staci pratt told me that you make those in your flock eat people, that you made him eat people. he was terrified, he thought it to be true. that is what she wanted to facetiously tell her eldest brother with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she spoke. she wanted to say it like this was some joke that she was sharing with him behind her hand during a sermon. like there was no hint in her mind that he could have been telling the truth. but the fear that staci exuded, and the terror in his eyes, gave her pause and filled her stomach with slick oil. rumor after rumor came down the mountain, but what was the truth?
she tucks a loose curl behind her ear and straightens her spine. her mouth opened, and then closed, the open door leading to a balcony became more interesting than the face before her. this oddly felt like tattling.
“ someone told me that you — make those who train with you eat — people.”
She's easy to read. A fact Jacob had learned the second he met his younger brothers wife. She was soft, but strong in her own ways, though like his brother; her heart often got in the way of things. She should not have to worry about what goes on in his region. In fact, she had no reason to know what went on. Which only meant one thing.
Someone was telling her and he had an idea just who it was.
Sucking at his teeth briefly, Jacob's fingers drum against the top of his desk before he glances back up, watching as she makes it a point to avoid his gaze. "......The human body is an interesting thing. " he begins. "Once you deprive if of the things one normally takes for granted, it goes into survival mode. Isn't that just the darndest thing? You see Hannah, we all have this fight in us. Some more than others, but we fight to survive. Only the strong make it out on top. Only the ones who truly want to live do what they must to survive. " There's a pause as the eldest raises a finger.
"However. I'm a little disappointed with the fact that someone is spreading these lies. I don't force anyone to do anything. I like to consider myself a giving person. I give them the option to eat. It's their choice to decide if they want to survive or not. If they do? Then they're willing to do whatever they have to in order to continue to live, to continue on with their purpose. " Moving to stand then, Jacob moves around his desk to instead perch on the corner of it, his arms folding across his chest as he looks Hannah over.
"Tell me.....What else has little Staci Pratt told you about me?"