The last time we heard from Papa Zero and Sister Imperator regarding the ongoing soap opera of Ghost's lore, the two were passionately indisposed before announcing the band's upcoming European tour alongside thrash giants Metallica. In this latest chapter from The Clergy, the two are paid a visit by the rascally Cardinal Copia who comes bearing the gift of dead flowers for the newly healed Sister.
Charming his way past the reception nurse at the hospital desk where Sister Imperator has been recovering from the car crash shown in Chapter 4, Copia barges into the room awkwardly as Imperator is preparing for discharge. The tense interplay between characters breaks for a moment when Copia says coyly, "Sister! You look good. Have you...have you lost weight?" Her saccharine voice responds earnestly, "Well you lie in bed for six months, your muscles naturally atrophy!"
The trio shares a laugh as the nurse enters, and Imperator alerts Copia he's arrived in time for her "unveiling." The bandages are removed from her head, and Copia and Papa regale Sister with praise, the former saying "Sister, honestly, your accident has done you only good." This macabre and slow-paced humor carries on as the elder two chide Copia for his impish behavior, with Sister Imperator asking him if he could announce something but she is cut off by the Cardinal as he tries to guess her big news.
Big news never comes though, and the four-minute scene is nothing more than an elaborate tease that builds layers of interaction between the characters to deepen their involvement in the Ghost universe. The band's mastermind Tobias Forge revealed recently that he knows where the story is heading (including the evolution of Cardinal Copia's mischievous character), but has chosen to leave fans with a bit of mystery for now.
