wc291
escape is never the safest path
He hadn't expected such a reaction out of her, but regardless, Jefferson was relieved to find the matriarch there. His senses were finally becoming reliable, and the thought brought a moment's peace to his worries. However, his perplexion only grew when she cried out the unfamiliar name--he guessed in her sleep, by judgment of the slur and spontaneity--and when she gave him the most difficult and troubled look over the edge, his heart sank. She knew who he was, or better yet, who Maluki was... yet she didn't seem so happy about it. The hybrid wasn't sure if he should have been proud of regretful at that very moment. He wondered if this Maluki he'd always wondered about was just the same as Jefferson--a thought that had never crossed his mind--but Jeffers simply couldn't remember. Maybe there was nothing worth speaking about with this Maluki, grandson of the alphess. Maybe there was simply nothing to discuss. The realization somehow hit hard.
Surprisingly, though, Iskata continued. She didn't greet him, and her troubled look didn't disappear. His eye thinned suspiciously, wondering what crimes or whatnot he had committed that he could not remember. 'Maluki, get off me' was interpreted in the worst way possible by the male, and it took an effort to keep his jaw from dropping. His ears, however, did fly backward, and his eye averted. Suddenly, his arm began to hurt. It became an easy, quick distraction. When she mentioned a relation, however, his attention returned. "That's not important," he replied quickly to her question, though his suspicions rose when she became so secretive all of a sudden. "I... I need to know about him. His mother, father, everything. I know he had something to do with a 'Cloudy Tears' or something and his grandmother looked like Cercelee. I need to hear what you know, Iskata. It's important." His green eye returned up to the matriarch, boldly staring her down with a grave look of seriousness and determination.
