diligence, chapter 4

It had become something of a habit over the weeks for Aurora to visit the Embassy’s gardens a few times a week, waking earlier and earlier even without the assistance of an alarm to check on the status of the ambrosia she’d planted with Primrose. During her first few visits, he’d accompanied her to ensure that she wasn’t overwatering the delicate sprouts, but lately something had prompted him to ease up and simply offer merely a familiar greeting or small conversation on her way in or out.

The seedlings were coming up nicely, after all, and a few had even developed closed buds in the last few days that Aurora had examined carefully, just the tip of her fingernail to avoid crushing the future bloom.

“Have you checked on the ambrosia?” she asked excitedly when she tracked down Primrose at the front of the gardens, a pair of shears in hand to prune the exquisitely maintained shrubbery.

“They’ll be ready to cultivate soon,” he replied. “Next week, by my guess.” She noticed that he didn’t look up from his work aside from a stray glance; must be busy. Was he ever… not busy, she wondered? There was plenty to see and do in the Embassy, and Primrose seemed to have a hand in helping out no matter what the task entailed. She couldn’t imagine not getting overwhelmed with all of that.

“Hey,” she began, earning another glance. “Would it be possible for me to help with something else, while I’m here? You seem to always have your hands full.” Those were… probably not words she would have imagined herself saying just a month or so ago, but she’d said them, and she had genuinely meant it, too.

Primrose paused as if to think about it, before stepping back from the shrubbery and setting the gardening tool aside. “I do have a small errand, since you’re already heading out. You’ve been to the Paradise Cafe, I presume?”

Aurora clasped her hands together. “Oh, yes! Coffee is a little strong for me most of the time, but it’s a nice place to wile away the hours, and my partner loves it when I bring him home a warm cup. Did you want me to pick you up something to drink?” Somehow, the thought of Primrose caffeinated was a little frightening– what would the cherubun be capable of at double his current energy?

“Ha, no. I have a fresh batch of coffee beans to bring over to Beanny. It’s a short walk, but if I take them myself, I know she’ll be eager to have me try out one of her new concoctions…” He shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe some of the half-baked ideas she’s come up with.”

Aurora covered her mouth to disguise a chuckle. “Coffee’s usually roasted, not baked, right?”

Primrose opened his mouth to speak before his lips set back into a stern line. “I’ll take them myself.”

“No, no, let me help,” she laughed. “Where’s the special delivery?”

Primrose pointed her in the right direction, and with that, she was off.

Unlike her last delivery, her destination was close by, and there was no need to mill about wondering if she had the right place as she’d come in a few times before. The bags of dried coffee had been tightly sealed to preserve them, but even so, the aroma that hung around them was a comforting one. Nights with her partner, a cup of fresh coffee in his hands and warm hot chocolate or even a hot toddy in her own. The chill creeping into the air meant that it would soon be that delightful season, too. 

That deep, rich aroma only intensified when she stepped into the cafe. A few regulars were seated comfortably in plush booths near the back of the shop, while the bun behind the counter looked up and adjusted her glasses. Her coffee-stained apron spoke, perhaps, of a rush earlier in the day, but she seemed pleased as punch to serve her next customer.

“Hiya, Aurora! You’re just the bun I was looking to see.”

With a soft smile, she approached the counter, her arms thanking her for the reprieve as she set down the delivery. “Oh! Did Primrose tell you I was on my way?” She’d only left the Embassy gardens five or ten minutes before, after all.

“Prim? No, what’s he have to do with this?” Beanny’s brow furrowed as she looked from Aurora down to the bags she’d set on the counter. “Oh! Oh oh!” Her grin renewed, she took one of the bags and gave it a squeeze, taking in the very same aroma that Aurora had been admiring on the way over. After a deep inhale and exhale, she looked back up at the succubun before her. “Huh. Not that I don’t appreciate you dropping by with these, but I wonder why he didn’t bring these over himself.”

“He was awfully busy over in the gardens,” Aurora replied without missing a beat, as the very last thing she wanted was to stir that particular pot (no pun intended, this time). “You wanted to see me, though?”

“Yes!” Fortunately for everyone, Beanny didn’t seem to overthink it either, setting the beans down to place both hands on the counter and lean forward excitedly. “I was thinking about how some buns, like yourself, find the taste of coffee to be too bitter for their liking. Even fresh coffee like this…” She patted the delivery on the counter.

Aurora had mentioned that during a prior visit, though she hadn’t imagined Beanny would remember it so well. She must see hundreds of buns a day, so to remember a smaller detail like that was probably one of the reasons why her shop was so popular. Aurora nodded.

“Right, well, I’ve been trying a few things. I can’t make coffee… not coffee. I’ve tried. The science just isn’t there yet.” Though if anyone could figure it out, Aurora would have bet money it would be Beanny. “But I was thinking about flavor profiles, right?”

Aurora nodded again.

“You love the hot chocolates that I make, and I’ve read that using coffee instead of water in brownie recipes can enhance the flavor of the chocolate without imparting bitterness into the confection. So it’s all about the ratio, right?”

Another nod.

“I’ve tried a few things, and while my first attempts were far closer to a mocha coffee instead of, you know, the best hot chocolate ever, I think I’ve finally figured out the perfect proportion of coffee to chocolate. You couldn’t even know it was caffeinated!” Beanny paused and adjusted her glasses. “And I know that for a fact. It’s gone through many blind trials.”

Aurora gasped. “Beanny, you didn’t…”

“Spike my customers hot chocolates with hits of coffee? No, of course not!” Her glasses glinted in the light. “Though I seriously thought about it. Instead, I just sat Dove down and had them help.”

“I suppose that’s fine,” Aurora hummed. She smiled apologetically. “This seems like an awful lot of work, though. I liked your normal hot chocolates just fine, after all.”

Beanny shrugged. “Those aren’t the Best Hot Chocolate Ever, though,” she replied, making a shooing motion with her hand. “And now that I have the Freshest Coffee Ever to put in it, thanks to you, I can have you try it out. Go take a seat, and I’ll bring it over to you in a few.”

Aurora wondered if this would be the outcome of every delivery she was sent on, though she wasn’t complaining. Pleasant conversation and a warm drink was a fine reward in itself, but the sense of satisfaction from a job well done (even if it had been a small job this time around) was becoming a feeling that she knew well and could ride high on for awhile, each time it happened.

It was more than likely the same feeling that Beanny had when she brought out an oversized mug piled high with fresh whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder. The barista set it down in front of Aurora, promptly taking a seat across from her and studying her reaction with wide, eager eyes. “Alright. First impressions?”

“It certainly looks impressive,” Aurora answered honestly. “It’s not that angora drink, is it?” She reached up to pat at her hair, which was plaited today in a pretty pink braid. “I can hardly manage this on a good day.”

“Nope, not a transformative element about it!” Beanny replied. “I just brewed the coffee from the beans that you brought, and the chocolate is completely untainted.”

Aurora lifted the mug, happy enough with that answer.

“Probably,” Beanny said softly, earning a sharp glance from Aurora. “Just kidding! Go on!”

Nothing a drabsinthe wouldn’t solve, if Beanny wasn’t being completely honest, at least. Aurora placed the mug at her lips and took a preliminary sip– and then, after a moment to taste it, a full gulp.

“Wow,” she gasped, using the back of her hand to wipe a bit of cream from the side of her mouth. Beanny hadn’t been kidding about her nickname for the drink. The chocolate flavor was, of course, the most prominent, but it was deeper than the normal sugary notes that typically dominated a drink like hot chocolate. She wouldn’t have guessed that there was any coffee at all, if she didn’t already know it. “Beanny, this is… amazing!”

“Heh, isn’t it?” Clearly proud of her concoction, Beanny leaned back, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips. She watched as Aurora began reaching for her purse. “Don’t worry about all that– it’s on the house! A tip for the delivery girl, haha.”

Aurora took another sip. Yeah, sometimes the rewards for this diligence thing were sweet.