[Comm] Pursuit of Diligence Part 3: You Can (Not) Water the Plants

Reflected light twinkled its way through the embassy greenhouse’s windows, shining rainbow prisms over the green grass and the lush flower beds. Maxwell had no doubt her newest creation would shine with the same radiance if she could quickly haul its metallic form up to the building from her truck.

Although she wasn’t here to consider how beautiful someone would find the gardens or if her robot would be the same, she needed to go get her creation before she could worry about things like that.

She was five steps out of the greenhouse’s doors, before she heard the unmistakable sound of a familiar cherubun clearing his throat.

Primrose gave her a stern glare, his mouth pulled back into a thin line. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Maxwell stared blankly for a moment, her hands beginning to fidget as she tried to step around her words. “I need something from my truck.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say when Primrose scoffed and crossed his arms, “If it’s to get another one of your foolish robots, then you are not permitted to leave the gardens until you’ve finished watering the flowers.”

Maxwell opened her mouth to protest, but quickly withered from the cherubun’s expression, “But I-”

Primrose fixed her with another look, before he marched over and pushed a watering can into her hand. “You do not need to do anything beyond what you’re being told to do. Take this watering can, fill it and get to work. Now.”

Maxwell begrudgingly walked away from Primrose and towards a fountain in the middle of the greenhouse. Under his watchful eye, she filled up the watering can and approached the flowerbed.

“Go on,” Primrose encouraged with a slow roll of his eyes. He would never under succubuns and their desire to do things outside of the rules they were given, it was maddening. 

Maxwelll began to water the flowers, or rather their small sprouts, and tried her best to ignore the fact she was being watched. That cherubun, she could understand she was unhappy with the first version of her robots, but how could she improve if she wasn’t given the chance to test her creations again. The embassy could use some innovation, new ideas that would make their lives easier.

It was hours later that she was finally finished, her hand cramping from holding the watering can in the same position for so long. “I’m done,” she said, turning around and quickly realizing she was alone. “He… left.”

How long had he been gone? She could have ran to get her robot.

She sighed heavily, scratching at her head. Since this was over with, maybe she should just go home? It was getting darker, and if she had to hazard a guess, Primrose probably had gone to sleep. He wouldn’t have cared for the time she went to bed, but a cherubun like that probably valued his beauty sleep over succubuns without question.

Maxwell stood up straight, setting the watering can by the flowerbed, before she walked towards the doors. She stopped when she saw another cherubun staring at her, their expression curious as they set a hand on their hip.

“Now what are you still doing here?” Beanny questioned, looking amused as they set a hand against their hip. “The cafe is still open if you’re lost.”

Maxwell shook her head, “I was watering flowers for Primrose.”

“And he went to bed without telling you?” Beanny snorted, not feeling even a hint of surprise. Primrose did have a tendency for selfishness, even if he said he didn’t.

“Yes,” Maxwell muttered, feeling slightly annoyed.

Beanny looked around, before they got a mischievous look on their face. “I saw you and Primrose arguing earlier, what was that about?”

Maxwell hesitated, but given Primrose was nowhere in sight, she imagined she could say whatever she wished. “I wanted to use a new watering robot I made and he doesn’t believe those should be allowed here.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t like when things change,” Beanny muttered, “Say you wouldn’t have happened to bring it with you?”

Maxwell raised an eyebrow, “It’s down in my truck.”

“Let’s say I hold the doors open for you, would you be able to get your robot up here without waking up Primrose? I’ll even help you carry it to the gardens, at least a third of the way to the garden.” Which meant Beanny wasn’t able to walk all the way to Maxwell’s truck.

Maxwell lit up, her expression twisting into something excited as she imagined testing her robot. “Wait here, I’ll bring it right up.”

She didn’t wait for an answer as she dashed out of the greenhouse, her footsteps light in the hallway before she broke out into a run outside of the embassy.

It was a quick twenty minutes later that Beanny watched from the embassy’s front door as Maxwell rolled her robot towards the cherubun. Beanny didn’t realize it would have wheels, it seems they didn’t have to carry anything after all.

They gestured to their side, “Well come on, right through here.”

The pair of buns and a craftily built robot found themselves once again in the greenhouse. There were small tire tracks leading all the way to the flowerbeds.

Maxwell wasn’t sure how much time she would have as she hooked up the robot‘s hose to a nearby spout, only turning on the water pressure when she was sure it was firmly attached. She slowly pulled it closer to the flowerbed, watching as the coil wheel shifted and rolled out more of the hose.

Beanny whistled, “So you made this thing yourself?”

Maxwell nodded, opening the robot’s control panel as she made sure none of her wiring or circuits were out of place.

Beanny didn’t seem bothered by the silent question, instead they laughed quietly, “That sure is something else. “I can’t wait to see how Primrose reacts to seeing all this.” It wasAs if on cue, the robot rattled to life once more and neatly watered each flowerbed with a shocking amount of precision

The cherubuns were shunned into silence for a moment before Beanny started laughing, “Oh a real terror that thing is, it did your job for you in half the amount of time.”

Primrose flushed, “I still don’t like it here, it promotes that one lazy vice.”

Beanny snorted, “It’s just one robot, you still have a ton of chores to do everyday.” bound to be something funny, they were sure of that.

Eventually Maxwell stopped, seemingly satisfied with whatever adjustments she made. “I programmed it to be on a timer, it should water the flowers at the exact moment they need.”

Beanny wanted to ask more questions, but it was getting late and they didn’t want to be out here all night to ask questions about a robot. “I’ll keep an eye on it for you so Primrose doesn’t try anything..”

Maxwell nodded, yawning as she closed the control panel. “Right, it’s getting late. I gotta head back home. I’m beat.” Probably before she had to deal with other succubuns trying to steal from her truck again, her equipment was expensive and irritating to replace.

Beanny nodded, waving off the succubun as she stumbled out of the gardens. “Oh he’s going to lose his mind over this. I better not tell him I was the one that let her back in here.”

The night passed quietly after Maxwell left, the soft sounds of water splashing over the beds and a robot diligently at work. There was no one to stop Maxwell’s invention and no one to question why it was in the gardens in the first place.

That calm wouldn’t last forever, not when the light broke over the garden again.

It was then that Primrose walked into the garden, glancing at the plants with a calm expression, until he spied the glint of metal. “What is… that succubun!”

He stomped his hoof angrily, glaring at the robot. “If she thinks I’ll accept her sneaking that things into the embassy, she-”

“Bit early to be yelling,” Beanny interrupted him, leaning against the greenhouse’s door with an amused quirk of her eyebrow. “You’re going to wake everyone and everything up if you keep doing that.”

Primrose hissed, “Someone threw this ugly thing in the gardens, I’m going to get rid of it.”

“Primrose don’t throw away her things, what’s the harm in it staying here?”

“You should have seen the mess they made the last time they were here! There was soil everywhere!”

Beanny raised their hands, “Come on, calm down. You really are yelling too loud.”

The cherubuns continued to lightly bicker as the robot watered. Primrose may not understand the need for robots; but it was hard to deny that Maxwell’s invention worked wonders in a way they had never seen before.

The succubun really did know what she was talking about, she worked hard to perfect her robots and some errors didn’t mean a thing.

She was an inventor and a damn good one.