[ open ] operation: baby sea turtle rescue is a go!

[lyingheart]

WHO: ALL IMPORTS.
WHERE: An Atlantic-facing beach in Eastern Florida.
WHEN: Saturday - Monday
WHAT: Baby leatherback sea-turtles have been stunned by the temperatures of the water at their hatching beach, and must be rounded up in their thousands to be relocated to warmer waters, either to struggle out through the surf on their own, or to be boated out and released directly into the sea!
WARNINGS: ... How can this log have warnings ImPorts rescue baby sea turtles! More information located here.



The long stretch of beach the ImPorts find themselves on is littered with baskets, coolers, styrofoam containers, anything the rescue workers could use to hold the baby sea turtles for transit. Dozens of nests have all emptied of turtles, and gulls roam overhead, looking for opportunities to snatch the stunned baby sea turtles tumbling around in the waves. The shock of the unexpected temperature on their tiny systems renders them incapable of moving, and ImPorts will soon find themselves ushered to the water line to grab tiny, tumbling turtles out of the water.

When enough are collected, a portion of the volunteers and ImPorts are pulled aside to ride with the baby turtles down the coastline to warmer waters, where they'll either be asked to cart the containers down to the waterline to release the baby sea turtles and watch that they don't end up shocked all over again, or instructed to go out to sea on any of the chartered or volunteer-driven boats and release the sea turtles directly into the warmer ocean waters.

Water and lunches will be provided, dinner is haphazard, come as you go. Bright search floodlights are set up on Saturday night so that collection rescue efforts can continue without much interruption. If the same is needed on Sunday night, it will be provided.

For some ImPorts, this will be the first time their arrival isn't treated with great fanfare. People with abilities that assist in the collection and redistribution of the baby sea turtles will get relieved displays of gratitude from attending volunteers and any press drawn to the scene, but much of the fervency seen elsewhere will be largely absent.

Comments

[lyingheart]

( a )

[ it's a fairly nice day on the beach, all things considered, though the wind can add a touch of chill every so often. Annie pulls down the brim of the stupid fish-pun hat she'd borrowed from Will's shop at some point, For the Halibut with a picture of the fish in question on the crown.

she has a tub balanced against her hip, standing in the breaking waves and fishing baby sea turtles out with her free hand. she commits the cardinal sin of turning her back to the sea for just a few seconds, crouching to scoop up a baby turtle and deposit it in her tub, just as a larger wave comes rolling in to shore.

three seconds to impact. what do you do? ]

( b )

[ it's about two hours to sunset, and annie is out in one of the chartered boats re-releasing the baby sea turtles directly into warmer ocean waters. the gulls are circling around, but only one or two. they take pot shots at the baby turtles every so often. how hungry they can be right now is hard for her to say.

annie adjusts her stupid hat, retreating into the long shadows she can find on the boat. she's thirsty - she's not sure whose water has been left out, but she picks up the half-empty bottle and unscrews the top anyway. who cares? germs won't kill her. ]

Anyone know how many bins we have left to release?

[hands4healing]

[Winry plucks at a shirt she'd thrown on to keep from burning more. She remembers Annie from the attack on the Porter building, but they haven't spoken since.]

A lot. [Is how she answers. She's tired, and hungry, and yes, baby turtles are adorable, but the heat, water, and long day are all conspiring to sap her strength.]

A

[blondtactician]

Annie!

[Three seconds isn't enough time to explain, let alone get out of the way. But by fortune or fate, Armin's close enough to see what's about to go down. Aside from potentially injuring or losing the poor baby turtles if the tub's dropped, all that hard work would be undone if it goes flying. That's his split-second justification for getting involved.

His thought was to get the tub out of the way, or at least steady it, but as he runs up behind the force of the wave hits him, mostly, rather than Annie or the tub. He shielded them, mission successful? At least he's ready for it, and only barely stumbles, though the wide-brimmed straw sun-hat he's kept to keep the sun off his shoulders has gone flying.

So now he's standing here, his light-colored beach clothes soaked through.]

Are the turtles okay? [He asks as the wave recedes.] I guess the tide's coming in early.

[hands4healing]

I
[Winry has braided her hair and wrapped it around her head to keep it out of her eyes. She wore a bathing suit top and a pair of shorts, and a ratty-looking baseball cap she'd picked up from somewhere. She's turned pink by now, despite the sunscreen she'd slathered on.

In between catching baby turtles and loading them into tubs, she's taken turns carrying water to the workers, offering a smile and something to drink. She pauses nearby, waiting for you to put the latest baby turtle down.]

Need something to drink?

II
[It's late into the evening, and the babies are still hatching. There are foxes, raccoons, and opossums, not to mention feral cats and dogs, lingering around, waiting for their chance at the turtle hatchlings. Their eyes glitter in the lamps, and some of them seem willing to approach to steal the babies.

Winry's hauling a styrofoam container across the sand. Perhaps you're carrying your own load of babies, or you're offering to take her container?]

I

[theoryandcalculation]

[Rei wipes the sweat off his brow and looks over at her, smiling when he recognizes her.]

Yes, thank you.

[He takes the drink.] You're Winry, right?

i

[powerkicks]

[ america lets the last turtle crawl out into the water at its own pace, making sure to keep an eye out for any signs of it stumbling and getting itself into another bad situation. when it looks like it'll be okay this time (and there's no predators in sight), she sighs and stands up, tucking the container she'd been holding under her arm. it's only then that she spots winry. ]

You didn't have to.

[ but she'll take the offered bottle of water with an appreciative look anyways. ]

[theoryandcalculation]

[[Option A]]

[Rei really wishes his friends were here for this.

He's pretty sure Makoto and Nagisa would be ecstatic to help with the sea turtles, and Haru would enjoy swimming in the water after them. It's another one of those panging moments of homesickness, when he misses having them by his side. He won't even remember any of this to tell them about it, by all accounts, and that just adds insult to injury.

But, well, he can't exactly dwell on it forever when there's baby sea turtles everywhere and they need his help. Seeing a sea turtle hatching like this is a beauty all in itself, as endangered as they are these days, and he's honestly excited to be part of the rescue efforts.

He's out in the surf, careful not to get too deep. He's a stronger swimmer than he used to be, but he's not confident enough in himself to be sure he'll be fine while also holding up with his bucket and its precious occupants.

He bends to catch one turtle, but it gets pushed by a wave just out of his reach before he can get it. It starts getting dragged out further into the water, and he looks at the nearest person and points.]

Quick, grab it!

[[Option B]]

[Rei is seated in the sand, eating the lunch he's been given and watching others still working. It's been an exciting morning, but he's grateful for the break.

He's taking a drink when a seagull lands not too far away. It's been eying the turtles that are getting rounded up, so without really thinking, Rei decides to distract it by tearing a little bread off his sandwich and tossing it over for the gull.

He immediately realizes what a mistake that was when all the others gulls in the vicinity notice and decide they want a free meal too.

He scrambles to his feet as the gulls come over, fighting over the bread or hopping around his feet, accustomed to being fed by tourists. He stumbles back, clutching the boxed lunch to his chest.]

Hey- I didn't mean feed all of you!

[And that, children, is why you never feed gulls.]

B

[acrobrat]

[When Anita finds Rei in trouble, she stands up and hurries over to him, waving her arms to shoo the creatures away from him.]

Break it up, you birdbrains! Go away, shoo! [One perches on her head and nips at a strand of her pink hair. She growls and shoos it off angrily.] I said go away!

a

[lyingheart]

[ Annie reacts to the request, reaching out and snatching the stunned turtle in hand. It doesn't offer much resistance, flippers gyrating in slow motion. Annie straightens, holding the turtle out between her and Rei. ]

Here - did you have more room in your container?

A

[sharkweak]

[Rin will be simply waiting, watching as the turtle is slowly pulled away by the current. Farther, farther, and at the last possible second he'll scoop it up in one hand and hold it out to Rei. That's how you cause meganes heart attacks, but this task is a little childish. Adorable but childish. He has to pretend like he isn't really enjoying himself.]

Do you want me to hold the bucket for a while?

[Kinda been drifting along letting Rei do most the work.]

[yatagarasu]

[OPTION A:

This was really only supposed to be a simple effort to save baby turtles, but Kay couldn't resist putting this little number on for the job, along with a wide-brimmed straw hat and sandals. She carries a basket with her, wading in the shallows and picking up any flailing, panicking baby turtles she finds. No gulls seem to be bothering her, or the turtles within close proximity.

The answer is apparent the moment you look directly over her head.

An army of crows is accosting any gulls that try to swoop down near Kay, and occasionally a black missile will come bowling into an inquisitive seabird farther way - perhaps close to where you are. The crows know that they aren't allowed to bother the baby turtles, but occasionally one will wing low and peer at the basket, only to be shooed away and told to get back to work - work being "keeping gulls busy so they don't get any funny ideas".]

[OPTION B:

It's break time, and you can find Kay doing either of two things:

1. Eating lunch on the sand and feeding the crows that have come to rest all around her like a silent black barricade, or

2. Sitting in the surf and enjoying the feel of the seawater, but despite taking a break, she does find time to cup her hands and catch a wandering baby turtle.]

Hey, little guy. Let's find someplace to put you, 'kay?

B

[hands4healing]

[Winry hears Kay's voice.]

I've got a basket! [She's standing at the edge of the crows.]

Hey, you guys are the ones who've been sneaking my tools, aren't you?

A

[lyingheart]

Kay!

[ Annie approaches at a careful walk, making sure not to accidentally step on any baby turtles littering her path. She has two in hand already, ones she holds out to Kay as she closes distance, as Annie presently has nothing to carry them in. ]

Do you think your crows could handle a bigger bird than the gulls?

A

[khajidont]

[If nothing else, Kay certainly looks a heck of a lot more stylish than Jaime does. Wearing a swimsuit for this kind of job is reasonable enough, but Jaime just ended up rolling up his pant legs and, occasionally, getting damp little turtle prints all over his shirt.

He doesn't mind. They're pretty cute, after all. He's got one baby turtle in his hand already when he waves cheerfully at Kay.] Hey, Kay! Your container got room for one -- whoa!

[All crows look the same to him, but seeing one get so close to Kay reminds him of the whole debacle over at Bart's house. He squints up at them, a little suspiciously.]

What's with the crows in this place? I swear that's not normal.

[acrobrat]

[Anita is dressed quite simply for this day. A simple yellow tank top, white shorts, and sandals are all she needs to go save baby turtles. Okay, she's just doing this to get paid and whenever she doesn't have work. Which means she does it over the weekend.

But what's really driving her up the wall is not the heat or the running around. It's having to fight off the gulls, and she ends up doing more of that instead of actually gathering up the baby turtles. Paper blade in one hand, she swipes threateningly at any gulls that decide to fly lower and lower, or waves her arms to discourage them from snagging a quick snack.]

Ugh! Stupid...birds...! [Someone might want to collect the turtles for her while she's busy swatting at the gulls.]

[ifnotloyal]

[ Ace won't be much help at collecting turtles. To him, they're very bite-sized and, well, they'd be going in his mouth. So, instead, he comes bounding up towards Anita and the gulls she's currently engaged in swatting at.

The birds may have no fear of people, but a big dog like Ace?

He comes up baying and barking after them, startling the gulls to swerve off and flap away in a panic. He leaps up after a few, snapping his jaws, but he won't catch any. He'll land in the sand again, stand wide-legged and ears standing straight and tail rigid. Alert for them returning, that means. ]

[aggressiveapathy]

[ As adorable as the baby turtles are, April is not personally handling them. That task is reserved for her raccoon army, each one of which is wielding a toy, brightly colored plastic bucket that they used to scoop and transport to the waiting cars. April herself is busy wielding her other gift: the power of tacos. Firing magically from her hands at the speed of a 30 mph, she is aiming at the swooping sea gulls (and, indirectly, covering much of the area around her in tacos). It's a two pronged attack, both stunning a seagull for a moment and giving them something else to eat while the turtles are whisked away.

It's not often she does the hero gig, but for the animals she can lend a hand. And laugh slightly maniacally in the mean time.]

Ten points!

[glitterateur]

[Mabel pauses to watch a seagull get stunned by a flying taco, clapping appreciatively. The line of pigs following behind her, each carrying a basket of turtles strapped to their backs, also stops to watch the bird carnage (and maybe chow down on a few tacos themselves).]

That was great!

[lyingheart]

Are they yours?

[ Annie is walking back toward one of the vans loading up the baby turtles for transport when she hits the section of beach where April is... running a raccoon and taco circus. It's enough to make her stop and stare, open her mouth, then finally identify the critters responsible for having delivered something to her a while back. ]

The raccoons, I mean.

[ifnotloyal]

[ Hahaha, yeah, the gulls can eat the tacos if they get to them before Ace. April is firing food into the air, no one should be surprised by what happens next. He bounds in out of the blue, chasing after the projectile taco.

A gull dives for it.

A husky leaps after.

There's a midair collision, but Ace, with more mass and more teeth is triumphant. The gull wheels away squawking, while Ace, once he lands, turns and trots back over to April, taco in mouth, tail wagging wildly. Look, look, he got back what you threw, April, look.

Please, please say he can eat it, please... ]

[forsometimenow]

[How could Jennifer say no to rescuing baby turtles? After all, she'd been teased before that turtles were her spirit animal, due to her shyness and propensity to retreat inside her shell- and this seemed like a harmless enough exercise. So she found her way to the beach, walking around barefoot and gently coaxing the turtles into a basket she was carrying.

Unfortunately, the gulls seemed to see her as easy prey, and more than once she found herself having to make her upper body intangible so they passed through.]

Come on, leave me alone, you jerks! Go pick on animals that will fight back.

[Eventually, she found a thick piece of driftwood and picked it up to try scaring them off.]

[ifnotloyal]

[ Unable to really help collect turtles, Ace has been doing the next best thing. He's been harassing the gulls right back and, when he spots another imPort and her basket of turtles in trouble, he changes directions and comes bounding across the beach towards her. He charges in barking and snapping at the ones who've landed or flown down close enough to leap at, circling Jennifer a few times until they get the idea and let up, shrieking whatever rudeness they can muster in bird at the two.

They probably won't be gone for long, but that's fine. The dog doesn't seem inclined to leave just yet, as he's still watching the gulls alertly, even as they depart. ]

[forcowardice]

It wasn't his idea to come out here. If it was up to Fulcrum, he'd be lounging around in his big empty apartment on his own researching or practicing.

Instead, he got a knock on his door, and Drift bossing him around until he was coerced to assist him in saving the lives of tiny irrelevant organic lives that are inferior in every way. Even worse, it's down at a gross sandy and wet and itchy place and he has to touch the turtles and everything is disgusting.

But there was that subtle threat that if he didn't do this, he wouldn't get "approval" to date Tailgate.

Lame.

Fulcrum peers down at his bin of tiny baby things. More reptiles. Reptiles in general seem to be not so bad in comparison to most organic creatures, but they're still inferior. It seems silly to give any effort to save their lives, but he supposes this is the kind of thing he's here for.

So, Fulcrum wades in, looking disgruntled. Then, he slips and falls right into the water, getting soaked from the waist down.

On the bright side, he hasn't lost the bin of turtles, but still! Fulcrum anxiously bites his lower lip and tries to steady his breathing while muttering to himself, "Stupid unevolved little beasts."

[weapabilities]

A laugh echoes from Fulcrum's left, and Drift sloshes out into the water to offer him a hand up, taking the bin from him so he can stand properly.

"I had no idea you were so dedicated." He chuckles, hauling the wet Decepticon to his feet.

"It's uh, very admirable." The guy looks a bit frazzled, and Drift can tell. "I have a towel back there, come on, take your turtles and get dry. Make sure you don't sit in the sand, it'll stick to you."

[weapabilities]

They're cute. They're so, so cute. Drift peers down into his box of moshing tiny things. They're so helpless and small. He beams down at them as he scoops up another one to add to the little turtle party. He's never seen a thing like this before, but as soon as he caught wind of something needing help, he dragged Fulcrum out with him. A bit of a bonding exercise, and wanting to get to know him a bit better. After all, if he was going to be close with Tailgate, he should know who he's dealing with.

Still, this has been delightful so far. The sand feels oddly satisfying under his feet. Far removed from the grating feeling of sand seeping into joints and grinding between gears. Uhg. No, this is soft and pleasant and the beach is full of adorable baby things that require his assistance.

"Just a bit more, little guys." He whispers into the box as he trots down the stretch of sand looking for more.

[fishhumanalien]

As if to reply to Drift, a teenage-looking boy appears and without warning, sticks his hands into the box of turtles. More precisely, he sticks his hands into the water, careful not to touch or disturb any of them.

He's pale-haired, purple-eyed, dressed in eye-searing pinks and yellows. A gold halo, triangular in shape, briefly hovers over his head and spins. His concentration is on the creatures in the water, at the moment he hasn't even acknowledged the person carrying the box. Just totally stuck his hands in there without asking, with an expression of concentration.

Benton Fraser | Registered - he's open~

[dogsled]

[ Benton can be found 1/ collecting turtles into boxes for most of the day, his concern for the tiny animals reflected in the crease of his brow. With every turtle he recovers, he's reminded of home, of the leap from the airplane into deep snow, of Ray. He's reminded that he misses his partner immensely, and as well as the raw unhappiness of finding empty shells on the beach, there's that loneliness too, from missing his partner. Ray would have liked this, he thought. Collecting baby turtles on the beach, setting them free in the open water. He'd have kicked up a fuss, naturally, but he'd have secretly loved it. 2/ Diefenbaker, too, was proving that yes, wolves and turtles could be friends - again, probably Ray's influence - collecting the babies gently in his mouth and putting them in the box, occasionally chasing off the rare gull that got too close to the ground nearby with snapping jaws and flashing teeth.

As the day warmed up, and the gulls got more active, Fraser shifted into a more aggressive mode. He'd been practicing this for a while now, but now it seemed important that he use the power granted to him for some good. Several times, 3/ for mere minutes at a time, he can be seen transforming awkwardly into a large bald eagle, flapping clumsily once or twice as he struggles to get his balance on the sand, and then dragging his huge bulk up into the air to harry the gulls. The sight of the larger predator disperses them, puts them on guard for a while, lets the volunteers get back to work, and Fraser lands even more clumsily, transforms back and gets back to work, pretending to look less exhilarated by the experience than he feels. Flying really is that good.

That evening he's among the volunteers heading down the coast to release the babies. 4/ He transforms once more, pushing his limits this time, to rescue a stranded boat when its motor fails, bobbing in the ocean helplessly at sunset. Taking hold of the bow line in his mouth, he takes the shape of an orca, baffling the volunteers riding in the boat, and drags it back in to the beach, where he changes back, lying dripping wet and panting from effort. Not as easy as it looks. ]

4

[lyingheart]

[ The spotlights are set up alongside the beach even by the marina, adding more light than the established lightposts would have on their own. It's made the spectacle of reports back from a boat that had gone dead in the water at sunset all the more curious, when an orca had shown up to drag the boat back in. One rescued boat later, there wasn't much of an orca to be found, but there was a dripping wet excuse for a man lying on the beach.

No real mystery in guessing that an imPort attended event could have imPort powers at play. Shape shifting like this is just one Annie hasn't had much experience with.

Though showing up with a towel and a bottle of water means she's taken the practical approach to the improbable yet again. Holding them both out, she asks: ]

Think we can get you up out of the tidal zone?