In Search of Seaweed

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They had been on the ground for all of three days, and already another of their own was at death’s door. Even now his moaning was filling the camp. It was unnerving, to be honest. Some of the more worrisome delinquents were even muttering about killing him just to shut him up. It made Shiloh uneasy, and she made sure to keep an eye out for any signs of coming violence from where she sat near the dropship. She was currently keeping her hands busy attempting to tie together a frame for a sort of basin. With this many kids, they were going to need a way to hold water. “Whatever the hell we want” wouldn’t keep people hydrated. And since Shiloh wasn’t much good at fighting or hunting or lifting giant beams for a wall, showing some foresight was about the best she could do for the moment. Hopefully it would be enough to stave off the more dangerous types who had taken to harassing Jaha’s son. This was not a good time to be seen as just another of the useless privileged.

She had finally figured out how to tie a knot that just might hold the poles together when the tarp over the dropship entrance lifted. Out came the kid trying to contact the Ark. A friend of the one who had taken a spear to the chest. The dark-haired boy was vaguely familiar. He’d kept up with Shiloh whenever plants were discussed in Earth Skills, and she was pretty sure they were from the same station. But that was about it. Her hands instinctively stopped their tying though as the boy saw her and started heading her way. He looked… worried? Determined? Definitely like he wanted something. But what could he possibly want with her?

Concern briefly overrode her confusion, and she found herself asking, “How’s he doing?” when the boy was close enough. Not good if the sounds coming out were any indication. It was driving Shiloh crazy. She wanted to do something, anything, to help, but she wasn’t a doctor. And this wasn’t a situation she could just think her way out of. Even if she could think of a few plants that might be useful, she had no idea if the flora she had learned so well in class even still existed. Still, if the boy in front of her could think of a way for Shiloh to be of use, she was all ears.

Monty Green

[Monty Green]

Watching Jasper get hit by that spear was one of the hardest things Monty had ever had to do. It had happened so quickly that there was barely time for them to do anything more than just run, they’d just left him there believing that he was dead. He’d thought that his best friend was dead and now that they had him back and he was in the dropship, Monty couldn’t just sit still and watch him screaming in agony, he had to do something to help. They needed the seaweed that they’d found on Jasper’s wounds, Finn had told him where he could find the seaweed and Monty was fairly sure that he’d be able to identify it when he got to the location that he’d been given. There was only one more thing that he needed to do and that was look for somebody who would be willing to accompany him on the search for the medicine that could save Jasper’s life. He needed somebody that he could rely on and knew what to look for and who wouldn’t spook easily, there were still people out there who meant them harm and could potentially kill them, he needed somebody with him who wouldn’t be scared off easily.

As he left the dropship, he glanced around the makeshift camp that they’d constructed and saw very few familiar faces among the delinquents. It seemed as though he didn’t know many of the people who had been sent to earth with him and that was troubling. He chewed on the inside of his cheek anxiously as he scanned the faces of those that walked past him, they were all criminals and he needed to be able to trust whoever he took with him, it was a little worrying that the only person on earth that he trusted a hundred percent was the person that needed saving. Just as he was about to give up on finding somebody that he recognised, he noticed a girl near the dropship. She looked to be weaving some sort of basket or bowl or something… He wasn’t exactly sure what she was trying to make but he wasn’t that interested in what she was making, the thing that interested him the most was the fact that he’d seen her before. On the Ark, he’d definitely seen her before, he remembered seeing her around farm station before and that gave him hope that she had just as much knowledge of plants as he did, maybe more.

Whoever she was, Monty knew that she was his best option and as long as she agreed to it, she’d be the one who’d help him to save his friend. He started a brisk walk towards her and as he grew near he heard her question “he’s not much better than when they brought him back” he informed her, the concern clear in his voice. He’d been trying not to think about what might happen if they failed to find the medicine that he needed, but he couldn’t ignore the very real possibility that Jasper could die from his injuries. “I need to find some medicine that might help him, it’s a type of seaweed and I was wondering if you’d come along and help me find it” he was hoping that she’d agree to go with him because she was the only available person that he trusted enough to go with him. He didn’t know her all too well, he didn’t really even know her name, but she was familiar to him, if only vaguely and he couldn’t say the same about most of the other people who were on the dropship.

@shiloh

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It had been a stupid question. The sounds coming from the dropship made it clear the speared kid wasn’t doing too well. But Shiloh hadn’t known what else to say. “I’m sorry.” A fat lot of good that did. “Is there anything I can do?” Probably not. She wasn’t a doctor. All she knew about medicine was stitches and slings. Spears in the chest were way beyond her. But she didn’t like just sitting here doing nothing. Besides, offering help was the least she could do.

Then again, maybe there was something she could do. She sat up straighter as the boy explained exactly what it was he needed. Seaweed. Plants were definitely something Shiloh could handle. She nodded emphatically. Her attempt at a water basin could wait. “Yeah, definitely. Plants are the one thing I can do.” She pushed her half-finished frame aside and stood to her feet, dusting off her pants. She had a million questions. What did it look like? Where were they supposed to find it? How much time did they have? But there would be time for that on the way. She glanced toward the dropship and back at the boy. “I'm guessing we should go now?” It wasn’t like they really had guns or maps that would help. Unless he wanted to grab a knife or a bag, they were probably set to just go.

“I’m Shiloh, by the way.” Might as well exchange names if they were going outside of the camp. That required a certain amount of trust in each other. Shiloh didn’t exactly have the bets fighting skills (or really any, for that matter), but somewhere over the years she had gotten used to living with danger. The important thing was to focus on the task at hand – helping the injured boy. Focus on that and ignore the rest.

Monty Green