CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The contract renegotiation was quick, they had a document ready before they got into the WSUN offices. They stayed up all night hammering out details. When Kelpy saw the two of them walking together it passed out, again. Poppy made sure to make a point of this.

"Why do you always pass out whenever anything exciting happens? Fight or flight response?"

"No I just have an iron deficiency."

"Ah."

The contract was simple enough. Poppy would still prerecord shows at the start of the week, 4 in total. She would do a live show on Friday nights, too, where people could call in. Curated music made its return, so that Poppy only spent 5 hours in the booth instead of 8 to 10. The biggest difference was that Poppy wasn't obligated to do any appearances at fan clubs or morning drive time shows or late night talk shows or anything. The show wouldn't get any marketing, just word of mouth, and she wasn't required to do anything more than go on air.

By the time she and Kelpy returned to WWAK another night engineer had already replacedthe frogs job. So, Poppy hired it on to manage social media pages and merchandise, a full- time position in itself. She started talking to the cat from the fan club who made playlists and they had surprisingly similar taste in music. T-shirt guy, of course, did all merch from here out. Fig and Newton still ran the official bicycle shop of the program, and Amora still managed the fan club. She didn't really talk to Amora much after returning, she addressed the fan club as promised but after that kept her distance. She made it clear that she didn't owe anyone anything, if they so happened to benefit from the show then good.

It was a pretty decent living, and she certainly made enough to live comfortably, but she still wasn't sure it was what she really wanted. She felt somewhat empty, even with all of this new freedom. So, she started riding her bike again.



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Fig looked properly surprised when Poppy showed up at the shop after weeks of being MIA. She had a new bike seat waiting for her, something with more cushion, and after ages came to pick it up. It was already sitting on the counter in its shipping box, with a bow on top. She stepped out from behind the counter and walked over to the rabbit, slowly. She embraced her in the biggest hug possible. Poppy wasn't ready, and Figs big arms almost suffocated her. A good way to go out.

"I was so worried about you, you know that hun? You call me saying you're ok and then you don't even let me get eyes on you! What happened to your arm?"

The cut was starting to heal, but the scar was still there. "I fell off my bike in the rain, that's what kind of started all of this."

"That? Not the unending pressure of being the most famous voice in the country for a few months?"

"Well, that didn't help. Where's Newton?"

"Out sick with a fever, actually. He's gonna kick himself for not seeing you."

"I'll come in tomorrow, then. I managed to negotiate with my boss to have a far more lenient schedule. Less publicity, less appearances, no obligations to the fan club or anyone or anything! My life is again mine to live!"

"Wow, congratulations. What are you gonna do with all that free time?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I was thinking of taking some creative writing courses at the local community college, it would go well with my gender studies degree."

"Send me whatever you end up writing, you're good at it."

"When I'm inspired." Poppy walks deeper into the shop, slowly running her paws over every bike she passes. Her antlers bump against parts and bikes hanging from overhead racks, she tries her best to not mess up the tires. "I've been sort of, unmotivated since I got back. Yeah it was nice to get be in my apartment and make good with people, but I feel like somethings still missing."

"You know Poppy, you've been through a lot in the past half year. Shoot, you've lived a more eventful 20-odd years than most people. You've seen a lot of things, met a lot of people, done things most only dream of. Maybe the thing you're looking for is deep inside you, and you need to go on a soul searching trip to find it."

"Yea... How much is this bike?"

"I'll tune yours for free."

"Good, give me whatever you I may need for dirt trails."



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