Pursuit of Diligence, Chapter 1

It was a bright morning in the Heavenly Embassy, floating in the upper cave ceilings of Burrowgatory. As he accompanied them on their way to one of the greenhouses, Miguel couldn't help but wonder what Dove was wanting him to do today. Sure, he had been friends with the Cherubun ever since that fateful day when they confronted Melangel, but... it hadn't been all that long ago since it happened. Not to mention the Heavenly Embassy itself was quite new, on top of that.

"So, Dove," Miguel asked, walking at a steady pace as he watched Alegría, his pet Lunell, bob up and down beside him. "What is it we were going to do today?"

"We're going to go to one of the greenhouses and plant some seeds," Dove answered, smiling softly.

"Seeds?" Miguel asked. "What kind of seeds? And why do we have to come up here to do it?"

"The seeds are for plants from the Heavenly Meadow," Dove answered, a slight look of melancholy interrupting their smile for only a second. "They wouldn't exactly grow well anywhere else in Burrowgatory, if at all. And since we can't exactly go back to the Meadow to harvest more, keeping a plentiful crop of what we do have is very important. Cherubuns need these plants to make Ambrosia."

"Ambrosia... that's that stuff Cherubuns drink instead of alcohol, right?"

"Yes. Not only that, but it's also needed to make medicines for Cherubuns, as well."

As the two of them arrived at the door to one of the greenhouses, Miguel looked at the ornate, glass-paneled structure with his hands on his hips. "So, do these heavenly seeds require any special instructions to plant them? I mean, I'd love to help, but... you know. I don't want to mess anything up or anything."

Dove laughed softly. "It's okay, Miguel. I know this is all new to you, just like how, well, when I arrived in Burrowgatory, a lot of things were new to me. I'd love to show you how this gardening is done!"

Miguel smiled in turn. "Truly? Shucks, Dove, you're great. Thank you, I appreciate it! Now, let's get started, shall we?"

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Miguel held the small pouch Dove had given him in his front hooves, knowing that it contained the precious heavenly flower seeds. "Okay, so... what do I do with these, Dove?"

"First, you dig a hole in the ground, of course," Dove answered. With their front hooves, the Cherubun delicately pawed at the soil, creating a hole barely one inch deep. "Simple, see?"

Miguel nodded and placed the seed pouch on the ground beside him, before proceeding to start digging himself. Noting how gingerly Dove had dug their hole, the Succubun tried to do the same, taking great care not to dig too deep or too messily. Perhaps he took a little too much care, as he didn't realize how slow he was digging until he heard Dove chuckle after about a minute.

"I appreciate your carefulness, Miguel, but it's okay to dig quickly!" said Dove, a clear hint of friendly teasing in their voice. Miguel, brought back from his intense focus, laughed heartily, before quickening his pace ever so slightly to finish digging the hole. Once he too had a small hole in the soil about an inch deep, he looked back to Dove.

"Alright, what's the next step, my friend?"

"Place a seed in the hole and bury it, like so," Dove replied. They stepped over to the seed pouch, carefully removed one, and placed it in the hole they had dug. With the hooves of one who had clearly done this before, Dove scooped the excavated dirt back over the seed and covered it, working at a steady pace. "Be gentle, take your time, be sure the seed is well covered, but don't dawdle too much!"

Nodding, Miguel removed a single seed from the pouch and started working to bury it in the hole he made. As he was working, he noticed Alegría eyeing the seed pouch. Dove had their back turned, planting another seed while Miguel worked with his, and didn't notice the imp as she hovered around the seeds. Although she wasn't nearly as mischievous as some of his other imps, Miguel could hazard a guess when an imp was contemplating eating something they shouldn't just by watching them. Before the Lunell could even attempt to get at the seeds, Miguel shooed her away. "Alegría, no! Don't eat those! I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be good for you!"

Dove looked up from their work and over towards Miguel. "Did your imp try to get into the seeds?"

"She didn't get into them, but she looked like she was thinking about it," Miguel answered. "I don't know if she actually did want to eat them or if she was just investigating them out of curiosity, but I wanted to be safe, you know?"

"Good idea, Miguel. Thank you," Dove smiled. "I think you're doing great planting seeds so far. You learn fast! Keep up the good work!"

Miguel nodded again, returning Dove's smile. "Thanks, Dove." And so, the two buns continued planting seeds, Miguel keeping a watchful eye on his curious Lunell the whole time.

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Hours passed. Morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon turned to evening. For the entire day, Miguel assisted Dove in the greenhouse, planting what must have been hundreds of heavenly flower seeds, only periodically taking breaks to enjoy some food or rest for a few minutes. Now, as the light above was slowly fading to nighttime, the two buns were finally done with their hard work.

"Whew, we've been at this all day," Miguel sighed. "I'm exhausted."

"But it was a good experience, wasn't it?" Dove asked. "I appreciate your help, Miguel, and I'm certain the other Cherubuns coming here will appreciate it as well."

The Succubun looked towards Dove. "You really think so?"

"I do, Miguel. It's always good to help a friend when they need it, and I had fun, honestly!"

Miguel smiled. "I did, too. Hey, Dove, if you need any more help with gardening up here at the Heavenly Embassy, let me know, okay?"

"I will! Thank you."