The Priestly Taste of Ambrosia

Lost between the aroma of flowers and the sweat clinging to his back, Blush moved a pot of boiled sap.

With weary arms, he lifted the pot over a strainer and poured the sap through, catching the unneeded stems as he did. “Can we trade the type of ambrosia we’re working on? If I have to stand all day in front of this hot stove, I’m going to melt.”

Primrose scoffed, “You would think a hellborn could handle the heat.”

“The burrows are technically not Hell so you can’t insult me like that.” Blush sighed heavily, “Come on, you’re not even working on the transformation ambrosias right now.”

Primrose rolled his eyes as he practically bumped Blush out of the way. “Fine, I’ll give you an easier one to do, something you can’t mess up.”

“Oh thank you Lord Primrose, I’m so thankful,” Blush teased as he moved over to the counter next to him. “I just have to mash the flower petals right or do you want me to work with those dried leaves?”

Primrose tutted, “Don’t touch the dried leaves, I’m sure you’ll suffocate yourself with the powder.”

Blush gave the cherubun a long look. “How long have I been helping you with all of this? You would think I’m not so dumb as to choke on powder.” Besides it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be careful, as much as he could complain, he honestly did like the thought of making ambrosia for cherubuns. A little something to give back to the newcomers of the burrows.

“If you didn’t complain so much I wouldn’t doubt you.”

“Oh don’t give me that, with all the errands you made me run, I have a right to complain every now and then.” And it was never true complaints, Blush would just tease Primrose that the cherubun didn’t want to do things for himself in the oh so scary world of the succubuns.

Primrose didn’t have an argument for that, so he instead huffed and was quickly moving more sap filled stems into the boiling pot.

Blush had to admit, Primrose did make all of this stuff seem easy. He would say it’s because the other is a cherubun, but with what he’s seen, he truly believed Primrose was just a very capable and diligent bun. It was one of the things he really respected about the other and also something he would never tell him.

For now, the priest went ahead with mashing flower petals into a wooden bowl, watching as the plant gave way into pulp.

There was a long moment of silence, before Blush decided he would break it. “You know once we’re done here, I won’t have many reasons to return to the embassy,”

Primrose made a noncommittal noise.

Blush decided to push forward. “Which means you and I won’t have many chances to talk like this anymore. At least not very often.”

Primrose paused, before daring a glance at the succubun. “And want exactly is the point of telling me this?”

Blush scowled and crossed his arms, “Oh come on, don’t be so unfeeling. We spent a lot of time together these past few weeks, you could at least pretend you might miss me a little.”

Primrose’s shoulder tensed, before a meek voice answered, “I will miss you.”

Blush choked hard, having to slap a hand heavily against his chest. “By Murmur, I didn’t actually think you would say that.”

“You would prefer me to not miss you at all,” Primrose snapped, he didn’t like talking about things like this: those feelings and emotions that were often troublesome.

Blush held up his hands, “Don’t get mad, I just meant I didn’t think you actually thought positive about me.”

Primrose looked at Blush with a hard glare, “You’re not nearly as insufferable as you were in the beginning and beyond that you actually give it your all these past few weeks.”

Blush looked stunned, his mouth opening and closing a few times. “Primrose, I think that might be the nicest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth. It feels unnatural.”

“I will toss this boiling water at you.”

Blush waved the thought away with a quick gesture of his hand. “If it helps, I’ll miss you too. You’re still pretty stuck up and fairly rude but you grew on me.”

Primrose looked offended, but Blush continued before the other could speak. “I like to think we’re good friends now okay? Which means even if I’m not here, I’ll visit. Especially so you don’t make any cherubuns or succubuns cry.”

Primrose shook his head. “Honestly you are a very odd bun… I expect you to visit at least biweekly. Especially if you decide to bring the lover I haven’t met yet.”

Blush smiled, and here he never thought Primrose would never take a friendly interest in him. “Of course, I’m sure Patron will want to meet you too.”

He looked down at the fresh pulp he made and whistled, “Okay, stop with the boiling and come help me pick out what flavors I’m supposed to be using.”

Primrose nearly stumbled in his haste to get away from the stove’s heat. “Just put together flavors you believe would go together and don’t you dare forget water or sugar. I’m not going to let you waste any of the flowers.”

“Shockingly I do know what tastes good and what doesn’t.”

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“You make it way too easy Primrose.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The pair had their lighthearted arguments as they continued to prepare the ambrosia. Each bun claiming they knew what flavors were better and refusing to listen to the other.

All in all, it was a good day for ambrosia.

Blush actually had never thought he could reach the fruits of his diligence towards the crafting of ambrosias, but he had finally finished the end of this long chapter.

He couldn’t wait to see what cherubuns would think of the ambrosias he helped make and how that might help them trust succubuns more.