Heyo! What's up everybody? It's ya boi, comin at you with a new chapter for Wands and Weirdos, suggested by the great Author Smimph. Thanks to them for allowing me to use this prompt, and thanks to everyone else for your favourites, follows and reviews! The decision on whether this series should continue or end is still up for debate, but we'll worry about that later.
To the reviews!
Exotos135: I know I already messaged you with an apology, but I really am sorry if I said that. I got hope I got the message across. Thank you for lending your opinion on the matter. You too bud!
: I suppose it has, but good on you for getting those updates out dude! Thank you for stating your opinion on the matter, and I'm glad you're enjoying the series. You too bro!
Finnjr63: Thanks for lending your opinion, and you too man, thanks!
Fereality: You have a good point, and I hope I can tie off those loose ends as well. So many mysteries… Thanks buddy, you too!
MarcoDiaz: Haha, thank you for your input. A part two is definitely on the table, so keep an eye out for that. Thank you, though I think love is a little strong a word.
Guest Sorta: Thank you for your opinion, it's taken into consideration amongst all the others.
Smitty Theories: Time is of the essence sir smit, but you have a point. I'm glad I'm still around as well, wouldn't know what to do with myself if I just up and vanished. Thank you for your opinion, every once in a while sounds pretty good actually, but we'll have to see what life does with me. I'm glad you're enjoying, it means a lot buddy. Okay, now the fact that you would offer something like this is truly heartwarming dude, my respect for you has grown ten-fold. Thank you so much Smit, it's only fair that I wish you the best of luck as well! Stay awesome!
Jtippy100: Thank you for your opinion, it's greatly appreciated. I'm planning a sequel to it, so keep an eye out for that.
Reviews are greatly appreciated, since they tell how I can improve. Make sure to hit that favourite/follow button if you enjoy the chapter. I don't own SVTFOE or any of its characters. Now let's get into it…
A setting sun faded into the distance, sliding down the mountainsides and into the twilight. The mixes of blue and yellow-orange in the sky mixed together beautifully. Tufts of cloud streaked the air like corn rows in a field. The colour of the sky right now was worth killing for, only once in a lifetime could the atmosphere blend this well. It was even better for Marco, the colours bringing an odd sense of peace to his wild day.
He sat on the roof of his house, his head in his knees with his arms firmly wrapped underneath his legs. A gentle wind blew across his skin and hair, his dark locks lifting slightly. His eyes stayed focused on the setting sun in the distance, watching in silence as it fell away into another world, off to bring a new dawn to others. Sometimes he wished he could always be that philosophical, too bad he just wasn't like that. He was more of the laid back type compared to all the big thinkers out there, and wondering where the universe can be found on and why we all exist… that just didn't seem appealing in the slightest.
He sighed into his legs, finding comfort in the muffled sound of breath he let off. His day had been far from the usual routine he grew up knowing, but so was everyday now. Ever since the famed princess of Mewni waltzed in through that portal, Marco knew nothing would ever be the same. And while he did find that just the slightest bit enticing (due to his need for danger), he didn't think they would come to the extreme they did.
Monsters, dungeons, cave systems, magic, dimensional travel, almost destroying time as we know it, a lizard in a lawyer suit, babysitting tadpoles, dipping down, a wrecked police cruiser, goblin dogs, truth or punishment, finding out Janna is in love with a poet. This was all proving to be a bit more than Marco had bargained for. He wasn't complaining, but that didn't mean he wasn't skeptical around a few of the things he had done with the heir to the throne. It didn't really matter though; he was the one who made the decision of letting her stay in his home, so he knew he'd have to man up eventually.
But there was one thought that always picked at him from the back of his mind. Marco didn't like pondering on that thought but he could never avoid it, it always came up, one time even in his dream. He didn't sleep well that night either. It just kept picking at him, eating away into his psych and forever haunting him, because he knows he will never find the answer. The voices that called from the very cramped back alley of his skull never seem to go away, but Marco knew better than to pay them any attention.
He had a method for blocking them out anyway, and quite an effective one at that. With a quick dive into his jean pocket, Marco wiggled his hand around a little before getting a firm grip around his phone. He unwrapped the long cable -from the earbuds that were already plugged in- from around the body of the phone and popped them in to each ear. From there he turned on the device and scrolled through his music tracks before settling a song and hit play.
He loved to listen to that swift drum beat at the beginning, sounding more like clapping than an actual drum, followed by the high pitched strings of what might be a guitar, or maybe a mandolin (He'd have to look into that later). The rhythm was solid and each beat sent a wonderful feeling up his spine. Then he was greeted with the oh-so gracious voice of Dan Reynolds.
Something about this tune always seemed to settle Marcos nerves. Whether he was coming back from a hard fought battle against Ludo, or maybe just finished watching a horror movie. He wasn't that big of a fan of this band, he had really only heard of them through social media or from some friends, but he couldn't deny good music when the opportunity came. He had even been caught listening to one of Linkin Park's songs a while back, then was teased for several days about being emo. The thought was laughable at this point.
Marco kept letting the tune play into his head. His eyes drifted shut, not so he could sleep, but just for the added effect of imagination. The effect didn't last long.
Mere seconds after his eyes closed, they flung back open to the ear piercing white noise that hissed over top of the track he was listening to, and with great volume as well. Marco quickly ripped the earbuds out of his ears and scooted backwards towards the top of the roof, throwing the phone out of his hand in the process.
"What in the..." he mumbled aloud. Not that he could hear it anyway. Deafening rings chimed everywhere, in all directions. It made Marco feel like his ears were bleeding, thankfully they weren't. He pulled the earbuds up next to him and brought them to his face for a closer look. Even though he couldn't hear himself, he spoke anyway.
"That's new... Pretty sure they didn't list that as a feature when I bought them..."
Carefully, minding his footing, Marco moved towards the device that landed only a few feet away. With slight worry, he flipped the phone over to see the brand name on the front of the device. Thankfully, it was a Huawei. No risk of explosions there.
"Maybe the jack came loose or something…" he pondered, thinking of a logical reason why his phone would decide that it hated him. His hearing was starting to come back, and because of so, he heard the sound of wooden- soled boots on the tile behind him. He turned around and expected to see a monster of sorts, perhaps Tom had decided he wanted to have another chill sesh, or maybe Toffee wanted to try the whole kidnapping feat again. But it was actually the last person he had expected to see.
A few minutes later…
Marco stepped out onto the roof through his window, carrying two mugs in his hand. Both were filled with hot coffee, one black and the other sweetened with cream and sugar. He came to the edge of the roof and sat down next to his unexpected visitor. River sat with his hands between his swinging legs, like a small child waiting for their parent to come out of the store. It was a little hard to take him seriously that way.
"Here you go, black and piping hot, just like you asked." Marco carefully handed the mug to the waiting King, making sure not to spill anything as he passed it. River took a quick swig of the drink, not even taking a moment to blow on it.
"Thank you my boy, I needed this. After a day of manly hunting and murder, it's good to take a moment to relax with friends." He murmured, just loud enough for Marco to hear. Marco blew against the rim of his cup and slowly took a sip of the drink, nodding in agreement.
"You've got a point there. So how long did Moon kick you out for this time?"
"Just a week, I'll be back in the castle before you know it. Thank you again for allowing me to settle in your beloved home."
Marco held up a hand and swallowed the coffee in his mouth. "Please, no need to thank me. You're welcome to stay here whenever you like. It gives my parents more vacation time anyway." He then took another sip from his cup. Marco didn't really enjoy coffee, but he didn't mind having a cup every now and again. River sighed solemnly, looking down towards the street. There were two children playing street soccer in the middle of the road and it looked like they were having a good time. It wasn't likely that a car would hit them, since Marco didn't know anyone who drove up this street this late in the day.
River then looked over at Marco, setting his cup down on his lap. "So is Star inside? I find it quite odd that she wouldn't come say hello to her own flesh and blood."
Marco shook his head, "She's gone to a sleepover with Janna and that weird stalker she has. I never did get that one's name…" He placed his finger and thumb on his face to ponder the thought. "She's been around a few times before… Did she already say her name and I just didn't remember it? I'm overthinking this…"
River pursed his lips and let out a thoughtful grunt. "Oh well… I guess we'll see her tomorrow then. For now I can talk with you!" he cheered. Marco looked over at him with a slight raise in his eyebrows. "I suppose we could talk for now. Might I ask why though?"
River shrugged, "We never had the chance to talk before. I should get to know the man who is taking care of my daughter, that way I know your weaknesses if you ever decide to betray me and vice versa. It's a win-win scenario in my book. We can only gain from this experience."
Marco nodded in understanding. "I suppose you're right. It is a little strange that we don't know each other that well, considering the circumstances."
Marco felt a hand hit him hard against the back, nearly throwing him off balance and possibly sending him to a hospital. "That's the spirit! So what shall we talk about first? Demons? Hunting? Evil plans to overthrow the Mewni kingdom?"
"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could try to get to know each other a little bette- wait, what was that last one?"
An hour later, after the sunset…
It was pitch black outside. The only sources of light were the several rooms of homes that were lined up along the street. Star's twinkled in the sky, some distant, others so close you could practically pluck them from the inky black ocean they sat on. Marco and River still sat on the roof. They had been talking for most of the evening, losing track of the time rather quickly after they began. Marco burst out in laughter, slapping his hand onto his forehead with tears nearly falling from his eyes.
"I can't believe you actually did that! I mean, pranking the king of the underworld, sure. But you took it to the next level man! Comedy goooold." he stretched out the 'o' to emphasize the hilarity. River slapped his knee and chuckled heartily. "Agreed! I didn't even know that slugs could be that violent!"
The two had been going like this for almost 40 minutes now. Maybe it was the lateness that made them so giddy, or perhaps River didn't realize he had walked through the wrong kind of herb field and made some scones with them. I wouldn't know. Either way, the two of them were beginning to settle down. Marco let out a relieved sigh, putting his arms behind his head and laying down. "Oh boy… this has been great. We should talk more often."
River nodded in agreement, "Absolutely. I'm sure Star can lend you her mirror every once in a while, no?"
"I'm sure she'd be fine with it. It's a shame Star had to miss this though, she would've had a blast." Marco let out a small chuckle at the thought. He gazed forward into the night sky, looking out at all the stars. "Everything seems to be a little more… cheerful when she's around. You know what I mean?"
River quirked an eyebrow, a small smile rising from underneath his beard, Marco couldn't notice it in the dark. "I think I have an idea, but I think you might need to explain little further." Marco didn't seem to mind this and thought for a moment. He brought his hand to the side of his head and itched his hair.
"Well… She has a great attitude towards everything, as you probably know already, and that really brings up the mood. When everyone's down she has a way of making them smile."
River nodded, gesturing for Marco to continue with his explanation. His smile was getting a little bigger. Marco pressed on, "She's quirky and while she does at reckless a lot of the time, her sense of determination is inspiring. She doesn't get serious often, but when she does, it's like a whole new person walked into the room. I've only seen this once, and that's when she saved my life from Toffee. I think you were there for that."
"Afterwards, yes. She sacrificed her wand for you, not something I ever expected from her…" The king looked down at the tiling of the roof, the small patches of mold that were growing in the crevices. He picked away at the patches, feeling the hairy and squishy texture of them.
"Well, that's Star for you. Pretty much anytime I think I have her figured out, she completely flips me on my head. That's another thing that so many people like about her. Overall, Star's just awesome. A little aggravating at points, but who isn't? There's no way people can't like her." And with that, Marco shut his eyes with a contempt grin on his face, throwing his left leg over the right in a cool-guy pose. River didn't seem very satisfied however.
"You say 'people'… What about you? What do you think of Star?" he questioned, that grin beneath all that beard hair was at its fullest, almost cramping River's face. Marco popped an eye open and looked at the King. "What do you mean? Isn't obvious what I think of her? You've seen us together a bunch of times and how we act around each other, so you of all people would know."
Marco felt River poke his cheek, opening his other eye and turning his head towards him. River had furrowed eyebrows, but they weren't furrowed out of anger, more in mischievousness. "Don't try and dodge the question my dear boy. I know you well enough that if you wouldn't try and hide anything from me. You even told me about that silly list you made when you were fou-"
"It wasn't silly!" Marco exclaimed, launching himself forward into a sitting position. "It was a legitimate strategy, crafted by the genius that lay beneath my awkward and unsociable layers."
"And there you go again, trying to change the subject. Is there something you're hiding from me Marco? Why is this such a touchy subject for you?" Marco brought himself forward more, wrapping his arms around his legs and holding his face against his knees. He shifted his eyes over to the opposite side of River. River wouldn't take silence for an answer. He reached over and lightly held Marco's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Listen Marco, you can tell me anything. It doesn't matter what it is, I would never even consider judging you for it. I just want to know what you think of my daughter that's all. So please, just tell me."
Marco turned his head to look at River in the eyes. He could see that he wasn't lying, his motives may have been a mystery, but his words were sincere to the last syllable. Marco sighed and looked forward, over to the rooftops. Chimneys were pouring smoke into the sky, windows were lit by the bulbs of living rooms, even if their curtains were drawn. It was so peaceful out in the night…
"I understand that you're curious, but I just can't tell you. Star and I have a weird relationship, a little too weird for best friends to have. As of recent, I'm not sure what I think of her. I know how I want to think of her, but I'm not sure if that's how it is in reality, if that makes sense."
River drew a breath and sighed, his smile fading but not disappearing. He joined Marco in looking over the rooftops. "I understand. Sorry for prying, but I want you to know that I really do like you Marco, so if you do anything to hurt my daughter at all, I will personally hold the axe that will take off your head. Are we clear?"
Marco smiled warmly, countering River's sudden change of tone. "Crystal, sir…"
"Good." And with that, the conversation as over. The both of them just continued to look out over the rooftops. And across the sky, over in the distance, Star was flying across the inky black pool of night with Janna on her back, both of them screaming in terror.