Shadgirl2: Sorry for the wait.
Midna: New chapter, though! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. Scarlet belongs to Shadgirl2.
The sun was setting by the time the Snack Pack made it back to Troll Village. For most, that didn't matter. They would set out in search of their missing friend, regardless of the hour. For Creek, there was a conflict. He sweat. He knew he couldn't join them now—he had a prior commitment, after all.
The group gathered around as Guy asked a red troll, "Excuse me, Scarlet? Sorry to bother you, but my friends and I just got back from investigating Princess Poppy's disappearance, and we think we found a lead that could help us locate her. Would it be alright if we borrowed one of your bugs for a bit?"
Bloodhound bugs were known for their amazing sense of smell and were used by trolls to track lost items all the time. Scarlet just happened to have quite a few of them.
As Scarlet answered and went to fetch one of her bugs, Creek tuned out and stepped back, unsure what to do. I know I need to be here so that Branch has his daily meals delivered! But I'm seriously worried about Poppy and could get in real trouble for abandoning her!
He had quite the predicament on his hands. On the one hand, his precious Sunshine was missing and could have been hurt, based on the evidence they'd found so far. He couldn't let her life end that easily—he needed her. Besides that, Chef would have his head if anything happened to that girl. On the other hand, though, was Branch, and Creek had more worries there than just Branch getting something to eat. Sure, Creek was still pretty steamed that Branch wouldn't just let this whole thing go, but he also knew how lonely Branch's situation could be, having been all alone for several years himself. Besides, with how Branch had been lately, Creek worried that one of these days his friend might try something they'd both regret. He didn't know what to do.
As if sensing his dilemma, the angel and devil appeared on his shoulders again, with the Devil Chef saying, "That's right, Creek. You can't just let these guys handle it." She gestured at his friends off to the side, looking less than pleased with the mere idea that he'd consider that. "For one, Chef would have your head for it, and Poppy'd think you don't really love her." She crossed her arms and gave a rather threatening glare as she finished, "That can only end in disaster, so you better listen to me and go get her. Branch will be fine for a day or two." She closed her eyes, unconcerned about the gray troll.
Angel Branch countered, "Are you seriously going to listen to her?" He gestured at the devil as he spoke, earning a glare from her as she clenched her fists at her sides. "You're fighting with Branch right now, Creek! If you don't show up, he'll probably think you're leaving him to die or something!"
"Who cares!? He doesn't like seeing you with Poppy! And she could die if you don't get to her soon, and you know what will happen next!" Devil Chef glared at Creek threateningly, reminding Creek forcibly about the consequences of disobeying Chef.
Normally, Creek would try to tune the two out, but this time...the angel had a point. Since he and Branch were fighting, Branch would likely think he'd been left alone if Creek didn't show up tonight. Given how Branch was these days, that could end in disaster.
Scarlet came back then and handed the bug to Guy. He took it, saying, "Thanks. We'll see what we can do." He looked at Smidge expectantly and said, "Smidge?"
Smidge walked over, holding out the torn scrap of Poppy's dress for the bug to smell. As it sniffed it, Creek's conscience kept warring.
"It's not that he doesn't like seeing you with Poppy, it's that he doesn't want you hurting her!" the angel said. "You know what he went through, and he probably just doesn't want you losing everyone you love, too! You know he doesn't show concern that well. He's probably just as worried about you as he is anyone else!"
Creek thought about that a bit. Weird as this whole thing with his conscience was, that kind of made sense. He'd known Branch for ages, and the guy did have a nasty habit of turning all his negative feelings into anger most of the time. That had been even more true in more recent years—the older Branch got, the less he cried and the more he lashed out and hit things when upset. These days, even when hurting severely, Branch only appeared angry. The thought that he'd be fearful or worried and have it come across as anger wasn't too hard to believe—in fact, it made perfect sense.
Argh, I hate it when these two make sense. I need to speak with Branch and reassure him that I'm perfectly prepared for the consequences. And apologize for my recent behavior towards him, also, but... Creek thought about Poppy, lost and hurt in the woods, and the mere idea tore him up inside. He didn't want to see her hurt or worse, but which of those two needed his help the most? Would Poppy question his love for her if he didn't go to her now? But what if Branch did feel abandoned and decided to end it all?
As Creek had his internal crisis, the bug finished getting Poppy's scent and started off toward the forest again. The Snack Pack started to follow, but then they noticed someone was missing. They stopped, all of them looking back.
Satin called, "Creek! Come on!"
"The bug has Poppy's scent! Let's go!" Chenille added.
Creek blinked as his angel and devil disappeared once more. "Uh, what? What's happening?"
They all stared at him with concern. Finally, DJ said, "Uh...Creek?" If he'd been spacing out because of the angel and devil thing again, this was really getting out of hand. She wondered if she should suggest that he go see Cybil about it or something.
"Creek, are you alright?" Biggie asked worriedly.
"Yeah, dude! You're spacing out!" Cooper added, leaning his head down slightly.
Smidge didn't worry about that. After all, spacing out was normal for Creek these days and they had other things to worry about at the moment. "The bug's picked up on Poppy's scent! We gotta go before it loses it!" Smidge answered Creek's question with a look of determination. Poppy needed her help, and fast.
Creek sweat as the devil and angel reappeared, both looking at him expectantly. He thought about it quickly and realized who truly needed him the most right now. Reluctant though he was, he made up his mind. "U-uh, you all g-go ahead... I've..." Creek sighed. "—got something else I need to do..."
Yes, he loved Poppy. But she had the entire Snack Pack. Branch had nobody but Creek. The decision was obvious, all things considered. He would just have to come up with a good excuse for Poppy later...if she was still alive.
Then, of course, I'll have to smooth things over with Chef somehow. There's just no way I'm getting off the hook after turning my back on my fiance in dire need like this! But then what can I tell her that won't evoke any further suspicion? I'm in trouble this time, for sure, Creek thought, knowing he'd pay dearly for his choices.
Seeing that Creek's mind was fully set on this, the devil glared and gave a humph before disappearing. The angel smiled at Creek and stayed on his shoulder.
Cooper raised an eyebrow and asked, "Again? Creek, what's goin' down?"
Chenille punched her hands onto her hips. "You never do anything with us at night, duck out of parties early, and now you're leaving while we look for your fiance? Creek! What's so important that it comes before her?"
"What haven't you been telling us? Where are you going every night?" Satin asked.
Creek sweat, backing up some. He couldn't answer that question—he needed an excuse, and fast. "Oh! Uh...n-nowhere in particular... I-I just..." He sighed, settling for something that would at least make a good excuse in this instance. "I'm scared to find out, alright?" he said, sounding glum.
That excuse should work for both his friends and Chef. Since Chef knew Creek had truly fallen in love with Poppy, she'd buy it. Besides, if something happened to the princess, Creek and Chef would need to discuss a new plan for getting all the trolls to Crumsville. He'd probably spend a couple of hours this evening talking to Chef about that since she'd still be awake for a little while.
The others all gave him sympathetic looks—that answer had worked exactly as intended.
"Oh, Creek... It's alright," Biggie said. "We can find Poppy without you. I'm sure she's alright, though."
"Yeah, dude!" Cooper added with a smile. "I mean, it's Poppy!"
"We'll find her and bring her home, Creek," Satin agreed, also offering a reassuring smile.
Smidge smiled naively as she said, "That's right! We'll get her, even if that excuse really doesn't explain every other time!"
"Hopefully someday, you'll explain the rest of it to us," Chenille added.
Looking lost, DJ asked, "There's more to it than that?"
Creek backed up some more then, sweating. "U-uh, well, anyway, pals, I should really be going now! Good luck!" He ran off then before anyone else could point out how flimsy his excuses to avoid them at night really were.
He'd managed to convince Chef that most of his flimsy excuses were related to winning Poppy over by doing endless meditations and yoga until she went to bed each night. Chef still thought he was trying to become wiser to impress the princess and keep her interest. Now he just needed to convince her he was concerned about the possibility Poppy would be found dead soon and get her thinking he wanted to come up with a backup plan. He suddenly realized he might be a bit late getting to Branch—Chef's planning meetings tended to run past her usual bedtime.
Guy stared after him for a bit, slightly baffled. "He's a weird one, alright," he said after a moment. "No doubt abooooout that."
"I suppose it was the years he spent alone," Biggie suggested. After all, isolation could make someone socially awkward. At least, that was what he heard.
"Yeah! But at least it's better than what that other guy did, right?" Cooper said, looking at Biggie.
Biggie looked a bit upset. He knew exactly who Cooper was talking about, and, while the giraffe was right, Biggie didn't like to speak ill of the dead. "Let's not talk about him, Cooper. I still feel terrible about what happened to him."
"If it's all the same to you two, can we make sure the same thing doesn't happen to Poppy?" Chenille said, impatiently leaning forward with her hands on her hips.
"Yeah! Hurry it up, already! We gotta find her before something bad happens!" Smidge agreed, impatiently annoyed at the others for daring to waste time while Poppy could be bleeding to death somewhere. A determined look in her eyes, she directed the bug onward and took off as fast as her little legs would carry her. The rest of the Snack Pack followed behind, knowing she was right.
Elsewhere, Branch took out the last of his food for the day and noticed a slight problem—there was only enough for one troll. Since he was sharing with Poppy, he'd eaten more of his daily rations than usual up to this point, especially since she'd been hungry the night before. Now all he had left was a slab of meat that was big enough to fill one stomach.
He looked at the piece of meat for a moment, debating what to do. He could split it in half, but then they'd both be hungry. He knew what he wasn't going to do, so that made it easier to decide what he should do. I can make do. It's only one meal.
So he lit a fire in the fireplace and got to work, cooking a meal for Poppy. He looked over at her for a bit as he let the meat cook. She was sleeping soundly and had been for a few hours. Her adventure yesterday and the late night she'd had seemed to have finally gotten the best of her. Of course, these weren't helped by the fact that, earlier in the day, she had challenged Branch to a game of chess. It clearly wasn't her game—she didn't even know the rules—but she'd made an effort and lost spectacularly. After the fact, she'd complained of a headache, saying the game didn't make any sense and commenting on how it must have taken Branch a long time to figure out how to play so well. He could still recall exactly what she'd said.
"AAARGH! I give! This game's giving me a headache!" Poppy had complained. "How in cupcakes it makes any sense to you, Branch, is a mystery to me! You either worked super hard to learn how to play or you're some sort of super genius! Which is it, buster brown?" With that last comment, she'd sounded both slightly annoyed and impressed, placing her hands on her hips.
He'd just laughed and told her he played a lot. "It's not like there's really much else to do around here, you know."
Shortly after that, she'd lain down for a nap, and she'd been out ever since.
Branch turned his attention back to the fire, carefully flipping the meat to heat it evenly as he thought about his guest. Poppy's something else, that's for sure. First, she stays up late with me; then she's up before me, trying to find something that'll cheer me up. She just spent the whole day trying to make me happy, even though she's obviously exhausted. And now she's passed out on my bed, too tired to stay awake any longer. Not to mention she challenged me to a game of chess, even though it's obviously not one of her favorites. He glanced back at her and, after a moment, silently added, It's not so bad having her around.
He'd never thought that would ever cross his mind. Poppy had been a nuisance as a child, yet she was okay now. In fact, she was actually pretty good company.
Poppy yawned, woken by the smell of food. She sat up, stretching, and said, "Morning, Branch. Something sure smells good." She moved to get out of bed, but Branch whirled around, holding a hand up to halt her.
"Ah, no, you don't! Stay there! I'll bring it to you." Being gentle with this girl didn't work, so he figured he needed to be a bit more firm. If this didn't work, he'd be tying her to the bed with her own ribbon that he knew she was carrying for scrapbooking purposes.
Poppy blinked, eyes widening. Then she slowly repositioned herself in the bed. "Rriight..." she said, drawing the word out slightly, feeling a bit awkward. "I forgot."
Branch shook his head, smirking at her, and said, "Yeah. You're good at that."
Annoyed, Poppy crossed her arms. "Hey."
Branch turned his attention back to the meal he had cooking and checked to make sure it was thoroughly cooked. Once satisfied, he put the meat on a plate, grabbed a knife and fork, took a glass and filled it at the sink, and took all these items over to Poppy. He handed her the food, saying, "Here. Eat up." Then he set the glass down on the floor.
Poppy smiled as she took it eagerly. "Thanks. This looks great!" She sniffed it without a care in the world.
Branch simply grabbed Croco off the bed and headed for the small table. He put the toy on the table, out of range of any grease from Poppy's meal, and took a seat.
Poppy blinked, looking at Branch curiously. That looked like a recipe for disaster and also like he was lost in some deep, negative thoughts again. What had happened while she was sleeping that brought him down so bad? "Branch? Aren't you gonna have some? Or do you just want to stare at your favorite toy vacantly all night? 'Cause, that's not helpful in this situation at all."
Her tone wasn't teasing, condescending, or anything of the sort. It was simply concerned, as though she genuinely believed that might be what he was doing. Regardless, Branch blushed furiously. The fact that she had called him out for having that toy at all was embarrassing.
"Not even close. That's all there is, Poppy," he answered.
Poppy blinked, looking at the food in front of her. She supposed that explained why Branch was giving her nothing but what seemed to be a pork chop. He'd served more balanced meals earlier in the day, after all. Still, it wasn't right for her to eat all of his food and let him go hungry tonight.
Of course, there was something else to eat. Something Poppy knew they had plenty of. Thinking quickly, Poppy pointed at the candy bag they'd left on the floor earlier. "...Branch, give me my bag," she said with that same tone she'd used when asking him to carry her to the window earlier.
Branch raised an eyebrow but grabbed the paper bag filled with candy that Poppy had brought from Bergen Town. If she wanted some candy to add to her dinner, who was he to protest? He handed it to her, and she set it down on the bed before cutting the meat in half. Then she held out a hand, using the same sweet tone and smiling slightly as she said, "Plate, please."
Branch held a hand up haltingly, saying, "No, Poppy, it's fine. I'm not hungry."
Poppy, now growing a bit annoyed with this stubborn troll, gestured expectantly and firmly repeated, "Plate, please."
Could he be any more stubborn? He took such great care of her needs, never taking no for an answer, but refused to take care of his own? Poppy didn't remember if he was this selfless when they were kids. She remembered he'd taken care of her wounds a couple of times, but he'd never done it at his own expense. Sweet as it may have been, it wasn't right—one shouldn't turn down a guest's generosity, regardless.
Branch rolled his eyes, but he knew she'd try to get one herself if he didn't comply. He went to his shelves and pulled down a second plate, brought it back over to the bed, and held it out.
Poppy took it, saying, "Thank you!" She still sounded a bit annoyed, but she was glad he'd at least listened better than the previous night. She took half of the meat and put it on the second plate, then she reached into the bag of candy and took out a few chocolate bars, placing two on each plate. She then grabbed some gumdrops, putting four of them on each of the plates. Finally, she grabbed a couple of fudge squares—peanut butter and chocolate—and put one of these on each plate. She handed the second plate to Branch with a warm smile, saying, "Here, Branch. Enjoy."
Branch just looked at her for a moment before he shook his head, smiling in amusement. He took the plate, saying, "You're eating candy for dinner?"
Poppy recalled a childish argument they'd once had about their favorite ice cream flavors when they had still lived together. This seemed like as good a time as ever to bring it up.
"No... This is chocolate," Poppy countered, pointing at the candy bars. "'It's full of nutrition,'" she quoted his exact words. Her memory of these debates they'd had was sharp. They were some of the things they'd done that were hard to forget, and she should know. She'd tried to forget most of them. After all, what kind of troll started panicking and prepping for safety at a random dance break? Looking smug, she pointed sharply at the fudge and added, "And there's a tiny bit in the fudge, too. It's the gumdrops we'll be having for dessert. So eat up. You need your energy." She started eating then.
Branch rolled his eyes, shaking his head again, but he sat on the edge of the bed with his overly sugary meal and ate. He'd nearly forgotten about Troll to Troll—Poppy had challenged Branch to several debates as kids, inviting her friends over as an audience for the odd show. She'd said it was partly for fun and partly as an ice-breaker to get to know her "big brother" better. In reality, all it did was make them both uncomfortable. She always did it at random times, too. He could be walking along, minding his own business, then suddenly find Poppy on his arm to introduce the "show." Then, out of nowhere, Smidge and DJ would be sitting in front of them, looking eager. She'd once done it while he was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a sandwich for lunch. Ironically, the topic she chose that day was sandwiches—rectangular or triangular cut. She'd sat down beside him while her friends took their seats on the other side of the table.
By far the worst incident was the last one she'd done—stay in or go out. At the end of that one, she'd invited the whole village to his bunker for a "cozy little get-together." He'd run for it, snapped at anyone dumb enough to accept her invitation, yelled at her so badly that he thought for sure he'd be sent away, then been surprised when Peppy decided Poppy was the one in the wrong that time. Apparently, inviting people to your "brother's" secret hideaway wasn't okay, so she'd been given quite a talking-to.
Of course, he was a bit surprised that Poppy remembered those debates. Not only had she been 5 and younger at the time, but he'd always thought she'd have forgotten everything about him since he was such a jerk to her. Maybe she'd been more upset about losing him than he had thought. Somehow, that thought was comforting—at least somebody had missed him when he'd left.
"Mm! Oh, man! Is that good stuff! How's yours?" she asked as she looked at him expectantly, mouth full of chocolate.
"It's good."
"Ain't it, though? Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm!" She kept eating happily after that as she tried to make a point that eating candy or chocolate for a meal was better than going hungry and could be a good meal.
Branch just smiled at her, thinking she was acting childish but not feeling annoyed about it for once, and focused on his own dinner. She's doing everything she can to take care of me, even though she's the one who's hurt. And she's still not teasing me about that gator.
As the two continued eating their meals, Poppy glanced at the window. It was open, as it had been pretty much all day. She'd left it open when she got back from Bergen Town, and it had been letting in sunlight and fresh air all day. Now, however, it was growing darker as the sun began to set, which she knew could only mean one thing.
"So...when do you think Creek will be dropping by? You haven't really said." She looked at Branch, concerned. If she didn't know when Creek would arrive, she couldn't very well avoid him. For all she knew, he could be on his way at that very moment.
Poppy may not have wanted to believe that Creek would hurt her, but she understood that she had to keep her presence here a secret after hearing Branch's tragic tale. If Creek really was bad enough to sell out his best friend out of fear, she knew they'd both be in trouble if she was found here. Now that she thought about it, though, hadn't she read a story once about a prince who needed to avoid a witch when he visited someone in a tower? She brushed that aside for now and focused on the matter at hand: avoiding her fiance.
Branch looked outside himself, seeing the colors in the sky. "Could be any time during the night. He usually shows up later rather than sooner, but yesterday he was here before you were, so that's not a guarantee."
Poppy swallowed her last bite of food, looking concerned. "...Okay! Then I should probably get out of sight soon, huh?" she said, setting the empty plate gently on the floor by the bed.
Branch looked at the plate. He needed to clean up any evidence that there had been a second person here at all—hide the candy bag, wash her dishes, make extra sure that none of her scrapbooking supplies were still lying about...
"...Yeah, probably," he answered, setting his own plate down as well as he got to his feet.
Suddenly Poppy leaped up from the bed, flipping herself upside down. She stood on her hair, holding Branch's comforter in her arms. The orange blanket, which had once again been folded up on the foot of the bed, fell to the floor. "Whelp! If that's the case, I'd better head over to that there shower of yours!" she said with a grin. Then, walking on her hair, she headed for the shower, where she flipped back over and sat down in the shower cheerfully, the comforter dragging behind her.
Branch blinked, just staring at her as she did this. He hadn't expected that, honestly. "...Uh, okay..." Once he'd had a chance to recover some, he picked up their plates and went to wash them. He also grabbed the candy bag and moved it to his wardrobe, knowing that was a place Creek was unlikely to open even if he did stay for longer than a few seconds.
Poppy took hold of the curtain, beaming, and said, "Good night, Branch! See ya tomorrow!" She pulled the curtain shut and tugged the blanket into the shower.
Branch blinked, looking at the shower curtain. Then he shook his head, smiling slightly. "You're sleeping in a shower."
It was one thing for her to hide in there and wait for Creek to leave, but sleeping in it? That was at least mildly amusing.
All he heard was the sound of Poppy's breath as she drifted off to sleep. Branch rolled his eyes, still smiling, and went to finish tidying up, putting everything back where it belonged and making sure nothing of Poppy's was visible.
As darkness settled around them, the Snack Pack looked around, feeling unsafe in the middle of the dark forest.
"Uh, guys? Is it just me or did these woods look a lot safer during the day than they do now?" DJ asked nervously as she looked around, hands clenched over her chest.
"No, it'd definitely not you. I have to say I feel the same way." Biggie held Mr. Dinkles a bit tighter and added, "Stay close, Mr. Dinkles."
"Meep," said the worm calmly. Evidently, he wasn't bothered by their current surroundings.
"...Guys! Try to stay calm, alright?" Smidge said with worry. "We gotta find Poppy before anything happens to her!"
"That's right. Just keep your voices down and move veeeeery sloooowly, and we should be okay..." Guy said, feeling a bit nervous himself. They hadn't exactly come prepared for a camping trip—they'd been hoping to find Poppy before it got that late. Now, however, they were much farther north than they'd been that afternoon, and there was no sign of her.
Given how late it was, turning back didn't seem like a good idea. Guy knew their best bet was to keep looking for Poppy and worry about every other problem they had once they'd found her.
Everyone was silent then, moving along carefully and quietly. Even Cooper didn't make a sound, just walking along with his head held lower than normal. Suddenly, they heard eerie howling from various directions. They all gave a start, looking around. Half of them looked scared, the others simply worried.
Guy, one of those who was scared, suggested, "Um...on second thought...maybe we should find shelter for the night..."
The group nodded eagerly, and they all hurried off to find somewhere they could hide out for the night. In the end, they found a tree with a hole in the trunk and all crammed in uncomfortably. There wasn't enough room for them to move once they'd all packed inside.
"Cooper, can you get your foot off my stomach?" Satin asked.
"Whose hand is this?" Biggie wondered, looking at a hand that was in his face.
"Never mind that, is there somebody pulling our hair?" Chenille wondered as she felt a tug on her scalp.
Even the bug was whimpering uncomfortably as it squirmed around, kicking Cooper in the hip repeatedly.
Fed up with the complaining, Guy cried, "Argh! Guys! Suck it up, alright? It's better than the alternative, and it's just for one n—iiiiiight!" He drew the word out in a pained autotune as something hit him in the back. "We can continue the search in the morning," he continued firmly and frustratedly as if nothing had happened. Silently, he wondered, Who just stepped on me back there!?
"Y-yeah, but, Guy! This is real uncomfortable," Smidge said, both pained and miserable. "I doubt anyone can sleep with Chenille's foot up their dress!"
"Sorry, Smidge," Chenille apologized, but she couldn't move her foot. She couldn't seem to move much at all since they'd packed in here like sardines.
"See? There's no way anyone could—"
Quiet snoring reached their ears, cutting Smidge off. Several of the Snack Pack looked for the source—DJ Suki was already fast asleep.
"Looks like DJ can!" Cooper said.
Everyone just stared for a moment, amazed at her ability to sleep in any condition, no matter how inhospitable. Even the bug and Mr. Dinkles were impressed.
"Meep..." the worm said, awestruck.
"...Oh, my ga..."
"...Huh..." Biggie said. He hadn't expected anyone to fall asleep in that tree.
They kept staring in awe at the anomaly that was DJ Suki—or, at least, they stared in her general direction, given how cramped the space was.
Creek was pleasantly surprised that Chef didn't feel the need for a backup plan yet and relieved that she'd bought his excuse. When she also decided to go to bed a bit early, still recovering from whatever illness she'd had the day before, Creek realized that he could get to Branch earlier, giving him more time to work things out. He really did need time for that, something his conscience wouldn't let him forget. So he gathered up some supplies and headed out.
It was about 2 am when Creek reached the tower. He'd spent the ride out there listening to the angel on his shoulder telling him that he not only had to bring Branch the supplies he needed but that he also needed to talk to the gray troll. Of course, that could prove difficult if Branch didn't want to talk, so Creek wasn't entirely sure how to begin.
Hovering on his bug outside the tower window, Creek called, "Branch?"
This was going to be long and rough. Creek braced himself for what he was sure was coming.
Branch had been sitting at his desk, working on a puzzle. He looked up when Creek called, then got up and headed over. "Creek," he said, his tone implying that he was also ready to talk about this argument they were having.
It seemed Branch was willing to discuss it. Now, Creek just needed to figure out how to broach the topic. "Uh, hey there, mate... H-how's it going?"
This was awkward. Creek knew he needed to apologize for being so mean the last few days, but he still didn't know how best to do that.
Branch shrugged. "Alright, I guess."
"...Good, good, glad to hear it..." This was horribly awkward. Creek didn't have a clue how to do this. Would it set Branch off again, mentioning their recent disagreements? Every time Poppy's name came up, it seemed to lead to some sort of fight.
After another moment of tense silence, Branch said, "Look, Creek, I really am sorry. You've got enough going on without me getting on your case all the time."
"Ain't that the understatement of the century," Creek muttered, fidgeting some and looking annoyed.
Here he was, stuck trying to make up with a friend while his beloved Sunshine was out there somewhere, all alone. He'd run the risk of losing her and angering Chef, but he needed to be here. If there ever was a lose-lose situation, this was it. Creek had no intention of telling Branch just how right he was—it would probably make him mad if he heard something had happened to Poppy.
Louder, he responded, "Y-yeah, okay. I-I mean, you were probably just trying to help, yes?" He leaped off his bug and into the tower as he spoke.
Branch looked away, taking a moment and choosing his words carefully. Of course, that was part of it, but he had also been genuinely mad at Creek for acting as though only his safety mattered. Still, Poppy had made a good point earlier when she'd said that Creek didn't need to do a lot of what he'd been doing if he didn't care at all. Knowing that Creek did care about not only him but the others he'd befriended in the village, Branch said, "I've had people I care about eaten by the bergens, Creek, and it sucks enough when you're accidentally to blame for it. I just don't want you having to deal with the guilt of causing that intentionally."
Creek crossed his arms as best he could with a picnic basket still in hand, thinking about that. "Hmm. Yes, well, I'm afraid that can't be helped, mate." As he went to place the new basket of food on the table and retrieve the empty one, which he stuffed in his hair for now, he quietly added, "All things considered, it might help out itself, though."
The more he thought about it, all of this felt like bad karma. Was he cursed or something that he had to go through this hell that was his life just to lose the only speck of light the world had given him? First, he was kidnapped and severely tortured by Chef; then he was forced to betray his best friend, who he now had to take care of with a ton of difficulty as he did his best to keep the guy not only alive but comfortable. As he did this, he had to keep Branch a secret from Chef and his friends, who he would have to betray soon. Add in the fact that he'd lost his family because of all of this and now seemed poised to lose Poppy tragically, and Creek couldn't help but think his destiny was just endless suffering and despair.
And Branch thought he had it rough. At least he didn't have Chef's last threat looming over his head, the one that would make death look merciful. Sure, Branch's life wasn't the best, but he was blessed, compared to Creek. And where was Poppy, anyway? If anything had happened to her, Creek might do something drastic—a life without Poppy just wasn't worth living, after all.
Branch raised an eyebrow and asked, "Come again?"
Creek gave a start, eyes widening as he sweat. He really didn't want Branch finding out about that—it would lead to another fight for sure. "Oh, no, no, no, no! I-it's nothing, mate! D-don't worry about i-it!" he answered, waving his hands frantically with an awkward grin on his face.
"Uh...okay..."
Of course, Branch already knew what he meant—Poppy was missing from the village, even if he himself knew exactly where she was. But he couldn't let Creek know that he had any clue what was going on in the village.
As he remembered that he still had something he needed to say, Creek changed the subject. "Um, well, anyway, mate, I'd like to apologize for how I've been acting also. I mean, you had your reasons, so I shouldn't have gotten so bent out of shape over it, either, right?"
"Yeah, I guess. Apology accepted, Creek," Branch said simply.
Creek smiled, relieved that had gone so well. Here he'd expected this to be more difficult. Then, still wanting to prevent any further questions on what was going on in the village, he clapped his hands together and smiled more awkwardly. "Right! So, what say you, we forget this whole messy business and play a game of cards? You up for that rematch I owe you?" Creek asked. He'd beaten Branch so badly during their last card game that it wasn't even funny.
"Sure, Creek," Branch answered.
Creek headed over to the bookshelf and grabbed a box of playing cards off it, giving a sly, smug smile. "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you. Lady Fortune shines her light only on me."
Branch rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah, Creek. You ever get tired of saying that?"
"You mean do I ever get tired of beating you 'cause of it? No, can't say I do, pal," Creek answered with a grin as he removed the cards from their box, shuffled them, and set them on the table.
Branch smirked and headed over to join him. "Yeah, well, we'll see who wins this time, Creek!"
At that moment, as Creek began to deal the cards for a game of poker, there were some loud clanging noises from the shower.
Branch's eyes widened—leave it to Poppy to roll around in her sleep that loudly. Oh, no...
Creek gave a start, his eyes widening. "What was that?" he asked, looking that way with curiosity.
Knowing it would be suspicious for him not to investigate that noise, Branch headed over to the shower to pretend to investigate.
Creek just waited as Branch pulled the curtain back a bit and looked. "...What is it, mate? Did something break?" he asked concerned, reaching into his hair and pulling out a wrench.
"No, no, it's fine," Branch said, trying his best to stay calm while internally, he was panicking. He bent down and pretended to pick something up and put it back, saying, "Guess I didn't put the shampoo back right."
That didn't sound right to Creek. He raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "...You sure, mate? That...sounded kinda loud for a dropped soap bottle," he said, getting up as he grew more concerned.
"It's fine, Creek," Branch said calmly as he let the curtain fall back into place and went back to the table.
Creek watched him carefully, not looking any less concerned than he had a moment ago. He did, however, look more confused.
To change the subject, Branch asked, "So are we playing? Or are you afraid I'll finally beat you?"
Goading Creek worked—he grinned, putting the wrench away. "Oh, that's an improbability, I'm afraid. Lady Fortune still favors me," he said smugly as he sat back down and resumed dealing.
"We'll see, Creek," Branch said as he took his seat.
Once the cards were dealt, Creek put on his game face, and their card game began. "Ready?"
"Ready." Silently, Branch pleaded, Poppy, stay still and stay quiet! The last thing I need is Creek finding you here!
Creek won five games in a row. On the sixth game, Branch looked over his hand. "...Agh, okay, I fold! This hand can't beat whatever you've got!" he finally said, putting his cards face-down on the table.
Creek grinned and showed his hand—a straight flush. "Trust me, mate. No hand of yours could."
Branch groaned. "And, as usual, you're winning every hand," he said, his head propped up on his left hand. He waved his right hand, asking, "How?"
He had to be cheating somehow, Branch was sure. Maybe he should deal next time.
Creek just grinned broader and answered, "Lady Fortune, Branch. Lady Fortune." It wasn't his fault that his scientifically-minded friend didn't understand any spiritual concepts. With fate on your side, you could do just about anything. Noticing the time, he got up, saying, "Well, I'd best be getting home to bed now, mate." Leaving the cards, he started out, heading past the bed. "Got a bit of a dilemma to—" He stopped, looking at the bed curiously.
What? Branch worried. What did he— He looked at the bed himself and immediately felt like an idiot. ...Poppy took the top blanket...to the shower...
She'd taken his comforter right in front of him. He'd watched her do it, walking on her hair like a little weirdo. How had he not thought about that earlier?
"Um. Branch? What happened to your comforter, mate? Why isn't it—"
"Uh, it...kinda needs washed. Just haven't gotten around to it yet."
Creek looked at him for a second. Finally, he said, "You're out of detergent, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
Glad his guess was correct, Creek smiled reassuringly. "Well, then, why didn't you just say so, mate? I'd be more than happy to bring you some more. Now, while we're on the subject, is there anything else you require before I head home for the night?"
Should I tell him I could use more bandages? Probably... Never know what Poppy'll do to herself next. Branch answered, "I could use some more bandages, too, if you can."
Creek started, eyes widening in concern. "Why, Branch! What happened now? You don't look hurt, but—" He moved forward, apparently intent on checking Branch over.
Branch backed away, holding up a hand, and said, "It's fine, Creek, I'm okay! I just—had a bit of a fever earlier today, so I went to get something for that and noticed I was low on bandages, that's all. I'm fine." He couldn't believe how stupid he was behaving. Why had he brought up medical supplies? That always made Creek switch into doctor mode. Darn it, darn it, darn it! Shouldn't have asked, I just should've kept my mouth shut!
Creek stopped, staring at Branch in growing concern for a moment. Then he reached for his medical supplies as he said, "You sure, mate? You know how unbearably unpleasant those 24-hour bugs can be, and—"
"Really, Creek, I'm feeling a lot better now. I just don't want to be caught in a bad situation without the supplies I need, that's all."
For a moment, Branch worried that Creek would call his bluff and ask why he was acting so strangely tonight. Soon, however, Creek put his supplies away, smiling with relief, and said, "Alright. I'll see what I can do for you. But you better tell me these things from now on, Branch. After all, some of these bugs can be deadly if not treated properly, alright?" He headed for the window as he spoke.
Creek sort of wished Branch wasn't so insistent on handling everything on his own. He'd find life a lot more pleasant if he'd just let Creek help more, like he used to do, especially since there were things he couldn't do for himself.
"Yeah, alright. I'll do that," Branch answered, relieved that Creek wasn't questioning his answers.
Creek leaped out the window and landed on his flyer bug who, as usual, had flown up to meet him. "Good night, Branch. See you tomorrow," he said before flying off.
Oh, thank goodness! He's gone! Branch thought—odd, given that he usually hated it when Creek left for the night. ...Agh, as if I needed my life to turn into even more of a fairy tale! Now I'm trying to hide "the princess" from "the witch!" Talk about ridiculous!
His mother's voice ran through his head, almost as if she were mocking him from beyond the grave, "And the prince called up to Rapunzel, 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair! That I might climb the golden stair!'" An image of Poppy making her hair into a staircase and climbing it up to the tower followed these words through his mind.
Branch groaned, tossing his head. "...I'm seriously Rapunzel right now," he said, a lame look on his face.
More noise came from the shower as Poppy rolled over again. Branch headed over to wake her up so he could move her to the bed. The shower was no place for anyone to be sleeping, after all. He pulled the curtain back to find her on her stomach, arms curled up by her head and the blanket barely covering her, and gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Poppy."
She moaned a bit, cracking her eyes open slightly. "Yeah, Branch?" she asked sleepily.
"Creek's gone."
Poppy yawned, "Oh...okay..." Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Branch smiled slightly and picked her up. He carried her back to the bed and tucked her in, thinking more about recent events.
Due to bad luck on Poppy's part, she'd stumbled upon Branch. That had turned out to be a stroke of luck for him since she seemed to be taking his warnings at least somewhat seriously. She'd decided that she was going to help him escape, no matter what he said about the risks or impossibility of it. Creek had nearly found her, which would have gotten both of them into severe trouble. And, of course, he'd said something stupid to Creek that seemed almost equal to Rapunzel asking Gothel why her waist was getting bigger.
I'm currently living out the story of Rapunzel, right down to the "almost getting caught" issues. Why did my life suddenly become exactly like a fairy tale? Seriously! Wanting to convince himself that he wasn't living a fairy tale, he continued, Ugh, okay, no, it's not exactly the same. For one, the witch in Rapunzel came during the day, and the prince only visited at night, so that's backwards...and Poppy's still here, which means it's completely wrong. But we are plotting my escape. But my "witch" has been trying to help me escape, too, because the actual witch here locked me up to die. Still...the similarities are there. Hopefully, my story has a decent ending.
Just like that, Branch had managed to bring his mood down. He knew the odds of his life ending happily were slim to none. He sighed and grabbed the orange blanket and Croco off the bed before going to settle down on the rug on the floor. To hide the fact that he was sleeping with a stuffed animal, he kept his arms underneath the blanket. Right now, he needed the comfort.