Chapter Text
Floyd opened the door and looked up to a stranger. There were three things he, and his nosy brothers peeking behind him, picked up at once. This was a troll none of them knew, they looked to be about JD’s age, and they were a few shades off from being Fully Grey.
For more detail, the other trolls' skin was dark purple with faint glitter that gave away she was a Glitter Troll. If you looked closely one could see the purple fades to a lighter purple at her hand and feet, but it was hard to tell with her being Near-Grey. Her hair was pale lavender and platinum and up in twists. The twists were held back and up with a small scarf, which was a dark green and covered her ears. Her outfit was also green in various shades; shades that’d help her camouflage into the green leaves of the Troll Tree. It wasn’t an uncommon choice, especially with Grey's who wanted or needed to go places. The troll was standing with one hand on her hip, the other on the back of a young trolling on her front, wrapped in a colorful teal sling. Her face was drawn and blank, looking disinterested if not for the obvious tired eye-bags, and lastly her tail swung slowly back and forth behind herself.
“I just moved in last night, so you didn’t know we were there, but can you please keep your yelling on the downbeat around now? I’m trying to keep my sister on a consistent nap time schedule.” the troll, who's voice was near toneless asked.
“Oh, your right, I'm very sorry for the noise.” Floyd cringed, ears warming at the realization his brothers had bothered others again with their fighting.
“We’ll be sure to argue on company hours from now on,” Clay sassed, still mad from the fight and trying to cover up his embarrassment as well. It wasn’t really working with his tail swinging in aggravation before he grabbed it. The troll at the door leaned a little to the side and raised an eyebrow.
“I will hold you to that, Mr. Smart-Aleck."
“Hey!”
Spruce snorted then walked over to the door with a grin, throwing on the charm as he did and Floyd moved back. “Don’t mind Clay, it's his nap time too.” The daggers being sent his way could kill a troll, but apparently Spruce was immune. He held out a hand to the stranger to shake. “Allow me to introduce ourselves. I’m Spruce Laketimber, the grumpy one is John Dory, the pinkette is Floyd, the cute one is Branch and the sassy pants is Clay.”
The other troll nodded slowly, shaking Spruce's hand kind of gingerly, as if they were out of practice. “My name is Vidia, and this is my 4 month old sister, Indigo, though I call her Iggy.” Vidia gently patted the back of said sister, who seemed asleep with her face fully turned from the outside world. Iggy had pink hair that looked a bit matte, but not from lack of care, but from being Grayish as well. The headphones over her ears were pinker than Floyd's hair. “We just moved into the emerald pod next door.”
The brothers know what pod that was. It had been empty for at least five years now, the old scout who used to live in it had gone out one day to look for a new escape route and never returned. The pod itself was oddly close to theirs, but when they asked Grandma if she knew why, she just changed the subject. Spruce has a theory the scout and Grandma might have been a couple, or at least friends, but he didn’t want to push too far so he never asked.
“Oh, yeah it makes sense you could hear us, that pod is practically kissing ours.” Spruce said with a head nod.
“Exactly. I don’t want to be demanding, but please, at least in the evenings and for the next hour everyday, be mindful of the noise. It doesn't just affect you anymore.” Vidia said.
The brothers nodded in unison, effectively ashamed (minus Branch as he is just a Baby and busy with a sippy cup and stuffy), so Vidia returned the nod and turned to leave. Floyd watched her walk the really short distance to the other pod and walk inside. Then he closed the door and turned back to his brothers. Clay looked irritated, no surprise, Spruce looked thoughtful but thankfully not the flirty kind, and JD…JD looked thoughtful and worried.
“What were you guys even fighting about to get a house call?”
“Honestly, I can't remember.”
Floyd sighed, shaking his head as he headed for his shared room, his tail dragging behind him as he swept up Branch along the way. “Why does that not surprise me…”
"…Hey, was it just me or did Vidia, like, not know who we are?" JD asked in surprise with wide eyes and all he got was a pair of loud sighs for a answer.
<(-.-)>
It was a few days later when any of the brothers saw Vidia again. It was market day and JD was getting groceries. Troll Market took place in different spots over the Tree, but always on the weekends. Sometimes it was spread out over the roots and grass at the base, other days it was smushed on top of the Tree top, covered in leaves and windy. The market had shrunk in itself over the years. Grandma Rosiepuff would sometimes remanence at how in her childhood the market was large enough to stay up for the whole weekend. But the Bergens’ have grown in number each year while the trolls had struggled to keep up. Less trolls meant both fewer customers and merchants. But all JD has ever known was a shrinking but still lively market with booths of sweets next to first aid kits. Camping supplies hiding knives sharp enough to chop wood(and throats in a pinch). Hair care next to blue jeans and blue jean jackets. Paper flowers for weddings and Away's. And instruments next to album sellers next to Bergen supplies.
He saw her distinct hair first out of the corner of his eye, then he turned to fully see Vidia moving about the market. She didn’t look at anyone for longer than necessary and seemed to be totally focused. While she had her eyes on her shopping, JD noticed the trolls around them whispering or looking after her. He had a pretty good idea as to why; as most trolls carry trollings in their hair 24/7. So the fact she had her sister on her back, was dressed in camo greens with a matching pair of headphones on her neck, and was gray meant other trolls were being noisy. Indigo was awake now and surprisingly quiet for a trolling, but otherwise looked content. Her little ears were covered in a pair of headphones again too. Her thoughtful resting face was also brought up at least once by a concerned troll, which Vidia must have heard as she went the rest of the shopping with flat frown instead. Almost like she dropped a mask that wasn't working. At least her eye bags were gone now.
JD went about his shopping but he couldn’t stop himself. Whenever he spotted Vidia he would watch her for a second then move on before his staring went into creepy territory. He noticed she would seem to brighten up a little when kids were nearby, even saving a tike from eating it on a table with one hand. At one point the two shopped near side by side at a booth and he over heard her talking to a parent about her old job, moving on before hearing everything. By the time JD was done shopping, she was as well and together the two trolls headed towards their part of the Tree. For once JD didn’t know what to say in the quiet company of another troll, more used to chatty fans or little brothers around all the time. It was…nice, just having some peace. Even when it didn't last long after Vidia yawned politely behind a paw and shook her head, like she was shaking off sleep.
“How are things with your family?” Vidia awkwardly asked out of the blue then, startling JD from his thoughts to the point he nearly dropped the groceries in his hands. At this Vidia smirked, clearly amused, with little Indigo looking at him with wide eyes.
“Oh, we’re doing good, thanks for asking.”
Vidia hummed and nodded to this content with the answer and the pair kept moving, silence falling again between them. Back to his thoughts lead JD to chew his lip, trying to figure out how to ask Vidia about what he overheard earlier at the market. “So, Vidia, I was wondering about something."
“Hm?”
“You seem really good with your sister, I haven't seen her fuss once since we’ve met. And those kids earlier; you were on them more than their parents. But I've been struggling with my brothers lately.”
“Ok?”
“I think it's partly because there's so many of us in the pod at once. I was wondering if you’d be willing to babysit my littler brothers every once in a while, get them out and about more.”
Vidia raised an eyebrow and glanced at him bemused. “Isn’t Spruce old enough to watch your other brothers?”
“He is, yeah!” JD affirmed, rubbing his forehead under the googles. “But half of the time I ask, he storms off. The other times he watches them I come back to pranks and half finished chore lists. He’s at the age where he doesn’t want to listen to me.”
“And he’ll listen to me? You've just met me and it was from me asking you to button it.”
“And they listened!”
“Hmm, true.” Vidia thought it over, shifting the shopping in her hands. Currently her schedule is pretty open, other than unpacking the pod and deciding on if she was going to take Iggy to the doctor on this side of the tree. And she did miss babysitting. Maybe she could open up a little…
“First, what's the payment?”
“Oh I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that,”
Vidia snapped her head to JD and glared at him outraged, Iggy blinking surprised over Vidia’s shoulder. “Excuse you,-!”
“Wait wait! That came out wrong!” JD interjected, shaking his head quickly as his hands were full. The two stopped on a branch not far from their homes. “I’ll pay you, I just haven't gotten that far in my planning yet. I wasn’t sure you’d say yes at all, with a newborn and all.”
Vidia relaxed her shoulders and her face went into a blank bored sort of rest. It was a bit uncommon for a trolls’ resting face to not be some sort of a smile, but it fit her face. Honestly she just seemed to be deep in thought. “Alright, I'm sorry for snapping John Dory. Haven't slept much lately. How about they help me around the pod, maybe cover a meal for the day?”
“That sounds like a great start, don’t worry I'll come up with the perfect favor to give back.”
Vidia wasn’t sure she liked how JD emphasized ‘perfect’ but she decided to let it go. Muses forbid trolls said or did things weird. The two started walking again and she had a thought, smirking again. “So, how are you explaining to your brothers that they need babysitting?”
“Uhhh…can we not call it that at least?”
“Eh, no skin off my knee, John Dory.”Vidia agreed with a light chuckle.
"Oh, and one more thing. You can call me JD, most trolls do unless I'm in trouble," JD added and Vidia gave a thumbs up.
<(-.-)>
It was two hours later, as Vidia finished making dinner for herself and Indigo, that her peace was disturbed. It was rapid fire and startled Vidia so badly she nearly dropped the soup bowl, practically juggling the darn thing to save it from the floor. She put the bowl down on the kitchen counter and rushed to the door, peaking out the peephole then opening the door as she removed the headphones from her ears. “John Dory-er JD?”
JD looked frazzled, his hair even frizzing up a little, though that could be from his hands running through the strands. “Vidia, I know we just talked about you not-babysitting my brothers like hours ago, but I really need a favor. Can you start not-babysitting tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Vidia repeated in surprise and JD nodded.
“Spruce and I have a photo-shoot and other band stuff scheduled tomorrow while the others are in school, but we won’t be done before their classes end. Branch would normally be picked up by our grandma but she’s caught that cold that's going around and she refuses to be around us, my brothers have the weakest immune systems known to Troll.” he explained and Vidia nodded, showing she was following. JD then folded his hands and his tail moved nervously. “Can you please pick up Branch from school and watch him at least until Clay and Floyd come back? They should be able to take things from there, unless they get a lot of homework…”
Vidia looked thoughtfully conflicted back at her sister for a second then she nodded. “I can do that. I don’t have anything planned for the day, so I can even make them some food.”
JD sighed loudly and bowed to Vidia dramatically. “Thank you! I’ll make sure to tell Branchs’ teacher you're coming, but for safety, you have to tell her this…” JD whispered a phrase in Vidia’s ear then backed up. “It's the code phrase; you have no idea how many trolls try to run off with Bitty.”
“Sounds like an occupational hazard of being the biggest boy band in the tree,” Vidia lightly teased and JD nodded totally serious. “So, I was about to feed Iggy, so I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Right! I should get back, hopefully the bro’s are done eating too. Pick up is at 3:30. G’night Vidia, you're a lifesaver!”
And with a wave JD ran off to the next pod and Vidia closed her door. Unseen by all but her sister Vidia sort of wilted, her energy draining at the change in plans, even though she didn’t have anything planned. She turned to Iggy, who was patiently waiting with her blocks on her highchair. “Welp, looks like we have something to do tomorrow, Iggy Iggs.” she said, her voice more tired than when she was talking to JD. Then Vidia’s stomach growled and she walked back to the soup bowl. “But for now, dinner is served.” Iggy cheered at that. And as Iggy ate her soup with some help, Vidia repeated the code phrase over and over quietly, tapping her fingers in rhythm on her lap.
“A B C, it's as easy as 1 2 3…”
As for JD, he'd only realize what Vidia said later while brushing his teeth, nearly swallowing the toothpaste in surprise.
<(-.-)>
In the morning Vidia passed the time by unpacking the boxes in her new home, singing as Iggy happily rocked back and forth with the beat on her playmat.
“You are my sun shine, my only sun shine,” she sang as she put the last item in it's new place for the day. The clock on the wall chimed and she looked at it. “Ok, time to pick up Branch.” Vidia gathered up her sister and easily wrapped a double sling around Iggy, testing first to make sure she wouldn't slide out. She slipped the pink headphones over her little ears and Iggy hummed happily. Turning to the mirror by the door she made sure her makeup was on, mostly staring at her under-eyes to make sure the bags were hidden. She then grabbed an extra sling and slipped it in her hair with her headphones just in case, threw on her stealth poncho over them both, and headed for the door. Then she stopped and back tracked to the kitchen table to grab the map for this side of the tree and then headed out. "Please don't take my sun shine away…"
With a look over the map Vidia headed to the school pods, knowing to go to the camo green pod for preschool and kindergarten trollings. In a effort to avoid the Bergens’ grabbing a ton of kids at once, the trolls had hidden the schools and hospital pods with greens and browns high up the branches to hide them from view. It's works thankfully as well as making sure that they spread out the schools. As she walked briskly, Vidia repeated the code phrase in her mind, tapping her fingers as she did, her ears constantly raised to listen out for trouble. It didn’t take long to get to the right school pod and there were other adult trolls arriving and checking out their kids. Vidia waited until the trolls in front of her were gone before going inside the pod. Lost in her thoughts, she only vaguely noted the thankfully subtle looks sent her way. No wonder when I'm new. she thinks passively. Totally not thinking of other reasons. Nope.
The classrooms were brightly painted to offset the muted outside and the happy sounds of trollings filled her ears. Looking around Vidia quickly spotted baby Branch, which was easy as he is the brightest teal blue troll of his age. Before going to him, Vidia waited for a teacher to notice her.
“Oh, hello! Are you the troll John told me about?” the teacher asked and Vidia nodded with a smile. “That's great! Just need the code phrase please.”
Vidia leaned in and whispered the phrase in the teachers ear and was given a happy thumbs up. Then the teacher went to get Branchs’ things while Vidia walked over to the trolling. He was busy drawing and humming to himself, but looked up as she moved closer.
“Oh, hi!” Branch said with a big grin. Vidia smiled warmly back, Iggy waving from her spot on her sisters’ back. Even with everything going wrong in her life lately, the one thing that'd get her smiling was little ones.
“Hiya there, Branch. It's nice to really meet you," she greeted, bending her knees to be at the trollings' level. "So, your big brother asked me to take you home today, is that ok?”
Branch nodded so hard he nearly fell over. Then with a little effort he cleaned up the drawing supplies and toddled over to get his backpack from the waiting teacher. After officially signing Branch out of class for the day, Vidia picked up the little guy and after settling him in the front sling she headed out.
The walk was just as quick the first time, especially as Vidia made a point to avoid other trolls. There wasn’t anything wrong with the other trolls milling about, but she didn’t feel like small talk with anyone taller than the trollings in her care. Branch didn’t seem to mind, he just hummed a song and swung his little feet. Once they made it to the Laketimber pod, Vidia knocked first out of habit and then used the key JD slipped into her mailbox inside a envelope with a list to go inside, making sure to lock the door afterwards. Trolls are friendly creatures but privacy is still important.
Stepping into the pod gave Vidia nostalgia whiplash. It was clean in the way of a big family living in a small space kept clean. The furniture didn’t all match, the pillows definitely didn’t, the floor was clear but the walls were covered in art. The smell of cookies and deodorant hit her nose and in some places there was the smell of a popular body spray with the younger trolls. It was homey and lived in, and Vidia felt herself relax even as she felt a little sad.
Branch started wiggling so Vidia pulled him from the sling and put him on his feet. Branch grinned up at her and threw his arms out wide. “This is my pod!”
“It is and it's a really nice one,” Vidia replied kindly as she took off the poncho then pulled Iggy from the sling and let her down. The floor looked clean enough to let her sister crawl and once Iggy was free she took off for an overflowing toy box. Branch followed and helped Iggy pull out some blocks. “You two play nicely ok? I’ll put together some lunch.”
“OK!” Branch yelled back and Vidia watched as he played gently with Iggy. It was almost too cute to deal with, Vidia just holding back from taking a picture given she didn’t know if the Laketimbers would want her too. She’ll ask when they return. Once she got her fill of cuteness, Vidia walked over to the kitchen, looked at the list from the envelope, then got started on some sandwiches and apple slices.
<(‘.’)>
The door unlocked and Vidia’s ear twitched at the noise. She turned her head and body, subconsciously blocking the playing kids from view as two more brothers entered. Clay was balancing a stack of books in his arms so Floyd had opened the door.
“Welcome home,” Vidia greeted with a nod and she moved back to her spot on the super comfy couch. Branch looked up from his crayons and smiled brightly.
“Flo Flo! Kay Kay!” he got up and rushed into the waiting arms of Floyd, Clay expertly sidestepping the hug as he headed deeper into the pod.
“I’m putting these in my room,” he explained to the room over his shoulder before disappearing from view.
Rude, Vidia thought but kept off of her face with ease, instead her face falling into her usual neutral calm. Floyd walked over to the couch and Vidia with a friendly smile on his face.
“Thank you for watching Branch today, Ms Vidia.” he said, his voice soft and almost feathery light.
“I was happy to help,” Vidia replied with a real gentle smile, booping Branch on the nose with her tail and getting a cross-eyed giggle from the trolling. “Branch is a wonderfully behaved trolling. He must have gotten it from somewhere,” she added with a sly smirk at the pinkette.
Floyd blushed bashfully and seemed to puff up without meaning too, his tail wagging behind him.
“Now that we’re home, will you be leaving soon?” Floyd asked after clearing his throat and Vidia shrugged with a absentminded ear pull.
“JD hired me to watch Branch until you two came home, so technically I could leave. But I'm guessing you have homework to do, so I'm fine sticking around. Make the day worthwhile.” What she didn't say out loud was that she had a very empty calendar anyway so why not stick around.
“Oh, thank you!” Floyd smiled and let Branch down so he could get back to his crayons. “It's a light load today, so I’ll probably be done in an hour or less.”
“Sounds good to me.”
<(’.’)>
When Floyd was done with his homework, he returned to the living room to find Clay chatting with Vidia. To the pinkettes’ surprise, Clay looked excited, and moved around super animated as he talked about a book he was reading for class. To the side Branch and Iggy were coloring in a large coloring book, each working on a separate page. Branches’ little tail wagged happily in the air, with Iggy's slowly waving back in forth.
“-and so he has to make a choice between ending the cyclopes or leaving him to his misery. And you wanna bet what he does?” Clay asked with wide excited eyes. Vidia hmm’d from her leaning position on the couch.
“Well, in a way the two have hurt each other enough, so my guess is he leaves the cyclopes and runs with the surviving crew.” she guessed, a finger twisting and untwisting a braid about in thought. "This way they avoid the other cyclopes if they come back, since they are probably still nearby and would hear this one dying. Not like if they slash at the guy he'd just sit there quietly, you know?"
"Oh, I hadn't even thought about them, your right!" Clay gasped and pulled a notebook from his hair and a pen, writing down his thoughts quickly. Floyd found himself smiling as the pair kept talking and bouncing their thoughts on a old book Clay was really into lately. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't really something Floyd was interested in reading himself, Spruce only liked the parts later in the book and Clay liked to talk about the whole thing in order, and Johnny was too busy to read for fun. His words.
"Flo-Flo!" Branch yelled in greeting when he spotted the pinkette and Floyd walked over to give his only little brother a hug. Vidia and Clay looked over in surprise and amusement, both just realizing the forth Laketimber brother was in the room.
"How was it?"
"Homework went well, nothing I needed help with today Clay,"
"Well if you do let me know,"
"I will, I will don't worry. Dinner?"
"Got it." Clay headed for the kitchen space and opened the refrigerator.
"Vidia, we're going to put the soup on the stove to warm up for dinner, so you and Indgio can head home now. Thank you for watching over Branch for us today,"
Vidia nodded and stood up, stretching before kneeling in front of her sister. "It was no problem, I don't have much planned for now. Just unpacking and learning the tree paths around. So long as I have a heads up beforehand, I can babysit again." Iggy looked up at her sister and after staring for a moment she put the crayons back in the box before lifting her arms for uppies.
Vidia and Iggy were soon out the door after sharing a hug with Branch, who was sad that his friends were leaving but was content with seeing them again later. The rest of the evening for both households went well, with Iggy going to sleep on schedule after dinner giving both sisters the chance to sleep all night. And for the Laketimbers much the same, as after JD and Spruce returned to the pod a hour after Vidia and Iggy left, they were bombarded with the complements for their new babysitting friend.
"I like them. Their nice." Branch said simply and that above all sealed the deal for his brothers.
After that day, Vidia became the go-too babysitting troll for the Laketimbers. She never seemed to have anything going on that couldn’t wait, like when Floyd needed someone to go with him to the market for school supplies last minute. Only once did she say no, and it was because she had a doctors appointment set up for Iggy at the same time. It would be many years before anyone would realize she never said she went to the doctor for herself while living in the tree.
After the third time, Grandma Rosiepuff asked to meet the new neighbor.
<(-.-)>
Vidia took a deep breath then knocked on the door. She tried not to fidget, but she couldn’t stop herself from shifting from foot to foot, a buzzing energy filling her body enough to be distracting. She wanted to go for a run but this is not the time. Even if a good run would also keep her awake. Iggy was in her big sisters’ hair for once, the twisting twists looser to cover the trolling. Both were dressed nicely, with Vidia in her mothers’ cream color shawl covering a black shirt and pants. She wore her gold earring loops today and a charm bracelet on her left wrist. Once again her makeup was on point and her eyebags were covered. She didn't want to look as tired as she felt afterall. No one needed to be bothered with her nightmares ruining her sleep.
The Laketimber pod was noisy like always to the point she could hear them from outside, but the loudest was a voice yelling “I’ll get it!”
The door opened into the pod and standing there smiling was Floyd.
"Welcome in Vidia!" he greeted and Vidia smiled back, thankful that it was one of the brothers instead of their grandma right off the bat.
"Hi and thank you, Floyd." she replied and Iggy poked her head out of her sisters' hair and gave him a small wave.
The pair were let into the pod and just like before the noise was loud and homey. JD was cooking with a older troll who must be their grandma while Spruce was play chasing Branch in the living room.
"Iggy and Vidia's here!" Floyd yelled and the others in the pod yelled back their greetings. Wiping her hands on a towel the troll most likely to be their grandmother walked over. Vidia mentally went through her mental check list quickly; deeply hoping her posture was good, that her face wasn't 'grumpy', that she was standing still and attentive. She really didn't want to mess this up, the Laketimber brothers had grown on her and she'd hate to be banned from at least babysitting for them.
"How very trolly it is to meet you both. I'm Rosiepuff Laketimber, but you can call me Grandma if you want. Most of my friends kids do," Grandma said with a warm smile. Vidia blinked in surprise and felt a bit bashful at the offer.
"If your sure, ma'am," she started and jumped slightly-meaning it looked like she just shifted her weight-when the brothers within earshot snorted and chuckled.
"Oh of course dear, none of that ma'am business. Ma'am is for trolls I haven't met yet," Grandma Rosiepuff affirmed with a wink. With that the evening went on and thankfully was good. Vidia and Iggy were sent to relax in the living room after offering to help with dinner and being turned down as they were the guests. At that point Clay came running from another room with a book in hand and quickly struck up a conversation with Vidia. Tired out from running around Branch sat with Iggy and the two played with the blocks. Iggy made patterns with hers and Branch just built up towers as high as he could before they fell. Spruce, now free of baby watch, was then hired to help with dinner. Thankfully for Vidia's hidden nerves he didn't look upset at this.
At one point during this Grandma leaned to quietly say "If you'd like, you can wear your headphones. It can be loud in here with all my grandsons at once." Vidia looked at the elder troll with a face of surprise and when Grandma just nodded Vidia pulled her headphones from her hair and slipped them over her ears. From the moment she did she felt her body relax, a small smile settling on her face.
When it was time to eat everytroll sat around a table and honestly had a good time. No one asked questions Vidia didn't want to answer, the food thankfully didn't upset Iggy and by the end of it Grandma Rosiepuff gave the girls an open invitation to come over for food. Was it thanks to Vidia' admitting cooking was tiring and Grandma Rosiepuff wanted to help the young adult? A little. But Vidia wasn't offended and would take up the offer later. Especially when Iggy had such a good time; Vidia didn't even need the packed meal she brought in her gem for her sister. Either the brothers had been paying attention to the snacks she feed Iggy or they were used to picky eaters. Whichever it was, she was grateful no tantrums took place.
In the end, things were looking up with this move.