Pursuit of Diligence Ch 6 [Ari]

“Is that all you want to bring?” Ari asked his littermate, taking the bun-sized notebook and pencil case from him and tucking them into his own shoulder bag. 

Mosaic furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “What else should I bring? Are we going somewhere other than the Heavenly Embassy?” 

“I don’t think so, but what if this whole ambrosia brewing thing is long and repetitive?” Ari gestured at the small stack of books by the door that Mosaic’s partner Drukyul had dropped off recently. “Maybe bring one of those?”

“Do you think I’m going to get bored of watching a Cherubun make their holy medicine?” Mosaic looked almost offended… But ended up picking a book out of the pile regardless, holding it out to Ari. “I suppose there’s no guarantee there will be room for me to watch properly the whole time anyways…” 

Ari chuckled softly at his little victory, taking the book and putting it into his bag as well. “I’ll do my best to get you a good place to sit, promise.” 

Mosaic’s Baby blue Furdin padded out of his bedroom and nuzzled against Mosaic’s side, looking up at Ari with wide eyes. A look that Mosaic matched as the Gluttony bun looked up at him as well. “Sammy has been really cuddly today, do you think he can come along? He’s well behaved…”

Ari stared down at them for a moment then sighed affectionately. “I guess I’ll have to carry him, right? I don’t think he’ll fit in the bag with you.” 

Mosaic’s and Sammy’s tails wagged in sync as Ari relented, helping Mosaic into said backpack that they used whenever Mosaic went out with him and picking up Sammy after putting on his shoulder bag. “Ready?” 

“Yeah… I’m really happy that Primrose thought to specifically invite me as well… Since I didn’t get to see much of the actual growth stages…” 

“And this is the most important part, the actual brewing.” 

Mosaic nodded, excitement clear in his eyes as Ari glanced over his shoulder at him. 

“Then let’s head out; we don’t wanna miss any of the fun~” 

~~~

The instructions that Primrose had messaged Ari earlier weren’t terribly easy to understand, but after only a few minutes of confusion they eventually arrived at what Primrose had referred to as ‘the workshop’. It was near a greenhouse that was a bit smaller than the one Ari was used to but it was especially fancy, with a gilded sign out front that read ‘The Garden of Virtues’. Ari’s heels clicked down the well-kept stone path to the workshop, asking Mosaic if he was ready before pushing the door open. 

Ari had never been inside any sort of alcohol brewery, but he imagined it must look something like this. Most of the main room was taken up by a massive U-shaped counter with what looked like multiple distinct stations on it. Dove looked to be crushing something in a mortar, glancing up when they heard the Succubuns enter. 

“Reverie, hi! And I see you brought a friend today, how cute!” 

“Two friends, actually.” Ari turned his body so Dove could see Mosaic, who waved shyly. “This is my littermate Mosaic, and his Furdin Sammy.” 

“Oh, so you’re Mosaic! It’s so nice to meet you!” Dove put down the mortar and pestle they were holding and wiped their hands on a towel hanging from the apron before gesturing at them to come closer. “There’s a station just for you.” 

Ari looked at Mosaic, eyebrow raised in confusion, but followed Dove to a section of counter that was completely clear other than a large cushion. 

“Primrose said you have some mobility issues and that you would probably be watching most of the time, is that right?” Dove patted the cushion, smiling cheerfully. “He set up this little spot for you! Oh, and for Sammy I suppose.”

As if summoned by his name, Primrose came in through a side door, holding one of the plastic bins full of ambrosia flowers that Ari and other buns harvested in the last week. As soon as he saw everybody standing near the comfy spot he’d made for Mosaic, his face flushed red. “I-”

“Thank you so much, Primrose! I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to see everything, I brought a book to keep me occupied. This will be so much better than I could’ve ever imagined.” 

Ari smiled as he put Sammy on the counter and helped Mosaic out of the backpack, leaving his littermate to get comfortable as he reached into his bag to pull out the notebook that they’d brought along. 

Primrose came closer, still blushing as he put the container of ambrosia flowers on the counter nearby. “I didn’t want you to be left out…” He cleared his throat and turned to face the other buns, though he refused to make eye contact with any of them. “I’ll start by going over each step, then we can get to work.”

Immediately jumping in, to nobody’s surprise. Ari chuckled softly but let Primrose keep the dignity he was so obviously fighting to keep, and followed the Cherubun as he walked along the U-shaped counter, gesturing at each station in turn. 

“Boiling the stems will extract the sap, which can be used to make medicines. And as you know, ambrosia leaves can be made into tea. But first, they need to be separated from the stems and pressed to dry.” This station looked the most straightforward, with little else on it besides a wooden press for the leaves and a free-standing element with a pot of water on top. 

“This station,” Dove started, walking back over to the one they were working at when the Succubuns had arrived. “Is for preparing the petals!” They picked up the mortar and tilted so Ari could see the half-crushed petals inside. “We mix the pulp with water and sugar. These drinks are not only delicious but also can do small things like cure headaches!” 

Primrose nodded, clearly satisfied with Dove’s explanation. “And the nectar of the flowers -” Primrose brought Ari’s attention to the station furthest away from where Mosaic and Sammy were settled, the former scribbling furiously in his notebook while the Furdin was just making itself cozy on the pillow beside him. “Can be used to make drinks that can alter a Cherubun’s physical form.” The counter was absolutely covered in glassware of various shapes and sizes that Ari couldn’t even begin to understand. 

Before his littermate could inevitably start asking for a detailed walkthrough on the nectar processing, Ari moved to the first station. “I know I’m not going to be any help with that, so I’m in charge of this part?” 

Primrose came over and showed Ari how to carefully pick the ambrosia leaves off of their stems, as well as how the press worked. He then flicked the element on to start heating the water. “Let it come to a boil before putting the stems in, and be ready to pick them out as soon as they start to fall apart.” He gestured to some metal tongs laying off to the side. 

The three dolls then diligently focused on their tasks, Primrose answering Mosaic’s questions along the way. 

~~~

After about an hour of switching between processing the leaves and the stems, Ari was brought out of his focus by a soft clapping from Mosaic and Dove. He looked over to see Primrose holding a small bottle of gleaming gold liquid.

“First ‘divine ambrosia’ of the harvest.” Primrose smiled, but Ari wasn’t sure if it was directed to him and Dove or just to the bottle itself.

“Can I try some?” Ari asked, putting down the leaves in his hand and moving to step closer. He was caught off guard as Primrose all but shouted that he couldn’t, holding the bottle close to his chest even though Ari was nowhere near him yet. The Lust scowled. “Damn, all that work over I put in and I can’t even -” 

“Ambrosia is toxic to Succubuns!” Dove explained hurriedly, trying to diffuse the situation. “Even just a sip will make you really sick, just like alcohol does to us!” 

Ari blinked, surprised. “Oh?” He tipped his head slightly, looking at the bottle of processed nectar and back up to Primrose’s face, raising an eyebrow as he relaxed. “I didn’t realize you cared about me so much, Prim, to warrant such a reaction.” He stepped closer, no longer focused on the ambrosia itself. I’ve been good the past few weeks, haven’t I? Today might be my last chance… “However shall I repay my saviour?” 

“ARI!” 

Ari laughed at Mosaic’s chiding, grinning as Primrose’s new blush confirmed that his playful attempt to fluster had been successful. “Okay, enough chatter, back to work.” Ari mimicked Primrose’s voice light-heartedly as he turned back to his station. “I’d like to at least hear a description of how it tastes, though. It’ll be a good addition to Mose’s notes.” 

Dove sighed, relieved as the sudden tension was easily dispersed, and went on to explain how the last ambrosia they’d tasted was. Ari tuned it out, going back to his task with a bittersweet smile. 

He’d miss this. 

Well, Beanny had told him to come back to the Paradise Cafe regularly, right? Maybe Ari could stop by the greenhouses every now and then, check in on Primrose, maybe drag the Cherubun out of said greenhouses and get him to loosen up a little. They could start small. Coffee first, then maybe Ari would convince him to come down to Burrowgatory, if only to meet the imps that he hadn’t seen yet. Maybe even stop by the Imporium to get Primrose one of his own?

Baby steps, Ari. He placed his handful of leaves into the press and tightened it, turning to the boiling pot of water. 

“Ari?” 

“Yeah?” Ari glanced at Primrose as the Cherubun came up beside him. 

“Thank you.” He sounded genuine. “For all of your help with this harvest. You’re extremely hard working, even if you pretend not to be, and I’d love to have you back, if you’re interested. Even if it isn’t simply to help with a future harvest.” 

Ari turned fully to look at Primrose and smiled again, a real one, with maybe just a tiny hint of his own blush. “Yeah, I’d like that.”