I have been talking about Kaija with a good friend I recently converted to Neverwhere. He was an ex-operative and disgreed that Kaija should have come clean earlier. Having been ex-military myself and worked for the government where secrets were concerned. I do concede and see the point re-Kaija and her work secrets. I agree with Mav who pointed out Steph in LOF was tied up with her job, and its a very tough situation. Hence why Steph was redeemed later in the story.
Here is the but, the Templar leadership wanted Kaija to get close to the MC. To Kaijas credit she said no she wouldn't do that. The MC's father went in to bat for her over the issue. After that was cleared up, Kaija was to persue her FRIENDSHIP with the MC. That was her orders.
Kaija didn't do that, She started a relationship anyway and then went the next step and moved in with him. Kaija decided to deceive the MC by becoming involved with the MC despite her orders not too. On all the paths she did this because it was, quote, easier. On the love path she falls in love with him later, but it doesn't matter. It's an asshole act by anyone, as Mav said, male or female. Even if the MC was gay and Kaija was a dude, its still a fucked up thing to deliberately do to someone. It has nothing to do with keeping secrets because of her job, she deliberately started that relationship and jumped in to bed with him to make it easy on herself with no thought of consequences for the MC. She did it contrary to her orders, because that issue was specifically dealt with at Council level. I wouldn't want her as a friend, let alone a life partner/wife in RL or a fantasy situation. Of course, the Templar council weren't going to complain because they wanted her to do that in the first place. That doesn't excuse Kaija.
I hope Kaija is redeemed, but I can't see a path to it, but Ceo has a pretty devious mind, so you never know in Neverwhere.
I think the parents are worse. That let their son get involved with a woman they know didn't love him (On all paths). How can you do that to your child. They should have intervened, removed Kaija and appointed someone else to watch over him. On the love path, just because she came to love him later, does not excuse them.
PS I love you too Mav
My whole, and biggest problem, with both parents and Kaija, isn't that they kept secret.
It always was, and always will be, they put their son (for Kaija, person she calls "friend"), in fake relationship.
That's insanely fucked up and I don't see redemption for her.
Oh, they can definitely work together to save the world, or whatever the big picture is, but being friends or in relationship? Never.
Hiding things? Sorry to disagree with some here, but I honestly see very little wrong with it. Heck, MC knew she's doing secret stuff and she can't tell him about it. That's fair.
Parents not telling him? Again, no big deal. They couldn't have known (initially) someone will go after MC in human world.
Letting a child live life outside of life-endangering environment is actually quite nice of them.
All parents had to do, to avoid this situation, was tell Kaija "Don't be in relationship with our son, it will hurt him beyond anything imaginable once he finds out". Not out of his life, just out of relationship.
But nope, they were happy with arrangement. Makes them sleep easy at night, knowing someone watches their son.
Fuck them.
Well, the parents want to protect their kids. So they are perfectly fine with their top tier upcoming operative being the protector of their kid, regardless of what it actually means for MC.
To them Kaija did nothing wrong since in their minds the vote for forced relationship has failed, so whatever happened between Kaija and MC will be considered as "natural" by parents.
Repeating example I mentioned hundred-ish pages ago.
Take situation (non-love path) into account.
MC is in fake relationship for few years, finds out his girlfriend is actually secret agent with him only to make her job easier, no real feelings for him.
Parents are happy with it because it helps them keep him safe.
Meanwhile, MC is in love with her. Perhaps, after 5 years, he even planned to propose.
Mentally? MC is now mentally scarred for the rest of his life.
All trust in women he meets from that point on will be heavily doubted, are they another agent sent to sleep with him to watch over him?
Do they like him, or are they there just to do their job?
The amount of fucked-up MC would be, living with that burden on his mind, would be insane.
Trust issues? Buddy, good chance he'd be fucking paranoid for years, with definite need for serious psychological help.
And all of that came with blessings of his parents.
For supposedly intelligent people, they sure did everything in their power to fuck up their sons life.
P.S. And all they had to do was ask Kaija: "Do you love our son?"
No = Stop relationship.
Yes = Fine, but be ready for heavy discussion one day.