The Escort

“What?” Umbra said, grimacing.

Matthew stood, gently touching his arm. “Umbry, this is a great opportunity for you to get back on your feet! I think it'll be good for you to get out and get some fresh air.”

Umbra swallowed with difficulty, trying to hide his panic. His nightmares about going on another mission all came crashing down on him at once. Umbra almost covered Matthew in his own homemade pancakes.

“I'm not sure if this is a good idea,” Umbra managed, intertwining his fingers with Matthew's. He tried to sound as casual as possible. “Maybe some other time? I was thinking about going shopping today. I like the fresh air over there better.”

Matthew squeezed his hand. “I think a mission would be the best thing for you. You really enjoy mercenary work, so that should be a lot more fun than staring at clothes all day, right?”

I've got no choice, Umbra realized, his stomach twisting. If I keep denying this any further, Matthew is going to get worried. Blood roared in his ears as his eye rested upon the teenager sitting on his couch. I've just gotta suck it up.

“Fine,” Umbra sighed, propping his hands on his hips, “Matthew, Aunora, kids- go get ready. We're back in business.”

“Uh, actually, about that…” Matthew murmured, frowning, “Our client says he just wants to hire you.”

Umbra took a sharp breath. “If that's the case-”

“Excuse me, if you will,” their client finally piped up, awkwardly coming to his feet. “I didn't really get to properly introduce myself. My name is Tailsium, but you can call me Tails. It's true, I just wanna hire Umbra.” He dug into the pockets of his coat, withdrawing a bag and tossing it on the counter. “Will this price be enough?”

Aunora snatched the bag before Umbra could react, pulling it open. “Holy crap, these are diamonds! How much money is this worth?”

Tails shrugged. “I'm not sure. A couple thousand, maybe?”

A wild tension filled the room as Matthew and Aunora gaped at Umbra. Umbra’s heart thudded as he realized how much was on the line. How could he reject such a grand pay?

“Alright, Tailsium,” Umbra murmured, dropping his voice into a deep snarl, “What's the mission description?”

Tails cautiously approached Umbra, his cheeks a deep shade of pink. “Oh, it's not a lot, just…” He trailed off, shaking his head and turning away from Umbra, “I need you to escort me home. I've enjoyed my vacation in the human world, but I need to get back to my own house.”

“Seriously? How do you not know how to get home?” Umbra growled, tapping his foot impatiently.

Tails scratched the back of his neck. “Ah, um, here's the thing...I don't really know the exact runes to my house, so I just kinda get dumped in the jungle, which is really dangerous.”

This is total bullcrap, Umbra thought, staring coldly at the blushing teenager. But he's got money.

Matthew took Umbra by the arm, pulling him aside. “Thanks for doing this, Umbry. Everything's gonna be fine. This seems like an easy mission to get you back in the swing of things. It's nothing too stressful.”

“I don't need to be babied,” Umbra hissed, voice guarded.

Umbra clenched his fists, skin slick with sweat. This was really happening. He actually was going on a mission. The scars on the right side of his face tingled as his mind was intruded with memories of his last adventure.

No, he thought to himself, it won't be like that. It's just like Matthew said. This is going to be easy. I have no reason to panic. Despite that fact, Umbra's breath was still short and quick.

Bringing his trembling hands to his tie, Umbra put on an air of authority. “Wait outside, Tailsium. I'll meet you when I'm ready to go.”

Author's Note- i literally hate writing beginnings ahgg h