Learning to Run in Slow Motion

Mission:

The line between ocean and sky was hard to make out, little beyond the understanding of a "horizon" and the spattering of clouds could tell them apart. The temperature made Emi feel pleasent. It was a bit on the bot side, but not that hot. Emi certainly would not mind grabbing an oversized towel, maybe a nice and big umbrella, or just some good sunscreen. Lay them out and chill on the beach listening to some toons. That would be Heaven, and Emi would managed to do that one of these days. She swore that on her life.

Ok maybe not on her life, that was a bit much. But Emi really wanted to get back here with some time off and devout it to herself.  She'd spent a day helping a little kid with missing in action parents until they finally came back, she'd spent another day apparently saving a marriage. That second day had not been that long, but... it was emotionally taxing, in a way, even though she realistically did not do much beyond listen to the two (and maybe apply a bit of guesswork that the husband was not as likely to think about...) And her THIRD day here had started out great, she got to put on a little show (until she got kicked out), but they she got tricked into working as a stunt double for all of one fucking shot in one of the worst movie ideas she had ever got damn heard of, and worst of all? She was 99% certain that nobody had any plans to fucking pay her.

She'd watch a bootleg copy before she ever gave THAT company any support, and she'd never bothered to bootleg a video before!

But that was neither here nor now, today was a perfect day to relax! Enjoy the beach! Spent some time and chill in the heat!

So how the HELL has she been roped into being a replacement lifeguard!?

Standing there in the standard issue read swimming suit that was simultaneously too big and too small (only a bit though), she sighed, wishing she was a bit less vulnerable to desperate people talking quickly.'

At least she was not alone?

(369/3000)

Mieru stared at the mission brief in disgust. He hated spending time at the beach more than most anything in the world. It was the antithesis of everything he enjoyed and held dear. Fucking beach.

He spent hours covering himself in sunscreen and makeup, trying to hide his insanely white skin. He honestly didn’t know if he could be sunburned, but he figured there was no reason to take a chance. He was as white as a person could be afterall. As far as makeup was concerned, he just didn’t want to stand out. He was a lifeguard, and he didn’t need kids and people in general pointing at him and distracting him from his duty. 

As he finished covering himself with a generally flesh colored makeup he paused, considering whether it might not matter should he end up in the ocean. He had no idea if his makeup was waterproof or not. Up until now that consideration had never really occurred to him. He always avoided the rain and made sure to pack an umbrella should it be needed, or even if it was unlikely. He tended to carry one with him anywhere he went on the off chance he needed it. The last thing he wanted was to be outed as some white weirdo that needed to be gawked at.

So with much dismay, and no enthusiasm whatsoever, Mieru made his way down to the beach, umbrella in hand. He wore his mandated red swim trunks that covered little of his body. He felt awkward and completely out of his depth as he walked across the beach, his pale flesh hidden, but his general thin and weak body on full display. He hated everything about this as he approached the woman that looked to be a good number of years his senior in the same sort of attire.

He hated the idea that he needed to make an introduction, especially because he had no idea if he was talking to the right person. But he persisted and forced himself to speak the words as he reached her, “Excuse me. Are you the other lifeguard here today?” As he spoke, he let his mind go somewhat detached, as he looked everywhere except for at the woman before him. His eyes scanning the beach, looking for anyone who might be in danger. He may hate his job, but he was going to do it, the last thing he needed was for some poor fool to die on his watch. If that happened, someone was sure to notice.

WC 427/1500

Edit: I misspelled my name <.<

"Excuse me. Are you the other lifeguard here today?"

Emi turned to the source of the voice, seeing someone with white hair and...

Something was off. He was still sort of far away. Far enough to not get a close look, but close enough to just be talking normally. Emi wore her confusion on her face. But Emi could tell something was off. He looked too... smooth? Yet also not smooth? Emi stood there staring and contemplating for a moment, very thankful that he had started surveying the beach rather than keep looking in her direction. Maybe he didn't notice the confusion before she got it under control.

"Hey, yeah, that's me," she replied, still somewhat perplexed by what she thought so odd, but moving on because it probably did not matter? "Name's Emi. They get you, too, or you here on purpose? Cause I'm hoping you're a regular as I absolutely am not."

Emi looked out to the beach. She knew there was a boat, her last time times here she had seen lifeguards out on them, she presumed to let them be closer in case something happened. They were just paddle boats, totally manually powered. Technically she could just run across the water if something happened, but being in the boats had more advantages than just speed for someone without significant chakra control. There was the advantage of proximity, too. Emi could already see people swimming further out. She had never seen someone drown before, but one of the things that was drilled into her after she 'accepted' the job to work here was that drowning can be silent. Emi could only barely make out the people further away from her from the lifeguard tower she stood next to. If she were to go for a closer look, she could either constantly stand on the water or, likely more realistically, just take the boat out. At least then she could sit.

If the two started a conversation, Emi would find a place to ask. Otherwise, in the silence after a possible reply was a great chance to ask.

"So, you want to watch from the tower, or the boat?"

While Emi did not pay much mind to it, the tower did technically have some shade around it, and visibility was not that reduced at the bottom compared to at the top (she had tried already, the swimming area didn't extend far enough for it to really matter).


409 Total: 778

Mieru noticed the strange look on the woman’s face, and immediately figured he had assumed wrong. Maybe this wasn’t the other lifeguard. He didn’t let his annoyance at his mistake show though. He continued to look out across the water as if the woman hadn’t had any kind of reaction to his question. 

“Hey, yeah, that’s me. Name’s Emi. They get you, too, or you here on purpose? Cause I'm hoping you're a regular as I absolutely am not."

Mieru was a bit confused by her answer. He hadn’t assumed wrong, which meant her look was about something different. He considered it for a moment, and thought back to when he applied his makeup. His back was always a bit awkward to apply it too, though thanks to his strange malleable body, he was able to do it. That thought was quickly dismissed, he knew he had been thorough, he was always thorough. There was also no way she could see his back from here. He decided it was more likely that she was simply surprised at how young he looked. While he was fifteen, people often thought him younger.

He had contemplated how he was going to play this before he ever showed up. He had seen lifeguards before, and while they didn’t look anything like him, he knew their general demeanor. They had to be nice to the people on the beach and somewhat outgoing, so while he hated acting that way, he felt it necessary. He had to stand out a bit to avoid standing out. 

“Mieru.” He smiled, not letting any of the awkwardness he felt show on his face. “Afraid I am not a local. Just out here to make a few bucks and get some work done,” he replied. 

Tapping his umbrella against his leg, he decided he should put it down. He walked over and propped it up against the lifeguard stand. He likely wasn’t going to find much use for it here, and it might look a little strange to just be wandering around on a sunny day with an umbrella. He then slipped off his sandals, placing them next to the umbrella. The sand was warm against his feet, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn, which was good.

"So, you want to watch from the tower, or the boat?"

He was a bit surprised by her question. He had noticed the boat, but hadn’t actually considered that there were lifeguards on it. He didn’t really want to get on the boat. Specifically he didn’t want to get in the water, but something told him that was unlikely. Hiding his annoyance he responded, “The boat may make more sense? Never been a lifeguard before, so I honestly have no idea. I am good either way.” 

As he spoke he saw a woman pass by holding a small child that waved at him. In response he put on his best smile and waved back to the kid.

WC 495
TWC 922

"Well damn," Emi began in a bit of a hushed tone. "So neither of us really has a clue what the job is?" Emi asked, before a second or two passed and she corrected herself a bit. "I mean, I know it's life guarding, but there's like, normally training I'd think. Guess they really were understaffed.". Emi sighed and turned to look out at the water.

As their conversation continued, she was not sure which of the two of them was confused. Either Mieru was confused and thought they'd both look out from the same place, or she was confused and not exactly following his question. Either way though, she could answer the same. [color:049c=ffcc00]"I'll start on the boat if you want to start back here? And if you wanna swap later, just let me know. I think that means I should mainly focus on the water past the boat, and you should mainly focus before the boat, but feel free to just yell out if you notice something further out, and I'll yell if I notice something further in. Sound good?"

Emi stood there a few moments longer, looking around at the various beach goers, but mainly looking out to the water. She figured she was probably meant to keep peace over the entire beach, along with Mieru, but she also thought the water was likely where she had to place most of her focus.

"Well, it looks like people are already out and about. I think we've already started at least the bare minimum, but unless there's any objections, I'm going to go push the boat out and get to a place to keep watch."

And unless Mieru had any complaints or somesuch, that is exactly what Emi would do.

She would walk towards the waterline, and specifically the boat. On the way there, she brought her hands up to about waist level and brought them towards each other at her front.

[color:049c=ffcc00]Oops, maybe not the best habit she thought to herself, realizing that she just tried to put her hands in her hoodie's pocket, except she was not wearing a hoodie.

There was a distinct possibility she both owned and wore too many hoodies.

Putting her hands back down by her sides, she kept walking until she was at the boat. She debated pushing versus pulling the boat into the water. Seeing as she was here to be life guarding, getting wet was probably the last thing to fear, and she'd probably get splashed by some of the bigger waves while out there, so there was no need be all that worried about the water. At least for her.

So she prepared for the water's temperature and:

Pleasantly cool. Not horribly cold, but also not warm, and absolutely not hot.

a few steps in brought her to the bow of the ship, which she dragged into the water. Thinking about it from this side, she realized this was probably the better choice. Pushing the boat might have pushed the front into the sand and made it harder to move. This was pretty easy, just a few tugs and it was floating enough for her to hop in and get the paddles.

Now came the harder part, positioning. She knew how to paddle a boat. Technically. But who actually used these things? And, while she did not know it yet, ocean currents and wind love moving people further from shore. And unless it's a riptide or a particularly violent day, this is normally a slow, easily missed drifting...

Emi would have to deal with that soon. For now, however, she went out about as far as lifeguards at the neighboring stretches of beach appeared to be, and began looking around at the water, trying to be vigilant enough to notice someone go down and not come back up.

WC 642
TWC 1420

"So neither of us really has a clue what the job is? I mean, I know it's lifeguarding, but there's like, normally training I'd think. Guess they really were understaffed."

Mieru shrugged. “Don’t think it really matters. This may not be our normal job, but something tells me our training will cover things here. I am not a medic, but we still covered basic things like CPR in the academy.”

"Well, it looks like people are already out and about. I think we've already started at least the bare minimum, but unless there's any objections, I'm going to go push the boat out and get to a place to keep watch."

He nodded, “Sounds good.” Inwardly he celebrated, glad that she was taking the boat, and that he had originally misunderstood, not realizing she meant to split up. It made sense in hindsight. Tackling the beach from two different directions let them better keep an eye on things.

He watched her as she walked away and started moving the boat. He considered helping, but saw that she was having no problem with it, so he turned back to the beach. His eyes scanned the crowd and the water on either side. Things seemed generally peaceful if a little busy and loud for his personal taste. 

After a few minutes, he decided to walk down the beach while staying vigilant. He waved and nodded at people as he walked, smiling at the people around him. A couple kids followed him for a bit, but eventually lost interest and went back to their families. 

Eventually he turned back, and made his way back to the lifeguard post. Upon reaching it, he climbed the tower and took a seat. Things were calm, and he desperately hoped that things remained as such. He could use a nice easy day of sitting at the beach. He wasn’t a particular fan of the place as it was, the last thing he wanted was to deal with some catastrophe.

WC: 332
TWC: 1254

Hey look, there's Little Bobby going a bit too far past the "line" in the ocean. She'd keep an eye out, but his parents had been pretty good about it (also his floaties were alright).

And there's Jazz, still swimming back and forth further out. Must be training for a water marathon or whatever they were called.

Nox and Pax were still seeing which of the two of them could jump a taller wave. Considering the waves were not that tall right now, it seemed a fine enough game. They were a bit on the younger side, but she'd found out pretty quickly that the downwards slope of the water was pretty low. She could have stood up where the boat sat right now and been mostly fine, probably. Maybe chin covered.

There was Rae just floating in the water. Starting to venture out a bit, probably wind and current. Emi would have to get her attention if she didn't paddle back in in the next minute or two.

And Ada was...

Ada was...

Ah! There she was! She seemed to be trying to hold her breath underwater as long as she could. She was not too far past the boat "line", so it all seemed fine.

Of course, Emi has absolutely no idea who these people were, not in the slightest. Every single name was just made up to help aleviate boredom.

She should have chosen the beachside position. She had noticed Mieru walking every now and then. Emi was basically stuck in one spot, not even able to figure out a way to dip her legs in, and the only thing for her to watch was people.

Which... was not that bad. She did very much enjoy this. It was more involved than she normally got while watching people, but it was a nice change of pace.

Thinking of pace... she figured it was time to go over the group again. She started out at the far away ones this time, going person by person.

Jazz seemed to have stopped, perhaps taking a breather, or preparing to go back in?

Rae was getting closer to Nox and Pax. Emi would yell at her soon, just in case she did not realize.

Speaking of Nox and Pax, they seemed to now be more focused on making their OWN waves. To... varying degrees of success. Of, and they were aiming directly at each other!

Further in, Emi took a few moments but located Ada. She was actually going to shallower waters, perhaps being bored of the test of strength.

And little Bobby was...

Huh. He didn't move THAT quickly from what she'd seen. Maybe his parents were dragging him in?

...no, they were starting to look a bit frazzled. Emi wanted to investigate this was a bit worrying. She pointed the boat in their direction and...

Saw a tiny dinosaur floaty on a wave peak, very obviously NOT attached to a little boy.

Three tweets of the whistle. That's what Emi had been told meant "missing/aware" She had heard the three tweets a few times this morning. She had also heard a single tweet every now and then. That was just meant to get someone's attention.

Two tweets meant "danger sited" and was a sign to other lifeguards to start directing people to shore.

Emi stood in the boat. It was shaky and the waves made it worse, but she was fairly certain she could stand in it fine. She brought the whistle around her neck to her lips and let out three tweets. By this point, Little Bobby's parents were yelling out for "Cliff" and getting a very frantic. The floatie was floating away from them they did not have the height advantage that Emi had. She kept looking. Floatie. Missing child. Some people were aware that two people were shouting a name as a lifeguard tweeted out. That left them on edge.

They were even more on edge when Emi let out two tweets on the whistle, yelled a few words, and dived into the water. Emi was already underwater when it would have happened, but this started a cascade. Neighboring stretches of beach, specifically the lifeguards looking over them, would start blaring singular, continuous tweets, then yelling for people to head in. The two nearest boated lifeguards started heading over.

Each boat had things like a rescue board. Emi was sure there was training in how to use those.

If only she had gotten ANY training AT ALL about this fucking job.

Swimming in the water would give her better vision once she got close, and she was confident her swimming would be about as fast. The question was, would she get there fast enough?

Little Bobby, er, Cliff, had decided to go swimming further in, probably when his parents were not looking. Emi had first seen the one floatie. She was looking for the other, and she... did eventually find it. There was an arm sticking out of it, for just a moment, before the arm sank into the water.

Cliff was in the shallower area, but Cliff seemed VERY young, and she was unsure he knew how to swim at all.

He was about halfway between her and the lifeguard post. That's what she had yelled.

"CHILD! HALFWAY BETWEEN BOAT THREE AND LIFEGUARD TOWER"

Accompanies by the two whistle tweets of drowning. She hoped like hell she was fast enough.

---

WC 906
TWC 2326

Emi noticed that Mieru was running... quite a bit faster than she could run. So only had glimpses, while taking breaths while swimming, but he very quickly got to where she was headed. And with great relief she caught a glimpse of Mieru running back to shore with a tiny body. Emi kept swimming, making sure there was not somehow a super unlucky and super fucked double drowning, but she found nothing of the sort, then promptly made her way back to the shore.

Mieru was already kneeling over a recovering, crying little boy as she walked onto the beachfront. She looked back at the water. Everybody had gotten out, as far as she could tell, at least for the nearest two beaches on either side. Cliff's family was running towards him, having just gotten out of the water.

Emi would take a seat on the sand. So tall that escapade exhausting would perhaps be overstating it, but there was a part of her that was tired. Physically fine but just... spent. If she had paid attention, she might have noticed one of the guards from a neighboring beach tying a rope to her (vacated) boat and beginning to slowly drag it back in. But she did not. She took a few deep breaths and let the waves wash over her legs. Disaster, yes. But a very good outcome for a disaster.

She would HAVE to start acting as the boat was dragged to shore. She helped beach it so it was stuck and not going anywhere, before going up to Mieru. In this time, she assumed the family had come by, and something had probably happened she didn't catch, as Cliff was no longer there. What was there, however, was the obvious realization that Mieru was wearing.

Well logically she figured face paint would probably be a relatively cheap choice, and easily waterproofed. But what had felt wrong is that Mieru, at first glance, seemed to be peeling, or even melting. That would be normal for something with a bad sunburn, but a closer look showed it legit was makeup.

She'd known he looked too smooth...

If he did not have one already, Emi would grab a towel and try to drape it over him, before speaking.

"Good job, the kid's alright." And, to lighten the mood perhaps a bit, "Have you heard of spray tans?"

---

WC 397
TWC 2723

Mieru wasn’t sure how long he sat there staring off at nothing, but at some point one of the parents of the child shook him. Mieru finally focused and looked up at a man standing above him. “Thank you so much for saving our son.”

The mom and dad kept saying things, and one of them gave him a hug. He let it all pass by, not really paying them much attention. He felt so out of it that he just couldn’t deal with it. His plans of being outgoing and smiling at people were long dead, he had stood out far too much to avoid attention. So instead he just nodded at the two before they finally stopped and walked off with their son.

After they left, the crowd started to disperse and left him to just sit in the sand. Not long after that he felt a towel draped over him. He looked up to see Emi. "Good job, the kid's alright. Have you heard of spray tans?"

Mieru hadn’t noticed that his makeup had washed off in splotches all over his body, his white skin clearly visible beneath it. “Son of a bitch.” He stood up, wrapping the towel around himself. A look of exasperation on his face. “I… no I don’t know what that is. I have been covering myself up this way for years. This beach thing is not really my kind of place. Normally I just have to watch for rain,” he paused. “Well and water jutsu.”

“Oh well. I saved a kid’s life. if people want to stare at milk boy, I suppose they can.” He glanced up at the sky, gauging that based on the sun’s location, at least the job would be over soon. "Oh and good job spotting the kid. I had no idea anything was even going on until I heard the whistle."

WC: 314
TWC: 2410