Chapter Text
Poppy ambled away from Nick's stand – a bag filled with a jar of honey and a bar of chocolate, mayyyybe a little extra for her later on if she felt like she needed a snack – the only reason that she found the pace desirable was the fact that no trolls had decided to swarm the market, deciding they all had come for what they needed or wanted.
She didn't want to go back to Plums yet, so maybe visiting someone would work? They were most likely all out doing their own thing. Thinking for a long hard moment she nodded and changed her course, setting off for her pod.
She had to pass through colourful and still buzzing – many trolls were still acquiring a few objects – market, as Plums pod was pretty much on the other side of the village from her own.
Passing successfully through the market with no interruptions, besides a few trolls asking how she is and if she would like an item or two, which she would politely deny as anything else and it would become a burden. She found herself in front of a great big, bright green grass field that existed right smack dad in the middle of the village.
If you were to crane your head up and look, you would find many, many different coloured pods of all sizes and shapes adorned on all types of branches big and small. They draped over the field of trolls creating a sort of shade, the leaves healthy and strong with the magic they poured into the tree just by living there, but letting a good amount of sunlight through.
Plenty of wide winding paths and stairs leading up to the pods higher up circled around the trunk and bustled with plenty of life, even some not of the troll sort. These paths led many creatures up, trolls to their pods, and other young animals of the sort that needed help with branching or some flight lessons.
Easy access and all that kind of stuff, her father had said. Well maybe not like that.
And if you were to look below on the vast expanse of grass that still sparkled with the remenants of morning dew, were the hustle of many activities. From arts and crafts led by one young paint covered troll, to the storytelling of troll history by one of the elderly, to the morning Yoga class that Creek was teaching.
Creek! Whipping her head back to the familiar dual coloured hair, wincing at the slight pain of the action, but at least it looked like she finally found him, but since he was busy she would leave him to do his thing at a later date. It might be easy to have everyone together and then explain the story because having to do something more than once was so boring.
Seeing as the others weren't in his class at the moment she had no reason to join, already feeling limbered up for the day.
She trotted her way across the field, many trolls greeting her and asking how she was. She would just give them a quick passing "pretty good!" Or an "amazing!" and it settled the conversation, seeing as they most likely had other things to attend to.
Makkng her way to the sturdy moss stairs, she hopped the steps by two and hummed. It was such a nice day out! Not too cold, it seemed the last vestiges of winter might have finally left them for good, at least until next season.
Still dreaded what spring had to hold though. Honestly! You would think male trolls had more restraint.
Almost tripping over her own feet, she realized that she had finally come onto the smoothed part of the path up to her pod.
The paths were made generally using steps up until a certain height, then it just smoothed out into a tilt generally going up, making it easier to walk without getting too exhausted and making room for other steps and slides to weave through the branches and other stairs.
Her pod had been placed in the direct middle of the tree on the strongest branch possible, close to her father and other close advisors which lived in the tree, where her father – okay maybe some of his advisors – convinced him to stay.
He obviously fought the idea because there were plenty of other uses the large inside would have had instead of being his home but in the end he relented. He had once told her, "One day this will be your home, my dear Poppy. I chose to live inside because I know at some point when I am gone, this will be yours and your children's. I want to give you something to remind you of me and generations to come."
She had been just a few years old when he said this of course, so a few things should obviously be missing but that was the gist of it. She didn't mind being in a pod, it's pink fibres giving a certain light that just made her think of home. It kept her closer to everyone in the town, also.
She made it to her pod, the trek up taking her only a few minutes, but it was enough for her to begin to drift off and reminisce.
Placing a hand on a the petal that was gently pressed against the mossy path to prevent any accidents, she let a spark of her magic into the petal, as per usual. Like always it unfolded and yielded to her wish to enter it and she hopped up and in.
Public pods like Plums were convenient, sure, but the ones that reacted to your magic and only a few select other? Priceless in the face of privacy.
Dropping the bag holding the items for Branch on her counter, she took the journey into her room for a new set of clothes, and brushed her hair thoroughly with her floral patterned brush.
'Does Branch even brush his hair?' She shook her head vehemently at even thinking of him not brushing his hair. He's the one that always goes on about how it's their species number one tool, getting on her for even using any hair gel or moose.
Thinking he would like to brush his hair out at one point, she placed the brush in the bag with everything else, and yes, she did clean it before she put it in there. She wasn't going to let her hair get all over the food.
Plunking herself down on her perfectly dried out moss chair, she leaned her head back to stare at the nearly neon pink ceiling.
"Man, yesterday was a ride," she mused out loud, amusement dry. "I see Branch and try to help him, and what does he do? Goes and gets himself poisoned and we didn't even have a cure! On top of that he doesn't even tell us!"
Theowing her arms up in the air, she slowly brought them down. Crossing her arms over her chest, she started to ache with an unfamiliar emotion.
"We... were so close to losing him." She said out loud and was surprised at the choked noise she let out. "We almost couldn't do anything. He could have died, and we almost couldn't help him, he helped himself."
Curling herself into the fuzzy embrace of her chair, she nearly sobbed at the realization she had been hiding from.
"What if I hadn't been there?" She questioned herself as horror at what could have happened began to manifest itself within her.
Biting her lip to try and hold back her tears because no, she hadn't been hiding from it. She had refused to acknowledge that Branch had almost died. Sure she had taken the idea he was poisoned in stride, she guessed, because who doesn't get a little poisoned in their life? Or sick? Possibly ill?
But it had not been the case, she had just realized, after she voiced her thoughts out loud.
What could have happened if he hadn't be come out complain? Would he still have even been here, or would he have already done the cure himself without the interruptions of all the dancing and singing.
She sat up and wiped her eyes, her eyes wet and mouth taught with her determination. She couldn't let these doubts take her. She would just ask him when he gets a little better, about how everything happened.
Turning onto her right side and curling up into a position less wrought with despair, she closed her eyes suddenly feeling exhausted once again. She would just take a nap, after all Branch shouldn't be up for awhile longer with how exhausted he had looked earlier, she just realized.
He would be fine, Branch is a big troll anyway that can decide when he's tired enough to sleep. If he stayed up to talk with her than that was fine, as long as he eventually found sleep with how much he didn't want to sleep earlier when she woke up.
Closing her eyes she never even realized when she had passed from reality to dreams.
Poppy was standing on a sandy stretch of of land, her body frozen in place. Instincts practically screaming as she tried to jerk herself free from whatever was retraining her. To no avail did her efforts being besides a sluggish feeling.
Looking at whatever was in front of her more deeply she realized that stretch of sand was really all there was. Besides that, all there was was a large mass of water for as far as the eyes could see. It lapped of the shores, and the waves slightly choppy due to the winds.
Something was moving in the water, she realized. And directly towards her.
The sluggishness that had held on to her before suddenly left, and along with that her efforts to escape came back.
One second it was sandy land, and the next it was filled with rows of long, sharp teeth. She did the only thing she knew to do in the situation, she screamed.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Poppy scrambled off the chair and held her hands to her chest swinging her head side to side to check for danger.
Her panic was almost immediately quelled the moment when she realized that she was in her home, and there was indeed nothing here, and yes that had been a dream.
Sagging to the floor she covered one of her cheeks, feeling how warm it was. Wow, that was pretty intense. Haven't had a dream like that in quite awhile.
Placing her hands firmly on the hard surface of her pod, she slowly got off of the ground with a hop, but not without a small wince of pain. Due to the position she had allowed herself to sleep in, her back had become sore and her neck had a knot in it. Falling out certainly had not helped.
Standing now, she had to take a deep breath before continuing to the washroom to use some cold water to cool her face and wipe away the sweat that had gathered there.
It was time to make a visit.