Chapter Text
"Why am I helping you with the 'All You Can Eat' Buffet sign again?" Branch asked Poppy as she laid out an oversized banner sheet.
"Because, you're the only troll that can collect enough ingredients for the dye job," Poppy happily hummed out.
It was a new Spring day and the trolls in Pop Village greeted the new seasonal blooms with singing and dancing, as they did with every other season. Parents began teaching their trollings new songs about playing hide and seek in the colourful bushes and partying with handfuls of refreshing berry drinks. Families sidestepped and twirled into warm spots of sunlight as they finished up their morning chores and began getting ready to head out for further celebrations with their friends and loved ones.
All the trolls in Pop Village were bright, happy, and excited for tomorrow's New Spring Karaoke Party.
Poppy's cheery attitude dropped slightly to make way for a pout, "and I promised to give you two whole Party Invite Free weeks if you helped."
Except for one cynical grey troll that wore a scowl while he stood next to, ironically, the happiest pink troll in the whole village, with his arms full of art supplies and freshly made buckets of paint.
The pink troll in question finished pinning the corners of the banner sheet down in the dirt, "Also, it's not a buffet sign, it's the Spring Karaoke banner." She said matter-of-factly as she stood up and looked over towards the grumpy troll with a teasing smile, "You know what karaoke is, right?"
"Of course," scoffed Branch, "it's like JellyBean Roulette." He compared as he walked closer to Poppy in order to conveniently place the heavy paint buckets nearby. Sarcasm dripped easily from his voice, "Which troll's singing will finally be the noise that attracts the Bergens and have us all eaten." Branch fumbled with the countless paint brushes and shape-stamps in his arms but eventually handed a large varnishing brush to the princess.
The princess, who was used to the pessimistic troll's dark sense of humour, took the varnishing brush and a few shape-stamps from him and agreed without missing a beat, "We do taste like jellybeans."
Branch looked at Poppy with exasperated astonishment. That's the part she focuses on? He shook his head, "Whatever. What do you want me to do anyway?"
"Oh, you can do the letters!" Poppy had already begun dipping flower-shaped stamps into the fresh buckets of paint. She imagined the banner would look very seasonal if there were flowers framing the edges. "Your handwriting in some of your emergency planners looks soooo pretty!"
"Pretty?" Branch hadn't expected the compliment or the simple task, "I was going for neat, but alright I guess." But he didn't mind, this seemed more his style anyway.
Branch brought a black paint bucket to his side. He wanted to finish the job quickly before he got dragged into anything else. As he was about to start painting the letters, the grey troll stopped in front of the banner and groaned, realising he needed to take the time to map out the letters' format. If he didn't, not all the letters would fit and the whole banner would need to be scrapped.
Reluctantly, Branch pulled out his measurement kits from his hair and began sketching out the placement of each letter.
Poppy had finished with the short sides of the flower frame and was deciding if she should use a different shape for the longer sides. She casually looked over at the focused troll and thought of a new enticing pitch, "You know, with all those planners you've got, I bet you could organise a killer party."
Branch didn't even bother shifting his focus, "Killer? Really?" The princess just handed that one to him, no further argument needed.
As always, Poppy persisted, "Think about it! You'd be the best at keeping track of everything! The snack bar would have enough food for everyone, your song playlist wouldn't miss a beat, and I bet you wouldn't forget a single sticker of decoration."
As always, Branch wasn't swayed, "I think I'll stick to using my emergency planners for emergencies, thanks."
Arms swinging carelessly, she went off to grab the next decorating tool from her pile. The persistent troll countered in a crystal clear sing-song voice, "Say what you want, but I haven't heard a single fuss from you since you started organising those letters."
The stubborn troll rolled his eyes as he finished sketching out the last letter in 'karaoke'. Now he got to use his paintbrush as he stayed inside the lines of the sketches and filled them with shiny black paint.
His muscles relaxed slightly as he continued the satisfying activity.
As much as Branch liked to complain, he'd admit, silently , that decorating a banner with paint-stamped shapes and calligraphy was one of the party preparations he tolerated the most. He still hated the buckets of rhinestones they were probably going to use to bedazzle the fabric sheet, but it wasn't the worst thing Branch could be forced into doing. Banner Decorating was at least more peaceful compared to Balloon Blowing and, don't make him say it, Hype-Up Duty.
It was just that Branch found it harder to concentrate on the calligraphy when-
"Oh My God! Poppy!" Smidge's deep voice broke through as she leaped in the air, "Did you say Branch is going to throw a party?!"
"No offence," Satin began, pulling a doubtful face. Chenille continued, "But he kinda wears the same dull thing every day," gesturing to the dull troll's camouflage outfit. "So, like, how would he even know what looks good for a party?" The fashion twins questioned in unison.
Biggie fidgeted by petting Mr Dinkles anxiously as he tried to speak in a sympathetic voice, "Branch, I'm sorry but we tried to bake together and-"
"You made concrete out of sugar and flour!" Cooper exclaimed, his face showing nothing short of amusement at the chaotic memory.
"Hold Up!" Suki quickly interjected with an unusually serious tone, "He is not touching my playlist! I don’t care what he does, but if he tries to get rid of my music. I'm crashing the whole thing!"
Guy Diamond tried to whisper, "Who would he even invite? He hates everybody." Except his auto-tuned voice made him perfectly heard by every troll around him.
The organised troll sighed as the members of Snack Pack arrived late to assist with the unnecessarily large banner.
Branch found it harder to concentrate when he was outnumbered and surrounded by party-obsessed trolls who poked and picked apart anything he did with their offhanded comments.
Unless it was Creek.
"Are you sure you want to use black for the letters? It just seems a bit unwelcoming for Spring. Orange would bring in a much more positive aura for the party."
The unwelcoming troll practically growled and glared at the condescending troll that had the nerve to lean against his right shoulder while wearing that pretentious smile he always wore.
Creek had the manipulative little brain and the perfect tone of voice to make whatever he said sound like the blessed gospel truth. The only times Creek slipped up his act was when he was seeping in his double meanings or simply lesser opinions of Branch around said troll. The two-faced troll always made sure he heard each and every one of them.
"Get off me!" Branch harshly shoved Creek aside, causing the guru to fall on his backside. The alarmed Snack Pack, sans Poppy, took a step away from the seemingly hostile troll. The annoyed troll spun around, flicking drips of paint on the nosey group, "And you all can freaking relax because I am not hosting and never will be hosting any type of party!"
Poppy dropped the decorating tools she had picked up while her friends had said their pieces and went to Creek's side.
"It was only a suggestion." The strangely unbothered troll said. He beat the dirt off his back end as Poppy helped him back up, "There was really no need for him to be so venomous." He gave Poppy a tone that made it seem like he wanted her to agree with him.
"You can't even read orange on a white canvas." The irritated troll grumbled, his decent mood ruined, as he turned his attention back to the banner.
The innocent troll grimaced looking at the grey troll, unknowingly giving her crush exactly what he wanted, "Well, you know how Branch can be."
She then turned towards the rest of her friends, her expression downcasted, "But you guys, come on." and began almost scowling at them in a whisper that Branch could well enough ignore, "I was really making progress with him. Why'd you all have to go and rewrap the present?"
Biggie, Cooper, and Guy Diamond at least had the good manners to look shy for needling at their grumpy acquaintance, but the rest of the Snack Pack were not convinced as they gave their kindest friend a pitied look.
Chenille gently patted Poppy's arm, "Look Girl, we know how hard you work to help him lighten up." and Satin sorrowfully shook her head, "But it's just never gonna happen."
Hands on her hips, Suki's serious expression remained, "That bunker he stays in, fills his head with so much dirt," Exaggerating her point, she tilted and knocked her head to the side, "that he won't listen to anything! "
Eyes filled with fury, Smidge pounded her small fist into her hand, "And I, for one, am sick of him tossing my friends just because he can't take a hug." She gritted her teeth together in order to block her rising irritated voice. "How can he even reject hugs!? They're warm and reassuring!"
If Poppy's mood hadn't soured before, well, now she was miserable. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried not to show how bothered she was with her friends' attitudes. Why couldn't they see that Branch was getting better? He was here, with them, helping with the banner, wasn't he? If Branch really didn't want to join the party, he would have dumped the paint buckets with her and left.
Creek stood attentive and close to everyone. The guru troll felt extreme satisfaction. It seemed that almost all the members of the Snack Pack agreed that the grey troll should be left alone with his miserable thoughts. The simple three would shift their tune after a little chat and a shiny distraction, but Poppy-Oh! Poppy was starting to frown . Well, he couldn't have that .
Creek stepped between his friends and Poppy, making himself the divider and main focus. He placed a comforting hand on his cotton-pink friend's sagged shoulder as he spoke to the sceptical or nervous mates of the pack in a soothing-consoling voice, "Now now, everyone. It's like Chenille said, Poppy works hard, and she works hard because she cares very much for all of us."
He turned, facing the princess with a proud-confident smile, "Even those who aren't quite sure where they are in life." Poppy's face became tinted with a dark pink shade of blush as she allowed the supportive words to lift the corners of her lips.
"But Poppy,"
Except that Creek soon took both of her hands and held them close. She became confused when her spiritual friend's gleeful gaze shifted into concern.
"Love, it might be time to sever our toxic connections and work towards taking care of ourselves," The sugary syrup-tongued troll placed his hand on his heart as he offered a shy smile alongside his request, "And if not for yourself, then maybe for me?"
Poppy's smile strained, she was disappointed. Don't get her wrong, she completely understood why Creek was asking her to spend less time with the uncaring grey troll. But she wasn't the type of troll to be so sensitive that a few torn up invites and sassy eye rolls would dampen her colour to his level.
Poppy looked at the array of emotions amongst her friends: worry, frustration, unease, and uncertainty. She took it all in with a deep breath and knew that they all cared for her and just wanted her to be happy.
She exhaled as she let go of her sweet crush's hand. She gazed towards her friends with fondness, "Thanks for looking out for me, guys, really." And said once more what she truly believed in her heart, "But Branch has happiness inside him! He just needs a few chances and our help to find it!"
While friends decide whether or not to place their faith in their princess once more.
Poppy had refocused her attention on the fixated, grumpy troll, who seemed to be handling his paintbrush with much less grace than before. His fingers now had splats of pitch-dark paint decorating them. Maybe she shouldn't have given him that one job the made his skin even more-
Poppy gasped!
She froze her sights on the grey troll and then snapped her sights on her varnishing brush and the buckets of rainbow paints. She looked between the two, going back and forth back and forth back and forth forth and back and forth and forth and back! Until a humongous grin nestled between her pinched cheeks!
"OOOHHH!"
Cooper stomped his feet in excitement. He recognized the face his sister made when one of her Special-Party-Popper-Plans was coming together, "Did you just think up another Sprinkle McWaffle idea?"
"This is even better than the Sprinkle McWaffle idea!" Poppy promised, squishing her own face in excitement. The chime of the Hug-Time Bracelets couldn't have been more perfectly timed as Poppy hugged her friends and closely whispered to them her new colourful plan. To say the Snack Pack changed their tune to a cheerier one after hearing their genius princess's plan would be an understatement!
…
But to say that Creek didn't know exactly what he was encouraging when he whispered praise and support into Poppy's ears in the smoothest voice he could conjure, while he contained his budding glee… would be a lie.