Faded Rainbows

Connections

"King Branch, is that really you?" King Trollex tilted his head, trying to get an upright view of the muddy blue pop troll in front of him.

Branch rubbed at his arm awkwardly before moving forward to untie Trollex. "I rather stick with Branch. The better question is, am I right? Are you king Trollex? Whether you are or not, what are you doing here in Pop troll village?

He hadn't been prepared for how quickly Branch could get him down, so he fell to the forest floor in an undignified heap, letting out a pained squeak as he hit the ground. He sat up, looking up at Branch. "Of course I'm Trollex, and I'm here because I need help from the pop trolls..." He gestured to himself and his greyscale color scheme. "I lost my color, and I heard you all had a color loss incident a few years ago."

The pop trolls eyes widened a bit, having just realized that the color playing off of Trollex's scales wasn't his own natural color, but the colored light filtering through flowers and leaves above them. Branch stepped closer, passing a critical eye over the aquatic troll. "You really have lost your color... Come on, to my bunker, we can talk there softly."

Branch didn't wait for a response, grabbing Trollex's hand and tugging him along through the undergrowth. Trollex found he was thankful that he could keep himself aloft, it meant that neither had to expend much energy to pull him along through the air. As such, the two trolls arrived at the bunker quickly.

Once they were both in one of the deeper lounge rooms Branch had made, the pop troll began pacing across the room, while Trollex opted for resting his tired fins and sitting in one of the colorful bean bag chairs. Clearly Poppy's contribution to the room.

Trollex absently watched Branch pacing, muttering under his breath as he seemed to go over some information in his head. The young king had to admit that the pop troll had a rather impressive ability to stop and think, unlike his overly peppy significant other.

He watched as Branch finally seemed to have thought through his approach, now opting for sitting in a beanbag chair across from him. The pop troll waved a hand towards Trollex. "Are you going to explain what happened to you? Trolls don't just lose their color in the bath tub."

Trollex smirked a bit, enjoying the odd sense of humor. He began telling Branch what had been happening lately, and elaborated with his feelings when Branch asked. Living through it again was rough, and he had to do his best from falling into a downward spiral. Once he concluded, Branch gave a small, understanding nod.

"I think it's lucky I'm the one who found you. You're right, there was an incident a short while ago, one that had all the pop trolls lose their color. But of us all I think I have the right to claim a mastery of the subject." He rested a hand on his own chest. "After all, I spent over 20 years without mine."

His eyes snapped open in surprise, staring at the muddy blew king of the pop trolls. "You were... how did you get them back? And why did it take you so long...?"

Branch thought that through for a moment before he responded, though he sounded far away. "I shut myself off from the village. It's the exact opposite of what I should have done... 20 years of isolation just turned me bitter and untrusting..." He smiled into space. "But Poppy helped me out. She helped me feel happy again and find my song." He looked at Trollex, finally back in the here and now. "Do you have someone you like? Someone you can talk to?"

He looked down, staring at his dark grey hands. He thought about Beat, and how angry the small button fish had been. He wondered about how the fish was now? Had he come back and found Trollex gone? Would he be happy about that, if he was still mad? Or maybe he hates him now. The young king closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "No... I... I don't have anyone like that..."