The Legacy of Bishop

[Rasamith]

Ah, another beautiful day in Briar's Hollow.

He looked up to the trees, seeing a collection of cute little blackbirds, plump as can be. Must be getting a lot of seeds, he thought to himself. The townsfolk bustled as it always did, people going hither and thither. Oh the mob was always on about something or other, whether it was visiting the local market, or greeting a newcomer to the quaint little community. He wondered what all the fuss was this time - was Janet selling her home-made sausages again?

Ah well, he thought, his construction crew was hard at work.

With a smile and an adjust of the brim of his hat he gave a smile and wave to Jerome. "How's that wall coming Jerome?!"

"Guuuuuuuooooood", Came the reply, or so he thought he heard, muffled behind the building. Absolutely fantastic. Jerome was the finest carpenter in all the town. He had to bribe the man's wife with one of the Fort's own Ham and Pea soups just to get her to let the man go for a couple days. And who could blame her? He'd seen the bulge, he was surprised the couple didn't have children yet, and that Jerome's wife didn't have a constant headache from the headboard. "Me oh my, what a lucky lady" He thought to himself as he went to check on the wood hauling crew.

They were an energetic sort, though they needed a LOT of supervision. For one, they couldn't tie a knot or hold a rope between them. So with a little bit of giggling and whole lot of loops he had strung them all together, now all they needed to do was walk in the right direction, and the logs would be pulled behind. "Keep it up little Mary-beth, and perhaps there will be sausage for you too! Sausages all around!" He called to them as he saw them in motion, Mary-beth, the crew leader, far as he could tell, made another pass at him, fingertips just barely scraping along his chest as he came in range of the work crew. "Oh my dear, you little flirt, not here in front of everyone, heavens to betsy!" He blushed a little and backed off and the crew tugged the log a few more feet towards him, apparently incentivized by his rousing speech promising sausages.

He made his way back to the construction sight of his little shack. He'd borrowed a lot of timber from the old equipment shack just off the side from the old Sanitarium. The place still brought back so many fond memories for him. It was the most involved he'd been in a community in a long time. It was a shame he couldn't reconnect with any of his old bunk mates, but at least he could live close by, in case any of his old acquaintances decided to write some letters or the staff decided to open the doors again. Until then, this little town would do just fine. He'd already been accepted by the community, and had more than a few feminine and dare-he-say gentlemen callers during his time here. It felt like he was being chased around town at times, but he knew the people here meant well.

"Hey Jerome, do you think I have a chance at happily ever after with little Mary-Beth?"

"Oooooooooooooh.......... Yyyyeeeeeeeeeeaaaauuuuuh" Came the response, or so he interpreted it. Poor Jerome, always exhausted and drained from all his late night rumbles in the sheets. "I mean, sure, she's a pretty little thing, but she sometimes looks like she's falling apart, you know? Maybe if I get her a new dress" He rubbed his bandaged fingers on his bandaged chin in contemplation and peeked around the corner at Jerome. "Hmm? Well of course I like them a little rough around the edges... aaaah you're probably right, I shouldn't try to "change her" y'know? I mean, look at me? Accepted in town without so much as a fuss.. I wouldn't want her to think I wanted her any other way. My oh my, you're quite the romantic, aren't you Jero- wait a minute, you're slacking off mister! We're never going to get the place framed at this rate, alright, I'll come over and lend a hand."

The day's light drew on and he eventually smiled up at the progress, gave Jerome a pat on the back before dodging the man's startled flail with a giggle and stood with his bandaged hands on his hips, watching the sun set over the construction project.

What a beautiful day.