Diligence 2 - Filigree

Before Filigree could even take her coat off, Primrose was beckoning her over. “Don’t bother taking that off,” he told her. “I need you to go back out anyways.”

Filigree felt her eyebrows raise, but obeyed, wondering what the cherubun could need. Usually she helped cherubuns at the Embassy by reviewing contracts for fairness, of late she had begun to help Primrose in the Embassy greenhouses - he’d never had her run errands before. Admittedly, she rarely saw him out in the city. He mostly kept to the Embassy’s grounds. She supposed it made sense, as he had told her he had only come down in order to provide support to other cherubuns, but it often seemed lonely to her.

To her surprise, however, he handed her a sizable basket. “I need you to take this to Dove,” he said. “I ordinarily have Beanny do it, but she’s busy.”

“Alright,” Filigree said, accepting the basket. “Do you have their address?” She vaguely knew of Dove and Jackal, of course - the first known cherubun and Envy had received extensive media coverage. She had kept to herself for the most part before recent months, though, and not really met many new buns before her cherubun friends.

“Yes, of course,” Primrose said with almost exaggerated patience. “I’m texting it to you now.”

Filigree felt her phone buzz and took it out to check the address. She wasn’t familiar with the area, but her phone could get her there. “Alright. I’ll see you after I finish then,” she told him, heading back outside.

Soon enough, she was back down the elevator and headed for the chilly streets of Burrowgatory, hooves tamping snow down beneath them. Filigree still preferred to wear a hood or scarf over her head to disguise her horns in public, but she no longer found herself looking about anxiously in case of cameras. Other succubuns were absorbed in their own lives and business, after all - if she didn’t make it obvious that she was wary, no one would think twice about her. She wished she had learned that sooner, but… Oh well.

Dove and Jackal’s apartment was definitely an area she had never been to or even seen before - maybe if she hadn’t achieved fame so quickly, that would be different, but she’d limited her life so quickly… Filigree sighed, as she passed through - what must it be like, to live with and around other buns?

She did her best to shake those thoughts from her mind as she knocked on the door to the apartment.

“Coming!” said a voice from within, and moments later, the door opened. Dove smiled at Filigree, beckoning her into the apartment. “You’re Filigree, right? Primrose told me you were bringing my tea leaves today.”

“Oh, is that what these are?” Filigree stepped into the warmth of the apartment eagerly, looking around curiously. It wasn’t much, next to her mansion… but it was clearly loved.

“Yes, they just don’t grow well in the soil down here,” Dove said, sighing softly. “It’s like the flowers we make ambrosia from… I imagine some of Burrowgatory’s plants wouldn’t fare well in the Heavenly Meadow either.” They relieved Filigree of the basket, taking it to the counter. “Would you care for some tea before you head out?”

“Oh… If you’re willing to share, sure,” Filigree said, looking for where to sit.

“You can just sit here,” Dove said, gesturing at the counter. They opened up the basket, and after a moment, selected two sachets.

Filigree watched with curiosity as Dove filled a kettle with water and set it to boil. “I’m surprised I’ve never seen you at the Embassy,” she said.

Dove laughed softly. “I go there when I have the time, but I don’t usually wind up visiting the volunteers. Usually I help those who are struggling more to adjust to Burrowgatory. Primrose may grouse about it, but he thinks I’m best suited to helping along the ones who get really frightened after they arrive. We occasionally have cherubuns who arrive and immediately regret it, because they’re too afraid, and they’re not people who succubun volunteers can really help - they only really respond to other cherubuns. Primrose and Beanny help some, of course, but… I guess I’m the poster bun for proving that you can live here in Burrowgatory without losing who you are, you don’t have to confine yourself to the Heavenly Embassy.” As they spoke, they took down a pair of cups and set them on the counter, shutting the cabinet after themself.

“I don’t think I’ve met any cherubun who has been struggling that much,” she murmured.

“Those ones are few and far between - a little fear is normal, but that can typically be handled by just lurking in Beanny’s cafe and people watching,” Dove explained. “The really fearful ones have a bad tendency to hide in their rooms. Prim and I have a system worked out, though, he tells them they have to do some work in the greenhouse to earn their keep, just like in the Heavenly Meadow, and then I help them talk through their fears while we work.” They settled the sachets into the cups, smiling to themself. “Once we’ve made some headway, Prim and a succubun volunteer will just work in the greenhouse with us - not really interacting with us at first, just nearby. Curiosity usually takes over, once they actually see a succubun and realize there’s not really anything to be afraid of with you.”

“…is that the actual reason he has me helping in the greenhouses?”

“Hardly,” Dove said, leaning on the counter. “The greenhouses require a lot of labor, and Prim and the rest of the staff can hardly handle all that and the maintenance of the Embassy on their own, especially as the volume of cherubuns in Burrowgatory increases. Ambrosia isn’t only a nice drink for us, it’s also medicine, since we’ve discovered the hard way that your medications don’t work well for us.” They sighed, tugging slightly on their ear. “Prim may be high and mighty, but he does really care about ensuring everyone’s wellbeing. Ensuring there’s more capable hands for the greenhouses is part of that - the more people who learn how to cultivate ambrosia and can help with it, the better.”

“Are there that many cherubuns here already?” The seeming urgency underlying Dove’s words was surprising to Filigree.

“Not yet, no,” the cherubun replied. They hummed softly, taking the kettle off the stove as it whistled. “But we can’t just operate thinking of right now - we have to think of the future, too. We don’t want to ever see a day where we lack the stocks of ambrosia to treat everyone during flu season, after all, and we can only estimate how many cherubuns a year might choose to leave the Heavenly Meadow - some years may be lighter than others.”

That made sense, she supposed. She’d never really thought about the logistics. “It’s really not as orderly as when succubuns arrive…”

“Saying succubuns are more orderly than cherubuns would give Primrose a fit,” Dove said, giggling as they finished pouring water into the cups.

“I just… Well, you know, I guess the city can plan things like new housing and stuff each year when they get the final numbers from the Church about how many buns were born that year,” Filigree said, finding herself giggling a bit too. “You all can’t really do that, since it’s an individual choice.”

Dove carried the teacups over to the counter, along with a pair of spoons. “In a few minutes, you’ll want to remove the sachet from the teacup,” they explained to Filigree. “It’s just steeping right now.”

Looking at the tea, Filigree was dubious that it would taste of anything other than water… but she was not going to say as much. “Got it.” She pondered what Dove had said some more. “Primrose says working in the greenhouses is like… a test of diligence,” she said. “I think the logistics of it makes more sense.”

“Two things can be true,” Dove said. “I don’t necessarily know if ‘testing diligence’ is how I would go about trying to share that virtue, but I get the idea. For volunteers who get really involved, like you seem to have, it’s good to get a grasp on all our virtues and what they entail. It’s like how we have to learn about your vices to better understand you.”

A quiet sigh escaped her lips. “I started volunteering to try to understand… Because I have a… friend.” She made a face, feeling silly about her caginess. “It’s more than that now, the volunteering is, I mean, nothing’s happened with the friend. Just… It is hard to understand. I’m one of the more… restrained succubuns I’ve met.”

“That’s why Prim likes you, inasmuch as he likes anyone,” Dove chuckled, removing their sachet.

Filigree hurriedly followed suit, curious to take a sip of their tea. It tasted… well, it tasted like water, with a hint of flavor. Maybe she would taste more as she drank more…? “I think he likes more that I don’t bother with talking back to him,” she said. “But I guess… I don’t know, I’m one of the more restrained succubuns I know of, but the levels of restraint you all seem to have been trained to are… Intense.”

“That’s definitely a word for it,” Dove sighed.

“…even if I never understand enough for us to be a good fit, I am glad to be volunteering at the Embassy,” she murmured, sipping the tea again. It had… a bit more taste this time, maybe. “It’s… I was really unhappy before doing it. I don’t know if I’m happy now, exactly, but I’m not afraid to leave my house anymore for fear of cameras and my fans judging me.” She didn’t know why she volunteered it, really. (Maybe because Dove lived with a succubun?)

The cherubun smiled at her, leaning over to pat her shoulder. “I think happiness is something we have to work for and take risks for,” they told her. “You sound like you’re doing just that, so whether or not you two wind up a good fit, you’ll find happiness somewhere along the line.”

They drank the tea in quiet for a little longer, before Filigree set her cup down, somewhat reluctant. Dove was very nice… but there might be things she needed to do at the Embassy now. “Thank you for the tea… and talking,” she said. “I should get back, but I hope you have a nice day.”

“I hope you have a nice day too,” Dove replied, standing so they could let her out the door and lock up behind her.

Filigree found the walk back to the Embassy just a little lighter. If the road to happiness came with work, and diligence was all about work… Maybe she’d find it sooner than she had hoped? She didn’t want to hope too hard on that, but… It was a comforting thought, at least.