#and agnes is her intended but unwilling vessel...

[angeldcgs]

"of course." hopefully her terse smile wouldn't give away just how disingenuous the sentiment was. surely he'd noticed the way she seemed to avoid him at all costs, but it wasn't like the other members of the congregation had been all that forthcoming with their new visitor, either. if anything, most of the women regarded him with a sort of morbid curiosity, treating him like an exotic wild animal usually only available for viewing from afar at a zoo, equal parts cautious and fascinated. they'd gather in little groups to whisper and stare at him from across the way, giggling behind their hands and scurrying off when they drew his attention like giddy schoolgirls. agnes didn't share that same interest. "we're all very excited to have you here." that much was true, at least, though not in the way he might've thought. the group's figurehead, sister nora, had welcomed him in with open arms, only providing him with seemingly simple limitations and boundaries, putting on the welcoming facade of a leader with nothing to hide, but he was a smart man. it wouldn't take long for him to learn just what was going on within the group, what dirty secrets they kept concealed beneath the stiff woolen fabric of their habits— sister nora could only hope he wouldn't put the pieces together until it was time for her to reveal the full puzzle to him. when gael finally exposed the reason for his request to meet with her, she felt her stomach turn to lead, a sudden stifling heaviness overtaking her form as she went deathly still in her chair. "i'm a-afraid i don't know what it is you could be referring to..." she struggled to keep her voice even, tripping over her words nonetheless. "morality is our organization's main concern, as i'm sure you've borne witness to over your time here. i'd be happy to clarify any misconception you might've developed... i'd hate for you to leave here with the wrong impression."

open to: anyone.

featuring: gael nielsen, fourty-three, heterosexual, novelist.

plot: in preparation for his next novel, gael opted to take a more first hand approach in learning about cult life and chose to go spend a few weeks in a small town with a particularly notorious religious organisation running the place. unbeknownst to him, their invitation to have him come stay was made with nefarious intentions and your muse has been tasked with making sure everything goes according to plan.

"thank you for meeting with me today." as if he didn't know when there would be free time in their schedule and picked the earliest available moment in the day to usher them someplace secluded. he'd spent the last week watching each step of their routine like a hawk, learning the intimate details of the lives those in the cult- or the organisation as he'd been reminding himself to refer to them as. it'd been clear from the start that things were off but that was in part why he had been so excited to come visit. he was looking for troubled minds to base his characters on and a backbone of realism to apply to his novel, if everything was the same as it was back home, there would've been no point making the trip. however, things were starting to feel increasingly unsafe, like he'd waded into waters deeper than he anticipated and now he needed to figure out the quickest way to leave without causing a scene. "i know service starts soon but i felt as though there were some things i needed to discuss with you. i don't know how to say this other than being outright, so i hope you won't be offended by my frankness but i've witnessed things here that... that i don't believe are entirely moral."