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Bishop At the end of an alley is a rough iron gate carved in a narrow wall, but beyond the gate lies a vast, barren plain. Towering ominously over the plain is a gothic monolith - the Cathedral of Our Lady in Bloodshed. Framed by countless shattered accoutrements of war is an arched doorway, the doors agape, inviting visitors.
venus{A} approaches the Cathedral with trepidation, pausing to admire the 'decorations' for perhaps a minute or two too long before entering. The note had been nice enough, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Bishop was going to be harder to convince than the others about her continued right to live.
Bishop The Cathedral's interior is sparkling, brilliant white, stark contrast to its severe grey and red exterior. As venus ventures further into the structure, the fantastical gargoyles give way to small groups of robed monks scurrying back and forth in silence, avoiding the guest altogether. Just ahead lies the round courtyard, where the Bishop can be seen on a vast chessboard, squaring off with hundreds of stone soldiers.
venus{A} approaches the Bishop, standing silently a respectful distance away, to watch the game.
Bishop The soldiers melt to dust with the touch of his lance, and each turn he moves to position himself just out of their reach. To untrained eyes, it is merely a string of awkward, erratic steps, but to a martial artist's eye, it is a brilliant dance around lines of attack. At length, though, he pauses, the soldiers all vanish into the smooth surface of the courtyard, and the Bishop faces her.
Bishop "Solar?"
venus{A} "Yes." she says, simply, watching him intently.
Bishop stands like a statue, the lance nonthreateningly downturned, the crimson silk banner pooling around his feet like blood. "What do you remember?"
venus{A} "From when?"
Bishop "From the only 'when' I might ask about."
Bishop 's tone is gentle. Charming. Even ... sweet.
venus{A} "I remember less than I wish. I remember how grand it was, with my kind ruling the world. All of life was glorious, from the roads we trod on to the food we ate, and the buildings that soared gracefully above us. I remember the greatest of wars, the subtlest of assassinations. I remember being betrayed by the ones we trusted." She looks him in the eye, "And everything shattering around us."
Bishop "Then you remember enough to want it back."
venus{A} "is that an accusation or a proposition?"
Bishop "It was a statement. What do you call yourself today?"
venus{A} "I've grown to like Venus, but Harmony or Jade is fine."
Bishop "I like Jade. You are Jade." The Bishop stirs from his frozen posture, slowly approaching her. "Who do you trust, Jade?"
venus{A} "I can't tell you that until you number among them."
Bishop pauses, tilting his head slightly. "How bizarre."
venus{A} "Is it? I find trust is easy to abuse, if it is in the wrong hands."
Bishop "I am the most trustworthy creature in Heaven, Jade. You can always trust that I will be violent, relentless, harsh, vindictive, and cruel. I will never fail you."
venus{A} "Well, that's a relief," she replies drily. "Is that why you called me here?"
Bishop lodges the point of his lance in the dirt, leaving it to stand as he folds his arms over his chest and walks closer to Jade, stopping only when they are almost touching. "Trust everyone to be who they are. Trust no-one to be what you want."
venus{A} looks up at him, tensing but not moving away. "Never assume you know who someone is."
Bishop smiles broadly, his arms unfolding to wrap around Jade, embracing her as one might embrace something deeply cherished. His laugh is warm, ringing in the empty courtyard like a churchbell.
venus{A} jumps a little as his arms close around her, hers pressed against his chest, and she looks up at him. She laughs along with him, uncertainly
Bishop Still laughing, he strokes her hair, swaying slightly with her held close. In an instant, though, the laughter ends, along with the embrace. Linen robes shred away, giving way to steel, and his fists grip her collar. The Bishop shoves her to the floor, planting a knee on her chest to pin her, to hinder her breathing. Wisps of black smoke stream from the joints and seams of his armor, from his eyes, his nostrils, his mouth.
Bishop He leans in close, his voice rough, harsh, booming in her ear. "Who do you fear?"
venus{A} chokes, repressing her reflex to get away. She grips his wrists, trying to ease the pressure on her neck. "The Bishop of Strife." she coughs.
Bishop 's hellish battle-visage vanishes as quickly as it appeared, and the hands at her neck are no longer steel-clad. The knee no longer squeezes her ribs, and the Bishop lifts her to sit upright. "Now you know who I am."
venus{A} rubs her neck and takes a few deep breaths, "Nice..to meet you."
Bishop He's smiling warmly again, putting an arm around her shoulders. "With that out of the way, would you like some tea?"
venus{A} sighs a little, then smiles and straightens. "Tea sounds lovely."
Bishop "Splendid!" Why, he's positively cheery! The Bishop rises to his feet, offering to help her up off the floor. "I think we have much yet to discuss."
venus{A} takes his hand and pulls herself up, then dusts herself off and fixes her hair. "This is becoming a theme."
Bishop "Is it?" He chuckles, back to being sweet and warm. A low table, in the company of two lavish wingchairs, swaggers up, bearing a black iron tea service. "Please, sit, be comfortable!"
venus{A} sits, and takes some tea, relaxing a little. "Let me guess, you want to know why I'm here, with your sphere?"
Bishop smiles, gesturing dismissively. "I will acquire that information at my leisure. Sweet of you to offer, though."
venus{A} laughs. "Alright."
Bishop He sips his tea, watching her, clearly thinking complex thoughts. A brief flicker of red flame dances across the hammered bronze orb that replaces his left eye. "I do hope I didn't hurt you. I'd hate to think how Autumn might react to finding bruises left by someone else's fingers on you."
venus{A} "I'm fine, thank you. I heal quickly." She sips her tea, and rubs her neck once more. "And as for how he'd react, you'd have to ask him."
Bishop "I'm a terrible liar. I don't give a shit what he thinks."
jade{A} laughs again. "If you are not worried about what Autumn thinks, why didn't you hurt me?"
Bishop "Would you prefer that I had?"
jade{A} "No. But I have seen you hurt people for less reason."
Bishop "I realize that my methods may seem a bit opaque and unorthodox, but please do not misunderstand. I never engage in violence without a reason."
jade{A} "Well, you knocked Peleps Deled out instead of just talking to him. I'm just sayin'."
Bishop sighs. "I will not discuss that matter any further. It was the result of a misunderstanding between myself and my circlemates. Nothing more."
Bishop He waves the subject away, resuming his cheery, charming demeanor. "What questions of yours can I answer?"
jade{A} takes a sip of her tea, thoughtfully. "Why has no one ever heard of the Star-Chosen?"
Bishop "Because we are very, very sneaky."
jade{A} "You're not even in any tales of the First Age."
Bishop "I used two Verys."
jade{A} snorts. "Fair enough."
Bishop "Do you have other questions?"
jade{A} thinks
Bishop sips tea.
jade{A} "What do you want for Creation?"
Bishop "I don't really know yet. I've been out of town for a while, and things seem to have changed a bit during my absence."
jade{A} "what did you want before?"
Bishop shrugs. "A good clean fight."
jade{A} "A fight for what, though?"
Bishop "A fight for a fight. It pleases Our Lady in Bloodshed."
jade{A} "you don't think there's a higher purpose in all this? I mean, someone gives you jobs and things, don't you think they have some sort of vision as to how it's all supposed to work out?"
Bishop "I don't think there is any 'working out' to happen. We work to sustain. There is no end, only an infinite string of tasks geared towards metaphysical homeostasis."
jade{A} "Why not work to improve?"
Bishop smiles serenely. "Ultimately, improvements are transient. When the pendulum swings one direction, in time it must swing just as far from center in the other direction. By avoiding improvement, we avoid catastrophe."
jade{A} "What about the forces that are trying to destroy Creation?"
Bishop "We prevent them from succeeding."
jade{A} "What about your sifu? Are you sure she's not working to destroy Creation through you?"
Bishop "Oh, on the contrary. I'm quite certain that she is attempting to work through me to destroy Creation."
jade{A} "What are you going to do to stop her from succeeding?"
Bishop "I'm going to be wary."
Bishop "The same thing I do with everyone else."
jade{A} "How can you tell she's not controlling you?"
Bishop shrugs and sips tea. "Theoretically, I can't."
jade{A} "Theoretically?" She takes a sip from her teacup
Bishop "It is equally likely that I will know immediately if she attempts to do so. It is also equally likely that she is unable to directly control me, and is limited to attempting to plant subliminal messages in the notes I acquire from her."
jade{A} "She sends you notes?"
Bishop "Well, no, I simply have acquired the notes from her."
jade{A} tilts her head to one side. "What does that even mean?"
Bishop "It means that I dueled her for fourty-two thousand and five-hundred days."
Bishop "And then I wrote a book about it."
jade{A} "Can I have a copy?"
Bishop "You've already seen my notes. They gave you a nosebleed."
jade{A} "Oh. Maybe you should write a regular book about it too."
Bishop "I've considered it."
jade{A} "It sounds very epic," she smiles.
Bishop "Flattery makes me suspicious. If you want something from me, you might have to work for it a bit."
jade{A} "Oh? What would convince you?"
Bishop "I don't know. I haven't given it any thought."
jade{A} "well, that works out fine. I don't know what I want from you."
Bishop "I'm sure you'll figure something out."
jade{A} "Things tend to work out, one way or another."
Bishop "That's the whole idea, yes. The universe is cyclical. Quite frankly, I've very little concern for the Yozis. They don't want to destroy the world. They're just angry, and they want their world back. Malfeans, however, and the Fair Folk ... they warrant my concern."
jade{A} "Do you know of any that we need to worry about yet?"
Bishop "I am concerned mostly with the recent, and increasingly frequent, expeditions by the forces of the Underworld. It is long past time that we bring the fight to their doorstep."
jade{A} "I couldn't agree more."
Bishop "Of far greater concern at this time is my attachment to the bureaus of Heaven. They perform vital duties, but I grow weary of their ineffeciency. That lack of nimbleness will be the undoing of us all."
jade{A} "Can you quit?"
Bishop He only smiles, a red twinkle in his eye.
Bishop stands quickly, and Jade's chair unceremoniously deposits her on the floor before scurrying away with the other chair and the table.
jade{A} starts to fall, and catches herself with a quick twist, to get her legs back under her
Bishop He extends a hand to her!
jade{A} straightens, slightly annoyed now, and looks at Bishop's hand for a moment. "Would you like to dance?"
Bishop 's face and voice are stern once more. "Who do you fear, and who do you trust?"
jade{A} comes up with and discards several flippant remarks, before she speaks, "You."
Bishop "You are a very able liar. Go now. Do not speak to the others about what has transpired here."
jade{A} bows to him, and leaves.
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