‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝓻𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂 ⠀ ⠀ 𝓶𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔
⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀ ݁ ៸͟៸͟  ⠀⠀ 𝖍𝐞𝐥𝐥 ⠀hath ⠀no ⠀ 𝓯𝐮𝐫𝐲 ⠀like
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ a ⠀ ⠀ 𝓌𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 ⠀ ⠀ 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝
⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
𝘰𝘩, that’s adorable. you 𝘢𝘳𝘦. ❪ head tilts, manicured digits rising to smooth back a stray wisp of blonde. she’s positively radiating from satisfaction. ❫ why ?
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
hate to burst your bubble dear, but you did when you decided to start hanging around me.
⠀⠀⠀

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

right. unfortunately, i did not sign up for any such relationship.

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
❪ that familiar wicked gleam flashes over brown hues, lips twitching into her infamous smirk ❫ flustered, dear ?
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
i do. however, i’m now considering this a transactional relationship ❪ platonic, obviously !! ❫, pay up buttercup.
⠀⠀⠀

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

and, here i thought the ice cream was simply because you liked me.

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
oh, darling, you have 𝘯𝘰 idea.
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
no, it’s a polite request for some honesty. you owe me for the ice cream, after all.
⠀⠀⠀

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

what is this, twenty——one questions?

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
or i’ll simply find other ways to force it out of you.
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
don’t act coy leah, you know what you said. why are you now embarrassed ?
⠀⠀⠀

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

i’m sure i don’t know what you mean.

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
why don’t you start saying things with chest instead of mumbling them, hm ?
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
no, i’m sure i heard you say need that* … what an interesting development.
⠀⠀⠀

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

i do not.

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
care to repeat that, dear ?
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
don’t act so surprised … but since i’m in the sharing mood, you’re quite the sight for sore eyes.
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
oh ? well, your opinion changed rather quickly …
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀
〝 yes, well, you appear to be part of the small minority that shares the same sentiment. 〞 slender digits tuck a lock of ebony behind her ear, offering a strained smile that is, for once, genuine. 〝 still settled on vanilla ? 〞
⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
head tilts, listening intently to every word that fell from the glossed brims before her until she has to force herself to look away. suffice to say that she had heard the ‘regina’s changed’ speech several times before, the

⤸

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

“well,” the former queen shrugs, a smile tugging at the corners of perfectly painted lips. small, but genuine. “i am not most people. and i don’t think you, nor anyone, ⃕

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
compassionate acknowledgement, however brief, of her former self evokes an unnerving twinge deep in her chest.

for a moment, regina’s walls come crumbling down, until she nods once with a struggled clearing of her throat.

⤸

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
well, in that case, i suppose i can live with that …
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
they always will.

〝 most people seem to be under the impression that i deserve to be just that, 〞swallowing thickly, her gaze flickers upward, now faintly glazed. god, how pathetic … 〝 perhaps i do. 〞
⠀⠀⠀

[‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ 𝓜𝑬 ‍﹠ ‍ 𝑻𝑯𝑬 ‍ 𝕯͟𝑬͟𝑽͟𝑰͟𝑳͟ ‍﹗ @vanidiicus]

⠀⠀⠀
the apology causes her to flinch for some inexplicable reason, brows knitting as she remains silent for several long moments. sympathy never settled well with regina, and even now those rare moments still unnerve her.

perhaps

⤸

[݁ ‍ ‍ ‍ ✱ ‍ 𝒜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ‍—— ‍ ᶠᴬᑦᴱ ‍ , ‍ @silkedgrace]

“because,” brows pinch together, ivory features morph into a state of confusion, however briefly. “you’re upset?”

hand drops, settling around the handles of her birkin———at least she ⃕