They stopped him, so he stopped. Jefferson supposed he didn't look exactly "innocent" turning and hastening away at first greeting, not to mention his scars, useless arm, and gruff voice weren't much aid in acknowledging his presence as harmless and fleeting. He'd already turned away when the black-furred woman greeted their new arrival, at which Jefferson froze in his steps and a chill ran down his spine: Mahlouk? How did complete strangers know his name?! His eye flashed over his shoulder at her, wide and frenzied, before settling down on the white... thing that accompanied her and had clearly been the one addressed. Mahlouk, not Maluki. The Patriarch's green eye immediately thinned, and a biased distrust was placed on the scarred individual. He was not shocked by what he saw: not only did this white creature look like some sad excuse for a one-man carnival act with scars and piercings and a voice to match, but his name bore an eerie similarity to that which Jefferson was born with: Maluki. The similarities in scars and name were enough to put the one-armed idiot on immediate edge, but he brushed off the feeling and turned to face them when addressed further.
A sharp, pointed gaze was turned on the white thing briefly, but the man's green eye focused on the mother and child more gently as he calmed. "One of my members lived here," he said, inhaling deeply. He knew things had been bad for her, whatever the situation had been, but Geneva had never gone in depth as to why she'd left Crimson Dreams. For all Jefferson knew, the two members present might not even know her. The gaze that the woman was sending him was sharp and authoritative, supported by her charismatic tone, and Jefferson quickly assumed she was of a higher rank. His single eye met here with a similar, unbreaking gaze, and his tone matched hers in business and charisma. "And I've met a few others here as well. I was curious if Kansas had heard about his mother's death yet." Perhaps he should have been more subtle with that. Too late now. "My name is Jefferson; I'm the Patriarch in Phoenix Valley. I've never seen your pack, so I came to see what Geneva left behind." He raised a brow precociously.
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