[ 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]

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?]

[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.]

[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.]

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?

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.

[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

[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!

[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.]

[hands4healing]

Yes, and you're...Rei?

[She smiles.]

It's good to see you again!

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?

[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!

[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.]

[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!

[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. ]

[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. ]

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer jumped back in fright when she saw the dog running toward her- but relaxed when she saw that he was just there to chase away gulls. She gives him a chance to do his work before squatting down beside him, smiling, reaching out a tentative hand.]

Thanks for looking out for me, buddy.

[aggressiveapathy]

[ April takes a quick, mock-curtsy at the applause. Then shoots another seagull that's trying to go after a taco one of the pigs had already claimed. ]

Nice minions.

[theoryandcalculation]

[Rei joins her in trying to shoo the gulls away, though they're persistent buggers. Most of his sandwich has already been pecked at as he gets most of them to get away from him. They still fly around and hop near his feet, though.]

There must be some way to get rid of them...

[glitterateur]

[The pig oinks in gratitude around its taco.]

Thanks! They're not minions, though, they're friends. And I'm pretty sure they think your power is the best! Can you just do tacos or does the food ever change? Like daily specials!

[ifnotloyal]

[ He flicks an ear towards her, still watching the gulls, but when the hand is noticed, he'll turn and take a friendly sniff, tail wagging. Then, he'll lean away again and look up at her, giving her a doggy grin, tongue lolling out briefly and all before saying: ]

You're welcome.

[lyingheart]

[ Annie finishes off more of the water, brining the bottle back down and screwing on the cap. Water bottles... gotta love modern conveniences. ]

On the boat, or back at the docks?

[ Not even rhetorical, for all she can empathize with Winry's feelings. Annie's used to trudging on and through just about everything. ]

We've released another fifteen... or was that the sixteenth?

[lyingheart]

[ He manages to break up the main body of the wave, resulting in a less sprayed and soaked Annie, but resulting in a very obviously surprised Annie. She has the tub around in front of her now, turtle in hand, one knee shifted forward to brace against the wet sand and surf when he'd called out.

One of the last things she expects out of nowhere is to hear Armin, of all people, shouting her name, let alone to see him interposed between her and the rolling waves for - the turtles? Confusion turns into a sort of constipated look, like she's not sure what she wants to say, other than the obvious. ]

They're aquatic.

[ They're as fine as the should be, for being temperature shocked and sluggish. Annie doesn't expect all are going to survive transport to the warmer waters, but she doesn't bother with making that statement. Instead, she places the turtle in hand down into the tub with the rest (and there's some ocean water in there, after all) to point out to the side. ]

Is that your hat?

[ Tide coming in or not, the water's about to suck it right back out to the crash zone. ]

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

[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?