strangetrip | [EP] open your hands if you want to be held

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[EP] open your hands if you want to be held

Out beyond the greenhouse and the gardens, in the orchards she'd nurtured with love, and magic, and friends, Regina had stripped her usual business casual battle armor in favor of a softer mien. She rested beneath the shade of a tree, inhabited by an elemental named Manzanita, who understood nothing of fashion, everything of fornication and fertility, and laughed like a babbling brook or syrup sap at the words she didn't understand from the fashion magazines Regina read to her beneath her boughs.

At her feet or more occasionally her head, a puppy-now-nearly-a-dog sprawled, his tail thumping when his mistress laughed unusually loudly. From time to time, inexplicably, a black kitten-cat herded by a spirit Russian Blue appeared to torment the dog. Behind them in a magically constructed paddock, a mare grazed, keeping quiet watch over the antics, and less quiet watch over the picnic basket of fresh fruit (apples, and plums, and pears, and berries and cherries, oh my) on a picnic blanket at Regina's side.

The conversation that was more of a communion took a turn for the sly when Manzanita detected thoughts of a certain wolf in her not-a-druid's mind. It wasn't words, but a suggestion, perhaps Regina might leave this issue of outer-bark wholly behind. Head back, laughing, Regina (briefly, magically) shed her clothes for a light dusting of leaves. (~~Please, let me down, Mama. I'll be good.~~)

On second thought, with a flip of her wrists to replace her clothes, she murmured, "Smelling like forest is freedom enough."

[ooc: Slow because shit is real, but hit me til I scream. Find Regina in the orchards she planted at any time during this post. Avoid seeing her naked if your fireball tolerance is low. Otherwise, fireball forecast: low. Title quote: Rumi.]

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"You look like you're enjoying yourself," he offered the apple to her if she would like a bite.

Regina bent her head and took a bite from the apple held between his fingers. It was only after she'd done it that she realized she hadn't even considered he might pull it away from her or drop it. Not that he would have, but those sort of thoughts were drilled into Regina from birth.

"Taking a break from 'serious magic study' in favor of something a little less murder-inspiring."

"As the person closest to you physically most of the time and thus high on the list of possible murder victims I thank you," he bit into the apple again himself, and in a few bites was down to the core which he tossed to the horse.

"I'd say as my nearest and dearest, you're safe, but we both know I sacrificed my father to spoil a brat's happy ending," she murmured with warm amusement. Still, her fingers curled rhythmically through the hair at the back of his neck with a determined affection that said he couldn't possibly be safer than in her care.

With her free hand, she withdrew a lovely, juicy peach from her basket and after she'd said, "Although since the serious magic study is to your benefit, it's bound to be true for the time being," she took a neat bite.

Despite the words he didn't feel at all at risk, his head tipped against her palm.

"My benefit?"

"Our current arrangement may not always be tenable."

It was hard to admit and she was afraid, very, of what would happen if she had to take her heart back. He'd run away from her before. But he loved her now and knew he did, so she tried to have faith that they'd work together through whatever happened.

She stroked his jaw and offered the peach to him, if he wanted a bite. "I know you don't want to go after the Norn, so I've been working on spells to summon your passion back--" Or summon the Norn with the passion, and send her back without it. "It's not going well so far."

"When it becomes untenable," he locked eyes with her, his dark and serious. "Don't hurt yourself to avoid hurting me."

He knew now, what it felt like to not be able to love, and he hoped he would be batter at dealing with the loss a second time than he had been the first.

No promises.

"And you shouldn't be trying to summon the Norn." She was dangerous in ways he couldn't even describe. "Nor be planning on taking what is hers. She didn't steal it Regina, we made a trade. Possibly a bad one, but one I think I would have made even if I'd known what it was I was trading."

"When it becomes untenable..." Regina exhaled softly and slowly through her nose. "I hope we'll have other options."

She stroked her fingers through his hair and bent down to kiss him softly. Hurting herself wasn't going to be the problem. Hurting other people, including him... was why she needed other options.

"But if we don't, I'm prepared to break our heart to protect everyone else from me. I gave up Robin to save Marian, and there are lot more people here that I care about personally."

To avoid growing too maudlin, Regina reached for her wine glass and topped it up. After, she offered it to him to share. "But I'm also prepared to fight for what's mine, this time."

"Breaking our heart before causing damage to anyone else," he agreed with that and took the glass to sip the wine.

"But I'm also glad you're willing to fight for us."

"Not fighting for Robin was a mistake." And in the end, it had led to Robin sleeping with Zelena, and Regina being willing to accept their child and Robin never loving Snow, which was why as much as she did love him, she had never completely forgiven him.

"And so is not fighting for your passion, even if you made a fair exchange." She gave him a sly look. "Sorry, my love, but I don't play by the rules any more than Bo does."

"The Norn is all about rules, and breaking her rules is dangerous. I'm willing to fight for this.. for us." He bent to kiss her lightly.

"But I won't go to battle with the Norn. Stealing what is hers is wrong. But if we can trade for it I'd be willing."

Regina tilted her head for his kiss and then shifted to stretch out with her head on his thigh. It was new for her to be comfortable enough with someone to so obviously seek physical affection this way, but this conversation made her feel rather more secure than less.

"The obvious question, then, is what we have that she would want. Or what we could get that she would want."

"That's a question only she will be able to answer, which takes us back to trying to contact her." Which he wasn't happy about but was willing to do.

"Mmmm." She smiled steadily up at him. "Two questions. How do you contact her at home, and what does she generally value?"

"She lives in the woods, you go into the woods and you.. find her." It might sound like he's hedging but he's not. "And both times I saw her she wanted what I valued most. The first time I refused, she wanted my wolf and I couldn't imagine what I would be without it. Not even to save my best friend. I assumed that would be what she wanted the second time, and it was... but what I valued most had changed."

"Sounds like Rumpelstiltskin." All magic has its price, dearie. "There are ways to deal with the imp. Ways to defeat his bargains. But I had decades to study him."

Sighing, she reached for the wine glass and sat up enough to take a sip. "It won't do to be at a disadvantage when negotiating with her. How did you come to know she could grant your request? What are the stories you were told about her?" The seeds of the answer would be there.

This was something Regina excelled at. It felt good, too, to let Dyson see this side of her.

"The Norn," and this is where it becomes clear that the word is both singular and plural. "Rule the destiny of gods and men, like the fates. It's said that they draw water from the well of fate and take sand that lies around it, which they pour over Yggdrasill. They are protectors of destiny, and the world tree. and they can be petitioned to change fate, for a price."

The Norn. Yggdrasil. Abruptly, Regina smiled. "I knew I recognized that name. Is it Urd you were dealing with?"

Because if it was Urd, this was a done deal. No one loved a love story more than Urd. If they promised to let her give them a 'special night' or something, she'd give his passion back just because.

And besides, even if Corbie didn't remember Urd, Urd would remember Corbie. She'd do anything for that girl.

"We aren't friends, I never asked her given name." SHe was just... the Norn.

"Mmm." Regina reached for his hand, laced her fingers with his, and drew their joined hands to her chest. "Urd always claimed she was the eldest and strongest." She tilted her chin to look up at him. "Try to trust me, wolf. Magical bargains aren't new to me."

"Being familiar with them, doesn't make them safe." Or easy. or a good idea. But he didn't pull away, he trusted her faith in herself. Even if he thought messing with the Norn was a bad idea.

She almost teased him for being such a worrywart but his Norn wasn't hers, and besides, she rather liked that he worried about her and protected her.

So instead, she murmured, "My wolf, I promise you I won't take my own life lightly. Not when it matters so much to you and my daughter." Mostly him, in the moment, but if she didn't mention Snow, he would, and instead of it being about how much she loved him, it would become something else instead.

She was correct that he would, Snow was important to her - and thus to him. So he often thought of her wellbeing.

"Since I don't think I can convince you to give up the idea, I'll be content with the promise not to be reckless with your life."

Knowing when to leave well enough alone was not a Regina strength, but she had learned, and today she let this go. There was no point in upsetting him over something that wasn't happening now or any time in the foreseeable future.

Instead, she tugged on him and pulled him down to where she could take a kiss, slow, and sweet and deep. "How do you feel about lying here in the sun with me and kissing scandalously for awhile?"

"Kiss me again," he smiled up at her, a teasing quirk of his lips. "And I'll think about it."

[EP] open your hands if you want to be held

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