Pursuit of Diligence: Chapter 3

Hyacinth wandered about in the greenhouse garden of the Heavenly Embassy, his shoes clicking softly against the stone path as he meandered his way through, searching for Primrose. He’d been waiting beside the small plot of flowers he had planted a short while ago, assuming that, if anything, Primrose would have been waiting for him in some grandiose show of extreme punctuality.

He caught himself feeling a little worried that something might be wrong—he hoped that Primrose wasn’t sick, and that he was just caught up in business, or maybe doing another lesson in heavenly flower tending with someone else in another greenhouse.

“Primrose?” he called, his voice echoing faintly through the rows of blossoms while he made his way back to his flowers for what felt like the hundredth time.

He had to admit, they were looking fairly well, the petals having begun to open far faster than he’d thought—far faster than the flowers he had at home, at least, and made a private mental note to try planting his own seeds the way Primrose had instructed him to do with the ambrosia flowers.

“Are you there?” Hyacinth called again, then sighed. “I mean really, with all that talk about tardiness you’d think he would abide by his own standards,” he grumbled to himself. “Nevermind the fact that it’s baking today, this place might as well be a damned oven.”

He half expected to finally hear Primrose’s clipped voice cutting through the near silence, but instead, there was only a soft rustle and the sound of someone humming. Hyacinth turned, and his brows lifted slightly in surprise.

Walking amidst the rows of flowers from the greenhouse entrance was a man he had never seen before—a tall, broad-shouldered figure with rich, sun-kissed skin and a head of slightly disheveled pink hair. If the man in question had been wearing a shirt, it had clearly lost a battle with the day’s heat, leaving him bare-chested, save for a loose red cape. His abs, tanned and defined, caught the dappled light filtering through the glass panes, and Hyacinth caught himself staring.

Well, he thought, maybe the hot weather wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.

More importantly, judging from the wings on the stranger’s lower back and the distinct lack of horns, Hyacinth was finding himself in the company of a cherubun. And, if he was lucky, it would be a cherubun who knew where his tardy mentor had run off to.

“Hello? Er—pardon me,” Hyacinth began, raising a hand to catch their attention. “Sir?”

The stranger straightened up from leaning over to inspect one of the flowers and turned to Hyacinth with a wide, easy smile. “Oh—hey there! You must be the one I’m here for, right? I’m Ares. Primrose sent me to help out today. Something about urgent business.”

Hyacinth cleared his throat, regaining his composure. “I—I see! Here I thought I was about to find out he had gotten tired of me, or something.”

Ares chuckled, the sound rich and unhurried. “Nah, don’t take it personally. He’s stuffy towards everyone at the best of times, and doesn’t really trust people around these flowers with a ten foot pole. At least, not until he’s sure they won’t smother them with too much attention. Or too little.”

“That does sound like him,” Hyacinth replied, returning his smile before holding out a hand for him to shake. “You said your name was Ares? My name is Hyacinth,” he said smoothly, to which the latter reached out his own hand to shake.

“Great! I’m sure we’ll get along just fine,” Ares replied. “He said you’d be a pretty easy one to teach.”

“Oddly high praise coming from him,” Hyacinth chuckled, then turned his attention to the task at hand. “Well then, should we get started, Mister Ares?”

Ares nodded his head, his enthusiasm almost infectious. “Just Ares is fine. No need for the whole ‘mister’ part, I’m not nearly as fancy as Primrose.” He laughed. “Speaking of which, sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting him. Personally, I think he just didn’t want to sweat out here.”

“I don’t mind it at all,” Hyacinth hummed, already intrigued by the change of pace. “You seem more than capable of being a very efficient teacher.”

It wasn't a lie, really. Hyacinth doubted that anyone could stop looking at Ares for long enough to not pay him attention. And Hyacinth was a man with a refined taste for eye candy.

Ares grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s generous of you to say. I’ve really only got the basics down. Primrose drilled ‘em into my head enough times.” He stepped closer to examine the flowers Hyacinth had planted, his smile widening with approval.

“What?” Hyacinth asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do they look alright?”

“The flowers look pretty healthy to me,” he said, crouching beside one of the rows. “But they’re at a delicate stage when they’re still blooming, and you’ll need to use the right amount of dew—it’s not too hard though! Here, watch!”

He reached for the watering can beside the flowerbed, holding it out so Hyacinth could see. “The dew from the enchanted clouds is purified, but it’s still potent. Too much, and it’ll overwhelm the roots.”

Ares tipped the can over one of the blooming ambrosia flowers, letting a thin, steady stream of water fall onto the soil around its base. The petals shivered faintly under the droplets, and he smiled up at Hyacinth. “You also want to have a delicate touch,” Ares continued, holding out the can. “Think you’re up for it?”

Hyacinth accepted the can, his hands brushing Ares’s briefly in the exchange. “I’ll do my best,” he replied, stepping closer to the flowers. “My touch is notoriously delicate.”

“Just in case,” Ares said, moving to stand beside him. “I’ve got your back. Not that you look like you’d need much help. You’ve got that whole ‘calm and collected’ thing going for you.”

Hyacinth allowed himself a quiet laugh, crouching down to examine the blooms more closely. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

With careful movements, Hyacinth promptly tilted the watering can ever so slightly forward, matching Ares’s prior movements to let the water trickle slowly over the base of the flowers, watching as the droplets soaked into the soil below, just enough to dampen it but not enough to leave any water above the dirt surface.

Really, he didn’t want to feel so anxious when it came to watering a flower—he wasn’t usually one for performance anxiety of any sort, but damn did he not want to potentially spoil the adorable, starry-eyed look on Ares’s face. It would feel like he was doing some sort of crime.

“You’re a natural,” Ares said, watching with a grin. “See? Nothing to it.”

“It helps to have an encouraging teacher,” Hyacinth replied, glancing up at Ares. His expression softened as he added, “It’s different from Primrose’s more… structured approach. It’s nice, if I’m honest.”

Ares laughed again, shaking his head. “Yeah, Primrose has his charm, but let’s just say I’m not great at taking orders barked like a drill sergeant. I prefer to keep things a little more laid-back.”

Hyacinth nodded, his smile lingering as he returned his attention to the flowers. “Laid-back seems to suit you.”

The two worked together for the next hour, alternating between tending the flowers and exchanging easy conversation. He was even allowed to water some of the other ambrosia flowers, and greatly appreciated the show of trust being Ares’s relaxed demeanor made the task feel less like a duty and more like a shared hobby, and Hyacinth found himself enjoying the simplicity of it—the quiet rhythm of watering, the occasional laughter when Ares fumbled a tool or cracked the odd joke or two.

“Not bad for a day’s work,” Ares said, wiping his brow with the back of his glove. He turned to Hyacinth, his grin as bright as ever. “Think Primrose would approve?”

Hyacinth straightened, setting the watering can down onto the ground with a soft thud. “I’d like to think so,” he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Though he may have a few notes about our methods. Even if he was impressed, I doubt he’d admit it.”

“For a cherubun, he certainly values his pride,” Ares joked with a wink. “But Prim aside, I’d say we make a pretty good team, wouldn’t you?”

Hyacinth’s face warmed, and he nodded. “Yes, I believe we do.”