Pursuit of Diligence, Chapter 3

It was another day in Burrowgatory's Heavenly Embassy. Once again, Miguel found himself up there alongside his friend, Dove the Cherubun. Some time ago, the two of them had ventured to the Embassy's greenhouses to plant flower seeds, and not just any flower seeds. They had planted the seeds of flowers from the Heavenly Meadow, vital for the production of Ambrosia for the Cherubuns. The seeds of the heavenly flowers had begun to sprout by now, and today, the two buns would be watering them.

"Good morning, Miguel," said Dove, waving gently and smiling sweetly as the Succubun approached the greenhouse they stood just outside of. "Are you ready to water the flowers we planted?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I think," Miguel laughed, petting the heads of Alegría and Sueño, the two imps that had accompanied him this time, as they flew beside him. "So, where do we start?"

"Come on in, and I'll show you!" Dove said as they turned to enter the greenhouse, gesturing for Miguel to follow. With a smile, Miguel and his imps went in after the Cherubun.

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Miguel surveyed the area inside the greenhouse. He was quite pleased to see that the heavenly flower seeds had started sprouting, including the ones he had planted himself. Numerous seedlings of varying shapes and sizes dotted the planters, little bits of vibrant green amongst the soil's shades of brown. He could already detect a very faint, but sweet smell in the air - perhaps a sample of what was to come when the plants matured? He didn't know, maybe he just imagined it in his excitement... yet he couldn't help but be excited to see what the plants would be like in their full splendor, and feel proud that he had a part in it.

Dove glanced over at Miguel, seeing him staring down at the panoply of seedlings with a satisfied smirk, and laughed. "Oh, Miguel... are you already marveling at the plants? They're not even close to fully grown!"

The Cherubun's words broke Miguel from his daydreaming, and he chortled. "Oh, sorry, Dove. I just think it's so cool that the plants have started growing! I can't wait to see what they look like fully grown, you know?"

"I do," said Dove. "I'm quite excited to see these flowers fully grown as well. They won't grow if we don't water them, though, so let's get started, alright?"

Dove walked over towards the wall of the greenhouse and picked up a large jug full of water. It wasn't a mundane water jug, though: it was beautifully decorated, clear and glassy with golden trim, almost like an ancient amphora of gilded crystal. The water inside it was the clearest water Miguel had ever seen, sparkling beautifully in the light from above. The Succubun wondered for a moment if the clear water was emitting golden sparks itself, or if that was merely a trick of the light. "That's some awfully special looking water you have there, Dove," Miguel commented.

"It certainly is," Dove remarked. "Normal water from Burrowgatory probably wouldn't be the greatest for the heavenly flowers. Instead, we harvest dew from the enchanted clouds of the Heavenly Embassy - the water produced by the clouds is very pure, like the water from the Heavenly Meadow." Dove's facial expression turned momentarily wistful again at the mention of their forsaken former home.

"Well, it makes sense that these flowers would need that really pure shit, I guess," Miguel said with a chuckle.

"Miguel!" Dove gasped. "Please, watch your language!"

"What did I say?" Miguel wondered at first, unsure what he could have said that upset Dove, before the realization hit him. Although they weren't as touchy about is as other Cherubuns - like Primrose, for instance - Dove still wasn't super fond of profanity, not even the casual sort that was common in Burrowgatory vernacular. "Oh, right, sorry about that. I keep forgetting you're kind of uncomfortable about people swearing. I'll try to remember better."

"It's okay, Miguel, at least you're trying," Dove replied with a smile. "Now, are you ready to water the flowers?"

Miguel surveyed the rows and rows of flower seedlings in need of watering once more - at one point stopping to pick up Sueño and move him away from the plants so he wouldn't try to eat them - then nodded. "Sí. Enough banter, let's get it done already!"

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Dove made haste filling a couple of watering cans with the pure water from the beautiful container, and the two began making the rounds through the greenhouse. Miguel walked through row after row of plants, gently pouring the crystal clear water from his watering can and sprinkling the soil. He worked diligently, his imps trailing alongside him, only pausing to refill his watering can or stop the imps from causing trouble. Dove worked close by, watering every other row that Miguel wasn't going through, and softly coaching him on the correct methods, ensuring he wasn't under-watering, over-watering, or overlooking a single plant.

After a couple hours of walking through the greenhouse, making sure every little seedling had been properly watered, the task was completed. Miguel plopped his empty watering can down on the ground, sat down, and wiped his brow, breathing a sigh of exertion. "Whew! That was a bit of a workout! Kind of fun though, actually!" he said, petting the heads of Sueño and Alegría as they nuzzled up beside him.

"Enjoying the gardening work, Miguel? That's so wonderful to hear," Dove responded. They looked just as pleased with themself as Miguel did. "I certainly have been enjoying working together with you, my friend."

"Gracias," said Miguel, positively beaming. "I couldn't have done what I've done so far without you, though. You're the one who grew up around this stuff, I don't know the first thing about heavenly flowers. It's been so much fun learning how to care for them, honestly. I can't wait to see how our crop turns out in the end, eh?"

Dove smiled widely, wiping a small tear from their eye. "Indeed, Miguel. It's been a good day of work, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Why don't you head home and rest up now? I'm thinking about going back home myself."

"Sounds good. I hope you have a good time with Jackal when you get home, alright?"

Dove blushed slightly, and Miguel snickered. The subtle double entendre he made wasn't entirely lost on them, and their face certainly showed it. "Miguel! For goodness's sake! Are you implying something?"

"Maybe," Miguel teased, cracking up into laughter as he got up on his hooves again, grinning like a clown. "You never know with me sometimes." Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed. "Well, adiós, Dove. See you next time."

The Cherubun smiled and waved at the Succubun. "Adiós to you as well, friend."

As Miguel left the greenhouse and started making his way back to the rest of Burrowgatory, he couldn't help but be excited to see Dove again. The Heavenly Embassy, its greenhouses, and the strange plants within were growing on him, and he was beginning to think he could really get used to all the angelic new additions to his underground home.