WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO LOVE — Jacob couldn't see the herbs he was using. Usually, this wasn't as much of a problem as one might expect. He knew enough to identify them by texture, smell, and general shape if he brought them close enough to his face but he couldn't rely on that right now. With the infected herbs going around, he had to be able to notice slight coloration variations and anything that was unusal in general. He knew what he had to do but that didn't change the fact he didn't want to do it. The last time he'd tried to do this, he hadn't heard the end of it from Jersey and the friends he brought around. After that, his glasses mysteriously disappeared despite his obvious need for them. Even before his legs had gone out, he'd been horribly clumsy, often misjudging the width of a door and ramming into the side of it or tripping over small objects. To most, it was just one more thing to poke fun of him for and he thought those situational circumstances were easier to handle than the constant comments he got from his other option. He knew it was silly. He was an adult now, things that people had said when he was a kid shouldn't bother him. He could handle himself and he could make his own decisions. Yet here he was. The fate of the clan practically was embodied in these glasses and he still dreaded putting them on. At least he'd had enough sense to get some in a few different sizes in case he ever decided to wear them.

Finally, he let out a sigh and slowly selected one of the bigger pairs that were simple, large, round, black frames. They were simple enough and, despite their size, he felt they were more inconspicuous than some of the other colors. Besides, they'd always match whatever bandages or sweaters he chose to wear. He gathered up the herbs he'd gotten from the days before, taking them out into the sunlight so he'd be able to see them as clear as he possibly could. He could barely keep his mind on the herbs as he glanced around, hoping not many people would pass by. Mainly, he hoped that Jersey didn't see him. He'd just use them for this particular task and then he'd put them back and go back to seeing everything as one massive blob. Yes, of course that was better than constantly feeling self-conscious. He knew he was only making his eyes worse by doing that but his entire life involved studying medical facts, giving advice to other people, and then not following any of it himself. If he ever followed any of his own advice, he wouldn't have a diet that consisted primarily of pasta and baked goods that had a high sugar content. Yet here he was. —A GREAT HONOR TO HOLD YOU UP

"SPEECH"

"Those are nice." The deer lowered himself onto the ground next to Jacob, having just gotten back from a walk. He was beginning to take less and less of those, but that was okay. "I have not seen you wear glasses before, Jacob. Have you always needed them?" The deer's milky eyes stared at the herbs that Jacob had, his head lowered a bit to allow him to smell them. Of course, he didn't know what they were supposed to smell like, but he was just trying to make Jacob a bit more comfortable by not staring at him.

"SPEECH"

WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO LOVE — When Jacob first heard Jewelia's voice, he had to stop himself from grimacing. He'd really hoped he could sit here and analyze the plants without drawing too much attention. He'd even partly hoped that no one would even recognize him and then he couldn't have to face anyone with his stupid glasses on. He glanced up at the avian and attempted to give a light smile but kept his eyes focusedo n the work before him, taking note of the texture and the smell and the different spots that were on it. He still couldn't quite identify exactly what was wrong with all the plants but he was sure it was only a matter of time. His Ma had trained him well and he had no doubt he'd be able to figure it out soon so he could try to plant a healthy batch for them to use until they could control the illness spreading through them. He heard the soft 'oh' she gave but tried not to acknowledge it. Maybe she didn't really notice. Maybe she was looking at how weird the plants were. "Oh, uh, hello, Jewelia. How've things been for ya', today?" he asked, clearly unsure of what he was supposed to do or talk about as he shifted uncomfortable, briefly glancing at her before his eyes returned to his work.

Then came August and Melantha, the first of which directly asked about the spectacles that sat on his snout. "Uh, yeah, well, I mean, technically, yes I did. But, uh, I think I'm jus' gonna' get rid ah' 'em after this. I just' pulled 'em out so I could look at all the spots n' things on these herbs properly. I wanna' know what's wrong with 'em so I can make sure I plant healthy ones apart from whatever those humans are spreadin'," he answered quickly, his words stumbling into one another as he spoke quickly. His voice was nearly a mumble and he couldn't even bring himself to look at the surrounding Snowbounders. He must look so ridiculous. At Melantha's question, he let out a sigh and slowly shook his head. "No, I don' think so. Not with this, anyway. I did mark a few more places tha' I noticed some ah' the infected prey seemed ta' be comin' from so if ya' could lead some kinda' patrol or somethin' ta' take care ah' those, I'd really appreciate it," he answered. —A GREAT HONOR TO HOLD YOU UP

"SPEECH"

August might've been slow as all hell but he could tell when one of his.. Friends? Were they friends now? Whatever, he could tell that Jacob was upset about the glasses. Maybe upset wasn't the best word.. Nervous? He was something about the glasses and it wasn't a good feeling and August really didn't want to push it. He knew it wasn't good for their leader to not wear the glasses; his own mother had lectured August all about it when he was young. August also knew that it wasn't good to make someone uncomfortable especially with something like this and Jacob seemed to be.. Sensitive? Yeah, sensitive to other people's thoughts on things that included him. Maybe August could just..

"That's truly a shame.." The deer tried his best to seem genuinely sad for a moment, "I think you look very nice with them." Milky eyes glanced up from the herbs for a second to see Jacob's reaction before looking back down. He shifted slightly to the side and laid his head down on the ground. "Do you mind if I lay here for a bit? I will try to.. Not bother you too much."

"SPEECH"

Aizawa had never been one for appearances, and it showed in the way he presented himself. His mane was usually ruffled and messy, his scarf randomly thrown over his shoulders, and his gait and overall posture was god-awful. But did he care? No. There were much better things to worry about than how well-kept he looked, anyways. So, the idea of Jacob not wearing his glasses simply because they made him look stupid was ridiculous to him.

"If they're important, then you should wear them," he says as he approaches his clan-mates, gaze focused on their leader. He had never had to deal with such things, so he couldn't really understand what he was going through. But nevertheless, the male didn't see why it was such a challenge to wear a simple pair of glasses. It was pretty obvious that he struggled without them.

"SPEECH"

WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO LOVE — At August's statement, a light smile came to his maw and a dry laugh came out. No, all of Jersey's friends had always told him he looked ridiculous and boring with glasses on, and when he was younger he had thought they were the coolest people in the entire world. He wasn't so sure that was true anymore but they were all rather stylish. Maybe he would ask Jersey what he thought of these new ones. No, that was a bad idea. He knew what Jersey would say and it wouldn't be anything good. It was best to just get rid of them before he saw his brother again. "Oh, thanks August, but I dunno' 'bout tha'. When I wore 'em before, Jersey always said I-" he stopped for a moment as the cervid laid down and then quickly changed the phrase, "No, ah' course I don' mind. I don' think ya' could ever bother me, August."

Then came Aizawa, who also brought up that he should probably be wearing them. He did his best to play it off, letting a forced laugh pass through his lips. "'Ve made it this long without 'em, 'aven't I? Really, I jus' needed 'em so I could see the herbs clearly..." He did wonder what Pincher would look like when he wasn't all blurry. Of course, he could still appreciate the blurry form of the doberman, it was still well-defined enough for him to appreciate their moment together on that moon lit night a few weeks ago, but- wait. That shouldn't have been his first thought. Why did it matter how well he could see Pincher's eyes? He let out a huff as he turned the herbs over in his paws, trying to focus on the spots that'd appeared on it. —A GREAT HONOR TO HOLD YOU UP

"SPEECH"