Chapter 156.5 - Poppy Puts Them All In Time Out
The masses have spoken! So here is the little in-between scene starring our favorite, peppy pink troll!
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âHave a good life. And stay out of mine.â
Rhondaâs hatch slammed closed, Poppy wincing along with Bruce, Clay, and Floyd at the sharp sound.
And the world became eerily quiet.
Poppyâs hands drifted to her chest, which started to swell painfully as her partnerâs heartbreaking words echoed in her head. She didnât think sheâd ever seen him so angry, so hurtâŠ
And the icky, not-so-nice feeling thatâd been stirring in chest since the moment sheâd first met Branch and JDâs brothers began to burn a hole in her heart.
Clayâs choking voice rose from the silence, barely more than a sob as the older troll grabbed at his hair, practically curling in on himself from his spot on the floor. âNo no no, what did I do, what did I do?! Iâm so STUPID!â
The other brothers didnât answer him. Bruce just stared at the door with an almost haunted gaze, having gone completely pale. And Floyd looked as if he were on the verge of completely breaking down, wide eyes panicked as he sucked in short, quick breaths.
Typically, Poppy mightâve stepped in at this moment. Tried to give the situation a positive spin, or give some reassuring words. But to her surprise, she had none. As she stared at Branchâs brothers, there was empathy there, sure, understanding for what they were going throughâŠ
But layered on top of it was sharp, indignant anger, growing ever hotter. And Poppy didnât exactly trust what might come out of her mouth right now.
Instead, her eyes drifted over to what Branch had crumpled up, the worn paper laying discarded to the side. It seemed oddly familiar, Poppy tilting her head. She could remember after Rhonda had gotten Clayâs scent off his dictionary, just as they were about to leave, looking back to see Branch staring at a worn sheet of paper, that was the same, light brown. She hadnât found the time to ask about it, but the way he looked at it was just soâŠ
It had to be the same one.
She found herself moving to kneel beside it, gently taking it in her hands and smoothing out the jagged folds, surprised to find an incredibly intricate, and uncharacteristically glitter-covered drawing.
It was⊠Blueprints. Of some sort. Very old, by the looks of it, the edges frayed, and the folds starting to come apart at the seams. The lines were shaky, unlike Branchâs usual tedious neatness, and they were drawn with multiple different methods, from pencil, to charcoal, to what even looked like crayon.
And to her absolute surprise, Poppy recognized it. Well, the layout, that is.
She could picture herself in the halls, peering to her right to see the very room marked with a tiny, scrapbook sticker of what looked like a much younger Floyd. She now knew that room held extra rations, but she could remember long ago, breaking into the underground fortress, giggling as Branch chased her through the halls. When the room instead held a small bed, its wooden frame sporting carved flowers courtesy of John Dory. Already made, as if waiting for someoneâŠ
When sheâd asked Branch about it back then, she hadnât gotten an answer. But now, she had one, eyes tracing across the other familiar stickers.
The image blurred. Though whether it was due to tears, or the way her hands shook, she didnât know.
âWhat do we do?â Clay asked, nearly in a complete panic. âW-we have to go after him, I have to explain, it wasnât- I didnât mean to-â
âHe doesnât want us here.â Floyd interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper, still staring wide-eyed at the ground. âWe left him behind, I left him, and because of that, he- he-â The older troll sucked in a sharp breath, eyes filling with tears. âHe couldâve died. If John Dory hadnât found him, he wouldâve died in that Tree, I left him alone to die-â
âA yearâŠâ Bruce choked out, his voice hollow. âThis w-whole time, and he- Only a year, and he came b- came back, h-he raised Branch, out in the woods, he-â His eyes widened. âAnd I was such an ass to him. I w-was such an ass to him IN FRONT of Branch, IâŠâ His hand darted over his mouth. âOh god what did I d-do?â
âHe hates meâŠâ Clay said, panicked realization crossing his face. âI⊠He hates me, I made him hate me, I ruined everything-â
âThis is all my fault.â Floyd sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks. âI shouldâve just talked to him, asked him straight to his face, but I was just so terrified of losing himâŠâ He crumpled, face falling into his hands. âAnd I lost him anyways. This was my chance, and I just- just-â
âWhy didnât I d-do something?â Bruce hissed, running a hand through his hair. âWhy didnât I say- say- say something? I kn- knew something was going on, I shouldâve- âve-â He grit his teeth, hand tightening on his hair. âWhy didnât I stop him?â
âIâ, âMeâ, âMyâ... Every time one of them spoke, Poppy felt that smoldering fury grow more and more, until she felt like she was going to explode. She pursed her lips, closing her eyes, the paper crumpling slightly in her hands. And without a word, she abruptly stood up.
When she opened her eyes, glaring at Branchâs brothers with tears staining her cheeks, the cabin went completely silent. And to their credit, each one of them wilted beneath her fiery gaze. Usually, that feeling would make her stomach twistâŠ
But she wasnât really feeling all cupcakes and rainbows right now.
âThis is Branchâs Bunker.â She said tightly, drawing her eyes back to the worn paper. âHe made this, for you guys.â
There was a moment of shocked silence as the realization dawned on each of the brothers.
âHe made it for⊠Us?â Clay stammered, eyes widening with understanding as they landed on the faded stickers, Floyd just staring at the drawing with devastating recognition.
âButâŠâ Bruce started in a low voice, before swallowing, face twisted with pain. âI⊠Didnât know.â
âWell I guess you never asked, did you?â Poppy replied sharply, before her ears drooped once more. Her voice was growing shaky, closing her eyes again as her lips started to tremble. âDo you have any idea how hard it was for him to come out here and find you? How painful it was for him to find out you were all alive?â
She squeezed her eyes tighter. âI didnât get it. I feel like Iâm always so naive when it comes to Branch, and what heâs gone through. It took me years to get him to open up to me, I made⊠SO many mistakes. And thereâs still so much I donât know.â
She took a breath, then looked back at the brothers. âBut I get it now. And I understand this is hard on you, but whatever it is youâre going through right now, it is way harder on him. He took a risk, coming to find you, to ask for your help to save someone very important to him, and someone who should still be important to you.â Poppy bit her cheek, tail twitching behind her. âI know John Dory hurt you, but like I said before, he is a good person. Not acting, nor pretending to be good, he IS good. And I should know. You have no idea how much heâs done for Branch, for our Village, for all of TrollkindâŠâ She drew a hand to her chest. âFor me.â
Poppy continued to glare at each one of them in turn. âSo maybe, you all need to just stop thinking about yourselves right now. He needs you, BRANCH needs you. And for once in your lives, you need to be there for him. Not because you feel guilty, or because you think heâll like you again if you do, but because he asked.â
Her body trembled, but she refused to back down. âI convinced him you guys could help. I thought it would be a good thing. But now, Iâm not so sure anymore. Iâm terrified I made another naive mistake, and that Branch is paying for itâŠâ She pursed her lips. âHe thinks youâre going to leave him again. That heâs no one worth sticking around for.â She glared intently at them. âI hope you prove him wrong.â
She strode forward, pushing the Bunker drawing into Floydâs chest, before making her way towards Rhondaâs hatch. âIâm going to go after him before he gets hurt. And so help me, you better pull yourselves together, and do the same.â She clicked the hatch open, looking at them over her shoulder. âYou need to show up. For him, and John Dory. Because thatâs what family does. No matter what.â
I canât wait to be your sister again...
Poppy could hear her sisterâs breaking voice echoing in her head. And it took everything she had not to picture Vivaâs pleading face.
Bruceâs ears wilted, but he set his jaw tight, while Clay climbed to his feet, shaky hands wrapped around his shoulders. And Floydâs eyes traced over the drawing of the Bunker, before flicking up to meet hers, a familiar, determined fire blazing in his eyes.
And Poppy said nothing. It wasnât her decision to make.
She stepped out of Rhonda, closing the hatch behind her, and giving the worried critter a soft petâŠ
Before racing after her partner, reaching out to grab his shaking hand.
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