Roommates

[Deleted]

If day two on the ground had taught Shiloh anything, it was that she needed to make friends. Hanging back on the edges of things wasn’t going to cut it. Not down here. Not with Bellamy Blake in charge. For now he and his little minions were sticking mostly to bribery – give up the wristband, get to eat. Sooner or later though it would turn to force. And when that happened, the only way Shiloh was keeping her wristband was if she had allies.

That thought was fresh in her mind as she walked away from the dying fire toward her tent. It was a slightly lopsided thing. Engineering was not her strong point, and she would probably have to reinforce the frame later. But the tent was hers and hers alone. The other delinquents had formed groups quickly their first night, piling into rapidly raised structures based on age or attitude or station of origin. Shiloh, on the other hand, was still waiting for the various factions to shake out. For now, that lack of allegiance left her on her own.

Her and Clarke Griffin, apparently, because the doctor’s daughter was currently standing amid the growing maze of tents. She and a small group had been out trying to reach food last night, leaving them to fend for themselves now as far as where they would sleep. Normally that would have been no concern of Shiloh’s. But the glint of the dimming firelight on her wristband caused her to pause with her tent flap half open. Allies. If she wanted to eat more than whatever she could forage, if she wanted to see her mother again, she needed allies. Clarke Griffin made as good of one as any.

With that in mind, Shiloh turned toward the other girl standing nearby. “Hey. I’ve got room if you don’t mind sharing.” The tent wasn’t the biggest, but it would work for two. She sent a small smile Clarke’s direction and then ducked inside. The offer was out there. The rest was up to Clarke. Although from the looks of things, there didn’t seem to be many other options.

Shiloh moved far enough into the tent that someone else could get in before laying down on the grass with one arm tucked beneath her head. The ground wasn’t really the most comfortable mattress ever. She could make it work though. She glanced over as the tent flap shifted, Clarke’s outline barely visible in the dim light from outside. It seemed she had a roommate after all. Let the awkwardness begin. “I’m Shiloh, by the way.”

Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Realization dawned on Clarke upon her return. They were ill prepared. While she got that the Ark could not spare food, there was something about the apparently lack of proper tents and tools that worried her. Surely they could spare proper hammers and twinges. If they were to survive down here, they needed things to help them along. Surely the Ark couldn't expect them to start from nothing. But it seemed they did. With the chaos in camp Clarke felt disoriented. The night felt heavy. Something dark hung over them, like a promise of more problems. Like something was snuffing out a light. Clarke couldn't say what gave her the feeling but it made her linger. Until she heard someone.


They offered for her to share the tent with them. She had no place else to stay, had figured she would stay in the dropship where two walls at least could guard her from an attack. But one of the makeshift tents made from the parachute of the dropship sounded good. It was warm enough for it. But would it remain that way? Would winter make tents impossible? That was what tools would be needed for. Without a word Clarke followed the girl into the tent. She introduced herself as clarke watched. She had to change a few things about the tent, but it would do. "I'm Clarke."  She stepped fully into the tent and sat down on a dry spot. "Did you build the tent alone or did someone help you?"



@shiloh

[Deleted]

The tent looked okay from the outside, but from the inside looking up, Shiloh could she was going to have to reinforce it before it would hold through any real wind. How often did it storm here? She really didn’t know. The rain last night had been amazing, miraculous even. But this bunch with their makeshift structures clearly wouldn’t last through the devastating winds Shiloh had read about. Speaking of which. “Just me. Hence why it leans a little. Engineering isn’t really my strong point.” She turned her head to look over at Clarke. “We could probably straighten it out between the two of us.” It certainly looked like a two-person job. Assuming Clarke stuck around. Shiloh wouldn’t really blame her if she didn’t. Clarke had a sort of energy to her that automatically drew people in. She could probably bunk just about anywhere she wanted.

She was also one of the few who had gone beyond their little camp. And that thought sparked questions. Shiloh pushed herself up into a sitting position as thoughts of sleep faded into the back of her mind. “What’s it like out there? Is there enough to live on until we can get to Mount Weather?” That was obviously the end goal. They had been sent to the ground with hardly any tools. If they wanted to survive down here for any substantial length of time, they needed those supplies. Shiloh plucked a blade of grass and began tearing it into small pieces to occupy her hands as the wheels in her head turned. “We need real shelter. Food. Just keeping this many people fed will be a full-time job.” If there was even enough wildlife and vegetation to manage it. Things were not looking good here.

Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

“I don’t think we can get to Mount Weather.” Clarke replied. It was kinda sad that there was next to no chance for them to get there anymore, but many of the calculations seemed to be wrong. For example the Ark had never calculated in the hive-mind of teenagers. A stupid thing to do, really. And then there were children down there. They were lab rats, sent here to die. They would not be able to make it, not without so much luck and that was next to impossible since they were not alone down here. “With how Jasper was attacked going there again would be foolish. We have to make due here.” But they couldn’t. They had nothing to go on.

“I know that.” Clarke replied. Hell, she was very aware of that crisis. Nobody needed to tell her that. She was the one who instantly insisted on finding food in Mount Weather. She had also been wrong about it. Their people knew nothing of the ground and she had an idea why. The need to maintain the station made them relatively blind to the ground. Otherwise they might have noticed something around the mountain. Otherwise they might have give them tools. “We can make due.” There was game, there were plants. And there were kids who actually knew a thing or two about plants.

@shiloh

[Deleted]

When she put it like that, Mount Weather definitely sounded out of reach. “Good point.” But then what were they supposed to do? Food could be found. Shelter could be built. But they had all of one gun against whatever was out there. Not to mention the anarchy currently brewing outside. “The way things are going, here might be more dangerous than out there.” There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone, but not much. Some of the teenagers here were clearly willing to turn on the others for nothing more than a sideways glance. If the choice was between a spear in the chest or a knife in the back… “If Bellamy stays in charge, he’s going to get us all killed.”

Shiloh glanced up at Clarke before dropping her gaze to the grass blade she was tearing. “Sorry. Just thinking out loud.” Of course Clarke of all people knew how messy it was out there. But she was right about plants. And whatever creature Bellamy had killed had to live on something made of meat, so there was protein to be had. It was just a matter of finding it. “We need to organize. Find the kids that did well in Earth skills, the other farm station kids who know their stuff… Maybe we can create teams to gather food.” She bit her lip as she picked another blade of grass to start tearing up. There were still other factors to consider. Defense, for one. They probably needed a wall. And water. Rain wouldn’t fall very day. (At least, Shiloh didn’t think it would.) They needed to collect it. But this would all be so much easier if they had a leader with a solid head on their shoulders, someone who could handle Whatever-the-hell-we-want Blake.

Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

She wasn’t so sure if that was true. The kids out there were kids. The gravity of the situation was lost to them – and it would probably remain that way. She didn’t exactly think Bellamy was the problem here. The Ark was. The way they were taught was. It came from somewhere, had to be motivated. They just had to figure all of this out. It wouldn’t just happen in a day, just like the unity of the Ark didn’t actually happen in a day. Sure they had a unity day, but the construction, the way people were put together, it didn’t just happen in a day. It was a long process. 

“There are no kids, that did well in Earth Skills. Other than Wells.” And that was not good enough. A good majority of those kids didn’t have much of an education to begin with. They would organize. She would make sure of that. But it would be a long way. A hard way. She was prepared to walk it. But others weren’t. Others felt betrayed by the Ark anyway. They would coorperate with something that was a call-back to what had been on the Ark. Not unless someone could make them understand. And that would not happen tonight. 

“Look, I’m tired. I’ve been all the way almost to Mount Weather. Jasper has been killed. I’ve seen more death than I care to think about today alone. There is nothing I can do tonight, so we should sleep. Regroup in the morning.”

@shiloh