[Diligence 1] - Charlie - A Simple Request

“And… here!”

Dove stabs the shovel into the ground, glancing at the bored bun trailing behind, lugging a basket full of seed packets around with him.

“Why do I have to do this? Why not ask one of the other cherubuns or something?” Charlie groans, dropping the basket next to Dove. He looked and felt out of place in the greenhouse. While it may be a garden, the place was remarkably clean. Too clean, in his opinion… isn’t a garden supposed to be at least a little bit dirty? The whole place was well maintained, with little to no dirt spilling over onto the pathways and the already existing flowers lined up in incredibly precise rows. Even the tools were completely pristine, if Charlie didn’t know any better he’d assume they were brand new. That does remind him, he needs to replace his own tools at some point… they are kinda falling apart after all, but every time he thinks to do so he can never afford it. Hopefully this paycheck will change that…

He glances at the bun next to him, shielding his eyes from the bright lights overhead. Dove looks like they’re on their way to a picnic in their sparkling clean apron and delicate sunhat. The shades of light blue perfectly compliments their hair, secured tightly in an elegant updo to keep it out of their face. Like the tools, their clothes seemed like they were  brand new, as if they bought them specifically for today. And knowing what little he knows about Dove, he wouldn’t put that past them. On the other hand, Charlie’s denim coveralls and gloves are tattered and covered in stains of Murmur-knows-what. Large holes have been torn around his knees thanks to general wear-and-tear, and the left glove is entirely missing a finger due to a mishap months back. They desperately needed to be replaced as well, some parts were more patches and hackjob fixes than original fabric at this point. But as long as they held together, he saw no need for it.

“I already told you why.” Dove sighs, leaning on the handle of the shovel. “We’ve been short-staffed lately thanks to the holidays. All of our other gardeners have been busy handling general upkeep and Primrose has too many things scheduled to take time for gardening.” Charlie lets out a bark of laughter in response.

“Well, that sounds like ol’ Primmy’s problem now, doesn’t it?”

“Charlie, please.”

Charlie groans yet again, tossing his hands up in defeat. 

“Fine, fine, whatever. I’ll plant your stupid flowers. I’d better be getting some good money for this…”

The Heavenly Embassy is not somewhere Charlie goes frequently. Actually, scratch that. The Heavenly Embassy is not somewhere Charlie would ever go on his own accord. Everything is so bright and cheery compared to the lower streets of Burrowgatory. The whole place is too sterile in his opinion. And it’s not like the buns here are any better… hell, Dove is the only one Charlie can even remotely put up with. Even if they’re a little prissy, at least they doesn’t have a stick up their ass like Primrose. 

Despite his general love for gardening, food cultivation, and all things botany, this was not how he wanted to spend his weekend.

Charlie takes a swig from his flask, grabs a trowel, and gets right to work. This shouldn’t be any different from gardening at home, right? Other than the presence of Dove, the bright light overhead, and the lack of any immediate tangible reward. Yeah. Just like normal. He rolls one of the seeds between his fingers, taking a second to actually look at the little thing. Annoyance aside, he can’t help but appreciate the beauty of the plant life here. It’s unlinke anything he’s handled before, emanating a soft glow and completely smooth.

“Remind me what these things are again?” Charlie asks as he buries the first seed.

“Oh, right! I forgot you wouldn’t have seen these before!” Dove giggles to themself. “They’re ambrosia flowers! As I’m sure you can assume, we use them to make ambrosia for ourselves. See, we can’t consume alcohol like you can, so we need to find other ways to sustain ourselves. Luckily, Melangel…”

Charlie stops paying attention pretty quickly, using Dove’s voice as background noise while he continues his work. Occasionally he stops to take another swig from his flask, it helps keep him focused. As the repetitive task wears on, he finds himself daydreaming a bit. He’s certainly heard of ambrosia before, it’s not like it’s kept secret or anything, but he knows his kind can’t safely consume it; the raw flowers and the completed drinks alike. He really wishes he could… Maybe if he stole some of those seeds, he could find a way to make ambrosia safe for succubuns. Dove probably wouldn’tnotice if he slipped a few into his pocket, right? Ugh, but if they did notice, it would lead to a confrontation with Primrose, and he really doesn’t like dealing with that feathery prick. The few times he’s seen ambrosia himself, it looked almost like honey or liquid gold, something like those Gold Fashioned drinks Hops makes for the holidays. Speaking of which, he should check in with Hops again soon, it’s been a minute since the last caught up. He could even bring some of his home brews, she’s usually willing to fork over some of her secret ingredients in exchange. What the hell even is her secret ingredient anyways?? Charlie has tried to reverse-engineer that stuff on many occasions, yet has never been able to match it quite right. Even if the flavor is right, he’s not sure he could cause the same effects with his own work-

“Charlie? Are you still listening?”

“Huh?” Dove’s voice pierces through his thoughts. He glances up at them, squinting in the bright light. “Whassup?”

“Sorry, you just weren’t saying anything and I got worried. I didn’t mean to break your concentration…”

“‘S fine.” Charlie dismisses Dove’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “I’m done with this plot. Which one do you want me to do next?”

“Woah!!” Dove’s face lights up. “That was fast!! This is exactly why I contacted you!” Charlie can’t help but feel a bit smug at that remark, a smirk tugging at his lips. Take that, Primrose!

“Okay, next one!” Dove chirps. “Grab that purple packet, and follow me!”