It was a couple week's travel to New Septarsis, but fortunately they didn't have to walk. She and Toffee hitched a ride on a mail carriage, the lizard driver more than happy to lend the 'liberator of septarians' a ride, even with some snotty Butterfly kid in tow.
Star hadn't known what to expect when they got there. Some brutal empire, perhaps, rife with oppression and violence. It could've been, she supposed. When they got there, the border seemed unguarded- but she spotted the kappa perched on a high branch, mostly hidden by leaves.
Soon after reaching New Septarsis, the driver dropped them off in a village on the outskirts and bid them farewell. Toffee said it was where his family lived.
At first glance, it could be any mewmen village. But then she noticed the bizarre creatures running about, the same as goatpigs may run free in a mewmen village. Bizarre, sprawling reptiles grazed on patches of grass, far larger, was a creature she recognized from Earth television-A 'tri-Sarah-tops", whatever that meant-scratching itself against a tree.
Instead of mewmen peasants, she spotted monsters, just going about their day. Septarians were certainly in the majority, a saggy skinned lizard with a full head of hair tending to his tiny garden, a bald, spikey one, basking shirtless in the sun.
But, they were hardly the only ones, a kappa was taking a dustbath outside a rundown shack, an elderly frogman rocked himself on his porch, a size-shifter walked cautiously through the dusty street, carrying smaller "tri-Sarah-tops" than the one Star had seen before under each arm.
Star was shocked out of her gape-mouthed sightseeing by Toffee's soft "We're here"
She didn't know how she expected Toffee's family to live. But she certainly never imagined their home to be so shabby.
It stretched her definition of 'house', laying somewhere between a shack and a shed, if it had more than one room, than they'd have to be very small rooms indeed. A tiny outhouse stood behind the dwelling.
"Is this where you live?" she asked, struggling to keep the sympathy out of her voice.
"No, I was a wanted man" he said.
The septarians hanging around the building, who'd been going about their business the same as everyone else, looked up, eyes wide, and started shouting in excitement. Star heard cries of "Toffee's back!" as they approached, voices pitched in joy.
She presumed that this was Toffee's family, but they didn't look much like him; they were greener, and balder, and had frills, like Rasticore did, and then another one came around the corner, one with purple hair and a face like his, and rushed the shorter septarian, and Star quickly realized why.
Toffee smiled as the taller septarian ran circles around him, flapping their hands in joy, "Ven!" he greeted. His own hands began flapping in response, but he glanced at the former princess and stopped, clearing his throat.
"This is Star, she'll be staying with us until we find out where her parents went"
Ven looked her up and down, then turned back to Toffee, who Star quickly realized must've been her father.
She raised her hands, making a series of gestured Star didn't catch the meaning of, her lip curled in disgust.
"It won't be for long" he assured, "I won't let her bother you"
Ven turned her gaze to Star, made a rude gesture, and went back inside.
"You know, I don't think your daughter likes me" said Star.
"You won't find a lot of monsters who do" said Toffee, "don't worry about her, she's a good kid. Won't do anything to you so long as I'm here"
"uhhhh" said Star.
"We don't have room for a guest, but we can set up a tent for you"
"Hey, so" said Star, "when you say 'so long as you're here', what exactly do you mean?"
Toffee waved a dismissive hand "Don't worry about it. I'll set up the tent"
Star lay in her sleeping bag that night, staring at the fabric above her.
It was higher quality than she expected, when she asked Toffee, he said it was 'surprising what you could get outside Mewni', whatever that meant.
She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and finally got up and absently reached for her wand- only to abruptly remember why it wasn't there.
Oh, yeah. Right.
And now she was camping outside the home of the man who destroyed it.
Completely at his mercy.
Lucky for her, that mercy seemed far deeper than she'd ever have guessed.
She sat up with a groan, realizing she wasn't going to get to sleep that night.
It was not-yet summer in Mewni, and the weather was mild as she stepped out of her tent. It didn't seem anyone had gone to bed, a couple of the teens, Ven included, were hanging out on the rickety porch.
They looked at her as she left her tent.
"So" called the shorter of the two, a more aqua shaded lizard with a bit of a snaggletooth, "You're the princess, are you?"
"Uh, yeah!" she responded, "that's me!"
Ven snorted and shook her head, giving a roll of her eyes.
"Remember us?" asked the aqua septarian, who Star started calling 'Blue' in her head.
"Can't say I do" she said.
Blue scraped his tooth with a dirty claw, "it was, hmmm, about five years ago, we were foraging mushrooms by the edge of the forest" he leveled her with an unreadable stare "You ambushed us. Lost us our entire haul. We went to bed hungry that night, you know?"
"Oh" Star could vaguely remember that now. She felt her face hear up in shame "I'm sorry"
"Sorry doesn't fill our stomachs, princess"
The first time, she'd thought she'd imagined it, but it was definitely there- most people said her title with an air of respect, but on Blue's tongue it was bitter. Sarcastic.
Blue vaulted himself over the railing, Ven following down the stairs, and Star flinched back as he approached- but he only handed her a bucket. "You've gotta make up for it"
The two dragged her deeper into the swamp, where the water went up past her knees and the mud threatened to take her boots. The septarian teens seemed right at home, laughing and splashing each other playfully.
"So, what are we doing out here?" asked Star.
"Crawdad hunting" said Blue, scanning the swamp with dilated eyes.
It was strange to see; in broad daylight, Septarian pupils shrank to slits, and Star had assumed that's how they always looked, but now, with only the light of the moon and stars, they'd expanded to the point that the iris was barely visible.
Ven gestured to a vague shape in the dark that may have been a fallen log, and Blue nodded.
"Now, watch carefully" he said, before confidently reaching under it.
He yelped, jumping back, a foot long crustation clamped on his hand.
Ven rushed over trying to grab it, but it let go and dove into the water, swimming away from the two teens- and directly towards Star.
Star brightened up, face splitting into a grin, "I'VE GOT IT!" she shouted, "I'VE GOT IT!"
Lunging for the creature, she caught it, briefly, by the tail, but it squirmed out of her grasp and swam away. Star found herself falling face first into the muddy water.
The stereotypical princess, the myth that St. Olga's had sold to countless royal families throughout the Butterfly sphere of influence, would've freaked, crying about the ruination of her beautiful dress.
Star, however, was not that stereotype. Indeed, she was the terror of the Knights of the Wash, her name whispered in awe and fear on those dark nights when she'd come home from the woods, dress muddy, torn, and covered in burrs. Even with their best efforts, no fancy dress of hers had ever lasted more than a year.
Star got up laughing, a glow in her eye as she gave chase to the creature.
"Oh, no you don't!" Blue muttered, diving to cut off the crawdad's escape. It swerved around him and between Ven's legs as she splashed her hands into the water, missing it by an inch.
The crawdad vanished deeper into the swamp, and Blue got up, brushing the mud off of himself.
"Well, if at first you don't succeed" he said.
Ven made a series of gestures at him, and he snorted, "oh, like you did any better" he replied.
Ven shrugged, rolling her eyes.
They continued wading through the near-waist-deep water, eyes on the lookout in the night. Star was grateful for the full moon, grateful she didn't have to be out here in the pitch dark of a moonless night.
Not long after, Ven stopped them again, this time leading them to a rocky outcropping raising out of the dark water.
She turned, making hand gestures at Blue, and Blue nodded, gesturing back.
He turned to Star. "Okay, so, here's the plan..."
Once Star and Blue got into position, Ven climbed up onto the outcropping, carrying a big stick. She poked under the rock, stow and careful, before sitting up and leaping back into the water, dragging the thrashing creature out of it's hole. Before it could dive back into its hiding spot, Blue dove to block it.
"It's on you now, Star!" he yelled, giving chase and trying to herd it towards the mewmen girl.
Star tensed, preparing to strike, eyes trained on the crawdad, and when it got close enough, she struck, grabbing it behind the snapping claws.
Ven clapped as she lifted it out of the water, and Blue slapped her on the back, nearly making her drop it.
Ven glared at him. He rubbed the back of his neck, "gee, sorry, cuz" he said, before turning back to Star, "Nice work, Star! Not bad for a second try"
Star laughed, "Yeah, I guess I did pretty great" she said, putting it into the bucket.
The three return to the shack, laughing as though they'd been friends their entire lives. They'd managed to capture a couple more before Ven had signed it was time to go home.
Or, that's what Blue said she meant. Star had never learned any sign language. Hadn't known it was a thing until now.
"Good job, for a first timer" Blue complemented.
Ven nodded enthusiastically, giving her a thumbs up.
"It's nothing" said Star, puffing her chest in pride.
When they got back, Toffee was waiting for them, standing at the top of the porch stairs with his arms crossed and face stern.
"Venator" he said, tone stern as he looked down at the trio of teens. She signed something quick, in a way that seemed almost defensive.
Toffee sighed, "Star" he said, eyes not leaving his daughter, "what did they drag you out there for"
"Crawdad hunting" Star said, "I actually caught a couple, too! It was fun!" her words stumbled over each other in excitement as she reached in the basket and held one up.
"Hmm" Toffee seemed skeptical.
Blue raised his hands. "Don't look at me" he said, gesturing at Venator, "It was all her idea"
Venator jabbed him with an elbow.
"Ow! What was that for?" he said, looking betrayed.
Toffee held up a hand. "Venator? come with me. Gar, you may go"
Gar relaxed for a moment, but Toffee continued.
"But I'll have a word with your mother later"
He deflated, but just walked away, tail dragging behind him.
Toffee turned to go inside, but hesitated in the doorway. "Go to bed, Star. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow"
Star considered protesting, but as she opened her mouth, all that escaped was a wide yawn. It was late, and the crawdad hunt had taken a lot out of her. She crawled into her tent, curled up, and drifted off in minutes.
When Toffee awoke the next morning, he was surprised to see Rasticore there, already up and preparing the crawdads the kids had brought back last night.
Eyes brightening, he stood up from the couch and walked over, draping himself over the taller man as best he could without getting skewered.
Rasticore turned his head, nuzzling his husband. "Mort" he almost purred, voice low.
"I'm surprised to see you here so fast" Toffee whispered, not wanting to wake the family. "I thought you were helping rebuild"
Rasticore smiled, "Well, I just thought I'd pop down to see the fam quick" he said. With an edge of pride in his voice, he added, "the ole' chainsaw runs on demon magic, completely untraceable!"
Toffee chuckled, his laughter rumbling deep in his chest, "You always were a clever one, my dear"
Rasticore fell into stuttering mess, as he'd done every time Toffee complemented him since the pair had met. "O-oh, you're not getting out of it that easily" he managed, regaining composure and pushing Toffee off, he sighed, hands folded in front of him. "We need to talk. About-" he stopped and gestured out the window at Star's tent on the front lawn, "her"
Toffee let out a sigh. "Fine" he said, "I suppose I'll humor you"
Rasticore's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything, only walking out the door, gesturing for Toffee to follow.
The two leaned against the railing, relaxed in each other's company despite the seriousness of the conversation to follow.
"You shouldn't have gone" muttered Rasticore, staring with eyes narrowed at the tent in their garden.
Toffee's head whipped around, crest bristling, "Rasticore, she would've died in there!" he said, shock evident in his voice, "What did you want me to do?"
"Cut the crap, Mort" Rasticore said, "you didn't go there to save her, you went to retrieve a body. I know full well you didn't think she was alive down there, not after a week"
Toffee tensed, "And?" he snapped, "I was wrong, she was alive. Can't you be happy for that?"
"Damnit, Mort, I don't care about Star, I care about you!"
Toffee opened his mouth, about to bite back, when Star climbed out of her tent, rubbing her eyes.
"...I'm going to finish breakfast" said Rasticore stiffly, slamming the door on his way in.
Star was awoken by shouting. She lay there for a moment, mind too clouded by sleep to understand what was being said.
'who's "Mort"' she wondered, raising to consciousness.
Dragging herself out of the tent a moment later, Star rubbed her eyes, but froze when she looked up.
Toffee stood on the porch, glaring across at none other than Rasticore.
Star's mind fled into a panic. What was he doing here? Was he here for her? Had Toffee betrayed her after all?
The taller of the lizards turned, said something to Toffee, and stormed inside.
Toffee stood there, fists clenched, for a moment, and then shook himself, shook out his arms, and climbed down the steps, approaching her.
He sat cross-legged in front of her, but before he could get a word out, Star spoke.
"What is he doing here?" she demanded, pointing to the door through which Rasticore had disappeared.
Toffee sat there, lips still parted, before saying "you mean, Rasticore? He lives here"
"He WHAT?" said Star, looking panicked, "Why?"
"Because this is his family's home" he said, "he's here to help with the kids"
Star was dumbfounded for a moment. "HE TRIED TO KILL ME!" she finally screamed, waving her arms in terror.
Toffee didn't react as she'd expected, narrowing his eyes. "He did, did he?" he muttered, hand going to rub his muzzle thoughtfully.
"Yeah, he did" said Star, as if it should've been obvious.
Toffee shook his head, "Well, don't worry about it, Star. You're a guest in our home, no one living here is going to hurt you"
Star considered arguing. A few weeks ago, Toffee was the last person she'd believe on this, but... Well, a few weeks ago she'd been sure he wanted to kill her. She decided to drop it.
Toffee took the opportunity to move the conversation on to more relevant topics. "Breakfast is being prepared, but first I need to discuss your education"
At that, Star fell back, groaning dramatically.
"I'm serious" said Toffee, "you have glaring blind spots around very recent history, I shudder to think what else you may be ignorant to"
"I'm not ignorant" Star groused, "I just don't know a few things"
"That's what ignorance is" said Toffee, "This may shock you, but New Septarsis has the best public education in Mewni" he hesitated, cocking his head, "the only public education in Mewni, most mewmens your age would kill to get access to it"
"Well, I'm not most mewmens" said Star, "My mom gave me the best tutors money could buy, my education was a thousand times better than whatever you could possibly have here"
"Oh, my mistake" said Toffee, "I should've guessed from how much you knew about the death of your grandmother"
Star huffed, "well-" she started, but stopped, unable to come up with a response. "Well played, Toffee" she conceded, "well played"
At that moment, Rasticore slammed open the door, "Breakfast!" he called, causing both Toffee and Star to look up from their conversation.
'Breakfast', as it turned out, was the crawdads they'd caught last night, baked in their wood stove.
Star instinctively wrinkled her nose. On Earth, she'd learned that a similar creature-the lobster-was considered a delicacy, but here on Mewni, the nobility preferred food you could grow on dry land. And anything from the swamp was monster food.
Twelve people in all crowded around the table, some-like Ven and Gar-she recognized, the rest she didn't.
Most of them crunched through the hard shell of the creatures without a care, swallowing both inedible chitin and tender meat alike. Toffee, she noticed, didn't, picking out the meat with a fork and putting the shells to the side, which Rasticore was happy to sneak off his plate.
Star turned her attention to her own plate. While the thought was unappetizing, the smell sure wasn't, and after being pleasantly surprised by the literal grub Toffee had prepared her, she found herself a touch more open minded.
Using her own fork, she tried a piece.
And soon finished her entire plate.
One of the older septarians at the table laughed, "Well, you've got quite the appetite, don't you?" they said, helping her to seconds without her having to ask.
"Of course she is!" rumbled another, "She's a growing girl"
Surrounded by the warmth of a family so different from her own, Star felt herself choke up.