Pursuit of Diligence, Chapter 5

Morning had come once again in Burrowgatory. The cave system's light cycle was already illuminating the clouds of the Heavenly Embassy quite brightly, and Miguel had already arrived at the greenhouses. It had been a long time since the flowers he had planted with Dove had begun to sprout; by now, they should have started blooming. Much to the Succubun's surprise, he must have arrived early this time around. Dove wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Huh. Dove isn't here yet," Miguel mused. "I wonder what's keeping them." He glanced over at the four imps by his side: Alegría the Lunell, Ratón the Mamoo, Calabaza the Pampki, and Sueño the Stellaram. "None of you know where Dove is, do you?" Miguel playfully asked the imps. The four imps all reacted in confusion, with head tilts and befuddled eyes. Miguel laughed. "I'm joking, you four. I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"Miguel! Good morning! I'm so sorry I'm late!" called a familiar voice. Miguel turned to look, and saw Dove hastily running up to him.

Miguel smiled. "Well, well! Speak of the Devil, and they shall appear - or perhaps, speak of the Angel, in this case," he teased. "I was wondering about you, Dove! I'm a little surprised myself that I got here before you this time."

"It's fine, it's fine," Dove answered, scratching behind their ear and grinning sheepishly. "Jackal wanted me to do something for her really quick, and I had to deal with that. But that's neither here nor there!"

"It's all good," Miguel replied. "So, I bet those flowers we planted are blooming and ready to be picked by now. And I don't know what I need to do, exactly, so... you ready?"

"Of course! We can't let a single bit of those plants go to waste." Dove side-eyed the four imps by Miguel's side, and smirked playfully. "And I see you brought four imps with you this time. Be sure they're here to help, and not to eat the plants and make a mess of things!"

The Succubun laughed. "It'll be okay, Dove. I'll keep my eyes on them. Now, let's begin, yeah?"

---

Miguel entered the greenhouse, and was immediately stunned by what he saw. The plants, which had just been mere seedlings some time ago, had fully grown into beautiful, flowering wonders: lilies whiter than snow, golden sunflowers that were almost glowing, and many other plants turning the greenhouse into a paint palette with their vibrant colors. The smell in the air was almost indescribable, with so many scents blending into each other: creamy vanilla, frosty mint, dreamy lavender, perfumed rose... smells that were sweet, spicy, vegetal, and more.

"It smells so good in here!" Miguel cheered. "And everything is so beautiful! Marvelous!" He looked for his imps, and saw that they were all as cheerful as could be, clearly enjoying just being in the presence of such colorful and fragrant plants. He chuckled. "I see Alegría, Ratón, and their siblings are loving it too! So cute!"

"Indeed," said Dove. "You've done well helping me with this crop, Miguel. And now, it's time to begin harvesting."

---

Miguel moved along row after row of flowers, harvesting every part of every plant that Dove instructed him could be used for brewing ambrosia. Heavenly pansies, violets, dandelions, lavender, roses, lilacs, and more were plucked from their stems. "The petals of the flowers can be used to make delicious floral beverages," Dove had told him. "And the nectar from these blooms can be made into special ambrosias that have effects on a Cherubun's physical form, not unlike some of the alcoholic cocktails that Succubuns love so much." "

And how about the leaves and stems? Perhaps the roots, even?" Miguel asked. "You did say that as much as the plant should be used as possible, 'not a single bit goes to waste'. I want to be sure I collect everything I should."

"The leaves and stems are important too, yes," Dove answered. "Just as the flowers are used for ambrosias that are consumed for enjoyment and cosmetic changes, the leaves and stems are needed for herbal medicines. Cherubuns unfortunately cannot consume the medical drugs that Succubuns use, just as we can't drink alcohol. Instead, we need special medicinal ambrosia made from heavenly plants."

"Is that true?" Miguel asked, a bit taken aback. "That sucks- um, I mean... stinks? Anyways, good to know. I'll be sure to collect all the leaves and stems that I can!" Without any further hesitation, Miguel went to work gathering leaves just as he had been gathering flowers. Celestial chervil, chicory, fennel, mint, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme - all of it went into his harvesting basket. Minutes passed, and then hours, as Miguel and Dove worked together, reaping the rewards of their joint gardening project. Basket after basket was filled with the bright, aromatic plants. Even the imps, which Miguel fully expected to cause trouble as they normally would, seemed inclined to help today. Numerous times, Miguel saw Alegría, Ratón, Calabaza, and Sueño carrying leaves and flowers on top of their heads and depositing them into the baskets - even if this did leave him wondering how they picked them in the first place, lacking hands or mouths. Eventually, the job was completed, and the Succubun, the Cherubun, and the imps all stood, looking over a multitude of filled baskets.

"Goodness me!" Miguel commented, whistling at the sheer number of baskets. "How many baskets did we fill?! I think I can count at least twenty of them..."

"Exactly twenty-seven large baskets!" Dove cheered. "To be honest with you, I wasn't expecting we'd harvest quite that much. Looks like we've got something of a bumper crop!"

"We do? Awesome!" said Miguel. "I couldn't have done it without you, Dove. Thank you so much for helping me out with all of this."

"You're very welcome," Dove replied with their trademark warm smile. "Now, all that's left to do is deliver this crop to Primrose, so it can be brewed into ambrosia."

Miguel wasn't fond of Primrose, not at all... but, if his successful crop of heavenly plants was to become ambrosia as it was intended, it was unavoidable. And who cared if he had to put up with Primrose for a spell? It would all be worth it in the end so the Cherubuns - including his friend, Dove - could have the ambrosia they all needed. "Alright, got it. Do you want my help with the delivery?"

"It's alright, Miguel. You did well delivering my tea leaves and Beanny's coffee beans those times, I think you deserve a break. I'll handle the delivery on my own... though Primrose might ask for your help later with brewing the ambrosia. Okay?"

"Okay. Good luck with the delivery!" Dove nodded, waving goodbye as Miguel made his way back to Burrowgatory. The Succubun was quite satisfied: soon his work in the gardens would reach its final conclusion.