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Aimee Burby
Player: Jen H
Relationships: Single
Age- 27
As the doors closed behind Aimee on her first day at the Port Charles Police Academy, she was firm in her decision that there needed to be a change not only in her casual apparel but how she held herself. Formerly a woman who prided herself in her well kept and elegant appearance, it has been her goal in the force to become ‘one of the guys’, and it shows especially in her appearance. While she has yet to become trollish, she is borderline masculine at times with her almost non existent make up, pulled back hair, and casual choice of clothing for her after hours wear.
Strong russet eyebrows create the illusion that Aimee’s cerulean eyes are larger than they actually are. Her narrowed face structure aids greatly in this illusion and while many women would die to have such eyes, she feels cursed by them. The size and brightness gives off the illusion that she is younger and more vulnerable than she actually is. While undercover, this can work to one’s advantage. In every day work, however, it becomes a real barrier to getting the respect one needs in the force. Luckily, her gun and large sunglasses (when weather permits them) aid in getting that so-called respect greatly.
While at work, her blonde locks are tied back and above the collar of her uniform, not a strand touching it. Not only does this allow her to safely go about her business through the day, but it helps to create the illusion that she is not of a different make from her male partner and coworkers. When interacting with her work friends, she often dresses in a casual blouse and jeans, though rumor has been spread that she does own a dress or two. When it’s colder out, Aimee wears a variety of knit beanies, scarves and gloves to prevent hypothermia. Despite the layers, she enjoys winter more than an individual just told they won the lottery.
Summer on the other hand, is not Aimee’s best friend. She likes the heat but not the baggage that comes with it. Hair frizz can be irritating but is hardly a worry for her. What really bugs her is the elimination of layers as the summer months come. In her initial years on the force she had stuck to the uniform code like it was a life or death situation, and had little reason to. Now, with scars along her right arm from a misfired gun on her partner’s part, and a mistake tattoo (of the GPD shield) that peaks out on her right shoulder, the standard tank top just doesn’t fit quite right. She was lucky only to be man handled once by her eldest brother in the past, and has a burn scar on her leg from it. In his ‘let’s try anything mom says no’ phase, Josef took a liking to cigarettes and would frequently test it’s burning capability by putting it out on Hector’s, Aimee’s and even his own skin. Aimee has refused to touch a single cigarette to her lips, even in curiosity, since the incident.
A man is supposed to be proud of his scars and show them off to his work buddies. Call it vanity, but Aimee doesn’t find anything neat or interesting about her drunken altercation with a tattoo gun, accidental misfires of the PCPD’s standard gun, or the scars along her right wrist. What? Scars on her right wrist? Right, so wristbands are Aimee’s friend in this case. She may not bond well with her partners, but it hits her hard when she loses one. Her dislike of seeing individuals dies spawns from her first experience with death. Another scumbag playing God, shooting up a bank with no intention of stealing any money, hit true when his bullet went straight through Officer Burby’s partner’s skull. Needless to say, grief counselors forced Aimee to take three weeks off, which only resulted in her thinking more about the blood and how useless she had been in those moments. To relieve the stress, Aimee tried turning to the blade for help. This ended poorly, as one can expect and individual who does little research on where to cut and how deep to go. She got another three weeks off, under supervision this time, for that little stunt.
Personality-
An individual lucky enough to know the real Aimee Burby has probably been subjected to a drinking game involving BBC versions of her favorite novels. This is probably why most of Aimee’s coworkers don’t know her on a personal level. Even after seven years of being on the force, the only drinking or fun having that Aimee has around her fellow officers is when issued a challenge. There is the occasional blind date set up that she goes on, despite warning bells that go off in her mind. Any officer she is set up with on a date either knows of her as Officer Barbie or is intimidated by her gun. At least that’s what she tells herself when goes to sleep at night.
On call, Officer Burby is a totally different individual. She’s headstrong, a little bit rebellious when it comes to orders, and doesn’t mind diving into something she really can’t handle. Just to stale a criminal until back up arrives, she will willingly sacrifice her own safety. One of the main goals she learned in the Police Academy was to ‘return home safely every night’, but she could care less. She is in that uniform for a reason and being timid never saved anyone. It also got half as many possible law suits for reckless endangerment of civilians. Sticks and stones, as Aimee put it to her superiors. She may have broken the young man’s nose but in retrospect, he was standing in her way as she chased down the suspected arsonist, so he should be grateful. She had caught the man and brought him into custody and he had indeed been the suspected arsonist. She had prevented further property damage and in a time with Batman around, that was important!
The over-masculinity that Officer Burby sometimes exudes is in result of her want to not only prove herself, but of her need to prove to Hector that an older sibling can be better than the one they were ‘blessed’ with. In her world of naivety growing up, she had a picture of what her older brother was meant to be. Her disappointment in his inability to live up to her standards led to her introjection of her perfect older brother theory. She takes on these qualities in interactions with Hector very often. On the rare occasions she is allowed visitation with Hector, she hounds him for a peak into his romantic life, offers to beat up any bullies in his high school (much to his embarrassment) and never shows any vulnerability.
It isn’t surprising that when it comes to family, Aimee isn’t open for discussion with them or any other who chooses to bring them up. One doesn’t get to know that aspect of her life so easily. She is very protective over her youngest brother, but cares very little for the rest of her so called family. She’s been told that the grudge she holds is childish against her parents. She sees, and understands the idea that a parent is meant to love their child no matter the crimes they commit. But the happy childhood she’d thought that she’d been gifted seemed cheapened by the fact that they brushed the death of the little girl aside so easily. She was not more important than another’s life and neither was Josef.
During the holidays it is especially hard for Aimee. Her younger brother still lives with his parents and, as such, cannot see Aimee on the holidays. It will remain such unless Aimee changes her mind about how she views her eldest brother. Luckily, even police officers have to work on the holidays, and she is more than willing to sign up for those extra hours to distract herself from her parents’ apparent dislike of her. She only has to deal with such pain when she’s put her gun away and called it a night. Generally, she works herself to the brink of exhaustion to make it so thoughts of her family cannot plague her.
When Aimee deals with something she deems rough in her line of work, there is very little she can do for herself in the form of counseling. Her grandmother, and confidant, passed away a year ago and since then, Aimee hasn’t opened up very much to anyone. During her annual psych evaluation, her shortened temper and workaholic tendencies have been duly noted as potentially dangerous patterns of coping. Rather than deal with what is in front of her, by talking about it with someone, she jumps to conclusions, takes on an angry persona (temper), or stuffs her emotions in the back of her mind by distraction (work).
History-
As with the most twisted of criminals, and heroic of masked knights, Aimee Burby’s past has been the most influential force in her life. It all started with her premature birth during her eldest brother’s second trick or treating experience. As little Josef dragged his father along the streets, Ava sat at home tending to trick or treaters as they came and went. A little past six thirty the cramps, aches, and discomfort that Ava had been feeling throughout the day became full out contractions. For years later, Josef would complain about how his sister had been the reason he had only gotten two handfuls of candy that year. For, as soon as word got down the line to their neighbors, Jonah and Josef were hurried to the hospital to meet Ava and her brother, who had graciously picked her up.
Aimee, or Sinead to her grandmother, had a joy filled childhood. In school she did surprisingly well and was the picture perfect student who did as she was told, and surpassed all of the expectations of her parents. She followed in her eldest brother’s footsteps, admiring him greatly. Despite her happiness, not everything was fantastic in the Burby household. Her father struggled to maintain his job in construction while his body began to fail with age. When the third Burby child entered the world the traditional Mrs. Burby was forced to seek employment as a daycare assistant to aid the family in survival. Meanwhile, Josef began to act up in school and eventually became an individual never seen in their home.
It was through Josef, that Aimee first got a glimpse into the world of the criminal justice system. Sixteen years old, Aimee was asked to speak as a character witness to Josef; who was being charged with first degree murder. Initially, she feared going on the stand and what it would mean for her family should she choose to tell the truth. After much consideration and counseling from her grandmother, Aimee went with her gut feeling and told the court of how her brother truly acted in the household. She spoke of how her younger brother, Hector, had been hospitalized multiple times for supposed accidents when they were rough housing. She elaborated explaining how his eyes had lit up at the tears in Hector’s eyes and how, even when Hector was obviously hurt, it took Aimee letting her presence be known to stop him.
Josef was convicted of first degree murder but the punishment was modified three years later when a discovery was made of a tumor in his prefrontal cortex. This tumor, it was argued, could have predisposed Josef to angry outbursts and violence. By that time, Aimee had graduated high school and was coming up on her second year of community college (on scholarship). Her parents were delighted that their son was moved to Shadybrook, Hector was struggling to continue high school, and Aimee couldn’t see how her parents could love her brother as much as ever after he’d murdered…Well, it still hurt to walk in the kid’s department store at the mall. The tiny clothes and constant growth, it made her want to vomit. Because of her darling brother, one family had been spared the pain of having to buy their little girl her first training bra. Instead, they’d been given the agony of burying their child because Josef’s so-called tumor had acted up and sent him on a violent rage one night. Yes, the child was from a poor family, and the father himself was arrested a week later for stealing, but that didn’t change the fact that an innocent child was dead.
After much struggle between Mr. Burby and Aimee, the only female child went to visit her brother at Shadybrook. He showed no remorse and smiled at her from the other side of the room as if they were meeting up at a café for the first time in years. He told her how pretty she was, asked about Hector and had playfully suggested that all three go out for lunch to the local diner. His insensitivity to the fact that he had killed the young girl just outside that very diner he was so casually referencing to was the hammer to the nail in Aimee’s decision to leave home. Her parents could forgive her brother, but she couldn’t. With promise to her brother for a room in her apartment should he ever want it, Aimee got a job as a gofer for one of the public defenders in New York. During her work there, she came to know police officers personally.
Inspired by the work that the New York PD did, Aimee went through the tedious process of Police Academy...back home. She hadn’t participated in physical activity for years. Her body was well maintained but lacked any defined muscle. She sweat like a pig, broke her share of nails, and thought she was going to die more than once but she made it. Years later, still absent from her parents and younger brother's lives, she continues to work as an Officer for the Port Charles Police Department.
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