"Where's daddy?" Azalea asked, she and Twig sitting at the dining room table to eat their breakfast the next morning.

"Well... daddy's a little busy right now, sweetie..." Poppy explained, not wanting to tell her two young children what had actually happened the night before. "But hopefully... I can get him to come home soon..."

She placed her breakfast down onto the table before sitting down to eat.

     "Daddy's pancakes are better..." the little girl said, poking at her food with a fork.

     "I'm sorry, Azalea," Poppy apologized, helping her daughter pour some syrup onto her pancakes. "But they're still good... right?"

     "Yeah!" Azalea laughed, taking a big bite of her food.

     "Ok... you two finish up you're breakfast, and then we're heading out," Poppy explained.

     "Where are we going?" Azalea asked, happily stuffing another bite of food into her mouth.

     "Well... you and your brother are going to have some fun with Gia, while I go see your daddy."

     "I wanna see daddy," the little girl said, looking up at her mother.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Twig laughed in agreement, splashing his hands in his cereal.

     "Not today," Poppy said, wiping up the mess her son had just created. She didn't want to bring her kids to a place like that, fearing it might worry them. "But like I said. He'll hopefully be home soon..."

—————

     Branch yawned as he sat in the prison cafeteria, eating a bowl of mush as he rested his head on his hand.

     He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Partly because of the other inmates screaming and shouting all night long... but mostly because he was sacred... he was scared to be lock in this place...

     Yes... Keen had proven that he wouldn't harm him... but would the other inmates be as kind as the green troll? He was definitely the smallest in this building filled with criminals... they could easily snap him in half like a toothpick...

     This place that he was trapped in for something he hadn't even done... it was awful... the absolute worst...

     Branch just wanted to go home... he wanted to be with his family... no... he needed to be with his family...

     "Hey, kingey," Keen greeted, taking a seat next to the blue pop troll.
"Hey..." Branch greeted in a tired voice, poking at his food miserably with his spoon.
"Didn't get much sleep last night, I see..." the green troll observed, taking a bite of his own gloop. "You're scared of this place... aren't you?"

     Branch looked up at him, shocked by his words.

     "Me? Branch? Scared?" he laughed, trying to sound brave. "Psh... please... I fear nothing."

     Keen gave him a firm look, Branch sighing in defeat.

     "Fine..." he sighed. "I'm terrified..."

     "You wanna know a secret?" Keen asked, leaning over to whisper something in Branch's ear. "I am too..."

     Shocked, Branch looked back up at his cell mate, raising an eyebrow.

     "Really?" he asked in disbelief. "You?"

     "Why do you think I have my reputation?" Keen chuckled. "If the other inmates fear me... they won't mess with me. You gotta be tough in a place like this. And in your case..." He looked at the puny pop troll, seeming somewhat disgusted by his weak looking arms. "You gotta act tough..."

     "Psh..." Branch scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah right... no one's gonna fear... me..."

     "You just need a reputation," Keen said. "And I'm gonna help with that..."

     Suddenly, Keen jumped up onto the table, taking a fist full of gloop as he looked over at the other prisoners.

     "FOOD FIGHT!" he shouted out, slinging the gloop forwards, right into the biggest inmates head...

     "Grr..." the large maroon rock troll growled in anger, wiping the food from the back of his head as he rose up menacingly to his feet. "Who threw that!?"

     He glanced around the room, no one willing to take the blame.

     "It was him!" Keen suddenly shouted out, pointing over at Branch who's eyes widened in fear at the sound of those three little words.

     The rock troll turned to Branch, scowling angrily at him.

     "You..." he said softly but menacingly. "Are so dead..."