The Butterfly siblings' first night on Earth had been an interesting one. They'd spent about an hour talking with their mother from Nia's mirror and telling her about their experience. Astro had left out a few details about his day, not wanting them to think he was regretting coming here. He had told them he was going to give this place a chance, and he meant it.

After that Nia ended up waking him up in the middle of the night and asked if he could stay up with her. She had always had trouble sleeping in new places, and Earth was no exception. After staying up half the night, they ended up nodding off on his bed, with Sear curled up around them.

When morning came, they had found that Janna was gone. She left a note saying she had some business to attend to and told them to take whatever they wanted from the fridge. When it was time to go to school, the two had varied reactions. Nia was excited. She wanted to meet up with AJ again and hopefully make a few other new friends as well. Maybe she would even go see Vera and catch up.

Astro… he just hoped he could avoid any more big scenes like yesterday.

When Astro dropped Nia off at her school he'd gotten quite a few awkward stares. Well, Sear got a lot of stares. It was as if no one had ever seen a dragon-cycle here before. It's not like they were exclusive to Mewni.

Nia decided not to worry about it as she headed into the school with a smile on her face. Today was a new day, and she was determined to start it off right! "Yo blondie!"

She looked back and saw AJ approaching her. "Hey AJ," she greeted happily. She had been happy to have made at least one friend on her first day. Sure, some of the other kids had been friendly to her, but none of them had really reached out. Not like he had.

"So, you free after school today?"

Nia sighed. "I wish, but I don't think my brother is going to let me hang out that late again. He got really freaked out. He's sort of overprotective…"

"I noticed," AJ said, smirking. "Seems like the real stick in the mud type to me. No offense."

Nia shook her head. "No, you're right. Astro is only trying to look out for me, but he can be such a stickler sometimes. Like he's afraid to let me out of his sight for more than five minutes."

"Well, that's the thing. He won't have to," AJ explained. "Ma heard what happened yesterday and wanted to invite you to dinner as thanks. Your brother invited too… and I guess that dragon thing too. What was that by the way?"

Nia raised an eyebrow. "Who, Sear? That was just my brother's dragon-cycle. Haven't you ever seen one on Earth?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Nah. Seen a lot of weird stuff here, but never one of those. It's totally badass though. I thought my dad's bike was awesome, but that thing kicks ass." Nia hummed. She should probably warn Astro not to go driving Sear in public anymore. "So, dinner?"

Nia snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh right… well, I'll ask my brother about it. There shouldn't be any reason he wouldn't want to go. I don't think he's going to have anything else to do."

"Nice," he said, pumping his fist. Nia smiled back and turned forward, only to stop dead in her tracks. She saw a redheaded girl walking down the hall towards them. Her eyes locked onto the girl as AJ stopped beside her, looking at her confused. "Something wrong blondie?"

Nia narrowed her eyes. "Who is she?" she asked curiously.

"Who, the redhead?" he asked. Nia nodded. "That's Chloe Spicer. She's one the many rich kids around here. Kind of a bitch too if you ask me," he explained. "Why? You thinking about trying to get in good with her and her click?"

Nia shook her head. "No… she just seems really familiar," she said rubbing her chin. AJ looked slightly relieved. He really didn't want her trying to ditch him for Chloe. Embarrassing as it was, she was his first friend since he got here. He wasn't exactly well liked around this place.

"Maybe you saw her on the news or something. Her brother is the leader of the Vanguard."

"The what?" Nia asked.

"You're kidding me, right? They've been all over the place. The new team being put together to stop those criminal guys the Youngblood? They're like all anyone is talking about."

Nia hummed and stared back at Chloe. The redhead only spared her a quick glance before looking forward again and continuing down the hall. Nia kept staring after her. There was something so familiar about her. She just couldn't seem to place it.

Well, whatever. Worrying about it wouldn't do her much good. She decided to focus on something more important. "So what about this superhero stuff again?"

AJ rolled his eyes. "I'll fill ya in…"

The two walked off, unaware of the figure watching the both of them in the distance.

Astro hummed as he made his way down the street. Since he had plenty of time before lunch was over he figured he would check out someplace Janna had told him about. He had honestly been surprised she was someone who liked tea. It was one of the few things she had in common with him, and whenever she came to visit she brought him some.

Last night she had mentioned there was a tea shop not far from their school, and he was eager to go see what they had. He rarely had time to enjoy tea as much as he liked since he was either out stopping rebellions or busy running the guard at home. But now that he had more free time, he didn't see why he couldn't get a little more time for his hobbies.

He looked ahead and saw the place he assumed he was looking for. The Jasmine Dragon. He smiled as he got closer. He could already smell the scent of different teas drifting through the air. He went inside and looked around. It was a small humble little place, but it had a cozy feel to it. It was covered in Chinese themed decorations.

Not that Astro recognized any of them. But it did look interesting.

He made his way towards the counter and saw an elderly man standing behind it. He smiled and waved at him. "Hello there young man. May I help you?" he asked kindly.

Astro smiled back and nodded politely. "Hello sir. I'm new in town, but an acquaintance recommended this place to me. I'd like to say what I want to order but…" he looked over the selection. "I'm honestly a little overwhelmed. I've never had this many options for tea before."

The man chuckled. "That's understandable. Please, take your time deciding."

Astro looked over the counter once more. He was familiar with a fair amount of these. Some that he hadn't had in years. But he couldn't decide if he wanted to choose one he hadn't had in a while or try a new flavor.

"Having trouble deciding?"

He looked over and saw a young man standing beside him. He looked around nineteen and had long black hair with a green strange going through it. "Oh, hello there Drake. Here for another pickup?" he asked.

The young man shook his head. "No, not this time Mr. Chan. I find myself with a bit of free time today, so I thought I'd sit down and enjoy a cup of your finest. It tastes so much better freshly brewed," he said politely.

"Of course. What would you like?"

The young man, Drake, turned towards Astro. "I see you're having trouble deciding. While anything that comes from this shop is quite wonderful, may I recommend the Lushan Cloud tea. It's a personal favorite of mine and Mr. Chan's specialty."

Astro looked intrigued. He had never had that brew before. "Sounds appealing."

"Excellent. Two cups of Lushan cloud tea Mr. Chan. I'll be paying for both."

Astro grew wide-eyed. "What? No, you don't have to-"

Drake held his hand up. "Nonsense. Anyone who would seek out this shop must be a true lover of tea, and since you're a newcomer I'd be happy to treat you."

Astro looked taken aback. "Oh… thank you," he nodded.

Drake waved it off. "It's nothing. Would you like to have a seat?" he asked, gesturing towards a nearby table. Astro thought over it for a moment. He still had quite a bit of time before lunch ended, and it wouldn't hurt to make some small talk. This guy seemed pretty nice. He nodded and followed him.

The two sat down and Astro kept glancing around. "Hmm. If I had known a place like this was here, I would have bothered visiting much earlier…"

"Yes. The Jasmine Dragon is quite an impressive place. I used to have my teas imported before I found this hidden gem. It keeps brews from all over the world here," he said smiling. "You said you were visiting. You're from out of town I assume?"

Astro nodded. "Yes. My sister and I are visiting. She wanted to come and see this place, and I ended up having to tag along… Well, I didn't have to, I suppose. But I just feel better being along to watch over her," he explained.

"I understand. Younger siblings can be quite trying on one's patience. But they are seemingly impossible to stop caring over. My own sister finds great joy in annoying me, and yet I still find myself keeping an eye out for her."

Mr. Chan suddenly came by and set two cups down. "Here you are, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy," he said as he filled both of their cups from the pot. He then set it in the middle of the table. Drake and Astro both thanked him before he turned to leave.

They both picked up their cups and took a sip. Astro hummed in delight at the taste. "Mm, you weren't kidding. This brew is delicious."

"Mr. Chan is quite skilled. I believe he's only second to his daughter when it comes to making a perfect cup. Unfortunately, she's in school at the moment," he explained. Astro looked up in thought. There was someone at school who could make tea better than this? He would need to find them.

Drake took another sip before continuing. "So, how are you enjoying your stay in Townsville so far my young friend?" he asked curiously.

"Well, this is only my second day here but… I think it'll take some more getting used to. I'm not very familiar with the culture here. It seems so strange compared to my old home."

Drake nodded. "Understandable. Changing environments is always a difficult adjustment. But it just takes time. I'm sure you'll find the flow of things soon enough."

"I hope so. I promised my sister and mother I'd do my best to try and find a place here, but it may be much trickier than I imagined."

Drake gave him a reassuring smirk. "You seem like a level-headed young man. I'm sure you'll find a place here very soon," he said before a ringing sound went off. Drake sighed and pulled out his phone before answering it. "Hello?"

Astro simply watched as he listened to whatever the person on the other line was saying. Drake let out another sigh before nodding. "Yes, I understand. I'll return shortly," he said before hanging up. "Apologies friend, but I'm afraid I must cut our conversation short. There's business I must attend to elsewhere."

Drake pulled out a wad of money before walking over and placing it on the counter. "There you are, Mr. Chan. I included a very generous tip."

The elderly man frowned. "Drake, you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," he assured. He turned back to Astro. "I hope we can meet again… pardon me, but I didn't get your name."

"Astro. Astro Butterfly. And I'm very much looking forward to it. I'd love to get another of your recommendations," he said holding up his cup. Drake nodded back before taking his leave. Astro smiled. He'd found a nice tea place, and actually met a normal person who actually had decent manners. Maybe this place wasn't half bad after all.

The moment Drake stepped outside, he was greeted by another figure. A young boy with sandy brown hair. He had his arms crossed, and he didn't look happy. Drake stared down at him. "Heath. You interrupted a rather intriguing conversation I was having."

He grunted. "I found what you were looking for," he said before tossing him something.

Drake easily caught the file. "And you couldn't have come inside and discreetly shared this information with me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

Heath glared right back. "I hate tea…"

"Of course you do," he said with a sigh. He then opened the file and began glancing through it. Yes, this was exactly what he was looking for. "Regardless of your horrible lack of manners, you did well to pin down its location. I'll decide on who to send after it later."

Heath looked up towards the tea shop curiously. "Why do you bother coming to this dump anyway? You could send any of your goons or just pick it up and leave."

"This dump is the best tea shop in Townville. It's also one of the few places my face seems to go completely unrecognized," he explained. It was nice having a place he could go to and simply relax besides his sunroom. "I will not have it damaged in any way, shape, or form."

"Yeah, I got it. No one touches your stupid tea shop," Heath said. "But you better give me something to do soon. I'm getting bored."

Drake smirked. "You'll have your chance, Heath. Very soon," he assured. As he and Heath began to walk off he thought back to Astro. The boy didn't strike him as evil exactly. But he sensed something in him. His instinct telling him there was some untapped potential. Plus, anyone who had such a taste for tea was someone worth keeping an eye on.

Miles away, on top of a large building, a small winged figure landed down. It stretched its arms before its wings suddenly retracted into its back. "Man, keeping a low profile like this sucks. I miss being able to move around freely," it said annoyed.

Another figure, one who was already waiting there, grunted. "Stop complaining. We don't have to deal with it anymore. We've found them. We can go home."

"What? But I was just starting to take a look around this place. They got some funny little stuff around here these humans. And human girls look pretty cute too. Can't we hang around just a bit longer?"

"No!" the older figure snapped. "I don't care about whatever little toys these insects put together. This dimension reeks of… inferiority. I refuse to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary. Besides, he'll be expecting us back soon."

The younger one pouted. "Spoilsport…" he muttered.

"Oh stop complaining. You'll have your chance to come back soon. He won't simply sit back and do nothing now that we know they're here. Now let's go."

"Do you think he'll let me keep one of the humans as a pet or something?"

"I don't understand everyone's fascination with these smelly weak creatures…"

The older figure pulled out a pair of dimensional scissors and opened a portal before going through. They knew it would only be a matter of time before they were back to cause some chaos. They wouldn't just stay away.

Not while Astro was here.