(4) Training

"Illumination!"

Marco Diaz was shook from his peaceful state of music as a tremendous explosion was heard throughout the Diaz household, the entire domicile rattling slightly. Picking up his freshly-shaken headphones and laying them on his desk, he got up from his chair and wandered into Star's room, the reptilian girl attempting to put her hair back into some semblance of order as Glossaryck floated in front of her, a stern look of restraint on his face.

"Star, you have to focus on your magic properly!" Glossaryck said, handing the girl back her wand. "You can't just say a word and expect the wand to respond perfectly."

Star let out a shriek of frustration and stomped her foot, glaring at the wand seethingly. "I just can't, Glossaryck! Every time I try to use his thing I would end up almost destroying the house if not for you shielding it! Why is this happening? I know the stance, the breathing, how to enunciate, proper wand holding, everything!"

Star slumped onto her bed, a defeated sigh as she let herself splay across the mattress, her wand lying on her pillow, its eggshell white exterior clashing against pink and gray. Star only then noticed Marco standing in the doorway, a look of confusion on his face, inverted by her upside-down vision. She darted up, muscles taught as an embarrassed blush came across her face. Marco stepped into the room and found himself encapsulated in a clear sheen, faintly shimmering around him. He looked to Glossaryck.

"Shielding cloak, kid. Gotta be careful with new magic users." Glossaryck paid no mind to Star's huff of frustration as he turned back to her. "Come on, kid, just clear your head and focus. The wand won't respond to you unless you can keep a clear head."

Star slumped back down onto her bed, prodding the wand in her hands with the tip of her tail, her blasted-back hair a light gray shock behind her. "It's just such a responsibility, Glossaryck. All of these factors, and with no way to tell if I'm doing it right until its' too late. I don't know how I can ever properly learn this."

Glossaryck rubbed his temples in frustration and pulled the girl up off the bed, a pink tendril of energy sprouting forth from his head and yanking her forward. Star's yelp of surprise was cut short as she almost reflexively took a stance, wand outstretched in her grasped hands, her legs slightly parted under her and stiff. Marco was no expert in magic, but he could see her muscles taught with tension, an uncertain look on her face as she muttered a mantra of positioning under her breath. He walked behind her, not catching her attention past her own chanting, and took ahold of her arms.

"M-Marco?" Star spat out, returning to reality as she felt his hands come to rest upon her shoulders. Glossaryck paid the two no mind as he dove back to the spellbook on the floor, his tendril turning the pages slowly as he peered through various diagrams.

"Your shoulders and upper arms are locked up. Let your back relax," Marco replied, an almost commanding tinge in his voice as he focused on her stance, feeling her shoulder blades descend as Star let out a choked exhale. "Tuck your arms forward a bit, and loosen your grasp."

'It's almost like karate, in a way,' he mused to himself. 'You'll fail every time if you don't focus on the basics, and she's too afraid to keep her attention on anything.'

Star swallowed audibly as she forced her arms to relax, the pressure in her biceps receding like steam from a valve as she let the wand rest in her hands, settling at a loose grip upon the shaft. "Like this?"

"Yes! Now just focus. Magic is something you channel from your inner self," Glossaryck piped up, having found the page he was seeking. "Focus on something about you, something important to you. Let it flow from there."

Star blushed as Marco's hands enfolded hers, his palms resting against her knuckles as she felt his chest come flush to her back. "I've got you, Star. Just do what comes natural," she heard in her ear, his hot breath spreading down across her neck. She closed her eyes, trying to quiet her own mind, a turbulent storm of conlficting emotions inside her brain.

'What is important to me? Why do I have a reason to use this?' she forced herself to ask, the question echoing in her mind. She felt Marco's warmth all around her, felt his hands gently squeeze hers as she clutched the wand, felt his heartbeat thudding faintly against her back. She bored in, made herself transfixed upon the sensations on her skin, reaching for some kind of purchase as doubt welled up in the back of her mind, almost pressing against her skull as it threatened to blot out everything else.

"Just let go," she heard in her ear.

Emotion flooded Star's body as she felt him entwine his fingers into hers, both of their hands touching the cool surface of the wand. Color swam in her vision, a burning sense of power running through her like lightning as she uttered a word unheard by her own ears. She slowly opened her eyes to see a huge, brilliant sphere of light floating before her, casting a white glare over the whole room. Behind her, Marco let his grip fall away and stepped back, observing her creation with a raised brow.

Star dropped the wand and fell back onto the bed, her tail flying out and almost catching Glossaryck as the ball of light dissipated, the light in the room dropping drastically. She felt the surge in her blood scatter and ebb, a twisting nether pulling itself apart in her stomach, her heart hammering against her breastbone in panic. Glossaryck put his hands to his eyes and rubbed vigorously, his vision dotted with specks.

"Jeez, kid, cool it!" he griped, picking the wand up off the floor and setting it on the bed. "I only asked for a basic bit of light, not a beacon!"

Marco sat down on the bed next to Star and put his hand to her back, rubbing softly as the girl collected herself, shivering visibly. "Star, you okay?" he asked, a seed of worry sprouting in his mind as the girl turned towards him.

"...Yeah, I'm okay," she finally said, her voice low and wispy. "That was just a little... intense." She looked to her wand and grabbed it, eyeing the jewel in the center. She lifted the wand up, pointing to nowhere in particular.

"Illuminate."

The word had barely rolled off her tongue before she felt the pull inside her again, this time coming from the wand itself. A single, small sphere of lift formed in front of the two, bobbing gently in the air. She raised one eye quizzically, pondering why this time was different, before Glossaryck clapped his hands, startling her and causing her to drop her wand.

"Excellent! Seems you've finally made the leap. I think we've done enough for today, so just take it easy!" he blurted before diving for the spellbook. He was stopped short by Star's hand closing around him, as the girl pulled him up to eye level with her.

"I want to know more," she spoke quietly, her eyes filled with excitement.

 Glossaryck groaned to himself and floated back in the air as Star released him, picking up her wand and standing from the bed. Marco chuckled as he saw her tail swing back and forth behind her eagerly as she put the spellbook on her dresser, poring over incantations and rituals intensely. He left the room, flinching at the alien feeling of the barrier leaving him, and closed the door.

---

Star Butterfly bounded down the staircase of the Diaz residence with a grin as she blasted the bottom stair with her wand, morphing it into a spring that she promptly bounced off of, sailing over the back of the sofa and landing with a thud next to Marco, who shrieked and tumbled off his seat, his earphones flying out alongside his phone. The girl laughed at his reaction and prodded him playfully with her tail as he clambered back onto the couch, his pouting face glaring at her. Her laughter turned to a choked moan as he shot his hand out and grasped the tip of her tail, three fingers and his thumb working and massaging the tight, tender flesh.

"T-that's cheating!" she stammered, zips of pleasure shooting up to her pelvis as she held back a moan.

"And magic isn't?" Marco drawled out, a devilish grin on his face as he took the base of her tail in his other hand, adding a fresh set of fingers to Star's torment. The girl succumbed and let out a long, heavy moan that shook the boldness from Marco's face, his cheeks almost burning in surprise and embarrassment. He released her tail as Star composed herself and sank back into the couch.

"Meanie," she pouted, remorphing the staircase back to normal with a wayward shot of her wand, lazily held over the back of the couch without her looking. Marco laughed and relaxed himself, poking her tail a few times with his finger and eliciting a cute noise of annoyance from the girl.

"So what exactly do you feel when I touch your tail? Are you just really ticklish?" Marco began, observing the appendage closely.

Star drew her tail back as she processed his question in disbelief. 'He really can't tell that it drives me nuts?' she thought. She considered lying, how easy it would be to say that it was just a tickling sensation. She looked back to Marco's face, full of inquiry and slight concern, and sighed.

'I really can't keep anything from him, can I?' she echoed in her head, already knowing the answer.

"Marco, it's not t-that...oh how can I even say this right..." Star began, hiding her face in her hands as shame came over her.

"It just feels good?" Marco interrupted. Star peeked out from between her fingers to see a calm smile on his face, one hand on her shoulder in understanding. She pulled her hands away, her cheeks a stark red, and shifted herself to face him.

"Y-Yeah," she piped out, her voice shy and almost frail. "I-I wouldn't call it..."

She paused and collected what courage she had in her throat.

"S-Sexual, but it drives me nuts," she finished, the first word dripping in shame as it left her tongue. Marco took her hand softly, Star letting her slender digits fold between his as she forced herself to look him in the eye.

"It's okay. I'd just wish you'd told me sooner," Marco said, his other hand scratching his head in embarrassment. "I kinda feel like I pushed you where you weren't comfortable."

Star leaned in and pecked him on the lips, drawing a stuttered gasp from Marco as she drew away. She scooted over and let herself fall into him, and Marco found his arms almost instinctively around her, cupping her far shoulder as his left hand found hers again.

"It's  okay as long as it's you," Star whispered out, closing her eyes and letting her drink in his presence, the faint whiff of dried sweat and mint aftershave in his hoodie a soothing aroma. Marco swallowed and looked to her, and smiled as he let himself relax fully against the couch.


---

Angela Fiaz stepped through the front door of her home, hanging her keys up in an almost ritual motion as she kicked off her shoes on the mat. Laying down the prescription bag she held on the coffee table, she smiled as she saw Star and Marco conked out on the couch, cuddled up. Giggling softly, she pulled out a blanket from under the coffee table and draped it over the young couple, Star's tail flicking slightly at the feeling before going still again. Walking up the staircase to her room, she made a slight detour into her son's room and picked up his wallet off the nightstand.

She opened up the folds and slipped a small square of plastic into the fold behind his school I.D., a smirk on her face as she set the wallet back down. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to her husband.

'Put the rubber in his wallet. Where should we put the rest?'

Her phone almost immediately vibrated as a response flashed across the screen.

'In you.'

Angela giggled to herself and blushed slightly as she sashayed out of her son's room towards her own.

She wanted to look perfect when her hubby came home.