Don't Drown! (Fiera)

by **Elem Bree** on March 1st, 2012, 7:28 am

62nd day of Winter, AV 511

Elem was often single minded of purpose when he was at his classes. He wanted to be the best doctor he could be one day, healing the sick and making lives better. Today would have been no different except for the student at his right. Whoever she was, she was no native. He would have rembered such a wild beauty and would be hard pressed to not remember her. Being the social idiot he was, the best he could do was the occasional sideways glance and awkward grin. He was sure not to make himself obvious, though. It wasn't a social blunder he feared, but the presence of Mistress Claira, who didn't tolerate such tomfoolery during classes. Seeing how she was also his superior at the Infirmary, it made for extra focus to the front of the class as opposed to his right.

She cleared her throat, which commanded the attention of the pupils. To her left was a man who looked like one of the many fisherman who could be seen at the docks. He looked like his skin was leather from the bonesnapper's constant attention. His hair was graying and he held a sort of scowl. Not a scowl of malice, but more that the hard life of a fisherman had its prices, this being one of them.

"Attention, class. Today we will learn about one of the most common hazards of living on a port. Drowning. While anyone can fall into the ocean, most, outside of sailors, lack the ability to swim and save themselves. If you do not know how to swim, I highly recommend looking into it when Spring comes and the waters warm. Our guest today is Peter Wren, a fisherman who was kind enough to join us and explain the process. I will leave the floor to him."

The fisherman nodded and grinned and Mistress Claira, his eyes following her once she turned, even though she was quite aged. Elem was not the only one to notice as a whispery murmur passed through the rows.

"Thank ye, Claira. Now, I'll tell each an every one of ye that Claira's words be truer than any. Learn te swim. I kin not tell ye how many times I've had to pull some flailin land dog out of the drink for this very reason. Anyway, drownin is a terrible way te go. Yer lungs fill with water and yer body thrashes about and then...well, then yer dun. Unless ye happen te be lucky enough te have a knowledgeable person like meself te save ye. Now, I want ye all te hold your breath as long as ye can. I'll count te three.

One...Te...Three.."

Elem took a sharp breath in and held it, looking over at his lovely partner to see how she fared in the challenge.

by **Fiera** on March 12th, 2012, 3:36 am

The infirmary didn’t retain much heat in the depth of such a cold winter and Fiera sat with her hands stuffed into her coat pockets. With every breath, a light cloud of moisture escaped her mouth. While she waited for Mistress Claira to begin the class, Fiera glanced around her at the other students. Her eyes locked with the man on her left. He was rather stocky, with brown hair just reaching his shoulders.

Fiera returned the smile that he gave her, but was happy that Mistress Claira chose that precise moment to start talking. The man did not seem particularly interesting to her. His plain and honest face gave away most of his personality, and callous-less hands told of hours spent studying.

Fiera shifted her focus back to the mistress’s speech on drowning. Her concentration wavered again as she noticed a sailor standing at the front of the class. His presence was explained by the topic being studied, but Fiera took note of his permanent scowl, weather-beaten skin and slight limp, subconsciously judging him as a possible enemy. Fiera’s dislike for sailors was unexplained but might have stemmed from her idea of sailors being rowdy drunkards.

“… Now, I want ye all te hold your breath for as long as ye can. I’ll count te three. One, te, three!”

Fiera inclined her head, confused. How would this teach the class to revive drowning victims? Still, unwilling to attract attention to herself, she filled her lungs with a gulp of air and sat still. From her previous lessons, she had learned that to operate, muscles needed air. So Fiera came to the conclusion that unnecessary movement would lessen her air supply.

Despite the fact that the task seemed completely unrelated to her medical studies, Fiera still wished to best everybody. She held her breath until her head spun and her lungs burned. Exhaling slowly, she looked around the class to see how the rest of the class has managed. To her surprise, most of the students were now breathing normally, including the man to her left. With a somewhat smug smile, Fiera refocused on the sailor.

“Well dun. Now what ye have jus’ felt is what te victim would feel. Te easiest was te get te water outa their lungs is to turn te victim on their side. If the person isn’t breathin’, just put them on their back and press down quickly a few times on their chest about ‘ere” the sailor indicated a spot on his own chest, “tha’ should make ‘em start breathin’ again”

Fiera sketched the approximate location for the compressions on a piece of paper, also writing a few notes down for future reference.

by **Elem Bree** on March 13th, 2012, 3:26 am

Elem was happy that he was not in the ocean, since he lost his breath earlier than he had hoped. His partner remained stalwart in her feat of endurance, being one of the last to release her breath, if not the last. He nodded with a bit of an impressed grin as he listened further to the sailor's words of caution. Turning the victim on their side would allow water to come from the lungs and if that didn't do enough to reignite the spark of life, a series of compressions to the chest would suffice. He was sure there was more to it than that, but he waited until the man was finished before asking.

"Now, sometimes ye may not get te breath right away. Laviku's realm sometimes wants te keep those that enter, not lettin go of em. That last final breath of surrenderin is a mighty one and should there be plant or aninal life near the mouth, it may very well get pulled in."

Elem's eyes squinted slightly as he imagined the burning of the lungs and that final bleak moment of seeing the sun through water.

"So, should ye push a few times and get nothin, put yer ear down to see if ye kin hear any air rattlin. If not, there may be somethin blockin the wind up. Ye have te root around with yer finger in the back of the throat te make sure there be no kelp or whatnot clogged in. Jes hook it out and try again with the pressin." A slight murmur of revulsion went through some of the students at the thought, but Elem knew that sometimes saving a life meant doing the things other would not. Noticing a break, he raised his hand, Mistress Claira noticing and calling his name.

"Mister Wren, is it dangerous to put your finger in the mouth? Is there a chance that the victim may bite you, be it an involuntary reaction? I've seen people bitten by a snake after it is dead, the same kid of reaction occurring."

The sailor's eyes brightened, happy to see some interest in his lecture. "Peter, please, son. Only me captains call me Mister Wren. Ehh, sometimes it may be possible, but a snake's jaw is made te bite and a snake kinnot be a stable hand on deck, so ye jes do what ye have te do. It's akin te fishing a hook from the mouth of a large fish. Bitin is always a problem, but so is fishin without a hook, lost to squeamishness."

A small ripple of laughter passed through the room, Elem's own voice joining in.

by **Fiera** on March 31st, 2012, 10:13 am

“… final breath of surrenderin is a mighty one and should there be plant or animal life near the mouth, it may very well get pulled in." the sailor continued. Fiera cringed internally as she imagined the helplessness of the dying victim. She glanced down at her hands; they were small and delicate, with disproportionally long, thin fingers. Pulling foreign matter from a drowning man’s throat would come easier for her than for the others in the class. The question was, could she? Could Fiera win an internal war against the disgust that she felt, in time to save the patient?

The man beside her raised his hand. He asked a question to do with involuntary biting, the answer to which Fiera listened to with rapt attention. It was a fair question, one that Fiera had not thought of yet. She laughed along with the rest of the class, re-evaluating the sailor, who seemed good-willing and kind, despite his grizzly looks and rough tone. Now that her partner had asked a question, Fiera felt obliged to show her understanding of the topic, deepening the discussion.

She waited until the laughter died down before raising her hand, “Is it possible that, even though nothing is blocking the airway, the drowning victim still does not breathe? Have they then lost their life, or is there still hope for them? Is it possible to restart the heart?”

Fiera hoped that her questions were not too confusing to the sailor, despite their random nature. Peter, the sailor, looked at her thoughtfully for a while before answering them, with the air of one trying to remember something.

“Yes, yes, I have seen it dun a couple of times before. See, I won’ always work, but what yer mus’ do is put yer mouth on the drowning victim’s and blow air into their lungs. The once you’ve blown a couple o’ times, yer must push down with both hands on top o’ their heart. Only is it isn’t a babe, with a young child yer must use only one hand or ye might break their ribs!”

by **Elem Bree** on April 11th, 2012, 2:42 am

Elem was thoroughly enjoying the class. The topic made sense considering their proximity to the sea and Peter Wren was terribly engaging. He wondered how many sailors he had looked over because he had made an assumption that they were all uneducated and cruel. Not being the seafaring sort, he suspected it became easier to lump in everyone who came off a boat with pirates, which was the most natural thing to come to mind, however unfortunate.

He had even nearly forgotten about the scarlet beauty next to him until she asked a pertinent question, one he hadn't considered. Apt to ponder the results, Elem's eyes naturally skated over to the chest of his partner. He wondered if she might drown soon so he could perform these compressions. Daydreams sailed the young man through class regardless. He looked up and saw the sailor's eyes in agreement.

At this point, Claira nodded and clapped Peter on the back, quickly startling him from his sojourn. "Very well. Let's all thank Mister Wren for joining us today. It has been a very enlightening class and I do hope all of you will remember what you have been told. Being on a port almost guarantees that each of you will run into this very thing at some point. If there's nothing else, class is dismissed. See you all tomorrow."

OOCI think we can wrap it up if you would like to, Fiera. Sorry for the wait and thanks for the class!

by **Fiera** on April 11th, 2012, 11:20 am

Throughout the whole class, Fiera sat, listening with such great attention, one could note she somewhat resembled a dog in her façade. It was only in the first half of the lesson in which she learned the most, as for most of the second half; the class revised basic symptoms of drowning, which to Fiera seemed self-explanatory.

Despite her engagement in the class, Fiera could not help but notice the man to the side of her observing at her. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but not self-conscious. Fiera never felt self-conscious, for her attitude to looks was less caring than most. When the class had been dismissed and begun to pack up their notes and pens, Fiera stood and walked to the front of the class to thank both the wizened Mistress and the sailor, who had exceed her expectations by so much

END

OOCSorry about the time it took me to write the last post! Thanks for the class though

by **Cascade** on April 14th, 2012, 5:29 pm

Adventurer's Loot

Elem Bree's Loot :

Fiera's Loot :

That was a nice thread, quick and simple. I liked the interactions between the two even though they didn't actually speak to each other... it made for a fun thread. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!