Realistic or Modern Game Of Truth

[Moonlightt]

James let out a small sigh as he pulled the black jacket over his shoulders and adjusted the collar. Once he was done, he walked over to the stained tall mirror, leaning on the wall at his bedroom, eyeing himself from top to bottom. He really was starting to nail that whole preacher thing. Now he almost looked like one. Of course, the locals were not so quick to doubt him, so he had successfully managed to hide from the law for the last few months in plain sight at the small town of False Spring.

The town itself was a mere collection of farms, with around 100 inhabitants in total, most of which had lived in it for their entire lives. Everyone knew each other which seemed to work in James’ favour once he moved there, claiming he had come to spread the word of God and educate the town’s people of His teachings. Ever since then, he took his new role very seriously, doing Sunday services, taking confessions and whatnot. He did however show weakness a couple of times and laid with a few of the younger wives and daughters but … well, we are all sinners.

So it was that time again, the end of the week. The time when James had to stand in front of a church full of people, ready to talk for an hour about some chapter he had read from the Bible. But he was getting used to the deceit, his lies getting more convincing and confident. He walked into the church with a head held high, holding a Bible in one hand and his hat in the other. He took his place behind the pulpit, placing both objects down on it. He opened the book at the page he had marked and then lifted his eyes up.

“Good day, my friends.” He said in a calm and even tone, his gaze scanning the crowd, his eyes falling on an unfamiliar face as he did.

 

[amberskies]

Eleanor was a new face in town; just a few days ago, she had gotten herself tangled up in a shoot out with a rival gang that left her severely wounded. A bullet made it's way through her ribcage, barely missing her vital organs. She could swear she had almost seen the light as she lay there in the grass, bleeding to death, until one of her fellow gang members dragged her to safety. The location of the wound meant she had trouble being mobile when it came to horse riding, shooting a gun, and doing the usual daily tasks at their camp such as bringing buckets of water or hauling bales of hay. There was practically nothing she could do with the gang that had taken her in as a child; she was dead weight, at least until she fully recovered.

Her mobility was still limited, and she knew it would stay that way for at least a few more weeks as the gunshot wound continued to scab and eventually heal. It ached everyday, though she wore a baggy, white blouse and brown mens pants to avoid dresses that ended up being rather tight around the midriff. Her wound would always be triple wrapped in gauze to ensure no blood would peek through.

She was by no means a believer of God, but upon finding out that many people in this town were active worshippers, she knew she had to make an effort to appear as though she were an active Christian. It would only make blending into this town as a total stranger easier for her if she sold the role of the innocent Emily Adams that had recently lost her entire family to gang violence, and moved to False Spring to start a new life for herself. Temporarily, at least. A gunslinger like Eleanor could never settle back into the mundane life of a shopkeeper and not get bored. She already missed the adrenaline of riding a horse as she escaped law enforcement, or the gun's repeated kickbacks after she'd take multiple shots at the rival gang.

She cleansed her mind of these scenarios as she entered the sacred building, adjusting the white blouse for a moment to ensure she looked proper. She took a seat somewhere toward the back. Most of the citizens seemed to know each other, chatting to one another before the sermon commenced. Eleanor did not mind the solitude; she was not much of a people person, and hated small talk. It would get you nowhere.

Eleanor leaned back against the bench as the preacher began to speak, but upon realising how improper and slouched her posture was, she quickly adjusted it. Getting used to being courteous and respectful in public rather than doing whatever the hell she wanted proved to be easier said than done. As the preacher's eyes landed on hers, she stared right back at him, not daring to break eye contact. She knew that doing so may only raise suspicion in her direction; acting confident would convince others that she knew she belonged here, and that her backstory was true.

 

[Moonlightt]

James' eyes moved away from the unfamiliar woman and continued scanning the crowd as he kept on talking. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Preacher William." He began, his words directed at the young woman and the few other newcomers, who had travelled over from the nearby town. This was a peculiar turn of events for James. Although he had only spent a few months in this town, he had already started to gain some reputation around the nearby areas. Which for a man of the gun like himself, whose closest encounter to God was at his mother's funeral, was quite the achievement. However, one question stood in his mind - was he that good of a liar, or were the local farmers that dull?

It was fair to assume it was a bit of both. However, James did not want to get too cocky with his persona. It could take one slip of the tongue and all of his efforts were going to be wasted. He had gone to great lengths to get off the grid. the bounty against his name was getting immense, causing any money-starved bounty hunter in the country to start chasing after him. James wasn't afraid of a fight, in fact, he welcomed it. But he wasn't stupid, he knew that those men were going to team up on him and as great as he was, he was going to be severely outnumbered.

So, since he couldn't fight, he fleed. He cut his hair, shaved his beard, changed his appearance to the state where he was completely unrecognizable. And he even changed his name. the notorious James Moore was buried in the past, and the Preacher William Taylor emerged from the ashes. It was a drastic move but it was necessary for his survival.

And James continued with his sermon, talking in length about the importance of speaking the truth and being open. He was obviously not speaking from experience but he did find it amusing. He would wave his hands around, raise his voice, call the Lord. He would watch the faces of the people in front of him, sparing back at him as if he was God himself. And all he could think about was how easy it was to fool those unfortunate souls.

"And remember, God is always with you." He said and nodded at the end of his sermon, earning a few "aye"s and claps from the audience. He closed the Bible and look forward, watching the people begin to leave, his eyes landing once again on the unknown woman. He wondered if she was from a nearby town, or maybe a newcomer. Was she here with her family? Was she alone? So to seek answers to all his questions, he made his way through the crowd, exiting the small church. As his gaze was finally able to locate the young brunette, he walked over towards her, stopping a couple of steps away.

"How did you find my sermon, Miss?" He asked with a smile, his eyes slightly narrowed as the bright sun shone in his eyes.

 

[amberskies]

Eleanor sat back in her bench, listening to the sermon about honesty. She felt as though she was personally being called out as she sat there, knowing that her entire current identity was a lie. She was no shopkeeper in reality; sure, she had the right knowledge, but it took her a few days to get used to it. She'd simply tell people she was relatively new to the job, and given her age, it was a believable lie. She didn't even feel guilty lying to everyone, knowing that it was for her own good and to ensure her own survival.

The sermon was over soon enough, though Eleanor hadn't been paying attention too much. She was here mainly to ensure people would perceive her as an innocent girl with no dark past that actively entered God's house and worshipped him. It would help her blend in, she knew that. She stood up carefully to ensure she wouldn't strain her injury but also not making it obvious that she was wounded in the first place, before heading toward the exit of her church. She was meant to get back to work soon, knowing that her shift would eventually start.

But as she exited the church, she was stopped by someone. She was surprised that someone chose to make contact with her, but did not allow this shock to be evident on her face as she stared back at the man. She relaxed her face and allowed a small smile to appear on her face; ideally, she'd be glaring at people all the time, but she was slowly getting used to acting less threatening. Except for that one time yesterday when a man thought he could get away with stealing from her; he certainly regretted that, and left the shop with a few bruises and scrapes he'd never forget. That had unfortunately strained her gunshot wound, making it bleed once more.

"It was very interesting. I agree that honesty is important." Eleanor nodded in agreement as she clasped her hands in front of her, looking up at the man. She was spewing lies at him, even when talking about honesty. Introducing herself had flown right above her head; it wasn't something she was used to, quite frankly, and most people entering her shop would either buy whatever they needed and left, or stayed a little longer to flirt with the young lass. Either way, her name was rarely the topic of the conversation, and even now, she hadn't thought of introducing herself or asking the man for his name.

 

[Moonlightt]

James gave her a slight smile as she spoke, his head confirming her words with a nod. His eyes were fixed on the woman, trying to understand as much about her from her demeanour and gestures as possible. On the outside, she looked what would be considered normal although she had chosen not to match the other young ladies and put on a fancy Sunday dress. But in this town this could be caused by many factors. Maybe she didn't have money for one, or she had never had the proper education about it. So this remained merely as a fact he noted but did not think much of.

Her demeanour though seemed a bit odd. Not for him but when put in comparison with the other women there. With another reassuring smile, he spoke. "I am Preacher William." He said once again, his tone still calm and even, much like he was still doing the sermon. "And you are, Miss?" He asked and extended his hand forward to take hers if she indeed allowed it.

"What brings you around our small town?" He continued, trying to find out as much as possible about her past. It wasn't purely curiosity, no. He was just cautious. A man in his position had to expect everything from everybody and he was well aware some of the people after him would possibly send spyes his way. Although his disguise had been working wonders, one could never be too cautious.

His eyes moved to the crowd which was slowly thinning out. People walking away, some on horses, some on foot. He nodded goodbye to a few of the town's folk before his eyes returned to the woman in front.

 

[thatamericanfloof]

I'd like to join this one.

 

[thatamericanfloof]

oh wait nvm lol i misinterpreted the thread