Poppy followed her list of duties, but was shocked to discover that every single chore she tried to do around the village was surprisingly already completed once she got there...

Wrangle Adorabulls in Country Corral... done... put out fires in Rock Hollow... done... tune instruments in Classical Crest... done...

     And even stranger... everybody said the same thing when asked who had completed the tasks...

"It was either a pop or rock troll wearing a black hoodie and sunglasses..."

"My guess is it was a rock troll..." Dante shrugged when asked. "Their colors weren't as bright as the usual pop troll. And they seemed rather tired... probably from an exhausting night of moshing." The little classical troll couldn't help but shutter at the thought. How anyone could possibly mosh for 24 hours straight was beyond him... "Anyways... I must assist Minuet with her violin and base violin rehearsal," he finally continued. "We should be done within the next 36 hours. Fair well, Poppy!"

     And with that, the little classical troll flew away, Poppy watching after him in confusion...

     "Umm..." she muttered softly, watching him leave her sight. "Bye?"

—————

With all her tedious tasks already mysteriously done, Poppy was left with only the fun ones on her list. The chores that she loved more than anything else in the world. Stuff like singing with friends... dancing with friends... scrapbooking with friends!

It was actually quite relaxing to not have to do all the usual hassles that came along with the job of being one of the few leaders of the largest city trolls kind has ever known. And even better... she was done earlier than expected, giving the queen of pop more time to spend with her loving family... 🥰

Now she just needed to pick up her kids from Gia's...

—————

"My daddy's the coolest!" Tiny Diamond yelled out, having a full out stare down with Azalea. "No... my daddy's the coolest!" the little pink troll retorted, seeming rather angered by the young glitter troll's accusations.

"Well my daddy's the life of the party!" Tiny informed in a matter of fact way. "He once went to four brunches, three baby showers, and a formal tea. An average troll would have called it a day. But not my daddy. He dug deep... and went to 15 more parties!"

"So?" Azalea scoffed, rolling her eyes at the seven year old in annoyance. "My daddy saved the world twice... protects the village from predators on a daily basis, builds and fixes almost everything in Trollstopia, and has the voice of an angel!" She smiled, thinking about how much she loved her dad and he loved her. "Not to mention all the booboos he's kissed better when I've gotten hurt..." she continued. "Or how he tucks me in every night before singing me to sleep... and how when I'm scared, he'll wrap me in his arms and tell me that everything's going to be ok... and I always believe him... No one is better than my daddy." She paused, thinking about what she had just said for a moment. "Well... besides maybe my mommy... but their both awesome!"

"Fine, fine..." Tiny sighed, giving in to the facts. "Uncle Branch is pretty cool... but I still think my daddy's the best. He's my hero."
"And my daddy is my hero," Azalea said, stars lighting up in her beautiful multi colored eyes as she thought about her dad, not knowing what she'd ever do without him. "As long as he's around... as long as we're together... nothing bad could possibly happen. He'll always keep me safe and happy. I love him... and he loves me..."

"Azalea!" a voice suddenly called over, the little four year old turning around at the sound of her name.

She smiled when she saw the pink glitter troll who she knew to be Gia holding her little brother Twig gently in her arms.

"Your mom is here to bring you home." Gia said, the young pop troll quickly jumping up to her feet and running over.

"Mommy!" she called out, jumping right into her mother's arms the moment she saw her.

"Hello, sweetie," Poppy greeted, giving her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead. "How was your day?"

"Good," Azalea answered. "But I did have to teach Tiny a lesson..."

Poppy blinked, confused by her young daughter's words.

"Teach him a lesson?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Azalea said excitedly, beginning to jump up and down as she explained the situation to her mother. "We even had a fight! Fists we're swinging everywhere, and I won! I totally kicked Tiny's butt!"

The queen of pop was flabbergasted, looking up at Gia for more information.

"It was a dance fight," the glitter troll assured with a quiet chuckle, handing Twig to Poppy. "No one was hurt. But the two did exchange a few words after... nothing too bad..."

Poppy sighed with relief, glad to hear there wasn't an actual fight between the two children. But still... it was probably best that Branch never found out about this...

"And what were you two arguing about?" she finally asked, curious about what had started the whole situation.

"Tiny said his dad was the best," Azalea explained. "And I told him that was a lie, because my daddy's the best."

Poppy's heart melted at that statement, unable to hide her smile at knowing how much her daughter truly loved Branch.

"That's really sweet, Azalea..." she said, giving the four year old another quick kiss on the cheek. "But you shouldn't call people liars, ok? Everyone's entitled to their opinion."
"Ok, mommy," Azalea said with I smile.
"Good. Now speaking of daddy... how bout the three of us head home to see him?"

"Yeah!" both children shouted out excitedly, overjoyed by the proposal, just happy to be able to see their father after such a long day apart.

     "Ok, then. Let's go," Poppy said with a smile before turning back to Gia. "Bye Gia. Thanks for watching the kids."
"Any time, Poppy," Gia responded with a smile. "See you all tomorrow."

     And with that... the three trolls walked out of the colorful pod, heading back towards the bunker...