Spa Talk
Delightful ofuro bathing experience. Poppy sighed in joy and sank nose-deep into the water. Lights kept changing from green to blue to yellow. Chromotherapy associated with warm and bubbly water was a godsend, for sure. Who had the bright idea of opening that spa in the middle of nowhere? Surely Guy Diamond had something to do with it. The glitter troll was an expert at luxury trips.
"You know what, Popsqueak?" Val took a bite of a grape while sitting on a stretcher chair right next to her. "We should have come here right away."
"I will have to agree, BFF." Holly lazily replied, having her back massaged by a very talented rubbing plant. Yep. Rubbing plants were way nicer than big mean sunflowers.
Poppy vaguely heard her friends speaking in the background. The poison-blue-acks had left her toes a little purple and swollen. The worse part of it had worn off, but they still were a bit sensitive.
At least she just touched them this time, instead of eating the berry as she did the first time.
The first time she had an adventure with Branch.
She let a sign escape and Val immediately rolled her eyes.
"Hello! Gal Pal Getawaycation! No daydreaming about boyfriends here."
"Oh, c'mon, Val." Holly, as an endless romantic, couldn't help but scold her friend. "Poppy is in love. It's helpless. Her thoughts will trail back to her bad boy from time to time."
"Bad boy?" That brought Poppy back from her daydream.
"If all the history of negativity makes him a bad boy, then I guess we can call him that." Val completed and added. "Although I remember he did look like he had a bad attitude when he got that power chord thing."
"Uh, I remember that." Holly quickly caught on to Val's intentions and continued. "All those tattoos made him pretty wild. It's no wonder Poppy was drooling all over him."
"Uh, excuse me. I wasn't drooling, I was concerned." Poppy tried to defend herself, but instead of rising out of the water to speak, her feet slipped and she ended up nearly drowning herself.
"Yeah, we saw that concern when you were speaking about his tattoos in your sleep." Val snickered.
"I did what?"
"Well… you were speaking in your sleep, sugar." Holly sat up and stretched. She tightened the bathrobe around her body and joined Val at the stretcher chairs. Yes. Poppy talked in her sleep, but about Branch's tattoos. "Is everything all right between you and Branch?"
How much did she speak in her sleep? It wasn't about his tattoos, given Holly's look.
"Well… I'm not sure." The queen stood from the ofuro, holding a towel to her chest and another on her head. The rubbing plant was eager to start the massage on her back. "He's holding back."
Holly exchanged a quick look with Val.
"I know it's an excessive amount of concern on my part, but when Branch walks on eggshells around me I fear…" Oh no, she was going to cry. That disturbing feeling was back. "... I fear one day I'll knock on his door and he won't come out."
Her magenta hair fell on her eyes and Poppy buried her face in her forearms, forcing herself to pay attention to the backrub she was getting. The rubbing plant tsk-ed at her distress and rubbed even harder on her back.
"Oh, sugar…" Holly was at a loss for words. Her heart squeezed to see her friend in anguish.
"Well, Branch is kind of a unique troll." Val started, getting a worried look from Holly. The rock girl wasn't exactly the best for love advice. "If he's holding back, it means something isn't right."
Poppy sniffed and turned to see her friend, looking too carefree for someone who was delivering bad news.
"I personally think it's too much for him. He likes neat stuff and organization, so I suppose he likes having control of things."
"Oh, my Hair…" Realization hit Holly like a ton of bricks. Who would have thought that Val, of all trolls, would be so right when it came to feelings? Branch was indeed a perfectionist.
"Not to mention that you're the Queen and from what you've told us, you haven't exactly dated before."
"Oh, honey." Holly sat up with a jolt, "Branch is concerned he won't be perfect enough for you!"
"I was going to say he can't let go because it means losing control of the situation, but yeah… same stuff. Add the weight of being king consort one day."
Both girls looked at Poppy. The pink queen was sitting up, looking at them with her eyes filled with tears and a wavering smile on her lips.
"It makes sense." She managed to say. Branch was probably having anxiety issues. It was Holly who stood up first to give her a comforting hug. At the touch, Poppy broke down in sobs. "I was so concerned he was reconsidering our relationship."
"What? No!" Val joined them. "You guys just need to talk and align the expectations, you know."
Poppy sniffed quietly. Maybe Val was right. She should tell Branch that she wasn't expecting perfection and…
"I mean… you keep too many secrets to spare each other. Like… your Bergen pen pal that you won't mention to him and Branch keeps his paranoia bursts from you. Come to think of it, I can't remember seeing a more fitting couple."
Oh, Hair! What a dry accusation and turn of events!
Poppy pulled away. Val was so right. She had to tell Branch about Barnald. There weren't supposed to be secrets in a relationship. If she came forward and opened up, maybe it would inspire him to do the same.
"Thanks…" Poppy sniffed with a small smile. "It isn't right keeping Branch in the dark."
Pen pal-ing a Bergen wasn't her smartest move. Barnard was very nice. He had big and wise words and from time to time he seemed to be tending to like her, but still, he would turn tables on her letters and say he'd eat her one of these days.
With Trollstopia expanding, it started getting dangerous to live next to an old-fashioned Bergen. Her secret was on the verge of being ruined by one game. One ball or one bounce in the wrong direction would lead Barnald to their city and he would have a feast.
If Poppy feared Branch reconsidering their relationship before, she could see him being furious and doubtful when she revealed the secret she was keeping from him. Oh, Hair…
"Well, it was great," Val clapped her hands once to get the mood away, "we better pack and get going if we want to be back before dark."
After the heated conversation that she was going to have with Branch, Poppy should definitely bring him to the spa to ease his mood.
It was just her luck, wasn't it? She was hoping to heat things up with her boyfriend, but not like that.
Her eyeshadow had to be reapplied. Poppy used the rear mirror to make sure she returned looking beautiful and sparkling to dazzle her boyfriend before the ugly news she had to deliver. Val and Holly were laughing about the big mean sunflower and the queen simply chose to enjoy the breeze on her face as Val sped up through the forest, as hard-core as she could.
After the feared talk about the Bergen, Poppy had to corner Branch about their relationship. She had to plan it carefully. Her boyfriend liked to be in control, as she had known for months, and teasing him into taking the lead wasn't progressing as she wished. Perhaps one good, open-hearted talk was the only way to figure out what was truly on his mind.
Why would he back away when things started to get steamy…?
Val drove the Dune Huggy through a small wooden bridge. Holly had mentioned that they should find an alternative route on the way back, but Val was in for some adrenalin.
"Careful, Val. All the bumps got me nauseated." The country girl held onto the sides of the car, looking slightly green.
"Eh? Better speed up and get this over with at once " Val chuckled. Poppy was concerned about Holly and took off the safety belt to kneel up on the chair to reach for her friend. Her forehead was sweaty.
"Val, take it easy. Holly isn't well."
Val adjusted the rear mirror to look at her friends. A tire hit a hole, bumping the car even more. Poppy lurched to the side.
It all happened too fast and, at the same time, it seemed in slow motion. Poppy tried to grab hold of the side of the car, but her hands slipped. Holly noticed the big abyss underneath them and reached out her hair to grab her pink friend. Val screamed and hit the brakes, causing Holly's hair to miss the target.
"Poppy!" The girls screamed, but all the queen could hear was the whoosh of wind hitting her ears as she sank deeper into the darkness.