#cipher convinces ethan this is true

[eli-rooks-ni]

WBW Part 4: Fianchetto

Maven stood by the entrance of the alley, bristling with suspicion. "... A Bishop. Ne, ne, you can even be addressed as 'The Archbishop'. Why would you want an  alliance  with us? Povej mi, kid, why should I trust someone like you?"

The Queen's beloved confidante, Eris Keller, stood at the entrance, looking into the larger woman's eyes with an air of determination and a hint of regret in her amber gaze. "The Ruler… She is corrupted." 

   -- -- --

  "Keller? What do you-"

Eris clenched her teeth, seething with pure anger. "Your Majesty. Did you know that our Bishops have been stealing from the public purse?"

The Queen leaned forward, brows furrowed. "Is that so? No, I haven't heard of such a thing."

The Bishop nodded, continuing on. "Starting from Ethan Heller to Luke Fletcher. All of them had a hand in this. And it wasn't recent news-"

The Queen's gaze, which has gone from concerned to downright chilling, landed on Eris, making her flinch. Her reactions, this wasn't what she was expecting…

"And how did you know that, my child?"

The seeping coldness slithered through the Bishop's veins, shattering her confidence. "They told me themselves, tried to convince me to do the same…"

The Queen scoffed, voice dripping with taunt. "Ah, so my dear Eris, you sold them out, didn't you? Did you betray one of your own?"

The Bishop lifted her head, an incredulous expression slipping through her polite mask. The Queen missed the point completely… or did she care about it at all?

 "But it's against the law to steal from what the people-"

The Queen walked down her throne, softly circled her arm around the Bishop's shoulders, and whispered. "It is also against the law to sell your family out, Eris. Have you forgotten?" Eris stiffened under her touch, biting down on her lower lip as a subtle persuasion forced its way through her mind. "My dear, we are family. And family protect each other at all costs..."

  -- -- --

  "…So here I am, begging for an alliance with you. They aren't any better than you, and in my honest opinion, they're definitely far worse than you are." The Bishop's shoulders sagged, leaning against the concrete walls. "I'd understand if you don't want to take me in, but please do. I don't have any other choice, they tagged me as M.I.A. after my escape stunt."

A gruff voice came from behind Maven as she was trying to retort. "Can you provide us with funds?"

Eris looked up, seeing a hooded figure standing behind Maven, a curious glint of the eye shining under the hood. "Of course- But they might be traced, I'm afraid."

The hooded person just shrugged. "I can deal with that. So, Maven, can we bring the Bishop in already?"

The fixer turned and hissed at her friend. "Cipher! She is a damn Archbishop, the one who ranks right under the Queen! You can't be serious-"

Cipher waved it off coolly. "First, funds are running low, we need any income we can get to find us a new hideout and not in my cramped apartment, thanks to you. Second, she is clean- I've seen the footage. She didn't lie. The corruption is true, for the bluebloods didn't even cover their crimes. Her statement is reasonable."

Maven threw her hands up in mock defeat. "Prav, prav, you smartass. Well then. Guess you're one of us now."

The Bishop beamed, holding out a hand. "Call me Lyle."

Maven shook the hand. "We'll get along fine."