Inseparable - Trolls Mythology AU

Chapter 5 - The nightly sounds

- Hey, what happened?

Poppy takes her head up and meets Branch's eyes.

- Don't you know? I messed up with the Gold Sphere...

He looks at the Staff which is now in his hand.

- I don't see any difference.

- Not now - The goddess crosses her arms on her chest and looks away. - During the Day. At Midday.

The god of the Night glances at her with a little surprise.

- A Midday?

- I made up this word - She explains. - It's short for "the middle of the Day".

- Midday - Branch repeats it like he tastes the new word in his mouth. - Should I call the middle of the Night a "Midnight"?

- Maybe - She mumbles and then goes back to her story: - The point is, I made the Sphere glow brighter and warmed twice more than usual, and... And then Riff appeared...

- Oh - Branch frowns.

- He said that nothing bad had happened, but still... - She sighs heavily. She sits and holds her legs, putting her chin on her knees. - I almost made a disaster. I would kill so many harmless creatures. It scared me a lot.

They stay like that for a while in the Silence.

- But... Why did you do that?

She takes a deep long breath before she answers.

- Trolls work hard the whole Day without any break. I wanted just to give them time to rest a bit... I thought that maybe if I got the Day so hot they just wouldn't do anything but a break... I know it sounds so stupid! It was stupid...

She hides her face in her knees. The guiltiness just hits her again. It's so overwhelming...

- Why did you want them to rest during the Day?

Now Poppy feels a bit annoyed by his questions. "Why can't he just agree that it was stupid?" she thinks.

- Wait, let me guess - She doesn't look at him, but after the sound of his voice she notices Branch sits down next to her. - You want to save some time of resting in the Night to throw a party, don't you?

She turns her sad, blue face at him.

- You're never gonna agree, aren't you?

Branch looks down, thinking. It surprises her that he didn't say "no" at once. He leans the Staff against his arm and starts playing with grass, ribbing it and role in his hands.

- You know - He breaks the Silence with his calm voice. - I don't find this idea with getting the Midday hotter stupid. It was just... Rough-edged idea.

Poppy blinks, frowning. She has no clue how this would be an answer to her question.

- What do you mean?

- See, the Night is always cold. It's because I am, but that's no matter. The point is, the cold makes trolls and other creatures stop working, playing, dancing, and singing to look for a place to warm up. Caves, holes, dens, hollows, houses, pods. And when they find it they also find themselves tired and go rest. You did the same with the Day. Instead of cold, you give creatures warmth. But they couldn't hide from it, cause you put it the warmth and the light everywhere. They had no place to rest safely.

The goddess frowns. He's right, she didn't think about it that way.

- But I can't switch off the Light in some spots on the Earth - She points out.