The park- Sunday after the brunch

[notconflicted]

So it hadn't been a bee.

Which was why once things had been cleared from the picnic, Sia was sitting next to a kiddie pool in the park, wearing a red lifeguard's bathing suit. There was a whistle around her neck and a life raft in her hand, and you should probably not question where she got any of these things. You should probably also not ask why she was in the park instead of at the beach.

Don't mind her, she was busy protecting swimmers that weren't there from threats that weren't happening.


[Finally did it. Open!]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

Atton hadn't exactly gone looking for Sia. Actually, he'd slunk away from the brunch after Anakin Skywalker of all people gave him an out.

But that'd been the tail end of the brunch already. Apparently just in time to run into a succession of rickshaw traffic jams that left him circling back towards parts of the park that didn't involve whatever remained of the bru--

"....Sia?"

[notconflicted]

Sia gave him a friendly smile. "There's a high surf advisory today, but I hope you enjoy your day at the beach!"

There was no surf.

[suitably_heroic]

"The beach is that wooooooooh," Atton said. The last part was because-- "...Act of Fandom. Damn it, Sia."

He'd been hoping to catch some sleep, finally.

[notconflicted]

"It's a beautiful day for tanning, isn't it?" she replied, because she didn't know what else to say to that.

[suitably_heroic]

What was the most painless way to deal with someone who lost their mind for the day?

Atton squinted up at the sky. "...Been worse."

[notconflicted]

"I know people want to swim, but it's so hard when they go out there and get caught in the tides," Sia said sadly, shaking her head. "I'm rescuing people like ten times a day."

No she wasn't. No one was getting caught in tides in the kiddie pool.

[suitably_heroic]

"I always knew you were a people-saver," Atton said, nodding easily. "Heroine of the tide."

[notconflicted]

"I should get that stitched on my swimsuit!"

No, you shouldn't, Sia.

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeah, you should," Atton agreed, idly taking off his jacket for no reason at all, really.

Except that it was late September, Sia, and wandering around in a swimsuit wasn't going to end well.

[notconflicted]

Sia meanwhile was peering off into the distance. "Is that a shark?"

No.

[suitably_heroic]

"Probably not," Atton said, using the distraction to reach out and drape the jacket over her shoulders. "We've still got like half a mile of dry land between us and the sharks."

He was tired; somehow he'd wound up stripped of his ability to laugh at this.

[notconflicted]

"The beach isn't that big, silly," she replied.

That was what she was going to find embarrassing later. The fact that she said "silly" like that.

[suitably_heroic]

"We're not quite on the beach yet, sweetheart," Atton said easily.

Thought about giving her a kiss on the head and passing on, but that felt like violating something somehow. "Just be careful about rushing those sharks."

[notconflicted]

"I'm always careful," she said proudly. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep the people of the beach safe and sound. Live to tan another day!"

[suitably_heroic]

Should he be taking her to his apartment or something to calm down? No, that'd be weird. "You know there's a beach on the other side of the island, right?" Atton tried, pointing towards the dorms.

[notconflicted]

She looked confused. "But my beach beat is right here."

[suitably_heroic]

"There were some errors in the schedule," Atton said smoothly. "You're supposed to head up towards those cliffs over there and then come back. Run a little patrol."

Hopefully she'd be back to her old self by the time she hit the dorms. Or someone less of a mess than him could reel her in and get her to calm down.

[notconflicted]

"But who's going to watch the beach here?" she asked. "What if someone drowns? That'd be the worst."

[suitably_heroic]

"I can watch it for you," Atton promised. "Got my diploma and everything."

[notconflicted]

"Oh, good!" she said. "I'll go to the other beach, then."

And then she started running away, very, very slowly. As if she was running in slow-mo, even.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton'd be lying if he said he didn't look at her behind like, once.

But then he shook his head and directed his gaze at her back instead. "Seriously," he muttered.