fandomhigh | Things to Do at the Beach, Friday Morning, Galactica Point

"Good morning, everyone," Jarod said, smiling at the group. "Today isn't so much about things to do at the beach as things to do when something happens at the beach. It's a great place and lots of fun, but please never forget that it's deserving of respect."

"So, today is about beach first aid--let's start simply. Now, you've been out in the sun too long and forgotten to wear a hat and reapply your sunscreen after you've come out of the water. So now you're burnt. The treatment for that is fairly simple: Water, ibuprofen or naproxen, cold compresses, lotions with aloe, and cool baths. But what about if you get something more significant?"

"For instance, you've been walking along the beach, minding your own business, or staring at someone in a bathing suit," he smirked, "you suddenly have a red, itchy rash on your foot because you've stepped on a jellyfish. Contrary to anything you may have seen on television, the cure is not to urinate on each other. Rinse the area with salt water, not fresh," he emphasized, "remove any tentacles using a pair of tweezers, and apply white vinegar. Then give the person ibuprofen or acetaminophen and watch them carefully--if they get any worse, call an ambulance."

"Now, this next thing is very worst case scenario, but if you need to know it, you really need to know it. Learn the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion, because the treatment is different."

"Finally, I've got some basic lifesaving strokes for you to practice today, so please partner up and try not to drown each other while you're practicing. Have fun, and be careful."

[ooc: I won't have interaction access at all tomorrow, so please play amongst yourselves and try not to do anything Jarod would have to react to. Also, for the lifeguarding strokes, the Wiki section you're looking for is the section on manipulating objects. Have fun!]

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Parker snickered, treading water, then turning back to swim for the higher water mark. "Whenever you're ready!"

"Okay!"

She swam out a little bit more and then started thrashing about.

"Help help! I'm totally irresponsible and stupid and no good in a crisis! It's probably best just to let me go for the good of the species! But I'd appreciate it if you'd SAVE ME!"

Parker almost choked on a mouthful of water, giggling, then swam forward. "Calm down! Or try, irresponsible swimmer!" She grabbed one of Pippi's arms, and pulled it behind her back, tilting her backward into the water, but keeping her head above the surface.

Pippi wriggled, gently, against Parker's efforts to "rescue" her.

Grinning like a loon she said, "Nope! To late! I'm totally panicking. I'm probably screaming incoherently or spouting obscenities or possibly just trying to take you down with me like a useless lump of vacuous nerd!"

Parker cracked up, and almost lost her grip on Pippi's arm. "I can see that, obnoxious waterlogged victim! Which is why I am doing *this*!" She wrapped her other arm under Pippi's chin, keeping her head out of the water and from flailing quite so much, then pulled Pippi's arm even tighter. "Yell if I'm hurting you," she said in a normal tone of voice. "Okay, twerpy drowner! Now we're going back to shore!"

"Nah," she said in a normal voice. "You're fine."

Then...

"You're hurting me! You're hurting me! It's unconstitutional! Or other stuff that Americans say when they want to sound important! um... oh yeah. I'LL SUE! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL SUE!"

"I'll sue you back! I have better lawyers! And I'm a Good Samaritan! So ha! Ha! You must LIVE!" Parker's trying very, very hard not to giggle. Slow incremental progress is being made toward shore, though. Kicking with her legs, and floating half the time, they make it past the first sandbar. "Don't make me give you CPR after all this! Someone else will have to do the other half of the life-saving!"

"You are so mean!" she retorted. "I don't want CPR from you! Do you have any suggestions on some hunky fella to help me with that?"

"Not the instructor," Parker said in her normal voice. "Although, we can probably talk-- Jack! you must come save this girl I saved from drowning! He's got great breath control."

"Oh and I've spent so much energy being uncooperative that I'm all tired now, because I'm not in good shape and shouldn't have been out here in the first place! Blaaaah."

Pippi let herself float.

Parker snickered, and finally managed to just tow Pippi the rest of the way to shore. "Medic! Hot doctor type! Possibly someone named Jack! We have an almost-drowning victim here!"

Pippi is playing possum...

Or maybe she's dozed off...

Whichever.

"I heard the word 'hot' and I heard the word 'Jack', so you must be talking about me." Jack rushed over and struck a heroic pose, one hand clutched to his heart. "Alas, an innocent and beautiful maiden, struck down in the prime of her life. Fear not, oh fair one, I'll save you."

He cast himself down on the sand next to Pippi and took her face between his hands, leaning forward until his nose touched hers. "I think mouth to mouth may be your only hope."

Parker snickered, and then whistled. "Yay, Mr. Hero Man! Save the oblivious drowning victim!"

"Yes, I am a hero! Let me do something incredibly heroic! Or possibly something incredibly stupid, which will later be described as heroic when I get myself a good publicist!"

He flashed Parker a grin, and looked back down at Pippi. "But nothing will stop me from saving this innocent woman from the perils of the sea! Unless she doesn't want me to," he added in a normal tone of voice.

Pippi is listening intently to this amazing melodrama.

"What kind of fool person wouldn't want to be saved?" she wondered out loud.

What a great story, she can't wait to find out what will happen next.

"Someone who wants more melodrama? Fear not, for the kiss of life will save you!" And he tipped her head back and gently touched his lips to hers.

The traditional kiss of life involved a lot more in the way of nose-pinching, and less in the way of actual kissing, but this was very dramatic.

Things to Do at the Beach, Friday Morning, Galactica Point

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