[Comm] Diligence part 5

“Thank you for coming with me on your day off again, Vel.” Ephemer leaned into his husband's side, sighing softly as the other Envy doll put his arm around him. 

They were on the elevator tower, heading up to the Heavenly Embassy. By this point Ephemer was used to the journey, but Velvet was looking out the window and watching Burrowgatory get smaller and smaller. When Ephemer spoke, though, his husband turned to look at him.

“You seem nervous, Eph,” Velvet pointed out gently. “Is something wrong? Did something happen to the plants you've been working on?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, I just…” Ephemer pulled away from Velvet slightly to grab his phone and show him the text he’d received from Primrose earlier. Who would’ve thought that he’d ever text me? We’ve sure come a long way from Primrose sending other buns to bring me a physical message… “Look. Primrose says ‘today’s task is of utmost importance. Due to the ambrosia’s delicate nature, it will also be quite time-consuming, so bring your husband if you’d like.’ He’s usually really picky about who helps with the ambrosia, so it probably says something for how intense today will be…” 

“Huh. I wonder what the task is.” Velvet mused. “It’s so important, but he’s letting me come with? He barely knows me.” 

“Maybe Primrose was so impressed with your watering skills that he decided you were trustworthy.” Ephemer teased. 

Velvet snorted a laugh and bumped Ephemer with his hip. “Well, it’s not like we’ll figure it out by talking about it. Let’s put it aside until we can actually ask Primrose about it, yeah?” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

The two Envy dolls remained relatively silent for the rest of the journey, making small talk as they headed towards their destination. 

~

They arrived at the greenhouse soon enough, Ephemer’s hooves carrying him to the familiar building easily. Velvet held the door open for Ephemer, and the two went inside. 

“Good morning Primrose!” Ephemer called out, trying to ignore the twinge of anxiety that wavered in his voice. “We’re - oh, hi Dove! I didn’t expect to see you here too.” 

The two Cherubuns looked over at Ephemer’s greeting, and the second one practically bounced over to say hello. 

“Hi Ephemer, it’s so good to see you again!” Dove looked over to Velvet, tipping their head to the side slightly. “And who’s this?” 

“This is Velvet, my husband. Vel, this is Dove, the very first Cherubun to come to Burrowgatory.” 

Dove cast Velvet a wide smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Velvet!” 

“Uh, yeah, hi.” Velvet mumbled a soft greeting, looking back and forth between Dove and Primrose, obviously taken aback by the difference in their personalities. “I've heard about you from Jackal, it's nice to finally have a face to the name.”

“Do you often help out in the greenhouses, Dove?” Ephemer asked. He didn’t remember ever seeing Dove in this part of the Embassy… Or in the Embassy at all, now that he thought about it. 

“As often as I can,” they answered. “Because I was the first Cherubun to come down from the Heavenly Meadows, I know how it feels to not have any support… I want to do my best to make sure no other Cherubun has to feel that way.” Dove looked downcast for a moment, but quickly shook it off. “Helping Primrose with the ambrosia is part of that, since the medicine he makes is so important to all of us. And he doesn’t usually have much help he can trust with the harvesting!”

“That’s what we’re doing today,” Primrose clarified loudly, as if to stop Dove from saying anything else that might deepen his blush. “Many of the ambrosia plants have flowered and are ready to harvest.” 

Primrose gestured at Ephemer and Velvet to follow him, and led them to a flower bed full of blooming ambrosia plants. “You’ll be using your hands for this, as the trowel has the chance to damage the roots of the plants, and we need them to stay intact for now.” 

Primrose showed them how to carefully dig into the soil and scoop up the plants, gently removing most of the soil from the roots. He then turned to Dove, who was waiting with some damp paper towel. They held it flat and Primrose delicately laid the ambrosia plant onto the towel, after which Dove folded the paper towel over so the plant’s roots were completely safe within the dampness. 

“This will help keep each plant as fresh as possible for long enough for us to harvest the rest!” Dove explained cheerily, going over to lay the plant gently on a nearby table. 

“The rest…” Ephemer looked around the greenhouse, taking in its entirety; there were at least a hundred flower beds in here, and multiple ambrosia planted in each one. He turned to Velvet, smiling with a hint of an apology. “I guess we’re lucky you came along, right?” 

Velvet scoffed in response, but his expression was playful.

~ 

The Succubuns were noticeably slower than Primrose and Dove because of their lack of practice, but Ephemer and Velvet did their best to help with the harvesting process as much as they could. Every plant Ephemer pulled out seemed to stay fully intact, and each one got carefully wrapped in damp paper towels by Velvet.

Eventually Primrose came by with a large plastic bin and had the Envy dolls place their harvest inside, layering the plants carefully to make sure none of their hard work was wasted. The Cherubun gave the greenhouse a once over and nodded in satisfaction. 

“You two did excellent work today.” Primrose acknowledged, sounding not only impressed but also genuinely happy. “It’s late; you two should go home.”

Ephemer looked out through the windows and was surprised to see that Primrose was right. He’d completely lost track of time, solely focused on being careful with the ambrosia. “Wow, I didn’t even notice.” He looked down at his dirt-caked hands, and was suddenly hit with the fatigue that his hyperfocus had been holding back. Velvet was there to steady him as he swayed. “Should I… Come back tomorrow?” 

Velvet opened his mouth, but Primrose spoke up before the Envy could speak. 

“Absolutely not. Take tomorrow - no, take the next two days off.” Primrose held up a hand to cut off Ephemer's objection. “Dove and I are more than capable of handling the rest; you also aren't the only Succubun I've been training. I'll be okay.” His usually stern face softened. “And once you're feeling better, I'll have you come and help me with the actual process of turning ambrosia into medicine.” 

Ephemer only relented when Velvet began to gently lead him towards the door. “Fine, but don't overwork yourself either, Primrose. You neither, Dove.” 

Dove smiled sleepily and waved goodbye. “Rest well!”