Morty drove down the very near highway, making his way back to the church. He'd agreed to come back for the circus, and he'd had an awkward phone call with Rick, getting the time off. He'd just be going in later that day.
       The two were left on odd terms. Morty would come back, as requested, for meetings, and he would leave again. Each time, Rick would try to start a conversation with Morty, but the brunet would give a half-assed response and walk out, resuming his post. He was back to being just the dumb kid that was probably going to die alone, in all honesty. He wasn't ready for all of what he had done, and he doubted he ever would be. Maybe he would just wind up going back to the very beginning, cutting all ties with the boss, ending his life of insanity and simply leading the life he'd had; simple, not stressful in the slightest.
       Morty was fine avoiding the man for now. At least then he didn't have to worry about his mental stability. He lost himself around Rick, in all honesty, and he didn't want that. He wanted to remain normal as he could, without going ape-shit on everybody. But he felt bad for doing all of this to Rick. The man had been as open with Morty as a literal book, as if Morty had dug in his mind and read about the man. He'd never done that before. And, yet, Morty had shot him down. And the two were left on the terms they were on presently. 

       In the church parking lot, Morty adjusted himself, trying to further return to his 'John' persona. He had to remember to answer to that name, had to remember that nobody would call him Morty. At least, they shouldn't, and he wouldn't answer to that name. He wore simple blue jeans and a black t-shirt, being that today was a cooler summer day. He didn't look much different, the only one people could see obviously was his shaven beard. 
       Morty carefully stepped from his vehicle, finding Cathy and Tim approaching him with wide grins. "Pastor John!" Cathy greeted, pulling the brunet into a hug. He reciprocated the gesture, smiling politely and shaking Tim's hand after. "Welcome back," the man greeted with a smile. "It's nice to see you two again," Morty announced. 
       "Come on! We're just getting set up, and you can meet the pastor! He loves that the children could sing 'Jesus Loves Me' in Spanish." Cathy announced, leading Morty around the church and towards the makeshift fairgrounds. Morty grinned widely, being greeted with many waves and smiling faces. He wandered after Cathy, being led to a man talking to a larger group. "Pastor Walhoun, this is Pastor John!" Cathy introduced the two excitedly, leaning on her cane. The man spun and Morty was met with black hair and vibrant blue eyes, taken aback for a moment before he smiled warmly. "Pleasure to meet you," he greeted, holding his hand out. The man graciously took it, shaking hands with Morty. "I've heard so much about you! I love what you'd done before you'd left. For one so young, you were so experienced." 
      'John' nodded, smiling still as he adjusted his back and the case he'd borrowed from Gary. "It was fun, working with these folks. I hope they're as kind to you as they were to me," he joked. Pastor Walhoun nodded, "Most definitely. A very welcoming crowd." 'John' nodded in agreement. 
       "I suppose you ought to get to your platform. Folks are arriving," Walhoun announced kindly. 'John' nodded, giving a quick goodbye before he wandered around, finding his platform.

       There was something about the new pastor that unsettled 'John' greatly as he climbed onto his platform, finding the man staring at him now as though in recognition. The evil grin he'd found was perhaps the worst thing he'd ever seen as he went about setting his area up, wondering what the hell was the guy's deal.

*~*~*

       Towards the end of the day, 'John' was reintroduced to Samantha. 
       "Hi!" she'd greeted, walking towards the edge of the stage. "Hello," 'John' responded. "Who are you?"
       "I'm Samantha, all growed up." 'John' nodded after a moment, finding the little girl's mother smiling fondly. "Well, I see that. Are you enjoying the circus?" Samantha nodded, smiling widely. "Yea. I wanted to show you something!" she announced proudly. 'John' nodded, "Alright."
       "Can I come up there?" she questioned, grabbing something from her mother. "Sure." 'John' helped Samantha up, leading her over to the small steps and allowing her to stand on the stage in front of him. "Watch!" she laughed proudly. She had to be at least twelve now, as 'John' judged her age. She opened the small object to reveal a saber slightly smaller than the one being borrowed from Gary. 'John' glanced to her mother, the woman signalling that it was fine, though appearing worried all the same. "Alright, I'm watching."
        'John' watched as the little girl poured a bit of water over the saber, brushed her hair away, and performed his show, in a sense. He laughed inwardly, realizing she'd be pretty popular in a few years as he watched her with a proud expression. She laughed awkwardly as she held the saber to her side again, wiping her lip off. "Did you learn that on your own?"
       "No. My ma paid for a few lessons. I wanted to do it because you were so cool!" she explained. "Well," 'John' grabbed his own saber, "wanna be my partner for the day?" He glanced to her mother, finding the woman to be fine, if not more than a little anxious. Samantha nodded eagerly and 'John' smiled, enjoying seeing somebody so interested in their own hobbies.
       The world was alright for now.