Shadgirl2: Hey, sorry for the long wait.
Midna: Anyway, we've finally got a new chapter! Enjoy some Broppy bonding.
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls.
After a little while, Poppy had finished with her own scrapbook page. She was pleasantly surprised that Branch had actually made an effort to do something this time, and, since it looked like he was done, she smiled and said, "Okay, Branch. Did you make anything nice?"
"Uh..." He looked unsure of himself but showed her a scrapbook image of four little trollings sitting around a campfire. It wasn't anything elaborate, but she could tell that three of them were Biggie, Cooper, and Creek. There was a fourth in the image, but it wasn't Branch—the colors were wrong. This little one was blue with indigo hair.
Generally speaking, it looked pretty good, for a beginner. Sure, it wasn't as elaborate as what Poppy generally did, but Branch hadn't scrapbooked in a long time, so it made sense it would be pretty basic.
"Ooh...that's so cute," Poppy said, cupping her hands over her cheeks and smiling. "You did a little scene of all your friends when they were little." She pointed to the unidentified blue troll curiously and asked, "Who's that cute little guy?"
Branch looked away and said, "Nobody."
Given that this image was probably made when they still lived in the Troll Tree, Poppy decided not to ask anymore. It sounded to her like there had been a fifth member of their little group who hadn't even made it out of the Troll Tree. Given that Cooper, Biggie, and Creek didn't even like to talk about Branch, it wouldn't surprise her to learn there was another friend whose existence was too painful for them to discuss.
Since cheering Branch up was the goal, she changed the subject, feeling awkward. "...Right! Then here's what I made!" She hurriedly flipped her scrapbook around so he could see her latest elaborately decorated page.
The image she'd made showed her in a very fairy tale princess-style wedding dress while Creek wore a white tuxedo. Peppy was the parson, apparently, and the maid of honor was Smidge. He, Branch, was the best man, while the rest of the Snack Pack were maids of honor or groomsmen, respectively. Poppy was holding a bouquet of lilacs, and there were even two bergens smiling in the background—one wore a crown and a red and white striped shirt while the other, a female bergen, was dressed like a maid. Everybody, even Branch himself, looked really happy, which Branch found slightly unrealistic knowing how he felt about this upcoming marriage.
"See? This is what my wedding to Creek's gonna look like! It's gonna be huge and have all my friends in it, and look! You're there, too, as Creek's best man! Don't this image just fill you with good vibes and hope for the future?" Poppy said encouragingly, smiling the whole time.
She hoped that, if Branch saw an image of his future freedom and his return to a happy home with his friends, it would help perk him up. Then he'd have some hope that everything would work out and fight harder for it. After all, she knew how difficult of a time he was having with this.
Branch looked at her scrapbook, trying very hard not to be annoyed at what it showed. It shouldn't bother me so much, he reasoned silently. Creek and Poppy are probably better for each other, at least once you get past the whole "Creek's going to kill her to save himself" thing. He does care about her, so why do I hate seeing them together so much!?
Having a crush on someone who didn't feel the same was definitely not Branch's favorite event in his life, especially given that she had been his fiance once, but it was his own fault he was in this situation and he'd been through worse, so he chose to ignore the way he was feeling. He pointed to the bergen maid and asked, "Who's that?"
"That? That's Bridget," Poppy answered casually. "We've been trying to get her hooked up with the king here—" she pointed at the crowned bergen, "—Gristle, for a while now. See, she's got this huge crush on him, so we we're hoping he'd return the feelings! After all, there's nothing sadder than a one-sided romance, right?" She frowned, thinking of the lonely days Bridget had spent watching the king from the shadows. It was hard to imagine how bad that had to hurt.
"...Yeah," Branch answered. One-sided romance. Oh, the irony. Can I just stop having a crush on Poppy already? It would never work out.
Poppy closed her scrapbook, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry! I think those days are about over! See, we...kinda pulled this Cinderella-like thing on them last Trollabration, and now the king seems to really love Bridget! They were both happy together last time I saw them!"
That gave Branch something else to think about instead of the annoying fact that she was still going on about "one-sided romance" and how bad it would be to be stuck in one. "...So she's Cinderella?" he asked, his tone flat and a lame look on his face. "How many fairy tales are you living in?"
Poppy sweat, suddenly looking sheepish. "Uuhh... That's the only other one...b-but it was for a good cause!" She sweat and laughed awkwardly. He had to bring that up, didn't he?
"Good. Because I think one is bad enough."
Poppy didn't answer right away, thinking of how to steer the conversation away from this uncomfortable topic. After all, the other fairy tale she was in said she'd marry Branch, and she still liked Creek more, even if Branch was starting to grow on her some. "So!" she finally said. "How'd you like scrapbooking, Branch? And don't try to hide anything, or I won't know how to help you," she added sternly.
"Honestly? I'm not a fan."
Poppy started, eyes wide. "What!?" Horrified, she threw her arms over her head. How could any troll hate scrapbooking? "But all trolls love scrapbooking, Branch!" she said, sounding very much like her younger self whenever he'd claim to dislike anything that she and her friends enjoyed. "It's a—"
Not wanting to hear this again, Branch cut her off, "I'm not that artsy, Poppy."
Poppy stared at him with concern for a bit before asking, "And was this true before that Trollstice, or did you used to enjoy it some?"
Branch looked down. He didn't really want to answer, but she couldn't help if he didn't talk to her. "...My mom used to scrapbook with me."
"...Oh."
That would put a bit of a damper on the activity for him, Poppy knew. Branch had a lot of trouble with positive thinking as it was, so scrapbooking would remind him of his mother, leaving him missing her instead of being happy about the memories he did have with her. Branch didn't say anything in response, just staring at the floor.
Realizing she was on the verge of upsetting Branch, Poppy calmly put away her own scrapbook and tried to be gentle. "...Okay," she said after a moment. "Then I guess we should try—"
"Poppy! It's time to go!" Smidge called from outside. "Hurry up before the others get back!"
Poppy started again, eyes widening once more. She checked her Hug Time watch, sweating slightly. "Whoa. It's gone off four times already!" She sprang up, eyes wide, as she stared at her watch. "Guess time sure flies when you're having fun, huh?" she asked, looking at Branch with an awkward grin.
Branch blinked, looking up toward the window with surprise. "That long?"
If even Branch hadn't realized she'd been here four hours, then they must have been having a good time.
"Guess so," Poppy said as she gathered up most of her scrapbooking supplies. "Tell you what? Why don't you keep some of my scrapbooking supplies and try thinking about the good times you had with your family instead of the end result. Like I said before, your family'd want you to be happy doing all the things you used to do. So if you're ever ready to do that, you have all you need to," she said, smiling gently as she headed for the window.
Branch looked at her, slightly surprised, then smiled. "...Thanks, Poppy."
"Come on!" Smidge called again. "We ain't got all day!"
"Coming, Smidge! Be down in a second!" Poppy answered. She then turned to Branch with a caring smile and said, "See you around, Branch?"
"Yeah," he answered.
Poppy leaped out of the window then, calling, "Later!"
"Well, it's about time!" Branch heard Smidge say down below. "What ya trying to do? Alert Creek to the fact something's up!?"
Their voices were fading as they walked away from the tower, but Branch heard Poppy saying, "I'm sorry, Smidge! Branch needed some..."
What exactly she told Smidge he needed, he'd never know. He couldn't make out anything else she said after that. The two were gone.
Branch just stared out the window for a moment, thinking about that visit. Then he sighed and looked at the things Poppy had left behind. "I should put this stuff away. Since Creek didn't bring it, he'll be wondering where it came from if he sees it."
Poppy was just lucky he had places that he could hide things from Creek. He opened his closet and hid the scrapbooking supplies in there with everything else Poppy had ever brought him, thinking about what Poppy had said. One-sided romance... Well, at least those two bergens are happy.
It wasn't like his one-sided romance issues would ever end in his favor, but at least it worked out for some people.
With the new supplies put away, Branch went to clean up the mess Poppy had left on the floor before going to get something to eat. Given that he hadn't woken up until afternoon and was immediately greeted with a visitor, he hadn't eaten any of what Creek had brought him yet, and he was definitely hungry.
Having Poppy visit is definitely better than being here alone, he thought as he prepared a meal for himself. Wait, does that count as negative?
While Branch was debating whether his last thought was negative enough that it warranted reading that list of positives Poppy had helped him write, the Snack Pack regrouped at their campsite.
"Welcome back, girls!" Guy said cheerily. "How'd it gooooooooooo!?"
"We won!" Satin answered with a smile.
"We can work together!" Chenille added smugly.
DJ sighed. "I'll say! They beat us seven times in a row! Who knew they had it in them!?"
Smidge crossed her arms, grumbling, as Poppy grinned. She knew they could do it if they stopped fighting long enough to work together.
"Oh," Creek said, slightly surprised. "Well, congratulations, you two! See what happens if you just learn to work together?"
He took the words right out of Poppy's mouth, as always. They had so much in common that it was almost as if they shared one mind!
"Cool!" Cooper said, smiling. Then he said, "Biggie and I had a cu-razy adventure! We was hang glidin' when all of a sudden this bird came outta nowhere! So I had to fly around it, and I ended up goin' the wrong way!"
"I saw Cooper heading off on his own and went after him," Biggie continued the tale. "I didn't want him to get lost. When we landed, we were nowhere near Creek, Fuzzbert, and Guy."
"Whew, boooooy!" Guy auto-tuned, looking a bit annoyed. "Yes, that was a lot of fun for everyone! Worrrrrrrying about where you two'd taken off to for hours was clearly the peak of my day!" He crossed his arms and looked at both of them with annoyance.
Fuzzbert nodded, agreeing with Guy's sarcasm.
Creek fiddled with his fingers a bit, looking off to the side uncomfortably. "Yes. Yes, it was, wasn't it?"
He didn't understand why everyone was always getting lost or in trouble out here. Were these woods cursed or something? That was the third time something had gone wrong.
"Were they really that lost?" Satin asked, looking both concerned and surprised.
Nobody answered right away. Then Guy pointed at the two in question, clearly annoyed, and responded, "Ask them."
Biggie sweat, and Cooper laughed.
"So...where'd you two wind up...?" Poppy asked with a look of concern.
"Yeah! And how'd you make it back?" Smidge added, her expression matching Poppy's.
"Oh, well, that's a long story! And a good one!" Cooper answered.
"Do tell," the twins said together.
"Well, we landed closer to Troll Village, really, so we weren't lost, per say. But the adventure we had getting back to camp was...interesting," Biggie explained.
"Yeah! We were walking along, headin' out to find the others, when Biggie got caught in a net!"
Biggie looked surprised at the mere memory as he said, "I didn't even know there were nets out there. I'm sure it's been there for almost 20 years by now."
Poppy sweat. She thought she had dismantled all of Branch's old net traps ages ago. She'd fallen into a few of them over the years herself.
"Anyway, I had to get him outta there, so I chewed through the net, and he fell to the ground!" Cooper continued.
"But, when I landed, I noticed Mr. Dinkles was gone! So we had to go find him."
The girls all gasped, horrified at the thought that Mr. Dinkles could come to any harm. Sure, he was safe in Biggie's arms now, but what had happened to the little guy earlier? Satin and Chenille covered their mouths with both hands.
"Oh, my ga!" Smidge cried, slapping her hands to her face with wide eyes.
"W-where was he, Biggie?" DJ asked nervously. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know.
"Well, that was the question, wasn't it?" Biggie responded.
"We found him in a bird's nest!" Cooper answered. "Except he was there with a bunch of eggs that all looked exactly like him, so we had to figure out which one was Mr. Dinkles!"
"Huh?" Satin asked, shocked.
Chenille raised an eyebrow and asked, "There are birds that lay eggs that look like Mr. Dinkles?"
"Oh, yes," Biggie said, nodding. "And they were very convincing, too. It took us quite a while to find him. But, once we did, we had to get away from the mother. You see, she thought we were stealing one of her babies."
"Yeah!" Cooper answered, sounding for all the world like the thought of being attacked by an angry mother bird was the most thrilling thing ever. "so we ran from the bird mama, and she chased us around trees, across a creek, through a buncha tarantapuffs, past my Uncle Billy, until we hid in a cave she couldn't get into!"
"We found another way out of the cave, and we heard Creek calling for us. When we looked around, we saw that they were at the bottom of a hill we'd somehow gotten to the top of. So we slid down the hill on a piece of bark that fell off a tree."
"Thankfully that turned out to be the end of that adveeeenture. 'Cause we all decided to reign it in them and head straight back here before anything else could go wrong," Guy finished for them, still looking and sounding very much irritated about this whole thing.
Chenille stared at them, eyes wide, for a moment. She blinked, then finally said, "Well, you had a full day."
Satin, eyes still wide herself, merely nodded in agreement. The other three girls said nothing, just staring with their mouths agape.
With this being the end of their camping trip, the Snack Pack spent the rest of the afternoon packing up so they could head home. By the time they finally reached Troll Village, the sun was setting, and everyone was ready to get home and rest. Well, the boys and DJ were, at any rate. Poppy, Smidge, and the twins had other ideas. Once the four of them were alone in Poppy's pod, Poppy told them how things had gone with Branch that day.
"What!?" Smidge exclaimed, shocked. "Ya gotta be kidding! How hard can it be to make that guy happy!?"
"Smidge, he's suicidal," Chenille answered. "What do you think?"
"Well, he's not suicidal anymore," Poppy amended awkwardly. Then, frustrated at how hard this had turned out to be, she threw her arms out to the sides as she sat on her bed. "But, boy, is he having a hard time being happy! Every time he gets even the slightest reminder of something bad from his past or present, he jumps on that like stink on a bergen! And it's an uphill battle every time just to perk him back up! Why, at the rate this is going, I'd probably have to live with him just to keep him satisfied!"
Satisfied, of course, wasn't what Poppy was aiming for. She intended to make Branch happy, no matter how much of a struggle that might be. Even if it took her 21 years to do it after solving their issues with Chef, she'd cheer him up. He deserved to be happy as much as everyone else.
"So what do we do?" Satin asked, concerned.
"Hmm..." Smidge put a hand to her chin, thinking about it. "Are there any songs about fighting depression?"
Poppy looked at Smidge with uncertainty.
"I'm sure there has to be something like that out there," Chenille said confidently.
"Should we try to find one?" Satin suggested.
Poppy sighed and nodded in defeat, thinking, If it does exist, it's probably country again.
After that uncomfortable song the twins had found, Poppy was once more questioning her feelings about that genre. On the one hand, its emotional undertone seemed perfect for cheering up Branch, but that last song had felt like it was aimed at her, too. Now, thanks to that, she was starting to question if Creek really was best for her. Given that she'd never known Branch when he was happy, she may never know what he used to be like. What if he had been a better match for her than Creek? Had her dad known something she didn't? Why did her life have to get so much more complicated after listening to one song?
With how confusing and deep country music could be, it was definitely the worst, she thought.
"Great! I'll get back on that, then!" Smidge said before running out with eager determination.
That was easy for her. She wasn't questioning her life because of one song.
"Right!" the twins agreed, heading off to do the same.
Poppy groaned in exasperation, letting her head fall onto her desk. Why did country music have to suck so much?
A few days later, the twins came to Poppy. They hadn't found a song for her, however—they had some other business for her.
"Poppy, we have some designs for you to look over," Satin said, holding out some sketches for her.
"Just let us know what you like," Chenille added.
"Great! I can't wait to see what you've come up with!" Poppy said, and she snatched the sketches and started flipping through them excitedly.
These were possible designs for her wedding dress. Poppy was eager to see what the twins had come up with for her special day. As she looked through them, she noted that the twins had hit what she was looking for perfectly. Each design was extravagant and looked like the sort of thing a princess in fairy tales would wear. Some bunched at the waist before flowing to the ground, some used more gauzy material in some areas, some were covered in glitter, some used glitter for elaborate designs, but each and every one had its own appeal. Poppy could hardly narrow it down, let alone pick the best one.
"Ooh... These are all so great, you guys! I love 'em." She put them down, smiling, and eagerly asked, "Anyway, you guys, how's the search for one final mood-lifting song going!? Got anything good yet?"
Her face lit up at the thought of seeing Branch again. From the look of it, she was almost as eager to visit him as she was to see the design options for her wedding dress.
Chenille looked apologetic as she said, "Sorry, Poppy, we haven't found one yet."
Poppy deflated, looking about as disappointed as if she'd heard a friend's birthday party had been canceled. "Oh..."
"We did tell everyone else that you need one, though, so they're looking," Satin added.
Chenille gestured at the design sketches and asked, "But what about the dress? You're getting married! We need time to make it!"
Poppy sweat, unsure. "Ohh... I don't know, girls! They're all so fabulous, I can't make up my mind!" She picked them all up again, frantically flipping through them in a vain attempt to choose.
"Thank you!" said Chenille, looking pleased.
"But you really do need to pick one. We can make adjustments to whatever you pick, if it helps."
Poppy put the pictures down and placed a hand to her chin, thinking. "Hmm... Here's a thought! Why don't you decide for me, and I'll make adjustments from there!" she suggested, beaming at them.
The twins looked at each other and shrugged.
"Okay, we can do that," Satin said.
Chenille looked over the designs. "How about..." she took one that gathered the skirt at the waist before flowing down to the ground, "this one?"
"No, this one!" Satin protested, picking one that had glittery swirls on it.
"Mine would look better on Poppy!" Chenille countered.
"No, this one would be more flattering for her figure!"
Uncomfortable, Poppy sweat as the two continued bickering. O-kay! Maybe not the best idea I've ever had! Should've asked Smidge to pick one. Or maybe... She grinned at the new idea that had come to her, then grabbed some paper and started writing a letter to a special friend, completely ignoring the war raging in front of her.
Branch was full of good ideas and had proven himself very smart in the past, so he should be able to help. Assuming, of course, that he didn't get flustered by the fairy tale theme or ignore her request.
"As if!" Chenille said, unnoticed by Poppy. "You wouldn't know what looks good on Poppy if it bit you!"
"Well, you certainly didn't pick the right one!"
"Of course, I did!"
That afternoon, Branch was cleaning when a bug flew into his face, holding up a letter.
"Oh. Thanks," he said, taking the letter from the critter. For some reason, he noticed, there were two envelopes this time. As the critter took off, Branch opened one of the two envelopes, saying, "Let's see what Poppy has to say now." Silently, he added, Hopefully not too much about her wedding... I'm getting tired of hearing about it from both her and Creek.
He pulled it out and read:
Dear Branch,
Hey, sorry we ran out of time before I got to show you my scrapbook stories. But I promise I'll bring them by next time. Who knows? Maybe something really interesting will happen between now and then! Wouldn't that be super cool!?
Anyway, here's something a little less cool. So Satin and Chenille came over with some sketches for my wedding dress. But they were all so awesome, I just couldn't make up my mind on which one to make! So I...kinda asked them to pick one, and now they're arguing in my room over it. Maybe I should've asked Smidge, huh?
So, anyway, since I did mess that one up, I was hoping you could help me figure out which one looks the best instead! So I sent you some scrapbooked pages of the designs in case you thought any would look good on me. But be warned, they're all kinda based on fairy tales and movies, so it may be a bit awkward for you.
Hope you've learned to think positively correctly now! Hope to see you soon!
Your friend,
Poppy
So much for this not being about her wedding.
Branch re-read the letter, sure he had to have read it wrong the first time. "Wedding dress designs? She's asking me about wedding dress designs? Why me!?"
He wasn't into fashion. What made her think he was a good choice for this? He didn't even approve of her plans to marry Creek in the first place, although he'd never tell her that. Regardless, he picked up the second envelope and looked at it lamely. "I don't really want to know what's in here, do I?" he asked himself. Then he sighed and opened it, finding the aforementioned designs included.
As he looked over the designs, he sweat. He could picture Poppy in pretty much all of them, and they all made her look amazing in his mind. "...Hair, why are the twins so good at this?" he asked. As he kept looking, he groaned, seeing one that made him think of Rapunzel. "Nope, definitely not that one." He tossed it aside. Then, realizing exactly what he was doing, he paused, thinking about this.
Poppy was getting married to Creek in a few months. She'd sent Branch some designs to look over. For some reason, he was doing it, even though he didn't approve and was actually jealous of Creek.
"...Why am I trying to help with this?"
There was no logical reason for it. Well, none other than the fact that Poppy would say he was being negative if he didn't at least try to help her pick something. So he kept going over them until he saw one that he thought would work.
"Yeah, sure, that one," he finally said, satisfied. "She'll look like something out of a ridiculous fairy tale, but that's apparently what she wants, so I guess it's fine." Muttering, he added, "She'll also look like she's too good for Creek, considering he cares more about himself than anyone else in the world."
Of course, her being too good for Creek had nothing to do with the clothes and everything to do with their personalities. Branch sighed and took the design he'd picked to his desk, where he wrote Poppy a letter. Then, he folded the letter and chosen design together and hid them and the remaining designs. He'd send the letter that evening, as always.
In Troll Village, the twins had gotten so worked up over the dress designs that Poppy had suggested they ask for some other opinions. Unfortunately, she had meant that they should ask the groom, her dad, and her maid of honor, but she'd worded it as "ask everyone else," leading to the twins harassing the rest of the Snack Pack.
"Has anyone else had the twins aggressively ask them which dress would look best on Poppy?" Biggie asked the others, looking uneasy as he recalled the unpleasant encounter.
Arms crossed, Guy gave Biggie a sideways glance. "Which one? Because Satin ignored Chenille as if she wasn't even there!" he answered, throwing his arms down in his irritation. "And Chenille told me to act as though she wasn't there, too!"
He didn't understand them. They were acting like Bridezillas, but neither of them were the ones getting married!
"Chenille knocked Satin to the ground when they were buggin' me about it," Cooper said, looking concerned. He shook his head and added, "They are not happy!"
"I'll say! They decided to have a fashion off using me as their model!" Smidge said, shuddering at the memory. She wasn't even the right size, so she'd wound up buried under all the dresses they forcefully shoved over her head.
"Hmm... That's odd," Creek said, placing a hand on his chin and looking concerned. "How come I was unaware of this? After all, it is my wedding, is it not?"
"They probably forgot about asking you," Biggie said.
"Dude, you do not want them to include you in this," Cooper said fervently, shaking his head with vigor. "At all."
"Hmm... Yes. It appears so," Creek agreed.
That didn't, however, explain why he had been excluded. Were they really so worked up that they'd forgotten to ask him? He decided he'd ask them when their fashion war was over.
Meanwhile, Poppy was alone in her pod, stuck in bed due to her still recovering feet.
"Oohh... I am so bored... Sure, I was able to go to morning yoga practice with Creek, and then there was that short dance off with Cooper, and then I got to go swimming with everyone, but that was like an hour ago! How long will my feet be messed up anyway?"
She fell back on her bed, groaning. One thing was certain, she was never going to overdo it and tear her feet up so badly again. She was tired of missing out on all the fun.
Just then, Poppy noticed the letter resting at the foot of her bed. Just a couple of folded-up pieces of paper, lying on her bed. No envelope, nothing to keep it shut. She sat up, sweating. "Note to self... Be sure to send Branch some tape or envelopes so that doesn't happen again."
After all, those letters arrived when she was asleep, but she'd been so excited to go out and be able to do things again that she'd forgotten to even look for one. It had just been sitting in her pod for hours, and it would be a disaster if the wrong troll found out who'd written it.
Grateful that Creek hadn't seen it—and that she'd been claiming Bridget was sending her mail—Poppy unfolded it and read:
Dear Poppy,
Do I look like a fashion designer to you? I've never been interested in fashion, so what makes you think I would know anything about it? You'd be better off asking the guy you're marrying about this, but, since you insist, I did look over the designs you sent me.
Honestly, I don't like the fairy tale theme, but you, apparently, love living fairy tales, so whatever. I think this one would probably look best on you, but you should probably get a second opinion since, like I said, I don't know anything about fashion.
Next time, don't ask the twins. You should know they never agree on anything.
Branch
Poppy sweat, feeling awkward. She hadn't gotten that much sass and complaining from him in a while. Apparently, he did get stuck on the fashion and fairy tale parts of the whole thing. "Ya know, somehow I just knew that'd be his answer. Ah, well, at least he made an effort for once."
That was a plus, at any rate. He used to refuse to even try to help with something he didn't understand.
She looked at the design he'd chosen, eager to see what he thought she should wear for her big day. The skirt was scalloped and shorter than some of the other options. The square neckline and short sleeves had the same scallop pattern as the skirt, and a pale yellow layer of fabric was visible beneath the white of the bodice, which was tied shut with golden yellow strings. Silver and gold glitter decorated the outer layer of the bodice, swirling all around in elaborate heart-shaped patterns, and the flowing skirt had glitter trails running down it, ending in swirls at the hem. A pale yellow sash around the waist was tied into a bow at the back.
She loved it immediately.
"Hey! Great choice, Branch!" She grinned, amused at how he'd underestimated himself. "And you thought you didn't know anything about fashion." She whistled for assistance, and Smidge leaped into the window eagerly.
"You called, Boss?" Smidge said.
"Sure did!" Poppy held the chosen design out, saying, "Take this sketch to Satin and Chenille! It's the perfect dress for my wedding to Creek!"
"Oh my ga! Is that a relief!" Smidge said, taking the sketch from Poppy, and the look on her face almost made her words seem like an understatement. "And here I thought the war would never end!"
Poppy blinked, totally lost. "War? What war? I didn't—"
"There's no time to waste! I gotta get this to the twins ASAP! Then maybe they can finally make peace and make up!" Smidge said before running out. She called back, "Thanks, Poppy! See you later!"
"H-hey! Wait just one second, Smidge!" Poppy said, and she leaped out of bed, thoroughly annoyed. "That sounds like something a princess should resolve!" she cried urgently as she ran after Smidge.
Five days passed before Poppy sent a reply. Branch was doing his laundry when the bug flew through the window. Catching sight of it, he dried his hands and went to get the letter, which he set down on the table, and went to finish his laundry.
Once his clothes were clean and hanging out to dry, Branch opened Poppy's letter and read:
Dear Branch,
So, apparently, I started a war by asking the twins to choose my wedding dress. But no worries! I set them straight. I mean, come on. My wedding's no reason to sleep in two different tents in your own bedroom, is it? But...apparently, things got so heated, they started calling each other names!
Seriously, they actually did that. I mean, I know they fight a lot while making something fabulous, but that much? Yeah, you're totally right. I'll just ask Smidge from now on.
Well, that wasn't exactly what he'd told her to do, but he supposed it was better than asking two girls who fought over virtually everything to make a choice for her.
Anyway, thanks a lot for that great idea, buddy! I simply love your taste in style. And here you said you didn't know anything about it. Maybe next time, you should try something out before you decide you're no good at it, huh? Ya did the same thing with scrapbooking, too, and it wasn't too bad.
Branch was actually surprised she was so happy about his choice for her wedding dress. He'd honestly gone for the thing that looked the least like a corny fairy tale dress.
So that's my next advice to you: Don't assume you're an amateur at something just because it's new to you. You may find out you've got some hidden talents you weren't even aware of.
And, speaking of, where did you learn to dance like that? I mean, I get that you were kinda out of it that last time due to my psycho-hypnotism or whatever, but seriously. I was expecting something a bit more childlike and random, not someone who's worthy to be called a super pro. So where did that come from? You're the best dancer in Troll Village!
Well, anyway, thanks again for the peace-making design idea! Hope to see you soon, Fashion Hero!
Your good friend,
Poppy
Poppy had praised him for multiple things in that single letter—his fashion sense, his scrapbooking, and his dancing. If Branch was honest with himself, it felt nice to have someone look at him and see some positives, even if they weren't necessarily things he himself cared about. Even better, she'd called herself his good friend instead of just his friend.
He stared at the letter for a second before giving it a lame look as he re-read the second-to-last paragraph. "I can't be the best dancer in Troll Village because I'm not in Troll Village. ...And why'd she bring that up now? It's been weeks!"
Also, the fact that he'd been spacing out while dancing with her made that a rather embarrassing memory for him, even if it did, apparently, impress Poppy. Regardless, he sat down to write his reply.
The next day, Poppy's alarm (set at the foot of her bed) went off, waking her from her sleep. "Oh! Morning already?" She reached down and shut off her new alarm clock and saw a letter lying on the chest she'd set down there. She snatched it up, saying, "Perfect! I knew having to reach down there to shut off my alarm would work! Now, to see what's up this time."
She eagerly opened the letter and read:
Dear Poppy,
Can't say I expected a war, but I guess that's Satin and Chenille for you. Do yourself a favor and never ask them to make a decision again. I don't think the rest of the Snack Pack wants to deal with that again, either.
As for your question about my dancing, my dad taught me a lot, so I guess that's where I learned it? It's not like I've really danced in years, so I'm as surprised as you are, honestly. I guess a lot of it comes naturally.
Apparently, Branch had natural talent as a dancer. That was kind of cool, but it was too bad he didn't use it much.
If you want to keep the peace, make sure the twins don't have to make decisions about your wedding anymore. You're welcome, though, I guess. And don't call me fashion hero. It's weird.
You're welcome to visit any time. Just make sure you don't hurt yourself, okay?
Your friend,
Branch
He'd finally called himself her friend. It had only taken 21 years.
"Hmm..." Poppy closed her eyes, giggling. His protest at being called Fashion Hero was cute. "Oh, Branch! You're something else." She giggled again, thinking it might be fun to tease him about that. Since he liked teasing her about some of the things she did, like calling him her brother when they were kids, she saw no harm in returning the favor. Then, she went to put the letter away before getting started with her day.
Over the next week, Biggie and Mr. Dinkles made too many cupcakes for a bergen/troll picnic, Poppy and Creek decided on colors for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and her heavy wrappings on her feet were exchanged for more ordinary band-aids. This day's adventure: Smidge was having trouble with the wedding decorations.
"No, Smidge. You need to put the pink ribbons on the bride's side! It's the lavender ones you need for the groom's," Poppy, clipboard in hand, said, referring to the ribbons Smidge was tying around chairs.
"Oh, right. My bad," Smidge said, and she started removing the ribbons.
Biggie came over, saying, "Poppy, I've finished arranging the flowers on the arch."
"Hey, Poppy, what are the name tags for again? And do I need them right now?" Cooper asked, two tags in hand.
Poppy sweat, looking uncomfortable. "Uhhh...not yet, Coop. They're for the seating arrangements so everyone knows where to go. You should take those back to Creek's place, where you found them. You know, since he was the one who wrote them all up?"
She was disturbed. What had Cooper been doing, snooping around Creek's pod and taking things without asking? This wasn't even the first time! Sure, it wasn't always Creek, but Cooper tended to borrow things from people without asking quite a lot. He once shared a bergen's pie without permission, and Poppy'd rather not think of what that had caused.
"Oh, okay!" Cooper said, and he took off.
"Poppy, speaking of things one really shouldn't be doing..." Guy said as he walked over, looking around nervously. He eyes Creek, who was going over the outfit designs with the twins a short distance away.
Poppy took the hint instantly. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Right! It has been a while, hasn't it?" She called over to Creek, "Hey, babe! I'm going to head off for a sec! There's something I need to take care of!"
"Oh, that's alright, Sunshine!" he called back, smiling. "I've got it from here!"
"Great! See you later! Love you!" Waving happily, she started on her way.
"Love you, too, Sunshine! Have a good rest!"
Poppy froze, one foot in the air, startled by that. Then she laughed awkwardly, wondering why everyone still thought that was her reason for leaving things early. Her feet weren't that bad anymore. "Ah, heh heh, yyeah... I'll do that..." Feeling awkward now, she left to write to Branch. After all, it had been a while since her last letter. This time, however, she planned to add something important that they should have been using from the start.
In the middle of the afternoon, a bug flew through the tower window, a box strapped to its back in addition to the letter it bore.
Branch looked up from his solo chess game, startled. "...A box? That's a new one. What's that about?" He took the box first, opening it to see what was inside. Pink envelopes and sheets of stickers shaped like hearts, flowers, and smiling suns were what he found.
He stared for a second. She'd sent him a box full of envelopes and stickers? He supposed envelopes made sense, but what was with the stickers? Confused, he opened the letter and read:
Dear Branch,
Yeah, kinda figured you'd worry about that war thing. But the good news is they have made up and are working relatively well together on my wedding dress now, so I don't think it's too big an issue, really.
And why does everyone keep bringing up my foot injuries when they're almost healed? Seriously. The bandage wraps were officially replaced with ordinary band-aids by Dr. Moonbloom two days ago, but no one seems to care! Why, Creek even thought I was heading home early so I could rest today! I'm not that bad off now.
Although, if you really want me to, I could go walk on some super pointy, sharp rocks before my next visit. If it gives you something to nag me about. What do ya say!? ;)
So your dad taught that to you, huh? Sorry I asked. It must be painful for you to think about, huh? That is, assuming you haven't taken my advice about remembering and cherishing the good times, of course.
Have you?
Aw! But what's wrong with giving you cute little heroic titles from time to time? Is it because you're the princess in this tale of ours? Kidding! ;D
So have you decided to try new things to see if you're any good at or like them yet? Finding stuff you like to do can help make you happy! Especially if you can enjoy them with others. So try as many things as you can and see what you like! Fun and happiness go hand in hand, you know?
Anyway, since it's been a while, here's the latest gossip from Troll Village! First off, for our annual bergen picnic, Biggie fell behind on his cupcake-making, so he asked some bizzy buzzer bugs to help, and they made enough cupcakes for three picnics! We're still sharing them with the bergens, and I've got a cupcake party planned to help finish them off! What do you think? Do cupcakes make for good party decorations? :D
Next, Cooper stole some name tags from Creek's pod and asked me what to do with them. Ya know, I really don't wanna know. Do you?
Anyway, hope to see you soon! You're way more entertaining than you used to be.
Your dear friend,
Poppy
PS: The package contains some envelopes and stickers you can use to seal them. That way, no one will know who's sending these letters. Better safe than sorry, right?
Well, that explained the stickers. And she'd changed "good" to "dear," leaving Branch wondering if that meant anything.
"...I'm entertaining? That's...a new one."
New though it was—and as much as he'd always claimed he didn't do fun—Branch smiled slightly. Coming from Poppy, that was a pleasant surprise. He shook his head, dragging himself away from that thought before he could get lost in it, and went to write a response.
When he was about halfway through his answer, he realized something. He looked up and said, "Did she seriously not tell me anything about her wedding? That doesn't happen often." He paused, realizing something else, and looked at the wall lamely. "And now I'm bringing it up. Ugh... We'd be a lousy match, anyway! She's better off with Creek!"
If he kept telling himself that, maybe it would sink in eventually. He finished his letter, used one of the ridiculous smiling sun stickers to seal the pink envelope, then hid the box in his desk.
In the morning, Poppy turned off the alarm at the foot of her bed and found a pink envelope sitting there. She felt a bit more secure in this letter-sending thing when she saw that. Now Creek couldn't tell who was sending these letters unless he opened one for her.
She opened it and read:
Dear Poppy,
I'm glad the twins are working together better now. Hopefully, they can keep that up and won't rip each other to shreds while working on your dress.
He just wouldn't drop that, would he? Typical paranoid Branch. The situation was long since resolved, but he was still concerned.
I'm pretty sure the reason everyone keeps bringing up your foot injuries is the fact that you managed to make your feet so badly blistered that you literally couldn't walk for a while. Don't you dare go walking around on sharp rocks before you visit again. I swear, if you show up with new injuries, I'll give you something to complain about besides them. Maybe try not to get yourself hurt by being stupid, huh?
About the dancing thing, don't worry about it. Honestly, it was fun learning to dance with my dad, so it's not a big deal.
Do not, under any circumstances, give me "cute little heroic titles." And don't ever call me a princess again. If you do, I will kill you.
As expected, teasing him was fun. His reaction was entertaining as well as cute, at least to her mischievous self.
As for your gossip, I'm not surprised Biggie made too many cupcakes, and it's Cooper. Nobody ever knows what he's doing, so it's really not that surprising anymore.
Also, you think I'm entertaining? Did you hit your head or something? Maybe you should be resting. You're clearly not feeling well. Think I'll send Smidge a letter, let her know you're dying. And, hopefully, by this point you've figured out I'm joking.
It seemed he was just as mischievous as she was, based on that paragraph. That was a surprise.
Just stop by whenever, but make sure you don't do something stupid, like walk across hot coals on your way here or something. It'd be nice to see you again, but not if you're going to burn through all my first-aid supplies.
Your friend,
Branch
Poppy burst into laughter. There was the attitude she'd known as a child. Apparently, that part of Branch's personality was the same as always, but it somehow wasn't as hurtful or frightening as before. Instead, it was more playful, and he obviously wasn't too mad about her teasing comments or he wouldn't have responded the way he did. Poppy supposed he was getting more comfortable with her and more willing to be himself with her.
Realizing how fun he'd be on Prank Day, Poppy made a mental note to stop by for that day since it was coming up. She wondered how he'd handle the holiday.
"Oh, hair! Haha! He's so—" She cut herself off, laughing at the teasing remarks from the last two paragraphs. Maybe they had more in common than she thought.