Shadgirl2: Well, we've got another chapter for you.

Midna Azusa: Also, just so you know, since this is an AU, winter lasts more than a day. Just thought I'd point that out to put some of the dialogue in this chapter into perspective.

Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.

Creek decided to give Poppy some time to recover from the grief of losing Branch, but he did spend a fair amount of time observing her during those first few months. He needed to learn as much about her as he could so she'd come to love him in time. Somehow, after only a week, she seemed to have already bounced back from her loss.

As Creek watched Poppy playing with her two friends, a small yellow trolling and a red one around Poppy's age, he couldn't help but be amazed at how resilient the young princess was. The red troll was sharing a rap melody she'd come up with, which wasn't bad for a kid. She had it going on her turntables, sitting right in front of her.

"Oh, wow, DJ!" Poppy said to her friend as she and the other one enjoyed the beat, dancing a bit. "That's the bestest song I've ever heard!"

She sounded so happy and excited, and it had only been a week. Creek knew Branch was wrong about the idea that she didn't care—he'd seen her horribly upset just a few days ago. But she seemed to have recovered since then.

"Yeah! You're the bestest DJ in town, DJ Suki! How'd ya do it!?" the little yellow troll, who looked like just a baby, said as she threw her arms over her head. She had a brown ribbon in her hair and wore an orange dress with a white puffball on the center. Appropriately enough, her name was Smidge...and she was Poppy's age.

DJ waved an arm through the air dismissively, smiling. "Aw, thanks, ya guys. But I'm not that good. There are way better deejays in town than I am." She threw her arms up above her head, excited, and added, "But I'm glad ya guys see it that way! It's my dream to become the bestestest deejay Troll Village has ever seen!"

Poppy laughed, amused. "And you'll make it, too! That was great!"

"Yeah!" Smidge agreed, laughing as well.

DJ blushed, feeling a bit touched. "Aw, gee, ya guys. That's really sweet. Thanks."

"No problem! That's what friends are for, right!?" Poppy asked, beaming at her friend with her arms over her head now.

Creek just stared, awestruck. How can anyone possibly be this cheerful while they're still in mourning? Or is this all some sort of a cover-up so no one realizes she's still upset? He stood back a bit, thinking about that.

As her friends continued laughing and enjoying DJ's song, which was only about 30 seconds long, Poppy smiled up at the sky and thought, Did you guys see that!? I'm being happy enough for all three of us to enjoy! And you better appreciate it, too, Big Brother! It's hard being happy for three trolls all at once, you know!

Knowing that he was still watching over her made it easier to bear his loss. The tone of her thoughts there at the end was a bit scolding, given that Branch had never appreciated anything she did. She went right back to playing happily, trying to live her life for herself, her mom, and Branch.

That night, Creek took some inspiration from Poppy to start this plan of making Branch happy. It had been a few days since they'd decided to do that, and Creek hadn't had any good ideas until now. Up until this point, he'd just been focused on bringing Branch what he needed, like a comb and scissors for his hair and the materials to build some furniture so he wasn't stuck sitting on the cold floor all day. Besides wood and nails, Creek also had to bring a hand saw. According to Branch, he'd been planning to use grossums for that. Creek didn't think he wanted to know how that would work.

Thus far, Branch had built a single chair and a bucket that was used for...personal needs. He and Creek had learned how to finish wood so that the furniture in question wouldn't lead to endless amounts of splinters, which should have been Creek's first clue that he'd be learning a lot of new skills from this experience. Either way, they had finished the wooden chair, and Branch had fashioned a seat of sorts (also finished) that he could attach to the bucket when needed.

Now that he had a plan, Creek brought a CD player and a box of CDs with him. Additionally, he found a second bucket, which he filled with water, and grabbed a bottle of cleaner and a sponge. This, of course, was in addition to the food he brought daily—he'd tucked that into his hair since he only had two hands.

Beaming with hope, Creek flew out to the tower. Branch keeps telling me he doesn't have any good ideas about how to make him happy. But perhaps some good, enjoyable music will do. It sure helped Poppy perk up quickly enough. So it might just work on Branch as well! Well, only one way to find out, I suppose.

He flew up to the window and called in, "Branch! You asleep in there, mate!? I've brought you more goodies from Troll Village that should be of use to you!"

Branch came over and looked. "Like what?" he asked.

He was still coming to terms with the idea that he was trapped here, and his mood had been a bit darker lately, with pretty much everything he said sounding gloomy these last few days. Being stuck in an empty tower probably wasn't helping that any, which was part of why Creek kept bringing things Branch could use to build furniture. He figured that, if they could make this place feel more like a home, maybe Branch would feel happier.

In pursuit of this goal, Creek leaped off his bug and held up the bucket and CD player, grinning. "Like these, of course!" he answered, looking confident. "This can be filled up for cleaning and stuff." He lowered the bucket and held up the CD player, continuing, "And this can help us make you happy! I mean, it works so well on every other troll that I figured it might—"

"I don't dance, and I don't sing," Branch cut him off firmly. "What are you planning to do with that thing?"

Creek lowered the CD player to the ground, suddenly looking less sure of this. "Oh, you d-don't, do you?" He put both the CD player and bucket on the ground and crossed his arms, thinking. "Hmm... W-well, how do you feel about..." His eyes brightened again as an idea hit him. "Simply sitting and listening to it!? That cheered Princess Poppy up in less than a week! And she was in mourning, so what if—"

Branch crossed his arms, looking about as sour as ever. "I doubt she was that deep in mourning. I already told you, I've done everything I can to make her hate me."

Creek wagged a finger at him, a confident smile on his face. This was one thing he was definitely sure about. "Oh, I beg to differ, my dear friend. Poppy was extremely upset at the thought of losing her dear older brother!"

Branch had two conflicting feelings about that. On the one hand, he was touched that she actually did care about him, for some weird reason. On the other hand, he was annoyed that she still thought of him as her brother.

"Which reminds me," Creek continued. "How in Troll Village did you ever earn that title from our fair princess? Weren't the two of you supposed to be arranged to marry someday? 'Big Brother Branch'?" He gave a teasing grin. Creek found that to be adorable.

Branch groaned, rolling his eyes, and said, "She didn't understand the whole marriage thing, so she thought I was her older brother. It was a waste of time trying to explain it to her."

Creek just snickered, a hand to his mouth.

Eager for a change of subject, Branch looked at the bucket of water. "...I hope you realize you'll have to bring water any time I'm going to try cleaning this place. It's obvious I can't get it myself."

Of course, Branch thought, that bucket could also be used on rainy days to catch water coming through the hole he'd put in the roof. Neither he nor Creek knew how to properly fix that.

Creek stopped snickering, composing himself. "R-right, uh, yes... I forgot about that little detail... Now what?" He looked at Branch with uncertainty.

"Any chance you can bring me some more wood?" Branch asked, the gloom creeping back in again. "I could make something bigger that could hold the water longer so you don't have to bring water every time. Besides that, it'd be nice to have a bed instead of having to sleep on the floor all the time."

The floor was cold. He'd brought a camping bed when he left Troll Village, and he'd tossed one of the three blankets Creek had brought him down on top of it, but the cold still managed to seep through. Besides, the stone underneath was harder than the ground he'd thought he'd be sleeping on.

"Ah... Alright," Creek answered. "I can do that for you, my friend. But, er...do you even know how to make a bed? I know I don't!"

"No, but I don't have much of a choice, do I? It's that or keep sleeping on cold stone."

"Ooh... Uh, hmm... Well..."

Creek glanced over at the space where Branch had been sleeping, noticing that one of the three blankets he'd brought was laying over a thin mat as a bed, and the other two blankets were crumpled up beside it. Croco sat near one end of the makeshift bed. This setup concerned him—it didn't look very comfortable, and he didn't really like the idea of his friend sleeping on that. But even if they could build a bed frame, how would they get a mattress? There wasn't any way they could squeeze one of those through the window, and neither of them knew how to make one. Would they need to learn to sew? And how were they so sturdy, anyway?

Still, he had to figure out something. Branch was right, he couldn't keep sleeping on the floor, especially not in colder weather. Creek spent enough time here to know how it felt during these warmer nights, and he could already tell winter would be a nightmare. "Let's see now..." He tapped his chin, trying to think of a solution.

"There's a section in the library in Troll Village that nobody ever uses," Branch suggested. "Practical Matters. Maybe there'd be a book there that could help? I mean, it's not like it'd be missed or anything."

Creek slumped, sighing in defeat. "Well, then, I guess we'll be raiding that place quite often, won't we?" he said, knowing that this problem needed to be resolved. He didn't have any better ideas, so he supposed it was time to start learning how to make a bed. "Do you think there will be any other important accommodations we should look into in case we have to build that as well?"

Given Creek's attitude, Branch was a little hesitant to mention the other thing on his mind. Even more, he didn't want to think about the possibility of being here long enough to need this other thing. Still, it needed to be mentioned in case he was here too long. "...I need a fireplace. It's cold enough in here right now. I don't want to think about how it's going to be in winter."

Creek's eyes widened in shock. "A-a fireplace!? But Branch! We—" He threw his arms up, frantic. Nothing good would come from this. "We're only kids, mate! A-and adults are always telling us to stay away from such sites of construction! Why, the materials needed for such a feat could easily cause some serious harm to us or worse! W-what if w-we—"

"Well, if we don't figure out something, I'm gonna freeze to death out here!" Branch cried, his desperation and despair showing clearly in his tone.

Creek sighed in defeat. He knew Branch was right, but construction was a dangerous job, and something told Creek that neither of them really knew anything about brickwork. "Well, alright. If you insist." He pointed at Branch and said sternly, "But you're going to have to learn a thing or two about emergency first aid first! I'm not taking any chances of us ending up dead for lack of a professional doctor around to treat any unexpected injuries we might happen to give ourselves! Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Branch answered with a nod. Turning his head away slightly, he mumbled, "Probably should, anyway. If anything happens to me, I won't be seeing a doctor."

Creek could leave this place. If he got sick or hurt, he could find a doctor. But Branch knew Creek wouldn't bring one out here to help him. That would blow his cover, after all.

Creek sighed in relief, a hand to his chest. "Good." Then he perked up, clapping his hands together and smiling as he said, "Well, then! While we wait for a chance to set all that up, why not try out this little idea of mine?" He bent down to turn on the CD player, taking his box of CDs out of his hair. He took the first one and put it in the player. "Shall we?" he asked, a finger hovering over the play button, as he looked up at Branch with a smile.

"I just have to listen to it, right?" Branch said, looking uncomfortable at this idea.

"That's right. No singing or dancing involved. Unless you suddenly decide you want to, that is."

Branch thought about it for a second longer. He doubted this would work since he wasn't a fan of music after what happened, but he wanted out of that tower badly enough to try anything Creek suggested—as long as it didn't involve singing or dancing.

"Fine. Let's give it a shot." He took a seat in the chair he'd built (which, just in case, was big enough to hold an adult troll).

Creek nodded and pushed play, then went to sit on the floor beside the chair. As the song started, he grinned up at Branch and lightly teased, "I'll be sure to bring you some wood for a second chair also. It wouldn't be right for your guest to sit on the cold floor all the time, either, would it, mate?"

"Yeah, I guess," Branch said. Honestly, he wasn't all that concerned with whether Creek had a seat or not. It wasn't like he had to be here all day. But, since Creek was trying to help him escape, he figured he could build a chair for him, too. It wasn't like he had anything else to do all day.

The first song was an upbeat party song, and Creek was grooving on the floor seconds into it.

"Ooh, I just love this song! Isn't it just the best song you've ever heard, Branch?"

Branch was just looking at the CD player with disinterest.

Creek stopped dancing, eyes widening. He looked up at Branch with curiosity and, concerned, asked, "Branch? Mate? Don't you feel it, too?"

Branch didn't answer immediately. After about a second, he shrugged. "Not really."

Creek quickly got up and hurried over to change the song, growing a bit anxious about this idea now. "A-alright, then! P-perhaps that wasn't the best one to go with, then. How about we try this one instead?"

The next song he played was a happy song about looking at the beauty in life and seeing it everywhere. Branch had a saying for that—cupcakes and rainbows. He'd always accused Poppy of thinking the world was made of cupcakes and rainbows, and she'd just looked at him in that dopey way and asked, "Isn't it?" It was another thing about her that annoyed him.

There's another dumb song that doesn't face reality... Branch thought as he listened to it.

One look at Branch's face, and Creek could tell this wasn't working, either. He grew more concerned. "No good either, is it? Then how about this one?"

The next one was about dancing, and Branch actually knew the name of this one—"Play" by Jennifer Lopez. It didn't really do it for him, either.

"...Mm."

"Alright. Then how about this?"

That was how things went until Creek had gone through every song on every CD he'd brought. The last one had been trickier to get his hands on—he'd had to sneak into another troll's pod and snatch her masterpiece. Of course, he'd made a copy of it and would return the original before she even noticed it was gone. He didn't want anyone growing suspicious, after all. To Branch, the most notable thing about this short rap melody was that the kid sounded like she had potential. He figured it was some little kid's music project.

"As great as whoever that is sounds, it's not really doing anything for me, Creek," Branch said after hearing the 30-second tune start to repeat itself.

Creek sighed and turned it off, defeated. Then he turned to Branch with frustration. This one should have worked if Branch was trying to perk up. He used to love songs like this when they were kids. What was his problem now?

"Oh, come on, Branch! You're not even trying! Princess Poppy simply loved listening to her friend DJ Suki singing that one! Why, she even told her she was the best deejay ever, so what is your problem, huh!? How can you be so stubborn at a time like this!?" He threw his arms up, saying, "Don't you even—"

Branch glared at him and leaned forward, cutting him off, "Yeah, well, what do you want from me!? Music's not exactly my favorite thing in the world, so of course that doesn't work! It's not like I'm a clone of Poppy, Creek!" He crossed his arms, sitting back in his chair again.

Creek sweat and backed down. He'd forgotten how much Branch had changed since losing his family. Oh, right. I forgot about that. Music's nice and all, but admittedly, it can't be used to raise someone from the dead. So it must have been something else that cheered up Princess Poppy so much. But what could it be?

Under the right circumstances, music was comforting. But that didn't mean it could erase the pain of losing someone you love.

"Er—Right, yes, of course you aren't," Creek said, looking away and twiddling his thumbs. Quietly, he asked himself, "What was I thinking? Branch gave up that side of himself a long time ago, so—" He turned back to his friend, grinning awkwardly, and said, "Well, we'll just have to try something else, won't we?" He looked at his hug watch, and his eyes widened at the time. "But not tonight! I need to get back home before I'm missed!" He headed for the window, grabbing the empty picnic basket from the night before, and leaped out to sit on his bug, which had flown up to meet him. "In the meantime, though, I'll see about gathering up everything we'll need to become better construction trolls! Oh! And, before I forget—" He reached into his hair and pulled out the basket of food, tossing it back in. "Here! Catch!"

Branch caught it.

"I'll be needing that back tomorrow night, alright!? See you then, Branch! Try and hang in there, though! We've only just begun!" Creek said, and he flew off.

Branch just watched him go for a moment. "Yeah." Muttering, he said, "And we're going to fail every time if he thinks what makes Poppy happy will work for me."

Regardless, he did appreciate the CD player Creek had left here. It gave him a way to drown out the silence. He changed the CDs (the little kid was the only thing on that last one, and that would get old quick) and turned on some music. It was both comforting and saddening at the same time, given that it reminded him of home. Branch wasn't sure how those two emotions could go together like that, but it wasn't like it was the first time he'd had both at once. Some things that reminded him of his family were the same way.

Either way, the silence was too much. He was less miserable being reminded of Troll Village than he was sitting alone in silence all day.

As the music played, Branch took the bucket of water, removed the cleaning bottle and sponge from it, and got to work cleaning up some unsanitary areas left in the tower from the days when he hadn't had anything there at all.

As Creek flew for home, he thought about how badly that had gone down.

Well, that didn't go at all as planned. I wonder what we should try now?

He spent the rest of that flight trying to figure it out.

While Creek tried to think of a new plan to make Branch happy, he and Branch spent their time reading up on how to build many things they felt could be useful and studying medicine. Creek tried to make sure they learned everything from treating a common cold to performing emergency surgeries. To help them with this, he apprenticed under Dr. Plum.

"So I apply the ice to the bruise like this?" Creek asked as he placed an ice pack on the sprained ankle of another troll. He looked at his mentor for confirmation.

Dr. Plum smiled down at him sweetly, readying some salve she'd be using as well. "That's right, Creek. But be sure to cover it with a cloth or something similar first so it doesn't cause frostbite, alright?"

Creek nodded and put the ice down on the table for the moment, saying, "Alright, Dr. Plum. I'll go get one, then."

Soon, Creek helped Branch build a bed from scratch. Branch didn't have any trouble with the bed frame, but the mattress was a new one. Creek taught Branch how to sew in the process of teaching him how to make one, and he brought in the materials they would need—wool, which would help with temperature regulation; steel coils for support; necessary adhesives to bond the materials together; and any fabric they needed. They made the entire bed big enough for a full-grown troll just in case Branch was still here in a few years. Both hoped that wouldn't be the case. Once the bed was finished, Creek brought some sheets and a pillow from Troll Village.

Given that they had learned to sew, they would now be able to make Branch new clothes as he aged or his wore out...with some practice, of course. So Creek brought Branch the materials he'd need to sew his own clothing. Branch built a small wooden box to keep this stuff in and asked Creek for a pincushion for the sharp objects involved.

Branch also went ahead and built that second chair so Creek would have somewhere to sit when he visited. These improvements in his living condition did improve Branch's mood some, so he didn't always sound depressed now.

With some of the urgent matters dealt with and some knowledge from Dr. Plum to guide him, Creek brought a first aid kit that Branch could practice with. Although he definitely needed some work...

"Ah! B-Branch! Too tight! Too tight!" Creek gagged, eyes wide in pain. He was all wrapped up from head to toe with an arm stuck in the air and his body bent to the side. He couldn't move from that uncomfortable position, given how tight the bandages were wrapped. "I-I c-can barely e-even breathe right n-now, m-mate!"

"Sorry," Branch said, quickly moving to undo the bandages.

About a month later, Branch had built what he called a washbasin, which was big enough for an adult to sit in. They used it for washing not only Branch but also his clothes and bedding. Creek brought a washboard for the laundry; and a mop, broom, dustpan, and feather duster to help with the rest of the cleaning. Creek always brought the necessary detergents and soap on the nights they planned to wash something, whether it was laundry or Branch himself. The cleaning solution he'd brought for the floor was a multipurpose cleaner, which he left there so that Branch could clean anything he needed to during the day. If Branch wasn't taking a bath, they just left the washboard in the washbasin, which Creek tried to keep filled with water. Of course, he had to dump it out any time that they needed clean water. Creek also brought some towels, which he left in the tower since they were needed often. Branch usually hung them on the back of Creek's chair to dry. His excuse was that it wasn't used all that often.

Everything just lay scattered on the floor since there wasn't any place to store any of it. The mop and broom were the only exceptions—Branch propped them against the wall instead. He'd put his bed up against the wall to the left of the window toward the back of the tower. Well, as best as it could be against the wall in a rounded room. Thankfully, there was plenty of room in this tower. Whatever bird bergens had made this for obviously needed some space.

One night, the two started practicing CPR, which Creek had been learning from Dr. Plum. At the moment, he was practicing the Heimlich maneuver on Branch, who felt like Creek was trying to crack him in half.

"And—push!" Creek applied way too much pressure again, and again, and—

"Gah!" Branch finally cried out. "Stop! You're gonna break something!"

Creek stopped, blushing and grinning sheepishly. "Sorry! Too much?" He looked over Branch's shoulder at the other troll.

Branch's breathing was heavy. "Yeah, definitely. Ugh."

"...Sorry. My bad," Creek said, still looking sheepish. "I'll—try to do a better job next time, alright?" He let go, and Branch fell to the floor.

The gray troll caught himself, landing on his hands and knees, and said, "It's fine. I don't think you broke any bones."

Creek stared for a moment, then he sweat. He hoped Branch was right about that. He'd barely figured out how to set a broken bone a week ago, and he wasn't sure what to do with a broken rib. "Uh, right. Then how about this?"

He tried again, more gentle this time. After all, the goal right now was to master the technique.

Later that night, Branch insisted on doing rescue breathing, and he wanted to use Creek for practice. Creek lay on the floor, sweating and trembling. This was very awkward for him and felt more like a kiss. His eyes were open, watching as Branch's mouth came closer and closer.

"...Gr-grah!" he cried, sitting up suddenly.

Branch backed away quickly, seeing this coming. He fought back a smirk. Creek's face was flushed horribly.

"Ugh! No! I just can't! This is far too weird for my liking! Can't you use something else!?" Creek wailed. He pointed at Croco, leaning on the pillow on the bed, and continued, "Like that gator of yours! I'm sure he wouldn't mind you kissing him back to life! Why's it gotta be me!?"

Mostly for the fun of it. This is the most entertaining thing I've had going on in a while, Branch thought, satisfied at Creek's discomfort. "Sheesh! Hopefully I never have to do that for you. Actually, you'd probably die, anyway, since we'd never have a doctor show up to solve the problem, and you aren't likely to be just drowning with me around."

If Creek needed that kind of attention, Branch doubted he'd ever be able to solve the problem here. A collapsed lung or internal bleeding seemed to him like more serious problems than water in the lungs, given that trolls usually came to when given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for near-drowning at the lagoon.

Creek wiped his mouth, sticking out his tongue. He had one eye closed in his disgust. "Gek! Good! I don't want to be kissed by you! Talk about doing something totally disgusting! Ugh! And you need some dental hygiene supplies, too! Remind me to bring you some next time. Your breath smells like raw sewage!" He covered his nose and gagged.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask to be locked in a tower," Branch said, rolling his eyes.

Creek just sat there, gagging and looking disgusted for a bit longer. Honestly, he looked so ridiculous that Branch couldn't help but smirk, amused.

Soon, Creek brought Branch some more things to improve his living situation. As promised, he brought Branch a toothbrush, dental floss, a small cup, and a tube of toothpaste. Then he filled the bucket he had brought earlier with water and instructed Branch to use it only for his dental hygiene needs from now on since they had a washbasin they could use for washing things. Branch set the bucket next to Creek's chair and put the rest of those supplies on top of it, setting the toothbrush in the cup for hygienic reasons.

If Creek were a little smarter, he might have started thinking Branch was using that chair as a table and a drying rack because he was mad at him.

By then, Branch had learned enough about making clothes that he made himself a couple of new outfits, bringing his total up to four. This prompted him to build a closet for his clothes, which was slightly inconvenient for Creek. In addition to wood, he needed to find a metal rod they could use to hang the clothes. Creek would have suggested building a dresser, but that would have required metal sliders, according to Branch, and that would be just as hard to get. In the end, Creek found what they needed, and Branch built the closet, using a carving knife to cut out holes in place of door handles. This closet was placed as close to the bed as possible. On top of the closet, Branch stored the sewing box, dustpan, feather duster, cleaning solution, and sponge. He put his backpack full of tools and weapons, his picture, and some now empty jars in the bottom of the closet, along with the first aid kit. Creek brought some clothes hangers Branch could use, and Branch hung his clothes and the towels in the closet.

It didn't take long for them to realize they didn't have room for all of the supplies Branch had brought with him, so one night, they went through them so Creek could take anything Branch had no use for and return it to Branch's abandoned bunker. By this point, Creek had taken to bringing a backpack and travel bags when he came to see Branch—it was easier to carry everything he needed in those.

"This blanket, too, mate?" Creek asked, holding up the one Branch had packed.

"Yeah," Branch answered. "I don't use it, anyway."

Creek took it and stuffed it in his bag.

Branch pulled out the camping bed he'd brought and handed that over, saying, "You can take this, too."

Creek did, knowing it hadn't been much good for anything anyway. If it had, Branch wouldn't have asked for help making a bed. "Alright, then. What else?"

Branch pulled out a piece of flint and looked at it. "...No point having this. I was going to use it for starting fires so we could keep warm, but..." He shrugged. "Not only would I need wood for that, but it'd be dangerous to try it here as is."

Creek stuffed the flint into his bag. Then Branch pulled out an empty jar. He had been using it to hold food, but he could see possible ways to reuse it.

Creek looked at it and reached for it, asking, "You want me to take that also? I doubt you'll have much use for it now."

Branch pulled it away, saying, "No, I could reuse it. Fill it with other stuff you bring."

Creek pulled back slightly, blinking at Branch, curious. "Oh? Like what?"

"Salve, medicine... Stuff like that."

"Oh. Alright, then. What else?"

They kept going until they'd purged the tower of all the items that Branch deemed useless. Now the only items randomly taking up floor space were the washbasin, the chamber pot (as Branch called it), the two chairs, the bucket, the CD player and CDs, Cooper's old thermos, and two picnic baskets (at night, anyway). One was filled with meals for the next day, including a couple of bottles of fresh water, and the other was empty. Creek took whichever one was empty with him when he left each night.

When he left that night, Creek took the empty basket with him as well as the unnecessary items. He dumped Branch's unneeded things in the bunker, knowing that nobody even knew Branch had taken anything with him when he'd left.

The place was looking more like a home than a dungeon, thanks to all the work they were putting into it. All it needed was a table, a rug, and some decorations, and it would resemble almost any troll's pod perfectly. Branch and Creek couldn't decide if this was a good thing or not.

Two months after their first failed attempt, Creek observed some trollings in the village playing I Spy and thought that playing games might help cheer Branch up. That night, he challenged Branch to a game.

"You want to play I Spy?" Branch asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But of course! Playing fun games like that makes trolls happy all the time! And I'm not just talking about Poppy this time, either! I got this idea by observing some different trolls instead!" Creek answered, his hope making him excited again. Having fun always worked!

Branch looked unsure for a moment before he said, "I guess we can try it."

"Splendid choice, old friend!" Creek said, thrilled. "Then I'll go first." He turned and looked out the window, given that there wasn't much to look at inside the tower that wouldn't be easy to guess. "I spy with my little eye something..." He saw a glow squirrel sleeping in a tree. "Something...neon blue."

Branch followed Creek's gaze out the window and looked around for a little bit. His eyes landed on the squirrel, and he asked, "That squirrel?"

"Right! You got it, Branch!" Creek answered, clapping and jumping around happily.

Branch kept staring out the window at the world he could no longer reach. Most of the time, he avoided looking out there.

Creek stopped jumping and looked at his friend, concerned. "...Uh, Branch? Mate? Are you alright?" he asked, heading over to put a hand on Branch's shoulder.

A group of glowflies flew by at a distance, singing and smiling. They flew around anywhere they wanted, free. Chorusflies sang happily in the trees, and a few other night-loving critters came and went freely, too.

"...I don't think I Spy's a good idea..." Branch said quietly, still staring outside.

"What?" Creek asked with wide eyes, pulling back. "But why not?"

Branch finally managed to tear his gaze away from the window and looked down at the stone floor beneath him. "...Looking outside doesn't help."

Creek looked down, ashamed. He should have known that would be upsetting. "Oh. Guess that was pretty tasteless of me, wasn't it?"

Branch closed his eyes and shook his head. "I-It's fine, Creek. You didn't mean any harm."

Creek took a couple more steps toward Branch, curious, and asked, "Is it really still there, mate? Chef was expecting you to be dead by now. So what sense would there be to put up some sort of permanent barrier, anyway? Perhaps we're wasting our time on something that doesn't even matter." He looked out the window.

Branch looked at the window again, wondering if Creek could be right and the barrier could have worn off. He headed over and reached his hand out the window. The barrier appeared, proving it was still there. Already upset as it was, Branch started trembling, looking on the verge of tears. He quickly pulled his hand back, bit his lip, and lowered his head.

"O-or it could be a p-permanent spell a-after all!" Creek stammered, backing away a bit with a guilty look on his face. He sweat. "M-m-my bad..."

Branch didn't say anything. He just stood there for another moment, too upset to speak. Then he walked over to his bed and sat down, grabbing Croco and holding on tight.

Creek moved to sit beside Branch and hugged him. "Hey, come on. Chin up, mate. There's still plenty of things we haven't tried yet. Oh! Maybe a game of—"

"I don't feel like playing," Branch cut him off, depressed.

"...Oh." Creek let go, looking at his friend sadly. He felt bad for him, but he hadn't had any choice but to bring Branch out here. Chef would have skinned him alive if he'd disobeyed.

That stupid barrier's still there, after all this time! How am I supposed to get out of this place!? Branch thought, feeling more miserable than ever.

"...You, uh...want me to go, then, mate?" Creek asked, slowly getting to his feet. He remembered how Branch had been immediately after losing his family—if he said he wanted to be alone, he snapped at anyone who wouldn't leave. "D-do you need some t-time a-alone?"

He needed to make sure he brought something really nice to make up for this one tomorrow night.

Branch was quiet for a moment before he answered, "Yeah."

"R-right..." Creek said, slowly backing for the window. "Yes... I-I'll do that, then..." He reached the window and looked back guiltily for a bit. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry," and climbed out the window.

Branch, still squeezing Croco, curled up into a ball and cried. He hadn't meant that—he didn't want to be alone. He was tired of being alone out here all the time, but he didn't know what Creek could possibly do to make him feel any better, so he told him to leave.

Hearing that on his way out, Creek silently vowed to be much more careful with his suggestions in the future. Not only did he feel insanely guilty for making Branch cry, but that wouldn't help things any. They needed him to be happy, not more miserable.

The next night, Creek brought a meal of nothing but Branch's favorite foods from childhood. He'd even gone out on a limb and asked Peppy if he knew Rosiepuff's old fluffleberry cake recipe, knowing that was Branch's favorite dessert. Luckily, Peppy had found it in a box that had once belonged to Rosiepuff. Creek convinced the king that it was his favorite dessert, too, even though he'd only eaten it once and nearly been sick from the taste. How Branch loved it so much, Creek couldn't guess.

Still, convincing Peppy he loved it had allowed him to get the king to bake some for him, which he brought to Branch. Now, however, he knew he'd have to ask for it himself once in a while and actually eat it. Creek didn't mind, though—it was a small price to pay to cheer Branch up after that mistake.

Creek was glad that it worked, too. Branch was still really upset when he returned—it looked like he'd backslid, lying in bed staring at the wall and looking about as miserable as he had those first few days after his family had died. When Creek presented him with this special meal, he perked up a bit, and the fluffleberry cake made his eyes light up in a way that made Creek decide it was definitely worth the sacrifice.