fondofapples | Inbox -- Genessia

Regina Mills
~~Queen~~ ~~Mayor~~ Mother
Sorceress
Fond of Plants

"You've reached the inbox of Regina Mills. Leave a message. If it's urgent, it's probably too late."

(text, voice, video, action, ooc planning if necessary for Genessia only)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

hellorhighwater

hey beautiful

just thought of something funny i heard about yesterday and forgot to share

you alone or not busy

youre gonna laugh your ass off

From:

fondofapples

Just having coffee. Plenty of time, especially for you.

Tell me.

From:

hellorhighwater

ok so listen to this

and sorry if you snort coffee up your nose

i was talking to someone on the network asking about dating right

they had questions thats not weird

but heres the kicker

[He waits about ten seconds before he continues]

they wanted to make a date for another person

[Another few seconds, give her a chance to digest that...]

THAT THEY NEVER MET BEFORE

From:

fondofapples

[ He tells stories like Henry used to. Making sure she's paying attention at every pause. And she knows she's falling hard for him because it doesn't annoy her at all. It makes her smile, because she can hear his voice and see his face, the twist of his mouth while he's waiting for her to laugh.

Regina does laugh, but not at the idea of blind dates. At him being so entertained by them. She sips her coffee, then sets the cup gently back in the saucer to reply. ]

Blind dates.

They rarely go well. Most people hate being set up.

Unless they're terrible at asking for themselves.

Coffee and nose survived intact. Smiling, though.

From:

hellorhighwater

wait youve heard of them

thats a thing in your world

what the fuck

regina seriously explain to me how the hell that is a thing

OF COURSE PEOPLE HATE BEING SET UP

HOW CAN YOU FIND A MATE IF SOMEONE ELSE PICKS FOR YOU

embers balls people are weird

From:

fondofapples

[ Now her nose and the coffee are in danger, just from the vehemence of his response. She's tempted to call, because it would probably be easier to explain in voice, but they need to have some level of discipline or every text is going to turn into her sitting in his lap kissing and snuggling like teenagers--

Which, considering that it's a lazy Sunday morning really doesn't sound bad. But, still. Discipline. ]

It isn't a thing in my world. It's a thing in the curse-world. 
The world without magic. 

In the Enchanted Forest, True Love is the most powerful magic. 
True Love's kiss can cure any curse. 

"Dating" is what you do before you bind your life to someone else's. 
Even if you know you eventually will. 

In the world without magic, "dating" can mean the same as my world. 
Or it can mean going out on dates. Usually as a quid pro quo for sex.

People use dates to get to know people, too. But as I understand it

most blind dates are a guy making his buddy go on a double date

so that he can get laid because his girlfriend's pleased with him.

From:

hellorhighwater

regina i know what dating is

never went on any when i was a kid but that was a thing in middle school

its a little different but people date in the five realms too

but youve at least met them first

you make dating sound like a social activity

you dont date to get laid

anyone with enough time and coin can find sex

you date to find your mate

true love as you put it

From:

fondofapples

It is a social activity. 

People don't pay for sex in the world without magic. Not openly.

It's against the law in most places. 

So dates are the coin sex is paid in.

From:

hellorhighwater

trading dates for sex

HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK

WHY WOULD PROSTITUTION BE ILLEGAL

no offense regina but your curse world is kind of fucked up

From:

fondofapples

You spend the money on something the prospective partner
 wants to do. In exchange, if they enjoyed it sufficiently, they do you.

It is a curse world. Fucked up is definitional.

From:

hellorhighwater

then why not just pay someone whose job it is to do you

doing it the other way is kinda manipulative

at least with a prostitute you know youre getting laid

paying with a date is stupid

times like this im glad i left my world

id still be a virgin if i stayed there i mean damn

From:

fondofapples

[ She laughed her way through his texts until she got to the end and her brain screeched to a halt. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? ]

Wait. Where are you?

From:

hellorhighwater

everglade

cloak and dagger

why

From:

fondofapples

Regina wrinkled her nose at the prospect of leaving her pleasant coffee to meet him in Everglade, but it was what it was. She didn't want to have this conversation over text. If need be, she could always bring him back here, and at least she knew the location.

She teleported to just outside the shop so she wouldn't upset the owner, and then stepped inside, gaze picking out Neil. She made her way over to him and said preemptorily, "Because, I'm curious about something."

From:

hellorhighwater

Neil wasn't altogether surprised when Regina suddenly slipped into the shop--just vaguely startled in the best way possible when he looked up from the silver talisman he was eyeballing and glanced up with that prickle of awareness that raised the hairs on the back of his neck to find elegance and sex walking right through the door.

He'd have said something about it, too...but she had that look in her eye, like he said something stupid. Which was confusing, because while he had little control over the stupid shit that came out of his mouth? He was always aware when it was happening.

"'Kay, sure." he replied, setting the talisman aside--damn thing carried a shit protection spell anyway. Reaching for her hand, he linked their fingers together, then brought their joined hands to his lips so he could kiss the back of her hand. "Walk with me--what's up?"

From:

fondofapples

That look wasn't that he said something stupid, not this time. Just surprising, and it was just as well he wanted to leave the shop, because it really wasn't a conversation she wanted an audience for. Of course, then he was kissing the back of her hand, taking her breath away with his easy sweetness.

Hopefully the question wouldn't embarrass him or make things awkward, but something in her needed to know. So she squeezed his hand and spit out, "It's what you said about prostitution. Have you never been with another woman you didn't pay for?"

From:

hellorhighwater

There was no awkwardness, no embarrassment--just vague puzzlement as he answered without hesitating, offering a little shake of his head.

"Nope. Never have." Wide-eyed bemusement turned to a curious frown. "Why, is that weird?"

From:

fondofapples

"No."

Smiling in bemusement to match his, Regina shook her head. She stopped him with her hand on his chest and just looked at him, letting that sink in and warm her so completely it might have burned off the Everglade fog.

"Not weird. Just unexpected. And...wonderful."

From:

hellorhighwater

Neil's confusion only deepened as he looked around uncertainly, but with a small smile. The way she was looking at him...it was like he'd given her some sort of incredible present, and it was fucking beautiful, the kind that made his chest tight.

He just had no fucking idea what he'd done to make her look at him like that.

"Okay. Good." he replied, his smile growing a little as he reached up to cover the hand she had on his chest with one of his own, just pressing it close for a second...before curiosity got the better of him.

"...not complaining, but--why is talking about my sex life before we met wonderful? Just--I apparently did something good here? Kinda wanna do it again if that's possible, 'cause you're goddamn beautiful when you smile like that."

From:

fondofapples

Her eyes brightened, pulling the corners of her mouth with them into a fuller, if possible more delighted, smile. Her sweet, sexy dragon knight had no idea what he'd given her.

She raised herself all the way up on her toes, leaning into his chest for balance, to give him a slow, tender kiss, with her free hand stroking the hair at his temple. And only after she'd given the overwhelming sweetness of his revelation an appropriate outlet did she explain, "I didn't know that I'm your first..." His first love. She knew it now, but it didn't seem right that she say it for him. "That you hadn't dated anyone else before."

From:

hellorhighwater

The easy way she kissed him like that, like he was the sun she was tipping her face to greet--the way she touched him, stroked his hair in that way that stole the bones from his body and made him feel worthy...Neil had no idea what to do with it.

He just knew he'd slaughter a regiment with his bare hands and bathe in blood to keep it.

Her explanation made him smile, the arm that wrapped reflexively around her shoulders when she leaned into his chest tightening a little as he answered her with a playful scoff.

"Told you, dating's for finding a mate." He reminded her. "I never..."

He never expected to survive this long, and when he did he never expected to have prospects as a simple soldier...and when he became the Night Dragon's personal assassin, he knew his blood soaked hands were nothing he could ever offer a prospective bride, much less a true mate.

He never knew he was going to meet someone that could look at those stains, stare into his black heart, and not just want him, but believe in him. Trust him.

"It's hard to have a social life when you spend most of your time tryin' to kill people, know what I mean?"

From:

fondofapples

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean," came her wry but not bitter response. He made it hard for her to be bitter about most things, because he accepted her so completely. Sometimes she wondered if he had a too rosy view of what 'evil' actually meant in her case, but today wasn't one of those days.

"But it still hadn't occurred to me that there isn't a woman in Nocturne you want to go home to. Someone else who holds a piece of your heart." Not his king, because that was a different sort of holding, and he knew she understood that. "It's been second chances, shared hearts, and stolen moments for me since Mother killed Daniel." A pretty smile for him and a squeeze of a hug. "I'd forgotten what this is like."

From:

hellorhighwater

He just smiled at her ability to sympathize, his hand settling on her shoulder, thumb straying to rub a gentle, soothing line along the ridge of her collarbone in silent reassurance. For the things he knew, the things he didn't know--for every shadow she carried, every shadow he tried to will away whenever he was with her.

The observation about what might wait for him back home was surprising--not that she thought he might have left his heart somewhere else, but the idea that he even could after what he'd found in her. She had seen his heart, saw light where he had none to give--save for dahgo.

The notion made him smile as she she did, and in its light he swore he could feel the darkness on his own heart lift for just an instant.

"Nothing stolen about this." he promised, the hand on her shoulder drifting up to cradle her cheek. "So that's nothin' you have to worry about--and nobody back home. Just a lotta working girls that're never gonna see my ugly mug again." He rolled his eyes in teasing self-deprecation. "Probably gonna be relieved. Look at that, you've done the realm of Nocturne a public service by spoiling me on other women. Might even be a commendation in it for you or somethin'."

From:

fondofapples

"Neil." Caught between emotions, Regina let her eyes drift shut to absorb the tenderness of his hand on her cheek, but her lips shaped a moue of frustration. "Neil," she breathed again on a softly, chiding sigh. "Don't do that. Don't demean yourself to me, not even in jest."

She lifted her head to collect his gaze and hold it with her own in a tender lock. "If anyone else disrespected you like that, I would want to rip their heart out. And if the women of Nocturne don't know what they're missing, then I'd sacrifice nearly anything to keep them from finding out. I treasure this, being your choice. Don't ever make less of it than it is."

From:

hellorhighwater

"...Regina..."

His heart was on his tongue, ready to spill from his lips, and Neil just barely managed to wrap it up in her name instead of an I love you. It was too soon, and yet here she was telling him she would rip out hearts on his behalf...it stole his breath and was its own kind of frustration.

Still, he smiled, bright and broad and humbled as he met her gaze, held by her tenderness, helpless in the wake of a giddy sort of warmth. All he could do was finally nod, and swallow his heart back down again.

"The will of the gods upon your tongue." He promised. "I'll try to remember. And if I forget?"

His heart rolled forward again. He wrapped it in other words again, finally breaking her gaze and tipping his head back, hoping she remembered the story of the Sky Maker.

"I'll look up."