Aoibhe was in the galley getting something to drink when she heard someone enter behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find Abigail in the door with her arms crossed.
“We must speak,” the scholar asserted. Aoibhe gave her a curious look.
“About what?” she asked, genuinely confused. For a moment the other woman’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
“Aoibhe, since the moment you contacted me you have been continuously insinuating I have no acquaintances I have not slept with and performing some sort of one-woman crusade to protect Miliam from me. I find myself struggling to understand when you became so concerned over who I am involved with,” Abigail said after closing the door. Aoibhe had a surprised look on her face and didn’t answer immediately. She seemed to be thinking for a few moments before ruffling her hair with both hands and sighing.
“Have I really been that bad?” she asked. “I can only recall making a few comments.”
“Perhaps I am being overly sensitive, but I wished to have this conversation before you made any more, making this matter emotionally charged. You should know full well I would not enter a relationship with a person I am employing, regardless. Have I not acted scrupulously professional with Miliam since boarding this ship?” Abigail continued.
“Aye…but you also made a pass at her moments after she signed over her grimoire,” Aoibhe pointed out, pressing her lips together into a thin line.
“That…was an indiscretion, I admit,” Abigail replied with a frown. “I maintain that it was an advance made only after we concluded our earlier business and prior to engaging in our second contract. It was not my best judgement given that I already had intentions of offering this job, however.”
“Nay, it wasn’t. I’ve been on guard this entire time because Miliam clearly can’t handle your flirting and I’m worried if she’s smitten it’ll affect her decision making,” Aoibhe explained in annoyance.
“Even were I not capable of self-control, Miliam is an adult in her own right, not a child. This…maternalistic infantilization you hold towards her is unhealthy, and your manner of approaching it is hurtful and insulting. I admit I am not the most emotional or empathetic of people, but that does not mean I care nothing for my partners both current and former. As one of my former partners, your judgmental behavior has been doubly painful to endure.” Abigail leaned against the door and her carefully controlled mask slipped a bit.
“I can…see how my words could be taken that way. I’m sorry. I’ve never had anything against polyamory, or I wouldn’t have dated you in the first place- I only meant to make sure Miliam didn’t get into anything she wasn’t prepared for,” Aoibhe explained regretfully.
“You acted out of concern for Miliam, so I can forgive you as long as the remarks cease. I find myself wondering, however, why you have taken such a role upon yourself in the first place. Surely she is not in such dire need of protecting?” Pushing away from the door, Abigail took a seat at the galley table now that the contentious part of the conversation had passed.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Aoibhe admitted slowly, as if she were working through it for herself as well. “I suppose I feel like I still owe her for saving my life. I guided her through most of it, but I can’t get past that first moment when she got the teleport beacon working. You know, I was almost out of air at the time. I don’t think I ever told her. The entire ship was vented and I didn’t survive entirely unscathed- the air recycling enchantments on my skinsuit were damaged. I’d managed to restore some atmosphere to the bridge but I could already feel myself getting lightheaded when she replied to my distress call.”
As she spoke, Aoibhe curled in on herself a bit, casting herself back to her near-death experience. It had been dark at the time, and cold, and she’d never felt so alone in her life. Miliam hadn’t ever questioned why Aoibhe wasn’t wearing a helmet on arrival when the entire Kiznessa was open to space, and Aoibhe hadn’t been eager to talk about it, either.
“…your trauma runs deeper than you had let on,” Abigail observed. There was little for her to do or say about it. Pity would only anger Aoibhe and Abigail had no power to alleviate her pain. Offering physical comfort was a gray area- a hug might help, but it could also come across as taking advantage of Aoibhe’s fragile mental state.
“I’ll get over it,” Aoibhe said, taking in an unsteady breath. “It’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened.”
“Indeed. Your luck is on the level of a curse as always,” Abigail agreed neutrally. Silence fell over them as Aoibhe gave Abigail an evaluating look.
“I’m curious. Are you feeling a bit pent up by now? Because I am,” the fay woman admitted bluntly. It wasn’t the most crude pick up Abigail had ever heard, which was an improvement because Aoibhe was the record holder.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“You harass me in hopes of protecting Miliam from me only to come onto me yourself? I find myself averse to the idea if only because of the hypocrisy of it. I am not a convenient toy for you to take up when you need satisfaction and cast aside when you are finished,” Abigail replied sharply.
“That was that and this is this. I’m not trying to use you or suggesting we get back together, just that we might both feel a bit better with some company,” Aoibhe insisted. Abigail examined Aoibhe’s face carefully, trying to read her intentions. She did seem like she genuinely believed what she was saying.
“Perhaps if you still feel the same way in the days to come we may revisit the topic. I would not feel comfortable with any agreement made in such an emotionally charged moment,” she conceded after some thought. Abigail wasn’t necessarily opposed to something casual with Aoibhe, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be treated as a cheap lay.
“That’s…fair. I’ll use the time to think about it carefully. And I promise I don’t mean any disrespect. I wouldn’t want to damage our friendship for some thrills,” Aoibhe assured. Mollified, Abigail nodded in agreement, but she remained seated despite the conversation seemingly having run its course. “…would you like me to fix you something to eat?”
“Much obliged.”
----------------------------------------
A couple of days later, Aoibhe emerged from the infirmary while struggling to get her hair back under control. It was the only room on the ship not in regular use- no one onboard had any medical training. She’d timed her exit for when Tessa was on duty, the twins would be gaming, and Miliam would be asleep.
“Heh,” laughed a voice to her left. Mechanically, Aoibhe turned her head to find Miliam standing in the hall, a drink in hand and a smug look on her face. She made a point of giving Aoibhe’s clothes and hair a close look. Aoibhe was pretty sure there was nothing to note about her clothes, which she’d checked carefully. “Called it.”
“You, uh, don’t have to worry about me making comments anymore,” Aoibhe said, trying to preserve some semblance of dignity. That was something of a lost cause, though. Aoibhe got the sense that something had changed in the way Miliam was looking at her after having caught her failing to heed her own advice.
“Yes, I can see that,” Miliam responded with amusement.
“We worked things out. I was being kind of immature…sorry about that,” Aoibhe continued, pretending Miliam hadn’t spoken at all. She could tell that she wouldn’t be living this down any time soon. Miliam looked like she’d won.
“I wanted to talk about that but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I’m glad it’s resolved!” replied the captain, who looked far to satisfied with herself.
“You didn’t actually do anything, you know,” Aoibhe pointed out. “Also, this doesn’t mean I was wrong about it being just a matter of time before you two hook up, either.”
“Should you really be saying that with her right on the other side of that door?” Miliam gestured with her free hand, not hiding the grin on her face at all.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” insisted Aoibhe with a conviction that clearly failed to convince Miliam of anything. “And this is entirely unrelated, but every door on the ship is airtight and soundproof. Just a random fact, in case you were curious.”
“Right.” Miliam drew the word out as sarcastically as possible. “Why would I have anything to worry about if you’re already hooking up with her, though?”
“Did you forget Abigail’s poly? She’s only holding back right now because she’s your client. And probably because she can get to know you just fine without it being romantic from the start,” Aoibhe explained, knowing Abigail much better than Miliam did. That wasn’t to say Abigail was pursuing a friendship with the intention of it eventually becoming romantic- if she were given a hard no, she’d likely back off without complaint and be perfectly happy as friends. But Miliam had essentially told her ‘maybe later,’ so Abigail was taking her time.
“Uh…right,” Miliam said with a lot less confidence, starting to look a bit uncertain. “Why is she even interested in me?”
“Couldn’t tell you. Maybe it’s the exotic flashlight eyes,” Aoibhe mocked. She genuinely didn’t know what specifically Abigail found attractive other than that she didn’t appear to have a particular type. There wasn’t exactly much in common between Aoibhe and Miliam besides both being women, but it wasn’t like Abigail liked just anyone, either.
“Flashlight? Have my eyes been glowing this entire time without me noticing?” Miliam asked in confusion, fishing for her grimoire before apparently realizing she’d forgotten it somewhere.
“Uh, nay, I was just joking about the color,” Aoibhe corrected before Miliam went and tried to turn the lights out as a test or something. Although in hindsight that might have been amusing. Maybe she should have just waited and seen what happened.
“Oh. I sort of…forgot I have orange eyes now.”
“You could just tell her you’re not interested, you know. Just because it feels nice to be wanted doesn’t mean you have to fall all over the first woman that pays you any attention,” Aoibhe advised seriously, making Miliam pause for a moment as she thought about how to respond.
“I…could. But I do like her, and I’m not as inexperienced as you think I am. It’s just hitting differently now that there’s someone interested in a me that I actually like. And this doesn’t really influence my decision making a whole lot, but everyone else I know is part of the crew, and I’m not going to have a lot of opportunities to meet new women if I’m in deep space most of the time,” Miliam explained with a flushed face.
“It’s frowned upon for the captain to date their crew members, but it happens, especially on small crews like this one where there’s not much distance between them. I get what you mean, though. I don’t know what the twins are into, but they in particular might feel pressured into it given their situation. Whatever- or whoever- you choose, just take it slow and see what happens,” Aoibhe said with a shrug. Miliam nodded and wandered off back to her quarters, apparently needing some time to think about it.
Hopefully it would be a while before she remembered what the conversation had been about at the start. Aoibhe grinned.