Eric placed the last book in its shelf while telekinetically rearranging his desk in a neat manner. He stood up and surveyed the interior of his bedroom. His own room. A bed big enough for him to sleep in with light blue coverings and blankets, a desk already set up with paper, pens, pencils, worksheets and timetables. Right next to his desk were bookshelves that were half-full and ready to receive more. Decorating his room were mobiles hanging from the ceiling, crystal ornaments, the solar system, and ocean creatures.
'My very own room.' Eric thought in marvel before he dragged the now flattened boxes out into the living room of their new apartment. After two more days of apartment hunting, they found one that suited their needs and was big enough to accommodate four people.
Eric set the boxes against the wall and turned to Anya who was searching for something outside. She trembled with excitement as Eric came to join her. There, outside of their apartment building was Yor Briar, or Yor Forger as she is now called. Loid's (fake) wife, and the children's new mother.
"Mama's finally here!" Anya exclaimed excitedly as Loid helped Yor carry the boxes inside.
Eric, however, couldn't find it in himself to share in his sister's enthusiasm. Having an assassin in their home along with trying to protect world peace is more than he has to worry about.
'As if the countries stability wasn't resting on top of my shoulders already.' Eric thought as they watched their new mother carry the last box with no problem. Eric didn't dislike Yor, he just wasn't sure if he can completely trust her. He can tell she's not evil, but assassins kill for a living, and will follow orders from their superiors.
Anya looked at her brother, as much as she wanted a mother, Eric never had such desires for one. Which worried her because she wanted their new mother to feel happy and welcomed in their family.
At the approaching minds of their parents, Anya tugged her brother towards the door. "Let's go meet our mama."
'Your mama.' Eric added in his head as Loid opened the door and let Yor enter first with a box of bed sheets in her arms. Eric held Anya back as their parents discussed their sleeping arrangements. The young boy noted the blush on Yor's cheeks as she spoke to Loid. It would appear she is still shy around her new husband.
Anya broke away from Eric and threw her arms up. "I wanna welcome you to Anya's house!"
"What a lovely welcome. Thank you, Anya." Yor responded with a warm smile as she took in the adorable child who is now her daughter.
Yor then turned her attention to Eric who was much calmer he stepped forward beside his sister. He bowed his head with a hand over his heart as a sign of respect. "Welcome to the Forger household ma'am. My name is Eric Forger. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability." Eric offered with a polite and courteous tone.
Though Eric didn't look it, the very sight of the little boy reminded Yor of when her younger brother was small and cute whenever he tried to act like a grown up. "Such a gentlemen." Yor commented as Eric blushed lightly at the compliment.
As you can see, the Forger household is home to an unusual family...
The father, Loid Forger, a psychiatrist. True identity: Spy. Codename: Twilight.
The mother, Yor Briar Forger, a civil servant at City Hall. True identity: Assassin. Codename: Thorn Princess.
The son, Eric Forger, Eden's first year student. True identity: Telekinetic.
The daughter, Anya Forger, kindergarten student. True identity: Telepath.
"I'm so happy to finally have a mama!" Anya exclaimed happily and excitedly.
"'Mama.'" Yor blushed at how her cute new daughter took to her without reservation.
"By the way," Loid interrupted as he pulled out a forged marriage certificate, courtesy of Franky. "My friend, the judge, was able to back date our marriage to last year. We'll come up with a story as to why we didn't live together. I'm sure your brother will ask at least."
"Good idea." Yor said with a relieved smile.
'Plus, the school's approval board would be suspicious is we got married just before the interview.' Loid tacked on inside his head.
'The Shop Keeper said it was alright, so I don't have to worry about that.' Yor thought to herself, relieved at the cover she found to protect her profession.
'We barely got started, and while I'm still worried, I believe we can still pull this off.' Eric thought to himself as he willed himself to remain calm.
'So cool.' Was all that went through Anya's head as she listened in on her family's thoughts.
Father, mother, son, and daughter. The four created a fictitious family to further their own ends. And now live under the same roof while keeping their true selves hidden from one another.
"We'll show Mama around, Papa." Anya announced as she and Eric toured their new mother around their home. They showed Yor the kitchen and bathroom before the bedrooms.
"This is my room." Eric said as he opened the door to his quarters where Yor marveled at the interior then noticed the books and organized desk. "You certainly have a lot of books."
"That's because brother's the smartiest *smartest* in the whole world." Anya proudly said as Eric looked somewhat embarrassed then admitted, "I'm kind of a bookworm."
Yor smiled as a sense of nostalgia overcame her. "Really? My brother's the same way. He loves reading and learning new things."
Eric allowed a small smile to grace his face, "I hope I'm just as good as him." He said as he closed the door then made their way to Anya's room.
Anya skipped into a world of pink and threw her arms in the air. "And this is my very own room!"
Yor laughed at the cute decorations of her daughter's room. "I love it Anya, it's so adorable."
Eric's eye twitched at the bright colors of his sister's room. 'Could it get any pinker?'
Anya then climbed onto her bed and grabbed her favorite toy. "I want you to meet my friend, Mr. Chimera." She then held up her toy and spoke in a deep voice, "My name is Chimerwa. It is a pweasure to meet you ma'am."
"Aww, the pleasure's all mine. I'm Yor, Ms. Anya's and Mr. Eric's Mama." Yor introduced herself to the toy, bringing smiles to the children's face.
They then showed Yor where Loid sleeps. While Yor commented how their father keeps it nice and neat, Eric thought it looked gloomy and lonely for the guy.
"And over here is yours?" Anya pointed to the room adjacent to Loid's. Eric was the one to open the door and announced, "Welcome to your new accommodations Ms. Yor."
Yor walked into her new room and found her bed covers already folded on top of the mattress along with a desk, an overhead lamp, curtain windows, and a red chair. "It's lovely. Much nicer than the place I was living." Yor commented, which was true. Ever since her little brother moved out, she felt lonely in the empty apartment of their home. Growing up, she only needed the essential things in life while supporting Yuri and giving him everything he wants.
"Glad you like it. This should be everything." Loid said as he carried the last boxes into the room. "I hope this is all to your liking, and we made sure it was nice and clean." He added as he set down the boxes.
Yor looked surprise by how much thought the family put into making her feel welcome. "Thank you, everything looks great."
"Big brother and I helped too!" Anya exclaimed cheerfully.
"Actually, you knocked over the bucket and tripped me in the process." Eric frowned as he rubbed the spot on his head that made impact on the ground. Anya gasped and her face filled with shock and guilt over injuring her brother.
Yor giggled at their interaction then turned to the bed. "I appreciate everything you've done, but I don't know what to do with myself."
"What do you mean? Please make yourself at home. Afterall, it's your home too, so whatever you need to do." Loid said in an honest comforting manner to help ease his wife into her new environment.
Yor turned back to Loid and smiled, "Thank you."
Loid smiled and walked away from the door, leaving his two children in the doorframe. "I'll grab the boxes when you're done."
Almost immediately after he said that three large flattened carboards were stacked against the wall very quickly as the siblings watched their mother unpack with ruthless efficiency.
'Holy-She's good.' Were Eric's thoughts at how she rapidly she unboxed everything.
"I'm all done now. The boxes are yours." Yor announced as she poked her head out of the room, surprising Loid who back tracked, "Wow, you're quite efficient."
Eric sighed at their father. 'I'll never understand how the best spy isn't suspicious of how his new wife is so quick in her work. He either stinks at being a spy, or Yor is just that good at hiding. Then again, does Yor even suspect the old man at all?' Eric thought to himself as he remembered Anya telling him how their father married Yor while simultaneously completing his side mission. Apparently, their father lost the ring meant for Yor and improvised with a pin he pulled from a bomb before he blew up members of a smuggling operation. An epic way of getting married if not for the fact that he used a freakin' bomb pin as a ring and making vows behind a dumpster. He's also in disbelief to learn that it was Yor who proposed to Loid instead which caused him to faceplant in the middle of a fight. After learning about that last part, he lost some of his respect for the spy.
'And I'm supposed to help this guy save the world.' Eric sighed then shook his head before he made his way into the living room with his family to have refreshments and cookies courtesy of Loid.
Afterwards they did a mock-interview. Results: Utter disaster. While Eric did somewhat fine, he made the mistake of mentioning how he mostly stays home and takes care of Anya while their father's out working. This in turn made him look like a negligent father. Yor didn't do much better, she misunderstood the word 'pass' and associated it with causes of death in great detail. Shocking and traumatizing poor little Anya who wasn't even part of the interview while Eric looked intrigued and started writing down notes to catalogue and study for later.
After going through a moment of silent distress, Loid suggested that they go out together as a family and experience upper-class culture. This way they can broaden their horizons and bond with each other to make their impression at the interview more convincing.
Which brings us to a sidewalk where Anya was singing, "We're on a family ooting, we're on a family ooting."
"It's pronounced 'outing'." Loid corrected monotonously while Eric's lips quirked up at Anya's mispronunciation and Yor silently giggled at the girl's antics.
"Mama, let's hold hands." Anya said, making Yor smile as she obliged her daughter's request. "Sure."
Loid watched their interaction, noting how Anya easily took to her new mother. After living in multiple orphanages in the span of one year, it must be relieving for the girl to have a maternal figure to confide in. The spy glanced at Eric, noting how he hung back as he watched Anya and Yor. The boy had a small unnoticeable smile on his face, but his eyes held something akin to sadness and envy. This put Loid in a stump, he has no idea who their mother is, but he theorized that only Eric knew the woman who birthed him and Anya, or at least has some memories of her. Older children who remember and lost their parents aren't as open to having a new one. While it was important for his son to make an emotional connection with Yor to make the interview a success, he knows he shouldn't pressure the boy. He needs to be patient, create building blocks to construct the perfect family Eden would want in their school.
Eric watched his sister hold hands with Yor, unreserved in her desire for a mother despite the fact that she's an assassin. He clenched his hands into a fist as he remembered how he held his mother's hand before she passed, the warmth and protection in just her fingers were enough to melt away his fear and sorrow just for a short while. That small part of him he keeps suppressed wants that feeling back. He wanted to run to Yor's other side and hold her hand as well. He watched Anya's joyful face as she stared up at Yor in wonder. 'No, Anya should have this.' Eric sighed through his nose.
He glanced at his father's hand and noted that it was encased in a black leather glove. He knew the man wasn't a germaphobe, it was merely a force of habit for the man not to leave prints anywhere. Aside from the night his father held him when he cried and when he picked Eric up when they saw the results of the entrance exam, there hasn't been that much physical contact between them.
Loid noticed his son's eyes on his glove covered hand then took a quick glance at Yor and Anya. He may not be able to read minds, but he had the sense that Eric wanted to do what his sister naturally does with Yor. With a quiet sigh, he held his hand out to Eric, surprising the boy. He looked up at his father who gave him an awkward yet welcoming smile. Eric looked away, pouting and feeling embarrassed before he slowly reached his much smaller hand up and grabbed the leather material that was his father's hand.
"Don't take it the wrong way." Eric whispered, low enough for Loid to hear as his hand was squeezed gently, as though to assure him it was fine.
Loid smiled slightly at how the boy was trying to act tough. "Sure thing." He said as father and son walked hand in hand behind mother and daughter.
All of a sudden, Anya dashed away from Yor to hide behind a small wall with flowerpots on them. Eric frowned, knowing Anya read something from Yor's mind that frightened her.
'Anya, whatever she was thinking, I'm sure she didn't mean any harm.' Eric translated his thoughts to her to coax her out of her hiding spot.
While Yor was surprised by Anya's sudden rejection, she turned to Loid wondering where they were going on their family outing. Just as Anya shyly came out of her hiding spot to stand next to Eric, Loid pulled out tickets to some event they were about to attend.
The Forger family sat together on the upper levels among the audience with the opera house, listening to the opera singer whose voice echoed throughout the auditorium. Loid sat with his arms crossed as he went over the plan in his head. To his left was Anya completely conked out with drool and a snot bubble, Eric looked bored and unimpressed with his head leaning against his fist, and Yor had steam coming out of her head as she tried to understand what the man was singing at the center stage.
After the opera house, the family found themselves at a museum. Eric stayed close to Anya, making sure their hands were locked together as he reminded her to keep her voice down. While this wasn't his first choice as a family activity, Eric found this much preferable compared to being forced to listen to that guy sing. Plus, he took the time to appreciate the details in the art while ignoring the ones that showed too much skin. He was still a child after all.
They found themselves in a play area with large white board and markers for kids to draw. "Papa, can me and Eric do that?" Anya asked as she pointed at the whiteboards.
"Sure, go ahead." Anya smiled excitedly as she tugged her brother over to one of the blank canvases. While Anya claimed the whole canvas for herself, Eric decided to take a corner of the whiteboard opposite of his sister. He sat cross-legged as he took out markers and started drawing. He capped the markers and leaned back, satisfied with his work before he turned around to see what Anya drew. His heart dropped at what his sister created. He shot to his feet and marched over to his sister.
As Anya finished her masterpiece, she saw her brother stand beside her with a grim look. "What do you think?"
'I think we're done for.' Eric thought to his sister as he took in her artwork.
"Huh?"
'You drew our parents and what they actually do!' Eric exclaimed as he tried to look for erasers. However, before he could go searching for them, their father approached them. He bowed his head as Anya panicked before she flattened her tiny body onto the board in a hilariously vain attempt to hide her work.
"Well, that's quite a masterpiece Anya. A pig in the forest." Loid said as he tried to make out what her childish drawing depicted.
"That's Mr. Chimera, he lives in a cool castle!" Anya hastily explained still stuck to the board.
"Of course, and there's Bondman. That is him, right?" Loid asked, noting the body shape and the pistol.
"Um, yeah." Anya hesitated; still afraid he'll find out she knows about his true identity.
"And the witch looking one is the princess. Oh dear, that middle part is rather lurid." Loid stated when he noticed red coming out of the body shapes. "Cute kitty though."
"It's a doggy!"
"I see, sorry." Loid said as Anya unstuck herself and Eric raised his head. Both released a sigh of relief.
'Well, he only got one of them right. Thank goodness her drawings are terrible.' Eric thought to himself, not noticing the glare his sister sent to him.
"Did you draw this, Eric?" Yor asked from her crouched position in front of the corner of the opposite canvas.
Eric turned towards Yor and went over to her with Anya and Loid behind them. "You made such a beautiful bouquet. Tulips?" Yor asked as she scanned the detailed petals in yellow.
Eric blushed at the compliment. "Yeah, it's my favorite flower." 'It was her favorite.'
Yor smiled, "I see. You know, flowers have a special language of their own." She said with a mysterious smile.
Eric gave her a curious look, "But flowers don't talk."
"Yeah, I tried talking to them, but they never responded. Rude." Anya chimed in with a pout.
Yor giggled then explained, "You're right, they don't technically speak. Rather, flowers symbolize a certain meaning to them. For example, a man gives a woman a red rose to convey their love to them. Even though the man doesn't have the courage to speak of love, the rose translates the passion and romantism of his feelings."
"Oh, so even though you can't hear it, the flower does speak as a messenger." Anya clarified with innocent logic.
Yor laughed, "That's one way of putting it."
"Then, um, what does the tulip, if not love?" Eric asked, wondering what the real meaning behind the flower suggests.
"The tulip symbolizes a different kind of love, one that is universal." Yor explained with a soft smile, "Tulips as a whole, mean 'unconditional love'. Like the kind a mother gives to their child." Something with Eric struck upon hearing the true meaning behind the flower. Though small and weak, possessed a powerful symbol that created something very beautiful.
Eric allowed a nostalgic smile to grace his features. "I think I like this flower even more."
Yor beamed down at him, enjoying this little bonding moment with her new children. "I'm glad."
"But you know," Loid jumped in as they turned their attention to the spy. "Tulips carry another meaning as well."
"Really, what is it, Papa?" Anya asked for them.
"Freedom."
Eric's eyes widened then turned to the flower as he registered the multiple meanings the flower holds. 'A mother's unconditional love for her child, and the freedom she wanted for us.' Eric thought to himself as he felt a piece of his heart crack at the beautiful symbolism of a tulip.
Yor smiled at the wonder in his eyes upon discovering something new. A trait that reminded her of Yuri. She stood up and ruffled Eric's hair surprising him, but he didn't flinch. He blushed at the affectionate gesture and unconsciously leaned into her touch.
Anya watched her brother with a smile on her face. Eric is starting to open up to Yor and has begun to accept her.
"So where to next?" Yor asked as she turned to her husband.
"We'll go see the tailor."
They went to the tailor shop where they first met Yor who turned out to be a regular there. After deciding what color her interview outfit will be, they left to get their family photo taken. Loid stood behind Yor who sat in a chair, Anya stood stiffly with a funny look on her face, and Eric was stationed in the middle with neutral eyes and a calming smile.
That calm smile was no longer present when they found themselves at some political rally. 'Somehow I actually prefer the opera.' He frowned deeply as he turned to Anya. 'Anya being in a crowd full of loud angry thoughts is the same as drowning.' As predicted, Anya had an ill look on her face. Eric immediately rushes to her side as she began to sway and held her. Anya leaned into her brother protective embrace.
"I don't like this place." She weakly said as she was bombarded by multiple thoughts.
Eric turned to his father who crouched as he rubbed Anya's back. "Anya can't be in places like this." He urgently said as Loid picked her up from Eric's arms and held her to his chest.
"You're right, sorry, crowds can be scary." Loid said as Yor became concerned by how their usually peppy girl could wither into this.
"Let's go somewhere else." Yor said as the family moved away from the rally. Eric glanced behind him with a glare before catching up with his folks. As they moved farther away from the crowd, Eric watched Anya's face slowly morph from pain into relaxation.
Eric released a sigh of relief. 'We should be far away now.'
"I'm hungry Papa." Anya said against her father's shirt.
"Hm? Maybe you just needed to eat."
They settled at the restaurant where Anya happily picked the nuts off her food with her hands, Yor admired a shiny steak knife, Loid looked stressed as he tried to go over his plans and create solutions to help him succeed in admitting Eric into Eden. Eric silently observed as he ate his food. He watched from his peripheral vision as Loid leaned his head in his hand while mumbling about 'systems' and 'memorizations'.
"Um, Loid, just a thought, but why don't we go out and get some fresh air?" Yor suggested upon noticing how stressed the man is feeling from their outing. She knows he's trying really hard to get them all to bond like a family for the sake of the interview to ensure his son's future. Since the places he's taken them were mainly for upper-class families, she had something in mind that didn't require societal status at all.
The warm breeze blew in their faces as they leaned against, or in Anya's case, sat on the balcony her father's protective arm around her to keep her from falling. They took in the peaceful scenery of the city from their vantage point, far from crowds and buildings.
"People look like trash from up here." Anya commented surprising her family.
"Where'd you get that from?"
"Cartoons." Anya answered, unashamed as Eric smiled slightly. He exhaled as he felt himself relax. This was much better compared to the last places they've been today.
"How did I not know about this park until today?" Loid asked as he turned to Yor.
"I never came here very often myself." Yor smiled as she turned her attention to the moving figures below. "Usually just whenever work had me feeling at my wits end."
Eric's smile fell, luckily no one saw. 'Her real job. Even she gets stressed out from it at times.'
"But seeing the city like this, reminds me that what I do helps these people. And it makes me feel better, it rejuvenates me." Yor added with a peaceful smile as Eric, Anya and Loid listened.
'That's right. Her job is to eliminate those who pose a threat to these people. To keep them safe.' Eric thought to himself as he watched the people below, unaware of the guardians watching over them. 'When laws and government can't stop monsters, Yor destroys them instead.'
"I'm sorry. I'm making this place sound so boring." Yor said as Anya watched her while swinging her legs back and forth.
"I like it way better than those big crowds." Anya said, not minding this place one bit.
"Same here. This place is much more open, and it's not as suffocating." Eric chimed in as the wind blew leaves towards them. His green eyes caught a large leaf before an idea came. He concentrated on the object and manipulated it to fly towards them. The leaf danced and twirled in front of them before it slammed stuck onto Loid's face. Surprising the man who grunted as his family laughed.
Loid peeled the maple leaf off his face with a bewildered look before Anya took it to examine its texture before handing it to Eric who winked mischievously as he stored it within his inner jacket for safe keeping.
Loid watched them for a moment before turning his attention to the citizens below, mainly towards a group of young boys chatting and enjoying themselves. Seeing them reminded him of how he used to be before war destroyed his town, how innocent and carefree he was with his friends. Sadness filled his eyes as he lost himself in those once happy memories, reminding himself about his reason to fulfill his mission as a spy to keep that kind of tragedy from happening again.
His eyes caught sight of a man in a black cap and jacket walking strangely as he passed those kids and elderly woman. All of a sudden, the man shoved the old woman to the ground and snatched the purse out of her cart before dashing off towards an alley.
"She should've been more careful." Loid commented before a whoosh flew passed him.
"Hold it right there! You're not getting away!" Yor screamed as she leapt down the levels with the intent to catch that thief.
"This is bad." Loid said as he carried Anya off the balcony with Eric following close behind him. He was surprised at the sudden action Yor took and how she literally flew down at such speed to hunt that man.
Eric panted as he caught up with his father still carrying Anya. Loid grasped the rails as he looked down at the populated street below. "He blended in with the crowd."
Eric gritted his teeth and glared, "He was wearing a cap and jacket. But he was also carrying a large bag with him. He probably had an extra set of clothes to change his appearance." Eric theorized as he scanned the crowd for that thieving rat. Loid's jaw clenched at that since it was also a tactic he used to throw people off his trail.
Father and son didn't notice Anya look intensely at the crowd below as she opened her mind to the onslaught of thoughts in an attempt to find the criminal. However, it proved overwhelming for her and caused her nose to bleed before she slumped in her father's hold.
"Anya? It happened again." Loid said as he fished out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his daughter's nose.
Eric looked up upon hearing his father call his sister's name. His green eyes widened upon seeing the blood. 'Anya, what are you doing? You know you can't handle crowds.'
Anya then gasped and looked down at a man in a brown hat and grey coat. Eric followed her gaze and saw one in particular that had a strange walk. 'How do we point him out without giving away Anya's power?'
"Papa! I wanna eat some cake!" Anya announced as she pointed in the direction of where the thief was currently walking by.
'Hm, never mind.' Eric thought to himself as he inwardly smiled at Anya's clever way of lying as well as having a sweet tooth.
"But we barely just left the restaurant." Loid said as he looked at where his daughter pointed before he caught sight of the man in the brown hat.
"Is it just me, or does that guy walk kind of stupid?" Eric stated as he watched that thief practically skip happily and arrogantly.
Upon recognizing the walk, Loid's eyes slowly narrowed into that of a deadly predator ready to hunt his prey.
'Getting down by stairs would be too time consuming, but perhaps if I could just trip him a little, it could by us some time to arrest him.' Eric said as he glared at the thief, concentrating on his legs before he wrapped his telekinesis around his ankles and pulled, causing him to stumble forward before he righted himself. 'Not enough, but perhaps I could-'
He cut off his train of thought when Loid dashed away after putting Anya down just as Yor arrived. Eric's eyes widened at his father's sudden action as the man sprinted across the bridge then leapt over the rails with a menacing expression then pounced on the thief with enough force to cause a crater upon impact.
"A filthy pig like you deserves the foulest meal." Loid said as he got off the half-dead bastard and fixed his red tie. His actions drew a crowd, one he had hoped to avoid doing, but he didn't want this thief to get away. After picking up the purse the thief stole, he asked the crowd to call the police on the thief before he dashed back up the stairs to rejoin his family.
Together, the family returned the stolen belongings to the elderly woman before they escorted her to the hospital. The sweet grandma thanked them profusely and praised them for their heroic actions. But the best compliment they received was what a wonderful family they were. Hearing that gave Loid some confidence in this mission.
Night came as they returned home to their apartment. Eric slumped on the side of the sofa's arm with a tired sigh, "I'm beat." He said as Anya watched Yor make refreshments while Loid sat in the armchair closest to him.
"Eric, why don't we take another crack at the mock-interview?"
"Huh?" Eric responded with tired eyes but sat up straight and awaited the question.
"Now, how do you spend your days off?" Loid asked as he put on his glasses and read the question off the list.
"We got the opera, the art museums and eat together at fancy restaurants." Eric answered, which pleased his father.
"That's correct. Make sure you talk about today." Loid said approvingly before moving on to the next question.
"You've seen your friend doing something naughty. What will you do?"
Eric crossed his arms and contemplated the question. "Depending on the severity of how naughty they are. If they swipe someone's food without permission, I'd scold them. But if they steal someone's valuables and run away, I'd report them to the police." He answered after thinking about today's events.
"Oh, oh, don't forget to jump on them, beat them up and smush their face in the ground!" Anya chimed in as she bounced in between the two.
"And that crater you made with his body, not a bad touch." Eric added with an impressed smile. "Personally, I liked your method the best, saves time and gets things done fast."
"Hmm, yeah, pretend you never saw that." Loid groaned as he leaned back and covered his face with the paper.
"But why? You were so cool Papa." Anya praised as she then started to imitate him while making punching sounds. "'That's the foulest meal for you!'"
Eric chuckled silently as Loid blushed at his daughter's actions. "What you did today was really amazing. Did you learn to do that when dealing with your most violent patients?"
Loid was caught off guard by his son's question. "Um, yeah, when some of them don't take their medications, they tend to lash out. Better for us to learn how to safely restrain them without hurting them." 'In rare cases when I need to get something done quickly and quietly.' He mentally added as Yor returned with their refreshments.
Eric smiled, the moment he saw the man take action against that greedy rat, he felt a growing respect for his father. Loid could have stayed silent, but he chose to forgo his training and seized the criminal in full view of the public.
Anya sat beside her brother as she and Eric each took a mug of hot cocoa. "I had fun."
"Yeah, me too." Eric said as he took a small sip from his beverage. "Mishaps aside, today was quite enlightening." He paused to blow his drink to cool it off a bit more. "I never thought catching criminals would be a fun family activity."
"That wasn't a fun family activity." Loid stated as Eric had a light teasing smile he failed to hide behind his mug. "It was a bonding experience though. And that sweet grandma liked us for it." Eric added before he took another sip. Loid smiled as remembered the praise they were given for their efforts.
"Can we catch criminals every time we have an ooting?" Anya asked excitingly, loving how she got to use her powers to stop a bad man.
"Let's leave it as a one-time thing." Yor suggested, immediately turning down that idea as Anya pouted cutely.
"Agreed." Loid and Eric said in unison, causing the girls to laugh at their similar response.
Anya then asked, "Then how about we stop nuclear bombs on vacations?"
"Not happening." Father, mother and son responded in tandem.
"One bomb?"
"Nope." 'Besides, I disarm bombs once every few months.' Loid added in his head, making Anya giggle in response.
'If family outings involves chasing criminals, I dread to think about what our vacations will be like.' Eric thought to himself since their family was far from normal with all the secrets they keep.
And that concludes episode 3. Yes, I added a few scenes to build some family feels. Also, I added a small bit of Eric's past while having him bond with Yor. Eric is still awkward around his new mother, but he will come to accept her. I mean, let's face it, they're both older siblings, and their abilities make them quite lethal to their enemies.
Thank you for reading. I hope this meets your expectations. Leave a comment at your leisure.