"He's... he's a powerful businessman. The CEO of a huge corporation, even. He's spent years building his reputation, furthering his business... but his former best friend, who owns a rival business, pipped him at the post this quarter."

"What does that mean?"

"It's like... being beaten at a really crucial moment."

"That's so sad! What happens next?"

"Well... he was gonna get the bus home, but he's so overcome by shame that he can't face his family. So he got on the streetcar, and he's headed to reconcile with his old friend."

Star listens, wide-eyed and enraptured. She chews a piece of hair thoughtfully as she looks down the car at the man in the business suit, who's hunched over his briefcase with a narrow frown on his face. She understands it's a game, but she's still moved by this figure's hypothetical plight. "At one in the morning?"

"Yeah. why not?" Marco follows Star's gaze as the streetcar comes to a standstill. The man in the suit stands up, smooths his pants, and hops off. They shudder to a start again, leaning over the back of the seats to watch as the figure fades into the gloom behind them. "They were best friends for years, Star. When someone means that much to you, any time's a good time to make up with them."

A fitting resolution. Star brightens at the notion, aglow as she regards Marco. "And friends are more important than any kind of business! That stuff's for now ― people are forever."

But on the streetcar, they come and go. The few that have shared the car with them on their way home from the beach have all been lost in themselves; Star and Marco had taken it upon themselves to find them. They've been people-watching to pass the time between stops: while Marco is indisputably creative, he finds more amusement in Star's total investment as opposed to the story-telling. Three stops back had seen her almost confront a woman whom Marco had described as desperately heartbroken. It had taken all of his strength to keep her in her seat.

"You wanna do another one?"

Star nods, her gaze traveling up and down the sparsely-populated aisle. She lands on a girl not much older than they are: she's bundled up in the corner, knees drawn under an over-sized sweatshirt. She's scribbling madly into a bound journal. "Her. Sheeeeeeee... is on the run." Star's voice drops to a whisper as she leans in close at Marco's shoulder, her hand cupped around her lips. "She's fighting an underground war that nobodyknows about ― except for the people who're fighting it, obviously. But her identity's been compromised, and the enemy's been intercepting her letters to her boyfriend, so she's makin' up a secret code!"

Marco had to hand it to Star: her take on things was a lot more... far-fetched than his was. He expected nothing less; relished it, even, how Star's default angle was always the most awkward and intangible. He smiles, inclining towards Star. "So where does the streetcar factor into it?"

Star pauses for a moment, still watching the woman with rapt concentration. then she clicks her fingers. "She's gonna leave her little book-y thing on the seat when she gets off! Then another agent is gonna get on, take it, and pass it on!" She's gripping Marco's arm now, tempering an excitement that could emit charge. "Genius!"

As if on queue, the streetcar stops. The girl glances outside the window and leaps to her feet, darting out the open doors. When they see that she has indeed left her book behind, Star practically squeals.

"What did i tell you, Marco?! Super secret correspondence from behind enemy lines!"

The novelty of coincidence does conjure a smile to Marco's face. all the same, he can't help but feel sympathy for the girl and her abandoned journal. What if it's really important? He makes to stand up. "Hey, maybe we should get that back to her..."

"No!" With brute force, (a surprising amount, for such a slight girl) Star tugs Marco firmly back down next to her. "It's providence, Marco! It's serendipity. Some things aren't for our eyes. It'll find its way to whoever it's meant to go to. You just gotta learn to trust in the universe!"

I don't know about you, but I think Marco's seen enough of the universe these past few years to not have to blindly trust it. Earth especially lacks the inherent magic that Star seems to believe permeates the dimensions. Then again, while at first Marco might have thought it wrong to be so optimistic, he's grown to appreciate this unconditional positive regard Star has for the world around her. Maybe, just maybe, it is because she believes it's so.

Marco sighs, staring at the journal as streetlamp after streetlamp washes it in amber light. He'll tell the driver when they get off. "Alright, we'll leave it up to fate. Who's next?"

Good question. The two of them are now alone on the streetcar, save for the driver. They're within Echo Creek's city limits again. Another game, and another day, is coming to an end. Star notices this, too, and she deflates just a little.

But not for long. "We totally forgot!" Star's hand travels idly down Marco's arm to where his hand rests on the seat. She threads her fingers through his, and gives them a gentle nudge. "What about these two cuh-razy kids? What're they doing here?"

He looks from Star's face to their hands, and understands. Marco grins as he leans back in his seat, peering at Star as though for the very first time. She laughs at him; squeezes his fingers again. "You mean those two cool-lookin' dudes with the sick sunburn? They just spent a day at the beach."

Star beams. She's red from the sun, and warm from the company. Her cheeks glow ever-so-faintly. "And what'd they do there?"

"Oh, you know... built a sandcastle... destroyed a sandcastle." This is punctuated with a pointed look from Marco as he continues. "Caught some waves, got dumped by said waves... drank sodas... watched the sunset. Just beach stuff."

"That sounds like a pretty great day. I wouldn't have wanted it to end."

Marco watches Star's head droop a little under the press of fatigue. He draws his free arm around her shoulders and pulls her close. There are a few precious moments in his recent memory where they'd stayed like this: her head over his heart as the sun plunged over the horizon. His sensory recollection responds with a few solid thumps of the heart. "It was an awesome day... but it had to end."

Marco's lips to Star's hair, he watches out the window as their stop draws ever closer. "Because that way, there can be new days to do it all over."