Richie held the cat tightly against his chest and pouted as he told Twilight:
"Father, Richie wants to keep this cat."
Twilight immediately refused. "No! This dog and cat belong to the bad guys..."
"But he saved Anya!" Anya shouted indignantly.
Richie stayed calm. He could just leave Anya to do the hard work of convincing them to keep the pets, then sit back and enjoy the results.
"Besides, Richie, didn't you want a prettier cat? And Anya, didn't you say you wanted a smaller dog?"
Cold sweat began beading on Twilight's forehead. Somehow, he suddenly couldn't reason with either his son or his daughter.
After all, there was little they could do when children cried and threw tantrums.
Anya hugged the big white dog's neck. "I want this one! I want this big one!"
Twilight continued his standoff with Anya. "Don't be unreasonable."
Anya suddenly unleashed her ultimate move. "If you won't let me keep this dog, I'll turn bad and stop going to school!"
Richie knew it was time to add fuel to the fire!
So Richie declared fiercely as well:
"If you won't let me keep this cat, I'll turn bad and stop going to school, just like Anya!"
Those words instantly terrified every agent present.
Twilight hurriedly tried to coax them. "What are you saying? Both of you have to go to school!"
Anya and Richie cried and fussed while Yor and Twilight bent down, each trying to soothe one child.
"All right, I approve!" Twilight's female superior stood behind their family of four, her arms folded, and adjusted her glasses.
Twilight rolled his eyes at once. "Handler... ma'am-"
"Is that all right?" Yor asked.
"It won't matter if one dog and one cat go missing. The terrorists have all been arrested, after all, and the