The Morning

Victor sat in the small dining room of Silver Moon, watching his father have the time of his life.

Every morning that Victor spent with Matthew, the man followed nearly the same routine.

First, he would carry a half- asleep Victor downstairs and into the restaurant area, placing him in a chair. Then he would strap on his apron and go through the motions of being a waiter. He would deliver to him a menu, set out the silverware, and even address him in a formal tone, to the extent of calling him "Mr. Victor".

Matthew found this to be quite possibly the funniest joke in the universe, as he couldn't keep a straight face during the entire performance. Victor, however, didn't find it as amusing, but he still humored his father, as he enjoyed doing it every morning he stayed with him. 

"Ah, Mr. Victor, what do you wish to eat this fine morning?" Matthew's German accent was particularly thick, as he seemed to think this made him sound professional.

Victor laughed to himself, gazing over the menu in an over-dramatic manner. "I think I'll take some of those bread-roll things with butter. And some orange juice." It always pleased Matthew when Victor tried to partake in parts of his German culture, and Victor was aware that the bread he liked to fix for breakfast was something native to Matthew.

"Wonderful! I will bring those out soon!" Matthew skipped to the kitchen, adjusting the straps of his light blue apron.

As Victor calmly waited on him to return, he stared about the room vacantly, deep in thought. Victor was a thoughtful child, often using his long periods of silence to ponder issues that had been heavy on his mind. The most current topic that had captured his time was whether it was possible for a dragon to be completely fur-covered, and therefore fluffy like a cat.

In the midst of his thinking, Victor suddenly heard a strange noise, the sound of a phone vibrating on a wooden surface. Looking up, he noticed Matthew's cell phone was ringing.

The screen displayed a picture of Umbra and Matthew, arms around each other and smiling gently. The contact name read "Umbry!!!!!!!! :):):):)".

Victor tentatively picked up the smartphone, holding it to his ear. "Hello?" He whispered, his voice sounding raspy.

"Ah, good morning, Victor! Where's Matthew?" Umbra said coolly.

"He's cooking."

"Can you tell him to meet Esper, Aunora, and I in front of Alcorith Horizons? We are going to search for a mission. If he's interested, of course."

"Oh Mr. Victor! The food is ready!" Matthew called, pushing through the kitchen door holding a tray. He blinked, noticing Victor was preoccupied. "Whoya talking to?" He asked, setting the tray down on the table and kneeling next to Victor.

"It's Dad," Victor answered, handing him the phone.

"Oh, hey Umbry!" Matthew said cheerfully, tapping his fingers on the table. He paused, waiting as Umbra spoke. "Okay, yeah, we can do that. Bis spater!" He stuck the phone back in his pocket, sitting down next to Victor.

"Since we gotta meet the rest of the team, we need to eat fast." He popped a piece of bread in his mouth. "I'm gonna go grab some clothes, okay?" Matthew immediately bounced back out of his chair, darting across the room and up the stairs leading to his living quarters.

After Victor finished eating, he went to meet Matthew upstairs.

The upper portion of the restaurant was modeled somewhat like a small apartment, with tiny, connected rooms. The living room was the hub of the living space, containing a couch, coffee table, and television. A door led into the bedroom, where Matthew and Victor slept.

"Dad?" Victor squeaked as he slid into the bedroom, seeing Matthew crouched on the carpet, rummaging through his dresser. He had already gotten dressed, wearing his coat and a pair of khaki pants. A scarf was tied around his neck, probably because the weather had turned very chilly in the past few weeks.

"I got your clothes on the bed, Vic. If we leave real quick, I'll let you cut the portal!" Matthew murmured, standing up and leaving Victor alone in the room.

Excited at the prospect of teleportion, Victor hastily threw on his clothes. He wore a dark colored sweater vest and black dress pants. Before he ran to meet his father, Victor pulled a hat over his head to protect his ears from the cold.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Victor called as he clumsily ran down the stairs, still in the process of buttoning his pants. Being able to be in control of portal-making was a rare privilege for Victor, and he was going to make sure he got to use it.

Matthew stood by the door, a casual smile on his face. He dropped a pocket knife into Victor's waiting palms, laughing to himself. He pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. "Ready, Victor? Do you want me to help you?"

"No," Victor said, flicking the blade out. "Just tell me the runes, I'll remember what the symbols look like by myself!"

Author's Note- just a bit of a filler chapter I guess. They all can't be interesting lol

Oh and by the way: I have made a book of short stories relating to this. It has a bit more of a loose format, so you can ask me questions about my writing and stuff. Be sure to check it out! All the stories and shorts on there on canon to the timeline!