Pursuit of Diligence, Chapter 2

It was another day in Burrowgatory. Bright light shone on the peaceful grounds of the Heavenly Embassy, as Miguel stood with his hands on his hips, staring down at a huge basket of tea leaves.

For whatever reason, tea grew better in the Heavenly Embassy than it did elsewhere in Burrowgatory, and it just so happened that Dove wanted some tea leaves delivered to their shared home with Jackal. As much as Miguel wasn't a frequent visitor of the Embassy - it just wasn't his preferred kind of place - he considered Dove a friend after what he'd been through with them. And I just can't say no to a friend. Especially not one as kind as Dove, Miguel thought.

Ratón - his blue Mamoo - gently pawed at his leg. Miguel looked down at Ratón, then glanced at Alegría, floating beside him. The Lunell looked at him, her solid white eyes almost asking him wordlessly to get on with it. Miguel smiled at laughed at the two imps. "Alright, alright, I've been standing here contemplating these tea leaves for long enough, haven't I? It would be rude to keep Dove waiting all day," he chuckled, petting both imps on their heads. With a stretch of his arms and a roll of his shoulders, Miguel lifted the basket of tea leaves, holding it tightly with both hands (and feeling glad he had the foresight to come to the Embassy in doll form). "Vámonos, Alegría. Ratón. Let's take these leaves back to Dove and Jackal's place."

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Before long, Miguel had departed the Heavenly Embassy and found himself back in the main part of Burrowgatory, the part he'd known since he was a little baby bun. Taking a deep breath and twitching his tail in preparation, he started walking.

As he walked, two of his imps at his side, he told himself he wouldn't get distracted by anything. He had a task to complete, and he needed to complete it today. He felt a strong desire to wander off to the Rabbit Hole and grab some drinks, or perhaps pay a visit to Arneb's bakery for some cupcakes - or maybe even something "sweeter", knowing what kind of bun Arneb was. Yet, he did his best to banish the thoughts. He didn't want to disappoint Dove, and completing their delivery came first. You can always have a drink, or a treat, or a roll in the hay some other time, Miguel. You can do this. Finish your task.

Miguel kept walking, thanking Murmur that the larger size and longer legs of his doll form made crossing the distance much quicker, in addition to making the large basket easier to carry. His imps cheerfully kept pace with him as he kept up a steady jog, hooves clicking against the ground, lop ears and tail flopping behind him. The Succubun was enjoying the brisk walk, and feeling quite proud of himself for resisting his natural urges to succumb to sinful distraction...

Until he had a chance encounter with what could be possibly the biggest distraction of them all in this moment: his girlfriend. He heard Rosa calling for him, and abruptly stopped. "Hey, Miguel! What are you doing right now, bae?" Rosa called, her tone as flirtatious as ever as she approached him.

"I'm bringing this basket of tea leaves over to Jackal's place," Miguel answered quickly, preparing to start walking again. Rosa stepped in front of Miguel, blocking the path.

"Whatever for, hun?" Miguel sighed.

"Because Dove wants these leaves, and you know they live with Jackal."

"Is it urgent that you bring them the leaves?" Rosa asked, tilting her head to the side and looking up at Miguel with thinly veiled bedroom eyes. "You look like you've been walking for a while. You're a little bit sweaty. Don't you want to relax a bit?"

Miguel shook his head, chuckling a little. "Rosa, I've been with you long enough that I know when you're trying to seduce me. And at any other time, I'd be more than happy to... relax with you for a spell. But, please, Dove would probably be disappointed if I didn't bring these to them in a timely manner. I don't want to disappoint them. Let me finish what I'm doing here, and then we can do something together, alright?"

Rosa nodded, understanding and not wanting to force him to do anything he wasn't keen on at the moment. "You do have a point, bae. I'll wait."

"Besides," Miguel added, grinning impishly. "Wouldn't the sort of thing you're asking of me just make me even more sweaty?"

Rosa laughed heartily. "I love you, Miguel. You absolute goofus. Now, go on, and I'll catch up with you later, hmm?"

"Will do, Rosa. Bye!" With that, Miguel resumed his brisk walk, clutching the basket of tea leaves tightly, more determined than before to finish what he started.

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Eventually, Miguel reached the door of Jackal's apartment. He shifted the basket from both arms to holding it gently in the crook of one elbow, taking care not to tip it over and drop any leaves, before knocking. After about a minute, the door opened, and he saw Jackal looking out at him.

"Hey, Miguel, what's up?" Jackal asked, before noticing the basket balanced on his arm. "Oh, shit, is that the tea leaves Dove wanted?"

"Yep!"

"Cool, I'll get them for you, hold on." Jackal turned around and shouted to get the Cherubun's attention. "Hey, Dove! Miguel's here with the tea!"

Jackal went back into the apartment, and Dove came to the door, smiling that sweet smile of theirs. "Hello, Miguel. I see you brought the tea I asked for!"

"Of course!" the Succubun replied, smiling triumphantly. "Walked it all the way here from the Heavenly Embassy, just for you!" He carefully took the basket into both hands again, and held it out towards Dove.

Dove accepted the basket, looking quite pleased. "Thank you so much, Miguel."

"Hey, what are friends for, Dove?"

"You're welcome to come in and join me for tea with Jackal, if you'd like."

Miguel thought about it. Having some tea with Dove sounded great, but... he did already promise Rosa he'd spend time with her after completing the delivery. "I appreciate the offer, Dove, but I have other plans already. Sorry."

"That's okay, you did spend all this time bringing the tea to me, after all," Dove replied. "You're welcome to come back another time if you'd like, though!"

"No problem, Dove. See you later?"

"Of course. See you later, Miguel. Have fun!"

"Heh, I will. Goodbye."

With that, as Dove closed the door, Miguel left. As his imps walked beside him, he felt proud of himself for prioritizing the task at hand, and more than ready to enjoy the time together he had previously discussed with Rosa.