Shadgirl2: Okay, this is a long chapter.
Midna: Yeah, and it's time for things to get interesting! Hope you enjoy! Plenty of fun here!
Shadgirl2: On that note, there's a lot of...uh, interesting behavior here.
Midna: Nothing super inappropriate, but Poppy's dancing is very erotic, if you catch my drift.
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The song in this chapter is "Play" by Jennifer Lopez (the censored version).
The next morning, Poppy was the first troll active. She hadn't managed to sleep at all, so the moment she saw even a sliver of daylight outside, she'd sprung out of bed.
"Ooh! This is so exciting! I can't wait to tell my friends the good news!" She hurriedly got out of her pajamas (which she'd almost forgotten to change into the night before) and leaped into the shower, dancing with joy as she did. "And an event this monumental deserves a special presentation, too! And what better way than to give everyone a gift!?" By this point, she'd already scrubbed most of her body and was lathering up her hair.
She thought a special gift combined with an engagement party would really make this whole thing more special. Of course, the reasoning behind her thinking that she should give everyone who wasn't getting married a gift was a mystery, but Poppy didn't care if others thought it was weird. She wanted to share her happiness with the others. There was, however, one problem with this idea.
"But what kind...?" she asked herself, putting a hand to her chin as the water rinsed off all the soap and shampoo.
She stood there for a bit, thinking about what to use to symbolize the glory that was her engagement. An idea dawned on her as an unusual lavender mist filled the room, unnoticed by its only occupant. The mist crept in through the window and encircled Poppy's head, and her eyes widened suddenly. She turned the water off and hastily got out of the shower to dry off, saying, "Ooh, ooh, I know! I'll give everyone a flower! Now I just need to find the right kind!"
She hurriedly got dressed and brushed her teeth and hair then ran out of her pod to search for the perfect flower to use as a gift to announce her engagement to her friends. She didn't even stop to wonder if a flower really was the best gift for that. Something inside her seemed to say it was, so she didn't question it. As she searched the village, though, something kept telling her that none of the flowers in town were good enough. The entire time, this same lavender mist was circling her, and she still noticed nothing.
Poppy threw her head back in frustration, eyes slammed shut. "Arah! No, no, no! None of these will work!" she complained, gesturing around at the colorful flowers before her in the bushes as she glared at them. They were too common, just ordinary lilies. "They're just not special enough! Better check the forest!" Prompted by the mist she still couldn't see, Poppy ran deeper and deeper into the forest, searching for the most unique flowers she could find. She didn't even notice which direction she was heading. With the mist manipulating her, she turned down many unique and special flowers.
"No, no, no. Agh!" She pulled her hair a bit as her frustration grew. She'd been searching for about 3 hours by this time. She gestured to the unusual tiger-striped flowers vaguely shaped like pinwheels, still feeling that these weren't quite good enough. Sure, the yellow flower had rainbow-colored tiger stripes and silver glitter on the tips of each petal, but this odd flower somehow still wasn't good enough for her. "Isn't there a single flower out there that can accurately demonstrate the pure beauty of my fairy tale ending!?"
She kept going until she was exhausted. Her hug watch had gone off about 6 times since she'd started this search. It was around 2 in the afternoon by now. There were easier ways to celebrate, so Poppy couldn't help but start to wonder why she'd gotten this silly idea in her head in the first place.
Finally, she stopped for a moment to rest and catch her breath. "T-this is...ridicul...ous..." she said between breaths, hands resting on her knees. "M-maybe I...sh-should just...g-go with a c-c-card...instead..." That would have been the smart move. She could make those special without wearing herself out, so she once again wondered how she'd come up with this absurd idea. She straightened up and looked around, and her eyes widened. "Oh, no. Where outside of Troll village am I? And how do I get back there in the first place?"
She was now completely lost. She had no idea where home was from here.
Poppy tried retracing her steps, but she ended up going in circles, courtesy of that same unseen mist. No matter where she went, nothing looked familiar. That is, until she found herself standing in the same place she had been standing when she'd realized she was lost. Unsure if this was the same place, she stopped and looked around.
"...Ooh! You gotta be kidding me!" she cried, stomping a foot, as she recognized a very distinctive tree nearby—it wasn't every day you saw one that had split at the trunk, grown around a fallen tree, then reattached above it, after all. "How did I even—Okay. Calm down, Poppy. You can figure this out. You just have to—uh..." Her eyes lit up as an idea came to her and she raised a finger, smiling confidently. "Pick a random direction and let fate handle it from there! Yeah! That's a great idea and one he'd totally come up with! Why didn't I think of that!?"
If Creek could count on fate to lead him in the right direction, Poppy was sure it would help her, too. So, excited, Poppy took off running at random, hoping fate would guide her home. "Almost there, almost there, almost—"
She was cut off by a swarm of tarantapuffs, all looking at her hungrily. The lavender mist that had gotten her lost was now surrounding these creatures.
Poppy skidded to a stop, her eyes widening, and screamed. She turned and ran in a different direction, the tarantapuffs in hot pursuit. "Wrong way, wrong way, wrong—Oh, man! How'd I get into this mess in the first place!?"
A card would have sufficed. How had she come up with this hair-brained idea? She wasn't normally this bad. But she decided she'd have to worry about that later...if she lived that long.
She kept running, doing all she could to avoid them, as they seemed to herd her in a very specific direction under the mist's guidance. If she deviated from the mist's course, she was cut off and forced back in the direction the mist wanted her to go.
Some time later, it was after 5 pm. Poppy lost the tarantapuffs and stopped in a small clearing to catch her breath. She was now even more lost than before, having strayed farther from the village.
"Okay. Well, that didn't work out so great." She brightened again, adopting the same pose with a raised finger and a smile, and naively said, "But who ever said fate took the short way? Here we go with round two!" So saying, she took off in another random direction.
This time, she came face-to-face with a huge orange snake with red stripes and blue lips. Its eyes stuck out on its head in a way more often seen with slugs and snails. The snake was also under the control of the unseen mist. It hissed at her as she skidded to a halt and turned to run again.
"This. Is. Not my day! Not my day at all!" she cried as she ran farther still, the snake chasing and herding her in the same way the tarantapuffs had done.
By this time, it was late in the afternoon, and the sun was starting to set. Creek got lucky this day—Chef was sick and hadn't even gotten out of bed. He could always tell when she was watching him, partially because of his powers and partially because he was so used to the feeling of her magic when she actively observed him. Because of this, he knew he'd be safe to drop by the tower earlier than normal. This was a good thing because he wanted to get that unpleasantness out of the way as quickly as possible so he could go spend some time with his fiance. He hadn't seen her all day.
After spending most of the day replaying last night's events in his head, Creek was angry at Branch. Given how the gray troll had been lately and how he refused to show Creek any mercy these days, Creek didn't plan to stay any longer than he needed to. Again, he might have deserved this treatment, but Branch didn't have to deliver on it every time they met. So, this night, he flew up to the window and tossed a basket in, not even bothering to look at the tower's occupant. "Here, Branch. Eat up," he said bitterly.
Still mad himself, Branch didn't care that Creek seemed intent on leaving immediately. He came to get the basket of food, emptied the last of the previous night's delivery into the new basket, and handed the now-empty basket back to Creek, all the while scowling. "Thanks."
Creek scowled as well. "Don't mention it."
As Creek turned to fly off, Branch sighed. There's no use in holding a grudge. In fact, since my entire life hinges on Creek's willingness to come around, it's detrimental to my health, he thought. Sure, his life was miserable, but there was still some small part of him that hoped that something would change and he'd be able to stop this impending disaster. Besides, he still didn't want to be alone, even if he hated Creek at the moment. The traitor was all he had, like it or not. "Sorry," he said, not sounding sincere at all. "Guess we should stop talking about Princess Poppy."
Creek didn't respond right away. When he did, he simply gave a humph and flew away, still angry. Why couldn't Branch just be happy for him for once? Having Poppy as his wife would be a great ending to this tragedy for Creek, even if she did end up hating him in the end. He only wished Branch would see it that way.
Branch sighed again, alone. "Great. I have got to stop doing that! If I keep making him mad, eventually he'll stop coming around, then I can starve to death alone!"
He took the new basket and set it on the table he'd built, then went to prepare himself some dinner using what he had left from the night before.
It took forever for Poppy to lose the snake, and she didn't even have the slightest idea where she was by the time she did. To make matters worse, it was starting to get dark out, the sunlight quickly disappearing as the sun sank lower still. Looking at her watch, it was around 7 pm.
"Okay. S-so maybe this so-called 'power of fate' isn't so great after all..." she said, then, posing in the exact same way for a third time, continued, "but, as the saying goes! 'Third time's the charm!' Right!?"
And, betting everything on this final attempt, she took off at random again, her feet really starting to burn from all the running she'd done today. This time, the lavender mist guided her directly, sending her further north and preventing any predators from attacking her so she wouldn't stray from this course. By the time she stopped, the sun was gone, and she was definitely not in Troll Village. The mist dispersed as Poppy stared in awe.
She'd found herself in another clearing, which wasn't surprising. What was, however, was the stone tower standing before her. It was the only building in the area, just standing all the way out here on its own. It was far too small for a bergen, so it must have been built by a creature closer to her own size, but it looked uninhabited. There were no lights anywhere in or around the structure, making it hard to tell if it even had a door or windows.
"Oh, great. Now where am I?" she wondered, putting her hands on her hips. She didn't understand why this wasn't working for her. Maybe you had to be a guru troll for fate to guide you. "I don't remember any place with a tower being out here!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "And Dad never said anything about it, either!" She walked around the structure, checking things out. In the back, she found a door that she figured was the entrance. However, upon opening it, she stared in awe. There was only one room, no staircase, and a couple of objects that seemed highly out of place—a water heater and a generator. Poppy gaped, stunned and confused.
"...A water heating unit? What's this doing here? Of all places. An old medieval tower with a—"
She cut herself off as the sound of growling nearby made her eyes widen. She looked over her shoulder uneasily. There was nothing there at the moment, but whatever it was didn't sound like it was far away.
"Oh, man. There's just no way I'm getting home like this! Better see about taking shelter up there for the night," she said, glancing up. "I-I mean, what have I got to lose?"
She moved around some more, looking up with curiosity. Finally, she saw an open window and figured that was the way in. She reached up with her hair, grabbing the windowsill, and formed a staircase so she could climb up.
"Ain't no way I'm climbing this thing or pulling myself up right now! I am way too tired for that!" With that, she quickly made her way up her makeshift staircase.
Granted, a staircase wasn't much better, but at least she wouldn't have to lift her entire body off the ground that way. Her tired hair could support her body weight better from below than above. To fight off this growing feeling of discouragement, Poppy started singing. As usual, this successfully perked her back up.
Inside the tower, Branch had been sitting in the dark, eating his dinner. He hadn't felt like lighting either of the torches, had let the fire in the fireplace burn out, and honestly barely felt like eating, hence the reason he was just sitting in the dark. Seeing something strange on the windowsill, however, he set the food down quietly and rose from his seat, pulling a frying pan out of his hair. Ever since that first attack, he'd made sure to keep some tools on him that he could use as weapons in the event of another attack from a predator. He crept over to the window and pressed himself against the wall beside it, hiding from whatever was coming, as he braced himself. Honestly, he wanted something to hit, so this was perfect timing.
"Hey! I'm not giving up today! There's nothing getting in my way!" a cheerful, beautiful, and distinctly female voice sang.
W-what!? A girl!? Branch carefully peeked out the window, hoping he wasn't just going crazy.
It was hard to see in the dark, but what appeared to be a dark-colored girl troll was skipping up a hair staircase, smiling and singing with hardly a care. She did, however, look a bit pained as he watched her more closely.
"'Cause if you knock, knock me over, I! Will! Get back up again!" she sang cheerfully.
Branch's eyes widened, and he quickly put the frying pan away, grabbing the torch off the wall instead. He quietly moved away from the window, found his lighter, and waited. He didn't want to scare her off—she was the first troll he'd seen in 16 years besides Creek, and she was probably the only hope he had of saving anyone. This girl didn't realize it, but her entire species was going to be counting on her in about another 30 seconds.
"Oh! If something goes a little wrong! Well, you can go ahead and bring it on! 'Cause if you knock, knock me over, I—" Poppy leaped into the window, eyes closed, "—will—" she landed gracefully on the windowsill, posing with her hands above her head and a huge smile on her face, "—get back up again!"
She was sweating, exhausted. She could tell she was a mess—her dress was torn from all the thorns and bushes she'd maneuvered through while fleeing, she had twigs and leaves stuck in her hair, and she'd managed to give herself plenty of little scratches while running from those tarantapuffs and that snake. She was looking forward to just getting some rest so she could start over in the morning. Hopefully she'd find something familiar then.
"Well, you're peppy," came a voice from the darkness, and a small light appeared as Branch flicked the lighter.
Poppy opened her eyes, shocked. "What? Who said—" She looked around curiously.
Suddenly a torch lit up, revealing a gray troll with black hair and icy blue eyes. Poppy stared at him, a weird feeling creeping up on her. Something about him was familiar, but all trolls she knew were more colorful with ears pointing up, not down. She vaguely recalled a boy with gray skin and unusual ears from her childhood, but he had died a long time ago.
One look at this girl, and Branch could hardly believe his eyes. She looked a great deal like the picture hanging over his bed, although she was definitely older. This pink troll standing on his windowsill was dirty and wearing a torn blue dress and a tiara in the form of a green headband with blue flowers. P-Poppy? No, it couldn't be. I can't be that unlucky—or would it actually be lucky for her to show up here?
If Poppy was as stupid as he recalled, this would end badly. However, if she'd gotten a brain in the last 16 years, it might be a good thing that he could tell her directly that her fiance was a snake. There was only one way to find out.
"I think you're a little lost," he said. "Not a lot of trolls come out this way."
"Uh, yeah! Tell me about it..." She sweat and looked away, feeling awkward for both invading what was apparently someone's home and for the fact that it was so obvious as to why. A stupid rare flower wasn't worth all this. Sounding annoyed with herself, she crossed her arms with a pout and muttered, "Didn't even know trolls lived out here. I must be really far from home with that in mind."
Branch smiled a bit, slightly amused. "I'm Branch."
Poppy started, here eyes widening. "I'm sorry! Did you just say your name was Branch? Did I hear that correctly, or am I hallucinating now, too?" She put a hand on her hip, now annoyed. If she was losing her mind due to this idiotic decision of hers...
He blinked at her, apparently confused. "Uh, no, you heard right. It's Branch."
Poppy stared, stunned. "Huh," she said after a moment. "Well, that's weird. I knew a troll by that name once. Or, at least, I think that was his name."
That was one bizarre coincidence. What were the odds of meeting two trolls who looked so much alike and shared a name?
She closed her eyes and shrugged, casually saying, "Dad doesn't really like to talk about it 'cause he sort of died as a kid, and he was my dad's responsibility, so..." She looked away, unwilling to finish and looking uncomfortable. Honestly, she didn't like talking about him, either. Sure, he hadn't been nice to her, but he hadn't deserved the gruesome death he'd got in the end.
Branch just stared at her himself, dread creeping in. "You're Princess Poppy, aren't you?" he asked. Of course. Unlucky, it is.
If she was seriously standing here looking at a gray troll who had the same name as the only gray troll she'd ever met in her life and was around the age that troll should be and thinking that he was someone else, she was just as dumb as always. Sure, she hadn't said they were gray, but Branch knew there wasn't anyone else in town with his name, especially not someone who'd been raised by her dad.
"Huh? How'd you know?" she asked, looking at him with confusion.
Branch stared at her for another moment, debating how to say this. Hopeless or not, he still had to try. This kind of chance would never come around again, he knew. After a second, he said, "Because I used to know you."
Poppy stared. "...Really?"
"Yeah. It's a long story, Poppy."
Then, hopping off the windowsill, she walked around the tower a bit as she took everything in. In this process, her eyes landed on a picture hanging over his bed. "Hey...how did you get that? Harper made it for my fiance, Creek." She looked around some more, noticing other familiar objects. "And Satin and Chenille made that rug for him. And that's Cooper's thermos and Smidge's chess set and—"
"Creek comes around a lot," Branch cut her off simply.
Poppy turned her attention back to him, curiosity growing and winning out over exhaustion. This was getting too interesting. "You know Creek, too? How?"
Branch sighed. "You...might want to sit down. This really is a long story." Silently, he added, And you're not going to like it. He walked over to the bracket on the wall and hung the torch back up.
"Uh, sure," Poppy said, moving to take a seat at the small table. Seeing the half-eaten meal there, she looked at it longingly. She'd skipped breakfast in her excitement, so she hadn't eaten all day. She managed to contain herself, knowing that food wasn't hers, for a few seconds before she asked, "I'm sorry, but you wouldn't happen to have anything else to eat, would you? I've been on my feet all day and haven't eaten a thing!"
Without hesitation, Branch reached into the basket Creek had brought earlier that evening and pulled out a loaf of bread, which he handed to her. "Here. Eat up."
Poppy took it eagerly, saying, "Thanks! You're a life-saver!"
As she gobbled it down, Branch took a moment to look her over a bit more. From the look of her, she'd gotten lost in the woods and been wandering for awhile. She also had a bunch of blisters on her feet, from what he could tell. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she'd gotten herself into. All that mattered was that it brought her to him, and he planned to do everything he could to make sure she got her people to safety now that he could tell her what was going on.
He pointed at the brown shower curtain and said, "If you want to get cleaned up, there's a shower over there."
"Yeah, okay," she said, seemingly unconcerned, as she continued eating.
"What are you doing out here, anyway? This isn't anywhere near Troll Village!" he asked, unable to help himself.
Poppy swallowed hard, sweating. She didn't really want to go into that. It was embarrassing. "Uuuhh, you first... You said you know me and Creek?"
Branch sighed and answered, "Right. Well, the guy you used to know? Yeah, that's me. I lived with you and King Peppy for a few years after my family—after I lost my family."
Poppy stared once again, stunned. "Wait, what? But Creek found that guy's remains, and Dad had them buried in the old Troll Tree. A-are you telling me I-I'm talking to a g-ghost o-or something!?" She jumped, leaning back a bit in the chair as she curled up defensively and clutched her food in her hands.
"Poppy, ghosts don't eat," Branch answered simply, already growing impatient with this girl and her stupidity.
"T-they don't?" she asked, looking uncertain as she cautiously uncurled.
"No. Or age. I was 10 the last time I saw you. If I was dead, I'd be younger than you now."
Poppy relaxed then, letting the chair's legs all hit the floor again. "Oh. W-well, then, what did happen to you? Dad buried someone in that grave, and it sure looked like a mutilated troll to him!"
Not that Poppy had seen it, but she'd taken her dad's word for it. She bit into her food again, still hungry.
"Well, that night, I was planning on leaving Troll Village," Branch answered, pleasantly surprised he wasn't still trying to convince her that he wasn't a ghost. "But I ran into Creek on my way out. It was really late, so I asked what he was doing up. He tried to say he was doing some meditation or something, even though I found him on the ceiling, jumpy as can be."
"Yeah? So? Creek's always sort of jumpy. So what?" Poppy asked, mouth full of bread.
Ignoring her table manners, Branch said, "Yeah, that's what I figured, too, given what he'd been through. When I said I was leaving, he told me he wanted to come with me since he didn't have anywhere else to go, either, and didn't want me running off alone."
Poppy swallowed her latest bite of bread and said, "Aw... That's so sweet of him. He's just the—"
Not wanting to hear how great Creek was, given that Poppy looked ready to start rambling about how much she loved him, Branch interrupted, "Then he lured me out here, where his master trapped me."
Poppy started, her eyes widening. "Wait, what?" she asked, staring at him with concern. The bread in her hands was forgotten.
"Creek told me that, after King Peppy made peace with the bergens, the chef wasn't too happy. I guess she didn't like losing her importance. She took Creek and left, finding a new town with bergens who still don't know what happiness is, and plans to restart Trollstice there."
Eyes wide, Poppy was fully engrossed in the story at this point. "...Really?"
Branch nodded. "She tortured Creek for four years before she felt he was well-trained enough to obey her no matter what, then she sent him to find the other trolls."
Poppy just stared, at a loss for words. She hoped this guy wasn't serious.
Branch took a deep breath, readying himself for the part of the story she'd hate the most. If he could get her to stay after he said this part, he might have a chance of saving her and the rest of the village. "I know you're not going to like hearing this, but you need to know what Chef's planning. Creek was supposed to marry the princess...you."
Poppy gave another start as her eyes widened again. "...What?"
"Don't get me wrong, he does like you. But he has a mission to complete, and he's so afraid of Chef that no amount of love for you is going to stop him from finishing it."
Poppy stared at Branch for a moment, and he started to worry that she'd get mad and storm out. Then she did something almost as bad. She set the rest of the bread down and stood up, looking amused, and headed toward the shower. "Okay. Great story, pal, but it's getting sort of late, so I think I'll go get a—"
She didn't believe him. If she left here, thinking it had just been a story, she wouldn't do anything to stop it.
"Hold on, I can prove it!" Branch cut her off.
Poppy turned to face him, a smug look on her face. She crossed her arms and asked, "Oh, really? How?"
"Chef put a barrier around this tower that keeps me trapped in here. Any time I try to leave, it stops me. I can show you."
He didn't want to, but he needed her to believe him.
Poppy blinked, lost once again. "A what? There's no barrier out there! I got in with ease!"
"That's because it only traps unhappy trolls. Here, watch."
Branch walked over to the window and, looking back at Poppy, stretched his hand out until he felt the barrier appear and stop him. Poppy's eyes widened in shock as she saw the gray-brown bubble-like wall appear around his hand. She slowly made her way over, and Branch kept his eyes on her the entire time.
"Whoa... That's..." She stared at it in awe.
"It's around this whole room, like some sick bubble trapping me here."
Poppy stood beside him and reached her hand out. It went through the barrier, beyond where Branch could reach. He made the mistake of looking at her hand as she did that, and, despite everything he said about accepting his fate of being trapped here, he felt a pang in his chest when he saw that.
"Whoa. That's really..." Poppy trailed off as she looked at Branch, her eyes wide with awe.
Pushing aside his own pain, Branch said, "Chef put it up here and left me for dead. If Creek hadn't come back, I'd be dead by now."
Poppy looked down, pulling her hand back and letting it fall to her side. She didn't want to believe it, but that barrier really was there.
Branch pulled his hand back, and the barrier disappeared. Looking desperate, he said, "Please, Poppy, you have to believe me! You're all in danger, and Creek needs help! He's as trapped as I am. He's supposed to bring everyone in Troll Village to Crumsville, Chef's new home town, so she can start Trollstice up there. You need to get everyone out of Troll Village and relocate again before anyone gets hurt!"
He hoped, of course, that she could find a way to save everyone. Despite the fact that he was currently angry at Creek, Branch didn't really want him to suffer...much. He wanted Creek to lose his fiance and maybe his friends, sure, but he didn't want the traitor getting hurt.
Poppy's eyes widened in shock at the implication. She looked at Branch and cried, "What? But what about you? If I did that, you could die!"
Branch shook his head—he already knew that, and it was honestly preferable to being trapped here forever. "There's nothing you can do about that, Poppy. I'm trapped here, and that's not changing any time soon. I just want to make sure nobody else has to get hurt for Chef's plan."
"What!? That's no good! All you'd need to do to get out of here is be happy, and—" She put a hand to her head as she wobbled a bit, cutting herself off. It seemed her last bit of overexertion had finally done it. The adrenaline she'd been running on was wearing off, leaving her exhausted from the stress of the day. "Ooh... I don't feel so great..." She started to collapse to the floor.
Branch's eyes widened slightly as he caught her. "Easy, Poppy."
She just moaned a bit, knees shaking. She could barely stand. Branch gently picked her up and carried her over to his bed, where he lay her down.
"...Branch..." She looked at him with concern through half-closed eyes. No matter how tired she was, this guy still needed help.
"I wish it was that simple, Poppy, but it's not," Branch told her, shaking his head a bit.
"...But...being happy's an easy thing to do... All you gotta do is—"
Unwilling to go down this path again, Branch cut her off, "Don't worry about that right now, Poppy."
She didn't understand—she couldn't possibly. No happy troll could know how difficult his situation was. He'd lost his happiness a long time ago, and the past 16 years had just given him more reasons to be unhappy. There wasn't anything good in his life that wasn't snatched away from him.
Fortunately for Branch, he had an easy way to change the subject—one of the blisters on Poppy's feet had burst and bled some. He went to grab one of the two first-aid kits he had here, saying, "Right now, let's get you taken care of."
Poppy sat up as anxiety gave her yet another burst of energy, crying, "'Don't worry about it'!? What do you mean by that!? Branch, you can't just—"
"Your foot was bleeding," he cut her off as he walked back over with the first-aid kit, looking at her feet as he spoke.
Poppy blinked and looked at them, too. "It was?"
"Mind if I take care of it?"
Poppy nodded, sweating some. If she really was bleeding, then she probably should get that taken care of. Branch gently took her foot and started cleaning it up, washing off the dirt and applying antibiotic ointment to prevent the infection.
Poppy winced in pain. "Ow, ow, ow, ow! Okay, yeah! I definitely needed to find a spot to rest! That run took a lot out of me for sure!"
As he kept working, taking care of the many blisters Poppy'd managed to get, Branch said, "You still haven't told me what you're doing out here, come to that."
Poppy sweat, looking awkward. "Uuhh..." Not willing to share the full ridiculousness of her tale, she settled for the shortest and least embarrassing version. "Let's just say I got lost in the woods looking for a gift for my friends and got chased out here by some wild predators. Heh, heh, heh..." She hoped that would be good enough for him.
That reminded Branch—he'd left the door open. His eyes widened. "Uh, hold that thought," he said, putting her foot down. He walked over to the window and closed and locked the door. Then he went back to Poppy and started wrapping bandages around the foot he'd just finished cleaning.
Poppy watched him, concerned. "Uh, Branch? Why'd you—"
"Just making sure no one else comes in tonight, that's all," he answered. Muttering, he added, "I mean, it's one thing for me to get attacked, but the princess of Troll Village?"
Given how things in his life generally went, he figured she'd be snatched up by a predator and eaten before she could tell anyone about the danger they were in if he left that window open any longer. It was almost like he was cursed or something when he thought about how many things in his life went wrong. In fact, the last time something remotely positive had happened to him, it had taken a dramatic turn for the worse that very same night, and he was still dealing with the results of that event.
"Oh. Okay," Poppy answered, apparently satisfied. "Well, anyway, as I was saying, happiness is inside every creature, Branch! You just need some help to find it's all!"
She was cheery enough that Branch almost felt bad for the urge to laugh at her optimism. As it was, he simply kept that urge to himself and, not making eye contact, finished bandaging her foot and said, "Yeah, well, after 16 years, I think Creek's pretty much tried everything he can think of to help me find it."
Being happy was an impossibility for him. He'd never get out of this tower until the day he died, and he knew it. Why kid himself?
"Has he tried singing a happy song!?" Poppy asked, then she started singing cheerfully, "La, la, la! Sing a happy song! Put a smile on your face and—"
Branch sighed, "I don't like singing, Poppy."
Poppy stopped singing and looked at him for a moment, stunned. "Okay. Now that sounds familiar. Maybe you do know me, after all." It was starting to look like his story about being her late fiance was true, but...
Branch smirked a bit and moved to take care of the other foot. He had said that one a lot when they were kids, hadn't he? But there was something he'd said even more. "Wow. Really? That's the line that stuck with you? What about 'We're not related'?"
He'd only said that exact sentence to her at least once a day for two years.
Poppy's eyes widened, and she leaned forward a bit, stunned. "...No...way..." She stared at him. That line definitely rang a bell—she remembered the embarrassing fact that she'd thought any troll living with her had to be family in some way. He really was the same guy.
Branch smirked and looked at her. "Looks like I left an impression, after all." He went back to work on treating her other foot.
It took Poppy another moment to recover (though she was secretly grateful Branch wasn't teasing her about that one), but she finally stammered, "O-okay! Then what about dancing!? That works every time!" She started wiggling, dancing while sitting on the bed, and ended up kicking Branch in the nose.
"Ow!" he cried, closing his eyes. He gently grabbed her foot and tried to contain his irritation. Don't snap at her, don't snap at her, don't snap at her... After a moment, he said, "Yeah, I don't dance, either."
"What!? It's easy! Come on!" Poppy said, and she leaped out of bed without giving him a chance to finish patching her up, grabbed his hands, and started making him dance, all signs of her previous exhaustion lost.
Given that Creek had never grabbed him and forced him to do anything, this was a shock for Branch. His eyes widened slightly, startled at the nerve this girl had. "Whoa! Poppy! Come on!"
Poppy ignored him and tapped out a beat with her foot. "A-five, six, seven, eight! Slide to the left! Slide to the right! Feel that groove ooverfloow!" She wiggled her hips slowly, dipping down to the floor and back up as she did. "Now jump to the center! Shimmy and sway! Feel the music move ya til the brink of day!" She stomped from the left to the right. "Oh, yeah!" She gave a finishing pose, turning away and holding just one of Branch's hands while waving the other in the air, grinning as if this was the best thing ever.
As she spoke, she made him do everything she said, dragging him along as she danced her heart out.
Branch rolled his eyes and pulled away, saying, "Okay, thanks, Poppy, but I don't think that's really gonna do it for me."
It was taking so much effort for him to just sound polite. If he hadn't had so much practice over the last 16 years, he'd probably have told her to keep her hands to herself and asked what was wrong with her.
Poppy threw her arms down, slightly frustrated. This situation was starting to look really familiar, and she wasn't sure she liked it. "Aw, but, Branch! You hardly even tried! Now get out of that stuffy old head of yours and into your body! Oooh!" She danced a bit more herself, hips shaking from side to side.
"Poppy, I was trying to take care of that foot of yours, considering all the blisters you've got," Branch said, irritation leaking into his voice.
"Well, you can do that later. For now, we dance! Ooee, ooee!" She grabbed him once again, twirled him around, and then dipped him, grinning playfully. Her eyes were saying "come on, you know you wanna."
Branch groaned and pulled away again. "Poppy, just stop, okay? Dancing isn't going to solve my problems."
Poppy sighed, giving up for now. Some things never changed, which made her wonder why her dad had thought pairing the two of them up as a couple was a good idea. "Yeah, okay." She hopped back onto the bed with a huff, crossing her arms, and muttered, "You grumpy old Gus."
Branch rolled his eyes and said, "Believe me, you'd be pretty grumpy if you'd just lived the last 16 years the way I have." Then, since she'd stopped dragging him around, he finished up with her other foot. Once he was done, he stepped back, debating something.
I don't have a bath tub, just a shower, and she nearly collapsed already. Besides, if she soaks the bandages, they'll need changed already, and she doesn't have the kind of injuries that justify using that many bandages right now. But she's still a mess, and some of that mess is cuts and scratches that need washed so they don't get infected.
Of course, there was always the option of filling the washbasin with water and using it as a bathtub, but there was still the whole problem of her soaking the bandages. In hindsight, maybe he should have gotten her a bath before bandaging her feet. It would have made his life a lot easier. "How do you feel about a sponge bath? Because I don't think a shower's a great idea for you right now," he said.
"Yeah, okay," Poppy said, seemingly unconcerned. Then she leaped up, looking eager, and said, "So! What say we start off with some real dancing first!?" She pulled a mandolin out of her hair, a mischievous grin on her face. "After all, everyone says singing in the bath's a ton of fun, so dancing before one's bound to be, too!" She started strumming a happy song—Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! My, oh, my, what a wonderful day!" she sang with a huge smile on her face, dancing to the beat as well.
Branch sighed. He was starting to remember the other reasons Poppy had been irritating when he was little, and he was honestly starting to wish she wasn't here anymore. Couldn't she just take the information he had for her and leave? He wanted her to save the village. He already knew he was doomed. "I'm not really in a dancing mood, Poppy."
Poppy gave a fake pout. "Aw...what's wrong? Don't like the song?" She gave a wicked grin and asked, "Then how's this one move ya!?" She switched up the beat and started rapping, "Yo! What a wonder-fully happenin' day! How 'bout that sunshine h-headin' my way! Come on, homey, what do ya say? Check this feeling, it's a wonderful day!"
Branch just gave her a lame look. If he answered her question, he'd definitely drive her off. Instead, he went to grab his washbasin and fill it with water for her.
Undeterred, Poppy beamed and, still grinning mischievously, said, "No!? Then how 'bout this!?" She started playing what sounded more like rock music and sang, "Ooooh, yeeeaaahh! Mister bluebird on my shoulder! Oh, it's the truth, it's so act-chill...! Everything's so satisfactual... Oooh, whoa...!"
While she sang, Branch just filled the washbasin. Then he brought it over to the bed, very tempted to slosh Poppy with it while setting it down and pretend it was an accident. He resisted the urge, though, and just put it down gently, then he went to grab a washrag.
Poppy seemed a little put-out by his lack of a response. After a moment, she sighed in what appeared to be defeat. "Oh, alright, Branch. If you insist..." And she started strumming out a more country melody. "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Zip-a-dee yay. My, oh, my, I really love this here darlin' day! Plenty of—"
Thinking he'd heard her botch that song enough times (and that this last one had to be the worst way she'd done it), Branch glanced at her, disturbed, and said, "Uh, yeah... Definitely not that one."
Who would enjoy that absurdity, anyway? Not only was the song overly cheerful and unrealistic—no such thing as a wonderful day, and he knew it—but her idea of what country singing sounded like was ear-wrenching.
"Hey! You finally said something, Branch! Now we're getting somewhere!" Poppy said cheerfully, pointing at him. She was hoping she'd eventually get a response.
Branch rolled his eyes and came back with a towel, washrag, and soap in hand. "If you're aiming for 'annoying,' then you're already there."
Poppy started, staring at him in shock. That was rude of him. Honestly, it was more like what she'd been expecting since she'd found out who he was. If that wasn't proof he really was her former fiance, she didn't know what was. She'd definitely dodged a bullet in that regard.
Branch looked at her, and realization hit when he saw her face. Fearing she might leave, he said, "Sorry, Poppy. I shouldn't have said that."
As usual, his situation was complicated—Poppy was irritating, but she was company. Besides that, he still had to convince her to do something about her fiance's treasonous actions.
Poppy perked up, grinning. She waved a hand dismissively. "Aw, that's alright, Branch. I know you didn't mean it."
Maybe he'd changed after all. Maybe he'd only been mean before because he was 10 and bratty. All she knew was he wasn't the same guy she'd known before.
Branch blinked at her, relieved. "Right. Well, anyway, I've got everything you need here to get cleaned up," he said, setting down the soap and washrag.
"Yeah, okay..." Then she saw the CD player, and her face lit up.
It was at this moment that Branch knew she wasn't going to stop until she had her way.
"You listen to music!? Neat! Let's go see what ya got!" she said, and she hopped off the bed again, running over to the CD player with excitement.
Branch looked from where she'd been to where she was now. Frustrated, he gestured at the washbasin full of warm water, saying, "Poppy!"
Poppy ignored this as she grabbed his box of CDs and started flipping through them excitedly. "Ooh... These are some good ones." She pulled one out and stuck it in the player, selected the song, and hit play. The song "Play" by Jennifer Lopez started up.
Poppy grinned, tapping her foot to the beat. "Hmm... How fitting." She got up and whirled around dramatically, a mischievous look on her face as she looked Branch dead in the eye.
"Uh," came the first bit of the song.
"I've been waiting all night to dance with someone, too."
"Yeah."
That wasn't true, and Branch certainly wouldn't have been her first choice. The guy hadn't danced when they were kids, and she seriously doubted he was any good, anyway. Still, she knew this song. And a song like this could be used to my advantage. 'Cause there's always one surefire way to get a boy to do what you want, and this song sets up a perfect environment for it, too. She laughed mischievously. There was no way Branch would be able to resist—he'd been locked up here since before he even hit puberty.
Poppy started bopping her head and tapping a foot to the beat, her eyes closed and a mischievous grin on her face as the music continued. She opened her eyes halfway and gave Branch a flirtatious look.
Branch raised an eyebrow, taking a step back. He didn't like that look. "Uh... Poppy?"
She started swaying to the song, her hands clasped together in front of her, as she moved toward him seductively, singing, "I could wait all night and day to go to a party, sit down and wait. Give my request to the deejay 'cause my song, he's gotta play." She twirled a bit, which brought her closer to Branch. Once she was in the middle of the tower, she stopped twirling and resumed her seductive strutting, batting her eyes at Branch some. "And when I hear that beat, I get my body up out my seat, I grab a guy and move my feet. He's playing my song." She slid to the left, then the right, moving closer to Branch with each move. She finished with a spin that left her just inches away from him.
Branch was definitely uncomfortable at this point. He backed up more as he said, "Poppy, come on! Just drop it, will you?"
She didn't listen, swaying seductively from side to side as she drew closer still. "Play. Come on, play that song. Play it all night long. Just turn it up and turn it on," she sang along with the CD as Branch backed away from her. Soon, Branch found himself literally backed against the wall. In response, Poppy put her hands on her hips and started strutting, still giving him a bewitching gaze. "Play. Come on, deejay, play that song. You know that it turns me on."
"Deejay, just play that song," the CD played in the background.
Now Branch found himself with nowhere to run, pinned to the wall, and Poppy was thrilled at this turn of events. She had him right where she wanted him.
"Just turn it up and turn it on," Poppy sang, giving a victorious smirk that still managed to be alluring. Then she started practically dancing on him, turning the charm up high as she continued giving him a seductive look. The way she was dancing wouldn't have been out of place at a strip club, but it wasn't normally something one would expect from a girl who was engaged.
"Deejay, just play that song 'cause I wanna be dancing all night long," Poppy sang along with the song.
Branch's eyes widened as a blush crept onto his face. "H-hey, what are you...?"
Ignoring his protests, Poppy turned her back on him, pressed up against him. "Play my—" She spun out a bit, dramatically.
"Play my—" came from the player.
Poppy spun back against Branch, now facing him with that tantalizing gaze of hers. "Play my—" She spun out once again.
"Play my—"
She spun back to Branch once more. "Play my favorite song," Poppy sang. "Uh." She bopped him in the nose, looking at him with lust that she didn't really feel. Stepping back a bit, she started swaying to the music again, still dancing like she worked at a nightclub. "I don't care if everybody's gone. Turn it up 'cause it turns me on. Keep dancing all night long. Feels so right that it can't be wrong."
Poppy took Branch's hand and twirled herself closer to him. Her face close to his, she ran a hand down his face flirtatiously, still holding onto his hand as she swayed to the song.
"Can't be wrong," the CD echoed as Poppy closed her eyes and kissed Branch on the nose.
This was the first time Branch had been near a girl in 16 years. The way she was acting triggered some sort of primal instinct he didn't quite understand. He had the sudden urge to grab her himself, an urge he resisted as he blushed furiously. He did, however, stop asking what she was doing, too lost in whatever that was.
Eyes still closed, Poppy waved her arms up over her head as she shimmied up and down, pressed right up against Branch as she did. "I get chills up and down my spine whenever I hear that song of mine. When it stops, better press rewind."
"Play that ** again," the CD played.
"Let me hear it one more time," Poppy sang along, spinning in a full circle again. She then gave Branch a quick peck on the cheek before stepping back a bit and holding out her other hand, waiting. She hoped he'd just melt into the dance. It wasn't like he'd ever had any experience with the opposite sex, so she was banking on the idea that he'd lose control, being a 26-year-old guy who was so deprived.
Branch gave a slight start when she kissed him, then looked at her hand.
"Play. Come on, play that song. Play it all night long. Just turn it up and turn it on."
Hesitantly, he reached out, but he stopped just shy of taking it and pulled back slightly. Poppy took his hand and pulled him into a dance, still trying to charm him as she did. Unlike before, Branch went along with it, but he still seemed reluctant. She held him with one hand, waved an arm out, then put her hands on her hips and strutted a bit before twirling into his chest and taking both of his hands from behind, rocking the two of them to the beat. Branch hardly responded, just rocking a bit to the music, evidently nervous. He was mostly stiff and motionless as Poppy led the dance, but at least he was moving some now.
Hmm... Not exactly what I had in mind. He's a tough one, for sure. But I know how to get him to loosen up. She sang, "Play. Come on, deejay, play that song. You know that it turns me on." She grabbed his hands and slid herself under him, twirling herself as she got back up on the other side, then looped one leg around one of his and wrapped her arms around him, looking at him with desire. Like before, Branch went along with it, even going so far as to hold onto her at the end of that, although Poppy got the feeling he just wanted to keep her from falling (which was a good thing, given that she definitely would fall if she let go of him herself).
"Deejay, just play that song."
"'Cause I wanna be dancing all night long," Poppy sang, spinning herself onto Branch's body and then hopping off the other side, all the while holding one of his hands so she could turn him with her. She was still doing most of the work, however.
Poppy dipped Branch, pressing herself up against him and raising one of her legs into the air. She gave a seductive look, singing in a whisper, and even booped him in the nose the way she always did Creek. Come on, Branch. Loosen up some. She pulled back, still holding his hands and dancing provocatively. "Play. Come on, play that song. Play it all night long."
Her reward for all of this was that Branch got a little more into it, shuffling his feet a bit and shaking back and forth to the music slightly. He was still putting up quite a fight on this dancing thing.
"Just turn it up and turn it on," Poppy sang on as she thought about the difficulty she was facing. Hmm... Better, but, boy, he's good at resisting! You'd think he'd be easy to seduce, having missed out on the whole "puberty" thing and all. He should just be dying to get it on with me, but... Sugar. Did Creek tell him about this, is that it? This is just ridiculous!
If he'd been forewarned about hormones, Poppy had no doubt that Branch would fight them tooth and nail. She could tell Branch was attracted to girls, given that he'd reacted at all, but he needed to loosen up already before she had to do something even worse.
"Play. Come on, deejay, play that song. You know that it turns me on."
Poppy turned away from Branch then, shaking her behind. She turned her head to give him a captivating smile as she bent over slightly. Silently, she complained, Man, this is embarrassing! I'm pulling out all the stops for this guy for sure!
It looked like it was working, at least. His eyes were firmly fixed on her, a look on his face that certainly wasn't normal for him. She took his hands again and started leading him in her dance, still trying to use his should-be raging hormones against him. Finally, after Poppy had made an absolute fool of herself, he actually seemed to get into the dance. No more resistance—this guy was ready to cut loose.
"Deejay, just play that song."
"'Cause I wanna be dancing all night long." Poppy slid away from him, still holding his hand, then spun herself back to him and took both his hands. Branch mimicked her movements, following about a second behind each move, but he was much more graceful and flexible now. He even looked more relaxed, which was a definite switch from how he usually was.
Poppy grinned inwardly as she noted this. Got him. But, boy, was that a hard nut to crack. He's got some real strong defenses up, definitely. Wonder what they're all for? Setting that aside for now, she chose to make sure she didn't lose his interest so soon after getting it. She stopped dancing for a moment, pressed herself up against him again, and gave Branch a look filled with lust as she said, "I just wanna dance." She ran a hand down his cheek and asked, "Is that a crime?"
Branch mutely shook his head in answer.
Poppy once again gave him a seductive grin. "Alright, then. Ooh!" Then she took him by the hands again and spun herself into his chest. "Uh!"
That was when things got interesting. He actually danced on his own, twirling her back out, then back to himself.
Stunned though she was at the sudden dancing Branch was doing, Poppy sang on with the CD, "Oh."
Branch swung Poppy under himself, then pulled her back out and onto her feet and twirled her once.
"Alright," came the background.
After Branch's sudden dance moves were finished, Poppy spun herself back over to him, wrapped her leg around him like before, wrapped one arm around his neck to stabilize herself, and grinned as she said, "Yeah, that's the hotness right here." She booped his nose on that last word.
She kept dancing with Branch, still trying to be sexually appealing as she did, and continued to be surprised as he threw in some moves of his own. As the music played, he spun in a circle, then grooved side to side in a manner that told Poppy he not only could dance but could dance really well.
The CD continued, "Play, play, play, play."
Poppy rejoined as the song went, "Play. Come on, play that song." She was trying her best to hide her surprise at the talent she'd just uncovered. She never knew Branch, of all trolls, could dance so well.
In the background, the CD said, "Now, Mr. deejay."
"Play it all night long."
Branch kept on grooving, hopping from foot to foot and slapping his knees to the beat, and Poppy mimicked his movements a bit to keep his interest. His eyes were fixed on her the entire time, so she needed to keep up or she'd lose him.
"I've asked you three times already," said the singer, and the song continued, "Deejay, just play that song."
Branch slid toward Poppy, so she slid toward him as well. He grabbed her and flipped her over his shoulder, where he flipped her right side up again and set her back down on her feet. This unusual move startled Poppy some, especially since its motions were perfectly times to the beat of the music. Not only was Branch a good dancer, but he was apparently a skilled swing dancer. She also wasn't entirely sure when this had become a swing dance in the first place.
"Just turn it up and turn it on," Poppy sang along as, in the background, the singer said, "Play my - song." One word was cut out, censored on this CD.
Still singing or not, as Poppy watched Branch's hidden dancing skills finally being brought to light, she gaped, at least on the inside. Whoa... He's pretty good for a troll who's never danced before. He'd even give Creek a run for his money, and he's the best dancer in Troll Village! How'd he pull that off?
Not wanting to accidentally snap him back to his senses just yet, she shrugged it off for now and just kept dancing, singing along, "Play. Come on, deejay, play that song."
The two went back to hopping from foot to foot, Poppy wiggling her hips with her arms over her head as Branch, still completely out of it, gestured at her to go on. At this point, he was somewhat dancing and somewhat "enjoying" the show Poppy was putting on.
In the background, the singer laughed a bit.
"You know that it turns me on.
"Deejay, just play that song," sang the musician while, "Turn it up, turn it up," played in the background during that line.
"'Cause I wanna be dancing all night long," Poppy sang along. In the background, the words, "Turn it up, turn it up, turn the track," played.
During that part, Branch spun in multiple circles, sliding on one foot with a hand to his forehead. He stopped for a second at the end, giving Poppy a sly grin over his shoulder, looking every bit as if he was trying to impress her. Poppy, for her part, had continued shaking her hips, but she stopped momentarily to watch Branch's moves, amazed. That looked more professional than anything he'd done yet. Also, given the look she was getting from him, he was obviously completely under her metaphorical spell now, just like she wanted. Apparently, this was what Branch was capable of if he put his mind to it.
"Play. Come on, play that song. Play it all night long. Just turn it up and turn it on."
Now, it seemed, it was Branch's turn to grab someone's hands without warning. He took hold of Poppy's hands and started hopping back and forth to the beat, even sliding them across the floor instead as the beat allowed.
"Play. Come on, deejay, play that song. You know that it turns me on."
Branch pulled loose and spun away from Poppy, then slid a bit. He then spun back and slid to meet her. Poppy mimicked his moves, highly impressed at this point.
"Deejay, just play that song."
"'Cause I wanna be dancing all night long."
During this part of the song, the two trolls were dancing in sync. Poppy wasn't making Branch dance with her anymore—he was just freely joining, his moves matching hers perfectly, despite the seductive manner in which she was still dancing (he was aiming to impress, maybe, but not in a sexual manner). At times, he took the lead in their dance, like at this point—he took her hand, and they both spun out away from each other, still holding hands, before spinning back together and going back to doing their own things.
"Play. Come on, play that song," she sang. "Don't look now, Branch, but...you're dancing," she said finally. Really well, actually. Did he even know he could do that? She gave a flirtatious giggle and a seductive smirk.
"Turn it up."
"Play it all night long."
"Play it all night long," the CD echoed.
Branch blinked, startled, and looked down. He was, in fact, in the middle of a dance. "...Uh, I guess." Now that she mentioned it, he shouldn't have been dancing with her in the first place, should he? He was still only half aware of reality, but he did now understand that puberty was a real pain. What am I doing? I mean, it doesn't feel wrong, but... This is really weird.
Poppy giggled as the song continued, and Branch, figuring there was no harm in continuing, let his body take control and just kept dancing with her. Dancing didn't feel wrong, so he saw no harm in continuing.
"Just turn it up and turn it on," Poppy resumed singing along. "Play. Come on, deejay, play that song. You know that it turns me on."
Prompted by the rhythm, the two slid away from each other, spun, then slid back, spinning once more before facing each other and grooving in their own way, still perfectly synced up.
"You know that it turns me on."
"Deejay, just play that song."
"Just turn it up and turn it on," Poppy finished as the song came to an end.
As a new, upbeat song started, Poppy stood there just holding Branch's hands for a bit. Meanwhile, Branch was fully coming back to his senses and finally realizing what had just happened.
What in the name of all that is good was I just doing? She's engaged! Even if it is a lousy choice... he thought.
"I win," Poppy said with a triumphant grin.
Branch just stared at her for a bit. There was a time when a comment like that would have annoyed him and get him pulling away instantly, throwing up every defense he had. Now, however, it was kind of a refreshing change from Creek's demeanor.
Branch smiled ever so slightly and said, "Yeah. It looks like."
"And you see? It wasn't so bad after all, was it?"
Branch shrugged. "Eh, can't say I'll be making a habit of it." Then, taking advantage of the fact that she was still holding his hands, he backed toward the washbasin and pulled her along with him, saying, "So? About getting you cleaned up?"
Poppy threw her head in exasperation. "Oh, alright! Sheesh, Branch. Who are you? My mother?"
He was as stubborn about her healthcare as she was about making him happy. This was reminding her of that time on the playground when they were kids and she'd fallen off the jungle gym, but he hadn't been this bad then.
"Well, from experience, I know you need one," he teased.
Poppy just rolled her eyes as they reached the washbasin by the bed.
"So? You want to do this yourself?" Branch asked, letting go.
Poppy looked at herself and sweat. Most of her wounds were visible and she was tired, but there were so many tiny marks she didn't really want someone else cleaning them. It might hurt less if she handled it herself. "Uh...probably should..." She took the washcloth he'd brought and gently started washing her arm, wincing at the pain from the cuts. "Y-yeah... Th-that's what I thought... Owie!" She took great care in washing the various scratches she'd gotten, glad she'd made this choice. Sure, they weren't bad, but they did sting a bit.
Branch watched for a second, then said, "I'll let you take care of that, then." He headed over to the bathroom, where he pulled a curtain around the entire thing to give Poppy some privacy.
"Y-yeah... Y-you d-do that... Oh, that burns! Ouch!"
Before long, she'd finished washing off just about every area of her body and wrapped herself in the towel. Much to her annoyance, she'd found some wounds in private locations, so it was a good thing Branch had given her some privacy. Given the state her dress was in, she probably needed to see if she could patch it up before she left. This would be a great time to have Satin and Chenille around, with that in mind. However, that was the last thing on her mind at the moment—she'd just spent a fair amount of time yelping in pain as she washed a fair number of cuts.
"Note to self," she muttered. "Never go that deep into the woods again." She turned to look at the curtain and called, "Okay! I'm done!" Muttering, she added, "Or as done as I'm getting in a place like this."
Branch pulled the curtain back and came over, looking slightly amused, as he asked, "Great. So you're done yelping now?"
Poppy crossed her arms, looking at him with annoyance. She thought that he should just be grateful she'd stopped crying and pulling away, like she used to when they were kids. It wasn't her fault if she was hurt everywhere.
Seeing his guest wrapped in a towel and her dress lying on the floor, Branch headed to the closet and pulled out his robe. He tossed it to her, saying, "Here. You can put that on for now, and I'll take care of your dress."
Eyes wide, Poppy caught it. "Uh...thanks." She headed over to the bathroom to change. When she came back, she saw Branch sitting at his desk with a sewing kit, fixing her dress.
This didn't make sense to her. Branch had changed a great deal from when they were kids. He was being a lot nicer than he'd ever been back then, and he'd even smiled at her a couple of times (if smirking counted, at least). How could he still be struggling this much with being happy when it sounded like he actually admitted that he wanted to be happy now?
"So...you're saying you're having that much trouble finding your happiness? You seemed to be enjoying yourself to me," she asked, heading back to his bed.
Her mind was half focused on the problem and half on the fact that this guy was such a good dancer. He had to be the best she'd seen, but where had he learned that?
"It's been awhile," Branch answered, not even looking up from his work.
Poppy just stared, unsure what to make of that. "...Uh, okay?" She clapped her hands, then smiled, confident. "Well! Then we'll just have to find out how to bring it back out of you! Now, let's see here..." She closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and thought about it, trying to figure out the best way to cheer Branch up.
Branch looked up from what he was doing briefly, surprised that she was still insistent on trying this, but his eyes widened slightly when he saw her feet. The bandages had red on them in a few places, as if she'd bled through them. It didn't look like she'd lost a lot of blood, but it was noticeable enough to make him wonder if she'd made herself worse. He set her dress down and headed over, saying, "Let me see your feet."
Poppy started, looking at him in wide-eyed surprise. "What? Again? But you just—"
"Yeah, and the bandages are soaked through," he cut her off.
Poppy blinked, looking down at her feet. She gasped, eyes widening. "Uuhh... Did...I do that?"
"It's not really a good idea to dance on injured feet, Poppy," Branch chastised lightly as he undid the bandages.
Poppy blinked, sat down in the chair closest to the table, put her feet up on the table, and just waited. Looking at her feet, Branch saw that a few more of her blisters had burst, two on one foot and one on the other.
"You've got a few more that need cleaned. Ready for a little more pain?" he asked her.
Poppy cringed, not happy with the thought of that. "Ew... Do I have to?"
"It's either that or risk infection."
"Oh, alright... But...ya gotta admit. It did help you loosen up and enjoy yourself a bit. Eh? Eh?" she fluttered her eyebrows at him tauntingly. And you're still the best dancer I've ever met... So weird. Just so weird.
Branch rolled his eyes like she was annoying, but Poppy saw the corner of his mouth rise a bit in a smile.
She pointed, grinning, and said, "You're smiling, Branch."
Branch scowled a bit and said, "I am not." Then he got to work cleaning her freshly burst blisters.
Poppy winced in pain. "Ow... W-well, you w-ooh! Were. T-t-told you there's—Oh, geez! Ah! H-happiness i-inside you! Ow!"
"Whiner," Branch muttered.
Poppy gave a start, eyes wide. Then she crossed her arms in annoyance and gave a humph. She didn't complain anymore as Branch finished cleaning her feet for the second time in one night.
As he wrapped fresh bandages around her feet, he said, "Okay, there's no way you should be trying to get back to Troll Village tonight. Lucky for you, Creek's already come and gone tonight, so he won't find you here. That is, as long as you're gone before tomorrow night."
"Oh, gee, 'Mom.' Do you really think I'll be able to do that with my feet all bandaged up like this?" Poppy asked sarcastically, wiggling her feet. She had her arms crossed in annoyance. And I wasn't planning on heading out tonight! I'm not that dumb! Aloud, she continued, "You know it's 'not really a good idea' to use them for anything strenuous right now."
The sarcasm was getting on Branch's nerves. It wasn't like it was his fault she'd put herself in this position. "Well, what do you suggest? The village is going to be freaking out already, and Creek can't find you here!" he said, barely restraining his irritation at her once again.
"Why not?" she asked naively.
Branch smacked himself in the face. He held that pose as he took a moment to get his attitude in check so he wouldn't say something he'd regret. Finally, he lowered his hand and said, "...Poppy, Creek is working for a bergen who wants to eat you for dinner."
That didn't exactly answer Poppy's question. She seriously doubted Creek, who put his own life on the line to save his friends from danger, would ever turn on them like that. "...Yeah...so what? You still think he'd turn on me like that?" She closed her eyes and put her hands to her heart, smiling lovingly as she thought of her fiance. "Creek loves me, Branch, and I—"
Hearing the same denial that had gotten him stuck in this mess, albeit with a different slant since she thought Creek loved her, Branch felt a pang in his chest. Not only did it personally hurt him to be reminded of the faith he'd once had in Creek, but he knew Poppy would feel at least as much pain as him when the truth came out. Probably more since they were engaged.
"I've had this conversation enough times with him recently to know the answer to that, Poppy," he cut her off. "He doesn't have the courage to face up to Chef."
She looked at him in smug disbelief, crossing her arms and giving a smug grin. "Uh, yeah, Branch. I doubt he'd really—"
Angry now, Branch snapped, "Poppy, he's told me that he doesn't have any other choice!"
Poppy could see that this conversation was upsetting Branch. He'd been friendlier all night, but he was starting to look more like he'd been when they were little. She didn't really know what to make of Creek's words—she was sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt her—but Branch really seemed to believe he would. And, given everything he'd been through... No. He had to be overreacting. Creek would never hurt her like that. He was a good troll. She stared, unable to accept the fact that Branch might be right.
Regardless, she knew that arguing with Branch right now wouldn't help him. She had another problem to worry about.
"...W-well, yeah, okay," she conceded for now, shaking those unnerving thoughts about Creek's loyalty aside. "But, Branch! I don't even know how to find Troll Village from here! So how'd I find my way back!? I mean, I can't just leave you here, all things—"
"I've got a map, but Bergen Town's closer, and it's probably safer," Branch cut her off.
Not only could she leave him here, but she would have to. He knew the chances of him escaping this tower were about as good as the chances of Creek sprouting wings and flying.
Poppy threw her arms up, now both worried and annoyed, as she wondered how anyone could be this stubborn. "But, Branch! That still won't help me find you again! I ain't taking the roundabout way to and from Bergen Town just so I can—"
"You need to worry about Troll Village right now, Poppy. They're at risk of being eaten."
"But you're at risk of dying, too! I can't leave here with that in mind! It's a real untrolly thing to do!"
Branch looked at her, surprised at how good it felt to hear someone say that. There's a switch. Somebody's worried about me. She's out of Creek's league. Wait...what did I just think?
He didn't have those kinds of feelings for Poppy. He honestly didn't care if she and Creek got married. He just didn't want Creek getting her killed soon after. So where did that thought come from?
Poppy gave him a determined look and said, "So I'm not leaving until we can both leave together! Now, let's see... How to make you happy before the sun sets tomorrow..." Poppy put a hand to her chin, thinking.
"Poppy, that's ridiculous!" Branch said, rolling his eyes. "You can't make me happy in less than 24 hours!"
If Creek hadn't managed it in 6 years, how did she think she'd do it in a day?
"Watch me!" she answered with determination. Then her eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "Ooh! I know! We can both make cool little scrapbooks and share them with each other! That makes trolls happy every time!" Cheery as ever, she pulled the supplies out of her hair.
Branch sighed. He didn't even like scrapbooking, so how was that going to make him happy? She was so insistent on trying, though, and saying no just seemed like it made her find more creative ways to trick him into doing what she wanted. And we're back to the "make Branch happy" idea that hasn't worked in the last 16 years. Still, since Poppy didn't take no for an answer and there really wasn't anything else that either of them could be doing right now, he figured he might as well go along with it. "Sure, why not?" he conceded.
"Great!" Poppy cheered, and she tossed an extra scrapbook at him. She always carried a spare in case she needed to capture the moment, after all.
In truth, Poppy was glad he'd finally decided to try being happy. She'd tried from the time she was maybe 2 or 3 to help him with that, but he'd always refused, saying he didn't "do" happy.
Branch caught it, slightly startled. That book nearly hit him in the chest, and, with how hard she'd thrown it, it would have knocked the wind out of him if he'd let it.
"Then let's get started." Poppy put her feet on the floor and lay her supplies out on the table, scrapbooking like crazy. She was careful to make sure it was easy enough for both of them to reach the supplies.
Branch opened the scrapbook she'd given him, but he didn't have any idea what he'd do with it. He had no inspiration and no real desire to do this in the first place.
About an hour later, Poppy fell asleep on her scrapbook, too tired to stay awake any longer. Branch, who had never done anything with his own, looked at her and shook his head a bit, a small smile on his face.
"She really hasn't changed much," he said.
He got up and picked her up. He figured he'd let her have his bed tonight, being a guest, but he needed to clean it up and tuck her in. When he moved her, he saw her scrapbook page. A scene that looked to be Troll Village, with little felt figures that looked like Creek, Biggie (who had a yellow worm with a top hat in his hands), and Cooper, along with some he'd never seen: a tiny yellow girl, a glittery boy, a lime green fuzzling, a red troll with headphones, and a pair of girls who were attached to each other by the hair. Poppy was also on there, dancing with a small green troll with black hair, who was smiling. Branch figured that was meant to be him since no other trolls had black hair. The other character in the scene was a bergen woman with a chef's hat—Poppy's best guess what Chef looked like, he figured. The bergen was behind bars, and the words "WE DID IT!" were arching over the scene.
Branch looked at the scrapbook for a minute, still holding Poppy. Honestly, the whole thing left him feeling touched. "...Adding me to her circle, huh?"
He carried Poppy to the bed bridal style, pulled the covers back with his hair, and lay her down. He tucked her in before heading back over to the table to clean up her scrapbooking mess. Then he went back to patching up her dress.
It's not so bad having Poppy around, I guess. At least she actually cares about someone besides herself.
If he was being honest, this was the best night he'd had in awhile. Sure, Poppy had annoyed him a bit, but her company was a welcome change from the troll who cared more for himself than anyone else. Even when he flat-out told her to leave him here, she wouldn't do it. Of course, he needed to convince her that the rest of the village needed to come first, but it still felt nice having someone genuinely concerned for him again.
Branch finished patching up her dress, then he folded it up and lay it at the foot of the bed. He grabbed the orange blanket that lay there, folded up, and settled down to sleep on the floor for the night.
A/N: Thank you for reading my horrible attempt at showing Poppy Branch's hidden skills. I was hoping to use this chapter to start showing Poppy that Branch was better at dancing than Creek since she thinks he's the best at everything, but I'm not a dancer. If anyone has any tips on how to improve this chapter or suggestions on how to write things differently, I'd appreciate it!