(Val's POV)
I lean back on a chair that rests beside the makeup table, looking up at the ceiling. "And then everything went back to normal. Music returned and every troll from every tribe sang with one another happily. The music lived on."
Floyd chuckles to himself as he sits in the bottle. "That was quite the adventure. And I'm glad Branch was able to find someone like Poppy."
"Oh, she's amazing. Very energetic and happy all the time. But regardless, Branch loves her. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to love someone," I say.
It's quiet for a few seconds before Floyd says, "Yeah, that is a thought."
"I wonder if the others made it here already," I say out loud.
Floyd sighs. "I hope so."
The silence returns once again. It's been over an hour already, and I'm starting to worry. And yes, I did turn back to my small size eventually. But Velvet returned to check my progress in cleaning up the glitter. I finished that task, thank God. But she sprayed the bottle on me before she left.
Now I have been telling Floyd about my adventures these past few months, from saving the trolls from being eaten by Bergens up to when I became the Peacekeeper of Music.
I sit up when I hear a familiar voice whisper from above. "Val?" I glance up at the vent I snuck in from and see Poppy, along with Branch and Tiny. But they have confused and surprised looks on their faces.
Floyd seems to have heard it as well, because he looks around, trying to find where the voice came from.
"Guys. You're here," I say in relief.
I guess they were hesitant to assume it was me due to my height difference. But they smile before lowering themselves down on a sticky hand-looking toy.
They land in my hands. Poppy is the first to say something. "Val, what happened to you? You changed."
I shrug sheepishly. "Yeah, a lot has happened since I got here. I discovered more about my kind, and now I'm forced to work for Velvet and Veneer. I'll explain the rest later."
Now jumping down on the table, the three of them see Floyd. Branch is the first to approach the diamond bottle. "Floyd," he says quietly.
Floyd stares at him in surprise. "Branch? Is it really you?" He asks this while placing his hand on the glass.
Branch nods and places his hand where Floyd's is. "Yeah. It's really me."
Floyd looks down at his clothing. "Wow. You've really grown into that vest. You're a man now."
With a sigh, Branch leans on the glass as if he is trying to hug Floyd. "Oh. Finally, somebody gets me."
Floyd does the same and leans on the glass. He backs up with worry and says, "But you need to leave. Right now."
"No, Floyd. It's okay. We're here to rescue you, and Val too," Poppy says, standing next to Branch.
"No. This is a trap. Velvet and Veneer, they--they lured you here," Floyd says desperately.
I nod and lean forward. "He's right. I don't want them to find you here with us. If anything, wait for John Dory, Bruce, and Clay. It'll be easier once you guys are together to free Floyd."
Branch disagrees. "No. We're not leaving here without you two."
"Branch, please. Do it for me," Floyd says.
Just then, Velvet's voice is heard from down the hall. "We're so close. I told you BroZone would show up."
Branch, Poppy, and Tiny go up into the vent with the sticky hand toys. Floyd quickly sits back down and pretends nothing happened. I do the same, looking down at the table with a blank expression.
"My letter worked. I'm a genius," Velvet says to Veneer.
"Are you sure you're sure about this?" Veneer asks nervously.
I glance over at the two. And my eyes widen a bit when I see them holding Rhonda in their arms. Not only that, John Dory, Bruce, and Clay are trapped inside the compartments of their shoulder pads.
Rhonda's eyes land on me, and she sniffs the air before realizing it's me. Roaring in surprise, she wiggles out of Velvet and Veneer's grasp and runs over to me.
I quickly get out of the chair and extend my arms out to her. "Rhonda!" I say before kneeling down.
Rhonda gets on her hind legs and places her front paws on my legs. She nuzzles against me while her tail wags.
I pat her head softly. And despite this wholesome moment, I look over at the two siblings standing at the door. From here I can see John Dory, Bruce, and Clay staring in surprise, more than likely because of my height.
Velvet and Veneer approach the both of us. Rhonda notices and stands protectively in front of me. But they were able to grab her once again.
"Nothing happened in here?" Velvet asks me suspiciously.
"No," I answer as casually as possible.
Rhonda starts to struggle and bites at Veneer angrily.
"Ow! It's biting me. Put it in the closet. Put it in the closet!" Veneer yells.
Velvet opens the closet door and practically throws Rhonda into the closet with Crimp, who greets her by saying, "Hello."
"Hey, easy with her," I say sternly to Velvet.
Velvet rolls her eyes at me before grabbing Floyd and placing him in the compartment on her left shoulder pad, which gives the brothers time to reunite from a distance.
"Floyd! It's so good to see you," John Dory says. "We would have been here sooner, but these guys wouldn't stop yelling at each other."
"Guy, please," Floyd says tiredly.
Clay argues back by saying, "John Dory, you're the one who parked in the spot marked 'Reserved for BroZone.' Didn't that seem a little sus to you?"
"Oh, so it's my fault?" John Dory asks.
As they go about arguing, Veneer looks down at his shoulder pads. "Oh, look. They're even cute when they fight." He starts tapping on the glass of the compartments just for the fun of it.
"What are you doing?" Floyd asks Veneer. "Come on, man. You're better than this."
"Well, thank you," Veneer says, taking it as a compliment.
"I really don't see why you're so upset. At least we're putting your talent to good use. I mean, your welcome," Velvet says.
"What? You're sick," John Dory says.
"You mispronounced, 'Thanks for not letting our talents go to waste anymore, Velvet and Veneer,'" Veneer says with a smirk.
Velvet turns her attention to me. "Get over here, assistant. I have something for you."
With a blank expression, I walk over to her. "What is it?"
To my surprise, she grabs my left arm and snaps a gold bracelet onto my wrist. I also notice how she's wearing one on her right arm.
"What the heck is this for?" I ask as I look down at it.
Velvet pulls out a small remote control of some sort and pushes a small button. Both of our bracelets beep before coming together like magnets. "Just in case you have any ideas of trying to escape."
I stare at her in disbelief. "Let me guess. Another one of Crimp's gadgets?"
She pushes the button again and our wrists separate. "Of course." Velvet then puts her arm around Veneer and me. "Come on. They're waiting for us on the red carpet."
Veneer gets all excited and perks up.
"Let's go autograph some butts," Velvet says as she takes my arm and walks out the door.
"Oh, that's fun. I'll grab my butt marker," Veneer says as he follows behind us.
I walk down the hall with them in silence before saying. "What do you need me for?"
"You are going to be driving us to the front where our fans will be waiting," Velvet says confidently. "They will all be looking at you too, so make sure you don't mess this up for us. Remember whose life is at risk here."
I glance down at Floyd before sighing. "Fine."