AN: I feel like this is gonna be indecipherable gibberish like the previous version of Chapter 25 so can yall tell me if you can comprehend this chapter?

Ch 26: Lunch on the balcony.

"So…" Marco drummed his fingers on the table "I take it that she invited you… also."

Tom ignored him and overlooked the landscape. They were on Star's bedroom balcony, which had three chairs. Two of which were occupied by Tom and Marco.

"Uh… nice weather we're having?" Marco asked for the third time. Still no response.

Marco looked down at his bag and at the sandwiches he brought. He was invited by Star to have lunch with her on her balcony, but she wasn't here.

"Do you think she's actually gonna come here or did she prank us?" Tom didn't talk back or even turn his head to face him, but he had a look of slight concern on his for a second. Then it turned back into neutral 'i'm ignoring you' face.

Marco looked around to try and find something to talk about. But no luck, he even looked up at the overhead roof.

"Come on, what do demons like to talk about? Death? Destruction?" Marco questioned. Tom looked like he was about to say something, but he still gave him the silent treatment.

Marco found his way in.

"How about we talk about our dimensions? I'll start. It's called Earth, and there's a lot of green plants and water. Sorta like Mewni but without Magic." Marco looked for a reaction. As he suspected, nothing.

"How about history? Lots of death, famine, disease, come on!" Tom seemed unfazed. "Uhm, have you heard of the war to end all wars?" Tom didn't turn to face him, but he looked at Marco sideways.

"Go on." Tom said dismissively.

"Oh, it was a war between every super power on Earth. Someone from almost every continent took part. And it changed warfare forever." Marco said.

Tom looked at him weirdly "What do you mean changed warfare?"

"New technologies created… lots of destruction and suffering!" Tom turned his head towards Marco slowly.

"Uh… It was basically touture even if you weren't fighting! You would have to dig a trench and hide in it to prepare for an advance. Normally this would be fine except that everyone else was doing it."

"And why would that be a problem?"

"Trenches could repel most offensives, so you would have to sacrifice thousands of lives for-"

"Hey guys!" Star was hanging off the balcony "A little help here?"

"Star?" Tom and Marco said in unison.

"Why are you hanging off the balcony?" Marco said.

"Just help me get up! You wouldn't want me to fall down would you?"

As Marco got up from his chair, Tom was already pulling Star up.

"Thanks for helping me up guys!" Star sat down with them.

"Yes, 'guys', plural…" Tom said.

Marco cleared his throat "Star, why are there three of us here?"

"Oh, I thought it would be good for you two to make up and be friends."

"So you tricked us into meeting?" Tom said.

"That's not important." Star dismissed Tom "What is important is that you two should make up so that there isn't too much tension between you two."

"And we all know how forgiving Tom is." Marco giggled.

Star got some cards out of her pocket and put them at the center of the table. "One of you take a card from the center and look at it. Whatever's written on there you have to talk about it!"

"Sounds good. Tom?" Marco looked at Tom.

"I don't want to do it." Tom faced Star.

"Come on Tom, stop being so fussy." Marco said.

"I still don't want to do it."

"Tom," Star put her hand on Tom's shoulder "I'm not doing this for Marco, or even me. I'm doing this for you."

He put his hand over her's. He sighed and closed his eyes, and when he opened them he looked in Star's eyes. Then Tom knew, she wasn't lying. He tightened his grip.

"Alright, fine." Tom let go and picked out a card "'Something you're grateful for.' That doesn't seem too hard." Tom looked at Marco. "I'm grateful that my girlfriend broke up with you." Tom said in an almost tease.

"That's not really friendly…" Star whispered. Marco looked quite offended because of that. Then he smiled.

"I'm grateful that I could be so caught up in this drama, you know? Sometimes we're so caught up in the little things that we don't have time to really appreciate what we have." Marco tapped his eyepatch twice and laughed.

"Weird but ok..." Tom trailed off. "Now you take a card."

Marco took a card and read it aloud "'Something you've noticed in some people.' Vague but Alright." Marco looked out to the view of the balcony to think of something. He could see the city of Mewni from there. He was too busy looking at the city to notice the amount of time that passed.

"I guess I'll start." Tom said. "How people in the castle are sort of more patriotic now. Like, before the war everyone in the castle was moderately patriotic. Now everyone is rooting for Mewni like it's a wrestler. Except that Blossom family. They're really anti-war."

"Very insightful Tom! Now Marco, what about you?" Star encouraged.

Marco was still looking at the city when he spoke. "Everyone down in the city,

They've radiated this sort of depressed energy. A few months into the war, almost everyone was like that. Still is. It's sort of seeping into me." Everyone took a moment to look at the city.

Smoke stacks gave it a constant grey overcast that only seemed to appear a few months into the war. That's no coincidence, the factories kicked into high gear producing swords during the war.

"The city certainly looks that way."