"I told you the front doors would be locked, Barb," Poppy said into her phone. "You gotta go around to the blue doors in back, and... Oh my god..." She turned, her eyes widening in shock, when she saw Branch walking in with a cart-load of recording equipment.

     "What do you think of my equipment?" he asked with a smile, looking up at Poppy.
"I just asked to borrow your video camera. What is all this?" Poppy asked.

     "Well, that's a three-chip, high-def camcorder with a hyper-cardioid condenser microphone," Branch said, holding up a very nice video camera. "I also brought you juice and a bagel."

     He pulled a juice box and a bagel out of his hair, holding it out for Poppy as he smiled.

     Suddenly, the door opened, Barb walking in.

     She spotted Branch, and crossed her arms with a smirk.

     "Hey... you invited the dork," she teased.
"Aw, man!" Branch complained, seeing Barb. "I didn't know that was gonna be here."
"She. I'm a she, Branch," Barb sassed. "As in 'girl'."

     Branch rolled his eyes, crossing his arms with a sigh.

     "Just keep your hands off my AV equipment," he warned.
"You mean I can't play with the white balance on your super-duper camcorder?" Barb mocked.

     "Ah, sure!" Branch yelled, annoyed. "Everybody jokes about the white balance 'til their skin tones go magenta!"

     Barb cleared her throat, walking over to Branch with her hands behind her back.

     Slowly, she leaned over, whispering something into his ear.

     "Poppy... will never love you," she whispered with an evil smirk.

     He pushed her away from him, grabbing his equipment.

     "That's it!" he yelled angrily, turning towards the door. "I'm taking my stuff and I'm going home!"

     "Branch wait," Poppy said, quickly running after him. "Please stay." She gave him the puppy dog eyes, and he smiled lovingly.

     "Okay," he sighed, putting his camera back down.

—————

     "Okay, Jeb Sparkleton," Poppy said, as she sat at a table next to Barb, as Branch stood next to them filming the stage in front of them. "You ready to audition?"
"Yeah," a red glitter troll said, as they stood on stage. "I will be performing a scene from a play I wrote."
"Okay..." Barb said slowly, already losing interest.

     "You rolling, Branch?" Poppy asked, smiling over at Branch.
"Yep," he replied smiling back. "Rolling."

     Jeb cleared his throat, beginning his audition.

     "But... but where did she go?" he said in a terrible French accident. "I don't know. But when will she be back? I don't know!"

     Poppy and Barb looked at each other confused.

     "Well, where can I find her?" Jeb continued with his horrible 'acting'. "I tell you, I do not know!"
"Okay!" Poppy interrupted in a shout, as she stood up. "I think we've seen enough."

     Jeb smiled, thinking he nailed the audition, and then walked off stage.

     "What'd you think?" Barb asked Poppy, rolling her eyes slightly.
"I don't know!" Poppy laughed, mimicking Jeb's horrible accent.
"You don't know!?" Barb laughed, also mimicking the accent.
"I tell you, I do not know!"

     Branch laughed at their impressions, turning the camera to film them.

     "But you must know!" Barb continued mocking.
"I tell you, I do not know!" Poppy mocked, both girls laughing.

—————

     A purple troll with blue hair walked onto the stage with smile.

     "I will play the trumpet," she informed, pulling a trumpet out of her hair.

     "Great..." Barb said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, as she rested her head on her fist. "While hopping on this pogo stick," the purple troll added, pulling a yellow pogo stick out of her hair.

     She climbed onto the pogo stick, beginning to hop up and down, as she played the trumpet rather well.

Poppy, Barb, and Branch all clapped, cheering enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Poppy cheered, loving the performance.
"Great job!" Barb cheered.
"You go, girl!"
"Pogo-tastic!"

—————

"So the doc says, 'why'd you wait so long to bring her in?' So I say, 'I liked the eggs!'" a pink troll said standing up on stage, as he laughed at his own joke.

Poppy and Barb pretended to laugh, clapping slowly, as the pink troll took a bow, smiling and waving as he walked off stage.

"Not that funny," Poppy finally said, once he was out of sight.
"No, no," Barb agreed. "Not funny at all. But forget that. Can we please discuss the boy's hair and glasses? He looks like Mrs. Burg!"
"Yeah," Poppy agreed laughing. "Except he doesn't have Mrs. Burg's crazy pointy boobs."
"I know! What is up with those!?" Barb laughed.
"It's like she stuffs waffle cones in her bra."
"Totally! She could poke an eye out with one of those things!"

     Both girls laughed, Branch secretly filming them, as he laughed as well.

     "Okay, okay," Poppy finally said, trying to stop laughing. "We better keep going. We've still got 11 more kids to see."

     "Ugh!" Barb groaned, leaning back in her seat. "Eleven!?"
"Calm down," Poppy said, petting Barb's shoulder comfortingly. "They can't get worse."

—————

     A green troll stood up on stage with a bag over his head, as he beat boxed horribly.

     Poppy and Barb watched with bored faces, their heads resting on their hands,

     "And... I was wrong..."