A/N: Hey all! Back with another Tom's journey chapter! I was originally going to make each day of the trip its own chapter but then I realized I'd be looking at about 60 chapters worth of writing then and decided against it. That's not to say I won't try and make this fic as crazy and fleshed out as possible! Just don't expect it to be of epic length is all. But, without further ado, let's begin

Day 6:

The market hummed with energy and the constant background chatter as hundreds if not thousands of beings from across the multiverse bustled through the tightly packed corridors of the bazar. Light conversations, heated arguments over haggling, and the braying of pack animals all combined into a cacophony of sound that assaulted Tom's ears.

After that first day of camping in the Gilos dimension, he'd been moving around near constantly. Never spending more than a day in any dimension, determined to enjoy his trip to the fullest. He was still using the system of closing his eyes and flipping to a random page in the atlas before stabbing a finger down and traveling to whatever dimension he'd inadvertently picked. Today, that had been Taxidus. The place was apparently famous for its massive oceans and the many costal towns, grand ports, and immense beaches that dotted the main continent and Tom could see why. He passed by stalls selling spices he'd never heard of alongside what he assumed was fish, maybe? The scales were a giveaway that it lived in the ocean but the fins were in odd locations. Above all though people seemed happy. No matter how hectically they bustled about nearly everyone had a smile on their faces. Every shouting match over the price of something inevitably ended in a firm handshake and a smile. There was an energy here, the vibrancy of simple prosperity and the small moments that made life interesting. It seemed to permeate the very air. Unfortunately for Tom, it didn't seem capable of shaking him out of his funk. He walked with his shoulders hunched and eyes downcast; somewhat huddled into his brown leather jacket.

Star still hadn't called him letting him know that she was ready to join him on the trip. More than that though, she hadn't even texted him! He checked… frequently, and the messages he'd sent her nearly a week ago describing his harrowing escape on Gilos remained unanswered. He remembered when he'd gone to that junkyard with Janna one day when Star had joined Eclipsa on a trip to see the Magical High Commission. They'd been texting constantly then! The silence was unnerving, maddening even! But still, he resisted picking up the phone and calling her. He'd promised he would give her space and he was determined to keep that promise. Though still, he wondered where she was. She had been willing to say goodbye to everyone before they were about to leave on the trip so it wouldn't make sense for her to end up staying on Mewni. A different dimension then, but where? Maybe wherever Kelly was from? Or the dimension of endless warm blankets and hot chocolate fountains she'd once told him about for three hours straight? Or maybe… no. No way. She wouldn't have gone back… to Earth, would she? Tom tried to crush all the associated thoughts that came with that. Like how if Star chose Earth there would only be one place she would go. And who else lived in that place. And the close bond the two of them had had. And… nope! They had broken the Blood Moon Curse! Tom had watched it happen and Relicor had confirmed it! She had willingly chosen to stay with him. Even after she'd kissed Marco in that photo booth. Even after Marco admitted he had feelings for Star and she had… she'd admitted the same thing! But had said it was only because of the curse! So even if she was on Earth, which she definitely wasn't! It wouldn't matter. He was sure that they loved one another. So, even if she had gone to Earth it wouldn't matter. That's what he was going to keep telling himself at any rate.

Resolving that he was done moping about Star for the day, or at least that he would shove the moping into the far back corner of his mind, he let his feet carry him through the market. Finding a section of stalls with merchandise he could recognize, at least for the most part, he bought a bag of sugar covered pastries and happily began wolfing them down. There really was no greater comfort in the world than junk food. Alright, maybe Love Sentence on repeat could top it but that would be a hard competition. He also soon collected a number of trinkets, mementos to remember the trip by and gifts for people. There was a new wall sconce for his carriage that constantly burned with rainbow fire, the pocket watch the screeched every hour for his dad, he even picked out a couple of shrunken heads for Janna.

He'd just about come to the end of the latest row of stalls when he heard a cry of pain go out. Turning about to find the source of the noise he saw an old man on the ground grasping for a cane. Surrounding him were three young men who were taunting and teasing the poor guy, kicking his cane just out of reach, poking and prodding him with their feet, and happily rummaging through what Tom assumed were the old guy's groceries, picking through and eating what appealed to them and throwing the rest into the street. Looking around, Tom saw that while some people were shaking their heads in disappointment or muttering beneath their breath, no one actually seemed willing to step up and stop the jerks from torturing the guy. Feeling a familiar fountain of rage bubbling up inside of him, this time Tom let it out and marched up to the tallest of the three guys, grabbing his arm and wrenching him around.

Surprised, the guy looked down at Tom, he had to have at least a foot in height on the demon. "The heck do you want?" He asked with a threatening grimace, growing annoyed when Tom remained unperturbed.

"I want you to leave this guy alone! He's just an old man, what could he have possibly done to you for you to shove him to the ground and steal his groceries." Tom shouted. The other two trouble makers heard the declaration and stopped their prodding of the old man, prepared to gang up on the kid who had interrupted their fun.

The leader meanwhile snorted. "Look three-eyes, I don't know where you're from or who you think you are, and I don't give a damn. These are our streets and we do what we like on them. We see an old man who's got something we want; we take it from him. We see a shopkeeper not give us a nice deal; we break his stall. It's all simple and everyone knows it, just look around!" He gestured to the crowd of people who were watching intently but not moving to help Tom or the old man who was still on the ground at this point. "So, why don't you run along before you get hurt kid. Bottom line is this isn't your business." He capped off the threat by cracking his knuckles.

Tom didn't move. Didn't say anything. But ever so slowly, a smile spread over his face. Not a happy smile of joy, but a manic one, and the three bullies took a collective step backwards in spite of themselves. "You know," he whispered softly, "I guess I should thank you guys. I've got some stuff to work through and this is jussstttt the distraction I've been looking for." Before any of the three could respond, a gout of flame burst from Tom's hand that threw all three of them back. Laughing, Tom dove in among them, deflecting clumsy punches and delivering a powerful kick to one of the guy's stomach, throwing him backwards into a stall where he lay moaning among the wrecked goods. When the leader of the little gang tried to end the fight by hitting Tom in the back of the head with a solid wooden plank, it shattered like glass. Tom, without turning to him, cracked his neck and stretched. "Awww man, thanks for that. Really took care of that crick in my neck," he said. He then promptly spun around and delivered a devastating roundhouse to the guy's head, spinning him into s side alley where he lay in an undignified heap.

Tom turned to take on the last of the gangsters, only to find that he had already turned and run away. Looking around now that the fight was over, Tom saw the shocked faces on the beings around him and wondered if perhaps he'd let his temper get the best of him again, before a roaring cheer broke out from the crowd. Surprised, Tom saw nothing but wide grins and clapping appendages as people congratulated him. Suddenly remembering why he had fought the older boys in the first place, Tom suddenly spun around and bent down to help the old man, lifting him gingerly to his feet and handing him back his cane.

"I'm sorry those guys were treating you like that," Tom said. "Hopefully they've learned their lesson." He looked around at the food now spilled out over the streets. "Can I help you shop for new groceries at least?" Surprisingly, the old man waved him off.

Giving Tom a smile he said, "No young lad, you did more than enough for me already. Certainly more than THIS LOT EVER DID!" He shouted loudly enough to the still lingering crowd, guilty looks appearing on some of their faces. "In fact, here, I want you to have this." Reaching from under his shirt, the man pulled out a necklace he'd been wearing. It was a simple rope band with a series of charms on it. Tom saw a small bat, a skull with the rope running through the eye holes, an eyeball made of glass, and some sort of tooth among others. Unclasping it and placing it into Tom's hand the man explained, "This is a good luck charm. My daughter made it for me before she set off on a journey across the multiverse. Much like I suspect you're doing now, am I right?" Tom could only nod. Smiling at his correct guess, the man continued. "The charm is supposed to bring aid to you whenever you're in greatest need. I always thought it was just a nice present but you showing up today and chasing off these bullies has convinced me it works! And now, I want you to have it."

Tom vehemently shook his head. "There's no way I can take that. It was a gift from your daughter! And besides, if it really works… what if you need it again?"

Trust me, at my age there's not much more trouble that necklace could help me out with, especially not compared to a whippersnapper like you!" He said with a laugh. "And besides, my daughter would kill me if I didn't show my appreciation for a kindness like the one you gave me. Take it."

Tom hesitated for a moment longer, but seeing the man's stubborn face he finally relented and put the necklace on, fiddling with it until it lay comfortably around his neck, the tooth resting at the hollow of his throat. "I don't exactly feel more protected to be honest with you," Tom admitted sheepishly. This earned another laugh from the old man.

"Give it time lad. When you really need it, that necklace will do you good. Now, I must be off, need to restock all these vittles." He turned to the crowd. "Alright! Now who here's going to be a decent citizen and help an old man with his shopping, eh?" To Tom's delight, this time there was a crush of people offering assistance to the man. Maybe they had all learned a lesson that day.

That night, Tom lay on the spacious bed in the hotel he'd selected, staring at the ceiling while absently turning the charm necklace over in his hands. He thought about the reaction from the crowd that day. In the underworld, the demons, shades, and other beings of the fiery pit had treated him like the prince he was. On Mewni, reactions to his presence ranged from those who recognized him as Star's boyfriend, with the automatic round of royal treatment, to just another monster to be insulted or spat at… at least until Tom sent a gout of fire their way when Star wasn't looking. But today, people had just treated him like a normal person. Not a royal to be feared or a monster to be looked down on, but just a young man who tried to do a good thing. It had been nice, to be warmly and sincerely thanked by the crowd and the old man. Tom thought he understood what Star was talking about now when she complained about wanting to not always be treated like a princess, at least somewhat. Maybe the necklace was already bringing him some good fortune then, Tom thought with a smile.

At that moment, Tom's compact began buzzing and he nearly leapt off the bed to retrieve it, heart leaping into his throat when he saw it was a message from Star! Yes! The necklace was lucky after all! Maybe she was finally telling him that she was going to come on the trip after all! Or at least she would respond to his earlier messages. They could spend the whole night talking about all the cool things he'd seen and done over the last week and he would ask her about what she'd been up to and… he took a deep breath. He was getting ahead of himself here, he needed to see what the message was first after all. Opening the phone and seeing what was on the screen, Tom's joyous mood died as quickly as it had sprung up. There was no offer to join him greeting him, no laughter about his story of almost getting eaten. Instead, there was a picture of Star… with Marco… on earth. They were at a video arcade of some kind, probably the one in the Echo Creek Mall they'd both told him about a few different times. The pair weren't holding hands or even touching, standing just close enough to one another to both be in the selfie, but it was clear from the face-splitting grins on both their faces that they were having the time of their lives. That Star was having fun… without him. Closing the phone, Tom set it on the dresser before removing the necklace and promptly flinging it across the hotel room where it landed with a dull thud. Apparently, it didn't bring you aid when you needed it most. Tom had just been in the right place at the right time. Feeling a small piece of his heart break, the young demon slowly drifted off to sleep, the vision of Star's smile haunting him into a restless slumber.

A/N: And that, ladies, gentlemen, and others, is that. A second chapter in Tom's trip across the multiverse. If you don't recognize that necklace, it's the one Tom pulls out of his shirt right before he ends things with Star. Curious to know your thoughts on this one as both positive and negative feedback are welcome in the reviews or in PM form in you prefer. And speaking of reviews:

Mr. Spinner: I'm glad you're liking this story so far too! I've really been appreciating your comments across my different writings and your suggestions! Truth be told I haven't actually seen "The Owl House" yet and so don't know what the Boiling Islands are but I can certainly look them up! From what I've been told, the show is a good successor for SVTFOE and Gravity Falls fans so maybe I'll even end up giving it a watch!

Ghostwriter434: Glad you liked the first chapter and hope you liked this one! And yeah, I've also never been a TomStar shipper, though that was mostly because I'm all about that Starco haha. But yes, I think both Tom and Star had some serious problems that was damaging the health of their relationship and their inability to talk through it, i.e. like the Lava Surfing episode, bothered me. The holes in their relationship are among the reasons I'm writing this in the first place.

Blackspiderman: Yeah, I think you, me, and Ghostwriter have similar views on the matter and you can see what I said in response to him right above this. And I hoped you liked this next stop on Tom's physical and emotional journey! Yes, that brain itch hit me too and it's a big part of why I'm writing this. I felt like their relationship deserved some better closure. It's the same reason why I write a lot of stories with Starco happening earlier than it did, because I think that would have made for a better show and would have given us a more compelling story. But hey, we got what we got and fandom writers get to provide the rest.

And that'll do it for me here folks, please leave a fav or follow if you like this story. My next writing will be chapter 7 of my long-term fic "My Life, My Kingdom, My War" so if you're a fan of that or are looking to get into it, keep an eye out for that near the end of the month or early next month. Till next time everyone!