A/N: I feel that every chapter that I write goes to wherever the main plan of the story. It's taking me a little bit now because creating new lore, characters and ambient for the settings has taking me a while to plan but I think I'm getting there way quicker. Please enjoy and don't hesitate to PM me or review how you feel about this new update.
Summary: Two worlds, two lives, now one. Through fear and neglect, through hate and pain, Star and Marco must carve a path in a new world for themselves and their loved ones, facing a challenge that neither has anyone encountered. What challenges and dangers wait for the pair in a clash of worlds that they created themselves?
-Disclaimer: Star vs the Forces of Evil belongs to Disney and I gain no profit out of writing this story.
Between the Half-Moon and the Stars.
Chapter 15.
Warpath: The First Step.
Bacion Island.
The cold wind didn't stop the trek of a figure drenched in black, like a dot fighting against the sea of white that covered the rocky surface of a platform that overlooked the horizon. The stranger hugged one clawed metallic hand against the edge of his hood, holding it in place against the fierce howls of the winds, overlooking the ever-present white in the distance. His other clawed hand tapped the rock with disinterest, taking the view from the massive tower where he stood overseeing, hundreds of feet in the air. A sudden pink energy cracked and hissed from atop the roof of the tower that he sat under, merely rising an eyebrow about the crack of the ray reaching a height and then dispersing against the coldish winds with a disappearing hum. Steam rose from the ceiling and with it a most foul electrified smoke that displeased the figure immensely, throwing his cape behind him as he strode back inside.
A blast of glacial air hit him before it was replaced by the terrifying aura of darkness that seemed to permeate the very existence of this place. Golden spheres glowed through the darkness, its circular shapes blinking in and out of existence as the echoes and clanks of heavy leather boots echoed into the infinite chambers. His clawed hands extended, reaching and settling on a giant door made of marble. Its stargazed texture seemed to drink the darkness around the figure, white specks gliding around its surface and immobile as the figure racked his claws into a hole so small that the sheer darkness wouldn't even clue about its existence. The large figure rotated his hand, a series of deep clanks and heavy gears groaned to life, the marble shaking with effort as it started to cave into itself, lowering further and further into the stone ground.
Two flames made of pink flames materialized out of thin air, briefly illuminating the path before the figure that did not hesitate walking further into the bowels of the shaped rock into a circular path. Crystals glowed encrusted into the rock guided him easily to his objective, his hands never leaving his heavy leather belt. The hallway divided into a giant cavern with just the speck of white light at the end of it, outlining massive passages of carved rock and wood, while the other circled into a gigantic hole with stone steps guiding him further and further into the unknown.
The sound of agonizing screams started to reverberated through the stone hollow hallway, which were ignored as if t was part of the environment itself. The last of the steps were left behind where another door awaited him with two humanoid guards standing guard on it. They wore black armor as the darkness itself, with the head of a crimson colored feline creature plastered on their chest plates. They parted their spears from the passage and opened the door for him without muttering a single, standing still as the figure strolled past them.
A deep hiss of machinery resounded through the atmosphere, like switching landscapes.
A world inside of another world.
The figure emerged into a large chamber. The darkness cleared, giving way to the faint light of cracking firepit on the center of a well-furnished room with Norse like attributes, along with the row of torches sinking the room into fluorescent yellows and reds that reflected in the polished stone floors, dark stained walls and furs. A single broad man ate from a copper plate, his head down, hiding his features completely, completely concentrated in eating his meal as he indicated one of the two servants in the room to serve him more wine. His manners were refined, eating small chunks of a freshly cut of venison with a mix of hams, vegetables paste and a pike all the while the figure stood impassive at his eating habits, taking a seat at the end of the high table. The broad figure took an air of annoyance, taping his clawed digits against the wood, impassive and waiting.
Downing the wine at the table, the pompous man nodded at his food, finally acknowledging his 'guess' as he hummed at it, cleaning his pink lips pompously and lifting his head across the table, revealing the face of Alfred.
The once faithful servant of the Butterfly family had changed. While in his past he had been quite overweight, in the few months of cleaving his services from the Royal family and Mewni himself, he had transformed and sculped his body into a chiseled physique, even being noticed from his elegant red robes, giving him an even more arrogant appearance than before. His squarish jaw set, blue eyes burning with distaste at the figure at the end of the table.
Finally, he scoffed, throwing it a self-superior look.
"Well, Mr. Steel." He directed his attention at the broad figure known now as Mr. Steel. "You better have good reasons to delay your report by a week. SHE has not been happy with your departure and as her consort, we demand an explanation. Such behavior is not tolerated, we pay you quite handsomely."
The figure tilted his head slowly, yellow glowing eyes peeking over the edge of the figure.
"Your concerns are not my own. She and I have an understanding and you do not enter this equation. Perhaps it is you who's overstaying their position."
The arrogant man hissed angrily, slamming his fist against the table, clanking the plates on the table and making the humanoid servants to jump in fear as his cup crashed on the floor.
Hissing in anger, the man turned to a servant with pinkish hue skin.
"What are you staring at?! Give me another cup and serve me more wine! Clean this up unless you want me to have you whipped! Hurry!".
The servants gasped in fear, doing as they were told hurriedly, all the while the figure staying still, tapping his claws on the table, almost boringly.
"If your drunkard shenanigans are over. I would like to present my report and I'll leave you to your meal."
Manfred grumbled to himself, waving him off as he got served more wine, taking a large sip in which the broad figure took as his cue.
"She's here with the brown-haired brat…and your lackeys failed to deliver."
The former Royal servant growled to himself, sighing as he swirled his wine in his cup.
"Should know to pay far more money to get privateers to do the job that a mercenary couldn't." He paused, turning a single eye at him. "Did you saw where they went?"
"Prince Star and Prince Marco, after their violent disembark in Loirilia, they annihilated a dozen or so mercenaries from the Red Hand and are currently heading North-East according to my observations. It is uncertain where their next path would be but it can be certain that they realized that their trap set for them and stayed out before it could close entirely on them."
"And you didn't think about tailing them?" Manfred hissed through clenched teeth stained with red wine.
His lips curling peevishly at the Mewman protest, revealing sharp teeth like a crocodile.
"I overstayed on the rest of my tasks, besides.." The figure chuckled darkly as if he was savoring a twisted thought filled with carnage, making even someone as arrogant as the former Royal servant to shudder in repulsion "Princess Star has changed from my observations since she came to this little nation. She seems to be quite stabby-happy from what I've seen if you get what I mean…They'll be easy to find with the trail of bodies that they're leaving behind. This shall be very interesting indeed and a far better use of my abilities than crushing resistance to this pathetic royal family." His elegant and well-articulated voice disappear in whispers, extending a hand to one of the servants to get him a refreshment.
The former Royal servant grunted at the report.
"Then we're making progress. My mistress will contact you with further details in advancing our…other project at hand."
The broad figure let out a short breath as he finished his drink in a single gulp.
"That's such a waste of my abilities, but I am honored to humble your request, for a small fee, of course." He stood up with a whoosh of his cape, looking at the arrogant man over his broad shoulder. "Do give the Lady my regards, I am sure that we'll be meeting quite soon." He chuckled looking at a particular pitch-black corner before going back the same way we came.
Manfred rolled his eyes, finishing his drink, looking at the very same corner that the figure had watched before exiting the room.
A pair of pink eyes glowed through the darkness along with a pair of pink lips that spread in a sadistic grin of clenched teeth.
"What do you think my consort?"
There was a pause before the shadowed figure hummed, cackling softly and smiling sadistically.
"Heh, I think your quarrel with my strongest asset is quite amusing." The female voice spoke with enjoyment.
Manfred rolled his eyes and looked aside.
"That's not what I am talking about." The former servant finally said, goading his mistress for an answer.
The pink glowing eyes scrunched in an amused way, lips widening into a pleased smirk, a sneer hissing from her clenched teeth.
"Oh, it is just like he said. I believe that things will get interesting alright…we shall meet very soon again, Mud-sister."
The room was submerged into a pink hue of raw power and it was all the servants could do to hold for the wine jar for dear life.
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…Unless you want to wear this as a necktie.
The tall warrior scoffed in her direction to provide with a falsehood that he wasn't scared of her threats but the moment he did so, something changed. Her eyes changed to something that he couldn't past as humanoid. Something prickled at the back of his head, staring at something that couldn't be from this world. Colder spheres of death glowed unnaturally, harsher and deadlier than the unforgiving tundra that surrounded them; he couldn't help himself and paled at his reflection in her blue spheres, her fingers clenching and unclenching a weapon that had been acquired spilling red mist. Her arm barely restrained itself to drive it through his skull, like a berserker ready to administer pain to its next victim.
He immediately felt the power that seemed to radiate from her figure and coughed to ease the sudden dryness in his throat, distracting himself to start bandaging his arm with his cleanest bandage. She coaxed a dry grunt out of him and that was that; all was silent as the party of three observed each other with the other sounds accompanying all three was the howl of the wind and the sounds and grunts as the mercenary rolled up his bandage firmly. Giving it a firm tug, he centered his attention on them, intently.
The boy who seemed completely harmless, eyeing him up and then at the fiery girl in front of him. The large humanoid judged him, immediately realizing that there was more than met the eye. He drove himself with a measured gait, watching everything and nothing at the same time, the trait of a warrior with years of experience, winning and decapitating every foe met in the battlefield, even if he looked so young, his eyes were flat, cold and detached to the situation at hand, yet still extremely aware by the way he calculated his steps with an unnatural ability to measure himself against the world, willing to fight everything and everyone around it if he had to but not because he wanted to.
The boy made a motion with his hand and the girl with the golden locks gained some distance away from him clipping the weapon at her back and stepping some feet away from him, observing her own handy work. The large humanoid grunted at how obscene and unnatural their abilities had been, without knowing a single thing from them and if there was something that he hated was being at a disadvantage.
"What's your name?" The voice of the boy snapped his black eyes directly into his, his teeth curling back with a hiss.
"Not of yar business boy! Just get it done already! You're wasting your time with me."
"Shut up and answer him!" The spitfire suddenly turned around and snarled like a banshee, stomping a boot in his direction and he couldn't help himself and flinch at the audible fury dripping from her throat. Once more the boy extended a hand and she shook her head, circling around him, her lips trembling in muted fury.
Marco observed her for a moment, shaking his head before centering his eyes once more on him.
"Now, how about we start again? My name is Marco, and the blonde beauty at your side is my fiancée, Star. I know your type so I am not going to play the thousand question games with you."
The humanoid smirked. "Good, because I would make a terrible prisoner."
Marco uncrossed his arms, his brown eyes stabbing into his and the humanoid didn't need to hear an angry tongue to know immediately that this boy meant business. "Then it's a good thing my intention is not to make you one. You're a mercenary, right?"
The humanoid crossed eyes with the boy and the devil like girl, taken back by the question on itself, finally nodding his head with a grunt.
"Then how about a small business proposition then?"
Blinking in disbelief the humanoid was more than happy to provide a well-deserved fuck you but the girl suddenly peeked at him with those unnatural eyes of a killer and he hissed, angry at himself for being unable to control his own body.
Without further delay he rolled his eyes.
"Ye think I'm gonna exchange my life for information?" He gurgled a throaty laugh, ignoring this time the girl hiss and the gaze of the boy. But rather than making him angry, his eyes turned playful, immediately stopping his laugh.
Marco waved his hand around. "You misunderstand. We're willing to hire you for information and as a guide, your typical merc work. I pay you; you do as I say, simple as that. No strings attached."
That immediately gained the attention of both the mercenary and the Princess that stopped to circled around the humanoid to throw her own fiancé a look of pure confusion.
She mouthed a what the hell Marco behind the humanoid which he ignored.
By the way that Marco noticed the way the humanoid expression had softened he seemed to be considering it.
"Think about it. We'll probably pay you more to you in a day than whatever the Red Hand is paying here. In exchange, you'll provide us with information about what lies between this outpost and the Red Hand base, you'll guide us in and that'll be it. We'll be in our way and you can be on yours…well." He paused looking at the torn bodies around their feet. "You probably don't want to stay here."
"Or join them." Star said with a harsh bite behind the humanoid.
Marco swallowed the bitter scream in frustration at the violence that was rolling off her throat but it seemed to make the point across for the humanoid, who now sat with crossed arms, looking at the winter sky. In the spawn of a few days she had gone from the sweet and fiery persona that he had fallen in love with to a warrior who would do anything to get drenched in blood. It was extremely worrisome and reckless.
His frustration must have shown in his face, but he couldn't help himself.
"Really Marco? You want to do this right now?" She irritably told him as she pointed at the bodies surrounded by red slouch.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You need to mind yourself Star. You can't just swing by and kill because you can. That's not the warrior way, that's just senseless murder." He hissed through clenched teeth.
She laughed with irony of it all, irritating Marco to not end and confusing their prisoner.
"You're the one to talk Diaz. I won the battle, one of many." She hissed, teeth bared through her violently twitching lips, barely able to control the fury that threatened to consume her mind.
"The battle? Sure, but think about it. You think you're going to win the one happening right now in your head after this is over? You think you can live with yourself?" He said knowingly.
She opened her mouth to insult him but then thought about it, closing her mouth afterwards, lips trembling in confusion. The sadness displayed in Marco's face was evidence of it. The man of her life gave everything he had and some more in Hekapoo's dimension, fighting tooth and nail to complete his objective, only because she was too stupid and too stubborn to believe him.
For the first time they had arrived here, her face showed something.
She was unnerved.
As Marco had seen, she was not feeling like herself, at all. In his travels, he had been forced to grow up in a minute notice. He remembered the very same feelings that coursed through his head and he knew that the more you swung your blade, the longer you wished to plunge your sword into a mass of flesh, hear the flood of blood, the bone giving in to your steel and the lamentation tearing from the throat of your enemy. You felt the power cursing through you, getting drunk in their fear, clenching it, wanting it, like a drug injected in your bloodstream, dulling every sense in you but the sheer pleasure of the violence that you could spill before they could ever blink. To think that their lives were not their own anymore but yours to decide what would you do with them.
It was a road that he walked on for sixteen years; it took him a considerable amount of time to find his peace with it. Pacifying his burning soul of his warrior side was one of the hardest things he had ever done outside of this world. His senses were still sharp, his skill was as sharp as his wit but the burning temptation to lose himself into the violence was over. His head was cold in his shoulders, skill overtaking raw instinct and logic flowing through his brain. That didn't mean that he would hesitate in the moment of truth, it would just get you or your loved ones killed. Just as he had done it, Star would do as well. The difference is that now he would be there to guide her, if she was willing to listen and make reason. With the situation of the kingdom, she was highly stressed as it was. He didn't want her to develop a temper connected with dicing someone over it.
"Star." Marco's voice rang and hung in the air but she was too distressed to listen. As she eyed what they've done together, she curled into her own mind.
As Marco had indeed deduced, the Princess didn't know where such fury and blood lust were coming from but she couldn't help herself. She felt angry and seeking to sink her sword into as many enemies as she could. She did not regret her actions in the slightest but she recognized that her hand had been forced due this tenacious situation and that was as far as she was concerned worrying Marco and she wondered if he was starting to get cautious of what she would be capable of down the line. She wasn't going to stop killing those that opposed them, while finding perhaps some enjoyment in trill of the fight, but her temper needed to get under her control…or she might lose far more than her mewmanity. It was extremely ironic really, to wonder that one time she said the very same thing to Tom, getting disgusted with his lack of control and now she was here, not being herself, killing humanoids without giving it second thought and losing face to Marco. Taking a sweet breath of cold air, she retired behind the humanoid, watching him from the corner of her eye, flickering the blood from her arm vambraces with a flick of her wrist. Her movement finally made Marco to accept that her lethargic mind had restarted and she was on the move again, his worry finally subsiding to focus in the situation at hand.
The situation should be cracking with nervous energy but the mercenary felt a strange calm surging through him with the promise of something far more interesting than guarding this forgotten post in the tundra, feeling as the air of hostility diminished in the girl walking to his side.
"How many ruks are ya talkin' bout?" He asked cautiously, his interested peeking, eyes rising, thoughtful.
Marco didn't let his smirk to show through, putting his concern aside for the moment. No matter where you went, any universe, any city, money ALWAYS talked.
"Quarter of a sack and whatever you can salvage from here. It's all yours."
Immediately the mercenary grinned, standing to his full height and crossing his left hand and extending his right hand.
Star looked suspiciously at him, her muscles curling into her skin, ready to act if it came to it but Marco didn't even hesitate to shake his larger hand with a strength that seemed off the boy that he towered over, squeezing his hand with equal firmness making the humanoid eyes to widen for a second at grip like steel that gripped back.
Swallowing his doubts, he shook his large head at him positively.
"Name's Rashall and ya got yerself a deal."
The Princess looked at him suspiciously as their new mercenary as he dug through the remains of the destroyed camp, picking up supplies, food and extra clothing for the journey. He finally made his way where their bodies of his former humanoids stood in the same positions they've died. With a judgmental eye, the giant shook his head and passed on where his weapon rested, still stuck in a fallen log.
Her jaw went slack, looking at him deviously, tight-lipped with the shadow of a growl building in her throat.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm a mercenary right?" The humanoid didn't even pause, shifting his weapon up and down to free it from its wood prison. "I need my Bardiche. Or what? You think Imma bard and kill all whoever we encounter with my sweet singing voice?" He laughed in a raspy note rattling in his throat.
Despite her momentary anger, she felt amusement at his words, not being able to find lack of humor.
"You would kill them I am sure."
They both shared a brief grin at that as the giant of a man grunted with the effort of freeing his weapon. She felt tense again, the air charging with the shadow of a threat at a weapon that had been used to chop them to pieces.
Marco cleared his throat, crossing his arms as soon as her gaze landed on him.
"Please Star, let him have it."
She relented, but only because she was already eager to move.
"Fine, but he'll ride with me and Eowyn."
The mercenary grunted, bouncing back at few feet as the weapon came off with a crack of wood. He blinked at looked at his new hirers.
"Eowyn?" The mercenary parroted the name.
"It's okay, she doesn't bite, not much anyway. She rather crush with her jaws."
Marco rolled his eyes and followed up through the now enemy clear trail though he couldn't avoid the grin that broke over his face. The odd gang made their way down the hill through a tightly constructed passage of wood with thick planks holding it together that could've only be seen through the other side of the trail which put them back into open terrain, their boots crunching in the snow, rounding through the other side of the pass, with the humanoid at the front. The sleds came into view a few passes later, still in the same position where they've left them. The mercenary stood his ground, blinking and then grinning in amusement, looking over his shoulder down at the Princess.
"That's his carriage alright. From the bottom of my dried-up heart, thank ya."
Lifting an eyebrow, she didn't know what to say, taken back by his open friendliness.
"That guy was a fucking lunatic. Reason nobody messed wid da fool was because he had the favor of a few Lieutenants and made 'em money with his cruelty. Guess they'll have to get deir coins through honest soldiering than being a filthy brigand eh? Ha, good job."
The Royal couple looked at each other and just shrugged.
A deep whine followed up by a furry head sticking out from the closed sled, looking at her owners with an excited howl, her body finally standing up from the sled. The mercenary paused as he stared at the animal in question, judging her up and down and the animal did the same. The open hostility that Eowyn had displayed was strangely not present as she stared at the giant of a man. With a curious tilt of her head she regarded him, eyes staring at him and then at Star.
She nodded at her and the warg disengaged, giving them space to sit, climbing down the back seat closer to the rider.
"That's a nice pooch, big one too. She's from your lands?"
"You might say that." Marco answered as he approached Eowyn with a large snack in his hand that he had fetched from his backpack, throwing at Eowyn. The warg caught the snack on the air, chewing on it with a happy wiggle of her tail.
"Okay…now Mr…Rashall. Speak to us what's waiting for us after that pass?" Star spoke in the politest voice she could use considering their current situation, without an ounce of ferocity in her tone.
The man lifted his finger and opened his mouth to respond with a nasty response at the ready before he was interrupted by the jiggle of coins from Marco's hands who approached the giant, holding a sack in his hands and extending it to him. He violently tore the sack from his hand, checking his contents.
Marco crossed his arms, looking at the mercenary intently.
"This is half of what I was promised…you playin' some games with me boy?"
"Not at all. This is my insurance that you're not playing a game with us either. You're getting a portion of what was promised to you and you'll get the rest when we safely reach our destination. And before you even protest, I'll throw some extra to buy the leg chausses that I ruined, if we make it before the day's end. Good enough?"
Star crossed her arms looking up in him, ready to assist if things got violent but the moment the mercenary relaxed, she knew Marco had him.
"You sure got a way with words boy. You got a deal, whatever that keeps ya alive that is. Tell ya what, I'll let you have two tankards of ale as me thanks. Good enough?"
Marco grunted positively, taking the folded map over his satchel and opening it up.
"We followed the map that we liberated up to this point. I barely managed to reach this outpost through instinct alone but I don't want us to fight our way through the entire passage. Is there an alternative route that we can take?"
The mercenary had not actually looked at Marco the entire time that the Prince had talked, instead he extended a single finger and tapped the spot marked with the X.
"You're actually planning into walking into basecamp?" He laughed. "Do you have a death wish?"
"You don't actually know who we are, do you?" Star finally spoke, uncrossing her arms and walked closer to the males.
Marco sighed. Might as well just come clean with it then.
"I am Prince Marco and she's my fiancée, Princess Star. We sailed from our the Mewni Kingdom. We came on peace mission from our Kingdom, aids and representatives from Vulpesh to investigate the strange disappearances that have occurred in this Kingdom but…we were attacked and ambushed by pirates. Our ships burned and sank into the sea sadly with the rest of our troops and the crew. The Red Hand came to us and tried to take us by force."
"Which didn't work very well for them." Star growled, fidgeting with her newly acquired weapon.
"Their leader mentioned that the King and the Queen wanted us captured and dead…rather than investigate the disappearances. We were betrayed and we want answers and off this island."
The large humanoid hummed to himself. "Well, dat is true awright. People 'ad gone missing, heard stories 'bout it. But nobody has come forward to hire for dat." He confirmed for them that at least that was true. "Still. You figure it out that the best way to get some answers is to go directly to our main camp and ask our leader details of his contract?" The giant of a humanoid blinked in surprise, looking at them stupefied. "You sure you took them down? All by yerselfs? You aren't lying are ya?"
"We killed your group in seconds, you think we had problems with some half starving and ill-equipped mercenaries?" This time it was Marco who spoke with aggression, surprising the Princess with his open hostility for a change. "We want answers, what's the best way to get them than straight from the mouth of those that want to capture us? He might know more than he lets on."
The mercenary blinked and then laughed with amusement.
"Boy I don't know where you came from, but you're ballsy, I'll give you that. Alright so…you want details? You'll get them, as part of our contract." The mercenary pulled from his pack three strings of blue fabric holding out to them. "Our contract is easy to follow. Put these on, I'll identify that you're the client and meself. If there's something that we don't mess with its other's guys money, it'll throw some money in their coffers alright but the rest is mine, fair and square." He sighed, looking at the bardiche resting on his sword. "We have three more stops and another hidden pass like the we one we just vacated which will guide us into the valley and into the base camp."
"How many mercenaries are we expected to encounter?" Marco asked making calculations in his head.
"Depends on the season. But I say that at least three hundred, possible more if the scouting parties came back from…assisting the kingdom from their everlasting mission of conquest."
Star squinted her eyes in confusion which propelled the humanoid to grunt, crossing his massive arms.
"Rivalry between nations is still going strong. It's been gone since I was a boy. There's another big island, East of the main one and others that surround it to the North. Once in a while they do incursions against each othah."
Marco waved his arm. "That's not our concern at the moment, but thank you for telling now. How are the troops organized? What type of equipment do they employ?"
"There's a small band with the scouting party, archers, pikemen, a small legion of riders and a group that dedicates its entire operation to long range catapults and siege. Enough for ya?"
Slowly the Royal couple looking at each other, knowing that they were not going to like this very much. By the look on fatigue of his Princess, he could sympathize, feeling the very same way.
"Let's get this over with. How far are we?" Star asked impatiently.
"Couple leagues. It'll take us at least two hours to get there." Rashall answered as he pulled a piece of jerky. The warg perked up at the sight of food, licking her chops and smelling it in his direction. The man grunted, hissing and pulling his food away, eating it as he looked behind him.
Sighing, Marco rubbed his tired eyes, hating every single thing about the island. It was like being again into the unknown, like Hekapoo's dimension.
"My blade will stay thirsty through the trail but we'll get there if we hurry, before sundown as per your request. Now let's get ourselves on the way, shall we?"
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She should feel bad but in reality, she didn't.
Jackie stood in front of the house, already at night with her hand in her pockets staring at the property and the sounds of music and laughter that came from the inside. She checked her phone to see of any other texts of her significant other but there was none but the asking text of someone named 'keyguitar dude' through her contact list.
'r u comin'
She sighed feeling lost of what to do. For as long as she remembered she had always been a clear person in whatever she wanted but now, she felt compelled for the first time to admit that she didn't know what to do. On part, she felt bad with Chloe for starting this strain into their relationship and building a wall with how her life was supposed to be lived. It was the very same thing with Marco all over again. The only reason she had ended things with him was not only because she felt that she was on the way to truly get what he really wanted in this life and it hadn't been her but a place in Mewni and be by Star's side forever and he got it, he got to be happy with his choice and she was happy for both of them. But now, Chole was doing the same thing to her. She wanted to forget her goals and do as they went, wing it, with no plans down the line, dreams build by shaky bridges and dedicate her entire life for something that she did for fun as a career.
She already knew what she wanted to do as soon as high school was over. She wanted to be a marine biologist, she already had a pile of schools interested in her talents due her excellent grades and the thesis that she presented in France.
It just wasn't for her to tell such things to Chloe but at the same time, she didn't really want to strain the relationship the further they went this path, the further her goals became and she couldn't have that. What was the point of a relationship if each other partners goals were not encouraged and helped the significant other to achieve them and vice versa? How could someone that have proclaimed their love for you try to discourage you to follow your dreams and your path into becoming something that you wanted to make a different in this larger and stranger world? Just the fact if exploring all the new ocean species in this combined world was enough to made her giddy with excitement but no…Chloe wanted to leave it all behind to do skateboard tricks.
She pulled on her hair, hissing through the annoyance of it all. Taking a deep breath to calm the torment that was her mind she exhaled. She was Jackie Lynn Thomas, the chilliest of all chilliest of gals and nothing was going to put her into a funk. Without doubting, she replied.
'Outside' And then hit send.
She didn't have to wait long.
The door opened slowly; a smiling Oskar appeared with a red cup in it. He was dressed differently than the pier. His clothes had been peeled with a chocolate brown hoodie, pressed black pants, red sneakers and a hair style upwards which looked stylish on him.
"Hey skater girl. Watcha do that for eh?" He pointed at the round door bell. "There's this thingy that chimes when you call, I think it's called a door bell, ya press it and I come get ya."
For someone as chill as Oskar, she really enjoyed his easygoing sarcasm.
Yet she couldn't help but to roll her eyes.
"I just wanted to be polite."
"Polite you are fair madam, now how about I invite you in before thy maiden freezes outside my walls?" He made a motion to enter the house where the dozens of voices were mixing along with laughter poppy rock music sounding from the inside.
She made a fake cutesy like having a large dress. "How could I refuse such gallant invitation?"
He smiled, a fang peaking from his lips.
The poppy rock music disappeared as soon as she went inside replaced by a heavy metal song, Slayer-Raining Blood started playing. The change was so abrupt that the people ignored her to gather in a circle around Brantley. The older man was singing his lungs out to the song, with a tie wrapped around his head. She shook her head at his antics and preferred to stay next to Oskar who brought her to the drink table.
"Well, this is our fine selection of the night. We got a finest Brandy that eight dollars could buy; pretty sure it was done by Charles the Second."
She snorted at him.
"Then we got Tsar vodka, the favorite of Royals, two bucks. Then we got the sacred beer of Kings and Queens, Miller light and our snack table with the finest ingredients like doritos, reheated sausages and other assorted snacks."
"Oh yeah, I am pretty sure this is what they serve at Star's castle."
"Woah, I didn't know she had a castle." He mused, placing a finger on his chin and tapping it in deep thought. "I guess that makes sense, Princess and all of that." He proclaimed as if he had been the revelation of a lifetime.
If he was doing it on purpose of not, Jackie laughed again.
"But where are my manners fair maiden, may I offer you a refreshment from our royal table?"
"This maiden like to keep it simple. Don't feel like gorging on your fine liquor, my good Sire, so how about a beer?"
He smiled and pointed a finger point at her. "Coming right up." He never stopped smiling as he opened a cooler, rummaging through its contents until he found what he was looking for, a cold beer clutched in his hands. She unconsciously licked her lips not remembering the last time she had one, accepting the beer in his stretched hand.
"Why thank you Sire, I shall accept thy refreshment."
He laughed and clicked his red cup against her own drink, the can opened with a hiss and brought it to her lips, taking down a gulp with a hum of enjoyment. It was exactly what she neededed.
"Wanna sit down? Brantley is cool but uh…" They both cringed as a he left a high note that ended up in a disguised cough followed by a dry singing. "Well, I don't think we connect musically."
She laughed.
"Understanding of the century."
They both sat down in a couch at the end of the living room, surprisingly clean of empty cans or remains of junk food. The silence stretched, with the young adults lazily drinking and laughing at the older man antics and terrible singing voice mixed with the laughter of the crowd. After a few minutes of enjoyable silence, Jackie was compelled to say something.
"You know Oskar, you surprised me today."
The teen placed his glass on the table and fully turned to face her, his blue eyes sparkled with an intensity that seemed uncharacteristically of who he was.
"Every time I've seen you around, you run away from class so you can go to your car and play, I think that's the side of you that I remember until you dropped out and never told anyone Don't get this the wrong way but are you okay?"
He laughed, looking aside, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I think I asked you the same question today, like, totally dude." He smiled. "Well, it's gah, normally I wouldn't worry because ya know, no worry no loss in life you feel me? But lately it's like I got my eyes opened for what's coming. I can't just play anymore without thinking about it. Just look at Brantley, like really look at him." They looked around the house with the many pictures of him and his mother along with the older man frowning in every single one of them.
They both cringed and she understood completely.
"Oh." Was the only thing that escaped from her lips.
He chuckled. "Yeah." He drawled. "That's gonna be like, totally me in thirty years from now? Like, dude, no way man."
They stayed silent for a minute. Jackie gathered her courage to ask him in a way to not put him down.
"Well, what are you going to do about it? You got so much time."
"I'm thinking of going back, apply myself…so I can give the life that my sister needs. She's so unhappy, I just don't want her to suffer and stay with someone that doesn't really care about her." He sighed. "But when I think about it. What can I do? I'm slow, clumsy, I got AHDH and the only thing I'm good at is just an instrument and song writing. I got nothing going on for me, it's why I connected with Mango so well."
"It's Marco" Jackie corrected with a small grin.
"Yeah, him." He chuckled taking a sip of his drink. "I just would like to find something that I would enjoy without taxing my soul and enslaving me to the man, ya know? Rather than living in the streets or crashing with a man still living with his mom at forty, oh man that came out so wrong. I got bummer virus"
"No, it's okay." Jackie placated him with her hands. "I think what you need is attend a workshop. I know a couple that would really help you in finding something that you enjoy. The job is out there, especially if you want to help others…it's really what moves me into becoming a marine biologist." She smiled. "Just the thought of exploring these new species in our combined worlds, cataloging them and helping into the conservation and spreading my teachings to the masses just makes me happy." Her smile fell. "Except that Chloe doesn't believes in that."
His eyes shimmered with emotion now.
"Ah, I get it now. I don't wanna pry."
"It's fine Oskar. You've been more helpful than anyone around."
He smiled, appreciating her compliment and disguising his flush by taking a sip of his drink.
"You can be direct; I don't mind if you're blunt."
He took a deep breath, a smarter and understanding look taking hold of his expression.
"Okay Seashell, but…do you think that you're ready to accept her as an obstacle in the way of your dreams?" He winced at his own words, not knowing where such burst of honesty came forth but she didn't look offended, if only she smiled sadly, looking at the table in front of them.
"Maybe." She finally admitted, crossing her arms across her chest. "She has taught me so many things about myself and the world around me, to feel and she taught me that I could be more than the cool as cucumber skater chick that everyone sees me like but, she doesn't believe in me. She doesn't think that I can make out there, to follow my dreams. She wants me to live life as it comes, with no future, no stability but doing my hobby as a career. I…I just can't. I can't handle that she doesn't believes in me." She buried her face into her hands with a sad whine off her throat.
For a moment the boy was at a conflict with himself, not knowing what to do when such a pretty girl was radiating with sadness, never actually doing things that required action other than inspiration, but he felt he had to do something. Slowly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.
"Like no fair dude." His voice carried out a hint of something stronger than the easy-going accent that always carried his short phrases. "You can't just let this keep the great Jackie Lynn Thomas down. I think that does it, why we gotta keep us down. Putting us down in chains and dragging us down to their feet…and I think that only us can break down from their chains."
She knew how cheesy the line sounded, like if he was writing lyrics to a song but immediately, she felt better than we she came and she found herself leaning more fully into him, enjoying his comforting presence, throwing him a warm smile. His blue eyes intensified, filling his body with joy and something else that he couldn't put his finger on, like a key to his instrument that he was eager to play, over and over again. He didn't know where this sudden impulse came from, threatening to erase his entire existence. His blue eyes lowered to her soft and plump pink lips, his heart beating painfully into his chest, sending fire into his veins pump by pump. He felt like he was going to explode from something that he couldn't even explain.
From Jackie's part she recognized the tell signs of what he was thinking, her own aqua marine eyes staring at his soft looking lips, regardless if his silly fake fangs were poking from them. Her own heart thumped painfully in her chest, crossing her legs unconsciously and rubbing her knee against his leg. The boy jumped as if he had been burned, surprised edging on his expression.
"I..I, uh. Sorry, I think that maybe I had too much to drink, I'm going to the restroom…would you be here when I come back?" Oskar asked her not able to hide the hurt in his features and knowing exactly why he was feeling so badly now. Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and turned his back on her.
A hand grasped him firmly by the arm, stopping him on his feet. His blue eyes snapped to hers, an expression of uncertainty on his face.
"Look Oskar, you didn't do anything wrong." She patted the empty space next to her. The boy caressed his hair locks, sighing and sitting down on the place that he had been occupying, finding the wall more interesting that the girl next to him.
"I…I couldn't help it. I like you" His tone was sad and carried a meaning of his confusion, feeling like a total jackass into revealing his own feelings and feeling terribly sorry for it, never actually doing it so, but he felt that Jackie made him do things that he wouldn't have done otherwise, like revealing his pain. He had never done that for anybody.
She dismissed his concerns. "Well, neither could I help myself."
That immediately caught his attention, snapping his face to her.
"You were right, I've felt like this for a long time, ever before I got back to Echo Creek. This…this isn't who I am." She pointed at herself. "I don't want to feel like I have to give up my aspirations and my dreams for someone that doesn't believe in me and wants to dictate me how I live my life. I am not that person…" She faced him fully, a determination burning on her expression. "This is not who Jackie Lynn Thomas is. I might be with Chloe at the moment but…I am going to give her a chance to give me the chance that I deserve to become who I want to be, if she doesn't accept me for who I am, then that would be it. I don't need that toxicity poisoning me. That's…not…who…I…am."
The boy was too stunned to say anything at first, passing a hand through his face with an expression of wonder.
"That's the most expressive thing I've ever heard from you."
She laughed, humor once more replacing her serious expression.
"Yeah, I guess in times like these, it kinda flows from you."
They both chuckled.
She got serious again. "So, do you really want to do this?" She asked knowingly.
Caught in the act, the boy stammered, not knowing how to react like a fish out of the water making her laugh.
"I swear, boys." She rolled her eyes. "Look Oskar, I do like you. You're a cool dude and I don't say that like the other school bimbos. You got more going on that I thought and you might say that my…interest has peaked in you and things with Chloe don't change I wouldn't mind giving this a shot."
His smile widened, opening his mouth to express contentment.
"But." Jackie opened her mouth before he could. "I don't want a Brantley or a Chloe. I want a person that I can count on, that will do their better to aspire to be something better not only for themselves but for me as well. I don't want you to change who you are…but if you're not seeking to improve yourself, I wouldn't want to be with someone like that. If Marco and Star had taught me something is that commitment is far more than being together, but being there for each other and helping to complete your aspirations and your dreams, together, as friends, lovers and as a team. To be there through every step in the way, this is just how I feel. If…if this sounds too headstrong for you, then we can just take a step back and become friends, but it must be because you want this. If you're willing to strive to be something better, then that would be my answer. Is this what you want?"
She held out her hand.
The boy didn't hesitate for a second, placing his hand on hers, squeezing his hand unto a tight grip.
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A/N: And that's it for this update. Stay tuned!
D4rK
