A/N: Sorry for the long wait for the chapter! Been busy with work and stuff. Enjoy this one!
Chapter Ten – New Discoveries
Branch's training finally began for real. He joined the Five in their training, and each one of them led him through their own exercise. Suki taught him to throw knives. Guy Diamond guided him through the fire field. Smidge showed him how to swing on the rings. Cooper explained how to balance on the bowl below the rings, and how to use the uneven trampoline surfaces to his advantage. Poppy showed him how to get across the floating planks and swinging clubs. Peppy gave him swordsmanship lessons.
Rosiepuff remained in the palace. She left Biggie and Fuzzbert in charge of reconstructing the restaurant, announcing the establishment would unfortunately stay closed until Creek is defeated and Branch determined it was safe for his grandmother to return home. A couple days a week, Biggie, Fuzzbert, Satin, and Chenille visited Branch, Rosiepuff, and Symphony at the palace to check up on them. The twins even brought by a gift for Branch: a new shield, this one sturdier and battle-ready.
Branch devoted himself completely to his training over the next two weeks. He proved to be excellent at handling a blade.
"Kung fu requires you to be both gentle and strong." Peppy explained as Branch went through a kata. "You need to stand firm like a tree and be hard as a rock. At the same time, you have to bend and shift like the branches of the trees in the wind."
Branch slashed the wooden training sword and blocked a strike from an invisible opponent. "I do have to ask, because I'm genuinely curious: why do I need to learn kung fu and sword-handling if the Dragon Blade gives me unlimited power?"
"You'll have to learn self-discipline before you can learn to harness the power you will receive." Peppy said. "Besides, the Dragon Blade may have the secret to limitless power, but it's still a sword, and it's still sharp. The last thing I want to see is you cutting off your own head."
"You don't really think I would do that, do you?" Branch joked. He caught the look on Peppy's face, as though he were really thinking about it. "Wait, do you?"
"Am I doing this right?" Suki asked.
Rosiepuff checked Suki's cutting. "Little thinner on that zucchini. But it's looking good."
"How do I know when the lasagna noodles are ready?" Cooper asked.
"Look at the color." Symphony said. "They should be much lighter than when you put them in."
Guy Diamond popped a piece of cooked onion in his mouth. He immediately began coughing, his eyes watering. "That there means they're not done." Rosiepuff said.
"Yeah, I figured." Guy Diamond wheezed. Branch laughed. The kitchen never looked so lively in the evenings. While Rosiepuff continued to encourage a more family-like feeling amongst the Troll Tree residents, the warriors practically begged her to teach them to cook the amazing meals she made in the restaurant. Peppy would join them during their meals, but would never openly admit that he liked seeing everyone acting like a family.
While Branch, Poppy, and Symphony watched the oven, everyone else cleaned up the cooking dishes and set the table in the dining room. Once the lasagna looked ready, Branch reached for a couple potholders to take it out. Poppy apparently had the same idea, and her and Branch's hands touched. They both recoiled, blushing a little, and Poppy pushed the potholders closer to Branch. Symphony saw the looks in their eyes and the blushes in their cheeks. There was something blossoming between the two trolls, slowly but surely getting stronger as the days passed.
Hmm…how can we speed up that process? Symphony wondered.
Branch silently cheered for himself when he landed a perfect bullseye with a throwing knife. He picked up another knife and tossed it. Not a bullseye, but close. Branch did it again, but then jumped when another knife shot past from behind him and hit the target. Branch glanced to the shallow cut on his arm and looked behind him to see Peppy.
"Ironically enough, you're too focused." Peppy said. "You're paying so much attention to what's in front of you that you don't know what's happening around you."
"Well at least you didn't throw the knife into my arm." Branch mused. Peppy looked at the cut, and then placed his palm over the wound. Peppy's hand began to glow, and Branch stared in awe. When Peppy pulled his hand away, the cut was gone. "What was that?"
"Chi healing." Peppy explained.
"What's chi?" Branch asked, still staring at his now-unbroken skin.
"The energy that flows inside and all around us." Peppy said. "Some can use it to heal, as I did. The most advanced masters can take their chi to create a natural element, and control that element." To demonstrate, Peppy held up his palm, and a ball of fire appeared. He launched the fireball, and it nailed the target across the courtyard.
Branch's jaw dropped. "Please teach me how to do that! Please!"
Peppy chuckled. "Branch, that technique is very advanced. To be able to create an element or control it takes a lot of practice."
"Do I at least get to choose my element?" Branch asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not." Peppy said. He chuckled again when Branch pouted. "If I had to guess, you might be a fire bender like your mother or a water bender like your father."
"Really?" Branch asked, very interested in this new information about his parents.
"Yes, and you wouldn't believe how many arguments Larch and I got into over which element was better." Peppy rolled his eyes. "He was completely unfair in a snowball fight."
Branch laughed. "But being a fire bender has to be cool."
"Yes, though I'm a bit biased in my opinion. Early on, I showed potential as a fire bender." Peppy nodded. "Same as my father, and his technique was so strong that he could create lightning. Fire is also Creek's element."
Branch's smile dropped. "So…he's mastered it?"
"To an extent, yes." Peppy nodded.
"All the more reason for you to teach me!" Branch pointed out.
"This is not an easy thing to teach." Peppy said. "Even the Five don't know how to do it yet. And to create or bend an element takes a lot of energy, making it dangerous for the user." Branch still looked dejected, and almost fearful. Peppy knew Creek wouldn't be able to excessively use the element bending technique, but to go into battle against it was still a scary thought. "Tell you what: go into the library and start studying. We'll try learning it tomorrow."
Branch punched the air in victory and sped off towards the library.
Peppy rolled his eyes. "Kids." He glanced to the target. "Hey, you forgot to clean up the target and knives!"
After an exhausting day of training, Branch practically collapsed in his bed and went to sleep. Symphony curled up beside him. The Five drifted off to sleep soon afterwards. Peppy sat before his incense and candles and meditated peacefully. He listened to the sounds of the breeze pushing through the Troll Tree leaves and the soft rings of the wind chimes above him. However, even these tranquil sounds couldn't distract him from his memories. Memories of Stella and Larch, and the good times they had together before one exchange of harsh words changed it all.
If only I had known. Peppy thought to himself, finally relaxing out of his meditation. Why didn't he tell me? What did I say or do to make him think he couldn't trust me with something like that? More importantly, how could Stella think Father wouldn't approve? He loved her like she was his own.
Almost against his will, Peppy stood and made his way towards the Hall of Warriors. After the attack on the restaurant, Branch moved his parents' shrine up to the palace, and Peppy allowed him to put the pictures, sword, and shield on the shrine set up in the Hall of Warriors. Perhaps even just looking at the faces of his friends would clear Peppy's head.
On the way there, he heard a strange splashing sound, and it caused him to pause. It didn't sound like someone using the obstacle course, and nobody would be up at this hour except him anyway. Peppy took a detour and headed for the training hall. He saw the door open, which he found odd. There was nothing of true value in the training hall. Even the weapons weren't worth much. Peppy tiptoed to the door and peered inside to see who would be inside. His jaw dropped.
Rosiepuff stood by the pool of water in the obstacle course. She moved as though doing tai chi. The water responded to her movements, tendrils of liquid twisting and turning in the air. Her eyes were shut and her breathing even. It seemed she could control the water with ease. Peppy stepped closer, accidentally pushing against the open door. When it creaked, Rosiepuff's eyes opened. The water suddenly froze into icicles, which she launched at Peppy. The old master reacted quickly, deflecting any icicles he couldn't dodge. Some of the other icicles impaled the doors. Peppy stared in shock. Such a high level of element manipulation was only possible by a true master bender.
"It's rude to spy on people." Rosiepuff said, controlling the water to return it to the pool.
"It's rude to throw icicles at people too." Peppy countered, albeit weakly. He cleared his throat and his voice came out stronger. "You're a master water bender. How?"
Rosiepuff glanced to the water. "Grandmaster Ryu. After I returned to Troll Valley with Branch, I went to him and asked him to teach me something that I could use to protect Branch from any further harm. I already lost too many family members to lose my grandson too. Ryu taught me about chi and how to bend elements. He taught me everything I know so I could protect Branch."
Something clicked for Peppy. "The water in the restaurant. That was you, wasn't it?"
"I didn't want Creek to know about my abilities, so I minimally used my powers against him and his goons when they attacked." Rosiepuff confirmed. "It tired me out, and that's what ultimately allowed them to capture me. Of course, that wasn't the first time I fought him."
Creek launched another fireball, as if the flames around him needed any more fuel. He scanned the area for a new target. Then, his eyes settled on a young blue troll child running for his life. The child tripped over a piece of wood and hit the ground. Creek advanced towards the child. He wouldn't kill it, probably. He just wanted to scare the boy. The blue troll backed away fearfully, whimpering. His back hit a wall, and he flinched as he prepared for Creek's strike.
Suddenly, water splashed onto Creek's head. He looked in the direction it came from, and another stream of water shot towards him like an arrow. Creek ducked, and he saw a shadowy figure through the flames. The blue troll child darted away, and Creek ran towards this new opponent. Once he parted the flames and jumped to the clear space on the other side, Creek blinked in surprise to see an elderly troll woman glaring at him. Rosiepuff water-bended the contents of a nearby fountain and began shooting icicles at Creek, who dodged them or deflected them with his sword.
"Don't touch my grandson!" Rosiepuff threw another icicle with every word. When Creek's guard was down, she swiped a stream of water and ice across his face like a blade. Creek shouted in pain, holding his eye. When he pulled his hand away, blood trickled from the cut over his eye. Rosiepuff encased Creek in a bubble of water and threw him as far as she could. Some of the flames had been doused, and Rosiepuff darted through the gap in the fire to search for her grandson.
"Grandma!" young Branch shouted, running up to her. Rosiepuff took him in her arms and ran off to seek a safe place to hide.
"I'm ready to fight him again if he ever comes near my family again." Rosiepuff said.
"Funny. Branch has that same attitude." Peppy mused.
Rosiepuff raised a few bubbles of water and juggled them slowly in one hand. "It's been three weeks. How much longer until Creek strikes again?"
Peppy shrugged. "I really don't know. Creek is the type who likes to bide his time. Wait patiently for us to let our guard down, and then strike. We won't be letting our guard down anytime soon, but we can't let ourselves be controlled by tension."
"You have a point there." Rosiepuff agreed. She stepped past Peppy, on her way to bed.
"Does Branch know you're a master water bender?" Peppy asked.
Rosiepuff paused. "No. And he never will."
"Why?" Peppy asked.
Rosiepuff stared at Peppy. "Because I don't know how to teach him. I don't know how to help him understand that my fear of him dying in a battle is stronger than my desire to see his dream come true."
Branch should've known Symphony was up to something due to that smile on the dragon's lips. One night, after finishing his training, Symphony practically ordered him to take a bath, get dressed in clean clothes, and comb his hair to perfection. She refused to tell him why, so Branch just did as he was told. He knew if he didn't, then she would bug him consistently until he did what she asked.
When Symphony deemed him appropriately prepared, she led him to the bottom of the Troll Tree. Branch jerked to a halt when he saw Poppy waiting for him. She looked equally surprised to see him.
"Uh, Symphony?" Branch asked. "What's up?"
"Just trust me." Symphony assured. She handed Branch a rolled-up piece of paper. "Follow this map and just go with the flow." She disappeared before Branch or Poppy could ask. The two trolls wouldn't look at each other out of nervousness.
"She's going to bite and nip and shoot sparks at us if we don't do what she says, won't she?" Poppy guessed.
"Yeah, probably." Branch nodded. He unrolled the paper in his hands. "Might as well see what this leads to. What could happen?"
"Where would Symphony take us?" Poppy asked as they headed off.
The two of them seemed to get their answer when they arrived at a restaurant. They weren't exactly sure what Symphony was thinking. This restaurant looked fancy, and was located in a high-end part of the village. There were so many expensive houses and businesses surrounding the restaurant.
"I feel very out-of-place." Poppy said, glancing to her blue sundress.
"Me too." Branch rubbed the corner of his leaf-designed vest. "Maybe it's just a mistake. Let's ask them for some directions."
Unfortunately, it turned out to be the right place. The hostess at the front announced that the two trolls had a reservation, and she welcomed the warriors of the Troll Tree. Branch wanted to run out of there like a bat out of hell. But Poppy encouraged him to give it a try. Her confident smile made Branch both braver and absolutely melt. They took their seats. Despite feeling out of place, the other restaurant patrons greeted the warriors with respect.
What Branch and Poppy didn't know was Symphony had snuck into the restaurant and watched her plan unfold from the rafters. "Operation: Date Night is a go." She whispered to herself. "Now to make sure this goes absolutely perfectly and make them fall in love. Easy-peasy!"
As Branch and Poppy looked over the menu, neither one of them could think of a good way to start a conversation. The only sound was the chatter of the restaurant, the clinking of dishware and silverware, and the small band in the corner. Branch would look over the edge of his menu at Poppy; but when they locked eyes, Branch hid behind his menu again.
Poppy cleared her throat. "Uh, hey Branch? You speak Italian. Do you understand anything on this menu?"
"A. Yes, I do speak some Italian." Branch answered. "B. This stuff is in French, I think. So, no, I don't understand anything either."
Poppy hummed in thought. "Well, I guess we could get whatever the waiter recommends. He ought to know what's good."
"Yeah, good idea." Branch nodded.
"Have we decided on something?" the waiter asked when he arrived.
"Well, we would like your recommendation." Poppy said. "I'm partial to soups, myself."
"I like pastas." Branch added.
"All right, how about a bowl of zurek for the lady and mackerel macaroni for the gentleman?" the waiter suggested. "You're not allergic to fish, are you?"
"Nope. Sounds good." Branch said. The waiter scribbled on his notepad as he walked away.
"Good. This should be interesting." Poppy said.
"I certainly hope so. Never came up to this part of town before." Branch said.
"Really?" Poppy looked surprised.
"Well, I'm from a bit of a lower class. My neighborhood isn't nearly as fancy as this." Branch shrugged. "This is all pretty new to me."
Poppy shrugged. "Not really to me. I live in the palace, after all. But I've never been down here before. At least, I don't think so. I don't come down into the village except to beat away threats."
Now Branch was surprised. "Wait, so you've never just visited the village before?"
"I guess not." Poppy said. "I spent all my life in the Troll Tree."
"But Troll Valley is your home. You're telling me you haven't seen any of it? You haven't experienced any of it?" Branch asked.
"What's so exciting about it?" Poppy shrugged again, glancing around the restaurant. "Nothing I haven't seen before."
Branch wanted to correct her, to tell her that this fancy part of town wasn't the only part of Troll Valley, but his words got stuck in his throat when his eyes locked with Poppy's. That sparkle in her eyes made his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. Silence came over them again until dinner arrived. When the waiter walked off, Branch looked to his food and grimaced. When he heard "mackerel macaroni," he expected some sort of fish-pasta dish. Instead, he had macaroni noodles and a thick cheese sauce with chunks of mackerel meat. He could even see a mackerel head and tail sticking out of the food. Poppy's soup looked appetizing, but didn't smell too good.
Branch took a tentative bite of his food, and he immediately gagged. He discretely spit the food back onto his plate. "This was not a good idea." He whispered.
Poppy tried some of her soup, but didn't do much better. "It's sour. It tastes like something fermented."
Branch picked out some of the mackerel so that he only ate the macaroni. "Okay, that's a little better. Want to try some?"
"Uh, sure." Poppy nodded. She handed Branch her appetizer plate and he scooped some of the noodles onto the dish. Poppy discretely poured half her soup into the potted plant nearby. In seconds, the plant wilted and died.
This isn't good. Symphony nibbled on her claws. Gotta think fast! She sneakily flew down towards the band and whispered something in the violin player's ear. The player nodded, only mildly confused when he realized a dragon whispered to him, and he snuck off to Branch and Poppy's table. He began to serenade them with his violin, playing an overly romantic melody that sounded cheesy at best. Branch blushed, sinking down in his seat. But, evidently, he didn't sink far enough. When the violinist gave an elegant flourish with the violin bow, he whacked Branch in the head. The violinist jerked the bow away and hit the candlestick and it toppled over. The tablecloth was aflame, and Poppy used her water to douse it. Suddenly mortified with embarrassment, the musician scurried away.
Poppy giggled. "You okay?"
"Yeah." Branch rubbed his head. "I guess my reflexes need some work."
"Indeed." Poppy laughed again. Branch cracked a smile.
Symphony wiped her forehead in relief. Whew. That wasn't a total disaster after all.
Several minutes later, the waiter returned to clear their half-full plates. When he returned, he placed a plate of dessert in front of the warriors. "I'm truly sorry about that mess. This is on us."
"Thank you." Poppy said as the waiter left hurriedly. "Well this should be better, right?"
"Yeah, these look like the sweet noodles we serve at Rosie's Place." Branch lifted a forkful of noodles to his mouth. His face contorted into a strange expression, like he tried and failed to hold back his grimace of disgust. "Not noodles. Those are not noodles." He spit them out again. "What is that?"
Poppy pulled a few noodles out of the little pile on her plate and took a look. "I see suction cups….oh….." She set the "noodles" down. "I think those are squid tentacles."
"That is so gross." Branch murmured. He picked off the garnish on top of the squid, a sort of bright blue mash, and tried that. "I think this is just berries."
Poppy's shoulders slumped in relief, and she took a bite of her own berry garnish. "Much better."
"Yeah, a lot better." Branch agreed. He gulped down some water to get the squid taste out of his mouth. When he looked back at Poppy, he did a perfect spit take.
"What?" Poppy asked.
Branch stared at her. "Spots."
"Huh?"
"You are covered in spots."
Poppy lifted up her spoon and her eyes widened when she saw her face covered in blue polka-dots. Even her arms had spots on them. "Were those pop berries?"
"Taste like it." Branch confirmed.
"Aw man!" Poppy stuffed a hand in a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out a bottle of small white pills. "I'm allergic to those!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Branch yelped.
"No, it's okay." Poppy assured, gulping down two of the pills with her water. "You didn't know. I'll be right back. I need to run to the bathroom and see if I'm puffy." She hurried away before Branch could respond.
Branch sighed, setting his fork down. Some night this turned out to be.
"Hey Branch!"
Branch jumped when he heard Symphony's hushed voice next to him. He found his dragon pet hovering nearby with a bouquet of leaves and flowers she obviously found just outside. "What have you gotten me into, Symphony?" Branch hissed.
"I'm trying to do you a favor!" Symphony pushed the messy bouquet, tied with a few strands of Branch's hair. Where and when she got those hairs, Branch didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to know. The dragon disappeared as Poppy returned. A few of her spots disappeared.
"You doing okay?" Branch asked, hiding the bouquet.
"Yeah. If I eat pop berries, I break out into spots and then puff up until I look like a beach ball." Poppy said, taking a seat. "Luckily, I took my meds on time, so I won't be puffing up this time. My spots will go away in about an hour."
Branch glanced to the flowers in his hands and held them out to Poppy. "Maybe this'll make up for dinner?"
Poppy blinked in surprise. The messy bouquet was made of leaves, dandelions, and other miscellaneous wildflowers. It certainly wasn't a professionally made bouquet from a florist, but it was beautiful because it was such a simple, kind gesture. "Thank you, Branch." Poppy said when she found her voice. She took the flowers and sniffed them. "They're lovely."
"Well, it's not much." Branch shrugged, rubbing his arm.
"That's why I like it. Small but sincere." Poppy smiled at him. "Thank you."
Branch felt his face grow hot. He was actually glad when the waiter interrupted them and announced that the entire meal was on the house due to the evening's events. Poppy and Branch left the restaurant soon after, followed secretly by Symphony. The two trolls began walking in no particular direction, Poppy still holding the flowers.
After a moment, Poppy paused. She scratched at her palms and wrists. "What's wrong?" Branch asked.
"I just feel itchy for some reason. My skin is stinging." Poppy said.
Branch scratched his arm, and he realized he felt a bit itchy too. "Weird. Hope it's not another allergic reaction."
Poppy blinked, and then looked at the flowers. "Uh, Branch? Where did you get these leaves?"
"Well, Symphony got them from around the area, I guess." Branch said. He could feel the skin on his hands and wrists tingling.
"Is this supposed to be another prank?" Poppy asked, dropping the flowers.
"Why?" Branch asked, confused.
"Because that bouquet is filled with poison oak and stinging nettles." Poppy scratched furiously at her arms.
"What?!" Branch groaned.
Symphony hit herself in the head. "Dang it! I knew those leaves looked weird." Of course, since she had scales, she wasn't affected by those poisonous leaves.
One trip to the local doctor later, Branch and Poppy were fully healed and no longer bothered by the itchy, tingling sensation. Even Poppy's spots fully disappeared. As they walked back towards the Troll Tree, the two trolls remained silent. Symphony came out from hiding, draping herself over Branch's shoulders.
Branch finally broke the silence. "I'm really sorry, Poppy."
"Me too." Symphony said. "This night didn't go according to plan."
"No, it's okay." Poppy said. "I should've known it would be terrible."
Branch winced. "Really?"
Poppy gasped. "Oh! No! No, not because it was you. It was nothing you did. It's not your fault either, Symphony. It's me. You were right, Branch. I've lived in Troll Valley all my life, but that doesn't mean I know anything about it. I don't know how to act out here." She sighed. "I'm such a freak."
Branch stopped walking, and Poppy did the same. She looked back to him in confusion. Branch looked thoughtful for a moment, and then lit up with an idea. "Would you be up for indulging me a little while longer?"
"Why?" Poppy asked slowly.
"Come on, do you trust me?" Branch asked, holding a hand out to Poppy.
The pink troll hesitated, but then the corners of her mouth turned upwards. "Yeah…" She accepted Branch's hand, and he led her away. Symphony was confused, but didn't say anything and simply let Branch take charge.
First stop: an ice cream parlor close to Rosie's Place. There were about a dozen other patrons inside, and they all greeted Branch and Symphony warmly. They were also very surprised to see Poppy.
"Hey Mandy!" Symphony waved to the troll behind the counter.
"Hey Symphony! Hey Branch!" Mandy waved back. "And hello, Master Poppy. What a surprise."
"Yes, for both of us." Poppy assured. She leaned closer to Branch as Mandy tended to a customer. "What are we doing here?"
"Getting dinner." Branch said.
"This is not dinner, it's dessert." Poppy protested.
"Yep." Branch hopped onto a stool at the counter, patting the seat next to him. Poppy uneasily slid herself into the seat. "Just relax. Get whatever you want. Indulge in your sweet tooth for once."
Poppy could already hear her father scolding her. But that ice cream sure did look good. So she finally caved and ordered a chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Branch got vanilla with peanut butter cups. Symphony even got some: mint with chocolate cookies.
"So I guess you come in here often?" Poppy asked.
"Ever since I was a kid." Branch confirmed. "This place is really old, too. Grandma met Grandpa in here. He spilled a milkshake on her, and she nearly killed him for it."
Poppy giggled a little. "Funny. My parents met when my mother was actually trying to kill my father."
Branch nearly choked on his ice cream when he laughed. "Really? Were they sparring?"
"Believe it or not, my mother used to belong to a group of assassins." Poppy said. "Not that she wanted to. In fact, she never killed anyone. She failed to take out her mark, and Dad went to apprehend her. Grandfather took her in and trained her to be an honorable warrior, and she and Dad fell in love."
"See, now that's the story you tell the grandkids." Symphony said, licking ice cream off her whiskers.
Poppy took another bite of her ice cream. "This is really good."
"And now we'll have enough energy to continue our evening." Branch said.
"Oh? Where are we going?" Poppy asked.
Branch shrugged. "Wherever we want."
Poppy found herself rather intrigued by this spontaneity. When they finished their ice cream and bid Mandy goodbye, Branch, Symphony, and Poppy just meandered down the street and looked around for something to do. They came to a humble fountain in the village square and tossed coins into the pool of water for wishes. Poppy felt childish, but still laughed merrily. They played fetch with Symphony using a stick they found. Street musicians played music, and other troll couples danced to the songs. Branch pulled Poppy into a dance, and she didn't resist nearly as much as she thought she would.
The two of them made their way towards Rosie's Place, newly rebuilt courtesy of Fuzzbert and Biggie. The boys had been trying to convince Rosiepuff to let them run the restaurant. They could easily follow her recipe books (except for the Spaghetti Special, of course), but Rosiepuff just wasn't quite sure she could trust them to be managers. Biggie and Fuzzbert tended to be childish, and extremely competitive. Symphony decided she wanted to fly back to the Troll Tree and go to bed. She left Branch and Poppy to finish their date and flew away. Branch still had a key to the restaurant/house, and he led Poppy inside.
"Wow. The place looks better than new." Branch sighed, almost in relief.
"So I guess this is where you've lived all your life?" Poppy said, following Branch through the restaurant and into the house portion of the building.
"Yeah. Just me, Grandma, and Symphony." Branch confirmed. "It was amazing. My grandma could run a restaurant and raise me at the same time. She even let me have a pet when I found Symphony's egg. It was like no matter how old she got, she never ran out of energy or spirit. She made this entire place herself."
"What a troll." Poppy breathed. She was a bit confused when Branch led her into his room. "This is a lovely place."
"Humble, yet sturdy." Branch led Poppy out the window, up a vine-covered wall, and to the roof. "And it has a great view."
Poppy hopped onto the platform on the roof, and she gasped when her eyes scanned the area around her. Thanks to the house addition, Rosie's Place stood taller than any of the other nearby buildings. Poppy could see the entire village, and the Troll Tree and its palace towered above her.
"This is beautiful." Poppy said, sitting on the platform.
"This is my quiet spot." Branch said, also taking a seat. "It's where I go to clear my head or just think about what's going on in my life."
"And you're letting me come up here?" Poppy asked, sounding surprised.
"Why not?" Branch shrugged.
"It's just that it seems so special, so personal for you." Poppy said. "Why share it with me? What's so special about me?"
Branch shrugged again. "Everything." Poppy stared at him, and Branch continued. "You're kind and you're brave, and you're such a great warrior. But in the time I've gotten to know you, I see someone who is sometimes insecure and desperate to please. You're not just Master Poppy of the Troll Tree. You're just Poppy. And Poppy is someone I like. So many parts of you intrigue me. All I know for certain is that I feel different around you." He finally looked to Poppy to see she still stared at him, as though in shock. Branch rubbed the back of his head. "That was stupid, wasn't it? Yeah, I knew it was, but I thought you wouldn't mind too much or at least you wouldn't laugh and—"
Suddenly, Poppy grabbed Branch by his vest and yanked him closer to her. Their noses smooshed together, and Branch's surprised stare connected with Poppy's strange-looking glare. Then, she closed the distance between their lips. Branch froze when Poppy's petal-soft lips connected to his own, and then he allowed himself to be immersed in the kiss. After a minute, Poppy broke the kiss (too soon for Branch's liking) and blushed fiercely.
"I don't know why I did that." Poppy said, releasing Branch's vest.
Branch's mouth felt dry. He quickly found his voice. "Do you….want to do it again?"
Poppy looked surprised, and then smiled. She accepted Branch's kiss. It didn't take long for the tender kiss to turn into a full-on make-out session, and they tried to keep it silent in case the neighbors heard. When they had to take a break for air, the two trolls lay on their backs and stared at the stars.
"My dad is going to kill us."
"Yeah, probably."
"We should head back soon."
"Yeah, but first, I want to know more about you."
"Oh, good. I want to know more about you too."
"Great. Twenty Questions. You start."
"Okay. How about….when and why did you get so interested in kung fu?"
"Now that is an interesting story."
A/N: Eh, that felt a little rushed. But I want to get to the climax battle, which is coming soon!