The Shopping

The portal Umbra had created spit him (and Aunora and Esper) exactly where he had planned it to: the entrance of the mall. Umbra landed gracefully on his feet, allowing the sword he clutched in his palm to dissolve.

The shopping center was massive, covering thousands of square feet and two full stories. Glass panels made up the roof, offering lots of natural light to efficiently illuminate the inside of the  building. On the sides of its walls, various advertisements for stores within the mall were plastered.

"Hi Umbry!" In front of the sliding doors of the shopping center, Matthew stood, Victor sitting on his shoulders.

Matthew was his usual cheerful self, waving like a mad man at Umbra, his dirty blond curls bouncing about. He wore the same fur-lined peacoat and beret as he did everyday, which somewhat bothered Umbra, due to the fact that Matthew lacked variety in his fashion sense.

Arms wrapped around Matthew's neck, Victor looked slightly nervous, but still excited to see Umbra. Matthew had dressed him in his maroon overcoat that Umbra had sent for him, along with his white undershirt and dress pants. He also had a knit hat pulled over his ears to protect them from the chilly September wind.

"You finally made it, huh?" Matthew said, punching Umbra playfully on the shoulder. "We've been waiting on you guys for like forever!"

Umbra threw his hands up in the air, pounting. "Blame Aunora! She insisted that I make another portion of crepes!"

"Way to throw me under the bus, you little-" Aunora hissed before Esper kindly placed his hands over her mouth.

"Victor is a child," he politely reminded her. "No foul language."

Matthew placed his hands over his mouth, stifling laughter. "Oh, Umbry, you're so funny!"

Umbra squinted skeptically. "What are you talking about?"

"Dad was joking. We've only been here for about ten minutes." Victor spoke softy, his voice having a faint rasp to it.

"Oh." Umbra's cheeks flashed red in shame. "Oh." Swaggering past Matthew with his hands in his pockets and head held high, Umbra walked through the sliding doors of the shopping center.

"We've wasted enough time just standing around!" He called over his shoulder. "Are we going to shop or what?"

Matthew darted off after Umbra, Victor squeaking in shock and clinging tighter his father. Aunora and Esper sauntered behind at a much more relaxed pace.

Inside the mall, Umbra stood by a rounded sitting area. Matthew joined his side, locking an arm with him.

"I dunno where you three are goin'," Aunora murmured, flicking her fingers at the two men and their son. "But me and Esper are going to go buy some new clothes for me." As she turned to leave, Matthew called out for her.

"Waaaait! Aunora! I wanna meet up for lunch later!" Matthew cried, making the people that walked by stop and stare. "How about the Starbucks on the second floor? Around lunchtime?"

"Sounds cool!" Aunora yelled as she trotted away, Esper hot at her heels.

"Good bye, Mr. Matthew, Mr. Umbra, and Victor! We will see you around lunch!" Esper said, smiling and waving.

Matthew rested his hands on his hips, a grin lighting up his face. "I guess that just leaves us. Like, I heard on the news that this new store opened up, called The Cute Department!" Victor's eyes shined as Matthew started to ramble, obviously familiar with and quite invested into his story. "Gah, Umbry, it's so awesome! They sell stuffed puppies and panda bears, calendars, and even mugs and t-shirts! All with cute animals on them! And, the best part is, there's LIVE KITTENS in enclosures you can pet! Doesn't that sound AMAZING?" Matthew and Victor, for a short moment, were one and the same, gazing at Umbra with expectant eyes and excited expressions.

Umbra adjusted his tie, sighing. "I'm not sure if I want to get cat hair on vest, Matthew. I may have skip this venture. It doesn't exactly seem like my kind of store."

Matthew's face fell. "B-but-"

"But you and Victor can still go, together. I'll be fine by myself, Matthew. I'm an adult, after all." Umbra said coolly.

"I guess that means we can go to Toys-R-Us too, Vic!" Matthew shouted, pumping his fists and nearly knocking Victor off his back. "Bye, Umbry! I'll see you later!"

As Matthew and Victor quickly headed towards their new favorite store, Umbra walked in the opposite direction, calm and slow.

The mall was surprisingly empty in the mornings, and there was only a small handful of people trekking through the store-lined walkways. The people that were present kept their voices down, making a quiet and refreshing atmosphere.

Umbra enjoyed the silence and serenity that resulted from occasional solidarity. It gave him a chance to think, to breathe without someone tugging on his arm or talking in his ear.

It made him feel completely centered.

Making his way to the closest department store, Umbra felt something very strange. It was like he had stepped over a fan or vent, but instead of recognizable warm or cool air blowing up the leg of his pants, chill bumps simply ran up his back, making him stop dead in his tracks.

Turning to look down behind him, Umbra inspected the section of carpet he had just trotted upon. It was the same, generic color as the rest of the fabric tiles, nothing out of the ordinary. There was no place for air output.

I could have sworn that was a vent... Umbra thought, the corner of his eye twitching in confusion. Where did that sensation come from?

Shaking his head and resuming his walk, Umbra tried to brush aside the event.
It's nothing, Umbra reasoned. Just one of those random fits of sudden chills down your spine, that's all.

Author's note- Sure it is, Umbra, sure it is.