the subtle grace of gravity

code by spacexual

Jacob had heard about the group before they even passed Typhoon. He'd been using Rosie to send letters and his little sugar glider had returned today with news of their location. Based on how long it took her to fly to hi, though, he guessed they wouldn't be too far from the territory. It would be a simple job. They had no security system, other than a single watchman at night. They weren't expecting any trouble out here, given those in Typhoon were more likely to buy their goods than to take offense to them being sold. Some time ago, Jacob had promised himself he wouldn't steal again but this was different. He wasn't taking things because someone told him to or because they were valuable (though they were). This was stealing because people were abusing these products and taking advantage of those that had a dependence on it. They didn't have anything too strong from what Jacob had heard, but there were plenty of painkillers to make a decent profit on. Outside of that, Jacob was against the sale of medical products as a whole. Everyone should be able to get healing when they needed it. He thought it was awful in the city how the humans had barely taken care of their own without some sort of bill to go with it. People were dying and they were concerned with making more money. Of course, Jacob couldn't judge them too harshly, given his own family's business. They'd done much worse than sell medical supplies.

The husky was taking deep breaths as he walked through the jungle in the night, trying to be sensitive to every sound. Stealing with his leg in this condition would be slower and more cumbersome but he was sure he could do that. If the fire hadn't ravaged his skin, one would be able to see past scars on his legs from when glass had been embedded into them or when someone had bitten him while he ran. There were lots of ways people tried to stop him but it never really went too well for them. He always just kept pushing forward and, eventually, they'd stop looking. He'd never actually been caught before, though. Well, just once, anyway, and it'd mostly been Jerseyboy's fault so he didn't take credit for that one. He was sure tonight wouldn't be that hard, though. He should be coming up on them soon enough. It was extrmeely dark outside and if they didn't hear him, they wouldn't see him, and he knew they wouldn't hear him.

Finally, he saw the figure of their wagon in the distance and quietly crept near it, letting his eyes explore the area first before he moved further forward. Like he'd heard, there was only one guard pacing the perimeter. Jacob simply waited until he got to the other side and moved quickly into the caravan, grabbing as much as he could at a time and stuffing it into his bags. He wouldn't be able to fit all of it but he made sure to prioritize getting anything addictive before moving to the more milder objects and substances. He glanced up, carefully watching where the guard was before leaping out and dashing into the trees. He could hear running behind him but by the time they realized how much was missing and looked into the jungle, he'd be long gone. It was far too dark to see him even now, even at the relatively slow speed he was moving. He winced as his legs groaned with each step and eventually slowed down to take a more reasonable walk back to camp.

By the time he arrived back at camp, it was light outside and he'd picked a variety of fruit and small prey for breakfast. Jacob didn't often eat food that wasn't cooked but he was hungry and it'd been a long night. He knew he'd have to take all these supplies to Solveig and Rosemary but that could wait for a moment. His legs hurt worse than they'd had in quite some time and he'd allow himself a brief break now that he was safe. He settled down with a soft sigh, yawning as he took bites of his fruit mix. He faintly wondered if he should try to find Pincher and just ask him to help him carry it to Rosemary and Solveig. He wasn't sure his legs could take much more today without giving in and he didn't want to damage any of what he'd grabbed. 

the heavy weight of stone

code by spacexual

When Jacob saw two figures approaching, he couldn't help but tense. He knew this was safe territory but he could still hear the shouts of the caravan echoing in his mind. As they came closer, though, he recognized Paper and... someone else. He felt a stab of guilt. He'd really let that stuff with Luca get to him, hadn't he? He'd disappeared for a few days and he'd missed any new members that'd come in. At least they were meeting now, he supposed. The first thing he noticed was his leg, mostly because of the way he carried it. It seemed they had very similar problems. First, though, he directed his attention to Paper. "That'd be great, Paper. Thank you. 'M jus' gonna' need ta' take it ta' Rosie n' Solvieg n' I need ta' make sure these only make it to their paws n' mine. I don' want stuff like this goin' uncontrolled. They have their medical uses but they're real addictive," he answered before turning his attention to Marcellus. "Tha's alright. One person should be enough, I jus' have trouble with it 'cause ah' my legs n' it waas a long walk 'ere ta' begin with. Not sleepin' didn' really do me any favors either," came his response.

"'M sorry but I don' think we've met yet. 'M name's Jacob n' I'm one ah' the sage's 'ere. I noticed your leg. 'M guessin' ya' have limited feelin' in it, right? I dunno' if it gives ya' any problems like phantom pains or trouble walkin' but I have similar problems n' I have some treatments and routines tha' can help. 'S not a cure, obviously, but if 's anything like mine it should help. Nothin' tha' would hurt ya' if it doesn't work out, I stick ta' all natural stuff unless there's some kinda immediate emergency n' 'm real careful 'bout what I use for pain management. I'd have ta' take a look at your case specifically 'cause 'm sure it ain't identical ta' mine but if ya' ever want or need help, ya' can always feel free ta' let me know," he offered. If ever given the opportunity, he always tried to help people in general but to help someone who struggled with similar problems would be a privilege. He was considering more severe and harsh treatments for his own body but maybe through working with someone else, they'd be able to find a milder one that helped them both. He would rather not do any surgical procedures until he felt it was necessary and, even if they were fading, his legs continued to work at some capacity. The phantom pains were worse some days and he was having more and more trouble getting up in the morning but they still technically worked, which was all he needed right now.
[div style="width: 602px;font-family: fontname;font-size: 10pt;color: #D9B1C7;text-align: right;margin-top: -5px;"]the heavy weight of stone