prompt - pursuit of diligence 04

PROMPT - PURSUIT OF DILIGENCE: CHAPTER 04

Succubun - MYO-4927, Aysel + mention of others owned by me
Cherubun - NPC, Primrose + NPC, Beanny

“Thanks for bringing me again,” Aysel murmured, hopping off the back of Will’s motorbike with his bag in tow. He handed his helmet over.

Will tucked it into the designated compartment. “Of course, tiny. Least I could do after leaving you to fend for yourself last week.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, leaning back against his bike. “Though I am surprised I had to offer this time. Normally, you’d be whining by my bedside first thing in the morning.”

Aysel looked up at him meekly, ears droopy.

“Haha, don’t worry. You know I enjoy your presence, whining or not. Oh, come to think of it—no bag travel this time, either. What incited all this change, all of a sudden?”

“Um… I don’t really know. I guess I just forgot or something, these tasks have been getting to me a lot.” Furrowing his eyebrows, Aysel tapped a finger against his cheek. His travel intentions this morning were a little vague, even to him; was he going to ask someone else to take him again, just in case his emotional support Will wouldn’t be available this time either? Cleanly dodge the disappointment-bullet before the shot was even taken?

No, Aysel did not simply not ask Will, the most convenient, safest person ever, for something when possible. Deep down, he might have wanted to give braving the entire trip by himself a go… which would have been a huge leap for him. He was kind of glad Will had offered to bring him without the need for, uh, whining in the end. Going alone would’ve been terrifying.

.. Whoa, sheesh. Maybe his friends were right, and these attachment issues were worse than he thought. With a huff, Aysel quickly shook that thought off.

“Anyway, I’m gonna do bean stuff today,” he said, plopping his head against Will’s arm. “Something about, uh, another delivery? Tea leaves turned out not to be a code name for ambrosia here, so coffee beans are probably also just coffee beans. Want me to get you some?”

“I don’t think you can just get me Embassy beans like it’s nothing, especially when they are meant to be delivered elsewhere,” Will said, affectionately raking his fingers through his roommate’s light hair. “But thank you, tiny. Be safe—see you in a bit, alright?”

“Ohh, okay then.” Aysel smiled sleepily. Squaring his shoulders, he entered the Heavenly Embassy, listening to the sound of Will’s motorbike revving and taking off behind him.

By now, he kind of knew his way around the place. The succubun walked with purpose, keeping an eye out for Primrose amidst the other cherubuns gathered here today. Although he truly wasn’t late this time, their reunion was still rather hasty: Primrose took him by the shoulder and nudged him to the Embassy gardens, as if he couldn’t walk there perfectly well on his own.

“Why are we in a hurry?” he stammered, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“We aren’t,” Primrose said. “I would simply like you to get this over with quickly. The harvest is coming up, I’ve got a lot of preparations to make. Speaking of—perhaps you can check on the flowers whilst I fetch the coffee beans.”

“Huh, but you told me I only have to make a delivery today.”

“.. Yes, but I still have to get the beans, and you are already here anyhow. Surely this would be the most convenient moment for a quick check?” The blonde raised his eyebrows. “You don’t have to do something only when it’s a task you’re given, you can also simply choose to do a little extra work because it is a kind thing to do.”

Why would I choose to do more work when I don’t have to do more work..? Aysel decided not to voice that thought. “Kind to the flowers?” he asked instead.

Primrose blinked in surprise. “Er… yes..?”

Oh… Alright, that made sense, actually. Aysel supposed a quick check wouldn’t hurt!

.. Hehe, look at him, doing extra work without really needing to.

As Primrose assembled about a handful of small, paper bags filled with coffee beans, Aysel made a round around the gardens—specifically, the planter he had been occupying himself with. It was meant to be a quick check, but he ended up taking a good fifteen minutes. The flowers grew remarkably fast, some looked like they were just inches away from blooming.

Enthralled, Aysel leaned over the planter and studied a beautiful ambrosia flower that was just budding, while he remembered planting only three weeks earlier. Wow… maybe next week, he would get to see them in their full glory. He felt proud, kind of like a dad, in a way—or what he imagined a dad of plants specifically might maybe possibly feel like?

Uh, let’s just stick to ‘being proud’.

When the coffee beans were snugly placed within Aysel’s fluffy bag, he waved Primrose goodbye for the day and set off to the Paradise Cafe, located right within the Heavenly Embassy itself.

“Hello?” the little sloth bun called as he stepped inside. His cheeks flushed red; it was a well-loved cafe, clearly, as multiple heads, both cherubuns and succubuns alike, turned in surprise. “U-uhh… sorry, don’t mind me, please don’t look at me…”

Muttering under his breath, he quickly shuffled to the counter. “B-bean delivery,” he squeaked, rummaging around in his bag to fumble the beans into view.

A cherubun with curly, white hair and soft pink eyes popped up from behind the counter. “Ah!” she shouted, pointing at him. She wore a frilly, coffee-stained apron, giving away it was the owner he was dealing with. “You must be Aysel! Right in time with my beans, heh, I was just whipping up my last batch.”

“U-uh, yeah!” Aysel quickly obliged to the grabby hands being made at him, shoving the little paper bags across the counter. The owner eagerly collected them, pouring them out into labeled, intricately crafted glass jars with tightly sealed lids.

“Thanks a bunch!” she said, smiling kindly. “Well! Aysel, I’m Beanny, and welcome to my cafe. Now that you’re here, fancy a cup? You look like you could use a morning kickstarter, and I’ve been experimenting with some new brews.”

Confused, Aysel tracked down the nearest clock: it was almost midday, way past the time one would usually consume a morning kickstarter. Beanny, however, did not seem to be judgmental of his perpetually sleepy-looking stature, rather welcoming it instead.

Wow… How nice of her! Hehe. Maybe it was just good marketing, sure, maybe she was just being amicable to secure another customer, but Aysel fell for it willingly. He nodded shyly, and Beanny immediately gestured for him to follow her.

She set him down at a cozy little table for one in the corner of the cafe, and began rattling off the brews she had recently concocted. “So, I’ve been working on this blend that combines Embassy beans with Burrowgatory ones, perhaps that will reap some interesting results—oh, and what do you think of a good ol’ cinnamon-apple latte? If my calculations are correct, it should taste like an apple pie on the back of your tongue. Perfect for the season, no?”

Okay, so maybe what she was really after was a lab rat. But, Aysel still fell for it willingly! He selected one of the brews she had summed up—the chocolate sprinkle blueberry swirl espresso or… something—and Beanny quickly bolted off. “Won’t be long, I’ll be with you in a jiffy!”

The coffee was very good, albeit without weird side-effects, which Beanny seemed a little disappointed by. It did not quite wake him up, for nothing ever fully woke him up anyway, but Aysel enjoyed it all the same. Ahh, once again, he was glad he had come. The ambrosia flowers were doing amazing, he got a nice cup of coffee… and he felt like he had done some extra good work today, specifically because he had not done it only because he was asked to.

You know what… Maybe he would try to go by himself next week, just to test his own limits. That leap would have to be taken at some point, and he felt more confident now than ever.