The Restaurant

Umbra landed elegantly on the pavement, grabbing Victor with one arm to keep him from hitting the ground. Aunora and Esper landed beside Umbra, the demon horse staring at the building before them.

Silver Moon was a small restaurant, nestled between two larger buildings. The street-facing windows were wide and tinted a dark color so it was hard to see what was inside. A metal rod protruded from above the door and a sign hung from thin chains, inscribed with the words 'Silver Moon' and a small picture of a crescent moon.

"It's small," Aunora observed, resting her hands on her hips.

"Well, Matthew is the only employee that works there. He mans the counter, cooks the food, and cleans. I try to pitch in when I can, but for the most part, Matthew is the sole supporter of Silver Moon. The stress from managing a bigger resturant would probably kill him." Umbra murmured, holding Victor's arm to steady him as the boy tried to find his footing.

"That's pretty weird," she muttered, "He must really like working at that place, right?"

Umbra nodded, walking to the door and wrapping his fingers around the handle. "Matthew loves his restaurant. He even has a small apartment above it that he lives in, so he can just walk downstairs and start his work. That's one of the reasons he never moved in with Victor and I- he felt too uncomfortable leaving his store alone overnight. He's afraid of someone breaking in or something."

Umbra tugged on the handle, but the door didn't budge. Glancing at his phone, he said, "It's only nine o'clock. I guess he hasn't opened up yet." He rapped his fist against the dark door, calling out. "Matthew? Matthew are you up? It's us, Umbra and Victor!"

"Umbry? Vic?" A voice cried from within. The voice was definitely male, with an ambiguous European accent. "Oh my goodness, I'm coming!"

Aunora glanced at Umbra, raising an eyebrow. "Umbry?" she said dryly, snickering.

Umbra rolled his eyes as the locks on the door clicked. "If you go any further with that comment, I'll slap you." he hissed at Aunora, cheeks turning a deep red.

The door was suddenly thrown open, narrowly missing Umbra's face. A man stood at the doorway, arms held open as if he was expecting a hug.

The man looked to be in his late twenties, but his eyes were wide and he was smiling like a child. Curly,  light brown hair fell across his face and shoulders, sticking out at various angles in a delightfully messy way. A blue beret perched atop his head and thick, round glasses sat on his face, framing his grayish-blue eyes. His silvery peacoat came down halway to his knees, and the fur trimmed color caressed his neck. Loose khaki pants completed his light and pleasant color sceme, making him look as nonthreatening and kindly as physically possible.

"Vic! My baby!" he shouted, wrapping his arms around Victor and lifting him up. He kissed him several times on the forehead and the top of the head, grinning euphorically. Victor broke out into a smile, hugging the man's neck and giggling.

Umbra reached out, touching him faintly on the arm. "Matthew, are you okay? I was concerned that something had happened to you-"

Matthew put Victor down, turning to Umbra. "Me? Nah, I'm fine. I just got a little lonely yesterday, that's all." He nudged Umbra in the ribs, pointing wildly at Aunora and Esper. "But less about me and more about these new people, Umbry. I'm so proud of you, you, like, totally made new friends!" Matthew held his hand to his forehead, sighing. "My precious, brooding companion has finally started to socialize like a normal person and make more friends..." He sniffled, fanning his face. "It's so beautiful, I think I'm gonna cry."

Umbra glared bitterly at Aunora. "I wouldn't exactly call them friends..."

Matthew pranced before Aunora and Esper, bowing. "Hi, guys! The name's Matthew. Matthew Mortis. But you can call me Matthew, or just Matt. Or, if you're, like, military folk or something, you can call me Mortis. People have also called me 'That Idiot Nazi', but that was just that one time while I was visiting Tennesee... Actually, I'd really like it if you didn't call me that last one, 'cause it's kinda offensive. Just call me Matthew or Matt. That's what everyone does." Matthew started to laugh, resting his arm on Aunora's shoulder. "Wow, like, I said Matthew so many times it doesn't even sound like a word anymore. See, look: Matthew, Matthew, Matthew, Matthew-"

"For the love of crap, shut up!" Aunora gasped, clutching her head. "You're an obnoxious nerd!"

Esper cringed, slapping his hands onto his face. "Aunora, don't be so rude!"

Matthew, however, seemed unaffected by the demon horse's comment. He pinched her cheek, grinning wilder than ever. "I like her, Umbra. She's a sassy one, just like you." Umbra groaned in response, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Ah, sorry for that, sir. Aunora doesn't have the best of manners. My name is Esper, and I am very pleased to meet you." Esper said, holding out his hand for Matthew to shake.

"Oh, this one's kind!" Matthew exclaimed, energetically shaking Esper's hand, taking the nature spirit off guard. He moved to Silver Moon's front door, holding it open. "It's too chilly out here just to stand around and talk! Let's go inside and I'll cook you guys up some fine Silver Moon-quality food!"

Victor, Aunora, and Esper immediately walked in, but Matthew held his arm out in front of Umbra before he could pass.

"Umbra," he said seriously, frowning. "Are you okay? You're acting a little more aggressive than you usually do. Is something bothering you?"

Umbra shook his head, massaging his temples. "I barely slept any last night, and that demon horse girl getting under my skin. But don't worry yourself over me, I'll be okay."

Matthew shrugged. "If you say so."

Author's Note- I believe Matthew made quite a first impression, huh? He's one of my favorite OCs, honestly. Hopefully you guys will like him too! Please vote and comment, it helps me be inspired to write future chapters!