Floyd was awake and sitting up when Dr. Moonbeam led them back into his room. He smiled and set aside a tray, his warm purple eyes shining with joy at seeing his brothers. Branch smiled and padded over while John Dory froze and stared in dismay at Floyd's discolored hair. He'd hoped the discoloration wasn't permanent.
"There's my Branch," Floyd said, reaching out to take his cheeks in his hands. He gazed at him with a smile on his lips. "I hear I'm staying with you?"
"Yep. We'll be all together in the hideout," Branch said. He paused and a faraway look appeared in his eyes. "I never thought that would happen."
"Then why build us rooms?" John Dory asked, tearing his eyes away from Floyd's white hair.
"I didn't always think it wouldn't happen," Branch said, snapping out of it. "But after ten years, that fantasy started to die."
"It's not fantasy anymore. It's reality," John Dory said earnestly.
Branch smiled a little. "I guess it is." He turned back to Floyd. "So when will you be discharged?"
"I was just waiting on you to pick me up," Floyd said. "She said I can go whenever, as long as I take it easy."
"Then what are we waiting for?" John Dory asked. "You have to see the hideout."
"Is it that good?" Floyd asked, pulling back his blanket and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Whatever you think it is, it's way more impressive," John Dory replied.
Excitement gleamed in Floyd's eyes, and he stood up carefully. "Then let's go."
Branch, Floyd, and John Dory walked out into fresh air and Branch turned his hair into stairs to get Floyd down safely.
"Neat trick," Floyd commented as John Dory bungeed down with his hair.
"Poppy taught me that one," Branch said.
"Talking about me, are you?" Poppy asked, bouncing off a mushroom and landing beside Branch.
"Well I can't stop thinking about you. Gotta do something," Branch replied, grinning. He caught her arm and tugged her close. "Poppy, this is Floyd. Floyd, this is Queen Poppy of the Pop Trolls." He blushed. "My girlfriend."
"You're the one Branch kissed onstage!" Floyd exclaimed. "You're a queen?" He turned to Branch. "You're dating a queen? How?" His eyes shone with delight at this news.
"It's a long story," Branch said.
"But it's a good one!" Poppy sang. "Full of kidnappings and danger and Bergens and all kinds of music and romance!"
"The romance was secondary," Branch argued. "More like a subplot."
"Oh please. Everybody remembers the romance best," Poppy said.
John Dory and Floyd exchanged an amused look. Branch had developed quite a strange personality, but Poppy had a strange one, too. Seeing them banter was funny and endearing. Branch was clearly head-over-heels for this Troll. He suddenly seemed to recognize what he was doing, and he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a folded leaf.
"Tasks for today," he said. "Anything I need to work on?"
"There is one teeny-tiny thing, Branch." Poppy blushed.
"Was cotton candy involved?" he asked.
"And Biggie's pod…"
"He needs to lay off the cotton candy," Branch muttered then turned to his brothers. "Take Floyd back, JD. Get him settled. I'll be back in an hour."
Poppy twisted her fingers. "Um…"
"Or two."
"Well…"
Branch rolled his eyes. "I'll be back by sunset at least. Make yourselves comfortable. There's stuff you can cook and there's funky fruit if you want some. If you go exploring, don't mess up my organizational system, okay?"
"Of course," Floyd said. "Come on, JD. I'd like to see what all the fuss is about."
"See you, Branch. Your highness." John Dory bowed to Poppy, his eyes shining.
Branch snorted as Poppy smiled. "See you later, John Dory."
"Call me JD."
"Okay, JD," she said. Then she turned to Branch. "It's gonna get sticky," she said seriously as John Dory and Floyd walked away.
Floyd took a deep breath as they walked. "How far are we going?"
"He doesn't live in town," John Dory replied.
"He doesn't?" Floyd frowned. "Where do they live?"
"They?" John Dory glanced at Floyd. "What do you mean they?"
"Branch and Grandma, JD. Don't be silly."
John Dory didn't say anything until they were several minutes out of town. Then he stopped Floyd. "There's something you need to know. Everybody else already does."
Floyd's smile dimmed, and his eyes seemed to grow larger. John Dory stared at his sensitive brother for a moment, overcome by the knowledge that he might have never seen Floyd like this again. Then he placed his hands on Floyd's shoulders.
"Branch lives alone now, Floyd."
"Oh. Then where does Grandma live?"
"She was eaten, Floyd," John Dory murmured. "She saved Branch's life. He's been living alone in the woods for twenty years ever since we left the Troll Tree. Apparently he blamed himself all those years."
Floyd stared at him with big eyes and suddenly all color drained from his face, then his body and hair. Suddenly he was as clear as crystal and he folded to the ground like a marionette with cut strings. John Dory managed to catch him before he hit his head, and he lowered him down.
"Floyd?" he asked quietly. He shook him a little. "Floyd? You okay?"
Floyd's eyes opened and color began returning from his face up to his hair and down his body. He blinked rapidly then shivered.
"What happened?" he slurred.
"You desaturated into crystal. That's what it looked like at least," John Dory said. "Do I need to get the doctor?"
"Oh, no. This is normal. She said it'll fade with time," Floyd said.
"It will?" John Dory relaxed. "Well that's good, at least."
After a few minutes, Floyd sat up and tested his limbs. "See? All better."
"I wouldn't say that," John Dory said, and he stood and helped Floyd to his feet. Floyd wobbled, and John Dory caught him, frowning. "I definitely wouldn't say that. Take a breath. We don't need to hurry."
"Thanks," Floyd said, panting.
His face burned at the lies as they fell from his lips. He couldn't help it. John Dory was finally in front of him, and he couldn't burden his oldest brother with the terrible news that still rang in his ears.
Permanent damage. Talent fluctuations. Desaturation. Sick. No cure.
He swallowed as his breathing finally steadied. "Okay. How much farther?"
"A bit," John Dory said.
He led him to the entrance then knelt down and slid open the hatch. Floyd was delighted.
"Ha! The door isn't the rock! Clever Branch!"
John Dory went down first just in case Floyd fell, and Floyd felt embarrassed as he climbed down the ladder. He could tell his brother was worried despite his best efforts. But John Dory had bigger things to worry about. From what he'd seen from his terrible diamond prison, Clay and Bruce were still so very angry at John Dory. That meant things hadn't changed much. Floyd was determined to help by doing exactly what he'd done since their parents had died. He would make sure he gave his brothers nothing to worry about.
When he turned around to see the amazing hideout, he saw nothing but a plain room with a stick lying against the wall. "This… is more than I thought?"
John Dory took his arm and led him over to the stick then grinned at Floyd. "Yep," he said, and he pulled the lever.
Floyd's eyes went wide as they passed floor after floor with storage labels tacked to the doors on either side. When they reached the bottom floor, Floyd looked around with gleaming eyes.
"He built this?" he cried, taking in the large open area.
"Yep. Twelve floors. First eleven are storage," John Dory said.
"Floyd!" Clay crowed, vaulting over the back of the couch and bolting over. He picked him up and spun him around. Floyd gasped as he went lightheaded, and John Dory grabbed Clay.
"No!" he snapped.
"What? Why not?" Clay asked. Then Floyd went limp in his arms and desaturated into crystal. Clay yowled and released him, taking a step back as the color drained from his face. Floyd slid onto the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head. Bruce ran over, panicked.
"Stop!" John Dory boomed.
Immediately, Bruce and Clay obeyed. John Dory knelt down and picked Floyd up.
"Get a blanket," he ordered, and he carried Floyd over to the couch.
"I'm sorry, man! I didn't mean to hurt him!" Clay squeaked, shaking.
"No more of that with Floyd right now. Remember what he's been through, Clay," John Dory said patiently. "He's hardly had enough food to live, let alone function, for a couple months. He's sick. Look at his hair when his color comes back."
Color flashed across Floyd's face as his eyes fluttered open. As his hair resaturated, Bruce and Clay saw what John Dory meant. Their mouths fell open as they realized that their brother was discolored now.
"Oh, Floyd," Bruce gasped. He reached out and ran his fingers through Floyd's hair. "Oh, Floyd, your hair…"
"I think it looks pretty cool," Clay said, but his smile shook a little.
"Don't worry," Floyd said softly. "I'll be okay soon. It'll get better."
His heart quivered as Bruce and Clay relaxed. He couldn't hide it forever. But they all had their own lives. He'd be okay if he could just keep them from worrying for a couple weeks.
It took him a bit longer to recover than before. John Dory's expression was serious, Clay looked frightened, and Bruce was wringing his hands together. Finally, he sat up and smiled.
"There. All better."
"Don't say that, Floyd," John Dory said. "You're not all better."
"I will be though," Floyd promised. "It's only temporary."
"Temporary it may be," John Dory replied. "But that doesn't mean you're okay before then. You need to take it easy, Floyd."
Floyd smiled. "If that's what you want, JD, then I can do that. Now please give me news. What have you all been doing?"
Bruce and Clay immediately jumped in, but John Dory didn't bother. He didn't have an exciting story like theirs. He had been doing exactly what he'd wanted for years, which was to have minimal responsibility over others. Caring only for himself had been sweeter than honey for him, and he'd reveled in it for over a decade before he finally began to grow sick of himself.
The first ten years after escaping the Troll Tree he'd spent going from place to place, having fun and being a bit more irresponsible than he liked to think about now. He'd tried every drug in the market at least once before deciding that nothing was better than music for his soul, and he drowned himself in lyrics and the sweet notes that he made sweeter with his own voice. The sweetness began to fade over time as he realized that he missed the harmonies of his brothers' voices. It was only after fifteen years that he finally allowed himself to peer back into the past to look, not at BroZone, but at the Trolls behind it. John Dory realized then that he really had been at fault for everything.
The next five years had been spent in abject misery as he lamented everything that had happened since their parents had died. He had failed his father, who had told John Dory right before that terrible Trollstice to keep his brothers safe and he was responsible for them. He had failed his mother, who had entrusted their health to them. Branch had vaguely described that he had some sort of illness, and Floyd was discolored and kept desaturating into crystal. There was a small comfort with that though. At least Floyd's ailment was temporary. As for Branch, he would ask more about it later.
Floyd leaned into John Dory, startling him. His younger brother looked so happy, so content, but also very tired. John Dory absently reached out and wrapped the blanket tighter around Floyd, whose eyes flickered up to him. John Dory smiled and began running his fingers gently through the discolored hair. He couldn't wait for it to become pink again. Then he would know that Floyd was okay.
John Dory looked up at Bruce to listen to his brother talk, so he didn't notice the flash of guilt that pinched Floyd's face. If he had, he would have guessed exactly what Floyd was doing. It was the same thing Floyd had done since their parents had died. But Floyd knew there was a difference. This time, it wasn't a case of the sniffles or the blues. This was permanent, irreparable damage that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He just couldn't burden them with that. So he turned back to listen to Bruce as he pushed away the guilt. There was no way they could handle it, he thought, so lying was for the best. They would never have to know.