Necromancer For Hire- Arc 2

Arc 2, Chapter 4

The Errand

"Dear, what would you like for me to fix for you?" Umbra murmured, standing up from his stool and gliding behind the counter.

"Can you make some..." he paused, wracking his brain for what his appetite called for. "...waffles? Like, homemade ones with the chocolate chips inside?"

Umbra smiled, clapping his hands together. "That sounds great!" He turned around and started pulling out his cooking materials. "I'll have to put blueberries in mind, of course. I'd rather not start out my morning with that much chocolate..." he muttered, enunciating his thoughts.

Aunora pouted, hitting her fist on the table to grab Umbra's attention. "Hey, hey, Pretty Boy! What about me and Esper? Don't we get breakfast too?"

Umbra stopped in the midst of withdrawing a waffle iron from the cabinet. Sneering at Aunora, he moved in front of Esper, holding out his hand.

"Good morning," Umbra cooed, giving Aunora a snobbish stare. "What would you like for breakfast? I can cook pretty much anything."

Hastily stuffing the plant that twisted around his arm into his pocket, Esper hesitantly shook Umbra's hand. "G-Good morning, sir. I've never had a waffle, but it sounds good, so I guess I'll take that."

Umbra smiled, whisking back into the kitchen. "Then it's settled," he murmured, ignoring Aunora's simmering gaze. "We'll have waffles."

As Umbra turned towards the counter to prepare the waffle batter, Victor shuffled in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

"Um, Dad," Victor said hoarsely. "So, like, are Aunora and Esper gonna stay with us, or do they have place to live?"

"Well, the only house we had was that bungalow in the naga world, but I'm pretty sure it'd be kinda stupid to go back there. And, since we're all gonna be mercenaries together, I think it would be a good idea just to live together. Me and Esper can just continue to shack up with you guys, using that guest bedroom we slept in last night."

Umbra groaned, furiously beating several eggs in a glass bowl. "Fine, fine..." He muttered, snorting. "But only because Esper is included in this arrangement. He doesn't act like a crass clod. And he calls me sir."

Victor inwardly sighed, hugging his chest. His new living arrangement would take some getting used to, but Victor supposed he could manage. Unlike his father, Victor had no disdain towards Aunora and Esper, and he even admired several aspects of both of them.

"Ah, well that's unfortunate..." Umbra grumbled, shuffling through the all of the house's cabinets.

Victor frowned, peering over the counter to look at his father. "What's wrong, dad?" he squeaked, concerned about any of Umbra's possible answers. "Is there something wrong?"

Standing up and stretching out his back, Umbra waved his hand. "It's nothing that bad, dear. We just seem to have run out of flour, so I can't make the waffle batter."

Victor groaned, slumping his shoulders and sighing. "Oh... I guess you can just give me a bowl of cereal or something..."

Umbra crossed his arms, stroking his smooth chin. "Well, I could always run to the store right quick, but I don't really feel comfortable leaving..." he gestured his fingers at Aunora and Esper. "...you people alone at my home, especially with my son."

Aunora rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just sent the kid if you're so worried about the safety of your house? I mean, he's gotta be old enough to prance around on his own. It's not like Victor's never been apart from you, amirite?"

Victor would have very much like to inform Aunora that he barely left his father's side, but his constricted vocal cords refused to allow his voice to function. He gazed nervously at Umbra, but he didn't seem nearly as concerned as Victor felt within. In fact, he looked somewhat pleased.

"I guess you're right..." Umbra murmured. "Victor, do you think you're feeling well enough to run by the grocery store for me? I'll write you a note to give to the clerk so you don't have to interact with a lot of people." He flashed Victor a hopeful smile.

The boy's breath quickened as he hastily checked his physical health. He felt weary and had a tinge of a headache, but Victor blamed that on low blood sugar and iron count. Hence, it was fairly normal morning feeling for him. He figured after a dose of his medicine and some breakfast he'd feel better soon.

And, plus, Umbra seemed to be counting on him to go to the store for him. He really wanted to eat some of his father's homemade waffles, and he knew that wasn't going to happen unless he forced himself to go outside alone.

Victor smiled. "I feel pretty good, I'm just a little tired, that's all. I think I can do it, its just around the block, right?" He said causually, leaning in towards Umbra.

Umbra patted him on the head, massaging a clump of his slick black hair. "That's my boy. Jusy try not to use any magic today, okay? You still look pretty pale, I don't want you to exhaust yourself any further."

Author's Notes- Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying this story ^.^ Please vote and comment.