Necromancer For Hire- Arc 2

Arc 2, Chapter 17

The Informing

"You what?" Umbra asked, his frown deepening.

"Didn't you hear me? I got us a job! Our clients are sitting here right now, waiting for you guys to come down to the restaurant." Matthew replied cheerfully.

"But Matthew, Victor and I aren't even ready-"

"Nonsense! I'm sure you look fine, and Victor's always cute, y'know? Anyway, just be here at Silver Moon in about twenty minutes then we can talk business, m'kay? Bye-bye, see you soon!" With a click, Matthew hung up, leaving everyone just as confused as before he had called.

Aunora broke the silence. "What just happened?"

"We have our first job." Esper murmured quietly, solidifying the events that had just transpired.

"I love him to death, but Matthew is so tiring to talk to. He's twenty seven and has the energy of a twelve year old." Umbra muttered, massaging his forehead. "Come, Victor. I've got to get you dressed and ready to meet these people. I want you to look as professional as possible, dear." He pointed at Aunora and Esper. "Same goes for you two- I won't allow you to look like you just crawled out of a dumpster when we talk to our first clients. Esper should be fine, since you can just adjust your physical form, but, Aunora, I'm going to need you to change."

Aunora snorted, tugging at her dirt-stained skirt. "If that's how it's gonna be, then I'm going to have to borrow some clothes, Fashionisto."

Umbra's upper lip curled in disgust, vexing Aunora. "What?" she asked, glaring at him skeptically. "Got a 'prob with a chick wearing your fancy-man clothes?

Umbra suddenly grabbed Aunora's waist, chewing his lip. "We're both of a rather slender build, but your hips are a bit more narrow than mine. A belt on the pants should solve that problem, but the shirt could an issue." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You're a bit more, er, lengthy in the chest area." He let go of her, turning on his heels. "I'll see what I can find. Let's go, Victor." he stated, gesturing at his son to stand up and follow him.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Victor shut his arithmetic textbook and joined Umbra's side. He was still in a state of shock from Matthew's announcement, as the fact that they were mercenaries had suddenly became very real. He wasn't sure how to feel about the development- changes in scenery and new faces had always made him uncomfortable. But then again, exposing himself to situations like this was the only way he could fathom to improve his social skills, and that was something he had to work on.

I get to hang out with both of my dads, too, Victor reasoned, taking Umbra by the hand. Being with them always makes me calmer. Matt and Umbry will make sure that nothing bad happens.

With those thoughts heavy on his mind, Victor stumbled up the staircase behind the taller man. He plopped down on their bed, swinging his legs as Umbra kneeled in front of the dresser.

"Hmm...how do you feel about sweaters today, Victor?" Umbra asked, shuffling through his son's clothing drawer. Before Victor could answer, Umbra immediately carried on the conversation with himself. "I think sweaters would be a great choice, personally. I was considering wearing my sweater vest, so in a way, we would match. Unfortunately, Matthew probably won't be wearing one, and he'll refuse to change, too, so the clothing scene will only apply to you and I. Ah, and Esper too. I almost forgot."

Victor smiled softly, watching his father chatter on about outfit choices. Umbra was a vain, fashion-concerned man, but Victor didn't mind. Picking out clothes seemed to put Umbra at ease, so Victor just gave him the reins when it came to professional dress. The urge to rebel only came on rare occasion, and that was only with lounging and causal wear.

Umbra dropped a neatly- folded stack of clothes by Victor's side, and then turned back to the highest drawer on the dresser.

"You never answered my question, so I just picked out a sweater that I thought you would like." Umbra stated in his informative, but still slightly know-it-all, tone. "You, for some reason, seem to gravitate towards darker colors, so I selected that black sweater with the cat on it. You're still going through your cat-obsession phase, right?"

"That's my favorite one!" Victor said cheerfully, his quiet, somewhat raspy voice rising in pitch.

For the record, Victor had actually passed his cat phase and was now in the middle of his dragon phase (symbolized by the plush dragon he slept with at night), but he decided not to inform Umbra of that. His father seemed content with the cat shirt, and Victor didn't want to disturb the peace. These were the only moments Victor justified lying to his father.

While Umbra still had his back to him, Victor hastily stripped off his t-shirt and shorts, changing into his new outfit. He disliked changing in front of people, even his father, despite the fact that he had bathed him when he was little. Victor was quite thin, and that made him uncomfortable with his body.

Victor glanced up, catching Umbra in the midst of pulling off his shirt. On the man's back was a large, blue brand that signified his familiarship to Victor. The boy had a similar (but smaller) marking, on his belly above his hip bone. According to Umbra, the runes magically inscribed on their bodies meant 'Slave' and 'Master,' respectively. Occasionally, Victor forgot that Umbra was techincally his slave, but the mark was a glaring reminder.

As Umbra pulled the sweater vest over his silk shirt, Victor snickered. He reached his fingers under the seam of his shirt, lightly rubbing the runes engraved into his skin.

From the other side of the room, Umbra emitted a strange noise, halfway between a laugh and a confused gasp. His hands flew to his back, grabbing his brand in shock. Umbra turned around, returning Victor's miscevious smile.

"Vic! That tickles!" Umbra cried, his voice strained with effort of holding in laughter. "Synchronization wasn't meant for you to tickle me!"

Victor was overtaken by a fit of giggles, falling over on the bed and clutching his chest. "I got you! I scared you! You even made a stupid noise!"

Umbra quickly composed himself, walking over to the bed and ruffling the boy's hair. "Yes, yes, you got me." He chuckled, poking Victor on the cheek. "Now, come on. We've got to go."

Standing up and smoothing down his hair, Victor wiped the tears out of his eyes and followed his father. Umbra had a pair of pants and a shirt thrown over his arm, presently for Aunora.

Victor took a deep breath, the euphoric playfulness he had just experienced quickly wearing off, now being replaced by an overbearing sense of worry as he realized they were leaving to start their first mission.

Author's Note- Two chapters in one week, I think that's a good record, eh? Anyway, I thought this chapter was pretty cute, with the whole scene between Umbra and Victor. The art in the media is my interpretation of the characters, also drawn by me. Please vote and comment! Have a good day! ♡