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:

fondofapples

"Until you die trying to save me," she whispered, voice barely audible as she accepted the embrace, the promise, all of it for now.

It was already too much, too soon. And if not too soon, too much for one day, even if this was how they'd been since the minute she'd seen him on the screen in New Dodge. She still didn't know why, exactly, only that from the first minute, he'd slipped past barriers that had been there for half a century at least.

It was too much. She was tired. He was hurt and he needed her. Instead of being what he needed, she kept turning into a shrieking harpy on him.

She slipped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his shoulder again. "I know you'd count your life well-spent, and I want that for you. I just can't..." Lose another mate. "Live through any more loss.

"I'm worried about you. It's making me raw and vicious. I'm sorry."

From:

hellorhighwater

"Don't apologize." Neil admonished, gentle but brooking no argument as he rubbed his good hand up and down her back, resting his cheek against her forehead. "There's a saying the Night Dragon's always repeating back home: 'the one who rises from Hell without sharper talons and a heart of thorns is the corpse that came back on their shield.' And I agree with it. Be raw, be vicious--be mad at me if I fuck up, even if I don't really understand why. I'll figure it out, you'll make me. I may be kind of an idiot, but I'll put it together eventually."

Drawing back a little, he looked down at her, then leaned in to brush a kiss against the bridge of her nose.

"You've lived a life that would kill most people, Angel. If you didn't have issues and hot buttons and a whole lot of complex baggage, you wouldn't have any fuckin' armor. Just...know that I will keep my promise, not to leave you. So long as you promise not to apologize for a damn thing that you are. Passionate, gentle, loving--I'm crazy about it. Vicious, ornery, even murderous--I'm not afraid of it. If you and me were easy? It wouldn't be any fucking fun."

From:

fondofapples

It took awhile, just letting his words wash over her, and then slipping off his lap into the steaming spring, before she could find any answers in herself, anything at all that she wanted to say.

And even so, before she could do that, she reached for his good hand to draw him off the ledge into the chest-deep part of the pool, where he could relax his arm and let his shoulder rest from holding it still and steady.

"I'm not apologizing for what or who I am, just for taking my fear out on you," she said quietly, her voice as soft as her gaze and the brush of her knuckles against his abdomen beneath the water line. "I can't just fight the darkness sometimes, Neil. I have to do it all the time, every day, and that means not giving in to my worst impulses, no matter how excusable they may seem to you."

From:

hellorhighwater

Neil let her pull him further into the water, letting out a breath as his arm relaxed a little, feeling more discomfort in the muscle than the bone, and only from being still so long. The gesture of affection he'd come to know, anticipate, and love reassured him that they were okay, getting back on the same page.

"Not all the time, Regina--just sometimes." he replied, letting his good hand settle on her shoulder. "Some wounds have to drain, and you need to accept that. Being good isn't about being perfect--bottling shit up can knock you off course. I get fear manifesting as anger, I know I do it a lot. I know being who you are ain't easy, but you're not gonna be a hundred percent virtuous all the time, and I swear to you on this beating heart you've held in your hands, I will tell you if you've gone to far. If you're scared and you get too shitty, I'll call you on it. I'm trustin' you to be my eyes...trust me to be an extra pair for you."

From:

fondofapples

Her lips parted, protest already forming because he really didn't understand how this worked with her, but they pressed together again as he spoke--he did understand some of it. Her eyes closed and her head dipped; she exhaled slowly, more shame burning behind her breastbone and in her eyes than anger.

"I know anger needs outlets. And I know good isn't nice. I don't expect that I'll never boil over or lash out," she told him and reached up across her body to cover the hand on her shoulder with her own. She wasn't rejecting his advice, his help, him. "I promise I'll trust you to tell me if you need an apology from me. But my redemption's on me, and sometimes I need to acknowledge crossing a line, even if you don't need me to."

From:

hellorhighwater

"Fair enough." Neil replied with a nod. "Even if I think it's bullshit--and I do, no matter what you did I don't believe there's ever been a truly evil bone in your body--still, I'm not you, so that's totally fair."

Bending, he pressed his nose against the top of her head.

"But nothing you do, or will do going forward, is a thing you will ever do alone." he promised. "Not even chasing down redemption. Not pushing, just promising."

From:

fondofapples

"It doesn't matter whether you call it evil or something else. I need to make what amends I can--" She lifted her gaze to his again, searching for some sign he knew what she felt, something beyond having the right words when she needed them (not that she minded that at all). "This isn't about punishment or judgment. I'm doing this for me."

It was hard to make him understand when even now she wasn't sure she did. She knew who she wanted to be, and it wasn't the person she'd been. That was all.

But she also didn't want to talk about it any more, so she caught his good hand and drew it around her waist. "Still, I'm so grateful to have your support and your help." I love you.

From:

hellorhighwater

"Good." He replied, rolling his eyes up for a moment in mock contemplation before offering an exaggerated nod of "decision," with a smile. "'Cause you're pretty much stuck with it."

Knowing when to keep his mouth shut was a valuable skill in the Night Dragon's court, so he took the invitation when offered: the arm she pulled around her waist, he used to pull her closer.

Then he made the mistake of forgetting why he was there (all her fault, even when they were fighting she made him forget he hurt) and wrapped both arms around her waist, eyes promptly screwing shut with a pained grimace.

"Ember's Shrunken Shriveled Nut Sack!..."

From:

fondofapples

When she realized he wasn't going to push it any farther, she gave a small, pleased sigh and rested her forehead against his breastbone. It was that moment he chose to lift his other arm, and she wasn't quite quick enough to stop him.

The reflexive tensing caught her just before the elaborate curse and only the awareness of how much pain he'd been in kept her from snickering. As it was, she couldn't do much for him except hold him tightly until the flare of pain passed.

"I'd offer to distract you from it," she began and slid a hand over his hip to tug his lower body closer. "But I'm afraid you'll forget and hurt yourself worse. Besides, it's late and you haven't been sleeping." That, she could tell from the bruises beneath his eyes, would have been able to if he hadn't told her as much.

Which led her to thinking how he'd get through the night. "Does aspirin help at all?"

From:

hellorhighwater

Normally, the curl of her fingers over his hip were an invitation he'd gladly take--but he was in pain, and he was exhausted. The springs...well, they'd helped some, along with the heat of Regina's last charm. It hurt like hell, but his vision didn't go grey at the edges and threaten him with the unique and sickly oblivion that came from passing out in agony.

Which meant he took the invitation in far different fashion, pressing his nose against the top of her head instead and letting her nearness distract him from the pain. When she asked about something called aspirin, he thought back...and couldn't really pull anything out of his murky memories of his native world.

"I...don't know?" he drawled uncertainly, lifting his head again. "My metabolism's always eaten through drugs pretty quickly--the pain and sleeping drafts the healers back home have, too. The only stuff I ever remember workin' on me for at least a few minutes was the hard stuff in the hospital. Don't think that was 'aspirin' though. That was--whatchacallit--morphine? Yeah, that was it...wait. Does that stuff also work on Fever? 'Cause they would shove as much of that crap down my throat as they could when a Fever was on me."

From:

fondofapples

"Yes. Aspirin's an anti-inflammatory and a fever reducer." She frowned at the thought there was nothing they could do for his pain that would last more than a few minutes. The price of the dragon fire was too high.

"I have some upstairs. We can try it. And I can summon a heating pad that we can drape over your arm. If we can keep it warm, maybe you can get some sleep," she suggested, hand raised to stroke through the hair at his temple, a gentle gesture that she hoped would soothe his unease. "We can stay down here until you're ready."

Even though the heat from the springs was beginning to be too much for her, she could climb out and sit at the edge comfortably enough. He could lean against her then if he wanted. Really whatever he wanted.

From:

hellorhighwater

"Think I'm ready now." he admitted--though it wasn't the entire truth. He could see the flush of her skin, and he knew he could fucking sleep in this water and probably still get chilly. It was good, but he'd rather warm himself by Regina's heat over that of the spring.

"C'mon." he sighed, rubbing her back with his good hand. "Let's go back to the room--might need some help gettin' this braid outta my hair, you did too good a job."

Which would mean more of her hands in his hair--like now, fingertips running through the loose wisps at his temple and making his eyes droop...he'd pay a king's ransom for more of that, more of those soothing shivers she sent down his spine with the gentle scratch of her nails on his scalp, that tranquil warmth that turned his entire being into liquid honey, and had no idea how to put it into words without sounding stupid.

So, tricking her into playing with his hair it was. Sort of.

From:

fondofapples

That brought the slightest curve of a smile to her lips and kindled a wisp of firelight in her eyes. As if she hadn't figured out by now that the man's hair was the way to his psyche and everything else about him.

"Whatever you need," she murmured to him, and let herself melt against him. As much as he liked holding her, twice that much at least did she love being held--as long as it was her choice. As long as she could take a step back if she needed to and not feel restrained. Right now, even with a fight not five minutes past, she couldn't imagine being even a foot from him if she didn't have to.

Lips pressed softly the shoulder of his injured arm, she focused her will along her arm and then closed imaginary fingers around their things on the ground beyond the pool. Once she'd drawn the bundle back to them, she drew up the mist that coiled and twisted like affectionate serpents and deposited them back in her room.

Gently playful, she pulled back and released the waistband on his shorts. "Do you need help getting out of these, too?"

From:

hellorhighwater

"Ow! Sadist." he teased when she playfully snapped the waistband of his wet trunks, grinning as he bent to steal a kiss with his bad arm cradled against his stomach. "I'd say yes, but that'll turn into a social event, and...I'm into a little pain, just not this kind."

Drawing back, he smiled sheepishly.

"Seriously, I'm good. Uh...can you grab me the black gym shorts outta my bag, though?"

From:

fondofapples

As much as she might've liked to continue the erotic overtures they'd begun with before they made it into the pool, she was glad to hear him saying no. His body needed rest, and she need him to be well.

Leaning very lightly against his good side, she lifted onto her toes to kiss him softly. When she dropped down again, she said, "Just don't get used to me fetching and carrying," with teasing sternness, and turned her back to him to get his shorts.

From:

hellorhighwater

Neil just grinned as she got his shorts, accepting them from her when she turned back around--and before she could release them, pulled her in so he could steal one more kiss, long and lingering.

"I'll make it up to you when I'm back in fighting shape, Beautiful." he assured her with a wink before heading into the bathroom to dry off and change. Emerging a few minutes later, he made a beeline for the bed, just to sit down on the edge so he could rest his arm on one leg, relieving some of the pressure on his shoulder with a small sigh of relief. It was getting bad again...but that sick edge to the pain hadn't come back.

"I think the spring actually did help." he mused, absently rubbing his bad arm with his good hand. "Least I don't feel like I'm gonna pass out anymore."

From:

fondofapples

While he changed, she took a towel to the damp ends of her hair. She'd used enough magic today that it felt important not to use it for unnecessary conveniences, especially when she planned to use several more spells before she slept--if she slept. A shower could wait until morning, so she toweled off and stripped out of the swimsuit, laying it over the towel on the chair of her dressing table while she glanced in the mirror.

Pleased enough with what she saw, she selected the most demure of the nightgowns she had on-hand, a fawn colored silk shift with matching panties--neither of which she'd managed to put on by the time Neil emerged. It wasn't intentional, giving him a show, not tonight, and she felt strangely shy about dressing in front of him. She marked it as odd, but didn't let it slow her down at all, and quickly covered up.

"We'll try keeping it a little too warm so that the dragon-fire can't pull all the heat out of it, but not so hot that it's a challenge," she decided aloud, and proceeded to be briskly efficient (and maybe a little maternal) about pouring a glass of water, retrieving several aspirin, and bringing both to him. "Here, take this. See if it helps at all?"

From:

hellorhighwater

There was something about watching her dress that was strangely intimate--so domestic, that open view of her body not for the taking, but in a private and vulnerable moment that was his and no one else's. It was new and unusual, and he tucked it away with the multitude of other little pieces and moments she gave him the longer they were together.

When she brought over the pills and the water, he took the aspirin first, popping them into his mouth before he accepted the glass of water. It had been a lot of years since he'd swallowed pills, but a couple long swallows along with tipping his head back got them down without issue.

"Sounds good--it's what the healers in Nocturne usually try to do, but it can get tricky." he sighed, passing the glass back to her. "Best I can usually manage is sleeping by the fire--by the hearth in my room at the castle, close enough to a campfire when I travel that I tend to singe a lot of blankets."

From:

fondofapples

"My poor knight," she murmured and bent to kiss his forehead. His skin felt, as always, frighteningly warm against her lips, but she knew by now what was normal for him. He wasn't running too hot, probably because of the springs.

"But I have a plan." She'd been thinking about this on and off since she first went to him, so by this point, she had a fairly good idea of what she wanted to try. And, if she was honest with herself, she felt a little giddy about the possibility it might really help.

Because it had grown late, she quickly flipped off all the overheads and peripheral lights, leaving only those on the nightstands. Then she returned to the bed and joined him on it. Conjuring could be tricky, which was why she preferred summoning when she could, but she had no access to what she wanted here, so conjuring it would be.

During the Ice Queen's visit, when Emma had grown so chilled, Mary Margaret had tucked a handy little heating pad in the microwave. Regina recalled it had been made from rice and wheat and a lovely soft flannel, and it released the scent of spiced chai. It wasn't the proper size, but that was easily enough adjusted, and she mentally added two soft loops that could be adjusted to hold the pad in place.

It took several quiet moments, far longer than any spellcasting he'd seen from her, for her to fix the item she wanted in her mind. Once confident of it, the conjuration itself took seconds, just a mental twitch, almost, to pluck the thing from her thoughts into the space they shared, and then it lay there across her thighs exactly as she'd imagined it, even steamily warm and scented of chai, and she shot him a triumphantly sunny smile as she held out her hand for his injured arm.

From:

hellorhighwater

Neil was curious about what she had planned--and when she settled in to concentrate, meaning that her magic was coming into play, Neil was perfectly captivated. She was a fucking Rembrandt when it came to magic (Rembrandt was the guy, right?...yeah, one of those legendary painters--or maybe it was Rodin...) and any chance to see her in action was a treat.

She didn't disappoint, either: with little more than a thought, she conjured an object from nothing. What he had to use brute strength to pull out of the fire in his own blood and force into being with physical effort, she plucked carelessly from nothing--a mind and form made to process magic into a paintbrush she could wield with elegance to form the picture of her will in the world.

She dazzled him with her effortless grace and skill--and beamed at him as if she'd just discovered fire itself. Fuck, she'd probably be offended if she had a single clue how damn adorable she was in that moment...

With a smile of his own and an affectionate little shake of his head, he grit his teeth subtly and extended his bad arm to her.

"That's a cute little thing--smells good, too, but...what is it?"

From:

fondofapples

"That cute little thing is going to make your night," she told him in a tone too full of cheerful self-satisfaction to be pointed. "If I'm right, I might even end up being jealous of that cute little thing."

She winked and leaned over to kiss him quickly to be clear she wasn't annoyed, repeating his words like that, just teasing. And as soon as she sat back again, she slipped the two straps over his hand one after the other, then lowered the flanneled covered pad down against his arm. She didn't release it completely, fearing the weight might be too much at first, so just held the ends so that it draped lightly over his arm.

"I'll tighten the straps when we get it settled how you want it, and then it'll just be a matter of infusing it with heat if you wake up and it's gone cool," she said, and even to her own ears it sounded like she was explaining the cure for cancer.

From:

hellorhighwater

Yes, Regina was cute as shit when she was feeling proud of herself--but Neil had to admit: it was kind of genius.

The healers back home used marginally similar things, of course--they just never worked out for Neil in particular. Rough spun satchels filled with stones or sand...stones were uncomfortable when his arm got sore, and more than once he'd given in to temptation, pulled heat from the sand compress...and ended up with a useless lump of glass just as uncomfortable as the stones.

This thing was soft, heavy but malleable--and beautifully warm, a soft hiss of pleasure rushing out of his lungs as she let it settle against his arm with support. Add the straps that would hold it in place while he slept...

To test her assertion that he could warm it again, Neil reached out to lay his hand against the pad. It took a little concentration, but after a moment the veins beneath his skin began to glow, a brilliant red-orange spider web of light as he pulled the fire to the surface without releasing it as flame, channeling the heat into the packing of some kind of soft seeds and herbs.

It got warmer still, hot enough to burn...and Neil sagged visibly with how good it felt. Nothing scorched, nothing poked, nothing melted...

"It's perfect." he sighed, his bright smile full of relief matching her own as he drew his power back inward. Once his hand had gone dark again, he reached up to cradle her cheek and pulled her in for a longer, deeper kiss, full of joy and gratitude.

"You're fuckin' brilliant, have I mentioned that today? The healers of Castle Nocturne could learn a thing or two from you."

From:

fondofapples

"The healers of Castle Nocturne could learn a thing or two from Walmart and my stepdaughter," came Regina's not even remotely humble reply with her eyes still a little glazed from the emotion in that kiss. Credit where credit was due and all, but she had adapted it a little, adding a layer of insulation on the side away from his arm to keep it from burning her while they slept (if she slept).

Still smiling brilliantly, she settled the pad on his arm and watched his face for any sign of discomfort. Seeing only the shadows of fading pain, she nodded and then carefully drew the straps snug and snapped the quick-release holders down. As she had not a shred of mechanical inclination, she was relieved to see she'd gotten the fussy plastic bits right. She must've paid more attention to the million-and-one fasteners of Henry's youth than she thought.

"Now the boring part," she led and then showed him the quick-release, pointed out that the straps had enough elastic in them that he shouldn't need them unless they got too tight or tangled with something, reminded him plastic would melt at high enough temperatures and that she would burn at much lower ones, all the while watching in satisfaction as his eyelids started to droop.

"I won't make a good pillow," she concluded. "But I'm all yours, at very least for as long as it takes to unbraid your hair and get you settled."

From:

hellorhighwater

The pad was comfortable against his skin, searing-hot with the edge dulled by his own body, greedily sucking in some of that heat without him trying. It left him only a little distracted as she explained how to loosen the straps if they got tangled or too tight--that reflexive leeching of heat that ended abruptly in a full body wave of inner warmth and relief that was so sudden it almost had him yawning with an abrupt swell of fatigue.

Settled. Right.

Nodding, he absently rubbed one eye with the fingertips of his good hand, and did yawn then before reaching back to tug loose that bit of silk cord she'd knotted at the end of the braid earlier. He was a pathetic sentimentalist, but he was hanging onto it--a reminder of their first fight, first time he told her he loved her.

If it showed up knotted around his wrist from time to time, well...she probably wouldn't notice.

"You make a damn fine pillow, for the record." he informed her with a smirk. "And blanket--you're a top notch bedroom set, and if there's a way to interpret that as something dirty? G'head."

From:

fondofapples

In response, Regina huffed a quiet laugh, rolled her eyes, and doused the lights with a lazy flick of her hand and then slipped beneath the sheets. She held the top sheet up for him to join her and waited to see how he'd settle in.

"If I think dirty, it's going to be a long, uncomfortable night for both of us," she informed him playfully. "I'm thinking clean, warming, protective thoughts instead."

Yes, his hair was still braided, but Regina knew it for the weapon it was, and she'd saved unbraiding it and winding her fingers through it for now. If he was anything like her in his anxieties, his would spike again when he lay down and closed his eyes, sure that the relief he felt would somehow dissipate when he needed it most. Having her hands in his hair would slice through it, cutting it off at the knees she hoped and let him relax into the awareness that if he did hurt again, she would be there to help.