Two weeks more, and Poppy grew curioser about her gray host.
"Looks like we're out of parsnips," Branch said as he searched through his kitchen. "I'm going out to find some. Stay inside, but don't search through my stuff. Got it?"
"Cross my heart," Poppy replied as Branch headed out. Once he was gone, she began searching.

Poppy knew she shouldn't snoop, but she needed to know who Branch truly was. All Poppy had so far was the family in the photo, but what did they mean to him?
Then, Poppy opened a cabinet full of old film, and underneath it all was a projector. She took the projector and a roll of film and looked for a place to play it. Once she found a place, Poppy turned on the projector and watched the film.
First thing Poppy saw was the mother from the photo holding the baby in her arms. She sang a meloncholy song to him as he fell asleep, and Poppy noticed how sad she seemed.

Poppy heard someone coming. She hurried as fast as she could to take out the film without damaging it and hide ​it with the projector. Once it was hidden underneath a drawer, Branch came in.
"I'm home," he said, entering the room.
"Hi, Branch!" Poppy said as if trying to hide something. "What took you so long? I'm starving! Heh-heh."
Branch wasn't fooled. He looked around and saw something underneath his drawer.
"Oh, crud," Poppy muttered.
"Poppy..." Branch growled.
The princess sighed. "I'm sorry. I know what I did was wrong. You told me not to look through your stuff, but I looked anyway. But you don't understand. I just want to get to know you. You don't sing, you don't dance, you're all gray... I feel like I'm trapped with a total stranger. I appreciate you saving me, thank you, but I want you to open up to me. But if you don't want to... I understand. I'll get ready for dinner."
Poppy was about to leave the room before Branch spoke.
"I wasn't born gray," he began. "I had purple hair. I had a family, my parents and grandma. My mom and grandma loved me, they always sang to me​, but my father never seemed to love anyone. My grandma eventually passed on, but my mom grew tired of my father and... decided to just leave us. She left one night while I was sleeping... I never saw her again. All I had left was my father. One night, I snuck in an old woman who had nowhere to go. She needed a place to stay, and my father wouldn't let her. When he found out... he struck me."
Poppy felt the urge to cry.
“I was terrified," Branch continued. “I watched the color drain from my body as he yelled at me."
“So, you ran away?" Poppy asked.
Branch hesitated, then nodded. “I wasn't safe. I had to leave. That's why I don't sing. Because I have no reason to."
“I'm so sorry, Branch," Poppy said. “I had no idea. I just assumed you had a terrible voice."
“No, no, it's was like an angel's," Branch recalled. “At least, that's what Grandma used to say."
Poppy felt sympathy towards the gray Troll, and she wrapped her good arm around him in a warm embrace.
“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" he asked, a little annoyed. “It's not Hug Time."
“I just thought you could use one," Poppy replied, and nuzzled her face against his.
Branch suddenly felt very warm inside, and he looked at Poppy. He had this unusual feeling in his chest, and felt butterflies in his stomach.
Was this... love?

Ami. C'est l'amour.

I guess Branch decided not to tell Poppy that the old woman was a Zypharia because she probably wouldn't believe​ him.

There's been some rumor going around that Creek's going to return for Trolls 2, but I thought that was preposterous. Who's with me?

Until next time.