"Branch boy, you are home late."

Branch snapped out of his happy little bubble and looked up.
"O-oh, yeah. Sorry."
Branch started to muck his horse's stall, trying to not seem too distracted.

"What happened this time? Ya looked real happy just a second ago but ya look like ya were in a fight."
The old troll pointed at the scars and bruises on the blue-ish troll's arms and face.

"Well they tried to beat me up like usual, but then the girl from yesterday showed up-"

"Oooooh ya're fallin' for her. HA, my boy is in love!"
Merley happily jumped up and down.

Branch blushed and let go off the pitchfork. He waved his hands rapidly.
"N-no never! She just saved me from the fight! And she is very nice that's all! You know what I think of love"
He looked down sadly and sighed deeply.

The old troll's face softened and he put his hand on Branch's shoulder.
"I know what ya've been through, Branch. But love itself might not be as bad as ya think ya know?"

Branch looked up at the old troll.
"Still.. I can't take chanses. All we could be is friends, and honestly that would be enough to me."

"You decide what ya feel, but don't forget that your past shouldn't get in the way of your future."
Marley patted Branch's shoulder and went to continue taking the horses in for the night.

Branch looked down and sighed.
Maybe he is right.. but it is just too scary.
He grabbed the pitchfork again and continued to scoop up horse poop into the bucket.

"Poppy, I were waiting for you! I started to get worried!"
Poppy hugged her sister.
"It's ok Molly, I just got a distraction, everything's fine, you know I can look out for myself."
The magenta troll looked at her pink and muddy sister.
"I know but I can't help but worry sometimes ya know? People can go cray-cray at the village."

"As if I didn't already know that."
Poppy giggled and took off the rope from her horse.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. By the way- what was the distraction?"

"Oh, I just helped a guy out of a fight. People were bullying him and he helped me yesterday so I wanted to help him back, that's all."
Poppy fidgeted with the rope as she spoke.

"A boy!? Wait wait wait, he helped you yesterday?"

"Well I were getting late with a milk delivery and ran into him, literally, so I spilled the milk and he wanted to make it up to me, so he helped to milk and to deliver it. It was a close call, if he wouldn't have been there I would have got beat up. Branch scared him so he didn't dare to hurt me."
Poppy smiled and fidgeted more.

"Branch? I feel like I've heard that name.. OH My boyfriend is friends with him! He has talked good about him, he seem like a nice guy." Molly smiled.

"They are friends? Huh that's funny. And yeah he seems nice, but ya know me, no trusting boys too much nor bonding emotionally with them too much, it could end bad."

"Yeah I know, but sometimes you just feel like you can trust someone and often times your heart got the answere y'know?"

Poppy looked at her sister and then down.
"Well yeah maybe.."
She looked up at her sister again.
"But I need to be veeeeery convinced so don't expect anything between me and Branch."

"I never said that something would happen between you two."
Molly smirked.

"ShUt uP"
Poppy giggled slightly and tickled her sister.
"Hahahaha"

(14/07/2021)