Wow, this is the longest chapter, so far! Never planned it to be this long...not that I'm complaining, though!

chapter 4: Mewmans in Septarsis

Somebody knocked on the door, causing Rasticore to get off his chair and open. When he opened, he was face to face with Toffee.

- What took you so long?- Rastiore gestured to the kids, both sleeping on the couch.- The kids have fallen asleep, while waiting.- then his eyes shifted to the parcel, right behind Toffee.- Oh!- Rasticore's eyes widened in realization.

- We have guests.- Toffee spoke.- Get their rooms ready!

Without saying anything else, Rasticore saluted and rushed to get the job done. Toffee gestured to the said guests to enter the room and make themselves comfortable. He went to the couch and took his kids in his arms. This was getting harder nowadays, as Razzles was getting older.

- He's a dad!- Eda whispered to King with a small affectionate smile.

Both sisters exchanged a smile, enjoying the adorable view.

- You can wait here- Toffee suggested.- while I take the kids to their beds.

Lilith, Eda, King and Hooty were sitting on the couch, anticipating their host's return.

- You still don't trust him, King?- Eda asked with a smirk.

- Okay, I get it!- the small titan rolled his eyes.- It's just... there's something...creepy about him. Maybe it's the voice. He kinda sounds like one of those bad guys in the cartoons Luz keeps talking about.

- What about the fact that he's immortal?- Lilith added, with a tone that made it sound as if she was more impressed than anxious.- That one really got me! An immortal ally could really help us against Belos!

- Hold on, Lily! I don't think we should put innocent bystanders into our conflict...even badass ones. Plus, he's someone's dad!

- We need as much help as we can get, Eda!- Lilith replied.- We don't know anything about this place, nor where we can look for Belos. It's worth to ask him, at least!

- I guess you're right!

Their conversation was interrupted once the door opened with Toffee entering the room with a baby monitor in his hand. He placed the device on the table and sat right against the foursome.

- Are you four hungry?- he asked them politely.- I can produce you some water and something to eat, if you'd like.

King felt a growl in his stomach, thus indirectly replying to the host's question.

- Well- the tiny creature hesitated.- I guess...a sandwich wouldn't hurt.

King, Hooty and Eda went to their newly prepared bedrooms, after they've finished their small dinner. Lilith did not join them immediately, instead she chose to stay in the library with Toffee- she had her questions to ask him, after all.

Toffee himself was not hungry, and instead was relaxing on the couch, staring at the baby monitor.

- What is that device?- Lilith asked him.

- Baby monitor. In that way, I can keep an eye on my son, because...you know...- he smirked.- he's 4 months old and anything can happen. Good thing, my daughter's 8 years old now!

- And where is your wife? I am still about to see her.

- I am not married. I'm raising my children on my own...with the occasional help, of course. Are you sure you don't want to go to bed now? It's getting late.

- I am too excited to sleep!- the witch smiled.- I have so many questions.

Toffee was, indeed, planning to keep his promise, however, it was not a good timing.

- How about tomorrow?- the septarian suggested.- I assure you all your questions will be answered!

The smile on Lilith's face disappeared- she could easily see he was uncomfortable. She felt embarrassed and apologized.

- Of course! I'm sorry! Didn't mean to be pushy!

- It's okay!- Toffee replied. However, there was still one thing he needed to know, before bedtime.- Actually...Who was that man chasing you?

- That was Philip Wittebane.- Lilith answered with a cold voice and erected chin.- A witch hunter from Earth. He got lost in our dimension, during his mission to eradicate witch kind. As the centuries went by, he changed his name to Belos and became the emperor of the Boiling isles for half a century. We've all got trapped in Mewni, while trying to stop his plan to kill us all with a Draining spell.

"Centuries", eh? How could have a human lived for such a long time? There was also his odd shapeshifting ability, which Toffee had the opportunity to become a witness of, when Belos decapitated him.

- And- Toffee spoke.- how did he get those powers of his?

- By consuming the life force of palismen.- Lilith gestured to Rajan, her white raven-shaped palisman.- They are sentient beings, carved from the Palistrom tree, whose purpose is to help us, witches, in our everyday lives.

Sounded like these guys were in a lot of trouble! Toffee was certain they needed his help. At the same time, he could not stop thinking about the fact that Star and Marco were yet to arrive- that was a pretty long walk. He was beginning to worry that something might have happened. What could be taking them so long?

- When she said "Thanks!", I had no idea whether she was being sincere or sarcastic.- Marco told Star about his latest endeavor at the canteen.

- Good thing we're having a play tomorrow...-Star stopped, once she noticed something.

A group of teenagers like them, who were seemingly looking for something. What could have gotten them so worried at 8 PM? They kept saying something about "finding him" and that they could not "let him get away".

They were 5 in total, with 3 girls and 2 boys. With the exception of one of the girls, all of them had long pointy ears, atypical for both mewmans and humans. Perhaps, they were neither.

Marco and Star exchanged a look and decided to offer them some help.

- Uhm...excuse me!- Star got their attention.- Hello!

The blonde teen rushed towards them and waved in a friendly manner.

- Hi!- she gave a brief smile.- What are, you guys doing this late? You need some help?

Once she and Marco were closer, they could examine the strangers in detail. One girl with short brown hair, brown eyes and dark skin, just like Marco's. She was wearing a pair of short pants, white shoes and a blue-and-white hoodie with short sleeves. The girl next to her had violet hair, amber eyes, light skin and wearing a completely black dress. The third girl was somewhat chubbier, with green hair, green eyes, wearing glasses and a black uniform with green sleeves. One of the boys was taller, with blond hair, red eyes, a missing tooth, a scar on his face, wearing brown gloves, baige short-sleeved shirt and dark pants. The other boy was shorter, with dark skin, brown eyes, brown hair, wearing the same uniform as one of the girls, but with blue sleeves instead.

Luz and her friends looked at each other, with worried expressions on their faces. They didn't want to get the locals involved, and yet there was already a pair of teens in front of them, asking them about what was going on. The fact that the blonde girl had a scary-looking scar on her shoulder did not make it any better.

Amity was the one to handle the situation for her team.

- Uhm...you guys don't need to worry!- she gave a sheepish smile.- We've just got separated from our friends. That's all!

- Yeah!- Luz joined.- You can just keep moving and not pay attention to anything that's going around here.

- Which dimension are you guys from?- Marco asked.- Are you from Earth? Because I'm from there.

- Yes, actually.- Luz nodded.- At least, I am.

- Speaking of dimensions- Amity said.- can you tell us which dimension is this one?

- You guys are on Mewni.- Star answered Amity's question.- How did you get here if you don't know about this place?

- That's kind of a long story.- Amity replied.

- That doesn't matter right now!- Hunter raised his voice and turned to the strangers.- Has anyone here seen a witch hunter around?

- Hunter, don't...- Luz was about to stop her friend from revealing the reason for their visit to the strangers. Amity put a hand on her shoulder, as if telling her to let him talk.

- A witch hunter?- Marco repeated confused.- Wait! Does that mean you are witches yourselves?- that could explain the ears.

- We need to find him!- Hunter ignored the boy's question.- It's a life-and-death situation!

- Whoa! Easy there, Big guy!- Star commented.- We didn't see anyone.

- Vomit!- Hunter groaned angrily.

- I guess that means we're gonna need some more help.- Willow spoke.

A loud thunder echoed in the sky, signaling about an upcoming storm, which was a further warning to Luz and her friends that they were in the need of someone's assistance.

- We're also gonna need a place to stay for the night.- Gus commented.

Star turned to Marco.

- You think we should ask Toffee about that?

- Well, if it's that serious, we're gonna need as much help as we can get. And Toffee's the smartest guy we know.

- Sounds great!- Star then turned to the group of strangers again.- We'll do our best to help you! We actually know a guy.

- That's great!- Luz smiled.- By the way, I'm Luz. Luz Noceda.

- ¡Hola, Luz!- Marco responded in Spanish.- ¡Soy Marco Diaz!

- ¿Hablas español?

- ¡Si!- he switched to English- My dad is Mexican.

- Cool! And my family is Dominican.- Luz was pretty excited to meet someone else, whom she can talk to in her native language.

- And I'm Amity Blight!- Amity introduced herself, then she gestured to her palisman.- This is Ghost, my palisman.

- I'm Willow Park and this is Clover.

- Gus Porter and this is Emmiline.

- My name is Hunter and he is Flapjack.

It was still not raining heavily, just a light drizzle, but the thunders kept booming through the air, which was a sign that the real deal was about to begin.

- We're here!- Star showed everyone the castle.- I'm sure Toffee can find enough rooms for all of you.- she turned to the night guards.- Hi! Is Toffee still awake?

- If he is, he won't be in the mood to be dealing with your new friends, little girl.- one of the night guards responded.- You know his rule about not being disturbed after 7 PM.

- Just let us in!- Star insisted, barely hiding the annoyance in her voice.

After they got access, Star immediately faced the strangers to warn them.

- I gotta warn you about Toffee. He can be...- she looked for appropriate epithets.- difficult. Like...FOR REAL! But trust me, deep down, he's a great guy! Even if he can be stubborn...and...and selfish...and a killjoy...and..

- Star!- Luz gently touched the blonde girl's shoulder.- I'm sure he's amazing!

Star opened the door to the library, where she was happy to see Toffee again.

- Hey, Toff!

Luz's eyes widened upon the surprise of seeing a familiar face.

- Lilith!

- Luz!

The blue-haired witch rushed to the girl and took her hands in an affectionate manner.

- Are you okay?- she raised her head and asked the others.- Is everyone else okay?

- We're fine, Lilith! I'm glad to see you're fine too. What about Eda, King and Hooty?

- They are here too.- the witch answered.- They are just asleep.

- We should all be asleep too.- Toffee commented.

- Of course!- Lilith nodded in agreement.- Come along, kids! I'll show you your rooms.

Hundreds of years ago, little Toffee was running in the forest. His parents repeated his name over and over.

- Toffee! Where are you?

Toffee stopped running, once he was far enough. He noticed a family of mewmans, camping in that exact same forest. He got closer to see them better, thus attracting the attention of one of the children- a little girl his age.

She was fascinated, and yet intimidated by the scaly creature. She knew she should be staying away from him, and yet she couldn't help but be drawn by those beautiful golden eyes.

- Hey!- the girl smiled.

- Hey!- the septarian boy replied hesitantly.

Both children got startled by the woman's scream, who quickly grabbed her daughter.

- Get away!- she yelled at the monster.- Stay away from us, you beast!

The woman's husband threatened Toffee with a knife. Toffee, on the other hand, was very confused. What did he do wrong?

Suddenly, the man dropped the knife in fear, once he saw a much bigger and scarier monster...Grisly.

The fearsome general roared at the mewman family, scaring them off as a result. Desperate to save their lives, they fled and completely disappeared from sight.

- I don't understand.- Toffee said.- What did I do wrong?

His father grabbed him by the collar neck and lifted him up.

- What you did wrong was that you ran away from us again.- the man growled, with vicious-looking eyes.

- I just wanted to see them. Why made them scream?

- It's because you are a monster...you don't look like them. For a mewman, there is nothing scarier than differences!

Toffee woke up from that odd dream.

- Even in death, you're still tormenting me with that. Eh, father?- he murmured, before looking at the crib, where baby Masaru has just woken up.- I hope you haven't gotten anything from him!- the father joked.

That didn't matter right now! He had a lot of work to do now, so he just got off the bed and took his son. It was time for sunbathing.

Everyone gathered in the kitchen to eat together. Lilith glanced at the host's mug- it had the words "Mewni's coolest dad" written on it. Next thing she knew, she saw his daughter having a hard time swallowing her sandwich. Toffee gave Razzles a glass of sour cherry juice to make it easier for her, but not without skipping an opportunity to lecture her.

- What did I say, Razzles? First chew, then swallow!

That was Razzles' bad habit, ever since she was an infant. Eating like it was her last meal.

Then, Toffee went back to feeding Masaru. Lilith noticed a pill he put into the baby's purée. She supposed his son was probably sick, but chose not to ask about it. Funny thing was, Toffee hasn't eaten anything all morning, as he wanted to make sure the children have eaten first.

However, Lilith couldn't contain her curiosity any further and asked the question from last night's discussion with her sister.

- Uhm, Mr. Toffee, sir?- she got his attention.- There is something we've been wondering.

- Share!

- You see, it is really vital for us to find Belos as soon as possible and defeat him for good, so we can return to the Boiling isles safely. The problem is...we don't know this dimension at all, as you can probably tell. Could you help us with the problem?- she blushed.- As long as it's not too much for you, of course!

Toffee could not say he was surprised by the request. If anything, he was certain he had no choice but to get involved in this interdimensional conflict, for the witch hunter was now a problem to Mewni as well.

There was also that other part of him- the inquisitive one- which wanted to know more about the Boiling isles.

- Consider me a part of it, Ms. Clawthorne!- the septarian gave Lilith his answer.

Lilith felt a huge relief in her heart. Thank Titan! They could really use that monster's help in any way they could!

- Yes!- Star celebrated.- See, Luz! I told you you guys are in good claws.

- Uhm, Toff!- Marco was hesitant, though.- Are you sure? I mean...we don't know much about this Belos guy.

- Exactly!- Toffee responded.- That's why we need to be alert!- he turned to Lilith.- Later, you must tell me everything you know about him!

- Speaking of knowing- Amity joined.- Star told us that not everyone has magic in this dimension. Only certain individuals.

- She is right.- Toffee confirmed.- All the magic in Mewni comes from the Magic realm, which only the women in the Butterfly clan and the Magic high commission have total access to. Star, here, is one of them.

- That doesn't sound fair!- Gus commented.- Back home, everyone has magic.

- Welcome to our world, kid!- Rasticore said.- Nothing is fair here. Especially, if you are born a monster like us.- he pointed at him and Toffee.

- Buuuut- Star tried to lighten up the mood.- that's the reason why we're having a play right here at the centre, starring the most popular mewman artists in modern times.

Star still could not believe she managed to convince enough mewmans to participate in the event. Every single one of them was heavily sceptical about performing in front of a septarian audience...with Toffee for a leader. "You don't even know him!", she told them. Even asked them how many of them have actually met a septarian in real life.

- Play?- Luz asked.- What kind of a play?

- Star came up with the idea to write a play to motivate mewmans and septarians to become friends.- Marco answered.

- I've already given the script to Ruberiot and Foolduke.- Star added.- They'll gather a group of actors to star in it.

Tension was extremely high, when a small group of mewmans arrived in Septarsis. To say they were not welcomed would be an understatement.

The locals were not very hospitable, thus scaring the visitors out of their wits. The mewman group never realized exactly how big septarians actually were- they were much taller than most mewmans, with very muscular bodies and broad shoulders, most noticeably with the males of the species. These monsters had very deep voices, especially the males, meant to scare their enemies off.

- Hello, everybody!- Star was the first to welcome them.- Welcome to Septarsis!

- Don't be so happy about it, Star Butterfly!- one of them scolded the blonde girl.- We're here only because your mother asked us.

Although, Star knew she could not ask them for more, she was still satisfied they arrived.

The play was about to begin. The actors were putting on their costumes. The musicians were getting their instruments ready.

Star was leading Ruberiot to introduce him to the head honcho, but even she could easily see the royal bard was shaking like a leaf, as a result of meeting the Immortal monster himself.

- Ruberiot, this is Toffee! He's in charge here.

The monster was minumum 2 times taller than Ruberiot and had a menacing look in his eyes.

- Ye-e-es!- Ruberiot gulped. He has never been this close to a septarian before, and with that one's reputation, it wasn't any easier.- Of course, he is! With those...long jaws...

- He's not gonna bite you.- Star said annoyed, but then she turned to Toffee, to make sure.- Right?

- Mhm!- Toffee nodded.

Toffee got distracted by a child's voice.

- Dad!- it was Razzles, who was holding her little brother in her arms.- Can we go to our seats now?

- Of course, darling!- Toffee followed his children to their seats.

Star and Ruberiot watched them as they walked away, with the latter being stunned by what he just witnessed.

- He has kids?- the bard asked in disbelief.

- Duh!- the blonde teenager replied.- Septarians can have kids. They are living beings too, you know!

The play began. The visitors from the Boiling isles were also present, as they were cordially invited. A pleasant expirience at the theater would probably help to get their minds off the recent stress.

The first act featured a trio of mewman actors, wearing loincloths and green makeup to make them look more monster-like, much to the dismay of the target audience.

- What the Heck is that?!- a spectator yelled.

- We are septarians.- an actress responded happily.- And this is our story!

The longer the play kept going, the more frustrated the audience was getting. The premise was very speciesist, as it depicted all septarian kind as half-naked savages, feeling nothing but a thirst for blood. The story was mostly about a group of septarian soldiers, fighting for their freedom, which the audience found way too basic to be a memorable or even a respectable plot. And the stage costumes were the biggest offender.

The lines were way too direct.

- We fight for our right to keep on fighting! And we don't care about what filthy mewmans or other monsters think about us!

Nevertheless, that was still the least offensive thing in the whole mess.

- Well, at least, they got that one thing right!- one of the spectators commented.

Some even called the choice of actors to be offensive on its own, due to its complete lack of septarian actors.

- How dare they make a story about septarians and not use a septarian cast?!

Even Star was getting anxious. She was hiding behind the front curtains, and when she looked at Toffee to see his reaction, she saw him shaking his head in disapproval, as if he was saying "You're losing them!".

The girl was extremely confused. Nothing in the script matched the one, she'd given to Ruberiot. What was going on?

The spectators had lost their patience.

- That crap is just speciesist propaganda! That's not our culture...only negative stereotypes.

- Don't blame us!- an actor defended the script.- Septarian men always walk shirtless, that's why we're dressed like that.

Star coughed and pointed at Toffee- a fully dressed septarian man.

- And what's with all that gore-obsessed shit?!

- Septarians are warriors by nature.- another actor joined.- I thought we made it clear in the story.

- Not all of us are soldiers, you know.

- And war is certainly not our entire culture, you know.

- At least the music was decent!

- Thank you!- Ruberiot appeared from the backstage.

- How about the fact that mewmans are basically helpless without their queen? Us septarians have lived without royalty for decades!

Okay! Now they were going too far. That was Toffee's call to leave his seat and approach the theater troupe. He looked them right in the eyes.

- Yeah! You go, boss!

- Crush them! Smash them!

With his hands behind his back and a confident posture, Toffee addressed the mewman cast.

- I will not tolerate offensive content at the expense of my people! I would ask you to get off the stage immediately or I will have to use force.

Since Lilith's palisman does not have an official name yet, I decided to give him one myself, since I do not want to keep referring to him as "Lilith's palisman" only.