Authors note: So here's the second a little later than I thought. Sorry about it, but my internet went out for a few days so I couldn't update the story earlier. Not a whole lot of action here, just some Star and Marco fluff for the time being, and don't you worry, the obvious route to satisfy your shipping needs will be met here. Starco is painfully obvious.

Don't you worry though, I have some special plans later on, so be prepared for some action later one. Other than that, enjoy the new chapter.

Chapter 2: Joyride

O-O-O

Star and Marco didn't really know where they were going. They knew they were walking with each other, side by side through the fancy hallways of the castle, but their direction seemed aimless. They couldn't care less however, and were more concerned with getting to know each other.

Needless to say, it was a relief for both of them.

It had been too long since they had people their age to speak to. Sure, Marco knew some fellow padawans back on Courasant, but he never really got to see them after Hett picked him to be his apprentice. He never really had family to go back to either or any he could remotely remember, and the order strictly forbid Jedi to form attachments to others so a Jedi having a social life was rare.

Star never really made too many friends either, mostly because people only cared about her because she was royalty. Many noble sons only spoke to the girl to have a successful arranged marriage pressured by their parents, so they only kept up fake perfect personalities and were driven away for that.

So when Star and Marco met, instant chemistry sparked between the two, they only knew each other for a few hours and already they could talk to each other about practically anything. From their interests to what color they liked, even cracking jokes about their respective positions in life between Jedi and princess.

"So Marco, what's it like to be a space monk with a laser sword?" Teased Star playfully.

Marco chuckled at the joke. "There's a little more to it than that."

"True… you also fight all kinds of bad guys, right?"

"Ahh, no." Answered Marco, much to Star's disappointment. "Jedi only fight when absolutely necessary, our goal is to achieve peace as nonviolently as possible."

"Sounds like Jedi are pretty boring."

Marco stuttered back in response. "N-no! Of course not! Jedi do all kinds of cool stuff like, talking to people and uh, and training with practice droids. And uh-

"Laaaaaame!" Star interrupted. "That's not the Jedi I know."

"Oh really? And what are Jedi to you?" Inquired Marco, curious on Star's view of Jedi.

"Where do I begin?" Wondered Star out loud, before she answered fully. "Ever since I was a little girl, my parents would tell me tales about mystical warriors that travelled the galaxy to fight evil. I took those stories to heart and they made me who I am today, always looking for an adventure outside Mewni while keeping my adorableness."

Marco smiled at the heartwarming short story, letting Star continue to speak.

"To me, Jedi are these noble heroes that want to do real good and serve a greater purpose than sitting on a throne and telling people what to do, they're a fantasy came true. It's kind of why I want to leave Mewni so badly and just go out adventuring." Finished Star, sighing as she did. "But… I can't really leave. Instead, I have to be stuck here because I'm the future of my kingdom."

Marco gave the princess a sympathetic frown. "It's tough, but you have your responsibilities here and I have mine elsewhere."

"I know that, but-

Star stopped herself short, as if she was about to admit something.

"But what?" Marco noticed the stop in speech, curious as to what Star was going to say.

"But I want to have more excitement in life." Star responded, rather quickly but Marco payed little mind to it. "It doesn't sound like Jedi are very exciting."

"Oh come on, it's not that boring."

Star gave the padawan a bored expression to match her tone. "You just said talking to people is cool."

"Well uh-

Marco tried to think of something exciting he did last time, but truth be told, things were awfully quiet on the Jedi front. The last thrilling thing to happen to Jedi was on Naboo, and that was more than nine years ago, and Marco and Hett were off on some other world. Aside from the usual sparring match, Marco never really had a lot of combat experience.

"Okay, yeah." Said a defeated Marco. "The whole Jedi padawan thing hasn't been really all that fun. Sometimes, I wish I had a little more danger."

That got Star's attention, her eyes lighting up with glee to match her namesake. She took Marco's hand in hers and rushed through the hallways, surprising the Jedi padawan as he was being dragged through the halls to a pair of doors leading outside rather than going back to the throne room.

"Star?" Said Marco, looking more concerned and even intimidated at the sudden move. "What's going on?"

The princess only gave Marco her toothy grin, which only frightened the boy in turn.

"You'll see." Star responded, rushing out the doors with Marco in her grip as the pair went outside.

Marco tried to release his hand from Star's, but the girl was much stronger than he thought, almost superhuman in a way. Mewmans did have a few differences from humans, so strength must have been one of them. Unfortunate fro Marco but not so much for Star.

"We really should get back." Advised Marco, straying further away from the castle. "What if you parents start to look for you?"

"I sneak out so many times, they're just used to it." Star blew off the statement, much to Marco's displeasure.

"But my master won't appreciate me running off." Countered Marco more nervously, though it was a poor attempt.

"He'll get over it." Star countered once more, already set on her decision.

The pair of teenagers quickly passed through the castle gates, with Star rushing Marco through the medieval styled village blended with modern technology. Many inhabitant Mewmans wore medieval styed clothing, poor and rich alike to show their status, though there were the obvious off worlders that had more distinct clothing, tending to hang around the more modernized areas of the dense but quaint capital.

After what felt like hours, Star stopped by the large front gate that led outside the kingdom walls. The only thing that prevented her from leaving being the guard in front, a massive seven foot man with a peach fuzz beard and a Viking like attire.

"I got this." Star whispered to the Jedi in her grip.

"Can you let me go now? I think the blood in my wrist stopped circulating." Complained the padawan.

"Don't be such a worry Wookie."

"No seriously, I can't feel my hand anymore." Spoke up Marco, prompting the princess to let go of him. "And what's a worry Wookie?"

Star ignored the question, more focused on the guard she spoke up to.

"Greetings, fellow knight of Mewni!" Proclaimed Star, almost childishly as she walked up to the guard. "Me and my new friend request access to the outside world!"

Marco stood confused at the scene, rubbing his wrist and expected the guard to turn Star away.

"You going out for a joy ride, princess?" Asked the guard in a cockney accent, much to Marco's surprise.

"Yup! Do you still have my bike?"

"Hold one a moment."

The guard went around the gate to fetch said bike, prompting Marco to ask further about Star's plan.

"Did you say bike? As in speeder bike?"

"Shhhh!" Shushed Star. "Don't ruin the surprise."

Sure enough, the obvious guess was obvious when the guard brought out a seagrass colored speeder bike, custom made with enhanced boosters on the back engines for more speed, painted decorations of rainbows and unicorns, even a floating pony head on the side with the words 'B-fly' printed below it.

It was a speeder bike only Star could like. Scratch that, love.

"Are we really going to ride that?" Asked Marco, unsure about the whole scenario.

"What? You think it's too girly for you?" Asked Star in mock tone, while sounding playful, made Marco sputter out his next words.

"N-no! It's great! I uh, I ju-ust don't uh- WAH!"

But Marco just got dragged by Star once more, plopped down on the back of the bike while Star got in front, activating the speeder that slowly hummed to life. Marco just stared at Star in disbelief, making the girl giggle at the boy's reaction.

"Stop being such a safe kid, Marco! You need to have a little fun once in a while." Said Star in a calmer tone, though the safe kid nickname didn't instill a lot of confidence in the boy "Besides, I thought you wanted to have a little more, DAN-GER!"

Star put Marco's hands around her waist, making the padawan blush at the contact. He knew it was all meant to not fall off the bike, but teenage hormones existed in even Jedi his age. He quickly brushed those thoughts aside and realized that this girl was her friend… friend. He made a friend, an actual friend that he still couldn't believe for a moment could happen. Then he started to get more worried when Star kept revving the bike, as if she was ready to hit the top speed in the galaxy and wondered if dying in a speeder bike crash was possible.

With Star driving, those thoughts were not put down so easily.

"Are you ready for the ride of your life!?" Exclaimed Star, revving up the speeder bike and pumping up her adrenaline.

"Can we at least get helmets!?" Marco exclaimed over the sound of constant revving.

"Nope!"

That was the last audible word the two heard from each other when Star floored it, zooming right past the guard nearby and out the now open gates by the guard's request.

This was always her favorite part of the ride. Accelerating as high as she could on her bike, the wind smacking her past her cheeks, zooming past the kingdom around the vast plains ahead where she can just ride for hours on end and explore her world. It gave Star a sense of freedom and adventure that she desired every day.

"Having fun yet!?" Star shouted over the zooming speed.

All Star could hear from Marco was the high pitched scream in reply. It was kind of hilarious to be truthful. Star felt bad for the padawan screaming for dear life, but she could help herself but find it funny that he screamed like a girl.

It didn't matter much however, for all that did matter was the rush of adventure in the girl's veins, zooming through the open plains and past the herds of grazing animals.

The friends only went further away from the kingdom, straying further into the wilds and slowing down a bit for Marco to ease up and loosen his grip on Star's sides, since it felt like the boy was crushing her ribs out of fright. The padawan calmed himself down, taking in the fast speed the bike went and admittedly, started to enjoy the ride.

"So how are you doing now, wild man?" Asked Star, slowing down a bit to hear Marco better.

"Wild man?" Marco questioned the nickname, though he preferred it more than safe kid.

"Jedi don't usually hitch rides with princesses on speeder bikes." Star explained. "I think it suits you."

Marco had to admit it, he liked the new name. Certainly better than being called a safe kid for once.

For the rest of the day, the thrill ride was more of a friendly ride around Mewni. Marco started to get the hang of the ride, still keeping a firm grip on Star while relaxing himself on the bike.

Marco could see why Star liked doing this now, and hearing her talk about how much freedom it gave her, it made the boy feel bad for her. He wished that he could just take her off this world and let her explore the galaxy with him.

"If only she were a Jedi." Marco thought to himself, then she could have a valid excuse.

Star just felt so content with this ride, more than usual. She would have went on and on about how much she liked to race through the forests beyond the kingdom or how much fun it was to just ride, but Star felt herself relaxed with Marco behind herm his body leaning behind provided a sense of comfort and ease to calm her energetic personality.

Star just wished Marco could stay here with her, but she knew better than that. He's a Jedi and she's a princess, there's no way they can hang out forever, it's merely a dream… unless-

A beeping sound could then be heard from Marco. The padawan told Star to stop the bike, bringing the speeder to a smooth halt for the boy to take out a holoprojecter hidden in his sleeve, activating it to reveal it was his master contacting him.

"Master Hett." Marco nervously bowed his head, almost forgetting that he was nowhere near his master's presence.

"Marco? Where are you, padawan?" Hett asked. "I need you to come back to the castle."

"Sorry master! I was just-

"Marco, it's alright." Calmed Hett. "I'm not upset at you, but I need you back at the castle. Meet me at the royal guestroom."

"Of course, master. I'm coming back now."

Marco ended the transmission, with Star frowning sadly that their fun was over.

"Alright, wild man." Star softly responded. "Let's go home."

O-O-O

The pair of friends eventually reached the gate once more, right at the moment the sun was setting and entered quickly, thanking the guard for taking the bike to hide it from her parents once more. Making friends with the guards certainly helped with getting away with all the things Star did on a daily basis.

It didn't take long for the teenagers to reach the castle, rushing to the front door as Star awaited Marco's response for the whole debacle.

"That was the most dangerous thing I ever experienced!" Marco exclaimed in a panic, catching his breath.

Star frowned until Marco spoke up once more.

"But it was so amazing!" The padawan exclaimed once more, getting a wide smile from the princess. "That was amazing! The ride was amazing! You were amazing!"

Star couldn't help herself but blush out of flattery, not expecting a Jedi out of all people to be so impressed with her.

"You know what this calls for?" Asked Star, making the boy shrug. "Huuuugs!"

Star threw herself around the boy, wrapping her arms around him. This took the boy by surprise, but he immediately relaxed and accepted the hug, returning it with his own and smiled warmly.

"STAR!?"

Star could already hear her mother calling out for her, making the girl groan in annoyance.

"Oh great, my mom is looking for me now." Star said disappointingly. "I have to go now, but do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

Marco smiled at the girl one last time, almost as energetic as Star when he replied. "Absolutely."

Star couldn't help but feel giddy about it all, giving her friend one more hug before heading off in the direction of her mother's calls.

"I'll see you tomorrow, best bestie!" Star waved goodbye, prompting Marco to do the same before he entered the castle.

"Same to you… bestie."

O-O-O

It took Marco a few minutes to navigate the halls after asking for directions to find the royal guestroom where his master had called him from, knocking on the door to reveal a slightly impatient Hett behind the door.

"You called for me, master?"

Hett let the boy enter the room, and as usual, everything in the castle was eye candy to behold. Two beds were seated side by side, coupled with fancy medieval décor and with a nice view from the balcony outside, a gold chandelier hung from the ceiling with bright lights, and all this room could shout was wealth, so much wealth.

Hett noticed the grin plastered on Marco's face, wondering what was with his padawan's sudden joy he could sense miles away. "I assume you made good progress with the princess."

"Oh, yes." Agreed Marco happily. "We only talked for a few hours, and it feels like we haven't seen each other in years. And master, there's so much about her I have to tell you."

Marco continued to go on about Star, telling Hett about the misadventure of going through Mewni for a joyride on Star's speeder bike, which at first he thought he would hate, but grew to enjoy it despite the high speed and almost crashing into everything in the way. Though he wished that maybe there were some safety helmets or other protective gear that came with the bike.

Hett nodded at everything the padawan was saying, but he was more interested in Star for her special connection with Marco. This was something that the force couldn't tell Hett, unless you were in the position of these two teenagers, so he felt it would be better to ask more about Star and any possible force connections she may have. It may be another one of these 'chosen one' scenarios with Anakin.

Another thing Hett kept track of was the close attachment he was forming with Star. It made Hett glad to see Marco open himself up after all these years and make a real friend, even warmed his heart, but the boy grew attached to Star too quickly. It was against the Jedi order to form such a bond, but it didn't seem like Marco realized it yet, and telling Marco to break all ties with the girl now would be cruel and unusual. This would have to be something his apprentice will have to realize himself, unless Star was… something else.

And while the force was unreadable for Star and Marco now, Hett just knew there had to be more to this.

"Is she the one you were sensing this whole time?" Asked Hett, wanting to know more about the girl and a possible force connection.

Marco's constant grin turned into a frown after hearing that question. "Yes… I know what you're thinking, but… I don't think she's force sensitive."

Hett lowered his eyes at the boy. He was trying to tell if the boy was lying, but he couldn't get a straight answer from him. Maybe being a little more confrontational would get something out of the padawan.

"Then how could you sense her from off world? Surely, it's not a coincidence that such a power came into contact with you." Asked Hett suspiciously, doing well to hide it in his calm tone. "Or maybe it was not her at all."

"To be honest with you, I really don't know." Admitted Marco, scratching the back of his head. "This is something I never thought would happen. Sensing something so far away, only for it to be a girl that I would become friends with. I mean sure, she's a bit… eccentric. But that's okay, because it just feels like… like the force is balanced when I'm with her."

Hett listened to the boy intently, through Marco felt like he was just rambling and didn't know what he was talking about.

"Sorry I can't tell you much, master. I just don't know how to describe it, it has to be something you feel too." Admitted Marco, hoping he didn't offend his master.

"Hmm…"

It was all Hett could say. Nothing like this has ever been recorded in the archives, or even heard of in the Jedi order. Most Jedi would just say it's a padawan getting far too attached to someone and call it a threat to stability and temptation to the dark side, but Hett knew better than that. He knew there was something between the two teenagers, and whatever it was, he believed that maybe only Marco and the princess could figure it out.

So he changed the topic to more pressing matters.

"Well then, we will discuss it later." Said Hett, putting off that conversation for another time. "There's something else I need to tell you. About the death stick and what the king told me."

Marco nodded and listened to Hett, now focusing on the matter at hand.

O-O-O

Disclaimer: I do not own Star vs. The Force of Evil or Star Wars.