(Dork dads by me)

The Confrontation

"Ah, yes," Umbra said smoothly. "Very fascinating."

Umbra had been chatting up Finch for the last thirty minutes, trying to find out more about the mysterious bounty hunter man. Finch had been quick to answer, clearly bored and eagar to amuse himself.

As far as Umbra knew, Hawkins hadn't attempted to contact them yet. "The big haul", as Finch called it, seemed to be far away.

But, of course, none of this mattered if the two men really were criminals. Matthew dearly wanted to call the police, but Umbra refused. There was no evidence that Hawkins and Finch were involved in any illegal activity. Bounty hunting was, after all, completely legal, even if their methods were a little strange.
So, for now, the only thing Team Silver Moon could do was wait.

"So, Finch, where were you and Hawkins registered as bounty hunters? Are you affiliated with any other hunters in Alcorith?" Umbra asked, smiling warmly and only slightly squinting at Finch. He may have been acting nice, but Umbra was in full interrogation mode, ready to dig out an incriminating piece of his story.

Finch scratched the back of his neck. He had been much more relaxed answering the more general questions Umbra had throw at him. "Ah, well, 'dat's a real long story..."

"I'm actually very interested, do tell." Umbra countered politely, taking a step forward.

Aunora and Esper watched Umbra's ambiguous questioning with bated breath, not sure whether to help out or stay silent. Matthew was still sitting against the wall, inattentive and seemingly bored by the waiting Finch was having them endure.

"We're independent workers," the squat man said, sounding strained. "We haven't even registered ourselves."

"That's not very intelligent," Umbra remarked critically. "You two are pretty much inviting the police to raid this place."

Finch glared at Umbra, lifting his head to look the much taller man in the eyes. "I didn't ask for any lip from my hired guns, so shut up."

"Oh, Mr. Finch, I'm not offering any 'lip', as you call it." Umbra's kindly smiled descended into smug smirk as Finch's temper started to flare. "I'm just sharing my meek observation. It'd be a shame if you two were to be apprehended by the police."

"Listen here you 'lil-"

"Umbry!" Matthew suddenly  threw his arms around Umbra's waist, laying his head on his friend's shoulder.

The tension that had been climaxing was unexpectedly broken by Matthew's bizarre show of affection. Umbra gasped in surprise, the muscles in his face instantly becoming slack.

"Umbry! I'm going to check on Victor upstairs." The German man said cheerfully, almost too cheerfully. "Please continue to have fun while I'm gone." He lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear, hissing in Umbra's ear. "Don't blow this by pissing him off. We don't know who we're messing with here. Once I find out Victor's okay, I'm cutting a portal and sending him straight home. I'm getting more and more uncomfortable as we wait for Hawkins' 'big haul.'"

Matthew let go of Umbra, dusting off his coat and messing with the fur-lined collar. "I've gotta make sure Victor's all peachy." he explained to Finch, who was staring judgmentally. "He is my baby, after all." He skipped up the stairs, swinging his arms back and forth. "My sweet, cuddly, precious child..." he murmured softly as he sprinted up to the first floor of the basement.

Umbra huffed, turning his head haughtily. He walked back to Aunora and Esper, muttering under his breath.

Once Finch's attention faded from Umbra, the man hastily relayed the message Matthew had told him.

Aunora sat her head on her knees. "Well," she muttered quietly, "Should we go on and attack him once Matthew gets back? Since the kid won't be in any danger?"

Esper shook his head. "Mr. Umbra, I highly suggest we don't do that. Rushing in and attacking Mr. Finch would be unintelligent, as we don't have any solid proof that he's doing anything wrong. We would be the aggressors in this situation, and I am not comfortable with that."

Umbra rested his foot against the wall, squinting at Finch from across the room. "Esper's right. For right now, we just play along and get this mission over with. But if it comes to a fight, I'm fully prepared."

They sat in silence, the mood still simmering from Umbra's bitter banter with Finch. Esper had tried to start some casual talk, but he was quickly hushed by a firm glance from Umbra.

Finally, Umbra spoke.

"Why are we still waiting on Hawkins? Shouldn't we be doing something else, like guarding the cells above us?"

Finch's mouth settled into a scowl. "Apprehending it is a bit more important right now." He inspected his grubby fingernails. "Honestly, the prisoners don't really need guarding, they're pretty sedating with all that cold iron-"

"Oh, hi guys! I'm back!" Matthew's accented voice rang out, once again interrupting the current drama that was building. He skipped next to Umbra, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Victor was totally fine, just a 'lil shakey. I gave him a hug and a kiss and he got a lot better." Matthew said, waving his hand back and forth as he spoke.

Just then, a vibration radiating from Umbra's pocket startled him. He quickly retrieved his phone, unlocking it to find he had a new message from Matthew.

I can't find him, the screen simply read.

As Umbra's mind processed the information, a hot feeling pulsed through him. It was a mixture of fear, rage, and strong paternal bloodlust. All the deep-seated anger he had been suppressing to appear classy suddenly boiled to the top of his being, and Umbra lost his composure.

He stalked towards Finch, eyes narrowed into violet slits brimming with killing intent. Matthew tried to grab him, but it was no use.

Umbra was determined.

The fae opened his palm, a large polearm forming in his hand with a flash of purple magic. He had summoned his war scythe.

Out of his three-weapon armory, Umbra considered his war scythe the most terrifying of them all. While the naginata and flamberge carried a certain elegant fair, the war scythe was a plain wicked instrument of death.

Umbra allowed the serrated to scratch the ground, generating sparks and sharp hissing noise. Finch's lip curled in confusion, taking a step back from the incoming man.

Umbra was upon him in seconds, kicking the fat man to the floor with one steady surge. He held the glistening blade to Finch's throat.

"What did you do with my son?!" He snarled, planting a foot on his stomach and pressing down.

"Mr. Umbra, you had just said-" Esper stuttered, but Umbra cut him off.

"That doesn't matter anymore!" Umbra barked, making Esper squeak in shock.

Umbra leaned in, his heavy breathing making his shoulders visibly move. "Answer me, Finch! What happened to my son?!"

Finch's eyes were wide and sweat poured down his face. "I-I didn't do anything to him!" His voice was strangled from attempting to avoid Umbra's blade. "Didn't the German just say he was fine?!"

"Shut up!" Umbra could barely hear Finch's response over the blood roaring in his ears. "You idiot, you thought he was telling the truth? Now tell me what really happened to him or I'll cut your head off!"

Esper and Matthew watched in horrified silence, while Aunora smirked in approval at Finch's panicked condition.

The squat man's eyes darted wildly, still not answering Umbra.

"You think I won't do it?" He hissed, baring his sharp teeth. "Do you know how many have fell by my blade? How many heads I have made roll?" This, however, was mostly a bluff. The events in Ereith were the first time in a while he had earnestly fought for his life, and it marked the rare occasion of him actually killing someone. Of course, Finch didn't need to know this.

"ANSWER ME!" Umbra shouted, his voice finally rising above a deep growl. He pressed the tip of the war scythe harder against Finch's throat, causing a trickle of scarlet blood to stream down.

Finch opened his mouth to say speak up for himself, but he was interrupted by something strange.

At that moment, a portal opened up, and a tall and ethereal being stepped out.

Author's Note- oh boy oh boy