herroyaldarkness:

       A wise answer, my dear.

     Yes I have many of those, unless you’ve forgotten.

herroyaldarkness:

       Hardly. It’s rather difficult not to remember.

Mm good to hear.

     Now didn’t you say something about a drink?

herroyaldarkness:

       Are you hoping to get me drunk, Maleficent?

     I don’t think I need to do I? Something tells me you’re already in quite a forthcoming mood.

herroyaldarkness:

      ( She said nothing as she walked to her small wine cooler, opening it and pulling out a bottle that clearly showed its age. The label was worn and fading, but the vintage was superb. Two glasses were poured before one was held out in offering. )

            You haven’t seen the least of my forthcoming nature, I assure you.

     ( Maleficent’s hand reached out for the glass, but her gaze never took even a single downward glance. It was much too preoccupied with holding Regina’s own, staring as if she could see right through her, a minimal but well-worn smirk turning up her lips as Regina made one of her grand insinuations. Which just happened to be one of Maleficent’s very favorite things. )

     Haven’t I? Well — you can consider my interest piqued.

herroyaldarkness:

      Don’t get ahead of yourself, dear. You’ve hardly touched your wine.

(The smirk is returned, in an overtly knowing way. There was no need to ponder on whether or not she was believed. There were simply some things between them that TIME could not change. That hardly meant she wasn’t eager to exploit the doubt in the air, or perhaps just nudge Maleficent in the direction she most desired her to take. )

     ( Maleficent’s lips press to the rim of the glass, gaze still staying forward even as she takes a long and slow sip of wine. And while Regina hadn’t been exaggerating, it was quite good wine, her interest did not lay in her drink. It laid quite heavily on the woman before her, who seemed to be more than aware of what she was doing, much more than she’d been when she was only a girl, and it had been Maleficent offering her fine wines. Among other things. )

     Happy now? ( It’s a practiced sweetness, saccharine with a bite. ) Are you going to show me around? You know it’s rude to offer everything you have and not deliver.

herroyaldarkness:

      Why the rush, Maleficent? I thought you needed your drink.

                 ( A challenging gaze was thrown over the rim of her own glass as she took a long, slow sip. Wondering just how many games the  d r a g o n  intended to play with her meal before she found herself devoured. Granted, the meal hadn’t always antagonized the beast quite this severely, either. And yet no caution could be heard whispering in Regina’s ear as she made a slow turn towards the foyer, where  a winding staircase laid. Without so much as a glance backwards, Regina began to ascend. )

                                   I’m assuming you don’t find stairs challenging.

     No rush. But you know I don’t like to be kept waiting.

          ( The sweetness that had coiled its way into her tone was soured by Regina’s aside. She may have been a dragon for the last thirty years but there was almost no sign of it now. She was more than adjusted to her human skin once again. Her footsteps stalled some paces behind, before she was gone in a flicker, reappearing on the next landing right in front of her old friend. Her smirk was expectant, a brow raising in anticipation that Regina see just how impatient a dragon could still be. )

herroyaldarkness:

  ( The most Regina reacted was a small flinch, quickly covered by a begrudgingly amused stare. She really ought to have seen this coming. After all, she knew better than most what playing with fire won her. Laying her free hand idly upon the banister railing, she stayed one step lower than Maleficent, holding her gaze. )

                              Have you made your point yet?

     Yes I believe I have.

          ( Regina wasn’t the only one capable of being aloof. In fact Maleficent saw her indifference and raised her one higher. She turned on a heel to finish ascending the stairs ahead instead of behind, and another swallow was taken off the wine as she seemed to lose herself more in the architecture of the home than that of the other woman. )

herroyaldarkness:

     Are you planning on finishing the tour yourself now?

               ( There was no ignoring the sting she felt at seeing Maleficent turn her back, and though she fought to keep her expression stoic, certainly some of it slipped past the cracks. Releasing her now white-knuckled grip on the banister, Regina took a slow step up behind the woman, leaving her glass of wine to sit on a small table that was adorned with a vase. The taste had soured in her stomach and she no longer wanted to numb even the edges of her senses. She’d never much cared for it anyway. )

     No. But I thought we may as well get on with it. While I may be somewhat interested in seeing your home it’s not exactly the reason I came here.

          ( At first a glance was not spared back at her friend, though the hurt in her tone was very clear. After a moment of letting her insinuation sit between them however, she did look back, noting that she no longer her glass of wine. Perhaps Maleficent had ran a little colder than she’d thought herself capable of. But there was always a way to rectify that by turning up the heat. )

     I think we both know it was more an excuse than anything.

herroyaldarkness:

        I see.

 ( The faintest traces of a smile ghosted over the weary look of disappointment she wore as Regina picked up her pace to meet, and then pass Maleficent, making certain to brush against her as she abruptly cut in front, hand latching onto a brass doorknob. )

    Then by all means, allow me to effectively get it over with.

 ( When the door swung open, her bedroom sprawled out before them, nothing short of pristine and inviting. And yet, her gaze never quite left Maleficent’s. )

           Though you’ll need to leave that out here. I prefer not to work out wine stains from my bedding. Even magic has its limits.

          ( A narrowed gaze found Regina once again, watching intently as she passed Maleficent by and did so in the most bawdy way possible. Or near it, at least. She smirked faintly once told to dispose of her drink, a request which was bequeathed rather quickly, glass meeting the small table to join the already abandoned one there without so much as a quip in argument. )

     Very well. I’m sure I’ll have more than enough to indulge myself in shortly.

herroyaldarkness:

    Well someone is feeling presumptuous. What happened to my leading, just this once?

                   ( For the moment, her feet stayed put, keeping both she and the DRAGON just inches from the threshold of her bedroom. Of course it was a game. After all, they both knew all too well just who it was who would be leading the dance once they were behind closed doors. That hardly meant she had to simply cave… )

          ( A smile begins to spread once more, mischievous in nature and hardly able to stop from growing to something much too undeniable. They hit bumps along the way but that pull was still there. Those old, dusty feelings burning anew and brighter for their time apart. A fire that also sent her forward another step, closer into Regina’s space, her eyes never leaving the warm well of brown they gazed so deeply into. )

     Maybe I want you to work for the privilege.