-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Seventy-One

Memory Lane 3: How You Can Help

Poppy watched as her boyfriend took a deep breath. Whatever he was about to say wouldn't be easy for him, but she was glad he felt able to say it.

"So, on the surface, my life is going really good right now. Amazingly good. Poppy and I are finally together. I've wanted that since forever."

Soulful blue eyes looked longingly in her direction. Immediately she reached out to take his hand in both of hers, wanting to give him comfort, and courage. "Go on, sweetie."

He smiled briefly. "Okay." Turning to face their friends, he continued, "Ever since we became a couple, Poppy and I have been unpacking all kinds of stuff from my past. And while it's a lot to deal with, it feels good, in a weird sort of way. It feels really good to unburden myself, with someone who cares."

"Aww." Poppy's heart swelled at the look of love and gratitude he turned on her. She squeezed his hand and gazed adoringly at her sweetheart.

He returned the look in kind before continuing, "It's a relief, honestly. And yet, lately I've been having a lot of anxiety attacks. More than I've had in months. It's getting frustrating," he complained. "Like I said, life's going great. I haven't even seen Cloud Guy in weeks. I've got Poppy, I've got my colors back, I'm happy now. So what gives?" He lifted his free hand up and let it slap helplessly against his leg. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Branch," Poppy insisted. "I get anxiety attacks, too, remember?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Poppy giggled. Well, I guess that's one silver lining.

"We all feel anxiety, Branch," Cherry Blossom said reassuringly.

"Yes, your reaction seems fairly standard," Leafe commented. "As you said, you're starting a new romantic relationship – your first relationship, in fact. There are a lot of changes going on in your life. You're bound to be feeling everything more strongly than usual, and that includes anxiety, unfortunately. But if it makes you feel better, you're not alone. I went through something similar when Cheery and I first got together."

"You did?" His eyes narrowed. "I don't remember that."

"Because I didn't make a big deal out of it. You might have been big for your age, but you were still a trolling, after all. More than anything, I wanted you to feel safe. Like you could rely on me for anything."

When Branch's face softened at the thought, it made Poppy want to kiss him on the nose. Aww. I want him to feel like he can rely on me, too. I'm so glad Leafe was there for him.

"But yes, when first I fell in love with my beautiful flower," the yellow troll shared an adoring glance with his wife, "I went through a period where I would wake up at night with my heart pounding. Or be buzzing with such energy that I couldn't sleep at all. It was partly exhilaration, I think," the scholar mused, "and partly just plain nerves. There were days I could hardly even eat."

"Me, too," Cherry Blossom confirmed. "I had very little appetite at first. It's well-known that love hormones can suppress your appetite."

Poppy nodded. "Right, I remember that from school. That's one of the signs that you're all lovey-dovey, isn't it, Pookie?" The pink troll winked teasingly at her boyfriend, who wore a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that had Poppy mentally squealing with delight. Again came the impulse to kiss him, but she held back. She didn't want to interrupt something that was apparently pretty groundbreaking for him.

It's cute that he's so surprised. I know Leafe and Cherry Blossom are both pretty chill for trolls, but still. Most trolls would be nervous in their situation. Being in a new relationship and taking care of Branch at the same time would be a lot of responsibility for any troll, let alone someone who wasn't even a parent yet. Leafe was pretty brave to volunteer just like that, especially considering Branch's reputation back then. Oh, man, I really need to figure out some way to show both of them how much I appreciate them taking such good care of my sweetie-pie.

"This…blows my mind," Branch said in a tone between awe and confusion. "You guys always seemed so calm to me, so stable." His eyes scrunched hard enough for his carelines to appear. "How did I not notice any of this?"

Cherry Blossom chuckled. "Well, as I started to tell you yesterday, you don't remember because we took care that you didn't. You see, when we first met, Leafe explained your situation to me, and asked me to avoid extreme emotional displays when we were around you."

"Oh."

He looked at Leafe, who nodded. "From what Jaunty and Courtley told me, it seemed to me that your main issues all came from a lack of trust in the world around you. So I looked for ways to address that, and to meet the needs that stemmed from it. For example, after we began living together, I tried to never contradict my words and actions. If I said I was going to do or not do something, I made sure to follow through. I wanted you to feel like you could always trust me, at least."

Branch let that sink in. "Good thinking," he said finally.

Leafe nodded. "Thank you. Aside from that, my main strategy was simple: Keep Things Calm. It didn't take me long to observe that strong emotions had a tendency to affect you all out of proportion to the situation. Even positive emotions you seemed to find alarming, or draining. Excessive noise, too. The louder things got, the more stressed-out you became. Even something as simple as voices raised in joy made you feel as if things were getting out of control. Control was a big thing with you." The scholar regarded Branch with compassionate teal-blue eyes. "It made you feel safer. You clung to the idea of control like a lifeline."

Poppy looked at the aquamarine troll, whose eyes were crinkled as if he wanted to protest, but couldn't. Yeah, it's taken me twenty years to get him to loosen up. At least I thought so. Now apparently I've kicked off another anxiety cycle. She sighed mentally. I wonder if all relationships are this complicated, or if it's just Branch? Considering all the research Leafe had to do to create a successful home life with him… She glanced at the blue-haired scholar. But hey, on the bright side, I'll be able to ask Leafe for advice.

Leafe was still explaining his Keep Calm strategy. "…according to my interviews, most of the trolls you'd stayed with had urged you to accept and embrace change, anytime and anywhere. Since that strategy hadn't worked, I chose to try the opposite. I made a deliberate effort to provide you with the sort of calm, stable environment that I judged would allow you to relax, as well as you were able."

Poppy felt the tension in hand she was holding ease. "Thank you, Leafe," Branch said sincerely.

The yellow troll put a hand on his chest, smiling at his younger friend. "No problem, Branch. I wanted our pod to be a safe zone for you. An island of stability that you could always count on. A place return to after a day out in what seemed to you to be a hectic, chaotic world, where you could unwind…" His tone went slow and lulling, "…and recharge your mental and emotional batteries. That meant no parties, no drama, no excitement. Just a quiet…oasis…of peace." Leafe closed his eyes and tilted his face up, smiling serenely.

Poppy smiled. I suspect Branch wasn't the only one who appreciated the quiet environment.

"I know what you mean, Leafe," Poppy said softly. "After my accident, Branch's bunker did the same thing for me. When I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed, it felt like a snug little den. The safest place in the whole world. I love being there." She squeezed her boyfriend's hand, gazing fondly at him. "With you."

Branch returned both the squeeze and the smile, which made her feel better. At least he didn't seem to hold his troublesome feelings against her. Maybe it was just her own anxiety talking. Time to shake off the negativity.

"Say, Leafe, got any advice for when Branch and I start living together?" she asked brightly.

Branch's jaw dropped. "Poppy…"

She couldn't tell if he was happy or shocked. She'd mentioned becoming his "roomie" yesterday, but when Branch hadn't seemed too keen on the idea, she'd passed it off as a joke. Maybe she was just going too fast for him, as usual.

Or not, she thought as his expression softened. "Do you really mean that, Poppy? You want to live with me?"

"Well, yeah, eventually," she said honestly. "Of course I want to live with you." Poppy bit her lip. "Is that okay?"

He put a hand to his heart. "Yes, Sunshine. It is very okay."

At the sheer adoration in his tone, love rushed through her whole body, sweeping away the prickly grip of anxiety. She took a step toward her future lover, ready to grab him and kiss him and run with him back to the bunker. She'd put on the silkfleece pajamas he loved to stroke and snuggle the day away with her sweetheart. Maybe even do more than snuggling…

Her fantasy was interrupted by the matching awws from their companions, who had their arms around each other. "You two are so adorable," Cherry Blossom cooed.

Leafe wiped what looked suspiciously like a tear from his eye. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you like this, Branch."

Her boyfriend ducked his head, smiling. Poppy finally gave in to impulse and kissed him sweetly on the nose. Branch put his hands on her cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers. "Poppy," he murmured lovingly.

Poppy kissed his lips this time. He responded strongly, kissing her back. Then he put a hand on her back and pulled her to him. The world went away as Poppy felt herself fall into the exciting, heated world of Branch's kisses.

Some unknown amount of time passed before someone nearby cleared their throat. Poppy froze, but Branch kissed her one more time before turning to face his friends. His arm stayed around her waist, which suited her just fine. She put her hand over his and leaned against him contentedly as Branch replied, "Yes?" in an oddly playful tone. Poppy noted with the part of her brain that wasn't all floaty that a well-kissed Branch was a mellow Branch.

Cherry Blossom's ruby-red cheeks were blushing magenta, but she was smiling at them. Beside her, her husband was grinning as he said, "I hate to break up the party – believe me, I do! – But unfortunately our time here is limited, and I believe Poppy here asked a question."

"I did?" Kissing Branch had knocked it all out of her head. "What did I- Oh! Right. Living with Branch."

"Yes. Well, my advice is, set routines and stick to them. Mealtimes, laundry day, and so on. Use schedules and charts. And message boards. Branch loves message boards. Oh! If you need to change something, give him as much advance notice as possible."

"Gotcha."

Branch rolled his eyes. "Come on, guys, I'm not that uptight."

Poppy couldn't help but smirk a little. "Don't forget, Smoochie, I've seen your bunker. You love that kind of stuff."

"There's nothing wrong with being organized," he said primly. "But you know, when things do change, I can roll with it way better now."

Now where had she heard that before? Oh, yeah - that's exactly what I told Doctor Plum. And I meant it.

"Sorry, Branch. You're right," she said apologetically. "You've made tons of progress."

He eyed her as if suspecting she was still teasing him. "Thank you," he said pointedly.

Leafe seemed to be thinking something similar. "From what I've observed lately, Poppy's 'throw 'em in the water and make 'em swim' did what all the cushioning I provided couldn't. You've been dealing with a lot of chaos in your life lately, and doing it successfully." His shoulders sagged, and he looked at the ground. "You know, looking at things in hindsight, now I'm not so sure I did you any favors. Maybe if I'd…"

Now the compassionate nature she loved in her man came out. "No, no, Leafe, you did a great job," Branch protested softly, letting go of her so he could hold his hands out toward the man he loved like a brother. "Don't forget, back then the bergens were still a threat. I needed the safe zone you provided in order to cope. I needed you."

"Aww…" Poppy said, touched. Branch never used to be able to admit that he needed anybody.

Poppy watched the scholar's face soften as he read the open sincerity in Branch's gaze. "Thank you, Branch."

"No. Thank you," Branch said earnestly, then sighed. "I'm just sorry I deprived you of so much. You did a good job of hiding it. I guess I thought you liked the quiet life."

"Oh, I do. Make no mistake, as much as I like singing, dancing and partying, I also like to read, cook, work on science experiments, do intricate craftwork, and play chess and other mentally challenging games." He winked at them. "In good company, of course. It didn't take me long to learn to appreciate the peace and quiet."

"Me, too," Cherry Blossom added. "Especially the company."

Poppy pictured the three of them gathered around a game of Trial Run. Teenage Branch shook the dice, threw them, and frowned at the result. Leafe and Cherry Blossom laughed, and Branch glanced up and smiled a little at the older trolls. They were a cute little family.

That reminded her of something. She stepped close to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's arm and poked his shoulder gently with her nose. "Hey. You basically did the same thing for Acorn, didn't you? You made a lot of changes in your life because you wanted him to feel safe with you."

-O-

I blinked at my girlfriend. I'd forgotten I'd just told her the story of Acorn and me, but as usual when it came to people and relationships, she was way ahead of me. "…Yeah. I did. It just seemed natural, even if I had to pretend to feel more confident than I really was to make him feel better."

"Did you ever notice that pretending to feel confident actually helped make you feel more confident?" Leafe asked with interest. "I was pleased to discover that that often worked for me. I would simply act as if everything was going according to plan, and most of the time, it did."

Poppy let go of me to hop in the air. "Ooo! You mean, 'plan for the worst and hope for the best'?" she said brightly.

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'.

"Oh." Poppy looked disconcerted.

"More like, 'plan for the worst and when it happens, use whatever you prepared ahead of time to calmly deal with the situation.'" I chuckled. "And try not to say, 'I told you so.'"

Leafe grinned. "Always have a Plan B, eh?"

"'Plan B?' More like Plan Z," Poppy joked. "There'd be more, but Branch ran out of alphabet letters."

"Come on, Poppy, that's not true. I'd just use numbers. Can't run out of those," I said breezily, and everyone laughed.

"Seriously, though, I get you," I told Leafe. "It didn't take me long to figure out that how I behaved affected how well Acorn responded to problems, so I did my best to keep my cool." I shrugged. "Not that I was always a perfect role model. Sometimes I was the one who was upset about something, and he was the one making me feel better. My little buddy." I looked down at the ground, smiling at fond memories. "I tried to act confident, but I didn't always fool him. He was pretty good about picking up on when I was feeling anxious, and he'd try his best to make me smile."

"We all act to shore up one another's confidence," Cherry Blossom pointed out. "Compassion goes both ways."

"Yeah," I agreed, thinking about the little trolling who had once meant everything to me. "Taking care of Acorn taught me a lot about love, and compassion. Connecting with someone on a deep, emotional level, and how rewarding that can be. In fact… If it weren't for Acorn, I think I would have eventually shut down my feelings entirely. I'd have completely lost the ability to connect with anyone. Ever."

All three of them looked stunned.

"Why would you want to do that?" Cherry Blossom asked slowly, as if she couldn't even imagine such an idea.

"Opening myself up meant feeling pain." I looked down. "When all you feel is sadness, loneliness, despair… Well, you'll do anything to stop it."

"…Anything? Like what?" Leafe asked with trepidation, looking as if this was one piece of information he didn't want to learn.

"Like tell myself that I didn't want friends. I was too busy for friends. They were a waste of my time. Besides, no one wanted to be my friend anyway. Getting angry about that instead of letting myself feel vulnerable and alone," I said openly. "Or just telling myself that my feelings weren't important. The world didn't care about my feelings, so what did it matter if I locked them away?"

All three trolls looked at me in dismay. "Oh, Branch," Cherry Blossom murmured sadly.

"Do you still do that now?" Leafe gave me a look of sympathy.

"No," I replied.

"Yes," Poppy said immediately. As I glanced at her in surprise, she added, "Branch, you did that just last night. I don't think you meant to, but you did."

"I did?" I remembered having some awkward conversations, and a couple of panicky moments, but nothing out of the ordinary, for me. "Are you sure?"

Poppy nodded. "Yes. When you were nervous about bathing together, and pretended you weren't. I saw you shut your feelings down. Then you told me to ignore what you'd said because you were 'just being Branch'."

She hugged me. "Like I would ever do that."

I put my arms around her and held her close. My body was warmed by her touch. My heart was warmed by her love. "Thanks, Poppy."

"Hmm…" Leafe got a look I knew very well.

"What is it, Leafe?"

"You said you've been troubled by anxiety lately. Part of that is no doubt due to all the new things that have been happening to you since you got your colors back. Friends and fun are good things, but for someone who isn't used to them…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To you, opening yourself up to others must feel like trying to find your way through a maze blindfolded, never knowing whether you'll misstep and run into a wall. Or fall into a deep pit."

"Yeah. That. Relationships are tough," I said wryly.

"But I have to wonder if part of the reason is simply that you're used to suppressing strong feelings as a coping mechanism? Some of the trollings in my class try to do that, and it usually doesn't end well. Everything comes out eventually." My friend's eyes were bright behind round purple frames. Leafe loved to theorize. "But for you it's a struggle, because you want to connect with others now, and you're fighting against a lifelong habit. You might not even realize you're doing it."

As soon as Leafe said that, I knew exactly what he was talking about. Leafe caught the look of recognition on my face. "Does that feel familiar, Branch?"

"Sometimes," I admitted. "I try to catch myself when I'm doing it. I've been trying to replace that habit with better ones. Like, I try to stop negative inner-self talk that makes me want to close myself off from others, and point out everything that's going right instead. Consciously letting go of minor worries, and just enjoying myself in the moment. Taking joy in the little things." I smiled at the girl in my embrace. "Poppy's a great help with that."

Poppy gave me a squeeze, humming a note of happy agreement. "Anytime, sweetie."

"I understand wanting to suppress negative emotions, but do you think you also suppress positive ones?" Cherry Blossom asked.

Before I could answer, Poppy nodded vigorously. "Yeah, he does! It took me twenty years to get him to admit he likes having fun."

"Sounds familiar," Leafe laughed. "One of the goals I set was to figure out ways to help you relax and have a good time once in a while. That's why I suggested creating a game like Trial Run. You really loved coming up with combat strategies and escape plans. Not a typical trolly pastime, perhaps, but you seemed to enjoy yourself, so I considered it a success."

"Whoa. Back then Branch never used to relax. You had your work cut out for you." Poppy held up one hand for a high-five, and Leafe automatically slapped it. "Respect, man."

"It was an intriguing problem, to be sure. Seeing how troubled you were, I developed a strong interest in psychology. I wanted to devise ways to help you cope with the world. That, in turn, led to an interest in helping all young trollings learn to handle anxiety, and develop emotion-regulation skills."

"Really? Do you have any tips?" Poppy asked excitedly. "Not just for Branch. For me, too."

The blue-haired troll nodded. "Well, as I said earlier, don't try to suppress your emotions. They can't hurt you in and of themselves, only through your actions. Identify what you're feeling, and why. Your emotions can tell you a lot about what you want out of life. If they confuse you, or seem inappropriate for the situation, spend some time in a quiet place to think. Meditate for a while, to calm your mind. Look through the clutter to find what really matters to you."

"Look through the clutter…" I mused. It didn't take me long. Poppy is what matters to me. She's always been important to me, even before I fell in love with her.

"Understanding yourself leads to better behavior, so you're not just blindly acting out, or taking out your feelings on others. Many of my students try to pretend they're happy when they aren't, for example, and that means they can't deal with things that trouble them until they figure themselves out. Some don't even realize they're unhappy underneath. There are strategies that we teachers sometimes use to help students with that."

I perked up. "Strategies? What kind of strategies?" I asked, intrigued.

"Well, for example, you can observe and relay someone's emotions back to them. 'You say you don't care, but I hear frustration in your tone.' Or, 'Your voice is happy, but your face is sad. Do you want to talk about what happened?' You can also do roleplaying. That one is particularly effective. And fun," he added with a wink.

Poppy looked relieved. "Oh, good. I do that. I'm like, 'If you're having feelings, you can talk about them with me.' Got any other tips?" she asked brightly.

Cherry Blossom turned her thoughtful green gaze on me. "Yes. Go deeper. Try to notice your subconscious attitudes. Anything that might influence you. For example, 'Do you think it's a bad thing to need another person's help? And if so, why?"

Leafe glanced at his wife, nodded, then turned back to me. "Right. Ask yourself questions that can't be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. 'How does needing someone, relying on someone other than yourself, make you feel?"

I'd actually said something to Poppy about that just recently. The idea of needing someone in my life, being emotionally dependent on them, made me feel…

Scared. Vulnerable. Helpless.

As I gazed into my friends' compassionate faces, I knew they understood me, probably better than I'd understood myself. It was humbling, to know that they'd both cared enough to look past my surface-level gruffness to the sensitive, broken soul beneath.

What do you do when the person in your life is afraid to trust you?

Become as trustworthy as you can be, apparently. Also, come up with rippin' board games that totally suck him in and get him as close to having fun as possible.

As I gazed appreciatively at my friends, Cherry Blossom commented, "Another way you can help someone who's having trouble deciding what they want to do is by offering a neutral perspective. For example, if someone says they're upset because they can't reach some goal, you should ask them to think carefully. Is the goal truly important to them? Or do they just think it ought to be?"

Poppy nodded. "Good point. People-pleasing is a thing. Also, sometimes people put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect."

I found myself nodding as well. When I was building my bunker, I could have asked for help, but I'd decided that I had to be the one to dig every shovelful and turn every bolt. If I'd shared the project with others, maybe I'd have learned that I could count on people when it came to something important. Maybe I'd even have realized that trusting others would help me relax.

Cherry Blossom continued, "If they do truly want to achieve that goal, but feel as if they're not good enough, remind them that it's okay to have weaknesses and faults. Everyone has them, and yet we all manage to accomplish a lot, right? Then point out that everyone has strengths, too."

Both of them smiled at me. I smiled back. "Right."

"Show them that you have confidence in them. Say, 'I believe you can do better,'" Leafe said in the type of encouraging tone that people really responded to. I know I sure had back then.

"You can also remind them that they're not locked onto one path. 'Let's think about this. Is there a different way to accomplish what you want to do? A better choice?'" Cherry Blossom added.

"I do that, too." Poppy said happily. "I'm always glad to help people talk about stuff that's on their mind. I love helping them succeed at whatever is important to them."

Leafe nodded, then looked directly at me. "I've noticed that when someone is feeling down on themselves, they often think that being self-critical is how to motivate themselves to try harder."

"Well, yeah," I agreed without thinking. Then I saw the looks on everyone's faces and backpedaled. "Isn't it?"

There was a long pause. Finally Cherry Blossom replied gently, "Self-encouragement works better than self-blame, in my experience."

"Yes," Leafe agreed. "Self-blame can cause a lot of damage. To your self-image, your confidence, and consequently, your desire to try. If you notice your inner voice talking to you like that, you can bolster your self-esteem by praising what you are doing right."

From the kindly look in his eyes, I knew exactly what he was thinking about.

-O-

How many times had I sullenly told Leafe, "What do you expect? I'm a loser. I can't do anything right. I can't even be happy. I'm a failure of a troll."

After the terrible Incident that nearly killed me, I'd spent the first few months secluded in Leafe's pod, being quietly cared for and tutored by the young scholar. Compared to my physical injuries, it took much longer to regain my emotional stamina, until I recovered enough to feel able to go back to school. To deal with my happy, noisy classmates and not freak out over every little thing.

When my pod fell, I'd lost the one place in the world I'd ever been able to truly call "home." But it wasn't just the loss of my pod. Once again I'd been cut loose. Once again every single stable thing in my life had vanished like smoke. My trust in my foster dads was gone, along with any chance I'd had left to return to them and try to rebuild that trust. It hurt so much that there were times I could hardly bear it.

But I'd been through that before. Upsetting as it was, that was normal for me. I've never been able to hang onto anything or anyone before. This is no different. Come on, Branch. Time to forget the past, pick yourself up, and start to rebuild once again.

Yet somehow, this time I couldn't seem to get started. I didn't even want to. My self-esteem had taken a massive hit. All this time, the one thing I'd always been able to rely on was myself. Now I'd proven that I couldn't even do that. As a budding engineer, I was mortified at the very public, very humiliating rookie mistake I'd made. I'd caused so much trouble for everyone, and made myself look like a fool.

It got worse. When the Whizbangs visited me, they kept apologizing over and over. The fact that I'd already nearly died didn't stop me from wanting to die of shame. I had a hard time even looking people in the eye for a long, long time. It took months before I could even show my face in public without wanting to burst into a ball of flame whenever someone looked directly at me.

I'd been so full of confidence, but it was all gone now. And I couldn't seem to get it back. I couldn't find it within me. I couldn't find…me.

And that was the worst loss of all.

-O-

"Praise what they're good at. Yep, I do that, too. Got any more strategies?" Poppy asked eagerly.

My scholarly friends were no more immune to Poppy's puppyish enthusiasm than I was. Broad smiles spread across their faces as Leafe replied, "Make the person feel seen. Point out little things that show you're paying attention, and attuning to them in personal ways. Who they are. How they think. What they really want. Pay attention to their preferences, their learning style, their sense of aesthetics. There's a reason questions like, 'What's your favorite color?' are so popular."

"But go deeper," Cherry Blossom repeated. "For example, if they've created something, such as a painting, tell them what you admire about it. Ask them why they chose that particular subject."

"Oh my gosh, yes! I love that kind of stuff!" My sunshine girl bounced gleefully. "Oh, hey! Speaking of paintings, you've gotta check these out." She reached into her hair and withdrew the familiar tube of rolled-up canvases. "I asked Harper to paint Branch's picture yesterday while he was taking a nap in the grass because he looked so sweet and cute and adorable and she did and they turned out super super super super super cute!"

She sucked in a huge breath and proudly unrolled the canvases. "See?"

At the sight, my friends' eyes went big and shimmery. "Aww…"

Poppy beamed at my friends' sentimental smiles. "I guess you see the theme we were going for, huh?"

"Innocence," Cherry Blossom murmured.

"Peacefulness," her husband added softly. "Trust."

Cherry Blossom nodded. "Contentment."

"Love," they said together.

"Yeah…" Poppy agreed sentimentally. "Harper did a wonderful job, and I definitely made sure to let her know how much I appreciated her effort. She was proud of herself, too. Like you said, encouragement is so important, especially for tasks that involve creativity in some way. You're breaking new ground all the time, and that can be hard."

Cherry Blossom nodded. "We'll be sure to let her know how much we appreciate her work, too, the next time we see her."

Leafe was gazing at a portrait of me sleeping curled up on my side, with my fist tucked underneath my chin. "This one reminds me of you when you were younger. When you were asleep, you always looked so peaceful."

"I remember that…" Fond nostalgia softened Cherry Blossom's face. "When all that cynicism faded away, you looked like such a darling little baby. We couldn't help but want to love and protect you."

"Aww," Poppy patted my cheek. "I know exactly what you mean."

I looked down, smiling. "Thanks."

Poppy handed the portrait to Leafe. "Here. Keep it."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I have more. And I'm planning on giving Harper lots more opportunities in the future." My girlfriend winked at me. "She told me she was delighted to have such a cute subject."

My friends chuckled while I blushed.

Leafe carefully took the canvas from Poppy, rolled it up, and slipped it into his hair. "Thank you." Then he glanced up at the sun, and I got the sense that he and Cherry Blossom were running short on time. I opened my mouth to say something, only for Poppy to beat me to it.

"I know you've got to get going soon, but Branch and I have one more thing tell you."

I suppressed a flash of annoyance. "Poppy, can't it wait? We don't want them to be late." Not after they had that "disagreement" and everything.

"I know, but it'll just take a second." She turned to our friends. "You're really gonna want to hear this. It's seriously good news," she gushed.

"Poppy…" I groaned. Does she have to drag it out?

"Okay, okay," she said breathlessly. "So, Branch and I found out that we have…" My perky pink girlfriend waved her hands dramatically in the air. "Matching. Hairblooms."

All three of them let out happy shouts so loud I actually jumped. "How wonderful!" Cherry Blossom clasped her hands together, her bright green eyes shining.

"Meant to be. Oh, what marvelous news!" Leafe opened his arms and Poppy leaped into them, always ready for a hug. He twirled her around a few times while Poppy hung on with a giant grin. As he set her down, he said nostalgically, "Oh, I remember the two of you as trollings, playing together, and now…"

Just then Cherry Blossom took my hands in hers. "We're so, so happy for you, Branch!"

"Thanks," I said, giving a brief smile. I'd already been through this conversation recently with my dads.

Ever perceptive, she noticed my shift in attitude. "Something wrong, Branch?"

"No…"As much as I loved my friends, I'd been feeling relieved that they needed to leave soon. Now Poppy had fired everyone up again.

She tilted her head. "Are you sure?"

I blew out a breath. "Nothing's wrong, Cheery. I'm happy, really. It's just…" I looked for a way to explain my feelings, instead of just walking off in the middle of a conversation the way I used to as a teenager. "I'm just feeling a little…tired. My social battery is running a little low, as Leafe would say."

She nodded understandingly and let go of my hands. "I see. It has been a pretty emotional day, hasn't it?"

"A pretty emotional week, yeah. Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I understand. On top of your new relationship with Poppy, you've just had several intensely emotional reunions with people you love dearly. Anyone would feel a little drained."

Something about her phrasing felt a little off, but I couldn't put my hair on why, as she continued, "But I'm sure that as you become used to your new relationship, your emotions will level out, Branch. You may not have as many giddy highs," she nodded toward a beaming Poppy, who was babbling excitedly to Leafe, "but your anxiety and other negative emotions won't be as extreme, either. As you build a stable foundation of trust between you, you'll feel more secure."

"I agree." Leafe came over and took his wife's hand. As they stood side by side facing Poppy and me, he added, "You'll feel like you belong together. You'll become a family."

Poppy leaned against me, and I put my arm around her, smiling widely now. "Sounds good to me."

I saw Cherry Blossom nod to Leafe, who cleared his throat. "Speaking of family… Before we head out, Cheery and I have a rather special announcement of our own."

Poppy asked curiously, "What is it?"

He continued with a twinkle in his eye, "Well, we just thought you might be interested to know that we won't be eating any heartflower berries when the next Frolic Festival comes around."

It took a second for the traditional happy announcement to sink in. Then Poppy squealed, and began jumping up and down. "Really? You're planning on having another trolling?"

Our friends nodded happily. Tiredness forgotten, I joined Poppy in the biggest happy shout yet. "Whooo!"

"This is so awesome! Another little DreamSage!" Poppy cheered.

"Hey, that's great news, guys." I put a hand on my chest. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you," Leafe said. "We've been thinking about it for a while now, and after what happened yesterday," both of them gave Poppy rather solemn looks, "it was something of a wake-up call."

Cherry Blossom nodded. "Life can pass you by before you know it. We didn't want any regrets."

"I agree," I said. "That's something I've realized lately. The bad things in life often happen to you. But forgood things to happen, you can't just sit around and wait. You need to take positive action yourself to get the ball rolling."

Cherry Blossom said proudly, "Well said, Branch."

"And we're not the only ones," Leafe added with a sly smile. "Since you two befriended the bergens, quite a few couples have told us that now that they know for sure that it's safe, they're planning to take advantage of the next Frolic Festival to increase the population of the village. So if you do decide you want to try your hand at teaching someday, we'll be more than grateful to have the extra help."

"Once things settle down," I said before I thought.

At that, my friends lit up, looking so happy that I couldn't bring myself to take it back. Maybe I was getting used to the idea. I felt better about it, now that I knew I hadn't messed up with Acorn as badly as I'd thought. And, as Leafe had said, it helped to know that I was genuinely needed.

For the first time, I seriously pictured myself as a teacher, dressed in the intellectual outfit I'd worn to impress Poppy during Beadfest. My bright, happy students sat at my feet, listening attentively and asking eager questions. A smile of nostalgia softened my face. Just like Acorn used to do.

-O-

Poppy was still bouncing around. "Oh my gosh, I'll bet your girls will love having a new little brother or sister!"

"Oh, yes, they're very excited."

"Maybe you'll have twins!"

"That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?"

The young queen knew it was a definite possibility, as twin egglings were fairly common among trolls. During the incubation period, each parent usually carried one egg in their hair, alternating every so often so that the egglings got to know both of their parents. Occasionally other family members might care for an eggling for a while. It was considered a special privilege to be allowed to carry an egg in one's hair. A type of bonding, and a sign of great love, trust, and respect.

Poppy glanced toward Branch, and met his contemplative gaze. For a long moment, time seemed to stop. The future seemed to spread out ahead of them, a future they could both share with cute little family members of their own someday. Branch will be so protective of our little ones…

Maybe Branch was thinking the same thing, as a lavender blush rose to his cheeks. Poppy blushed, too. But to their credit, both of them maintained eye contact until Cherry Blossom placed her hands on her cheeks and sighed dreamily. "Oh, isn't young love adorable?"

Branch threw back his head and laughed. "Listen to you. 'Young'? Come on, Cheery, you're only seven years older than me! You're my big sister, not my mom."

Behind delicate pink frames, green eyes widened. "Sister? You think of me as a sister?"

Branch nodded. "You always have been," he said softly. "Just like Leafe is my big brother."

"Oh, Branch, thank you!" she said gladly. "I've always wanted a brother."

Poppy's heart twinged at the note of wistfulness in her tone. She knew that the mother of two had been an only child herself. It was no wonder she wanted a big family to make up for that. Poppy wondered if that loneliness had helped motivate her to try harder than most to bond with the dour gray trolling. A caring, if grumpy, little brother was definitely better than no brother at all.

"That's good to hear, Branch, because I've always thought ofyou as a younger brother," Leafe commented. The corner of his mouth quirked, and an eyebrow lifted. "You're my little bro, you know?"

Branch was up for the challenge. "Oh, yeah? Well, quid pro quo, big bro."

Leafe's playful smile wavered, and Poppy caught a hint of moisture in his eyes. He cleared his throat and turned to his wife. "Cheery, the next time we have Game Night, I want - our brother - on our team."

Branch gave him a smile of love and gratitude. "Sure thing, bro."

Game Night! The perfect chance to give a little something back to the trolls who tried so hard to take care of Branch. They both love games!

"Ooo! How about we play Trial Run?" Poppy said excitedly. "Branch has all these awesome game figures and he says he's going to update it and make it even more fun so it'll be like a whole new game to you guys!"

"The bergens won't be the bad guys," Branch added quickly. "I'll write some more family-oriented challenges."

Leafe raised his eyebrows. "'Family-oriented?'" he echoed.

Poppy glanced at Branch, wondering for the first time just how dark his storylines had gotten, but then got distracted by Branch being adorable as he gave them a shy smile. "Well, yeah. I was just thinking - you keep mentioning your daughters. I've never met them, but I'd like to," he said earnestly.

Again Poppy pictured Branch sitting at a game table with his family. This time there were two little girls sitting on either side of their beloved Uncle Branch, eager for his attention. "Aww. One big happy family."

Their friends seemed as touched as she was. "Sounds marvelous," Cherry Blossom said as she gave Branch a final goodbye hug. "Our girls will be so excited!"

"A blast from the past – New and Improved!" Leafe said eagerly as he hugged Branch in turn. "I must say, I'm excited, too."

"So am I," Cherry Blossom agreed, her bright eyes sparkling. "We'll be waiting for your invitation to Game Night."

Branch chuckled. "I'll try not to keep you waiting long, sis."

Dreamsinger's Corner

One of my wonderful readers made a comment about how they call my author's notes 'Dreamsinger's Corner.' I loved that, and asked for permission to use that in my fic. Thank you, Megas957!

The Keep Calm thing is a reference to the popular meme that itself is a reference to a British motivational poster in 1939, 'Keep Calm and Carry On.' I thought it was something that would really resonate with Leafe. 😉

"Look through the clutter" is a reference to Trolls: Holiday in Harmony.

"If you're having feelings, you can talk about them with me" is a reference to Trolls Band Together.

I hope it doesn't sound like the trolls are rushing through their reunions with Branch, with each of them talking about having to leave to fulfill other obligations soon. The fact is, they all carved time out of their daily schedules to meet with him when Poppy unexpectedly showed up the previous day, asking each of them to go on Memory Lane Walks with Branch. It's a tribute to how much they care about him, to put his needs first even though most of them hadn't so much as talked to him in over a decade.

I figure that twins are probably quite common among trolls, since unlike with humans, there's little cost or risk to the mother to have multiple babies. Most animals that procreate by egg usually have more than one at a time.

Leafe and Cherry Blossom will indeed have twins, two girls with golden-orange skin. Aria DreamSage has bubblegum-pink hair, and a light-orchid nose. Amber DreamSage has orchid-lavender hair and a bubblegum-pink nose. Both have Cherry Blossom's grass-green eyes. With Pippin and Bonny, that makes four girls.

The DreamSages will also add one more member to their family a few years later, a boy named Cedar. He inherits Cheery's colors, ruby-red skin and light pink hair, plus Leafe's teal-blue eyes and a cute turquoise nose. He marries the next queen, Windsprite, and thus connects the two families together 😊

Windsprite is Branch and Poppy's first daughter. She's actually the second-born, but her older brother Glenrose (named after Rosiepuff – he has her light green hair, which made Branch feel close to him right from the start) decided he wanted to be a therapist instead, to help trolls with anxiety and other issues. Branch and Poppy will also have a younger set of twin trollings. A girl named Waterlily and a boy named Sunspark. I'll talk more about Glen, Sprite, Lily and Sparky later on. Unless, of course, I decide to write a few side stories set in the future… 😉