[Comm] Sleepy Diligence 3

The scent of dirt carried in the gardens, mixed with the florals and greens of various heavenly plants. If Galaeth was another bun, he imagined he would want to write about something so vivid. 

The image was ruined, however, by Primrose, the head of the embassy, yelling across the greenhouse, “Make sure you water the plants! You’re here for a reason!”

Galaeth sighed quietly when the doors were swiftly slammed afterwards, leaving him and his companion in the grass. He didn’t understand how there could be cherubuns like Primrose and then cherubuns like Lessa.

She was standing silently beside him, her mouth twisting from Primrose’s behavior. 

Galaeth wondered, even with Lessa’s fear of the burrows, if she was kinder towards succubuns than the embassy head. If he was being honest, he didn’t quite understand why Primrose was here in the burrows if he seemed so displeased with everything around him.

But then he could question the same for Lessa, why was she here? 

Before he could get lost in his thoughts, the cherubun was pressing a watering can into his hand. Galaeth looked up, meeting her eyes, before he nodded and took the can.

She had her own watering can as she gestured for him to follow her towards a large fountain in the middle of the greenhouse. She dipped her can into the water, filling it up as Galaeth followed suit.

From there, they walked together towards the flowerbeds. 

The sprouts were a fresh green, breaking through the soil with a slight curl, as if reaching for the light coming from the burrow’s cavernous ceiling. Galaeth didn’t often think about plants and their processes, but he had to admit there was a small amount of pride in his chest when he saw the seeds he planted had grown.

From the look on Leesa’s face, she seemed to feel the same. She looked at him, before signing with a slow movement from her hand not holding the watering can, “They grew so fast.”

Galaeth nodded, this was exhausting work, but he supposed, in a way, he could understand why Primrose obsessed over the ambrosia process. 

That didn’t mean he liked his publishing house sending him here, but if it was to see his hard work and to meet a bun as interesting to him as Lessa, he would forgive it.

He took a step forward and began to water the sprouts, his grip on the watering can loose so he wouldn’t accidentally drown them.

Lessa followed suit, her tail flicking back and forth as she watered. She was still a mystery to Galaeth, but with the time spent together he was starting to think he understood her. The things that made her nervous and the things that made her smile when she thought he wasn’t looking. The burrows were Galaeth’s home, but he did have a spare thought that a cherubun like Lessa shouldn’t be alone in this world.

There was always someone that would use that shyness and kindness.

He moved to another flower bed, his eyebrow raising when Lessa followed. She had started to do that recently, copying him more. He didn’t know where he was flattered or not.

He paused, realizing he was finished watering when the can was empty. He sighed softly and set it down on the grass, before sitting beside it.

Galaeth didn’t think anything of Lessa quickly sitting beside him, instead he raised his hands to sign, “This is tiring.”

True to his vice, Galaeth was starting to struggle with the desire to keep going. This kind of work wasn’t like editing documents or sitting at a desk all day. It took a toll on him, physically and mentally.

Lessa took a moment to reply, her fingers twitching, “I don’t mind.”

Galaeth hummed, responding to her with a quick gesture of his hands, “It’s not that it’s hard work, I don’t work outside.”

“Maybe you should?” She looked away, nervous for sighing something that might upset him.

Galaeth took no offense. “Maybe I should, something about productivity or how it’s good for me to be outside.” There were posters like that at the publishing house, but he knew for a fact that other employees rarely listened to them.

He was also guilty of that. 

Lessa nodded, trying a moment to think before she raised her hands, “Do you like working there?”

Galaeth shrugged, sighing back, “I like my job, but I have a bad habit of not sleeping because of it.” For a moment, he wasn’t sure why he told her that or why he even wanted her to know.

“Why don’t you sleep?”

“It’s kind of complicated, I work until I can’t and even then, sometimes I just don’t sleep.” Galaeth was honest, after all, there were plenty of succubuns that were shocked by that. How could he be the sloth vice when he rarely slept?

Yet, Lessa didn’t seem shocked, instead she seemed almost worried. “Isn’t that bad for you? I don’t think it would feel good.”

Galaeth was stunned by the concern, before he looked out at the garden. “I’ll be okay, it’s nothing I’m not used to.”

He did note it seemed like Lessa didn’t like his answer, but she didn’t question him. Instead, the pair began to enjoy the silence of the garden and the warm light from the windows.

Galaeth couldn’t have known he would fall asleep, that he would lean to the side and drop his head against Lessa’s shoulder. This kind of work was too much for his vice, he needed to rest even if his mind didn’t want to.

Lessa didn’t dare to move, instead she felt her lips twitch upwards. The cherubun still didn’t entirely know how she felt about succubuns, but she did think Galaeth was kind for one.

He never seemed to complain about the work or about Lessa, instead he was dedicated to getting his work done.

It was enough to make her wonder, maybe it was easier being friends with succubuns than she thought.