sixthiterationlogs | Meeting - How To Deal With Winter Without Blaming The Starks

WHO: Kate Kelly
WHERE: The Inn/Pub's main room
WHEN: 2st December
OPEN TO: E V E R Y O N E ~~not going on science/hunt quest. Hunt a monster, miss a meeting <.<~~
WARNINGS: TBA as needed
STATUS: Open!

For the past few days, Kate has been spreading the word that there'll be a meeting after lunch today. The previous meetings had been in reaction to something, and to a certain extent, this one is no different. But Kate wants to try something else: planning. Planning on how to deal with the coming months when the weather will only get worse. How to deal with blizzards, storms. How to deal with problems hopefully before they arise.

And, maybe, it makes her feel better doing this. Organising something, now that her comrade-in-practical-arms (Mark Watney) has left her to go trek after a monster. Far, far more practical than having hysterics. Which she won't admit to having to anyone but her cat and Benedict.

(Her tea that night might have been spiked with a dash of whiskey to insure that she slept.)

Today, the weather is cold. There is snow on the ground, and the sun isn't coming out to play. It is the kind of day where people linger over their meals in the warmth of the Inn anyway, seats near the fireplace taken quickly. Towards the end, Kate starts to organise for the meeting. One of the smaller tables is tipped over its side so Ivan has something to write on to take the minutes, and Kate hands him some pieces of precious chalk.

Then she stands on a chair and taps a spoon against a tiny saucepan in lieu of a bell.

"Attention, please! I call this meeting to order. So much as we ever get order. Winter's not goin' away in a hurry, so before we all run into trouble, we're goin' t'come up with some ideas and share knowledge. Not all of us come from the same world, let alone the same environment. If it seems obvious to you, say it anyway, because it might not be to others. Everyone got that? Good."

With that, she steps off the chair and sits on it.

Meeting's begun.

[OOC: Like our other meetings, set-up is mingle and threadjackable unless otherwise specified. Please set up your own heading posts for various topics that your characters would bring up for some organisation, but otherwise, have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ravi's been worrying about something going wrong ever since Helen left with the others in the hunting party. He avoids saying 'nothing can go wrong' because when you say that, things tend to go horribly, terribly wrong. So he's not saying it, but when Kate calls a meeting and starts talking about winter, Ravi thinks he ought to be the responsible medical party and at least issue a warning, lest he be dealing with frostbite and hypothermia for longer than he wants to think about.

"Everyone, please, please make sure you cover up when you go outside and there's a chill. No exposed skin to snow or ice, don't linger in the fountain or the river too long and you know who I'm talking to," he says knowingly, "and if you're feeling any worries that you might have been exposed, please come seek proper medical help as soon as you can," he insists.

"Helen might be out there now, but she'll be back," he says, stubbornly insisting on it. "And you can find me anytime and I'll drop by the inn, but it's imperative that as the temperatures drop that we don't get stupid." And, unfortunately, he's seen a lot of stupid in his life.

She'll never quite understand this need some of the people here have for what they call 'proper medical attention'. Doctors are useful, when they are around and you can afford their fees or find a charitable one. But if there is a lack, you need to know what to do for yourself.

Like here.

Like, if, for example-

"If you can't get to the person in trouble," Kate begins, "what can we do? Say, there's a blizzard and you can't leave your house. What would you recommend we do?"

Don't go outside should be obvious and yet, Ravi does worry about some people. "Well, first, we ought to be anticipating for that. Plan to have supplies in your home enough to last at least a week. Food, dry wood, blankets, any other provisions you might need in order to survive. From there, and I cannot stress this enough, don't go outside," he warns. "If you've got someone experiencing the symptoms, the key is to warm them up safely. The wet clothing should be removed and then, you'll want to wrap them in warm clothing, blankets, anything to get the head and torso protected."

"If they can't shiver, you need to get help," he says, wishing that they had some sort of walkie-talkie system. "Get food into them. Warm drinks, but not alcoholic, and high energy foods if they're able to swallow." And that's just the do's. "Don't put them in a hot bath, don't massage them, and don't put them near a fire," he warns. "It might cause the blood vessels to rush and cause a fall in blood pressure. It could lead to death," he warns. This all sounds so lovely and cheerful in his mind, he has no idea why anyone would think him fatalistic.

It's the sort of thing they should teach the tributes in training. Or, should if they actually had any intention of teaching them to really survive, rather than just to keep alive long enough to make sure everyone else is dead. They want tributes dying of exposure, want to make sure they keep up that statistic that more of them die of natural causes than not.

He's seen tributes die from doing some of the things Ravi says not to do, seen tributes try to warm their frozen allies only to see them die by the fire when they should be recovering.

"Just what other symptoms are you suggesting we look for other than not shivering?"

There'd been no snow and ice in his arena, so he hasn't experienced that level of cold himself. And tributes freezing to death on live television don't bother to list their symptoms.

Ravi glances aside, seeing the strange boy that had worried him so much the first time they'd met, wondering if he's asking out of a hypothetical curiosity or more of a professional sort where he's trying to gain insight. "Well, there'll be symptoms of clumsiness, a lack of coordination," he says. "Trouble speaking, breaths coming abnormally quickly. Poor decision making is both evidence of someone who could be very bad at choices, but also hypothermia," he warns.

"So, you know, bundling up? It's good," he says, thinking he hasn't understated the importance at all.

As Kate listens, she's glad she asked. What he says not to do is... Well. It's what she'd do. It's common sense. It's common sense, and from what he is saying, it'd be fatal.

Suddenly, abruptly, she wants to be home with an ache she's been trying to dull for months.

"What we have, um. Clothin' wise. Is that enough, or should we try'n' make some more clothes. Quilting them, to trap air?"

"Honestly, the biggest concern I have is headwear," Ravi admits, his brows furrowed together as he thinks about the temperatures they're seeing now. If they have any sort of dip or it plunges towards even worse situations, they're going to have trouble. "While those old myths about people losing most of their body heat through their head are a myth, it's still proportional to the rest of the body and proportionally, we don't really have much to bundle up with there, compared to boots and coats. I'd say if you're going to focus on quilting and clothes, I'd start with toques and hats and beanies."

Meeting - How To Deal With Winter Without Blaming The Starks

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