Chapter LXXVI – Alibi

Bishop watched the streets nervously while he hid in a shadowy corner by the Skeever.

It was the day after that annoying fitting and the ball was approaching swiftly. He wasn't sure how long after that they would be staying in Solitude and it was best to finish this while he could.

He had no idea if he was still being watched by that overzealous fucker. He had no idea why that tin-head would even concern himself with what Bishop was doing here in the city. He was so fucking fake all the time. First, he kept threatening to expose Bishop to Aeyrin, but it looked like even now he thought that she didn't know everything, yet he said nothing. And same with his underlings. He kept hounding Bishop, trying to catch him for some crime that he hadn't even committed yet, but he never did anything about that bounty either, not when it was in effect. Or maybe he did, maybe it was him all along and maybe he sent it to Riften secretly after. Bishop wasn't accosted by anyone about the bounty in Falkreath, but… he hadn't been there for a while. Maybe it was waiting for him there too. But even if it was Casavir's doing, Bishop still didn't understand any of his behavior. Why did he save him in the summer during the dragon attack? Why did he heal him after? Why did he try so fucking hard to convince him that he was innocent when it came to both Aeyrin and Elisie? Why didn't he let his men arrest him, when right now, he wanted to do just that in that jewelry store?

He was probably insane. That was the only explanation that Bishop had left. Maybe his rigidity led him to worship Sheogorath and now he was embracing both his lunatic tendencies. That made as much sense as anything.

Well, whatever. Bishop had spent too much time thinking about that dickwad already. He had other things to concern himself with.

But he still needed to be careful. He needed to avoid the same scene as last time.

He just hoped that Casavir never managed to convince that jeweler that Bishop was there to rob him. Because what he was going to do now would make him look really shifty.

Aeyrin was getting a bath again, so he had some time. Not that much though. Well… he could always come up with some excuse, surely, but he wanted to get this done quickly anyway so that he would finally stop overthinking this shit. He wanted to do this. What more was there to think about?

He took another deep breath before he grabbed one of the emergency invisibility potions from his belt and drank it all in one. Nobody could see him in the shadows and there were no guards on the ramparts on vantage points from which they could spot him. Everything was good.

With determined strides, he finally headed towards the jewelry store. This was gonna be weird, but he couldn't think of any other way.

When he reached the door, he looked around once again to check whether someone was watching it, and when he was sure that it was safe, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The store was empty, he had made sure of that before, and the second he closed the door, he noticed the shocked expression of the jeweler. The man was staring at the door slack-jawed. It was understandable. After all, it did look like it just opened and closed on its own.

"H-hello?" the jeweler stammered nervously.

Bishop contemplated whether he should talk. It would become clear in a while what happened. It would probably be creepier if he stayed silent.

"Just… hang on a second, it will pass," Bishop sighed. He realized how suspicious this must have been. He really hoped that the man didn't think that Bishop was a thief already. Well… he was, but this time he had no intention of stealing anything.

"I… uh… what? Who are you?!" the man started to panic. Fuck, he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Sorry, I'm… just… wait a while," Bishop groaned. This was a bad idea. He really shouldn't have talked while he was invisible.

"What? I… I'm calling the guards!" the man yelped and took a step to leave from behind the counter, but fortunately, just as he did, the effects of the potion finally dissipated and Bishop's form materialized in the middle of the store.

"Oh," the jeweler let out a relieved sigh. That was a good sign. "It's you, sir. I was wondering if you would come back."

Bishop was still not out of the woods yet though. The man could still decide to call the guards if Casavir had filled his head with enough lies and suspicions.

"Yeah. Sorry about this. I just… didn't want to repeat… last time," Bishop grumbled. He was still on edge, ready to stop the man should he decide to bolt.

"Yes. The paladin said that you came here hoping to rob me," the man nodded at Bishop. Fuck, he knew it. He had to convince him somehow.

"No! I really... I didn't! I have money. I want to buy something," Bishop shook his head vehemently. Granted, he only had the money because he stole something else, but he wasn't going to steal here.

"Yes. A ring, I remember," the jeweler gave him a reassuring smile. Good. This looked good. "Do not worry, sir. I knew that you were not here to steal and I told the paladin as much. Everybody here knows what he had done, how he attempted to frame you. And when I realized why you were here, it was obvious that he was trying to do the same thing again."

Bishop let out a relieved sigh. Casavir may not have been convicted but at least the people in the city knew. He had never been actually grateful for those stupid gossipmongers but now it really played in his favor. Good thing that the man knew who Bishop was otherwise…

Wait.

He knew who Bishop was. Fuck! That wasn't good. He said that he 'realized why Bishop was here'! Did he realize what Bishop wanted the ring for? He had asked him before if the ring was 'for a lady'. Fuck. What if he would tell people? The rumors would spread again. Bishop needed this to stay secret. He had no idea when he was going to do this, or how or… anything really. He couldn't have Aeyrin find out from some gossiping nobles!

"You know why I'm here?" Bishop narrowed his eyes at the man. "Did you tell anyone?"

"Sir, please!" the jeweler scoffed. "Give me some credit. This is my livelihood. How many people do you think would shop here if I ruined their proposals or surprise presents by spreading the word beforehand?" he chuckled.

Good. That was true enough, the man couldn't just go blabbing about his customers. That was reassuring.

But… still. Casavir saw him at the store. What if he got it in his head to tell more people to watch out for Bishop going there? What if he tried to tell Aeyrin again, trying to convince her that Bishop was up to no good? He had a really bad habit of doing that. Even if Aeyrin was angry with him, he might try. Who knew with that guy? And then Aeyrin would be wondering what Bishop was doing at the store.

"Did you tell the tin-head?" Bishop growled. Even if the jeweler didn't tell Casavir about Bishop's intention, it was still a problem.

"The tin… oh! Of course not, sir. I did not tell a soul," the jeweler shook his head.

"He still saw me here. He might try to tell more people I was here," Bishop murmured, mostly to himself now, but the jeweler's face suddenly brightened.

"Ah. I understand, sir. Your lady would be curious what you were doing here if the word got out," he nodded knowingly.

"Hmm… maybe I shouldn't…" Bishop murmured again. He could just tell Aeyrin that he did want to steal here. She probably wouldn't mind… much. She was used to that by now. Not that he targeted random shops and shit, but… she might understand if he told her that he was broke or something.

"No, sir! I have an idea," the jeweler made a soothing gesture with his hands. "You were already seen, not purchasing the ring wouldn't change that," he smiled conspiratorially. It was true enough. "Why don't you purchase something else too and give it to your lady now? It would be the perfect alibi," he chuckled at his own choice of words.

What?! This was such an obvious fucking ploy! This guy just wanted to sell more stuff. No wonder he got so excited when Bishop mentioned his concerns. Fucking stupid sales tactics.

But… dammit, it made sense.

"I know you're just saying that so that I buy more shit here. Such a fucking transparent tactic," Bishop growled at the man. "I hate that it's working."

The man chuckled at him merrily, clearly pleased with the results. "I assure you, sir, none of my exquisite jewels are 'shit'."

Bishop only grumbled in response. He would buy the cheapest thing there. Well… kinda. Why would he buy something ugly and useless for Aeyrin? That wouldn't even be believable. He should get her something nice for the gift. And the ring of course.

Dammit! This guy…

"Let us start with the ring, shall we?" the man grinned at him, eliciting a nod from Bishop.

The jeweler turned around with palpable excitement and reached towards a locked cabinet behind him. He took a ring of keys from his belt and tinkered with the lock for a while before he started to take out some displays lined with soft white felt and with a myriad of expensive-looking rings stuffed into the cuts in the fabric. He produced three of these displays, all full of rings, placed on the counter with the jewels shimmering in the light seeping in through the windows.

It was a bit overwhelming at first. Bishop didn't even know where to start. There were so many of them in so many colors. Some of them were way too large and overdone, with gems plastered all over the ring. Were those diamonds? That would have been way too expensive. And it was ugly anyway. Aeyrin would never like something like this. He needed something simpler, but still pretty. And it should be unique. Not just a simple gem on a ring.

"If you wish, you could tell me what your lady would like and I can…" the jeweler started to eagerly offer assistance, but Bishop raised his hand to stop him. He would find one on his own. There were plenty of good ones that he liked but it was still hard to choose.

He was starting to feel kind of disappointed. He could definitely choose one, but he had expected something to strike his eye at first sight. Until he finally turned his gaze to the last display.

He noticed it instantly. It stood out on the white felt so vividly. There was a simple silver ring without any glittering diamonds, rubies or emeralds. But the thing that drew him in was the black onyx polished into a tear shape. It was so dark, like the Void, but there was still this strange spark. It was like looking into Aeyrin's eyes. It took a while for him to tear his eyes away from the stone and look at the rest of the ring. There was another tear below the black one, complementing the shape and fitting into the one above. At first, it looked like it had a polished topaz gem there filling the shape, but it didn't glitter as much as a gem would. It looked like amber. That was kind of perfect. And it was small and flat enough to even fit under her underchain gloves. She would never have to take it off.

This was definitely the one. It wasn't overly opulent like a lot of the others and he was sure that Aeyrin would love it.

"This one," he pointed towards the ring and nodded at the jeweler.

The man looked kind of disappointed. It was probably cheaper than those other rings. But it couldn't have been actually cheap. It was still made out of polished delicate silver and onyx and amber weren't very cheap either, not to mention the design and the work on bending it all into shape that must have gone into it.

"Are you sure, sir? Something grander might be more fitting for the Dragonborn after all," the man smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure. This one," Bishop confirmed. Aeyrin would love this one much more than something littered with gems. And he liked it much more too. But… he still needed to know if he could actually afford it. "How much?"

"For you, sir, nine hundred and thirty septims," the man smiled.

Fuck, that was a lot! He did have it, but… fuck. He would be pretty much broke yet again. It was a good thing that the ball was going to happen soon – free food and drinks would come in handy right now. He would have like a hundred drakes left after this. And he still needed to buy a gift for Aeyrin as his 'alibi'.

"This one's nine hundred? How many are these?" Bishop gaped at the opulent rings adorned with jewels.

"A… lot more, sir," the jeweler smiled at him gently. He looked a little uncertain. Perhaps he feared that he had just lost a sale.

He didn't though. Bishop had to buy this ring now.

"Fine, I probably don't wanna know," Bishop sighed and reached for his coin purse. The jeweler visibly relaxed at that motion.

"Not yet, sir. First, we need to ensure that the ring will fit your lady. And while I do that, you can take a look around the store to see what else to purchase for the gift," the man grinned happily.

Bishop wasn't sure if he could even afford anything else in the store. And he didn't even think that Aeyrin would want anything else from there. She didn't really wear that much jewelry apart from the sentimental pieces. But there was no harm in looking.

But before Bishop turned to leave the jeweler to his work, the man extended his hand to Bishop expectantly, waiting for him to put something in his palm.

"What? You said that I should pay later. What do you want?" Bishop scowled.

"Ah… I need to fit the ring for your lady, sir," the man chuckled, but when Bishop only gave him a confused look, the man clarified: "It is customary to have another ring ready, so that I can adjust this one. Perhaps to, if you pardon the expression, steal one of your lady's rings for a while."

"She doesn't have any," Bishop raised his brow at the man. The one ring that she wore was around her neck and not really fitted for her finger.

"Ah… well… do you think that you could make an estimate?" the man stammered uncertainly as he reached for his belt again and pulled out a small notepad and a piece of sharpened charcoal.

Bishop nodded and took the charcoal from him before he drew a small circle on the paper. He was pretty sure that that would fit. He was pretty familiar with her fingers by now after all.

"Excellent," the jeweler beamed. "It will be done in a moment. Just take a look at my other merchandise in the meantime."

The man disappeared into a door behind him, leaving Bishop alone in the store. That was pretty reckless. Bishop could just steal something now. Everything looked locked securely, but when did that ever stop him? Besides, the man left all those rings just lying there.

He was lucky that Bishop didn't really want to steal from him. The man gave him the benefit of the doubt, even after Casavir had made that scene. And he even promised to keep his mouth shut. He deserved to keep his expensive shit, even if he had left it stupidly out in the open like that.

Instead, Bishop turned around and began walking around the store. He had already seen everything before, but it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look anyway. He still needed a gift for Aeyrin.

…

Bishop hadn't found anything he could buy in the store. There was an amulet of Stendarr there, golden and adorned with small subtle diamonds. It was pretty and Aeyrin would love it, but it looked so fucking expensive. He would definitely not be able to afford it.

He had to wait for the man for quite a while and Aeyrin was definitely done with her bath by now, but now he wouldn't need to make up some lies when he came back. He could just give her the gift.

If he could ever find one.

Finally the jeweler returned with a proud smile and presented the ring to Bishop. As he took the ring from the man, he was still a little surprised that he managed to find something this perfect here. He was really excited to see how Aeyrin would like it. But all in good time. He had to be patient. He had to think about this more. There was no rush.

Maybe he was waiting just to comfort himself. There was always potential for rejection, no matter what. Even if, rationally, he couldn't see why she would refuse, he had learned his lesson about trying to predict her reactions.

He needed to keep the ring safe for now though. He would hide it in the inside pocket of his armor – that was one place that she wouldn't look through when she needed to borrow some of his stuff. He only ever kept his spoils from heists there.

Though this kind of was a spoil from a heist too. He would never be able to afford it if it wasn't for that necklace.

"Have you selected anything else, sir?" the man smiled at him warmly when Bishop stashed the ring in his belt pouch for now, until he could covertly get it inside his armor.

"Not really," Bishop sighed in response. He couldn't imagine Aeyrin wearing any of this stuff in between battles and wading through forests.

"Ah. Well, what kind of jewelry does your lady often wear?" the jeweler gave him an encouraging look.

"None. She's an adventurer. There's not much use for jewelry on the road," Bishop smirked. Maybe he would just have to hope that Casavir wouldn't try and tattle about all of this.

"I might know just the thing, sir," the jeweler beamed. Really? Bishop had just said that she wouldn't wear anything from the shop.

The man walked towards one of his displays and unlocked it again. Bishop couldn't see what he took out, but soon the jeweler returned to him and presented him with a white silk ribbon adorned with a subtle golden thread.

"I am sure that your lady needs to braid and tie her hair for her travels. Perhaps she would like something like this?" the man smiled.

That wasn't a bad idea, actually. She could at least make a use of this. This guy was good. There was only one more potential issue.

"How much?"

"Fifty drakes for the ribbon," the man smiled understandingly. He could probably already tell that Bishop didn't have that much money. He may have chosen this for that reason as well. It would set Bishop back even more, but… at least he could afford it.

"Alright. Fine," Bishop nodded.

This was promising. And everything went well without another scene and more interruptions from that stupid tin-head. If he wanted to spout some shit now, he would have no leg to stand on.

And since Bishop wouldn't be able to enjoy Aeyrin's reaction to the ring right now, at least he could give her this small gift for now to make her happy.

Though he still couldn't wait to present that ring to her already.

…

"There you are!" Aeyrin practically jumped off the bed when Bishop entered their room at the Skeever again. She must have been waiting for him for quite a while. "Where did you go? I was worried," she pouted.

"Sorry, sweetness," Bishop smiled at her gently. "I went to see what Karnwyr was up to." He usually told her when he was going somewhere, or waited for her to come back from her bath or whatever before he left. They couldn't be too careful after all. They've disappeared on each other one too many times, with assassins or insane serial killers on their trail, it was always concerning when one of them was nowhere to be found out of the blue. But he couldn't just tell her this time. He didn't have that plan to get her the small gift before he left. And he really didn't expect to take this long.

"You should have said," Aeyrin sighed. She felt bad for being so insistent on knowing where he was all the time, but she was worried about him. Who knew when another assassin might show up? It was safer for them to know everything. One day, when all of this would be over, she was more than happy to stop harping on things like this, but not now.

"I know, princess," he nodded and stepped towards her to give her a brief kiss. "I also wanted to get you something. So it was kind of a surprise," he smirked. Her eyes went wide at that instantly and her pout turned into an excited smile.

"You got me something?" she beamed. She couldn't imagine what he would want to get her. They went shopping together already and probably had everything they needed and then some.

"Yeah, it's quite a story," Bishop chuckled and gestured towards the bed, urging her to sit down again.

They sat on the bed, side by side, before Bishop reached into one of his belt pouches. He felt around for the ribbon and his hand first landed on the ring hidden there. He had to briefly fight the urge to present it to her, but instead he grabbed the ribbon and showed her that instead.

"For your hair. I saw these in a window display after that heist and I thought you would like it."

Aeyrin took the ribbon from him instantly and ran her hand over the smooth silken cloth. "It's so pretty," she smiled affectionately. She never really thought about using anything but a simple leather string for her hair, but she liked this a lot. She liked anything she got from him no matter what, but this was really beautiful. And useful too. Much sturdier than the leather string. And it probably wouldn't fall apart after every rainfall.

"That's the story?" she chuckled when she remembered what he had said. As beautiful as the gift was, it wasn't much of a story.

"No. The store was closed after the heist, it was too early, but I went to buy it for you that day, when you were washing our armors. I figured there was plenty of time for that then," he smirked. There was no reason not to tell her about Casavir now. He didn't want to hide shit from her anyway, aside from the ring of course, and it would only help his 'alibi' to tell her everything.

"You said you went to get it now," Aeyrin gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah, let me finish," Bishop chuckled. "I told you I ran into that fucking tin-head after the heist. Apparently, he saw me looking into the window display and he assumed that I was planning to steal something. It's from a jewelry store, so lots of expensive shit in there. When I got there, before I could buy this, he barged in. Apparently he had me watched for when I got near the store and then came in to stop the 'robbery' or whatever. He made a scene and started accusing me, so I left. I came back now to buy this. Luckily that jeweler guy didn't believe the tin-head before, you know, because of the rumors about the poisoning. So he didn't call the guards on me," Bishop chuckled.

"Are you serious?" Aeyrin gaped at him. "He really accused you of stealing? For no reason?" Gods, how much lower could Casavir sink? This was getting ridiculous.

"Yeah. That fucker's really got some screws loose in his head. I was pissed, but in retrospect, it's kinda fun to see him so unhinged," Bishop snickered maliciously.

She didn't know about that. She wasn't sure why – the man had poisoned her, for Gods' sake – but she still felt bad for him. For all the rumors and his position in the Order compromised. What was wrong with her? After what he had done? Why would she ever feel bad for him?

"Well… I'm glad nothing worse happened," she sighed, trying hard not to let the sympathy for that man get to her. "Thank you, Bish. It's really lovely," she instead turned her attention to Bishop and pressed her lips against his in an eager kiss. She should just concentrate on the nice gesture from him. He always got her the sweetest gifts.

The kiss turned deeper and more passionate within a second. She quickly placed the ribbon on the nightstand so that it wouldn't get lost in the blankets.

Those were definitely going to get messy and tangled very soon.