genessia | the first words of a lifelong love letter (closed)

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the first words of a lifelong love letter (closed)

Who: Regina x Evie; Regina x Evie x Neil; Regina x Evie x Arya
What: After Neil and Regina spend (another) night together, Regina and Evie talk about Robin and Neil; Regina introduces Evie and Neil; and then she Evie and Arya
Where: Amagi Inn, Fayren;
When: early afternoon of 8/30; afternoon of 9/3; evening of 9/5
Warnings: grief/loss; found family schmoop.

Regina turns from arranging a table with the dining room hostess to see Evie arriving. Her polite, business-like smile grows warm with affection as their gazes mesh. Affection and gratitude, because she's not sure she could survive another life without Henry without Evie to love and to love her. Evie believes and that doesn't distract her from missing Henry, it reminds her that Henry is out there and he loves her and she loves him. No amount of distance between them can change it. Just as the differences in their story doesn't change that Evie is her child.

"Hello, Evie." She lifts her hand to Evie's cheek, but she doesn't smooth down the flyaway blue hair. Not before she kisses her forehead and says, "You look beautiful," anyhow. She's seen Evie flinch from a touch once, and she never wants to see it again.

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Evie wasn't one to run late. No, she was exactly on time, even a bit early because that's how Royalty does it. It shows respect for the people she's spending time with and out of everyone Evie knew in Genessia and all the universes? She respects Regina the most, with Jack being a very close second.

And she even dressed herself up a tad for the occasion. Hair done in a crown-line french braid, new and definitely Evie-made blue sundress on with a pair of black sandals she clearly decorated herself. Make-up and all on point, as usual.

And when she spots Regina, her smile is immediate, as is the hug she gives the other woman after the kiss to her forehead.

"Not as lovely as you, I'm sure," Evie replies, stepping back to look Regina over.

"I think we can dispense with formalities, sweetheart," Regina says gently, heart full of love for this beautiful, brave, brilliant girl. "After all, a mother shouldn't need compliments from her daughter."

Since the moment they'd shared in Evie's text messages, they haven't discussed it, and Regina doesn't need to. She just wants to confirm for Evie that no, she wasn't wrong at all, and she's honored by Evie's affection.

"But, thank you." She smiles because she's definitely glowing a little still. Last night with Neil had been pretty spectacular.

"Who says it was a formality, mom?" Evie replies with a smirk on her face and a slightly raised eyebrow. "I was being honest. You're lovely and I'm glad you're here."

So, there. Evie can give compliments with the best of them but this time? This time it was just solid fact. Her mother was gorgeous.

"How are you?"

"All right, all right." Regina laughs softly and tips her chin at the hostess who is beckoning them to their table.

Gesturing for Evie to go ahead, she makes her way to the table, sits, and then waits until they're alone to answer. "I'm...surprisingly well," is how she answers her daughter when the hostess and also the waitress have come and gone.

She's promised Evie they'll talk about Robin and Neil, but she's not quite ready to jump into that. So she deflects first asking, "How are you and Jack?"

"We're as amazing as ever," Evie replies, settling on her chair with a grin. She is far and beyond in love with Jack. This was something significantly deeper than what she had with Doug and that had been a very good relationship. But Jack and Evie complimented each other perfectly. They fit where the other person was flawed, they accepted the other persons imperfections and helped each other through rough times.

"How about you and your dinner date and when do I get to meet him?"

"He reminds me of Robin, sometimes," Regina replies, not entirely skirting the question or the subject, just easing into it in ways that don't threaten to rip her lungs from her chest. "Jack does. Rough around the edges, but all heart."

She fusses with the napkin in her lap, lifting and resettling it again, and then glancing out the window when she starts to tear up in spite of herself. "I miss him like breathing sometimes. We didn't have very much time together, but you don't need to with True Love."

Blinking away the tears, she offers Evie a somewhat wry smile. "Which makes the subject of how things went with my dinner date somewhat awkward."

Neil was kind of freaking out--but in a really good way.

When he got the invite from Regina to have lunch with her and Evie, he'd been excited as all hell. Being excited, however, also translated to being kind of nervous because Evie was Regina's kid. He was still trying to get his head around the idea of accidentally adopting one of his own, and Evie meant the world to Regina. He wanted to know her, and more importantly he wanted her to like him.

Not just because it was important for someone Regina cared about to like the guy she was dating, but because Evie sounded like a great kid. Regina wasn't the kind of person to be easily swayed by personal feelings--she said Evie was great, that meant something. Anyone she respected, Neil wanted to know--to have their respect.

...so yeah, he got a little nervous.

Anguishing for a little while over what to wear, he finally settled on something mostly casual: black jeans and a loose buttondown with the sleeves rolled up. He finished by tying his hair back at the nape of his neck, and left to meet the girls at the Amagi.

...and, of course, nothing could go easy, because as he was leaving Genessia City, he forgot his stupid amulet.

Meaning that he was about ten minutes late from doubling back to grab the damn thing. Jogging into the Inn, he made a beeline for the dining room and scanned the space until his gaze lighted on Regina--not someone he could ever really miss.

And damn it, the little blueberry sitting with her was cute as hell.

Walking towards the pair, Neil offered a sheepish smile as he reached for Regina's hand, kissing it in greeting.

"Sorry I'm late--had to go back for my amulet. I'm a moron." he apologized.

Not the type to take lack of punctuality well, Regina had already begun inwardly seething by the time Neil arrived. Lucky for him, Evie had kept her distracted and the combination of nerves and irritation hadn't completely boiled over. So she didn't snatch her hand away when he reached for it, and the gentlemanly kiss and immediate apology went a long way to soothing her. After all, the amulet system did make traveling between cities a pain in the ass and once he'd forgotten, there was no fixing it.

"Next time, text?" she suggested, her mild pique expressed mostly in the lift of her eyebrows and the lack of a smile. Still, she didn't let go of his hand immediately, and there was the hint of forgiveness in the semi-conscious caress of her thumb against the heel of his hand before she let it go.

"Neil, my daughter, Evie." And the smile she offered Evie was dazzling by comparison to her 'manners are important' lack of a smile at Neil. "Evie, meet Neil Blair, dragon mage from the kingdom of Nocturne, and my more rather than less occasional dinner date."

Which, Neil, is code for please do not tell my daughter you're an assassin, thank you.

Evie wasn't particularly impressed with tardiness, either, but she was going to assume this time that he had a good reason. For now, she wasn't going to let this be her first impression of him. Not when she has her own epic first impression to make of her own. Starting, of course, with her attire. It was definitely still leaning towards her punk-rock princess aesthetic. There was no letting go of that ever. But it was toned down some. Instead of her usual tiara, she let a braid substitute, wrapped around a ponytail at the base of her head and when Regina introduced Neil, Evie stood tall as princesses do, holding her hand out with a grin and a knowing smirk at her mother.

"Mr. Blair, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Evie Mills. How are you?"

The name caught Neil by surprise—in the way that his smile blinded and his eyes lit up with pleasure to hear her use it. Regina had told him they were close, but she was using a different one...Ember’s Breath, he had to keep his cool or he was gonna look insane, but his heart felt kind of like it was about to explode out of his chest with joy on Regina’s behalf.

Reaching out to clasp Evie’s hand between both of his own, he shook it warmly, along with a more formal nod of his head.

“Evie Mills—I am great today. Thanks for askin’.” He replied, releasing her hand and moving to take his seat...but couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Regina with that same jubilant grin and a little lift of both eyebrows, communicating his silent pleasure with a split second look.

She’s Evie Mills. That’s amazing. You’re both amazing.

“Well, I hope you girls will let me make up for bein’ late and rude by pickin’ up the tab when we’re done here.” He went on after a beat, looking between them. “Least I can do.”

"Ladies or women. Both of us have outgrown girlhood." It could have been a bitter, bitchy reprimand, but Evie's choice to use Mills blazed too brightly in her chest for it be anything other than a mild correction.

Her smile shone, not with the brilliance of her pride in Evie from a moment before, but with something quieter, a burnished metal instead of a sparkling gem, a certain joy rather than the wilder one of her growing feelings for Neil. She tilted her head in acknowledgment and acquiescence. "It isn't necessary, but the gesture's appreciated. Thank you, Neil."

That matter settled, she reseated herself and smoothed her napkin over her lap. "I was just explaining to Evie a bit about the dragon fire." She retrieved the small piece of Eye of Ember he'd given her the first night from the pocket of her jacket and held it out to Evie. "Eye of Ember, this is called. Neil can explain."

By launching him straight into his expertise, she hoped to help him settle and make a better impression.

"I sure hope so. I love learning about other worlds. New Dodge was amazing for that kind of thing, and I'm sure here will be, too."

Man, if her bio-mom could see how readily she's grasping onto the idea that there are other worlds with other ways of doing things, it'd probably break something in her head with how hard it is to comprehend. Not that Bio-mom was stupid. Just super self absorbed. Not like Regina, hence Evie's usage of her name instead of Grimhilde. She wanted to let Regina know where she stood with their relationship and it was firmly in the territory of 'this is my mother and this is me.' It wasn't stubbornness that kept her there, nor was it Evie turning her back on her roots. It was Evie choosing her own path, much like she'd chosen to be Good during the coronation a couple years ago.

"How exactly does this Eye of Ember work?"

The subject of magic was kind of a relief, because it was one of the few things he could talk about without sounding like a moron. Eyes lighting up eagerly, but with a quiet sort of enthusiasm, he cupped his hand and called to life a small, discreet tongue of the white flame edged in red, the ruby sparks flying off its edges making the coin sized fire glitter as it danced in his palm.

“Well, that part is kinda easy—see, it gets its name from the god who made dragon shifters, the Ember. He saw potential life in making man and dragon one, and that’s what Eye of the Ember is. It’s potential dragon fire—which comes from combining elemental fire and raw magic. The potential of fire is in a single spark...”

Neil closed his fist around the tiny flame, clutching it tight as he concentrated on what he was doing as he spoke.

“...and the potential of magic is a thought. Apply enough pressure to both...”

With a soft exhale of effort, he opened his hand, a dime sized chip of the same jet black stone that occasionally glinted with a sparkle of red. Grinning, he offered it to Evie.

“And you get the essence of dragon fire: a primal spark and a single thought compressed by will. Here, this one’s for you. Takes a fire worker to unlock the stone and actually use it, but if you do magic or potion brewing, it can prolong the life of a fire. Reusable, too. It’s also just pretty to look at—the function and beauty of the stone makes it a valuable currency among the ice dragons of my world.”

As he spoke, Regina found herself listening intently. Usually, when he spoke about his magic with her, he was in the middle of one of his 'stupid' episodes and babbling. And if not, they ended up naked before they could have real conversations. That made this new information for her, too, and very interesting.

"The potential of magic is a thought," she repeated at a low murmur, not wanting to derail his discussion. There was a lot of power in that idea, possibly power she could use. To do what, she had no idea, but she did know the idea would lodge itself in her magical knowledge and enter into her thoughts when there were new problems to solve. For example, could she have used Eye of Ember to cure Marian? Or at least to have kept her warm and safe in Storybrooke?

"Does it have other uses?" For example, could it be powdered? And what did the fire mages do with it?

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the first words of a lifelong love letter (closed)

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