Get your strength back

[Hunter Solomon]

Hunter tried to be as quiet as possible when he opened the door to Clarke's room, wincing as the hinges creached seemingly as loud as a drum band. He knew that the girl needed as much rest as she could possibly get, even though she didn't seem very keen to stay in bed all day. All he'd been told was that she had become ill, saving all of them once again as she had numerous times. So many stories were being told about her throughout the camp, one more impressing than the next.

The farmers had made an effort to grow even higher quality food and everyone was doing their best to help Clarke become better and show their gratitude to her. The boy was holding a tray in his hands, a bowl of soup, a piece of bread and a glass of water sitting on it and his hands were almost trembling for fear that he might spill something. He approached the figure laying under a blanket hesitantly, her back turned to him, golden locks flowing like waves over her shoulders, rising and falling with her steady breathing. Hunter was nervous to meet her, he'd heard so many tales of her breavery but also of decisions that might seem cruel to some people. Besides, she had spent so much time with such important figures, had become one herself, why would she be interested in an insignificant young boy like him? He stood a few metres from her bed, deciding whether he should wake her or just leave the food and let her sleep, but then the soup would surely become cold before she would wake to eat it. He cleared his throat once to try and get her attention, but it didn't seem to work.

„Clarke? I...I brought you some food…thought you might be hungry.“, he declared awkwardly and set the tray down on a small nightstand at the head of her bed with as much care as he could manage and then stood up straight, looking down at her to see if she had heard him.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Adrenaline and sheer power of will had made her manage to climb down the tower with the others. She hadn't even thought about it for a second how it would seem like she was strong. But she wasn't. It was just a bit of biology and luck, she guessed. Maybe it was also stupidity. Someone caught her when she passed out. The next time she really came to, she was almost back to Arkadia. She was wrapped in a blanket in her mothers arms, feeling weak and drained. She was looked upon in the infirmary and then brought to rooms for herself, but still under supervision. Every hour someone would check on her and force her back to bed if she dared to get up for anything other than the bathroom. But she rarely did. She was too tired.

Her body, after the transfusion, got to work to get rid of the blood that just didn't belong. It wasn't a nice thing and it left her anemic. But she would heal from it. That was just biology. It meant she had to rest, to not overexert her body. Clarke was sleeping when she heard a noise. It roused her. Clarke turned, slowly, as it wasn't easy for her at the moment, but it got better every day. There was a boy, carrying a tray. That was new. Normally it would be someone she knew intimately or someone from the team of medicinal personal. But it was a welcome change. The blonde sat up. She smiled warmly at the boy.

"Thank you. That is very thoughtful of you. What.. what's your name?"

Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

The soft upward tugging on the corners of his mouth was probably the closest thing to a smile most people got from Hunter and you could be lucky to even get that. The boy was happy that Clarke seemed to be greatful, rather than annoyed at him for waking her up. He stayed maybe two metres away from her bed and stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should just leave and let her have her lunch in peace. Although she had asked him for his name after all, so she couldn't really be disturbed by his presence.

He rubbed one of the burn scars that were still visible on his right arm as he sometimes did when he was nervous and kept eyeing the chair standing next to Clarke's bed, but he didn't want to force himself on her and remained standing. Maybe she just wanted to know his name and then send him on his way to enjoy her soup.
Hunter really wished, he was better at socializing, but it had never been on the list of his skills. That was probably also due to the fact that he'd mostly kept to himself so no one could get the opportunity to notice the cuts and bruises on his exposed skin. It was actually Clarke's mother, Dr. Griffin, who'd occasionally ask uncomfortable question when he would come to her to have treatment for one or another broken bone yet again. She was suspicious enough about his many „accidents“, but she'd never probed him hard enough to pick the lock to his secret.

„I'm Hunter! Nice to meet you!“, he said, offering his hand to her and his blue eyes were shining a little brighter at the sight of her friendly smile. Maybe she wouldn't mind him keeping her a little company after all. Besides, it must be pretty boring staying in bed all day with everyone being busy with some task or other.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

It was not any day these days that people actually wanted to spend time with her. At least that was how she felt. Monty sometimes came, but due to the duties and the importance of them those they were short lived and Clarke currently had a tendency to zone out during them. It was the weakness and her body replacing the blood. The way this kid acted, Hunter, he didn't seem in a rush to leave. He almost seemed to be wanting to stay. And he brought her this. It was so sweet. 

"You can sit down if you want, Hunter." She offered. It felt bold to ask this. What if she was wrong? What if he did not want to stay? What if he was just uncomfortable to be here? Like so many others were. Clarke made sure to rearrange her blanket as she leaned against the wall. "Did someone tell you to bring me food?" If so probably her mother. She was still concerned about her. As was Monty. It was rare to meet others that she didn't meet that almost kind of cared. That was strange but kinda wonderful. "How old are you?"

Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

Relief flooded over him when Clarke asked Hunter to sit down, but there was still a nervous smile on his lips when he settled on the chair close to her bed. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand as he watched the girl handling the tray of food for a moment. Trying to find a comfortable position in his seat, one that didn't seem to awkward, he crossed his feet over one another, but then uncrossed them again a moment later. It was one of his nervous habits, fidgeting around in his seat. His father had always given him mixed messages, one moment yelling at him for not sitting up straight, the next one shouting he shouldn't be so stiff. The scars on his back where his dad had whipped him with his belt, the ones even Bellamy didn't know about, still tingled when the man's voice echoed around his mind.

Now she wanted to know if he'd been asked to come in here. Why did she want to know? Hunter wasn't sure what to answer – if he said yes, she would think that he was just here because he'd been forced to bring her food. If he said no, she might think of him as a creepy, nosy kid who just wanted to get a peek at the brave warrior that is Clarke Griffin.
„Um...well, I've been helping the farmers grow food and cook it and...we've all been very busy to save the best quality just for you!“, he stammered a little and then bit his lip because he thought his words sounded very much like he was a huge suck-up. The boy let out an internal sigh, it seemed like he couldn't say anything that didn't sound weird in one way or another. „I'm 13.“, he simply answered her other question and looked do<n at his hands as he picked at a bit of peeling skin on one of his fingers.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

They saved the best for her? That was just wasted. She was weak and healing. She might need nutrition, but others needed it more. There were so many pregnancies. New life was more important, even if it could be lost. But it had to be given the best chance. Clarke was already alive and she screwed up so often, she didn't deserve the best. She would recover with the not best as well. It was just a bit replacing blood. Every body did that regularly. Hers was just faced with blood that didn't belong there in the first place.
"Kid..." She started. "Tell them I don't need the best. It's very sweet, but it's literally a bodys job to replace blood. Every seven years every cell in your body dies naturally and it's naturally replaced. It doesn't need much assistance for it. Now babies need the assistance. "

She began to ate. It smelled and tasted very good. It was so good so she moaned a little around a spoonful. "That is very good." Only as she was tempted to say 'Kid' she realized she fell into that habit because of Jackson.  It was soothing to her back then. It meant he got her back. And she wanted the kid to feel comfortable enough around her, just like she was around Jackson, though they had different starting points. 
"You're very young to help with that. Are you volunteering or did your parents work in that?"



Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

It was very noble of her of course to try and give up her share of the best quality food, but it wasn't like they were taking it from other Arkers who needed it more. They always held back the richest parts of the harvest for sick people or pregnant women and there were enough Arkers ready to receive the less appealing fruits or vegetables in favor of others who needed it more.
„Don't worry about that, we always make sure that those who need it most get the best shares of our harvest. Your mom helps us with that.“, he explained.

Even the mere hint of a smile that was playing around the corners of Hunter's mouth disappeared when Clarke asked him about his parents. Whenever anyone asked questions about them, he was hit by a mix of emotions – grief for his mother who'd been killed just recently; anger directed at his father, who'd only ever treated him as if he was some kind of parasite, cruel words and punishments filling his daily life.
A frown was edged into his forehead as he looked at his hands that were wringing restlessly in his lap.
„My parents are dead.“, he said dryly, just looking at Clarke for a brief moment before redirecting his gaze down to his fingers. „It's just something I like to do.“, he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

The change in face an posture gave it away immediately. Clarke had seen people who had lost something all the time. For him the pain was fresh and he didn’t want to really open up. The way he looked, it was so clear that he was still keeping the pain close to his heart in a way that might ultimately only hurt him. Like Clarkes pain over her fathers death only hurt her. It was like holding a hot coal. It was not hurting those who hurt them, it was hurting those who held on. 

“I’m sorry.” She offered an almost soft smile, even though those came hard to her now. “That is very noble of you.” But she knew the feeling of that well. “I wanted to become a doctor to help others. I wanted to save lives and make sure people would not be in pain even at the end of their lives. I wanted to learn palliative care, uhm treating pain when it’s the only thing left you can do for a person. Helping others is very fulfilling.” But she couldn’t go back to that.

Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

He looked up at Clarke for a moment, a frown still creasing his brow as his clear blue eyes seemed to pierce hers, that same serious expression on his face that had always made him look older than he actually was. He then dropped his gaze down at his hands, his right thumb drawing circles over the palm of his left hand. „I'm sure that can be a satisfying job, but I've never liked being around doctors and nurses.“, he declared with a shrug, biting his lip a second later when he realized that his declaration could be offensive to Clarke since her mother used to be one of the Ark's head doctors and now held the same position here at the camp.
„I mean, they're totally important and we need them. I just always hated going to the infirmary.“, he tried to save himself a little awkwardly.

„Growing plants, it's just...you put this tiny seed in the ground and then you get to see it grow into something, you know?“, he explained and actual smile finally brightening his face as he talked about one of the things he liked to do most.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

He had a great point. There had to be something great and fulfilling about that. And she also understood why some people didn’t like doctors. Due to the restrictions on the Ark, there was a limit on what doctors could do. There were so many times when her mom came home from work, where she had ranted to her or her father on how she could have saved someone if there had not been a limit on medication. It was a shame. Down here resources were still sparse, but they had more they might be able to use. It was just a matter of how long they had that much. With what came, things might get bleak very soon.

“I can understand that. For many doctors mean false hope. Because of the restrictions on the Ark. There was only so much they were allowed to do. It’s different here.” It would change again. “How are your plants growing?” She wanted to know from the kid. “What are you growing?” Really, talking to this kid was way better than being tied to the bed – metaphorically.

Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

The boy was surprised that Clarke actually wanted to know about the plants he tended to. He often got the feeling that most Arkers of course knew about the importance of the farmers and their work, but they weren't really interested in what they did on a day-to-day basis. The work of doctors and guards seemed so much more exciting than digging around in the dirt and watching plants grow. Of course, Hunter knew that there was so much more to what he and the other farmers did, but most people thought of their job as boring.
He sat up a little straighter, surprised about her enquiries and feeling a little excited to talk about something he loved doing. „Well, we've been able to cultivate some beans, tomatos, cabbage and potatos and we even got an apple tree sapling.“, he said with a proud smile, since apples were a fruit that the Arkers had always known about, but so far it had only been a dream to actually eat one.

„Of course we also have different kinds of berries, but another really important part of our plantation are the medical herbs. We also have two people go out almost every day to find new kinds of fruit, vegetables or herbs so we can start planting more.“, he said excitedly and thought about how he still dreamed of going along on one of the expeditions one day, since he's never been allowed to so far.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Clarke smiled as he told her of the plants they had. With the danger looming ahead those plants were something so pure. They prayed to the last tree once, hoping to return it to the ground and they did. Now they had trees once more, plants of every possible imagination. They had apples and more herbs than they could count. Finally they could cook with seasoning, which was a concept that was foreign and wonderful to all of them back on the ark. One day Clarkes father managed to trade for some old salt and pepper. They used it on birthdays and other important days. Now they had so much more. An apple tree. That one desperately needed to be protected.

"Apples. I only ever read about them. Mom had a book with a recipe for apple cake in it. I always wondered how it tasted. It looked wonderful." She had cake by now, in mount weather, but she wondered what truly homemade cake might taste like. She wondered if they could ever make it themselves. She wondered if they could save the little baby tree. It gave her so much hope, because trees could solve oxygen problems. They had done soe over the world. Once humanity almost destroyed earth and people planted trees. Once more trees might be the solution.

"Have you tried the fruits and vegetables you're growing? What are they like?"

Hunter Solomon

[Hunter Solomon]

Hunter's face began to light up as he talked about one of his greatest passion. Back on the Ark, besides from taking apart mechanical devices, helping out in the green houses had been when he'd been the happiest. He hadn't always been allowed to help since some of the plants had been to delicate to let an amateur deal with them. But the adults had been happy enough to let him help with the easier tasks. With his experience and the knowledge he'd gained from old books, he was proud to say that he was quite a big help to the farmers. Hunter had been very intimidated by and scared of the Grounders at first. But a few of them had started to help the Skypeople with growing plants he'd never even heard of before and they were happy enough to share their wisdom with him. The boy absorbed their knowledge like a sponge, he couldn't learn enough about all the riches Earth had to offer them. He smiled brightly as Clarke mentioned the apple pie, on of the projects he'd been working on with another farmer and a kitchen help.

“We're actually pretty close to baking one of those. The Grounders have cows, actual cows would you believe that? They traded us some milk and showed us how to churn it so we can have butter. They gave us a few hens so we'll have eggs and the wheat will be ripe enough to grind to flour.“, Hunter began talking faster now as he was so excited about all the different ingredients they were gaining. They couldn't have done it without the Grounders and he was glad that they were at least on trading terms, although he knew some people on both sides weren't so happy about that. „You could be the first to try the first ever Arker apple pie!“, he said with a grin and sat down next to Clarke, careful not to hurt her. „The fruit and vegetables are just amazin. They don't have any of that artificial taste like they did back on the Ark. They're so sweet and just explode with flavor in your mouth!“, he laughed as he imitated the sound of an explosion, but then his face fell and he looked down, remembering the explosion that took his mother from him and left him with the large burn mark on his arm. He felt guilty for sounding happy, because how could he be when his mother was no longer alive to share all of these wonderful new things with him?

Tag: Clarke Griffin