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Viva and Clay have come to know each other quite well over the years. Taking care of the putt-putt trolls and making sure everyone was safe all the time was a lot of work for one, but with the help of another, anything is possible.
Clay, with his seriousness, logical thinking, and broad vocabulary, takes care of all of the practical matters. Bookkeeping, note taking, tracking finances for some reason, and making sure everyone is accounted for.
Viva is mostly fun and bubbles, but she can also get down to business when she needs to. Like making sure everybody’s needs are met. Food, water, clothes, shelter, that’s Viva’s territory. She sticks to her father’s words, no matter how hypocritical they may be. No troll left behind.
When they bring their heads together, everything tends to go smoothly. Most of the time.
Today, things aren’t going as smoothly as Viva had hoped. It’s been a few weeks since everybody rescued Floyd from the clutches of Velvet and Veneer, and nothing has gone back to normal for the putt-putt trolls. Viva and Poppy scrapbooked up a plan to relocate the putt-putt trolls to Trollstopia, since there are plenty of new pods available there, and it all sounded great… in theory.
Let’s just say the putt-putt trolls aren’t having an easy time adjusting to being around so many more trolls, and being so exposed to potential predators. There’s been many complaints directly brought to Viva’s door by her people, and the stress of trying to make everyone happy is starting to weigh on her.
After telling someone, “I’ll see what I can do about that!” for the fifth time today, Viva is just about ready to scream. “Ugh, what am I supposed to do?” She asks nobody, frowning at the ground. She knew they would all have a hard time adjusting to this new environment after being stowed away in an abandoned golf course for two decades, but she really didn’t think it would be this hard. Hindsight and whatnot, she thinks bitterly.
Deciding not to stew any longer, she heads back to her pod to do some scrapbooking to vent her frustrations, trying to come up with a plan to help everyone. Viva finds that after three hours of continuous cutting and pasting, she hasn’t really gotten anywhere with her plan. Now surrounded by construction paper versions of frowning putt-putt trolls, and still no plan to turn their frowns upside down, she feels completely overwhelmed.
“I am not cleaning this up right now… Sorry future Viva, this is a you problem now!” She exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. Glitter floats back down around her, and she heaves a sigh, standing up. After dusting herself off, she heads for the door, only to be stopped by a knock.
Viva opens up to see none other than Clay standing there, looking less than thrilled. “Do you have any idea how many complaints I’ve received in the last week?” He asks. His shoulders are hunched like he’s been sitting at a desk looking over paperwork for hours. He probably has been.
“Don’t even start!” Viva shouts, her frustrations rising again. She has to hear it all day from other trolls, she doesn’t want to hear any more from Clay. “I’ve had it up to here with this! I’ve been trying for hours to think of something to do to help them adjust better to being here, but there’s nothing, Clay! I can’t do anything to help my people!” She gasps and covers her mouth, realizing she shouldn’t be snapping at her partner like this. She also realizes she’s begun to cry, her cheek glitter now running down her face.
Clay’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting this kind of reaction from the other troll. He’s quick to act, trying to comfort her. “Hey, hey, whoa, take a deep breath.” He says in a soothing voice, holding his hands out in front of him. “You don’t have to fix all of their problems right away, Viva. You know that right?”
“But I do!” Viva wails, throwing herself at Clay. She wraps him in a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. “I have to help them… I’m the one who thought it would be a good idea to bring them here… I’m totally soaking your sweater right now…” She mutters, laughing dryly at herself.
Clay sighs and leans his head against hers, kissing her temple. He knows the wellbeing of the putt-putt trolls is of utmost importance to Viva, and he knows she isn’t going to stop trying until she finds the absolute best solution for all of their issues. He knows this because he’s just as guilty, and he’s going to stay by her side until they can figure out a solution. Together.
An idea pops into Clay’s head, his ears perking up. “Hey, why don’t we go talk to Poppy? You know what they say, the more brains, the better.” He says. He cups Viva’s tear and glitter smeared cheek, looking adoringly into her bloodshot eyes. “Would you care for a tissue, milady?”
Not expecting the silly question, Viva snorts and guffaws, her tears slowing to a stop. “Yeah that’s a good idea. Let me fix my face and we can go talk to my sister.” She says with a smile, giving Clay a peck on the cheek before turning back into her pod.
She grins to herself in the mirror after reapplying her cheek glitter, “Everything is gonna be alright.”