Let her in

“What do you think you're doing?!” a stern voice demanded.

Faust was in a greenhouse she had never seen before full of strange new plants she hadn't read about in any of the botany books found in the Church or at Murmur’s home. She thought she was under the shade of a crawling plant with large leaves that provided the perfect colourful shade, lying on her side mesmerized by the way a small yellow flower bobbed up and down as she poked at it. 

She also thought this was all quite obvious. Perhaps this was one of those questions that you’re not supposed to answer. So she only rolled over to look at whoever was speaking to her, a sweet smile on her lips “Hello there!”

It was a doll hovering over her, though he didn’t quite look like anyone she’d ever seen before. The other had no horns, but there was a strange glowing disk behind his head. His ear ends split in three rounded points, and there wasn’t a tail in sight. His expression was pinched into such a deep scowl, Faust wondered if the lines were permanently edged into his face. Colour rose to that face as soon as he got a good look at her, but it also made his apparent dissatisfaction deepen.

“What are you doing here!?” he demanded again, voice an octave higher than before, and this time didn’t let her answer “Who do you think you are to trample my greenhouse like this?? Hurry and get up!!”

“Oh, it’s your greenhouse?” Faust asked innocently as she began to rise, much slower than the other would like judging by the impatience in his light eyes “It’s very beautiful! Don’t worry sir” she hopped over a patch of unknown white flowers and onto the stone-paved path “I was only on the grass, and I asked if I could lie there beforehand too”

“And who exactly did you ask?” the other demanded, scrutinizing the spot Faust had occupied “I never gave permission for something like this!”

“I asked the grass” Faust answered mildly, but it seemed to make the man angry

“Are you making fun of me!? Grass can’t talk or understand when it’s being talked to!”

“Maybe it won’t talk to you, sir, but I understand it quite well”

The man looked at her. Really looked at her. He took a deep breath, held it for a beat, as if considering his next words. Then finally breathed out in a huff.

“...I suppose you really didn’t trample anything, so I’ll forgive you this time. None of this anymore though! Do you know how important the plants growing here are?? Out with you” He pointed in the direction Faust assumed the exit was.

However, she didn’t want to just leave.

“I really don’t know” Faust said and, instead of going anywhere, squatted down to look closely at a small pink flower “If it’s your personal greenhouse, sir, with very important plants, how come it’s so easy to get into. I was just walking around the outskirts of Burrowgatory and ended up in here” She looked up at him with big, doe-like eyes “If you’ve forgiven me, won’t you tell me a little about it?”

“I–huh” The man looked a bit perplexed “You really don’t know where you are? At all??”

Faust only made a negative noise accompanied by a shake of the head, veil rustling behind her. The man gaped a little.

“The only way from Burrowgatory to here is through a massive elevator, how do you do that by just wandering around?!”

“I have many talents, sir” Faust answered and thought she could see the veins popping up on the other’s forehead, his face overtaken by an angry shade of red “Ah, am I upsetting you? But I really don’t know, won’t you tell me? Please sir” Long lashes and the small bat wings next to them fluttered pleadingly.

The other didn’t look pleased with her still, but didn’t seem to be as angry anymore either. He hemmed and hawed for a few moments, pacing in a small circle. Faust had just made herself comfortable sitting on the ground when he suddenly stopped and stood right before her, back straight as an arrow.

“Fine. Fine!” he announced “I’ll explain, since you seem sincere enough, but you better listen!!”

Thus Faust was informed the person she was speaking to was named Primrose, and briefed on the Heavenly Meadow, what had transpired a bit before she had been released into the wild by Murmur, Cherubuns’ existence and brief history in Burrowgatory and, of course, the Heavenly Embassy that she was currently occupying space inside of. It was all supposed to be brief, but really, it was just like Father Oleander’s sermons (the ones where no one was waiting for him in a corner after, so he was in no rush to stop talking). Faust understood about as much too.

One thing she knew though - Cherubuns loved and cherished the greenhouse and all her plants. Faust truly could relate! She loved her garden in the Church more than anything, really, she loved every plant there was. And the ones here were so wondrous and strange!

So when Primrose asked if she had questions for him, all that was on her mind was

“Can I help out in the Greenhouse??”

“Absolutely not.” Faust was crushed. Completely devastated. The heartbreak was so clear on her face it made Primrose physically recoil, then hurry to backtrack “Not… not immediately. Eventually, ok? Stop looking at me like that!”

“Then… then when?” she asked, not quite daring to be hopeful.

“There’s many precious plants in here, so I can’t let just anyone take care of them” Primrose cleared his throat “You have to prove trustworthy first. Come and take care of the rest of the embassy for a while, so I can ascertain your intentions and character”

Faust, who approached anything and everything with only the utmost sincerity and expected the same of everyone else, felt a bit offended by the distrust. But Primrose didn’t seem like a bad person himself, and he and the other cherubuns had only recently arrived in an unknown land, so she supposed it made sense for him to be a bit wary, even if it was unfounded. So she swallowed her complaints and quietly went home with a list of tasks for the next day’s cleaning duties.

♡

“WHAT are you wearing!?”

Primrose’s scandalized, high-pitched shriek echoed through the hallway they were in, the rest of the embassy and probably all of Burrowgatory. Faust only gave a mild look of confusion and a gentle tilt of her head “A maid outfit, for my maid duties” She explained patiently.

That maid outfit consisted of a black strapless leotard with a big bow on the back, white fishnet tights (much more breathable than regular ones!), shoulder length gloves to keep her hands and arms clean, and a collar and short necktie to look professional without it getting in the way. Faust thought she was dressed both functional and cute, and had thanked Mercy endlessly for providing it to her.

Primrose, it seemed, didn’t agree, but he also seemed to have lost his ability to voice why.

His entire face was red, and every time his eyes landed on her, they darted away, as if burned by the sight. However, his gaze quickly returned, again and again.

He was a bit strange, Faust concluded, but not an unpleasant person.

Having decided that, she returned to dusting the decorative vase placed on a small pedestal next to one of the many doors in this hallway “How about placing some flowers in this?” She suggested, turning to look at the other again.

Primrose, who apparently had gathered some of his bearings, finally remembered how to speak. However, it seemed he forgot how to listen, because his words were wholly disconnected from the question he was asked.

“Why are you…! You don’t need a special outfit to clean!”

“If it stays empty, it’ll just gather more dust. An imp could even crawl inside” Faust continued, wiping the inside with her rag

“That’s not what maids wear anyway! Not even close!!” Primrose also continued “You’ve dressed like that just to be inappropriate and provocative, with no respect to yourself or anyone or anything–!”

“I dressed like this because I like it” said Faust mildly “Should we go pick some flowers?”

“You–No. Why would we pick flowers?”

“For the vase”

Primrose blinked, confused “It’s decorative on its own, it doesn’t need–”

“You weren’t listening to me, were you?” Faust interrupted with a sad look in her dark eyes, disappointment evident in her tone “I’m doing my best to tidy up and think of ways to better the place, and you weren’t listening at all, focusing on irrelevant things” The other shrunk a little “If how I’m dressed is such a problem, I’ll take it off and we can continue properly, ok?”

Hearing that, Primrose assumed the succubun meant she had a second outfit to change into. What Faust actually meant was to get naked on the spot.

So Primrose’s mild delight turned into utter horror as he watched the other yank the leotard down to her waist, breasts spilling out. Coherent thought left him, and, acting purely on instinct, he threw himself at her with a yell “NO!”

Before the leotard could go any lower, Primrose grabbed its edge with both hands and yanked it back up with all his might, tucking Faust’s chest back safely inside “No need! No need!! You can’t just–!! You can’t!!!”

“But since you hate it I thought–”

“I don’t hate it!” He assured, almost hysterically. Knowing the alternative, such a skimpy outfit suddenly seemed almost conservative even “It’s fine! It’s fine, alright? It was my fault so forget it! Let’s clean, let’s just clean, ok?!”

Faust, who had never thought anyone would react with panic and fear when faced with something as common as breasts, was a bit taken aback. She could only nod.

Thus they cleaned.

From the hallway to the main lobby to several other hallways and offices, Faust would clean the dust, Primrose would sweep the floor, and then Faust would mop it. As the taller one, it was left to her to climb a little stepladder to scrub the windows clean with a wet cloth and dry them with crumpled newspapers while Primrose changed the soapy water and washed the cloth for her.

The light outside was dimming, painting the clouds the embassy rested on in pretty shades of purple and orange by the time the cherubun declared them done. Faust stretched with a sigh. She had a good time but really, proving her sincerity was so much work!

“Faust!” after putting the basin of water and washcloths away, Primrose came up to her, shoulders drooping, hands behind his back “Listen. I–I wanted to apologize. For raising my voice earlier”

“It’s alright” She smiled sweetly “I’m sorry for scaring you too”

“I–Huh. When did you scare me?”

“When I took my top off and–”

“I wasn’t scared!” Primrose bristled, then quickly cleared his throat to continue with a serious tone “In any case, I can see you’re a serious and hard-working bun so… You’re officially granted access to the Greenhouse! With supervision, of course. For now.”

Faust’s eyes widened, and a spark lit up in them.

“Oh, thank you sir!” she called out, smiling ear to ear, and threw herself at Primrose for a tight hug. He couldn’t predict how happy that’d make her, nor evade, so for a moment he only stood stiff in her embrace. Then hurriedly patted her shoulder

“Right, right, right, it’s all fine, let go now, let go now!”

Faust pulled away, but her smile didn’t waver. Oh she couldn’t wait to tell everyone at the Church about it! However, before she could bid Primrose farewell and rush off back home to do that, the other thrust a thick book in her face.

“BUT! You must work on your manners!” he declared “The way of proper conduct is described in detail here, and I expect you to read it cover to cover and follow it strictly on your next visits!”

Faust stared at the thick tome, blinking a few times “Is it mandatory?”

“...No” Primrose looked away. The other cherubuns hadn’t agreed.

“Then…” he could already hear her disagreement as well, and hurried to shove the book in her hands

“Just read it! If I can’t get through to you, maybe reading it yourself will help!”

“Help with what?”

“Your sense of propriety!”

Faust tilted her head at the book “I don’t know that word.”

Primrose bristled. Considered revoking her greenhouse access until she learned to act right. Looked her once over again, for the nth time. Sighed. He was tired, he’d let it go, only for today.