bishop

“Yes, I knew it!” Her hand made a fist as she pulled it in to her chest joyously. A soft smile hit her lips when Tessa spoke so kindly to her. It was nice to relax and let her day happen, as opposed to her usual attempts to control all bits of it. But having a light, relaxing day with Tessa made all of that melt away. “I am indeed.” Rachel offered a nod before realizing what she’d done to move her position, “Oh whoops.” She laughed lightly. “By the way how’s the freelancing going lately?”

Tessa beamed at Rachel, unable to help the laugh that bubbled in her throat, in response to Rachel’s elated reaction. As she began to move again, Tessa was glad that she was almost done. Once her models began to fully cognicize that she was drawing them, it made it that much more difficult for them to keep still. Giggling, Tessa turned her sketchbook towards Rachel, “Alright, you are free to move now, Ms. Adler. I’m all done.” Pausing for a moment, Tessa shrugged in response to the other woman’s question, “It’s actually going pretty well-- I just don’t really enjoy graphic design as much as I enjoy traditional art...unfortunately, graphic design is what mostly sells these days. How about you? How’s PT going?” 

“You’re so honest,” Syd said with a laugh, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her and tried to figure things out. “Your parents teach you that?” 

Another drink from the water bottle, Syd reclined back and opened the drawer of snacks for himself now. “I wouldn’t be bringing you for your archeological know-how. I mean, how do you feel about licking strange things?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Syd gave a fact look of concentration. “Nah, kid, the offer was made to get you out of this little town. Get you some culture. Even if it’s hundreds of years old.” 

“Grades wouldn’t be relevant either. You’d be someone posing as an instant. Maybe you could bring me a water once.” Shaking his head, Syd was regretting the offer given how much he’d had to explain the plan. Not exactly someone you want to have to watch over when you lose more money than you have to locals in a card game you don’t understand. 

Tessa shrugged casually, “It’s one of my many redeeming qualities.  But between you and me, frankly, I think my parents would be happier if I were a little less honest.”

“Licking - strange - things?” Tessa echoed with the arch of a raised eyebrow, before smiling warmly, “I suppose I’m willing to be open-minded, especially if it means getting out of her, even if it’s just for a short while.” The offer to be Sydney’s assistant for one of his travels sounded quite appealing. After all, it wasn’t often that she simply got offers to get out of Marias. 

Tessa nodded confidently, “Bringing you water-- I think I could manage that. Certainly doesn’t sound like rocket science. Besides, if you ever need someone to draw sketches of samples or locations, I’m your girl,” Tessa offers. “I’m sure I could find a way to make myself actually helpful...” 

Bina threw her head back and groaned. “You gotta be kiddin’ me.” Typical. She should have known that the universe would find some way of keeping the clock going. 

She quickly placed a napkin beneath the glass of a drowsy barfly before kneeling down to help. “Some nights you’d think we were runnin’ a daycare,” she mumbled and swept the small shards into a dustpan. “Who was it this time? Groper-Man or The Undertipper?”

Tessa winced in sympathy, hoping they could clean the mess up quickly and get out of there as soon as possible...or at least before another freak accident occurred. 

“I think running a daycare would be easier...at least kids have some semblance of manners and respect, not to mention, a lack of alcohol in their systems,” Tessa replied, with the shake of her head, “Funny you should ask-- I believe the cause of this little disaster was an argument between Groper-Man and The Undertipper. I blame both of them.”

Her mouth dropped open playfully, “And I thought I drove a hard bargain!” She brought the bottle of water up to her lips making quick work of it. “Listen we both know that my human needs won’t lose me that position. C’mon now.” Her eyebrow raised before she chuckled, trying her best now to move back into the position she’d once been. “I know that, I know. The day I’m no longer your muse…well let’s just not think about that.” Rachel grinned, “How’s this?” She questioned Tessa, in hopes that she’d found the right spot.

Tessa laughed, “Alright, fine, I relent. You can have your spot back as my muse,” she grinned, eyes focusing as Rachel moved back into her previous position. It wasn’t exactly the same spot, nor could Tessa expect it to be, but that was half the fun of life drawing-- she always loved the challenge of sketching someone who was so alive and vibrant. “Magnifique-- you’re just lucky the sun hits you so perfectly,” Tessa commented as she went back to her drawing, adjusting a few of the details.

“I do know. It’s strange to see myself settled. To have unpacked bags and not be waiting for the next dig.” Shrugging his shoulder, it was an honest answer. A sincere answer. Not something Syd gave often. Having been in Marais a few months, he was starting to feel that itch for the next dig. The next adventure. The next….anything. 

“Thanks for the offer but I’m not sure being indoors is where it’s at for me. Or that I need to go down the cliche writer path. Imagine me sitting in a dark corner of Crunchies with my laptop, whiskey, and a look of frustration…” Trailing off, Syd laughed at the image he’d created. Shaking his head, it wasn’t going to happen. 

As someone who had his travels funded a lot of the time, it wasn’t easy for Syd to understand how that was in the way. Not to mention he had enough money that he didn’t have to think about it. “Tell you what, next time I get called out to come weigh in on some ruins or alien spaceship, I’ll bring you with. My assistant.”

“Who knows-- maybe once you get over the initial culture shock, you might just like being settled down?” Tessa mused thoughtfully, “I’m sure there are some perks to having the same home to come back to every night. Not to mention, there are certainly worse places than Marias to be stuck,” she offered. For Tessa, rush hour traffic and a stuffy office building came to mind.  

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it,” Tessa teased with a chuckle, “Many great...and not so great things have come out of a dark corner in Crunchies. Besides, if you don’t want to come for inspiration or the atmosphere, you might as well come for the food-- I promise it’s worth a try, at least once.” 

“Really?” Tessa asked, slightly surprised, “That would be amazing-- though I have to warn you-- I pretty much have zero experience with ancient ruins or alien spaceships. I’ve also never exactly been a ‘stellar’ or ‘model’ student, though I’m sure my parents have told you all about that,” she admitted with a sheepish grin. 

Giving a hearty but fake laugh, Syd tossed his head back to go with it. Never before had he been told he needed to get out more. Usually it was the opposite. Stay here with me, it’s a wonderful place to live or why won’t you settle down, it’s good for you. Neither were things Syd wanted to do. Instead, hopping from location to location. He’d been more places than he could reasonably list off. 

And he loved being told to go back out and live that life. Settling down was not for him. 

“When everyone says ‘Sydney, why are you leaving the only stable job you’ve ever had?’ I’ll tell them I got some great advice to get back out there for creative purposes, of course.” Leaning forward, Syd took a drink from his water bottle. “That’s big advice coming from you, kid. When was the last time you got out there?” 

Knowing Sydney’s background as a bit of a vagabond, Tessa shrugged, “That’s exactly what I mean-- you’re a traveler! You see exciting things and do exciting things, so of course the university is lacking in inspiration,” Tessa reasoned. “It’s just strange to see you so settled, you know?”

“Not to say you should leave your job at all--” Tessa was quick to clarify, “--really, it’s great having you around! All I’m saying is that maybe you could spend sometime travelling around the town a bit. I’ll tell you what-- if you stop by Crunchies one night I’ll get you the family discount,” she added with a wide grin.

At his next comment, Tessa merely sighs, “Believe me, there’s nothing I would love more than to get our there more...I just don’t have the money or the time, you know? One day I’m going to do it all, though-- New York, Paris, Florence, Amsterdam--I’m going to see all the great masterpieces in person.”

“Tessa!” Her eyes widened playfully, “I’m sorry but I must grab my water from my bag for a moment. You know I support your art but I won’t parish in the process.” She joked. “I swear I will move back into the perfect light but I am parched.” Rachel chuckled, being as quick as she could for Tessa’s sake as if it were a life and death situation. 

Tessa pouted playfully, before shaking her head in relent, “Fine, fine-- quench your thirst, if you must. Although, Rad, too much more movement and you might loose your spot as my favorite lunch date,” Tessa teased jokingly, returning her attention to the drawing at hand. “It’s only the most highly-coveted position in all of Marias,” Tessa added sarcastically, unable to keep a straight face as she did so. 

It was hard to commit to the ideal of being a recluse when people like Tessa existed. Before he met her, Frank would have been all too satisfied with a life on the farm, with animals as his only friends, and his only human interaction coming from the clients who came to and from his house with sick animals that he was all too happy to fix. But she had barged into his life with a sketchpad and a pencil, and he hadn’t been able to shirk her – not that he really wanted to anymore. She was a bright spot, and perhaps the closest thing he’d had to a real friend, and a real friendly and un-judging presence, than he’d had in quite a long time. 

And so he obliged. His arms ached from holding the post up, and his back groaned from freezing at such an awkward angle, but he just couldn’t find it in his heart to deny her this one simple thing. “I dunno how I’d feel about having a picture of my own self in my house,” he chuckled, though he didn’t move otherwise, “Don’t need the mess preserved.” It was true that he had let himself roughen up quite a bit – beard grown, hair mussed, the same four flannels in rotations. 

He thrust the post into place, displacing dirt and uprooted grass, before approaching her usual spot, wiping the dirt and sweat from his palms onto his dirtied jeans. Frank took care not to get too close – he was an altogether mess, and she very much was not. He stooped to squint down at the picture, pulling his glasses from his pocket and slipping them onto his sweat-slick nose. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said, grin blooming on his face, “I don’t know how you manage to get the light like –” he gestured vaguely, “– hey now, ya’ even got the horses in the back. You could make real money off this stuff, ya’ know.”

When she had first spotted the quaint farmhouse/makeshift vet clinic, Tessa had almost immediately been charmed by the place from a distance, wistfully wishing she could paint there, until realizing there was no reason she shouldn’t at least try. Frank had been a hard sell at first, given that he seemed to be the type to keep to himself and that she didn’t exactly have much else to offer him besides an impassioned plea and a whole lot of determination. Needless to say, she had grown equally as fond of the farm as she did it’s owner. 

“Shut up, Frank, we all know you have the whole ‘lumbersexual’ thing going on for you,” Tessa teased good-naturedly, knowing full well she probably confused the hell out of the poor guy. It was really too easy with him. “Besides, don’t you want a Tessa Bishop original? When I’m a famous painter you can tell everyone you knew me when...” she joked, before beaming as he seemed to like her drawing.

“Yeah, I really wish I could, but unfortunately it turns out it’s a lot harder to make money off of traditional art than it used to be,” Tessa shrugged, “I’m never going to be a millionaire, but I love what I do and I make enough to get by, so I’m happy, you know?” Sure, the hours weren’t always ideal and she would love to quit her job at Crunchies, but over the past few years Tessa had come to make peace with her situation. She liked the freedom of her lifestyle, something she could have never had working a traditional 9-5pm job like her parents had hoped. Still, ever the optimist, she held on to hope that one day her work might go big.

Margaret had been feeling fine as hell all day today. She had her large iced coffee, her shiny mink fur coat ( faux, she’s not a monster! ), and the oversized sunglasses to boot. Occasionally she liked to walk down along the beaten paths from her inn to the park in exactly this outfit, and see if she could pick up cyclists circling the area. It’d been a slow day for it today though, and she certainly was not happy about it.

Maggie had just been gathering her things to go when she heard the other’s request, to which she doesn’t miss a beat. “ Well that all depends, darlin’” she says, bearing a shark toothed smile. “Are you any good?”

Between the other woman’s thick fur coat and large sunglasses, Tessa couldn’t help but notice how Maggie looked as though she had just walked off the cover of Vogue, making her the perfect subject for Tessa’s afternoon sketch. Having become accustomed to drawing the more humble parts of Marias, the glamour which the stranger exuded was an exciting and welcome change of pace. 

“While I’m not exactly sure that’s for me to say...” Tessa began to reply, with a broad smile, “...I’m always more than happy to get a fresh set of eyes on my work,” she added, turning the sketchbook around so that Maggie could analyze her drawing for herself. “You like?” Tessa asked, hoping she had managed to capture the woman to her liking. 

Sparing the girl the cliche conversation on grasshoppers actually not tasting that bad, Syd just laughed and dramatically stretched to open the drawer. He didn’t have Starbursts but grabbed the Japanese fruit chews he was way too fond of. They were close enough. Carefully flinging the bag Tessa’s direction, trying not to spread candy throughout his office. 

Truth be told, Syd was glad this was who stopped in his office. She was not-quite-family, something Syd hadn’t been surrounding himself with enough in the past…decade. Breezing in and out of people’s lives had lost some of it’s sheen. 

“Slaying dragons and saving the princess, the usual stuff.” Dropping his feet to the floor, purposely making it as loud as possible, he spun back towards the computer. “And learning, surprisingly, the next New York Times bestseller doesn’t write itself. It’s as though the cosmo don’t want me to be noteworthy.” 

Catching the bag full of Japanese fruit chews, Tessa eyed them with mild intrigue. After realizing all the writing on the bag was unreadable, due to her inability to read, well Japanese, she decided to take the plunge, popping a few of the candies in her mouth. Deciding she actually quite liked them, she dug her hand further into the bag to grab a handful and continued chewing.

It had come as a bit of a surprise to Tessa that Bishops’ family friend had decided to settle down somewhere, much less in Marias, but she enjoyed being able to drop by and see what her so-called “uncle” was up to. He always seemed to be working on something interesting, providing a never-ending list of entertaining afternoons. 

“Shocking, the cosmos must really have it out for you,” Tessa replied with a heavy helping of sarcasm, before chuckling lightly, “You should really get out more, there’s plenty of inspiration around this place beyond the confines of the university-- you just have to look for it,” she encouraged with a shrug. 

He should have been used to it by now. This was such a common occurrence, in fact, that there sat a single stump in the center of what should have been a peaceful pasture for horses and cattle – and yet more often than not found itself turned into a stage, a canvas, an artistic medium all its own. Frank had spent the majority of the day fixing a fence in that very pasture, and now found himself the unwilling subject of a piece of art that he would much rather have sidled out of. 

Well – perhaps somewhat willing. Tickled pink just enough to be willing. 

“Can I put the post down, at least?” he chided, frozen in a half-lift, as instructed, “Bit of an awkward angle you’ve caught me at here.”

Frank’s farm had very quickly become one of Tessa’s favorite places in Marias. It was a bit of a safe haven for her, a place she would look forward to visiting anytime she had a few moments to spare. She especially enjoyed the easy afternoons like these, seated upon her favorite stump, casually drawing while Frank took care of whatever work needed to be done around the farm.  

“Two more seconds and I’ll let you keep the piece when I’m done,” she offers, dramatically batting her eyelashes, hoping her would humor her just long enough for her to put the finishing touches on the sketch.

“Ah ha--all done! You may move now,” Tessa grins broadly, jokingly waving her hand in his direction, as if to motion for him to unfreeze. “You like?” she asks flipping the sketch towards him. Arguably, it wasn’t her best work, certainly not worthy of any museum, but something in the looseness of the lines felt honest to Tessa. She liked it. 

Closed starter for @tessabishop​ Location: LSCL

Syd was holed up in his office. It was office hours but he hadn’t entertained meeting any students. His mind wasn’t on the professor job at all right now. Instead, he’d sat down to write the next great American novel. Action, adventure, digging in the dirt! It would have it all. If only he could get words on the screen. When the door opened, Syd found himself almost excited at the promise of talking to a student. Anything to avoid the writer’s block. 

What he was met with was a bigger surprise. A more welcomed guest. “What’s up, Squirt!” Syd closed the laptop and kicked his feet up on the desk. “Too old to be bribed with the candy drawer? Loads and loads of chocolate-covered grasshopper.” 

Pointing to a drawer, the candy choices were a lie but he did have a drawer filled with junk food and a problem realizing some people were adults.  

After a few months of actively avoiding her parents, whom she feared discussing her career with, Tessa finally dropped by the university to visit her parents for lunch. Much to her glee, an emergency meeting had swept them away for the afternoon, but she figured that there was one more place she ought to stop, while she was on campus. 

Scrunching her nose, Tessa shook her head, “Well, you had me a chocolate, lost me at grasshopper, I’m afraid” she chuckled before pulling out a chair and taking a seat.  “Toss me a Starbust?” she requests, eyeing the draw with a grin, having become used to the man’s oddities. 

“So, what are you working on Uncle Syd?” she asks, curiously peering over top of his laptop.

Tessa always enjoyed drawing from life-- there was something dynamic about it-- a lot more exciting than drawing from a photo. She had been doodling the scene before her for the past twenty minutes or so, when she noticed one of the people in her frame of vision beginning to move. “Wait!” she exclaimed a little over-excitedly, “Okay, now this is going to sound a little strange, but can you not move for like, two more seconds? The lighting is perfect and I’m almost done with this sketch.”

☓ open. location: crunchies, night.

Though she tried to ignore it, her eyes refused to keep checking the clock on the wall as it slowly counted down to 1am. She was just finishing with wiping away the stickiness on the bartop—anything to kill time—when she was flagged down. 

“What can I do for you, sugar?” she chirped and tossed the rag back to the sink behind the bar. “If it’s a drink you want, you’ll get it if I can make it in–” her gaze shifts back to the clock for a moment, then returns, “–three minutes’r less.” 

“Tragically, no drinking on the job for me tonight, B,” Tessa replies, shaking her head in disappointment, “I could, however, use some help with this broken glass,” she clarifies, motioning towards the shattered bottle on the floor. Of course some drunk idiot had broken a glass just sheer moments before their shift had ended. 

“Just my luck, eh?” she commiserates, as she bent down to pick out some of the larger pieces, careful not to slice her fingers. “I figured the two of us together could clean this mess up, twice as fast, and then finally clock out.”

{ SUMMER BISHIL. THIRTY ONE. CISFEMALE. SHE/HER } i was out wrestlin’ gators when i saw TESSA BISHOP. you know they have been in town for THIRTY-ONE YEARS now? they currently work as a FREELANCE ARTIST/BARTENDER. i love having them around, they're WITTY & PASSIONATE, but sometimes they can be IDEALISTIC & UNRESTRAINED. well, hope to see them ‘round more!