“Doctor, I screwed up big time.”
The Doctor glances up at Firewhistle’s soaked hair, and sighs behind their mask.
“Operator Firewhistle, given how your tenure at Rhodes Island has gone so far, I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”
“Wh- huh? What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Nothing.” They shake their head. “What did you do, exactly?”
There are several potential answers to this question, and none of them fill the Doctor with great confidence. For all they knew, the answer is equally likely to be "I burned down the bar" as it was to be "I tripped over a trash can while holding an open lighter".
Or, "I burned down the bar because I tripped over a trash can while holding an open lighter".
“Nothing!” Immediate, knee jerk response. She’s clearly still embarrassed from their previous statement.
“You didn’t do anything? Then how did you screw up?”
“I- well, no. I did something.” Firewhistle admitted, “I was just- ah, just teasing Shaw a bit.”
To no one's surprise, Shaw is an easy target for Firewhistle to tease. Fire hater versus former (and sometimes current) arsonist. They are like oil and water, or perhaps fire and water is the better comparison.
“I gathered that much myself.”
The Doctor prides themself on (and was often praised for) their observation skills. That being said, a small child with barebones knowledge and acumen could recognize this same order of events.
Thus, this statement of theirs was obviously sarcastic.
Firewhistle elected to ignore that, for her own already shot low dignity. “And then, I sort of felt bad. I mean, she looked so nervous and cute and even upset, too. So, as an apology, I offered her my specialty drink! You’ve had it before, Doctor, you know how good it is. But, when I set it down-”
"Sorry, the drink that you set the top of on fire, right?"
"That's right."
The Doctor nodded. "Just checking. And then?"
"And then, right as I set it down."
“Shaw blasted you with her firehose.”
“Shaw blasted me with her firehose,” Firewhistle nods sadly, “Then yelled at me, then stomped away. I think I’ve ruined everything.”
“Define everything.”
“Doctor! This is serious.” She crosses her arms, looking very cross indeed. “We’re coworkers! We need to get along!”
“We as in you and me or we as in you and Shaw?” Doctor holds up a hand before she can shout at them, “I’m kidding. Shouldn’t you just talk to her?”
“Well…”
“Have you tried, ‘I’m sorry. Please talk to me’? Or maybe compliments? An overall effort to clear the air ? You realize you are both adults with jobs, correct?”
“I’m fully aware, thank you. However, being an adult doesn’t-” Firewhistle huffed, “Rather, how am I supposed to talk to her now without getting blasted with her firehose the moment I’m in range?”
She fairly points this out, her expression flat. Doctor coughs into their fist.
“...So, what would you like me to do?” They’d just move right along after that. No arguments there.
“That’s better.” She nods, assured. “I want to get closer to her, but everytime I try things just get worse. I need you to talk to her for me. Help a girl out, you know?”
“I do.” They agree easily to part of that statement. “And usually, I’m all for helping out. That’s me, Doctor, most helpful person on Rhodes Island.”
“Do people call you that?”
“Yes.” Under their hood, they narrow their eyes. “Sometimes- no, that’s not the point. The point is, I’d like a reason.”
“A reason?”
“That is what I just said, yes.”
“Is… that really necessary?” Firewhistle fiddles with her hands, a bit confused, “Didn’t I give you one?”
“You said ‘I want to get closer to her’. That doesn’t tell me why.”
“Can’t you just accept it as is?” She sounds a bit embarrassed, for some reason.
“No I cannot. If I just accepted every request because someone ‘wanted to get closer’ to someone else, Lappland would be sharing a room with Texas.”
The Lupo actually had shared a room with Texas for like, a day, because Doctor had been at the limit of their Sanity and had just signed the request form without really looking.
A mistake they never made again, if only because their wife had given them Hell for it. Damn perfectionist of a workaholic.
Still love her with all my heart, though.
That is true.
Love the sex too.
Anyway!
“So, do you have a justifiable reason for my intervention?” A beat. Quickly, they add, “Justifiable by my standards, that is.”
To be honest, they’re totally lying. A fib.
It’s fairly obvious that Firewhistle’s intent is purely to get closer to Shaw. What form that took was her own business, whether it be purely as coworkers with a good workplace relationship, or as something a little more in a not-so work-related manner.
Honestly? They just want to hear her say it cause it’d be funny.
Listen, they’d done their own time in the “I want to get closer to her but she’s so cold to me” stage. It sucked, but as someone who had gotten past that stage, well… they understood why other Operators had found the situation so comical.
Or sad. Depending on the person and how much they knew about the specifics.
This situation right here though is absolutely comical, so it’s alright.
“I- um.” Oh, she’s finally speaking.
Firewhistle shifts on her heels, glancing away.
“I… admire her, and we work together. I wouldn’t want to do her or Rhodes Island a disservice, just because the two of us can’t get along.”
That is a good reason, and normally the Doctor would intervene by now and agree.
However, it is basic psychology to know that silence is one of the best possible responses, from an interrogation perspective. Humans (or whatever variant therein) are discomfited by lack of response. They’ll, whether they know it or not, wish to fill the gap being left in the conversation.
Oftentimes, this leads to far more information than otherwise would be received. “Let them talk,” as it were.
People know the Doctor as a quieter figure, and a good listener. Little did they know this is partially by design. And also partially because they’re not a talker.
This is a simple case of a person’s personal traits happily acting in a beneficial role to their career and role.
And, even though this isn’t an interrogation, the Doctor does want to know more.
So, they say nothing. Firewhistle shifts again, tapping her pointer fingers together.
Her cheeks grow a little warmer, and finally, in a small voice, she admits, “And, you know, she’s really cute…”
There it is.
“Okay. I’ll help.”
“Eh- you will?!” Firewhistle pauses, then clears her throat. “I mean, of course you will. After all, how could you possibly turn down such a prestigious offer as free fire spirits from yours truly.”
“It’s my duty to keep Rhodes Island running at maximum capacity. Ensuring the happiness of our Operators, to an extent, fits into my job description.” They shrug. “So, sure. I’ll wingman for you.”
“Really?! That’s a relief- hey, hold on a minute! Wingman?!”
-=-
Knock knock knock.
The Doctor pauses at the entrance of one of Rhodes Island’s rest areas. It only has one occupant at the moment, aka exactly who they were looking for.
“Shaw, you got a minute?”
“Chief!" Shaw cranes her head back, before quickly getting up from one of the incredibly cushy chairs near the room’s center. She hurries over, leaving her helmet on the coffee table.
“I'mNotBusyRightNow, WhatSeemsToBe TheProblem?"
“No problem.” Doctor waves a hand, then pauses. “Well, there’s a bit of a problem. I’m worried about your relationship with your coworkers. Is everything going alright? Any concerns you’d like to air?”
“Concerns?” Shaw shakes her head rapidly, not pausing, “NoChief. NothingToReport OnThatFront.”
Doctor would have taken the speed of response for nerves, but Shaw is naturally high paced. Therefore, they had to look for other giveaways instead.
Like the fact that she hadn’t even pretended to think about their question.
Now, of course they already knew the problem at hand. But it was better to let Shaw admit it herself. It is important to keep a few cards up your sleeve, no matter who is opposite of you. Further, it’s important to not appear pushy.
It might come off as creepy. And the Doctor rather liked being known as “the cool, approachable Doctor” rather than “the creepy, approaching Doctor”.
“You sure? You know I only ask because you’re such a good Operator. If there’s anything troubling you…”
They let the sentence dangle, an attempt at getting Shaw to take the bait, hook line and sinker.
“Hmm.” Shaw frowns, her expression scrunching up cutely. “I Don’tWantTo CauseAnyTrouble.”
“And you won’t, I promise.” The Doctor raises their hands placatingly. They do their best to project a sympathetic air, and it's not hard given they're genuinely concerned about this situation. And amused. "Whatever you say won’t leave the two of us.”
“Hmmmmm…”
“Please?”
Shaw broke. She crosses her arms, glaring at the floor.
“It’sFirewhistle. SheKeeps StartingFiresAroundMe.”
“Oh?” An inquiry, a subtle opening to say more.
“Everytime ISeeHer, SheDoes Something WithFire. JugglingHerLighter. MakingBurningCocktails. JugglingTwoLightersThatAre OpenAndBurning.”
“And how does that make you feel?”
“Upset.” Shaw looks up, open irritation on her features. “WeAreFirefighters. WeAreNot FireStarters. RhodesIsland IsVeryFlammable. ItIs OurHomeNow. And IHaveEnoughTrouble DealingWithEveryoneElse.”
“So, you’re worried that she isn’t taking her job seriously.”
“That IsACorrectAssessment.”
“And you’re also annoyed, because you believe she is adding to your own work at the same time?”
“ThatIsAlsoCorrect.”
“I see, I see.” The Doctor nods, their hood creasing. “I now have a grasp on both sides of the issue.”
“Chief?” Shaw tilts her head, her irritation bleeding away into bemusement.
It’s so fucking adorable. They have to resist the urge to pat her head. She might take offense.
“I’d like to be straightforward with you, Shaw. Firewhistle came to me earlier today. She’s worried that you hate her, and that it might negatively affect both of your capabilities on the field.”
“Huh?” Shaw blinks. “I Don’tHateHer. SheIsAGoodOperator. IJustWantHerTo StopStartingFires. Especially AroundAlcohol. AndAlso StopJugglingLighters.”
“But you don’t know why she keeps playing with literal fire, right?”
“ThatIsRight. AsAFirefighter, I DoNotUnderstandWhySheLikesFire. ItSeemsCounterproductive.”
“So counterproductive that you blast her with your hose?”
Shaw clears her throat. “WhenISeeAFire, IPut ItOut.”
That’s enough of an explanation, but still problematic. Rhodes Island could not afford two of its Operators being threatening to one another merely by existing. This goes both ways. Shaw shouldn’t have to worry about a constant fire hazard, and Firewhistle shouldn’t have to carry around a spare set of clothes for every time Shaw blasts her.
As funny as this all is, there needs to be compromise.
“She might kill me for this,” The Doctor knows this, and chooses the funniest option available. “But I'd rather just be to the point. Firewhistle likes you.”
Shaw blinks. "I'mSorry, CouldYouPlease RepeatThatForMe Chief?"
"Firewhistle has a crush on you."
Maybe, maybe not. But either way, this would certainly make the two of them talk.
"She thinks you're really cute and asked me very wholeheartedly to help clear the air between you two. If you want my professional opinion, I'd assume she's been trying to impress you, not scare you. Fire is something she has a good handle on manipulating, so naturally she'd use what she's best at to try and impress- uh, Shaw?"
Their conversation partner is as still as a statue, and so much redder than marble. In fact, Shaw's face is positively burning .
Almost a fire in its own right, ironically enough.
“Ah.”
"Wha- Wha- What D- D- DoYou- YouYouYouYou-"
The squirrelly firefighter is a broken record at best.
Doctor sweatdrops. "I… think I broke her."
You know, there is a nonzero chance I screwed this up bigtime.
As if to add insult to injury, they could just imagine their wife’s voice now.
“Doctor, you’ll have to be more specific.”
Oh, sweet irony.