* 60 * 1/13/13

Bishop was furious.

After Lily finishes glomping one guy, he finds her following another to his bedroom. And who knows what she and the paladin were up to at this very moment.

The ranger slammed his fist on the table, the one at which Lily sat with him just this afternoon. He wanted to throw the chair she sat in out the window, too, but he knew that'd just be asking for trouble, as well as at least a handful of eyewitnesses saying he'd gone crazy. But he hadn't gone crazy. Right?

Bishop buried his head in his hands, fiercely gripping a few tufts of his hair. Just then, he heard a knock at the door.

What the hell does she want?! He got up and ripped the door open.

Only to find Elanee standing on the other side.

"Bishop?" Elanee asked, pondering his tangible anger.

"Druid?" he snapped back. He didn't even invite her in. He just stood there with a blank expression, nostrils flaring.

"Um... May I come in?" she inquired politely, trying to remain on his good – or at least his not-bad – side.

"Whatever," he spouted, throwing the handle away from him and going back to sit down.

Elanee let herself in, but didn't take a seat. She didn't want to step on his toes too much.

"I wanted to apologize for...Lily's experience at my hands today," she explained.

"Pfft. I don't give a rat's ass," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "And why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because you were the one who had to save her."

Bishop scowled. He really wished he hadn't, now. Maybe Karnwyr enjoyed it. He smirked with ill humor.

"Are you alright?" Elanee asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but she was starting to get worried. He was much moodier than usual.

"I'll be fine," he snapped, further angered by that stupid look on her face.

The druid quietly surveyed his room over the next few minutes as Bishop tried to rein in his temper.

After all, this was Elanee, not Lily. Or was it even Elanee at all?

"And what about you?" he asked. Elanee's eyes opened wide in surprise at the question. "Are you back to normal now?" he finished, his tone lacking a good deal of the malice it held just minutes before, though she still felt like he was accusing her.

"Yes, I feel normal again. I don't think that lapse will happen ever again."

"Hm," was his response. A question crossed his mind. "What about that stuff you said? Was that part of the demonic possession, or whatever?"

"What 'stuff'?" Elanee asked nervously.

"In your room. About how you'd tell everyone what you saw by the stream if I didn't do what you wanted."

Elanee colored a deep shade of red, but didn't answer.

"Hm," he repeated. "So only the courage to say that to me didn't belong to you. The words did."

Again, Elanee didn't reply.

Bishop understood, though he couldn't say he was completely free of shock. He considered this, puzzled. "Why would a treehugger like you have any interest in a survivalist ranger like me?"

The druid gave up trying to get him to drop the subject by staying quiet. The ranger figured her secret was already out.

"Maybe you can teach me something about nature I don't already know. You know your way around the woods quite well; not even I can find my way to the Mere that quickly."

Bishop became lost in thought, wondering what all of this made him feel...

But he already knew. Confusion. Anger. And these were but the first emotions to come to mind.

And Elanee was all too patient to wait for a reply, staring at him while his eyes were averted, taking in his chest breathing in and out, his hard eyes boring a hole into the floor.