepes!" The poor little girl tried to play along with her dad.

"Great! We're taking a shortcut!"

"A wha-?!" Before Damian could question what this meant, he was perched up under one of Mr. Forger's armpits. "Hey! Put me dowAAAAHHHH!"

Like a gazelle, Loid placed his footing along a roadside barrier, and with a spring in his stride, he leapt off the cliff side!

The guttural feeling of a fall twisted Damian's stomach. The gentle air fluffed his hair. It was almost like they were flying! This was insane-!

Cathump!

Twilight landed on top of the stop-and-go traffic below. Gracefully running and jumping atop one car to the next, Loid planted his feet on the other side of the street.

"Nice landing, dear." Cooed Yor, nearly giving Loid a heart attack! She could really sneak up on him, couldn't she?

Looking above to the street they had jumped from, the Forger couple could see the cloaked figure run alongside, keeping good pace with them.

"My dear wife, I believe I dropped my wallet, would you mind taking the kids and waiting in line for me?" Asked Loid, knowing well that Yor would agree without question.

"My pleasure."

"H-Hey, I can walk myselWOAH-!" Before a complaint could be made, Damian was launched into the air, but only for a second before Mrs. Forger snatched him and Anya up with a single hand. Dang! Mrs. Forger could carry them both with one arm?! She must be crazy strong! And she's running even faster than her husband?! What is this crazy family?!

Meanwhile, Loid parted ways with his wife, making careful watch of the pursuer's tracks. But the tracker was not after him. They were after the kids.

"Dammit. I can't imagine who would want to go after Anya. This must mean the pursuer is looking for Damian." Loid's mind buzzed at gear-grinding speeds in an attempt to understand his opponent. "Whether they're planning to kidnap him for ransom or to use him as political leverage, I can't let that happen. It would endanger operation Strix!"

Quick on his feet, Twilight climbed up a fire escape ladder and jumped off its edge, whipping his belt out. Slapping it over a telephone wire, Loid got the best bird's eye view possible. From up here he could see that there was a great deal of distance between Yor and the pursuer. Probably because whoever was tracking them was getting tired.

No, they were already to the point of exhaustion! And yet they still pursue! This must not be about money- this is vendetta for sure. That was not good.

Sliding himself besides Yor and the children, Loid let himself fall from his zip line, rolling to a stop and slipping his belt back on in one fluid motion.

"I found my wallet!" He declared to keep the fantasy in play.

Catching up to his wife, Loid only had to give her a single look to communicate the situation at hand. They needed a distraction. Quick.

"Loid dear, mind taking the kids for a second, I need to catch my breath."

"But of course."

As soon as the transfer was made back into Loid's arms, Yor turned around with death in her eyes. An aura about her made Damian's heart shutter. Was this woman always this scary?

The cloaked figure was only a little ways off, and Yor had to think quick.

With one winding kick, the Thorn Princess's mighty legs cracked a fire hydrant.

Cracked. A. Fire. Hydrant.

Haphazardly, all the automobiles, pedestrians, and bicyclists came to a screeching halt! Water poured down everywhere at an intensive speed! And between the opponent and our family was a hoard of every kind of traffic.

"Ah! Oh so sorry! Forgive me," Yor pleaded with the crowd around her, "There were ducklings trying to cross the road."

Sure enough, there actually were a family of ducklings following their mother, paddling their way across a now flooded street.

Damian was in utter shock.

No human should be capable of that power. No one! How come nobody thought this was strange?!

Happily bouncing back to her family, Yor smiled like a girl in a flower shop.

"Let's get some crepes!"

A shutter ran down Damian's back. This woman was absolutely terrifying…

Finally sitting in front of the crepe shop with the deluxe crepe in hand, Damian's shocked frame didn't dare to take one bite. His uniform collar was flipped up, his hair was out of place, and his shoes were soaked to the brim.

"Is Sy-on boy gonna eat that?"

"Yes!" That snapped him out of it. "What on earth was all that back there?! We could've died!"

"Oho!" Yor laughed with her mouth full. "We were never jumping from anywhere higher than 20 feet in the air! A fall from that height wouldn't kill you! It would leave you with a possible broken spine, legs and ribs, but you would have survived!" She laughed as if it were a silly thing to worry about. It only made Damian more sick to his stomach than before.

"Uh… This is just how commoners get places quick, Sy-on boy!" Anya lied with her mouth full, with Loid piggybacking that miss-truth.

"Since we can't afford a car or a taxi, that's how we get around if we are in a hurry. But I think it's more fun that way, don't you think?" He gave a little wink to Damian.

Staring down at his uneaten, commoners crepe, then back over the the shabby street where the sun kissed the dust-covered litter, Damian felt a wave of stillness go over him. And with a chomp of his snack, he mumbled,

"It was weird, but…"

And with a gulp, a silly, almost childlike smile dared to grace his face.

"Kinda fun."

Anya wasn't sure she had seen Sy-on boy smile nicely before. It has always been snide or teasing, like the evil villain's smile in Spy Wars. But in this moment, he looked genuine.

"Sy-on boy has a nice smile!"

"GYACK-" Choked Damian. "Wh-Why on earth would you say something like that out of nowhere?! Stupid!" Then a kind hand weighted on the boy's shoulder.

"Damian, I would ask you refrain from calling my daughter that." Loid said. There was no anger in his voice, but he was serious and firm. Sitting up straight and staring at the sidewalk beneath his toes, Damian whispered,

"Yes sir."

"Don't feel bad, just a correction for the future, that's all."

Despite his attempt at reassurance, the little boy looked brimming with shame.

With the way the bratty boy usually talked, it was almost easy to forget that he was just a little kid, too. Deciding to change the subject, Loid stretched his arm as he stood.

"Let's head back, yeah? It's almost sundown."

"Spy Wars! Anya so excited!"

"Damian, is it okay with your father if you stay past sundown?" Yor asked with a genuine smile.

"Uh, father's pretty busy, but I told my brother. He said it was fine and that I could stay out as long as I like." Lied Damian. His mind was telling a different story than his lips. But for the sake of a longer play date, Anya kept her findings under wraps.

If Sy-on boy was willing to get in trouble for her, she'd count that as something a friend would do. Even if he's a secret friend.

Stretching out her hand for Anya, Yor cooed,

"Let's not waste any time getting back to your show, then!"

As the sun licked the horizon and the shops began their close, a completely soaked figure sloshed his way to the creperie, entering in with a disheveled appearance. Slamming the counter bell with a damp hand, the young man demanded the baker's presence.

"Hm? Ey kid! Your getting my floors all wet—"

"Was there a little boy in here? Wearing an Eden Academy uniform?" Panted the shivering young man.

"Uh yeah he was in here a few minutes ago, why? Is that kid in trouble?" Asked the confused baker.

"He is in trouble, all right…"

Finally catching his breath and wiping his face, the teenager polished off his eight gleaming stars pinned to his chest, growling a long, aggravated sigh.

"Big trouble."