Amends
#1
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Like the PM'd about! Word Count: 474- SoSuWriMo

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Dexter and Vesle danced in and out from among her four legs as the little family of three traversed land the children had not seen before. The girl and boy were curious, but kept close enough for the sake of comfort, and she had to pay attention so as not to stumble sometimes as they took shortcuts underneath her. Vesle in particular kept close, Dexter was more brave, but neither was as brave as Keeleigh, who spent a lot of time outside their home. Today she was left to explore the lands of Dahlia, by her own wish. She was not interested in a trek; she claimed she had so much left of her own pack land to explore. The children were growing ever so quickly these days, as if they were as eager to become adults and get away from her as she was eager to prevent them from doing so. But, she knew it was futile, not to mention wrong. It was with a heart heavy with both pride and sadness that she watched how they were slowly gaining independence, and although she knew it would be many more months until they were truly able to be on their own, there was still that familiar sensation in her throat as she observed their progress. In a year or less they would not need her anymore, not as they had before. It was just a fact of life, but that did not mean she accepted it readily.


........Her last visit to Phoenix Valley had not been pleasurable, but time had come with the birth of her children, and she had spent it thinking. The discovery she had made had forced her to do so, had ripped the foundations of her life from underneath her feet. Of course, Mew was not dumb. She knew very well that her opinions were offensive, but the conclusion she had reached had surprised her. So, she would seek the Patriarch of Phoenix Valley to make amends, to apologize for her behavior. If she would have her, he would have a sister in Dahlia de Mai. That was her goal.


........The little family finally reached the borders of the other pack, and Mew raised her head and called out for the one-eyed male. Her bottom sat nicely on the ground, and she directed her full attention on the children again. Now Vesle, Dexter, your uncle Jefferson is the alpha here, just like Haku is in Dahlia de Mai. So you better behave yourselves, ok? Stay close until he comes to meet us. The two blinked at her for a moment and continued their play. It wasn't at all likely that they would do as she said, but hopefully they would be humble enough to at least behave at first, when he arrived. That in itself would be a miracle.



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#2
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<33 Thank you for starting, luff.


The twitch of his tattered ear acknowledged the sound, but the cyclops at first resented recognizing it. He wasn't much for the cold; the snow and ice made his three-legged trek even more incredibly difficult if not near impossible. Geneva was kind enough to take a majority of the border rounds for him this time of year, of course as a somewhat even exchange as he had done for her in the summer when she'd been trying to adjust to her high-ranking position and the discomfort she'd felt at first in trying to learn about the other pack members she'd so quickly jumped above in rank. Jefferson had left her to that then, and now, when she was well adjusted and doing fine, they switched places. He sought out members when his leg's ache wasn't at its worst, checked in on them, and otherwise spent afternoons conked out cold in the rocking chair before the fire in the sanctity of the ranch house.


It was there that he'd heard it, drifting off into unconsciousness when the sound nipped at his ear. Curled up three-legged on the floor before the fire, the cyclops opened his single eye drowsily; Geneva was gone, most likely socializing or whatever it was that women did in their free time that he did not, and thus the lazy Patriarch was left in peace to doze to the crackle of the fire. Likely, Geneva would reach the caller before he if she was truly on rounds, but the howler had been clear: She wanted Jefferson. The cyclops was aware of her identity, but as he staggered out of the ranch house and felt the swipe of the bitter cold against his unwilling face, the brute could only wonder if she was there to make the winter day even colder.


He and Mew had not departed on particularly good terms. Surely, Jefferson had made it clear that he could not respect her foolish opinions and immediately distrust and dislike him for the duel bloods he had no control over; he had been adamant that they were family, however, and blatantly implied that he was ready and waiting to be siblings whenever she could make up her mind about it. Honestly, he hadn't expected anything. The fact that she'd howled at his borders had been surprise enough, but when he arrived to meet her, the sight of the two small pups accompanying her was more alarm than he'd been ready for. The snide, sarcastic comments he'd prepared on the walk over were quickly dismissed, and he improvised something else to introduce himself with instead. "Came back for more?" The brute said slowly, green eye looking suspiciously at the two children. "And you brought an audience, too. Charming. I suppose they can't learn to hate trash without seeing it with their own eyes."

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#3
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Np :3
Word Count: 461 - SoSuWriMo


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Some time passed as they waited for his arrival, and she tried to entertain the pups as they sat there. They were bad at waiting, as any child would be, though they were getting pretty old now, and should learn to pay respect. She let them get away with many things inside Dahlia de Mai, but this was because she knew her fellow packmates would be forgiving of a child of their own ranks. This was a different pack however, and they were meeting none other than the leader himself, and so she would make damned sure they behaved. Quick words lashed at them as they attempted to stretch their boundaries and move away from them, but they quickly discovered that if they did not stay put at her feet they would taste her wrath upon their return to Wolfville. Instead she passed their time with word-games, though most of the time they provided words that didn't fit at all. She was too nervous to correct them, and as Jefferson finally appeared with an unwelcoming face and an even more negative comment, she found herself quite out of the loop — but annoyed. If his goal was to anger her, he could just continue to throw her efforts into the trash. It would be very effective.

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She frowned as his poisonous words reached the little family's ears, and the children looked up at her as if asking what to do. Her green gaze shot indignantly at her half-brother, and she mumbled to the children to "do what they had practiced". The two hesitated and looked from one adult to the other, feeling the tension. They had probably not expected that when mommy had told them they were going to visit an uncle. The boy stepped forward and spoke up; Vesle was much too shy to do anything at all. "Hello mister Uncle Jefferson sir." The young boy darted back to sit at his mother's feet, and she gave him a little bump with her one foot as if to reassure him and tell him "good job". Having seen her brother do his job so well, Vesle stepped forward and mumbled something that vaguely resembled her brother's sentence, but it trailed off into nothing before she, too, darted back to sit with her mother. And could they blame them anyways? Jefferson, with his eye and his leg and his scars, looked really scary, after all. Mew sat silently and watched the scene play out, saying nothing. Smiling kindly at the scarred hybrid, she would not comment on his negative words. Who judged who now? She could easily find something to say, but what was the point in that? She had come here with fresh thoughts and less hormones, not to fight with him.


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#4
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ah, typical jefferson assholery.


His comments were met with sharp eyes; for a brief moment, Jefferson became aware that he was looking into a mirror of himself. Those eyes were the same shade, the same intensity he'd once turned at Geneva and Iskata at one point or another, not to mention countless intimidated joiners and other general troublemakers. They'd been Gabriel's punishment for trespassing, Geneva's reward for trying to open him up, silent rebellion against the blind Laruku and his suspicious words. Those were the eyes he was known for, though their intensity was combined into one single eye -- and Jefferson knew, from that moment, the intimidation within the point of his one-eyed gaze.


Mew butted at her children, and one by one, the two stepped forward and greeted him. The second child was shyer than the first; vaguely he was reminded of Addison, who had always been a curious and forceful child. Had she gotten along with them? Did she know Mew, now that they both lived in the same pack? Had she been a part of these pups' upbringing? Ultimately, the cyclops struck a rather puzzled, frazzled expression and turned his eye back at his silent half-sibling. Though his eye did not leave her, he addressed the children in a monotone, suspicious voice: "Uncle Jefferson is fine," he muttered, gaze locked. He'd raised a child on his own, but the cyclops was still no good with others' kids.


After a brief pause, he continued. "Your children have better manners with hybrids than I expected," he started, tone suspecting and rough. "What exactly did you come here to accomplish, Mew?"

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#5
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Charming as always, eh? Tongue That's why we love him Wink
Word Count: 600 - SoSuWriMo


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He stared back at her with his one lonely eye, and the two half-siblings mirrored each other momentarily in spirit and in strength. Neither were used to having to bend their neck to anyone; both behaved as if filled with pride or suspicion. Mew kept her emerald greens on his face as the children stepped forward and mumbled their sad little attempts at a formal greeting, and for a moment she could not help herself but to look down on their forms and smile a little at them. She found them endlessly amusing, and their pathetic little attempt at being adult or smart had just failed miserably. She was easily charmed by her children. As quickly as that moment had passed, however, her gaze returned to her half-brother's face as he spoke to them, his voice somewhat resembling Haku's in terms of lack of enthusiasm. She had been surprised to find that her litter brother shared no joy with her in the fact that she finally had the family she had wished for for so long, had suffered for for so many years. Now, it seemed this male was no more positive, but where she had now given up hopes that Haku would care about her life and achievements, she had gained hope that perhaps this scarred, one-eyed one just might. If this was the way he chose to behave, and in front of her children, too, then it would be a bumpy ride towards a feeling of family relation between them. She would not allow him to speak to her like that, Patriarch or no, but she remained silent for now. She had yet to speak to him directly of why she was here, and so she would give him a proper chance to behave. If he then still chose to be a grumpy and suspicious male who judged her as easily as she previously had judged him, then so be it. She had more pride than to beg for his affection.


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The polite smile that had dressed her lips as she had sat there now changed and she looked wry for a moment. She did not want to use harsh words in front of her children; perhaps she should not have brought them. She had intended it as two things; an ice breaker, and as a signal of good intention. Surely he did not believe that she would be such a bad mother as to bring her children for such a long trek simply to lash out at her half-sibling? If so, he was certainly not a very intelligent male. Given parts of the Sadira bloodline, however, she wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Her mouth closed tightly for a moment and she gathered herself, drew her breath softly through her nose as if calming herself down. "I came here because I wanted my children to meet my brother." She finally said, quite bluntly, quite precisely, but no trace of some of the more poisonous words she could have said could be found in her voie. She was in control, and she did not unleash her anger on people before knowing their true intent. She did not like to assume, even if she had done so for years when it came to coyotes. But like he had said himself; he was not Inferni just because he had coyote blood. She was trying to change her ways, but she would not do so using the same harsh attitude as the one in front of her did. She was better than that. "Was this perhaps wrong of me?"



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#6
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As her smile vanished, the cyclops began to rethink his strategy. True, he was bad with children, but he knew better than to give the poor pups a bad impression. Single eye glancing down at the two again, it became obvious enough that even before he'd muttered darkly, his niece and nephew had already been frightened by him. He knew he was an intimidating figure; the brute had never asked for the gruesome scars that marked his body like war decorations in the same way he'd never asked to be a father. Things just sort of happened to Jefferson and he took them in stride when they happened. Later on, however, he would ruthlessly wreak revenge on everyone around him to satisfy the burning intensity inside. He'd never chosen to be a rapist, a bad father, a pack leader -- but they'd each happened. Jefferson could decide to be a bad brother and uncle, though.


As she finished speaking, the Patriarch lowered himself onto his haunches. His leg was aching terribly from the cold, and any opportunity to get off of it was welcome. Jefferson's eye wandered from his sister back to the two children, still cowering under the improvisational sanctuary their mother provided for them. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled long. "I'm sorry, kids," he started, suddenly wearing a sad smile that, surprising even to himself, was not forced. "I didn't mean to be harsh. Uncle Jefferson is a grumpy old codger sometimes." His ear twitched, eye glancing up at their mother just briefly before returning to the pups. "You two have names, right? Or can I name you myself?" He mimicked a pondering face as if he was thinking deeply about it. "How about Jack and Jill? Bob and Mary? Phil and Shmoe?" A wide, pleasant grin. Jefferson didn't know he knew how to tease.

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#7
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Charming as always, eh? Tongue That's why we love him Wink
Word Count: 600 - SoSuWriMo


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His mood seemed to be foul, and as she sat there and listened to her own words linger a moment in the air before disappearing, she expected the worst. But, if he proved to be so low as to attack her (verbally, though) in front of her children, he would merely confirm all the assumptions she had made over the years about the species he had a foot or two in. That they were vicious, heartless, evil. It was not hard to see from her hard mask that she was completely able to answer any phrase he might throw at her, for she had bickered with many people before. And, one did learn a thing or two when in the same pack as Svara and Firefly for any given amount of time. Though, it seemed her efforts paid off, for suddenly there was a wholly different air abuot the scarred hybrid. He wore a sort of smile and attempted to make it up to the children, it seemed. Somehow, in it, in the glance he threw at her, it seemed to the white-pelted female that there was perhaps some form of apology to herself. Well, she would not be so narrow-minded that she would not accept it, and so her features softened a little, and her gaze was on the children, to see how they reacted to their uncle's new face.


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Vesle stared at him with a dumb face as he joked about their names, though it seemed that Dexter was picking up some of the play in the situation. The boy looked up at his mother for confirmation, as if he would just like to remind himself that she was there, before he smiled a little and looked at Jefferson's face. He was silent a for a little while, before finally deciding that he was indeed brave enough to speak. "Noo... I'm Dexter." He paused a second, and a little wave of mischief flew across his face. He gave a little giggle, too. Grinning, but still only barely looking at his uncle, his voice was low but amused. "And you are being silly..." Vesle, who had still not understood the situation, spoke for the first time that encounter a whole sentence. She remained where she was and spoke with a low, reserved voice. "Yeah because mom named us a long time ago, so you can't do that..." Mew chuckled now, and butted the small gray girl with her nose. "Don't worry Vesle, he's just joking around." The ivory woman raised her head smiling now, amused by her children's strange reactions. Vesle, who now realized her mistake, blushed furiously and hid behind her mother's leg — as much as that was possible. Dexter merely snickered at her.



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#8
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He smiled at the two, pleased by their quick confusion but more proud of the fact that at least one of them could identify the teasing and still have the guts to tell him off. Surely, the little girl was a bit more nervous and uneasy than her brother; Jefferson would have to be careful with her, ultimately. There was no need for him to go out of his way and screw up her lack of confidence any further. "You got me, guys," he shrugged, smirking a bit at his lips' edges. "Dexter and Vesle, huh? You two should get used to introducing yourselves sooner; you've got nice names." A genuine smile, then his green eye finally returned to the half-sister he hadn't expected to see again. He was still hardly believing she'd come back in the first place.


He studied her briefly, a look of entertained sarcasm on his face, until he finally shook his head and came out with it. "Why the change of heart?" Jefferson said slowly, though it was clear he was not about to criticize her for it. After all, the cyclops had been the one to try and forge a sibling relationship for the two when Mew had suddenly refused it upon learning his duel blood; the fact that she'd turned around meant that he'd either said something useful or somehow proven himself a trustworthy creature -- or at least not as bad as most typically thought (including himself). "I don't get it. You hated me when you left." The smile held still, though it saddened. Why was blood and species such a big deal?

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#9
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Ehm... >< I actually did not do this on purpose for SSWM. But this thread is significant for her plot and it is also much fun, so I just blame you Tongue Sorry for the long read <3
Word Count: 815 - SoSuWriMo


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Jefferson continued to play with the children, and Vesle continued to blush and hide as he did so, though Dexter seemed quite satisfied with himself. The boy smiled and sat with his chest puffed out, and as soon as their uncle complimented their names, Vesle quickly mirrored him, though only to some extent. A quiet smile and a quiet pride was what she held, quite unlike her mother, but more similar to her father. Neither knew their dad, and Mew would have it no other way. She had done everything herself, and if that pathetic excuse for a wolf came lurking around Dahlian land again, she would chase him off it. But it seemed that not all males were either pathetic like Lubomir or cold like her baby brother. This one seemed quite likable now that he had understood that she was not a complete bitch after all.


The words he spoke could have been delivered differently, and then she might have scoffed at him and reacted with anger despite her children's presence. Perhaps she would have sent them off to play first, and then let her words wash over him, for she refused to be spoken to in such a way, patriarch or not. But the delivery was less than poisonous, and not sarcastic. He did not mean to lash out at her and she understood this; she understood that he was curious. The extent of his pride surprised him, though, for he had only mirrored her own behavior when they had met; this was what she saw. She had seen a coyote, and he had seen a racist, but he had been the one so bent on his opinion and values that he had chased her away. He had put himself on top of the good-person-ladder, and her on top of the bad-person-ladder, but in fact he had been just as bad as she. They had both labeled each other, and when he so ferociously believed in the good of his own mind (obviously, since he had placed her below him so swiftly), why should he be surprised that she, too, could be good? She could rub it in his face as revenge, and at another point on the time-line she might have done so. With Firefly she might have done so, but Mew saw no reason to do so now. She said nothing, and when he elaborated on his own confusion, she smiled at him, though not in the unpleasant way she could have smiled. Yes, she was still conflicted, and yes, she was still confused. But the birth of her children had taught her one important thing; heritage was not everything. It was not her children's fault that their father was a pathetic, sad little male who thought it better to run away than to help the one he had so intensely professed his love to. And so, she had slowly concluded that it was not Jefferson's fault that he had a coyote for a father. She still held some distaste for that race (changes do not occur overnight), but she would try to fight it for Jefferson's sake. And perhaps in time, she could learn something different than what she had so far, in years of experience with that smaller, red-furred kind of canine.


"I never hated you, but I was confused. For someone like me, it was surprising. Not only did I gain a brother, but one with half a foot in a world that had throughout my life brought me nothing but pain and suffering." For Mew, there had been no distinction between Inferni and coyotes; they were all evil, all prone to become violent killing machines, cannibals, eager to get their fangs bloodied by a species so close to their own. That was all she had known, and her mind had never been open to anything else. Jefferson had pried it apart and had forced her to move and look at it from a different angle. The children stared up at her both trying to understand what she was talking about, and checking if she was paying attention. If she was not, they could sneak off anf play, but she did see them, and glanced downwards quickly before continuing, nodding with her head in another direction as if to say "go ahead" but without words. They smiled eagerly and set off, but knew better than to go out of sight. Her emeralds returned to the single eye of her half-brother, and her face was calm and mild, quite unlike their first encounter. "In essence, I had a lot of time for thinking, and I decided that I was better off with another sibling, and without a bit of my bitter old self." Her gaze moved pointedly to the two children, as if emphasizing their importance in this change of heart. And they were important; in every way.


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#10
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Her children were filled with such looks of an ignorant type of an innocence, blissfully clueless in their blank gazes sent up at their mother. They didn't know her type of racism. Knowing Mew, the white wolfess had made it a point to shield her pup's eyes from what she considered so cruel and dangerous. Jefferson couldn't quite blame her, couldn't bring himself to demote her in his mind -- she was acting as a parent, and any mother would guard her children from what she herself had struggled so terribly with. Green eye glowed as thoughts browsed in his mind. Perhaps an overprotective mother like she was better than a neutral, laid back father like he'd been to Addison -- and definitely better than the absent father he'd been to Miriette and Heath and that other boy he still didn't know the name of. How... tragic.


And yet in the end, Mew was forcing the two pups to face what she feared the most. Even if he was not completely coyote, the blood in his veins was still of a half-breed and thus dangerous or whatnot. Was she facing him now because they were siblings, or because she was trying to recover from her hatred? A small, relieved smile blossomed at his lips; it wasn't often that his scarred heart opened up, but it wasn't often that he met regretful and forgiving half-siblings, either. Lord knows Haku wouldn't fill the position. But she glanced ever so subtly, ever so lovingly at the two pups for just a few seconds, and he had his answer. How strange, that a monster like Jefferson could, one way or another, play a role in saving a lost and pained soul. Such opportunities did not arise often. His eye followed the two as they dashed off, the brute standing tall -- and almost proud -- as he watched over there. "Your kids are lucky," he smiled. "They have each other, and they have you. They don't know what the world will do to them yet. Were we ever like that, Mew?" A small chuckle, then his eye returned to her once more. "I'm glad you came back. I'm still hardly your brother, but... maybe I'm proud." Tattered ears flicked to attention. He didn't admit to it, but the cyclops was undeniably excited -- finally, he'd have a sibling of decent thought and mind who, unlike everyone else, wouldn't leave him behind.

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#11
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Right, so it's kind of weird to post with her now that she's dead, hence the wait (I'm really sorry :/); we could perhaps begin to wrap up sometime soon? They could continue musing awhile and then it's go home time or possibly stay-over time depending on what you want? It's so weird to post with a dead character O_O
Word Count: 394


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The two pups chased each other around, jumped on each other until you couldn't tell which leg belonged to which puppy, and as the two siblings stared at them, there was perhaps warmth in both their hearts. A little for each other, and a little for puppies; who didn't feel warm and fuzzy when they looked at such displays of cuteness? She looked at them fondly, the essence of her whole world, and as he spoke she moved her head to gaze at him instead. A small smile decorated her face, and she gave a small sound of thought at his question. Indeed, had they ever been like that? Mew had no memory of an older brother, but she and Haku had been quite playful, if burdened. No, she had never been like her children were, for she had never had the safety of a real family. Sure, her children lacked a father, but they didn't know what it was like to have one. It was different not to have anyone at all. His gaze returned to her and he seemed quite genuine now; his face, beneath all the scars, was genuine. Not arrogantly mocking her and punishing her for her beliefs, but the opposite. She smiled broadly now, and looked back at her children playing while she answered. They were perhaps on safe ground, but she didn't know this place, and she never could bear to not know where they were. It would be so difficult when they grew older.
"I'm glad I stumbled upon you, else I wouldn't have known." She wouldn't have known about this chapter of her mother's past, and that she had it in her to give him a chance.
"I'm glad they can know that there is family beyond Dahlia de Mai. It might be useful to have another uncle, when Haku is always too busy to visit." It wasn't as much the lack of visiting that irked her; it was the lack of caring at all. He didn't really give a damn, and she wasn't sure what to think of that. "I've learned again and again there's always something beyond what you think there is, always some truth, some person, some place. I found you; it proved the theory again. I hope they will learn many of these things before I did; it'd be healthy for them."


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#12
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He had never seen himself as inspirational nor heroic, but perhaps he was not so far gone than he thought. Jefferson viewed himself as just and fair, a dedicated leader to his pack but an independent loner at heart. He was nothing to admire; the brute was snide, sarcastic, and bitter at times while utterly caustic at his worst. The ways he went about justice sufficed the needs of the situation, as he had both fought physical battles to bring about justice while at other times using bitterness to bring down those who fell easily to words. His insults, his sentences were carefully worded when necessary, while at other times he simply let loose and slashed mental wounds deep with the recklessness of of his wit. There was nothing to admire in Jefferson, and yet the bright green eyes of his half-sister -- the same green he peered back with half the power -- told him otherwise. He was not so far gone. He still had the capability to make a difference. Somewhere inside, his walls cracked a little.


"Your kids are always welcome here," he nodded, eye wandering off where they'd disappeared last. "Haku is unpredictable at best. Whenever they need safety, they'll have it here. That goes for you too, Mew. I don't know why you stay there, with him. I don't know why any of you do." Addison, too...


The brute listened to her words, her mellowed praise of his character that he'd never even began to consider himself. The cyclops resisted all urges to shake his head and disagree. "I did nothing. You were the one who came back here; I never told you too. There is far more to your than you think, Mew." He breathed, then smiled a shallow simper. "There are others like you; maybe you can teach them otherwise. Maybe that way, all this racist hell will finally be over."

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