diligence 4

“So, how exactly are the beans so different from the tea?” Shengjiang asked as he watched Primrose pack away the coffee beans. The beans are ready to be ground up and brewed, and they’re being put into a similar wooden box as the tea leaves that Shengjiang had delivered to Dove. It’s a fancy dark wood, with some (maybe fake?) gold embellishments along the edges and the corners. Primrose looked up, staring at Shengjiang like he was dumb.

“They’re completely different plants? You do know what tea and coffee are, don’t you?” The small canvas bag got tucked away into a compartment in the box.

“Of course I do,” Shengjiang leaned over and looked at the box, effectively blocking any light that Primrose was using to work, just to piss the cherubun off. “I mean that you look so angry when you deal with it. What did the coffee beans ever do to you?”

Primrose used a gesture to shoo Shengjiang off, making him lean back and stop blocking the light.

“They’re not necessary, and they are yet another influence that you all have had on the cherubuns that live here.”

Shengjiang put it together that coffee may not have been so popular in the heavenly meadows where the cherubuns hailed from. Although it may have been introduced by the succubuns to the cherubuns, Shengjiang couldn’t see why it was an issue. It was hardly as taboo as something like alcohol, or the wild amounts of sex and drug use that happen on the regular in Burrowgatory. And yet, this was what Primrose decided to take issue with? Coffee beans?

“And… You are the only cherubun who thinks that, huh?” Shengjiang asked. Truly, he just wanted to tease him a bit.

“Not the only one!” Primrose sputtered in response. “I’m sure there are others who feel the same way.”

“I mean,” Shengjiang took the now full box into his hands, “You’re the one who stays holed up in here all the time. All the other cherubuns seem to have no problem mingling with the commoners, or whatever it is you’ve taken to calling us behind closed doors.” Shengjiang said it with a small, lighthearted grin. He had to be careful not to push the envelope too much, but he just couldn’t help but antagonize Primrose just a bit.

The cherubun’s pale skin gave away just how frazzled he was by Shengjiang’s line of questioning. He huffed, restraining himself from crossing his arms for fear of looking like a petulant child. 

“Just go deliver those to Beanny.” 

Seeing that Primrose was obviously fed up with Shengjiang’s antics, the succubun gladly put the box in the canvas tote bag he brought, and headed out towards Beanny’s cafe.

Many of the cherubuns, aside from Dove who was with Jackal, have set up shop and home around the same area. They were spread out enough that it wasn’t easy to consider the spot a neighborhood, but it was certainly the main congregation of cherubuns. A little corner of Burrowgatory. It was an area that Shengjiang hadn’t explored yet, simply because he didn’t know anyone there well enough to show up at their house for a friendly hang out. Primrose rolled his eyes as he relayed directions to Beanny’s cafe.

It took Shengjiang meandering around the more cherubic part of town for a while, but he eventually found the cafe. It wasn’t dingy or small enough to be considered a hole in the wall spot, but it was certainly small enough that it was obviously Beanny’s first venture of the sort in Burrowgatory. It was quaint, homey, and cute in ways that made it feel almost intimate.

Shengjiang pushed open the door and was greeted by warm light and wood accents. The cafe was just slightly dim, matching the typical light of Burrowgatory with its lack of natural sunlight. There were a few buns milling about- mostly cherubuns but Shengjiang also spotted one or two succubuns- some seated in their doll form and others at either smaller tables or on top of doll tables in their bun form. Each one had a coffee or tea of some sort, and a pleasant aroma filled the air from the drinks.

“Oh, there’s my delivery!” A cherubun with dark skin and light hair steps out from behind the counter and towards Shengjiang. This must be Beanny, she’s even in a uniform for her cafe.

“Right you are!” Shengjiang put on a smile, though he couldn’t stop himself from continuing to let his eyes wander around the cafe, taking in the scenery of a place he hadn’t been before. “Nice place you have here.”

“Thank you! I put it all together myself.” Beanny carefully took the wooden box from Shengjiang, “There was a surprising amount of market research involved, but it was a labor of love and I’m proud of it.”

Being proud of your work was something that Shengjiang was all to familiar with, and he was glad to see it in a cherubun. He’d spent so much time around Dove, who was meek and timid about expressing such things, and Primrose whose pride crossed over into straight up arrogance. Shengjiang didn’t have it in him to break that news to him though, Primrose might just have a heart attack if he realized he had even a single comparable feature to a succubun.

Beanny, however, was proud in an earnest way. It was a breath of fresh air to Shengjiang.

Shengjiang was no stranger to coffee but, like the cherubic tea he had delivered to Dove, this coffee had a new, fresh aroma.

“Do you work here on your own?” Shengjiang said, curious as he hadn’t seen another employee step out from the back room. 

“Sometimes, usually not, but we don’t have a lot of staff yet.” Beanny took the box back behind the counter and set it aside, opening it and taking the canvas pouches out. “A lot of cherubuns aren’t familiar with what we serve, and we don’t get too many succubuns in the area, so we haven’t had to deal with crazy crowds on short staff at least.”

“Oooh,” Shengjiang hummed, “Primrose is having me run around and get to know a bunch of folks. He says it’ll strengthen bonds and such.”

“I bet he wasn’t too happy about the coffee, hm?” Beanny laughed, “He never is.”

“Do you… know why? I mean like, I could guess but…”

“He’s always been a bit wary of change,” Beanny spoke while she prepared some of the coffee beans, pouring each pouch into a different jar, “And I’m sure that coming down to Burrowgatory is a huge change for him.”

The cherubun behind the counter scooped out some beans and set them aside, getting a bur grinder from a shelf.

“He’s just worried about his friends is all, I think.” She said. “He wants to make sure we’re all safe, and he doesn’t really know how to do that through the lens of being in Burrowgatory.” The soft sound of the coffee beans grinding in the manual grinder played background to her words. “I don’t want to keep you, I know you’re probably busy…” She pulled out a pot of coffee and poured it into a to-go cup. “Here, on the house.”

Shengjiang’s eyes sparkled at the drink, gleefully taking the opportunity to try something new. She was right, in all this running around for Primrose, he was a little bit behind on pottery commissions. 

“Oh thank you so much!” He smiled, “I’ll make sure to swing by some time.”

“Of course, and tell Prim I said hello!”

With that, Shengjiang set off to his duties.