Aoife Flanagan

Alec waved off the apology with a vague gesture and a broad grin, “Don’t worry about it, lass– it’d take loads more than that to get a rise outta me, I can promise you that.” He pushed away from the door frame languidly, as though they had all the time in the world to have a conversation about something as mundane as managing the infirmary stock; but then again, Alec had never operated on anyone else’s schedule other than his father’s when the older man explicitly required it of him. “Competence is my middle name,” He drawled, flashing Aoife a wink before he whistled appreciatively, “That’s impressive. Did ye go to medical school an’ all or have ye been with us too long for that? Not that it makes a difference, really, I’m just curious. To talk shop, though, anything in particular you lot are hurting for– stock wise? I can poke around the warehouse and coordinate some shipments and such.”

.

Aoife laughed at that. “You have more patience than I do” she admitted. “Some of these royals make me want to tear my own hair out.” There were some pirates who did too, if she was being honest. “Competence huh? Is that French?” she teased. She was unable to hide a hint of pride in her voice as she answered his question. “I studied medicine at university back in London” she said. “But then I got bored of working in a hospital, if you can believe that.” She’d ended up in this life purely by chance, but she didn’t regret it for one second. “Well, we can always use more things like aspirin and band-aids” she said.

Wendy came up and sat herself down on the sandy beach, crisscrossing her legs pretzel style and pushing her wet hair out of her face. The sun was quickly warming her up, but a shadow falling over her caused her to look up and squint at the person who’d come up to her. She offered them a gentle smile. “Going for a swim?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at them curiously. “The water’s a little chilly, but not too bad.” 

Aoife had woken up that day with the urge to go for a swim. Like all the pirates, she missed the ocean. So she figured a quick dip would help her feel a little less annoyed at being stuck on the island instead of on the Raging Tsunami. As she headed down to the water, she passed by one of the royals, pausing to speak to the other blonde. “I figured it would be, but hopefully it will warm up as the summer goes on” she said. “As long as I don’t have to wear a drysuit to go for a swim, I think it can’t be too bad” she joked.

“Cheers to three,” she smiled and picked up another drink resting in an ice bucket. While normally the woman would prefer a glass of wine and time away from prying eyes when she was with the other woman, the drinks entering her system at an above average (for her) rate did seem to make most other worries, of others watching them, fade. When Aoife admitted too considering the slip and slide Roz immediately took her hand and started for the short line. “That’s all I needed to hear,” she explained as another pair moved up in the line. “Oh I forgot to tell you, you look stunning.”

“Here’s hoping the third is the charm” Aoife agreed goodnaturedly. She finished off her drink, then allowed Roza to lead her by the hand towards the slip and slide. “Well thank you” she said, a small blush forming on her cheeks at the other woman’s words. No matter how many times Roza paid Aoife a compliment, she was always flattered to hear it. “You look pretty good yourself” she added with a wink as they joined the line waiting to use the slip and slide. 

Ainsley was on a brief first name basis with what seemed to feel like her tenth or thirteenth watcher. However, it suited her well. There were times she liked to pretend like she didn’t have one, only because it gave her some semblance of independence. “If you aren’t a fan of whiskey, you haven’t been drinking the right one,” she informed her. “Like wine, you gotta find out which one works best.” 

“I suppose that could be the case” she said with a shrug. Aoife had a dislike of anything overly bitter, but she figured having chocolate with the whiskey might help cut down on that bitterness. “Tell you what: considering today is a day we should all be enjoying, I’ll give it a shot.” She grabbed herself a piece of chocolate and popped it into her mouth, before picking up the nearest whiskey bottle. She poured a little into a glass and took a swig of it.

“Mmm,” she hummed and shook her head in response to making the most of the day. She then lifted her own drink in to view, “I’m on number two and three is not to far off,” the now blonde pirate explained. “Any day that I can drink, be around friends, celebrate, and see you is a promising one,” Roza added. pulling in another swig before tossing her drink in a bin Roz returned her gaze to Aoife. “So how do you feel about that,” her finger pointing over to the large slip and slide a little ways down the beach. “I have to admit, it does look a little fun.” Was this an attempt brought up by her buzzed mind to later joke about the other pirate being wet, maybe, but only the next beverage, and of course Aoife’s response, could confirm that.

Aoife laughed at that. “This is my third, so I’m not too far ahead of you” she assured Roza. “And I feel the same way” she assured the other pirate. Seeing Roza always made for a good time, but especially when she got to drink and celebrate with her friends. She took a swig of her own drink, then she said “You know, I’ve been considering giving it a shot. Especially now that I’ve got a few drinks in me.” Aoife wasn’t normally one for letting the royals see her have a good time, but she knew today was a special occasion and she wasn’t about to let anything ruin her desire to have a good time with Roza.

There was something about the flavor combination of whiskey and chocolate that Ainsley would never be able to get enough of. Smoky and sweet. The taste was so vastly different, yet it represented such an addictive dichotomy. 

Her teeth sank into a brick of chocolate intended for s’mores and she chased it with a sip of whiskey. “If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend that you start,” she commented to the person next to her. “It’s sinfully divine.”

It had been a while since Aoife had spoken with the princess she was supposed to be keeping an eye on. Between her work in the infirmary and spending so much time with Roza, she knew she’d been slacking on her royal-watching duties. So she considered it a sign when she ran into Ainsley by chance at the party. Watching as Ainsley took a bite of the chocolate and then a sip of whiskey, her eyes widened in surprise. Then she said “You know, I can’t say I’ve ever tried that. But as someone who is not a big fan of whiskey, I’m eager to see if it makes the taste any more tolerable.” Aoife was more a cocktail woman than anything else, not being much for straight liquor.

Roz peered at the other and gave her a side smirk, “I know.” Life was to short, especially for things as small as hair color, but it was a change she was trying to adapt with nonetheless. “Well thank you,” she blushed mentally playing it off as the alcohol of her second drink causing the heating of her cheeks. “Hmm, I think it may be too soon to tell, but with an offer like that, I must say it sounds promising.” 

Aoife noticed the blush in Roza’s cheeks, which made her look even more attractive than she usually did. “Well you’re welcome” she said with a playful grin. “We might as well make the most of the day” she added. “I’ve already had a couple cocktails so I say this day is promising so far.” And she was sure it would only get more interesting as the day went all. Most of the parties on the island were like that, thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol involved.

“Do I regret it? Yes. Yes, I do,” she explained and looked at her bright colored hair. Roza was bored and instead of her usual cooking or reading, the pirate went to the warehouse and found leftover hair bleach. And after one silly video, she felt qualified to strip her hair of its brown hue. “But I can’t change it back for at least a week and I have to wait until the next shipment comes in.”

“Life is too short to regret something like dying your hair” Aoife assured the other woman. “Besides, I like it.” Granted, there was very little about Roza that Aoife didn’t like. “So is it true that blondes have more fun?” she asked. “Speaking as someone whose been blond my whole life, I mean.” She winked. “If not, I can certainly think of a few ways we can have fun today.”

“I mean, of course you did. You would never use such an attitude with me,” she teased, laughing softly as she moved through the room and came over to lean against Aoife’s desk, crossing her arms over her chest. “Wait, so you don’t have a lollipop for me?” she asked, faking a pout. “I only came here for a lollipop.” 

“Of course not” Aoife said. “You know you’re one of my best friends.” Aside from that Kinzie was part of her crew. And Aoife, like any good pirate, would do anything for her crewmates. Laughing as Kinzie pouted, she said “Afraid I’m fresh out. I gave the last one away with a scratch a sniff sticker.” She chuckled. “But seriously, did you come by just to say hi or did you need something?”

“So–” she paused, giving the next part of her sentence some thought. This woman already seemed miserable, so perhaps booking the bear wasn’t a well thought out plan. Especially since she did actually need something. “– ‘suppose I’m in the wrong location for the allergy meds then. You may want to get better signs – or better help, though. They sent me straight to you.”

Aoife sighed, rubbing her temples. Now she was getting a headache. “Of course they did” she said finally. Because heaven forbid a royal suffer from a runny nose. “If giving you two benadryl will shut you up, then fine.” She strode out of the office, gesturing for the royal to follow her into the exam room of the infirmary.

Felix swallowed harshly even as he made his way to the proffered chair– it wasn’t as though he’d never spoken to anyone about his disorder but it had been months since he’d had an episode that was prolonged enough for him to be concerned about and by the time he’d gone two weeks with no more than three or four total hours of sleep he’d become more than a little concerned. “I’m manic again,” He murmured, twisting the hem of his t-shirt around his fingers and releasing it again in a repetitive gesture that ordinarily might have stimulated him enough to soothe his anxiety but did very little in that moment. His expression was distinctly embarrassed as he raised his eyes to meet Aoife’s and frowned, “I’ve gotten three or four hours sleep in the last two weeks. I keep having all of these– urges I don’t know what to do with and they’re not self-destructive or anything but they are quite stupid in that they could ruin a relationship for me in a lot of ways and I—” He paused abruptly and shook his head, “I thought it might go away as long as I was taking my meds but it hasn’t and I’m starting to– I’m getting worried.”

Aoife processed what he was saying, waiting until he finished speaking to say anything. “I’m glad you came to talk to me” she said finally. At least he was looking for help, which the blonde took as a good sign. She considered for a moment before saying “If you’re still taking your meds, then maybe we need to see about upping your dosage.” She knew that could always be tricky, since too much of a medication could be just as bad as too little. “If you want me to talk with Roza about that, I will.” Better to have two people helping him than just one, in Aoife’s experience. Especially because she trusted Roza’s judgement. “In the meantime, we can work to try and get you back on a decent sleep schedule.” She hated the idea of giving him sleeping pills, but if he was going on weeks with little to no sleep, maybe that would help until they got his mania under control. It was unfortunate that mania was often both caused by lack of sleep and the cause of it. “We’ll figure something out” she said, putting a hand on Felix’s shoulder. “I promise.”

“Making you blush was a part of my master plan, so maybe I’m the genius!” Katla laughed, settling into an easy grin. “Exactly, and I feel like you and I never actually get enough time together to just hang out and relax.” She shook her head, “Aoife, you could never bore me, but on the off-chance that you ever did, you know I would… well, that’s a lie, I probably wouldn’t say anything, but that’s how much I appreciate you as a friend.” She waved her hand dismissively, “I promise I’m fine, just a little bit of water down the wrong pipe, that’s all. Really, I’m okay. It’s just one of those things.”

“Maybe we’re both geniuses” Aoife teased. “Look at us, two brilliant and beautiful women.” Then she nodded. “I feel like there’s never enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I know. You’re far too sweet for your own good” she said, doing her very best to try and look disappointed with the redhead, although she knew it wasn’t a very good effort. “Okay, that’s good. I prefer not to have to do CPR this early in the day” she joked.

Gwen made her way over to the chair, not bothering to hide her relief when she sat down, taking the pressure off of her ankle. “Thank you so much. I’m sure you have plenty other things you need to do, and I really appreciate you doing this.” She smiled, “Hopefully it’s nothing.”

“Don’t mention it” said Aoife. “It is my job, after all.” As annoying as she found it when people interrupted her for trivial things, she did love being a doctor. Even something as small as checking for a sprained ankle made her feel like she was making a difference. Grabbing the other chair by her table, she pulled it so that she was close to the princess. “Let me see your leg” she said, gesturing for the royal to put her leg up so Aoife could get it closer look at the injury.

Roza’s brow lifted and a smirk crept on her lips when Aoife spoke, “Well in that case, I wasn’t teasing.” If she was up for it, then why not? It would add a little spark to work and to hell if it wasn’t a little exciting too. “Looking even more irresistible? I’ll have to be on my best behavior,” the Russian replied. Anytime Roz was around Aoife, her heart fluttered and she found herself in awe by the woman. 

“Thank you, but I have to find the Russian translated copies. I may have been with the Tulachs for a little over ten years, but I still struggle with larger written pieces.” Roza spoke fairly clean English, but reading it was still pretty difficult if it surpassed a few paragraphs. Most of her studies came from Russian translated books, all she had to do was answer in English. “That’s what I’ve heard,” she nodded, “Alright, you’ve convinced me, I’ll go to the docks tomorrow and see if I can order a translated copy.” As a kid she couldn’t afford it, but now she could manage spending a few extra hours in the infirmary for the translated series. Her eyes scanned the kitchen and fell on the cabinet and after pulling out two glasses, Roz placed them on the counter. A number of cheesy lines ran through the brunette’s head, but she pushed them aside and turned slightly to the sound of light paws, “I promise next time I come, I will also bring something extra special for you, Scathach, for disturbing your nightly cuddle time.” Her focus on the fluff before turning back to Aoife, “Think I will be forgiven after some catnip and some form of fish? Something fancy like salmon?”

“Just as long as nobody catches us” she added with a twinkle in her eye. “I don’t need to hear the endless Grey’s Anatomy jokes.” She wasn’t embarrassed of being seen with Roza, but she didn’t like the idea of people gossiping about her behind her back, either. “Oh, I don’t know” she said. “There can be something very attractive about a badly behaved woman.” 

“Oh, of course!” said Aoife, turning bright red in embarrassment. “I forgot.” She knew Russian was Roza’s first language of course, but she’d forgotten how different the two alphabets were from each other and that Roza wasn’t fluent in reading English. “If you can’t get your hands on a copy, I can read it to you, if you want.” Aoife had done that with past girlfriends, for no other reason that it was something she enjoyed while spending time with them. “Assuming, of course, you won’t get sick of my voice by the end” she added as a joke. Smiling as the cat gave the two women the once-over before slinking under the bed, she said “I don’t think even Scathach can stay mad at you for long. You’re too cute for that.” Then she added “Although catnip and fish couldn’t hurt.” She began to pour the wine into glasses for each of them.

Aoife mood immediately lifted when she looked up and saw the visitor was one of her best friends. “Sorry” she said. “I thought you were someone else.” She shut the folder and put it on her desk. “I’m just sick of people thinking the infirmary is the adult version of a candy store” she said with a shake of her head. “Then if somebody really does get hurt, we won’t have the supplies they might need.”

Aoife sighed in annoyance. She couldn’t even begin to count the number of times someone had come complaining to her of a headache. Usually whoever it was was just looking for her to give out the good painkillers, which she always refused to do. So she said “If you have a headache, I can give you some Excedrin Migraine.” She moved to head into the main room of the infirmary, where the medication was kept. “I recommend lying down in a dark room as well.”