Growing Good Dirt [Job Solo]

[Asha]

Timestamp: 43 Spring, 512

Asha sat on the edge of her bunk, staring at a nearby fire sullenly as the morning light began to filter in through the longhouse entrance. She was leaning over with her head supported by her upturned palms, elbows resting on her thighs. She had been in the Base Camp for eight days now, boredom and irritation beginning to creep into the edges of her mind. When she had arrived in the Camp she was quick to emotion and beginning to lose her speech, but after three days in the Cages for observation she was ultimately deemed to be not dangerous and released to pace around the Camp. It had taken a day or two to get into the rhythm of camp life but with little but her thoughts to distract her she was beginning to feel cooped up and her boredom was beginning to give rise to irritation. It was with these thoughts in mind that a large brown presence stepped into her view. Asha lifted her head and her eyes travelled up to meet the gaze of a large male Jamoura. She straightened up and waited uncomfortably in the few moments of silence that passed between them as the male looked her over.

“You Subira’s daughter? Asha, isn’t it?” the male said gruffly and Asha nodded slowly, unsure of the Jamoura’s intentions. “Good. You’re with me.” He turned abruptly and walked a few steps before realizing that Asha still sat immobile on her bunk still. Turning again, he placed his hands on his hips and gave her a serious stare. “Well come on, it’s time to put you to work. You don’t think you can just sit around here and use up resources forever, now do you? I gave you a few days respite to calm your emotions but now it’s time to get to work. So you can either come with me or leave the camp.” Asha leapt up at the implied threat and hurriedly walked toward the Jamoura. The male turned around and strode out of the longhouse, Asha trotting along quickly to keep up with his long strides. They walked in silence for a few moments before Asha found the bravery to speak. “So…. Who are you?”

“I’m Mogg. And you are now my gardening assistant.” He said and Asha started for a moment. “Gardening?” she couldn’t keep the disbelief from her voice. “It’s that or emptying latrines, take your pick. And besides, if you’re Subira’s daughter you ought to at least be able to tell a sprout from a weed.” Mogg was gruff but not unkind, and Asha contemplated his words silently as they walked on. She certainly didn’t want to clean latrines, and gardening certainly seemed a pursuit her mother would approve of. At least it would give her something to do, something to keep her mind off the chaos that was wrecking havoc on her home. Asha followed Mogg a small distance away from the Camp but it was still easily in sight. There were seven large, square containers in a loosely straight line in front of them. The containers were made of branches sitting atop one another, notches into the tops and bottoms of the corners to fit them together. Mats of woven grass were placed on top of the containers, heavy rocks on each corner held them down in the event of any strong gusts. Mogg approached one of the containers and removed the heavy rocks, dropping them one by one with a thud on the ground. Pulling aside the mat he turned to Asha with a grin. “I’m gonna grow some good dirt in these containers. “

[Asha]

“You’re growing dirt?” she asked slowly, unsure of what he meant. “Well, compost really. But once it’s finished I will mix it with the soil where we will be planting and it will rival Caiyha’s Temple. Just you wait and see.” He said proudly and gestured her forward. Asha took a few steps and inspected the contents of the container. It was filled with various dead grasses. “I scythed that grass myself just last week. I had to tie it up above some fires to dry properly. After sitting all winter these will break down nice and quick.” Mogg explained with a grin, clearly proud of his creation. “I need you to gather up the rest of the ingredients for me, I’ve got some other business to attend to.”

“Ok, what do you need me to get?” Asha asked, curious to see what kind of ingredients went into this dirt or compost that Mogg was concocting. Mogg placed the mat back on the container and replaced the rocks as he explained. “I’ve got a few agreements made with others in the camp. Go to the Mess Hall, outside the back there is a barrel and shovel. The barrel should have quite a bit of waste from the kitchens in it. Bring both back here and try to divide the scraps evenly between the compost containers. Try to take out any meat scraps you can see, though there usually isn’t much, everybody finishes their meat. But if you find any, bring it back to Camp and toss it in a fire. Makes the compost stink and attracts the critters so I don’t want it in the containers. While you are at it, go around to the fires in the Mess Hall and the longhouses and shovel the ashes into the barrel. Bring it back and divide it out again. Then, go to Jakobi’s yard and shovel up any manure you can find. I think you can see the pattern of separating it amongst the containers at this point. I talked to Jakobi and Kashal this morning so they know you are coming, so just go about your business without bothering anybody. The last thing you have to do is fill that barrel about half full of dirt and put it in the containers. I should be back by that time. By the end of today, that shovel is going to be your new best friend.” Mogg finished with a chuckle and a grin. Asha starred at him askance. What he was asking her to do sure didn’t sound like gardening, it sounded practically back breaking.

“Why are we doing this again?” she asked brusquely. Mogg’s grin turned to a solemn pressing of lips at her insolence. “Apparently you haven’t been out the fog long enough to recover your manners or your humility yet. Perhaps today’s exertions will knock you down a notch or two and calm you a bit. We are doing this because we do not have the luxury of Caiyha’s Temple at our disposal this far from the Spires and the soil could use some compost to strengthen it and improve the quality and quantity of crops. Going to need the extra help too with as far back this cold weather has set us.” Mogg grumbled with a sigh. “And if you think this is hard, you should have been here when I had to search for all the fallen branches to build these containers. At least the storm knocked plenty down. Now I’ve got to go, if you haven’t gotten most of this done by the time I get back I will inform the Hahk’Shatara that you aren’t pulling your weight.” His threat was effective, and Asha turned to begin the walk back towards camp.

[Asha]

The walk to the Mess Hall only took a few minutes, the barrel and shovel waiting right where Mogg had said they would be. Asha peered into the roughly made barrel and found it filled with scraps: banana peels, apple cores, discolored roots, and bruised carrot peels among other vegetable refuse. Asha thought she saw a few shards of eggshell in the mix as well. Unsure of how best to transport it, Asha shoved the shovel far down into the barrel and wrapped her arms around it. She attempted it carry the barrel, and picked it up with a grunt. She only made it a few steps before having to set it down for a few moments. The barrel was far heavier then it looked and the smooth round sides were difficult to hold onto. With a sigh, she set her feet more sturdily and wrapped her arms around the barrel once more. She lifted the barrel and began to slowly make her way back towards Mogg’s compost containers. The bulky barrel made walking rather awkward, and the five minute walk had suddenly turned into twenty minutes.

Finally reaching the containers, Asha set the barrel down quickly and leaned on it, breathing heavily. She wasn’t quite used to that level of exertion and trying to grasp the bulky thing had not helped the matters. With a long sigh Asha went to each container and knocked the rocks off, setting its mat beside it, intending to divide out the kitchen scraps all at once. A sudden gust picked up and caught one of the mats, sending it flying away towards the Camp. With a gasp Asha went running after it, the mat just always out of her reach. What felt like an eternity but was probably just a few minutes passed before Asha finally caught the mat. She carried it back to the containers, angry and mumbling dark words she had picked up from the mercenaries in the Camp. Asha felt frustrated and kicked at the barrel of waste, knocking it over and bruising her foot in the process. Upset and on the verge of tears, she plopped down on the ground heavily to nurse her foot and her ego. Her emotions were still high and swung quickly from her time in the fog, and Asha stared sullenly at the ground for a long time before calming enough to stand again.

Asha knew she had few options other than to do her job and please Mogg, she could always leave the Camp, but that wasn’t really an option at all. It was more a death sentence. She resolved herself to do the task at hand, regardless of how frustrating or tiring it may be. Asha set her lips in a grim line and turned back to the compost containers. Grabbing the shovel, she scooped up scraps that had scattered on the ground and dumped them into the first container. Working methodically, Asha divided out the barrel of odds and ends one shovel scoop at a time. Once she finished she grabbed a mat and set it on the nearest container, setting the rocks back on the corners. With a heavy sigh she turned back towards the barrel. This was going to be a long day. Picking it up, Asha was relieved to find that the empty barrel was pretty easy to carry back to camp. If she remembered Mogg correctly, the next item on her list was ashes from the fires.

[Asha]

Four bells passed as Asha scurried to fetch ashes and horse manure. The ash collecting was relatively easy; a few scoops here and there around the camp left the barrel only a quarter full. It was certainly easier to carry then when it had been full of kitchen scraps. Gathering horse manure had proved to be a more time-consuming task, combing through the large yard for plops was less then thrilling. The horse manure experience had a been a bit unnerving as well as Asha could feel Jacobi’s watchful eyes on the whole time. She knew he had to keep an eye out on what was happening in his yard but it felt strange to have her every movement be watched.

By the time Mogg returned Asha was shoveling dirt into the barrel a few yards from the makeshift containers. Her hands were sore and blistered but she was determined to fulfill her task. Mogg cleared his throat to get her attention and Asha stood up, startled. Wrapped up in her task, she hadn’t noticed his approach. Mogg stepped up to the barrel and gazed inside, it was only a quarter full. “I can finish the last bit of shoveling. You’re hands are looking rather rough, you’ve gotta work up some calluses. Anyway, take the mats off and set ‘em on the ground. If you put a rock on top of them they won’t blow away, but I suspect you’ve figured that out by now.” Mogg’s last words surfaced some embarrassment in Asha’s chest. She in fact had not figured that out and chased several of the grass mats around the area when the wind had grabbed them. She certainly wasn’t going to admit that to him so she silently went to do as she was instructed. It only took a few powerful scoops for Mogg to fill the barrel to the desired level and he finished only a few moments after Asha had gotten the last grass mat securely held down on the ground. Mogg lifted the barrel in one strong arm and brought it closer to the branch containers. He swiftly divvied out the soil as Asha watched, glad to give her sore hands a rest.

“Now we have to stir it. The ingredients have to get well-mixed so they are evenly distributed throughout, otherwise it won’t decompose right. “ Mogg explained patiently as motioned Asha closer to watch him mix the first container, careful not to bang the sides and risk knocking down the roughly made branch walls. “Then what will we do? How long will it take for all this to break down into, well, whatever it’s going to be?” Asha asked curiously, watching as Mogg tossed aside the shovel and bent over to shove both arms deep in, kneading the ingredients Asha had collected into the mass of dried grasses. “Good question. If we get lots of good clear days Syna’s warmth should be enough to heat up the containers during the day and jump-start the decomposition process. But as overcast and dreary as this season has been I suspect I may have to hire a magic user to provide some warmth. Though that is going to be horribly more expensive then can be afforded now, so in all likelihood if Syna don’t feel like helping us out it will all be for nought. I mean eventually it will decompose just not fast enough for our purposes. But don’t you worry about that, that’s none of your concern.” Mogg grumbled a while before noticing Asha standing beside him, quivering with fatigue. “Hrmmm…. I will finish this up Asha, why don’t you head back to camp? You’re done for the day. I will come for you again in the morning.” Asha nodded and turned to leave. A few strides in Asha began to feel how tired she truly was. Carrying barrels and shoveling all day had been a lot harder labor then she had done in a long while and she could feel it as every step was a symphony of protesting muscles. It was only late afternoon, but Asha was going to need to lay down for a while.

[Creeper]

Skills Interrogation: 1 Observation: 1 Gardening: 3 Bodybulding: 2 Running: 1   Lores Be Useful or Get Out Gardening: Dried Grass Makes Good Compost Gardening: Rocks Keep Mats from Flying Away Gardening: Heat Speeds Up Compost Recipe for Compost: Grass, Scraps, Ashes, Manure, and Dirt   Other Nicely done, it was quite entertaining to the gardener in me. Well done.