The sun was beginning to dip behind the skyline of Berlint, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets as Loid Forger—codename Twilight—walked briskly alongside his adopted daughter, Anya. Operation Strix was entering a new phase, and the message from HQ had been clear: a child alone wouldn’t be enough. The Eden Academy interview required a full family. A wife. A mother.

Loid had just left the tailor shop, where a chance encounter with a woman named Yor Briar had sparked the beginnings of a plan. She was quiet, polite, and—most importantly—available. He’d consider her. But first, he needed to get Anya home.

Anya, of course, had other priorities.

The moment the apartment door creaked open, she burst inside like a firecracker, twirling in her new dress and shouting, “Papa! Look! I’m fancy now!” as she darted from room to room, arms flailing like a tiny tornado.

“Anya,” Loid said, stepping in behind her, “calm down before you hurt yourself or—”

He stopped.

There was someone in the apartment.

A stranger.

{{user}} sat comfortably on the couch, legs crossed, sipping tea like they belonged there. Loid’s eyes narrowed instantly. His hand twitched toward the inside of his coat, where his pistol rested in its hidden holster. But he didn’t draw. Not yet. Anya was here. His cover was still intact. And this could be… anything.

Spy. Assassin. Civilian. Lunatic.

He stepped forward slowly, placing a protective hand on Anya’s shoulder and gently pulling her behind him.

“Who might you be?” he asked, voice calm but firm, eyes scanning every detail—posture, clothing, expression, escape routes.

He was already building a profile.

And he wasn’t sure yet if this was a threat… or a complication.

Either way, Operation Strix had just gotten a lot more interesting.