[Ariette] PURSUIT OF DILIGENCE: CHAPTER 1

As Ariette strode into the greenhouse gardens of the Heavenly Embassy for the first time, she was immediately struck by just how beautiful everything was inside. She had imagined that the flowers from the “heavenly meadow” would indeed be heavenly to behold, but what she saw before her far exceeded even her wildest imaginings. The lush garden greenhouse was full of gorgeous flowers that were all faintly shimmering in the light. She didn’t regret making a detour on her way to the Paradise Café this morning to see the flowers after all. In her mind, it had definitely been worth it. 

The entire area was brimming with an ethereal glow, and just the sight of it all made Ariette feel a sudden sense of calm and serenity. This was a beautiful, peaceful place. She would most definitely be visiting here again.

Hearing footsteps coming from behind her, Ariette turned to see Dove walking up to her with a small smile on their face. 

“Oh hello there, Ariette!” the friendly Cherubun called to her.

Ariette waived cheerfully in greeting. “Good morning, Dove!” She had met Dove once before at the Heavenly Embassy, but this was the first time she was meeting them casually in the greenhouse gardens like this.

Once Dove had strode up beside Ariette, they paused and took a moment to take in the ethereal beauty of the greenhouse garden, and the two fell into a comfortable silence.

And then a thought occurred to Dove. “Ah, this is your first time here, right?”

After an affirmative nod from Ariette, Dove gave a quick smile, and then, gesturing to the floral menagerie, asked, “So, what do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Oh most definitely.” Ariette replied fondly. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I mean, some of these flowers seem truly out of this world!!”

“I certainly agree with you.” Dove hummed thoughtfully, staring out into the depths of the gardens, watching as the flowers shimmered faintly.

Then, suddenly looking back at Ariette, they asked, “Since you’re already here, would you like to help plant some flowers with me?”

At this, Ariette’s eyes lit up. The invitation was not something she would pass up. Plus, she was incredibly curious about how the Cherubuns cared for these otherworldly flowers.

“Of course I would!” She said with a gentle smile. She was so excited to be able to help plant these beautiful flowers and felt delighted and honored that Dove had asked her to assist them in planting.

“Then follow me!” Dove responded with a warm smile, and without hesitation, Ariette fell into step beside them, and the two walked in unison to one of the further edges of the greenhouse where they would be planting the seeds. Once they had found a suitable area, Dove kneeled next to an empty plot and gently patted the earth beside them, motioning for Ariette to kneel as well. 

“So, firstly…” Dove began, “The flowers from the Heavenly Embassy aren’t like the flowers found in the rest of Burrowgatory. They’re very delicate, so you’ll want to handle these with extreme care.” 

Ariette nodded her head as Dove went on, “Additionally, since it’s not possible for me, or any of the other Cherubuns in Burrowgatory to return to back to the Heavenly Meadow anymore, these are the only flowers that we have.“

“Why aren’t you allowed to return to the Heavenly Meadow to get more flowers?” Ariette questioned. 

“That’s um…” Dove frowned. “That’s a long story, to be honest. To put it simply, Melangel declared that if any of us Cherubuns ever decided to leave the Heavenly Meadow, we were never allowed to come back. That’s why these flowers are so important to me, and to all of us Cherubuns. That’s also why it is of the utmost importance that we take care of these flowers, and why you exercise extreme care as we plant and cultivate these growing seeds to ensure that they will be able to slowly mature into heavenly flowers.”

After they finished speaking, Dove opened a small bag that they had tucked into their waistcoat. Then, they emptied the contents, gently placing a few shimmering seeds into Ariette’s outstretched palms. Very softly, Ariette lifted her hands and saw how the seeds caught the light. She observed an almost holographic tint reflecting off of their surface as she tilted them ever so slightly from side to side. She smiled softly as she lowered her hands back down again, and watched as Dove began parting the soil with a trowel. 

“Gently now, place the seeds in the upturned patch of dirt.” Ariette did as she was instructed, tenderly placing each shimmering seed down against the dirt. After they had been placed, Dove reached behind them and began packing dirt back over the top of the seeds. 

Dove then stood and walked out of Ariette’s line of sight around a corner that was dotted with blossoming ambrosia. A few moments later, they returned with a small watering can.

“This is the most important step.” Dove cautioned, capturing Ariette’s full attention. “This…” they said, gesturing to the galvanized can, “is full of holy water, which is the active agent in opening the angelic coating of each heavenly seed. Without this holy water, none of these flowers here could grow or survive.”

“So, essentially…” Dove continued, “Without us Cherubuns present to bless the water, this entire greenhouse full of flowers would cease to exist. But, you can think of it like this. As long as there are Cherubuns in Burrowgatory, there will be heavenly flowers here for everyone to enjoy.” At this, Ariette gave them a warm smile. 

~~~

After they had finished planting the bag of seeds, the two of them sat back and looked at the patch of dirt, imagining the lovely the flowers that would sprout from this soil. 

“This garden is so lovely, Dove.” Ariette said with a soft smile. 

“I’m delighted you feel that way.” Dove smiled back. 

“I’m so excited to see what flowers will grow from these seeds.”She was positively brimming with happiness at the idea of those little seeds growing into beautiful, glorious flowers like those in the rest of the greenhouse. She’d certainly be visiting again to check the progress of those plants, and perhaps to even help with other gardening endeavors if the need arose. 

After a small moment of silence, Dove said, “Come, there are more flowers to be planted in the greenhouse today. Would you like to help me?” 

Ariette beamed and nodded, and the two strode off together to plant more ambrosia seeds.