Shadgirl2: Sorry this took so long. I'm learning to drive, which is an achievement for me since I've been afraid to drive for years.
Midna: Also it's April, which is a busy month for teachers around here.
Shadgirl2: Anyway, we do have another chapter ready now.
Midna: Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The OC's are ours, but that's it.
King Quincy and Queen Essence were patiently waiting for Cooper to come back to Troll Village so they could meet him when D came in, bearing bad news—the Pop Troll queen wasn't intending to steal any strings, but she was liable to land herself in a world of trouble.
Quincy's eyes widened in concern, and he asked, "What was that, D!? You for real, son?"
"Afraid so, Dad," D answered. "Queen Poppy's gone off to sing pop music for Mayor Delta."
Now that was a troubling thought. The king and queen exchanged worried looks. They knew how bad a misunderstanding with that troll could be.
"Oh, man," Essence said, appalled at this news. "Don't she know that's no good thing?" She pulled her head back and lowered her neck a bit in the four-legged Funk Troll equivalent of putting hands on hips.
"Are there any other trolls there with her? Perhaps one who could vouch for her that didn't do that?" Quincy asked, leaning his head forward as he gave his son his undivided attention.
"Guy said she took one other with her, but he seemed to think the most that troll could do is get them out of trouble—violently, from the sound of things," D told his dad.
The king and queen both gasped, eyes widening in concern. Violence in Lonesome Flats would be met with equal violence. If that happened, the Pop queen would never make it back to her village. They looked at each other with worry once again, fearing the outbreak of war between Pop and Country.
Ordinarily, worrying about a war between different troll tribes would be ridiculous, but the Country Trolls and Rock Trolls would both be happy to declare war on their enemies. King Quincy and Queen Essence had learned that the hard way a few years back, when a Classical Troll child had wandered into Lonesome Flats by accident. When Conductor Trollzart went to find the boy, he was already in trouble for playing classical music in the country town and asking the Country Trolls to join him. Mayor Delta thought the boy had come to convert them, but Trollzart managed to calm the situation without any incident.
That would have been the end of it if, as he was leaving, he hadn't commented about how dusty the country air was: "I don't like your dusty country air" was what he claimed to have said when asked. Delta, thinking he'd said, "I don't like your dusty country hair," grew furious and took this as a threat. She became convinced the child was sent to convert them because the Classical Troll's leader clearly wanted to change her "dusty" hair (which, she pointed out with insult, she washed regularly, thank you very much). Clearly, that meant he wanted to change everything about her, so she had declared war to protect her people from their "lying, conniving neighbors," as she had put it. She planned to drive them out of their territory so they wouldn't be a neighboring threat anymore.
Where did the Funky family come into this? Well, simply put, King Quincy and Queen Essence had spent as much time fetching their explorer son as they had looking for their lost son. Prince D had visited all tribes except Pop at some point and managed to make friends in each of them. D received a letter from a friend in Symphonyville that told him of the misunderstanding (and the fact that Mayor Delta wouldn't listen when the Conductor tried to say that wasn't what he had said), and the Funk prince had brought the matter to his parents' attention. The Funky family had ended up hosting a peace talk to discuss the matter, which wasn't easy since both Delta and Trollzart were at each other's throats by that point.
In the end, Trollzart agreed to have Classical Trolls do a border patrol to keep them out of Country Troll territory, and Delta agreed not to attack the Classical Trolls as long as she never saw one in her town again. Ever since, the Funky family had been visiting both on the regular to make sure the peace was kept.
So, yeah, Mayor Delta could definitely be problematic for anyone who sang the wrong genre in her town.
"For real?" Essence asked, thinking about all the reasons why they'd ever had to visit the other tribes.
Beyond that incident with the Country Trolls, D's visits to the other troll tribes had led the king and queen of Funk to learn a thing or two about all of the tribes. (Well, besides Pop, who always kept to themselves and never even left the Troll Tree until, apparently, recently.) For example, the Rock Trolls were aggressive and loud, and the Techno Trolls were equally as loud but not so aggressive. Volcano Rock City being right next to the Techno Reef was a recipe for disaster, just like the Country Trolls and Classical Trolls being neighbors.
The Pop Trolls had, strangely, been the group the Funk Trolls considered the least threatening. The Troll Tree was far away from everyone. With that being all trolls' ancestral home, they'd made sure to get as far from the former aggressors as they could when they fled with the strings. Unfortunately, they hadn't been as cautious about living close to each other, which was why country and classical clashed and why a conflict between rock and techno seemed almost inevitable.
"Then there's no time to waste!" Quincy turned to one of their pilots with a serious look about him and ordered, "Get us over to Lonesome Flats! We got some negotiating to do!"
Suddenly he was glad he'd learned how to talk to Mayor Delta after that first disastrous time. This wouldn't even be possible if he hadn't.
"Yes, sir, King Quincy!" said the pilot, and he set a course. Vibe City took off toward the northwest.
Quincy turned back to his son and decided to make sure nothing else needed addressing. It seemed like these Pop Trolls could use an adult...which was a problem since Guy, at least, was an adult. From the sound of things, these immature Pop Trolls weren't even doing this on purpose—they just wanted to help everyone. After that incident between Delta and Trollzart, Quincy'd learned a new motto: innocent until proven guilty. He'd figure out if these Pop Trolls were the bad guys later.
"Alright. Now, son, was that the only troll currently in a bind 'cause of this? Or are there some held up in Volcano Rock, too?"
The Rock Trolls could be tricky to deal with—this was common knowledge. However, if this knowledge had somehow not reached the Pop queen, then it might not be as common as he thought.
"Unfortunately, there are two there," D answered with a nod. "Guy seemed to think they could keep cool under pressure and get Princess Barb to be friendly to them. Queen Poppy sent her people all over the place. King Trollex and Conductor Trollzart have probably had visitors, even."
Essence raised an eyebrow, looking mildly concerned. "For real? Well, then, we might as well drop by those places, too, just in case," Essence reasoned. "I mean, I don't think King Trollex will give anyone any trouble, but..."
"I'm more worried about Conductor Trollzart!" Quincy said. "He's not very likely to trust some trespassing Pop Trolls and might do something drastic 'cause of it. I mean, I doubt he'd hurt them in any way, but—" He cut himself off and turned to the driver, saying, "Scratch that, man. Take us to every tribe, startin' with Symphonyville, and circle around to the Techno Reef. This is a bigger mess than I thought."
From their current location, Symphonyville was closest, so it made sense to go there first. Then, with the situation in Lonesome Flats being something that could blow up, they'd head there next. The Techno Reef was the least likely to be problematic, so they could check there last.
"Alright!" the pilot acknowledged, correcting course.
Quincy turned back to his son and said, "Don't worry, son. We'll get this mess all sorted out. In the meanwhile, why don't you go tell our little Pop friend what's up? I'm sure he'd love to know what's happenin' with his buds."
D nodded. "Alright," he said, and he headed out to do that.
King Quincy shook his head, thinking of this absurdity they were dealing with. When had they become Pop Troll babysitters? "Dang. That lil' Pop queen's sure got a lot to learn, huh?"
"You know it, hon!" Essence agreed with a nod. "Here's hoping everyone's doing alright, though." Worriedly, she stared off into space.
"I feel you, Essence. I feel you."
Elsewhere, Biggie and Cooper spent the morning teaching the residents of the underground village of Fearsville—formerly Fairiesville—how to make a variety of traps and security devices. Worryingly, Cooper had some of Branch's blueprints for his own devices, and Biggie didn't know how, when, or even why that happened.
"Net traps?" a troll asked as Cooper whipped out a blueprint for one of Branch's (frequently annoying) nets that often caught trolls and never seemed to catch anything dangerous. "What are those?"
"They catch anything dangerous in nets!" Cooper explained excitedly, omitting the part where they also catch your friends in nets.
Biggie wasn't too fussed about the practicality of these traps right now, however. He was more worried about something else. He leaned over and cupped a hand around Cooper's ear as he whispered, "Cooper, where did you get those? I thought Branch's blueprints were, well, with Branch."
Seemingly oblivious to the situation in front of him, the troll excitedly asked, "Really!?"
"Yup!" Cooper answered him. "And that's not all I got!"
And, out of nowhere, he pulled blueprint after blueprint after blueprint. The questions Biggie had still remained unanswered.
How!? Biggie wondered anxiously, his eyes wide.
"I also got coded door locks, laser grids, cage traps, and locks that are hand-, eye-, or voice-activated so nobody that doesn't match can get in!" Cooper told the trolls, presenting all of his—or, rather, Branch's—documents.
The trolls all got very excited at this news. What would paranoid trolls love more than ways to keep perceived danger out? "Oooh!" They cheered and ran over to rummage through Branch's designs eagerly.
Well, while they were doing that, Biggie figured now was a good time to drag Cooper off for a private conversation. He pulled the giraffe troll off to the side. This needed addressed—one should never steal from Branch.
If you looked at their past experiences, you might wonder why Biggie felt that stealing from Branch was such a bad idea. It wasn't as if he'd ever been caught doing it. Well, sadly, that is where you would be wrong. Guy, Smidge, and Cooper had once convinced him to steal Gary, Branch's beloved remote control, and take it for a joyride. At the time, Biggie had been unsure of it. However, he'd had a great time and learned to take risks. They'd even managed to get the remote back into Branch's home without him noticing...at the time. Only Biggie and Branch knew how that event had really ended.
This is why Biggie, rather frantic about the idea of taking Branch's things, asked, "Cooper, did you steal those from Branch?" He shook the giraffe a bit as he panicked. "Did you!?"
"Whoa, easy, dude!" Cooper said as he took a step back from Biggie, his eyes wide. "It ain't a big deal!"
That was a yes.
"Cooper, remember when we took Gary out for a spin, and I told you that seemed risky?"
"Yeah. Why? We didn't get caught!" Cooper answered.
"No, you didn't get caught. Branch eventually realized that Gary wouldn't have been so carelessly discarded and checked for fingerprints. You're just lucky he only found mine."
Cooper was lucky because Biggie had been in control of the remote the entire time they tried to return it. His fingerprints had wiped away the others', it seemed. He'd been up all night while Branch went off on him about how breaking into someone's home, friend or not, and taking what belongs to them and what matters the most to them is not okay. He'd also gotten an earful about how Gary wasn't a toy and he could have gotten seriously hurt and Branch had expected better behavior from him... Biggie wasn't sure who made Branch his dad, but it seemed like a good idea not to let that happen to anyone else. Hence, Biggie hadn't ratted out the others. They had no idea Branch had ever found out.
"Ohhh..." Cooper looked at Biggie with sympathy. He could only imagine how bad Branch would be if he knew anyone had stolen Gary, his beloved remote control "son."
"Yes. It wasn't a pleasant night, to put it lightly. I'm never borrowing anything from Branch without permission again—or, as he so aptly called it, stealing from Branch again," Biggie said, leaning forward slightly on the word "stealing."
Cooper just stared. He didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't thought of it as stealing, given that trolls usually shared everything. However, Branch was different, and this concept that was usually a bergen-only thing was probably also a Branch thing.
"Anyway, Cooper, please tell me you didn't take those from Branch without permission," Biggie asked again.
Cooper shook his head and said, "Nah, dude! Why would I take blueprints? I found these in my pod, buried under a buncha games and musical instruments. I figure they've been there since I borrowed 'em to build my new pod when Branch accidentally brainwashed everybody!"
Biggie blinked, stunned. "Oh. And...you've had them this entire time?" He put a finger to his chin. "That's...interesting."
Did Branch forget he'd loaned them to Cooper? That was odd.
"Yeah, I figure Branch just hasn't needed them," Cooper answered with a smile. "He's probably got all these memorized!"
As the two finished up their conversation, the trolls of Fearsville grabbed the blueprints and eagerly started taking off.
One said, "I'm gonna go get to work on installing better security!"
Another grabbed the one for Branch's ridiculous nets and said, "I'm on net-making duty!"
"I'll get started on those cages!" another said as he grabbed a different document.
"I wonder how voice-activated doors work!"
As the trolls all took off, eager to set things up, Clover approached their so-called heroes with an apprehensive look on her face and a hand on her hip. "I see you're doing a fine job reinforcing everyone's fears," she said with slight sarcasm.
Well, that made Biggie feel awkward. "Oh...yes..."
"Yup!" Cooper nodded vigorously, a huge smile on his face. "I feel just like Branch now!" He laughed, then said, "That ain't a good thing!"
Unamused, Clover crossed her arms. "Really?" She sighed and said, "Look. Listen, you guys. I don't really think we need this much security. That Party Crasher thing was a super rare situation, and we mostly never see any danger down here at all!" She threw her arms out to the sides, a look of desperation in her eyes.
She hoped her earlier observations about these two were right. If they weren't, she didn't know what she'd do, especially with these visitors helping make safety traps to help her people be even more paranoid. Fairiesville was doomed if these guys were as bad as her mother.
Biggie looked hesitant. He fidgeted a bit. "Well, we'd love to agree with you, Clover, really..."
"But we don't know how to tell everyone else that! We ain't Poppy! We're havin' a hard enough time bein' Branch!"
Clover pressed her hands to her temples, frustrated. Were these guys seriously saying they agreed with her but wouldn't do anything about it? "Ugh! Come on!" she cried as she threw her arms down in front of her, exasperated. "Don't you guys know too much safety can be smothering? I mean, look at these guys!" She gestured around at her people, making nets for some ridiculous traps and smiling about it. "All they do nowadays is run and hide." She crossed her arms as she turned away. "We used to have way more fun than that. But ever since those lousy Party Crashers came by and ruined everything, all we do nowadays is this!" She gestured around at all the various projects trolls were working on.
Admittedly, looking around, Biggie and Cooper could see her concern. Everyone was here with blueprints and designs from Branch, the most paranoid troll in the world, and they were eager to become just like him.
For her part, Clover was irritated that the dance hall had become a stupid meeting room and was now being overly fortified by her paranoid people. Everything was dedicated to safety with no fun at all. She had half a mind to leave if they didn't stop this soon—she'd die of boredom if something didn't change soon.
Biggie and Cooper looked at each other. Clearly, this "big sister" of Fearsville disagreed with her mother in a lot of ways. They turned their attention back to her.
"...Clover, we know that," Biggie told her.
"And we didn't think you guys were always like this."
"Good. 'Cause we weren't." She sighed and said, "Now if only I could convince my mother to see it that way. She's been so scared ever since the invasion, she'll only let scouts go outside."
Well, that was a lot to take in. How many guards did the queen have if all of the trolls that had greeted Biggie and Cooper were scouts? Maybe these guys were more paranoid than Branch...or maybe he just didn't have the ability to make them all behave this way.
Biggie put a finger to his chin and looked at Cooper. This sounded like some scary potential alternate reality for all of them. "It sounds like how things would be if Branch were really in charge."
"Tell me about it!" Cooper said, shuddering at the thought. "Only he's not so bad since Poppy showed him how to be happy!"
The two looked at each other, both thinking about this fact in an almost telepathic manner. Branch had tried something like this once before—right before he and Poppy had broken up and they'd all nearly lost him as a friend. But, in trying to fix their relationship, Poppy decided to compromise and make some changes. These changes weren't overly safe and still allowed for maximum fun, but there were some new rules to make that fun safer.
Could they use this?
Both reached a similar conclusion at the same time, and their eyes lit up. Cooper danced around a bit in his excitement.
Biggie smiled and lifted a finger as he exclaimed, "I've got an idea!" He turned back to the teenager, continuing, "Clover, our village is run by Queen Poppy, whose attitude about safety is exactly like yours. Branch, her boyfriend, disagrees with her on a lot of things and is as paranoid as Mother."
"That's a fact!" Cooper said as he threw his head back slightly, thinking of some of Branch's more absurd fears. "Except he knows a lot more about being overly safe than she does!"
"My point is that the two compromised awhile back. We have some safety measures, but it's not smothering...except for Branch's home, but that's his personal choice."
He chose to leave out the fact that Branch lived in an underground bunker. That didn't need to be mentioned, he felt.
Clover gave them a lame look, just staring at them for a second. "...So you're 'great commander, hero, and future king' is just as bad as Mother is?" She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "No wonder she thinks the guy's so great."
"No, Branch can be that bad, but he's...loosened up quite a bit, really?"
"Yeah! And maybe we can do something like we did in Troll Village here!" Cooper suggested, jumping a bit.
Biggie's eyes lit up as he looked at his friend and said, "Exactly, Cooper! We can have necessary safety measures, not 'fully stocked, heavily fortified, bergen-proof survival bunker' safety measures."
Clover didn't know what to make of that statement. "...I don't even want to know, do I?" she asked with a lame look.
Cooper shook his head, still smiling. "Nope!"
"Well, if we're going to Branch things up with a Poppy twist, we'd better get started!" Biggie said.
"On it!"
And the two friends, excited about this idea they'd come up with, hurried off to start implementing some of those ideas.
"Hey! Wait up, you guys!" Clover called as she eagerly followed. "That actually sounds like a good idea for a change!"
Given how easily these guys changed their story, she also was now convinced they were making it all up as they went along. Since she wanted to help them fix her town, she asked them what was really going on and was treated to the story of how a simple supply drop had gotten so out of hand. Apparently, their anthem had scared everyone at first, then convinced them that Biggie's pet worm, Mr. Dinkles, was some kind of god.
The teenager found this amusing, actually. Who was stupid enough to waltz into someone else's town and start singing about things that only made sense to them? Clearly, these so-called "heroes" still had a lot to learn.
Back in the Techno Reef, everyone was waking up at the party site. With the two Pop Troll guests grooving to the techno beats, their party had been even more energetic than usual. It lasted for so long that almost everyone was just too tired to go home or flat-out forgot to go to bed.
The purple Techno Troll girl yawned, stretching, as she got off her stomach, feeling groggy. "Mmmm... Oh, my gosh... Last night's party was, like, K-Rad, huh...?"
The orange troll she'd been hanging out with got up, cracking his back. "Yeah, no kidding..." He yawned, stretching his arms over his head.
DJ, CJ, and King Trollex all woke up with yawns about then. DJ and Trollex stretched their arms over their heads, and CJ rubbed her eyes.
"...Dang... That...was so...tight..." DJ said of the party the previous night as she woke up.
"Yeah, you're telling me," Trollex agreed. "Boy, I have got to quit doing that. These guys need to sleep at home sometime, yo." He got up off the ocean floor.
Sure, this wasn't a nightly occurrence, but it had become more common since he'd taken the throne. Maybe he should tone it down a bit and introduce his new mixes on weekends or holidays...and it wouldn't hurt him to get a little self-control. The party zone wasn't meant for sleepovers.
CJ sat up, ever the happy child, and said, "That was totally awesome, you guys! I didn't know mertrolls could party like that."
The two trolls who had found her and her aunt swam over to the young Pop Troll, smiling.
"Techno Trolls have great parties, CJ!" the boy said. "You should come more often!"
"Yeah! Totally!" the young child agreed, looking excited.
"And speaking of, King Trollex, where'd ya learn to throw down like that?" DJ asked as she gave him a curious look. "Those were some of the best effects I have ever seen."
Proud, Trollex smiled and waved a hand through the water dismissively. "Aw, it's nothing special, really. Just your basic photoflood lamps, color changer, and a KK wheel. Combined with some sweet techno mixes and whatnot. Stuff like that."
DJ's eyes lit up, impressed at his knowledge. "Whoa! It sure sounds like ya know yer stuff! So would it be alright if I showed ya what I got?" She smiled excitedly, hoping to impress her new friend with her own skills.
Feeling uncertain at the idea of seeing what a Pop Troll had up her sleeves, Trollex shrugged. "I suppose you could..." he answered. Just as long as you don't try forcing us to turn pop, that is.
"Cool!" DJ said, excited. "Then get ready to be blown away!" She swam over to her wooferbug, which was still tied up with the others, and positioned herself on its back.
CJ crossed her arms, looking smug, as she sort of hovered in the water next to the two they'd met at the beach. "Heh. You guys are gonna love this. My Aunt DJ's the best deejay in Troll Village!"
"Really?" the orange troll asked. "Can't wait!"
"Like, oh my ga! Are you saying she's, like, even more stellar than she was on the beach last night!?" the girl asked. She shrieked in excitement, slapping her hands to her cheeks, and added, "I totally can't wait!"
Once she was settled, DJ started up a pop music mix. She added in some cool-looking light effects to spice it up a bit, with laser lights dancing around and changing to match the beat of the song. As they tended to do, all the wooferbugs started grooving, enjoying the music. Despite the genre, it sounded alright to the Techno Trolls.
The boy looked at CJ as he grooved to the music a bit and said, "Your aunt is really good!"
"For sure, boy!" his friend agreed. "This is, like, totally fresh!" She started spinning and dancing around happily.
King Trollex crossed his arms, but he was smiling, bobbing his head a bit as he got into this. Curious, the troll he'd called Bliss Marina swam over, along with the Beat Drop Button.
"Yeah, yeah. Not too bad," Trollex admitted. "Could use a bit more tempo and base, though."
"Who's that, King Trollex?" Bliss Marina asked, curious and a bit concerned. A troll who looked like a Pop Troll was playing pop music for them. There was no way that could be a good thing.
"Yeah! And when did she get here?" Beat Drop Button added as he hid behind Trollex, looking anxious. He glanced at the blue string on his head, hoping everything was okay.
"That's DJ Suki from Troll Village," Trollex answered with a reassuring smile, gesturing at the guests. "She and her niece CJ dropped by last night, thinking we might need some help with our parties. Guess there's this gnarly group up there running around and messing up everyone's fun. So Queen Poppy of the Pop Trolls sent these guys out to help!"
"Oh, really? That's so nice of her," Bliss Marina said with a smile.
That was a relief and a surprise. Who knew that Pop Trolls could be so helpful? It seemed their tribe had changed since they'd all separated all those centuries ago.
"Yeah! And her beats are killer!" Beat Drop Button said, coming out of hiding and bopping to the music DJ was playing. "But there's something missing..."
"I hear ya there, pal. It could really use a little more..." He folded his arms and tapped a finger against his chin, thinking.
DJ finished, smiling. She turned an expectant look on the Techno king and asked, "So!? What do ya think? It's pretty rad, huh?" She put a hand on her hip, looking proud. That was, after all, one of her best mixes she'd just played.
Trollex smiled excitedly, gesturing at her with both hands, and answered, "That was sensational, DJ! Ya really got the stuff!"
DJ blushed, laughing a bit. She waved a hand through the air dismissively, trying to be modest. "Aw... It was nothin'. You're pretty cool, too!"
Trollex pumped a fist through the water with a cool smile. "You know it! But, hey, while we're on the subject, mind if I make a few suggestions?" He held up a finger, smiling a bit, as he tried to offer advice without offending.
"Sure! I'm always up for tryin' somethin' new and exciting!"
"Cool! 'Cause have I got some killer ideas you could try!"
And the Techno Troll king swam over to offer music composition advice to a Pop Troll, completely ignoring the seven wooferbugs who were waiting eagerly for the next song.
CJ, meanwhile, turned to the only other two Techno Trolls she knew and asked, "So...what do you guys do for fun around here? I mean, besides throw all-night parties, that is." She crossed her arms with an amused grin.
Sure, everyone back home loved to party, but they all went home and went to bed at some point unless the party was a slumber party.
"All kinds of things!" the boy answered, throwing his arms up. "Ever played Marco Trollo?"
"No! How's it go?" CJ asked, holding her clenched fists in front of her. The idea of playing a new game was exciting for the young troll.
Bliss Marina swam up, looking excited. "Oh, it's really fun!" she said, throwing her arms out to the sides. "I'm Bliss Marina, by the way. And this is Bay and Cascade." She gestured at the girl first, then the boy. She crossed her arms and cast a teasing smile over her shoulder at the two as she added, "You know. In case they got so excited, they forgot to tell you their names again. Like they often do."
It was a bit of a habit with these two—if they introduced themselves to new friends within a week, that was considered normal. In fact, when they'd first met each other, neither of them had known the other's name for almost two full weeks. "Who are you?" was the most common question they ever heard. In a way, it was funny. Who got so excited about meeting new friends that they forgot to say their names?
"As if! We so don't do that that often!" Bay protested, crossing her arms and turning away. She closed her eyes and turned her nose up to really drive home the point that she was insulted.
Cascade laughed, rubbing the back of his head, and admitted, "Although we did forget it yesterday..."
Bay sweat, blushing, as she opened her eyes and lowered her hands a bit. She slowly turned back.
Bliss Marina gave a knowing grin. Then she said, "Come on! Let's all go play some Marco Trollo! It's more fun with a larger group, though, so I'll see if I can't get anyone else to join us, too!" She eagerly swam off to gather trolls for a game.
"Okay! I am so there!" CJ said, swimming after her.
Bay, still feeling embarrassed, looked at her friend and said, "We have so gotta work on that one, Cascade. "This is getting, like, so embarrassing."
Cascade nodded in agreement. Not only was it embarrassing, but it was just plain rude. "Let's go with CJ, Bay," he said, swimming off.
"Yeah! I am so there!" she said, following.
DJ, meanwhile, grew excited at something Trollex had just done to her mix. "Whoa! Hadn't thought of doing that with a mix before," she said, loving the effect.
Trollex laughed a bit, Beat Drop Button at his side to help as well. "I know. No troll does. They all think it's kinda risky. But you gotta take some risks if you're aiming to create the perfect mix and all."
"I hear ya there, dude! I once tried mixin' together a bunch of animal sounds to create a jammin' wildlife mix. But it didn't go as planned. It did, however, manage to save us all from a bunch of angry land critters known as grossums, though." She smiled, proud, as she thought of how helpful that mix had been (even if it had been ear-wrenching noise).
"Oh, really? Do tell," he asked, intrigued. That sounded like a fascinating story.
"Alright. So my friends and I went on a wildlife excursion, and—"
And DJ and King Trollex spend the day exchanging stories and music ideas. DJ loved Trollex's style so much that she asked if she could stay and learn some more, which the Techno king happily allowed.