"A job investigation?" Yor asked after she finished cleaning the dining table.
Eric nodded, "Yeah, Professor Henderson assigned the class a project. We have to shadow an adult at their work and take notes. Basically, an interview on their profession and what made them take on the job." He explained as Anya played with Bond and Honey Ninja behind him.
"Watch and take notes?" 'For which job?' Yor asked as her mind conjured up a scenario where she and Eric are prepping to venture out and take down a client.
Yor in her killer black dress and Eric sporting a black suit and tie. With Eric looking serious as he followed behind his mother. While Thorn Princess explained her profession, she kills the client's henchmen with ease until she is standing over the target.
Eric approaches from behind her and asks if he could hold one of her golden stiletto-type. Holding it in his much smaller hands, he marvels at the craftsmanship then turns to the ugly as heck man.
"So, um, which vital area is the most common to stab?" Eric asked with intrigue as mother and son stood over the client.
Yor smiles down at her son, "That's a very good question. It's important to learn human anatomy. I try to remember that the target is human, and the least I can is make their final moments as painless as possible. Makes sense?" Yor coached Eric who nodded in understanding as he took in every word his mother spoke.
"For example, if you simply *beep* the *beep* in someone's neck, they'll die rather quickly." Yor explains as she began to stab the client.
"Does the same apply when you *beep* through their *beep* until it comes out the back of their skull?" Eric asked before he aimed his mother's sharp weapon into the client's face.
"That's right, you can also attack their vital points like the brain or the heart." Yor said as they finished the job, the result of which made a mess of themselves as blood splattered all over their bodies.
Yor gasped, "Oh, look at you, you're covered! You know what, let's just tell Loid we went to the tomato festival, okay?"
As Yor contemplated that daydream, Anya stood beside her brother and gave her a vacant expression then turned to Eric, "I think it's better if you investigate Papa's job."
"That's actually a good idea, and it's probably for the best. Working at City Hall can be rewarding, but it might be a little boring for you." Yor agreed with her daughter seeing how that scenario would most likely traumatize her son.
Eric's eyes slid over to his sister, 'Whatever was going on in her head was bad, right?'
Anya nodded before the sound of the front door opening drew their attention to Loid returning home from work.
"I'm home." Loid announced.
"Papa, Eric has to follow you around at work for a school assignment." Anya told him the second he walked in through the doorway.
"What Anya means to say is, can I shadow you at your work and learn about your job for school?" Eric asked as he laid a hand on top of his sister's head.
Loid blinked twice, "Yeah, sure."
"Can I come?" Anya hopped up and down on her feet.
"Why?" Eric glanced at her.
"It's an investigation, and you need two people to get the job done." Anya said in a mysterious tone as she suddenly donned a detective outfit complete with a magnifying glass in her hand.
Eric sweatdropped and deadpanned, "This isn't a criminal investigation. And where'd you even get that stuff?"
Two days later at Berlint General Hospital
"I work in the Psychiatry Department, I made sure to tell them in advance you're coming. But don't bother anyone, okay?" Loid informed his children as the stood outside the large building.
Eric wore a light-brown sweater vest over his long-sleeved shirt and brown trousers while Anya wore her detective outfit.
Eric and Anya nodded, "Understood/Okay."
Inside the building, the children marveled at the size of the architecture.
"It's huge!" Anya exclaimed as she held her brother's hand while holding the magnifying glass over her eye.
"Well, it is the Captial's most prominent hospital." Loid stated to his children.
"I bet the most dedicated doctors wrote their books here." Eric said as he glanced around the building's massive interior.
Anya stared at her father for a long moment before fishing out her notebook and scribbling down the man's thoughts.
"Anya, what are you doing? I'm the one with the assignment." Eric asked as he watched his sister when he heard her writing something down.
"Also, I don't think anything I said is particularly noteworthy." Loid added as he watched his eccentric child.
'Maybe something inside your head caught her interest like it always does.' Eric thought to himself, knowing that it was something spy-related if Anya is excited. Considering this is their father's cover job, Anya will want to find out the secrets about his life here.
The odd trio entered the locker room where Loid changed into his white doctor's coat. Eric and Anya stared at their father in surprise at how he was dressed. The man looked so cool and professional with that look.
"Wow, cool." Eric said with an impressed tone as Anya nodded in agreement.
"Although most psychiatrists don't wear lab coats, I find that it completes the look, as they say." Loid explained to his marveled children.
'More like it helps you fit into the role better.' Eric had a small smile as they followed their father down the hall.
"Say, I thought you wanted to be a surgeon, I could have set you up with an interview with one had you asked." Loid stated to his son who held Anya's hand as he followed beside Loid.
"Yeah, but I wanted to learn more about you instead. Plus, learning about your job may benefit me in the future if I ever take up psychology." Eric answered without hesitation as he carried his notebook in his other hand.
"I see. That's good." Loid praised his son as they made it to the receptionist area where many of Loid's colleagues greeted him.
"Well, if it isn't Dr. Forger." A nurse with curly hair tied back greeted the second she spotted the man and the children, "And these must be the little ones we've heard so much about."
"These are my colleagues. Say 'hello.'" Loid told his children.
Eric bowed his head in respect and acknowledgment, "It is nice to meet you. Thank you for receiving us."
Anya followed her brother's movements, "Pleasure to meet your aquaintenence." Despite her mispronunciation, they thought it was endearing as they gathered around the siblings.
"They're adorable." A doctor with long hair commented.
"Such good children here for homework." The nurse who greeted them added.
"Goodness, what a perfect little doe-eyed princess you are." The receptionist with glasses commented at Anya then turned to Eric, "And you are such a handsome little prince."
"Why don't you have a snack?" One of the nurses offered a candy bar to Anya.
Eric decided to open his notebook as he held his pen out, "I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be so kind as to tell me what my father is like at work?" He humbly asked before Loid's colleagues answered his question with the highest praise.
Loid Forger's overall character at work: careful and kind towards his patients, indispensable team member, humble and respectful.
"Are you popular Papa?" Anya asked their father when his coworkers invited him to activities.
"You sound surprised." Eric said as he closed his book then bowed his head in thanks to the grownups
"Well, I do try to be sociable at least." Loid stated before he answered his colleagues while mentally reminding himself the reason why he needs to maintain diverse connections and to not be anti-social so no one would suspect his true identity.
Anya listened to his thoughts before she scribbled down her notes.
They made it to Loid's workspace in one piece without incident.
"Here is the consultation room. I don't plan on using this space today anyway." Loid added as he closed the door behind his children.
"It's comfortable." Eric noted as he surveyed the room.
"This is just an ordinary room, not like the oper-tating one." Anya stated as she ventured further inside.
"Well, we want our patients to feel relaxed and at home." Loid responded as Anya searched for something by the coffee table.
"Where's the brain-fixing machine?" Anya asked their father.
"Anya, psychiatrists don't use machines. Right Dad?" Eric asked after a moment of silence as he turned to Loid.
"No, we do not." Loid took a seat on one of the green couches, "Now what did you want to know about my work?"
"Well, Professor Henderson gave me a list, the first one is why you chose this job." Eric asked as he sat across from his father while Anya searched the room with her magnifying glass.
Loid thought about the right way to answer that question, "Let me think. You know how people catch cold in their bodies, there are a lot of people who catch colds in their minds."
"So, like a stomach bug, but like an invisible brain bug." Eric mused as Anya gave him a disgusted look, "Ew!"
Loid chuckled under his breath, "Something like that. I thought it would be nice to try and help those folks out. The war may be long over, but there, veterans especially, who are still suffering."
Eric wrote down his notes as he listened to his father then asked the next question, "Why war veterans specifically?"
Loid's eyes lowered to the coffee table, "Well, to put it bluntly, it is the traumatic experiences they gained from that period. Losing a loved one, a home, even your identity. While bodily wounds can heal, the memories they gained last for a very long time within their minds and can have a long-term effect on those who have not sought help." He looked at his son with a comforting smile, "That's where I come in, to help them through their pain and find a way to move on and find a fresh start." 'Something I haven't been able to properly do for myself.' He thought to himself as his mind wandered back to the days of his childhood, how carefree he was before those bombs dropped on his town. Everything that happened since then was just a festering pain that left him hollow. That short reunion with his friends gave him hope, only for it to be crushed.
Anya lowered her magnifying glass as she stared at her father who was unknowing projecting his memories to the telepath.
"Was it the same for you? Did you also have to fight in the war?" Eric asked as he watched his father's reaction.
When Eric caught the subtle way his shoulders tensed, he quickly said, "Never mind, you don't have to answer that question."
"Actually, it's a good question to ask." Loid said as Anya climbed onto the couch he was on and sat beside him.
Loid's arm unconsciously wound itself around his daughter and held her close. "I'm the same as those who come to me seeking my help. It is because of my own traumas that I am able to connect with my patients on an emotional level, it helps me understand them better."
"But if brain bugs are like colds, can't they take medicine to help them get better?" Anya asked as she hugged her father's side.
Loid smiled down at his daughter and laid a hand on her head, "Well, depending on the kind of mental illness they have, then yes drug prescriptions are necessary. But it doesn't make the illness go away. It, um, quiets the craziness. Helps them become more reasonable." Loid explained as he tried to find the right words to describe to his daughter.
"It has to be very strong medicine if a doctor recommends it." Eric said as he continued to scribble down his notes.
"Are there any other questions you have?" Loid asked as Anya hopped off the couch and resumed her exploration.
Eric closed his notebook with a satisfied look, "Nope, I have everything I need. Thank you for taking time out of your day Dr. Forger."
"Now that homework's done, I'm bored." Anya said as she got close to the large bookshelf.
"Hey, don't touch anything without asking. There's a lot of important stuff in here." Loid warned her as he stood up and eyed one part of the bookshelf. 'Like the secret escape passage behind the bookshelf in case of an emergency. It'll open if she turns the lever.'
Anya had an excited look, 'Secret passage? Lever?' She thought to herself after hearing Loid's thoughts as though she received a new toy to play with.
A knock sounded at the door, that pattern alerted Loid that it was a WISE Agent.
"Sounds like something urgent came up, if you're done with your assignment, should I have Yor come and pick you up?" Loid asked his children.
Anya shook her head, "No, I can wait until you're done with work." The perfect opportunity to try out that lever.
Eric shrugged, "I'm alright sitting here with Anya, it will give me the chance to organize my notes for my report."
Loid had an idea on how to occupy his children's time, "If you really want to, then keep yourself busy with this." He said as he brought out a box filled with sand and another box filled with little toys. Eric and Anya stood around the coffee table as Loid held up a small plastic teddy bear. "We use this as a diagnostic tool. You can place the toys and props in the sand however you want. So, get creative. Sounds like fun, huh?" He said, hoping to coax his youngest into something children would enjoy.
'Sounds boring.' Anya gave the man a wide-eyed confused look.
"So little sandboxes can be used to literally put a person's mind on display." Eric stated as he took a little dinosaur and hut and placed them onto the sand.
"That's one way of putting it." Loid said before he went to the door, "And remember, don't touch anything else."
"'Kay/Got it." The siblings responded.
"I'll be back in about ten minutes." He said before he left the consultation room.
"Okay Anya, let's play with the-" Eric cut himself off when he saw the look mischief his sister's face, "-sandbox."
Anya dashed over to the bookshelf and began to push aside books in her search for that lever.
"Anya, we're not supposed to touch anything." Eric scolded her, ready to pull her back should she break something.
"Papa won't know anything. This'll be quick, I promise." Anya smiled in victory when she found that lever, "Bingo!"
"What are you even-" Eric could not finish that sentence when Anya pulled that lever before the bookshelf moved to the left to reveal a passageway.
Eric peek into the passage with intrigued, "Huh, interesting."
"For emergen-chency." Anya declared with a proud look.
"Dad certainly comes prepared." Eric mused to himself then turned to his sister, "Let's put the bookshelf back."
"But we need to esplore." Anya protested, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
"No, we do not need to explore anything here. We're playing with the sand." Eric said as he moved towards the lever, but Anya sped past him and quickly climbed down the ladder.
"Anya!" Eric peeked down the passage to see his sister already halfway down.
"I'll be back before Papa gets back." Anya said before her feet touched the ground and began to squeeze between the tight corridors. "The secret passage...is so small." She heard voices and found a ventilation grate hovering over a meeting discussing ghosts and hallucinations. Being an aspiring spy, she wanted to get a peek at their meeting. Her elbow bumped into a pipe, causing the people in the room to look up at the ceiling. Thankfully they thought it was their imagination.
Anya let out a quiet sigh of relief until she heard something behind her. 'Anya, come on, we need to go back before our father does.' Eric crouched in the area behind her as she turned her head and saw him right there looking stressed and annoyed.
Anya nodded before she tried to crawl backwards only to find her leg caught underneath a pipe.
Eric's eyes widened, 'Don't panic, I got you.' He thought to her as he held his hand in front of him, using his power to gently lift the pipe off her leg before she pulled herself free and crawled back to her brother.
Eric held her closer and made her go in front of him back to the room. Once they were out of the secret passageway, Eric quickly pulled the lever, sliding the bookshelf back to its proper place.
Eric sighed in relief before he began to mentally scold her for sneaking into places she shouldn't.
Anya gasped when she picked up on their father's thoughts.
It took Eric a moment to realize that Loid was coming back before Anya pulled him towards the sandbox and basically dumped the toys into the sand.
"Anya, you're making a mess." Eric scolded before he used his telekinesis to arrange them in a less messy order on the sand.
The door opened as Loid returned, "I'm back."
"Wow, playing with toys is so much fun." Anya said in a not-so-convincing tone which Loid didn't seem to pick up.
"Let's have a look." Loid closed the door before he approached the table, "Now, you might not believe this, but that sandbox gives us an insight into the deeper part of the patient's psyche. Looks like your minds are CHAOS!" He exclaimed when he saw the mess his children created in the sandbox.
Eric pointedly ignored his father. "My team is beating your team. Prepare to be eaten." He positioned the t-rex and robot over the unicorn.
"No, it's not, the unicorn shoots lasers out of her horn and her teddy bear sidekick summons an army of undead minions." Anya argued as her chaotic imagination took hold.
"Robot creates a shield against the unicorn laser and the t-rex breathes fire on the army." Eric sounded childish when he vehemently said that, still cross with his sister for that passageway.
"Oh no, I've been defeated." Anya sarcastically said to her brother in their mock battle.
Loid stared at the display as he tried to diagnose and interpret the siblings' minds in the sandbox and what could be in their individual psyches. Anya's is pretty chaotic and can't seem to stay on track in spite of her efforts as she tries hard to establish herself as the equally dominant sibling. Eric is meticulous on his side of the sandbox, it's not as messy, but to decimate his sister's forces shows he's unwilling to let Anya get the better of him. Loid began to reanalyze whether he is giving his children equal attention as a parent.
Anya was listening to his mind go in many directions with a confused expression while Eric took the time to put the toys back in the box.
The day of the assignment was due. Eric waited and listened to the other students give their oral report on their parent's work and how they felt about it.
When Eric's turn came, he stood up and held his paper in his hands then cleared his throat.
He spoke in an even and clear voice, "'My father, Dr. Loid Forger, is a Psychiatrist at Berlint General Hospital. While some may look down on his profession due to his status, I see it as an honest and true calling for one such as him. While people normally go to hospitals to treat sickness or mend a broken arm, my father takes it upon himself to help those who are afflicted mentally due to personal traumas in their past. The most common are war veterans or those who were similarly affected. The patients he treats are survivors of unspoken horrors from their past. While some are able to heal physically, the memories of those traumatic events stay with them forever.'" Eric swallowed then continued, "'The sole reason why my father chose this job is because he himself suffered similar tragedies during the war, and he is able to understand and connect with his patients through that pain. Even though he is unable to fully erase the traumas, he does everything within his power to help them move forward and rediscover happiness again. He reminds them that they are not alone because he is fighting alongside them to help them win their battles. His colleagues at the hospital value him, they say, and I quote, "an indispensable team member." Having the trust of both his fellow doctors and patients is a man I deem worthy of respect, not just for his profession, but as my father.'" Eric allowed a smile to grace his lips as the next words he spoke came from his heart, "While I may never become a psychiatrist like him, I want to follow his moral compass and help people the way he does every single day as man and a soldier in the medical field."
Eric bowed his head and sat down before the room erupted in applause. He awkwardly smiled and thanked them for their praise.
Professor Henderson stopped clapping and gave the boy a look of appraisal, "Such an elegant and well-spoken report Mr. Forger, and one that comes from the heart. Well done."
"Thank you, you are most kind Professor Henderson." Eric bowed his head in respect to his teacher as Becky patted him on his back with a grin.
Damian gripped his paper and clenched his teeth in frustration. While Eric spent the day learning from his father, Damian could hardly get in touch with his own to even have that one conversation about his work for this assignment. The most Damian could do was speak with his father's colleagues who are well versed in business and politics. While he got good information, it didn't feel genuine because he solely wanted it from his father. The most important man in the country won't make time for him, but a faceless upper-middle class doctor could for Eric.
'Why does that brat get to spend time with his father while I can't with mine?' Damian felt that white hot jealousy come back as he glared at Eric. 'It's not fair! And he's getting all that praise again! Damnit!'
Eric felt those familiar daggers stabbing the back of his skull, 'The hell did I do this time?'
I had a difficult four hours writing this chapter, I kept going back and forth on whether to have Anya tag along with her brother since she is so invested in the spy profession while Eric is that typical moody kid trying to get a good grade. Originally, I didn't intend to add Damian at the end, but after that report Eric gave, I thought it was a good opportunity to add some jealousy angst on the kid's part.