Inseparable - Trolls Mythology AU

Chapter 4 - The Gold Sphere

After the event of the last Night and Day, the relation between Branch and Poppy changes a lot. Well, they aren't 'Best Friends Forever' or 'Walking-through-the-Earth-and-Making-World-A-Better-Place Buddies'. They aren't even friends yet. They just start talking. You could say that it's nothing (and where is the fluff you promised?), but you just cannot imagine how a lot it is for them. From ignoring each other and then a little bit of tension between them to short talks is such a big step. Maybe a little too big, cause the talks always go pretty awkward. They both want to talk, but neither knows what about. But Poppy is glad even with that sort of... relationship. The start isn't always easy, that what she has learned from her dad. Friendship needs time.

So meanwhile, when this problem looks kinda solved, the goddess starts thinking about a little new project. She cannot forget about the party, she still wants to show this pure fun to trolls. But Branch is right. It won't be easy. Trolls need to work and rest equally, they can't give one of those a miss.

Guarding trolls during the Day and watching them hard-working, Poppy asks herself, if they really have to work that hard. She wonders if they can rest a bit, even if it's not the Night. It would charge their energy so they would put more effort into work later. And maybe it would save a bit of the Nighttime for the party!

So Poppy starts teaching trolls to rest a bit during the Day. But it's much more difficult than she expected. The biggest problem is there's no specific time during the Day that would be called "rest time". The Day is equivalent from sunrise to sunset. No distinctive points at all. So the goddess can't tell trolls to rest at the very same time, cause they don't know when this time is. They don't see or feel when is the middle of the Day, like gods do. Time sense is only Immortals' ability. So Poppy decides to make a visible sign that will show trolls when is time for rest, as she chooses, the middle of the Day.

Long time she thinks about what the sign would look like until she gets the idea. Standing on the hill, holding the Staff of the Light with both of her hands, she closes her eyes. She touches the Gold Sphere with her forehead and whispers a quiet ask. She asks for more gold light and more warmth on the Earth. Even if she takes care of the Staff, she can't rule or control it. The immortal source of light has its own life and will. All she can do is an asking and waiting for an answer. No one told her that it would work, but... She's sure it's worth trying. So she's standing on the hill whispering to the Staff, with her hands holding it tight, her eyes closed and her forehead touching the Gold Sphere. Hours past since the sunrise, but nothing's happening.

At the very middle of the Day, Poppy, tired and a bit disappointed, whispers desperately one last time:

- Please, The Gold Sphere... For trolls walking through whole this world... Working hard from sunrise to the very end of the Day... Give them a sign of warmth and light... Sign to rest and reveal... All I want is... - Her voice cracks a bit with tiredness. - I want to give them only a bit of this pure joy the souls experience in the Underworld... I want to give them some of... Real happiness... If it's what I think it is... And to do this, I need to make them rest... Make them rest...

The pink goddess clicks her tongue and sighs heavily. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe this all was a bad idea...

But then, out of sudden, the Staff just explodes! Poppy turns her face away, cause the light is almost blinding and the warmth is almost burning! She tries to open her eyes slowly and she discovers that it doesn't hurt her at all. She can't hold the scream of joy.

- Thank you, thank you, thank you! - She squeals at the Sphere. She lifts it high to let the whole world see it. Everyone has to see it!

The goddess runs across the whole Earth and makes the Day twice lighter and twice warmer than usual. Quickly the high temperature forces trolls to stop working. It is too hot to do anything. They have no choice but to stop and rest for a while.

Poppy is so proud of the effects. She stands back on the hill where she can see half of the world. Critters and trolls are lying everywhere and resting in half-sleep. She decides to call it "a nap" and the break in the work "Midday". She wants it to last an hour, but then out of nowhere the gray face she would never expect right now appears just in front of her face.

- Make it stop - Riff says so sharply. She barely recognizes him. His always-friendly face is deadly serious. She freezes in shock under his cold eyes.

- I said: make it stop! - He repeats firmly. It makes her tremble.

She barely opens her mouth to explain that she has no idea how to control the Staff, even if it was her who made it glow so bright, but then the Gold Sphere just cools down, back to its regular light and temperature. Riff steps from her a bit, turning back. Now she can hear his deep long breathing. The god of Death is so upset. He hides his face in his hands and it makes Poppy so guilty.

- I'm sorry - She says, holding the Staff to her heart.

- No no no - Riff sniffs and turns back to her. His face is wet. - Nothing bad happened, luckily. It's just... You scared me a lot. - He dries his eye and clears his throat. - You made the temperature way too high. Please, don't do that again.

- I-I won't - She throws from her lips.

- Now - He says, trying to sound like he usually sounds. - I have job to do. Bye - He smiles at her, but it doesn't look honest.

And then Riff, the god of the Death, just walks away and disappears.