"Stuff people talk about?" he feigned confusion, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," because being the leader this long meant that he'd been deaf to the impressions that his tribe had. Now was not the time for naivety and yet there were those who came to town and settled and even after years were still convinced his tribes was filled gypsies, tramps and thieves. They weren't wrong but they weren't entirely aware that the criminals didn't make up the tribe completely. There were families here that had been here when Oregon had still been a country with functioning council protected, government subsidised towns. However others impressions were of little concern to him, if they wanted to stay away that was good, less mouths to feed, less people to make peace with after they'd had their apartments ransacked by the sticky fingered among them.
"I won't take no for an answer," he insisted, "And if you don't turn up I'll consider owing you one," he winked.