[Koko] Diligence 1

Even if it was no longer the month of April, rain would sometimes grace the skies as the year slowly trudged towards summer. It was mostly annoying for Koko, who did not always bring an umbrella, but her work would often take her around Burrowgatory. As a result, there would often be times when she’d find herself caught under a drizzle.

She had no idea how this worked when she was standing on top of a cloud, though. Maybe the Heavenly Embassy was situated far too low from where the clouds formed to dodge the rain entirely, which felt odd from a design perspective. Wouldn’t they want to avoid the rain for their plants? She recalled that there were greenhouses here, and she could see some plants that she had never seen before growing on the magical cloudy soil. She supposed the position of the cloud was not exactly something that could be decided when it was made. Actually, Koko had no idea how such a cloud manifested in the first place.

Well, maybe it was something to ask a Cherubun, if they knew. She remembered Beanny’s encouragement a couple of days before, and since she was here in the Heavenly Embassy once more and had some free time to kill, she supposed she could give it a try.

Where was one supposed to find Cherubuns though? Everywhere she looked, she mainly saw the telltale horns of her fellow Succubuns. Sometimes an Envy one would pop out of the mix; she remembered when they were few and far between and now have settled nicely into Burrowgatory.

She turned her eyes to the grandest building in the vicinity and figured, that seems like a good place to start. Koko took her time walking towards it, following what little of a crowd there was, but there were still others visiting what she assumed was the embassy proper. She could see a few boards and signs around advertising tours and whatnot, so that was probably why they were headed over there. Eventually, she went past the pristine glass doors, and was met with a rather grand sight.

This is kind of how she imagined one of those lavish galas to look like, but like, the front door to the gala, or something. There was a bit of hustle and bustle going on, but again these look mostly like Succubuns helping out rather than Cherubuns. Based on their outfits, some of them were from the Church of Sulfur; an institution that she did not deal with much. As advertised, there was a small sign propped on the floor that had a little graphic about tours.

Koko decided to add herself as a walk-in, and after some minutes had passed, she was able to join a group that was just about to start. Their tour guide was a stiff-looking Cherubun who didn’t look like he was going to enjoy the afternoon, but the way he spoke was fluid and routine, so he must have been doing this for a while now.

She learned that his name was Primrose (“No nicknames, please.”) and that he was one of the first few Cherubuns who bravely made their way to Burrowgatory months back. Against her will (sort of), Koko also learned about the purpose of the Heavenly Embassy as well as its importance to the Cherubuns, for while their return to Burrowgatory meant a reconnection to their original roots, food was still a cause of concern. Not all of this was new information–she learned some of it from Beanny as well as her own line of work, since she was liaising with Cherubuns already in a food-related industry, but it was still interesting in its own right. A part of her wished that she had brought something to take notes.

They eventually made it to the gardens behind the embassy building, which was surprisingly large and almost sprawling. At times it was still hard to believe that she was standing on top of a cloud rather than the cavern floor, but she also wondered how far she would have to “dig” before seeing the ground below.

“Now, this part is optional, but I would appreciate it if you informed me whether or not you have prior experience with gardening.” Primrose was standing near a tool shed after guiding them into one of the many greenhouses. Their group was small, no more than seven, so they were able to comfortably fit in there without the need to bump into each other.

One hoof went up from the crowd, and it was not Koko who raised it. The bun looked a little too excited to wield a trowel or a watering can, talking about how pretty the plants looked, particularly the vibrant colors that somehow had a different sheen compared to the flora in Burrowgatory. Primrose did not seem to buy that this bun was going to be careful with the plants though, and decided to look for another volunteer.

“You – do you have any experience with gardening?”

Koko was only taken aback slightly, mostly because she was being called from a crowd. “I work in a farm, so I would say so.”

The Cherubun regarded her carefully. “Make sure to follow my instructions carefully as I demonstrate.”

*Koko was not sure what to make of the airs Primrose put on, but there was no reason to make a fuss, so she did as told. She made sure to push some of the soil aside to make a tiny hole while Primrose came over with the seeds. He gently dropped a few onto the space before instructing Koko to gently cover them with the displaced soil. After that, she was told to pour some water. So far, it didn’t seem all that different from growing plants from Burrowgatory. The saplings that were growing nearby this spot also looked pretty samey. They were green and little, with cute round leaves. She made sure to mind the plants more than the buns as their curious gazes could distract her.

“Good. (At least there was no incident this time).” Primrose had muttered the latter sentence under his breath. While demonstrating, he was also explaining the properties and uses of the plants they grew. Many were medicinal or for consumption, but the Cherubun did mention that there were other types of flowers in the Heavenly Meadow that fell in neither category. Of course, with what limited space to grow plants, they ensured that whatever was brought down here was important.

After demonstrating how to carefully plant the seeds in the soil, Primrose allowed the others to do the same with the trowel. Koko would hang back, mostly listening to the small talk amongst the other Succubuns. It made sense that they went with someone they knew, but she couldn’t deny that she felt rather awkward in their presence. At least this seemed to be the last stop of the tour (it was not very long), and Koko also felt like Primrose’s desire to engage was thinning. Nonetheless, he addressed them all politely and eventually ushered them out of the greenhouse.

He hung behind for a moment, standing beside Koko. “Thank you. You…do you know Beanny, by any chance?”

Oh, she didn’t expect the question, actually. The surprise must have been evident on her face because Primrose continued, “We know each other. She told me about you and was expecting that you’d stop by eventually.”

“Really?”

Primrose nodded. “As you know, her intuition is scary sometimes.”

Koko let out a small laugh. It was a small interaction, but it put her at ease. In hindsight, it was also silly for her not to assume that they didn’t know each other. “It is. Maybe it’s a part of being a barista.”

“It didn’t occur to me that the job requirements are so stringent.”

She learned that Primrose also frequented the café, albeit at a different time from when she usually visited, so it was unlikely they would have met by chance there. They knew each other even while in the Heavenly Meadow; such a history piqued Koko’s interest, but she knew that she was in no position to pry.

In any case, talking about coffee and a mutual friend broke the ice between them, and she was thankful to make a new acquaintance. Really, Cherubuns did not seem all that different from Succubuns, but she supposed they had their secrets that could not quite compare.