beast;;

whole lotta trouble ;

“And now who’s the one sounding familiar?” Regina had to laugh. She couldn’t count the times Maleficent had insisted throughout the years that she cared for no one at all. Even when her actions spoke otherwise, as did her carefully hidden little streak of sentimentality. She supposed neither of them changed too much. She was nearer now to the girl she had been, than she was when last she and Maleficent had met. And something in her old friend struck familiar in a similar way as well. Perhaps it was the death that subdued her, or perhaps she was merely keeping up a charade. Either way, she found she liked this Maleficent much more than the one who had begged her not to cast the curse.

Regina did not miss the way Maleficent’s gaze shamelessly dragged over her, and she shifted in her seat with a small knowing smirk. “You know, staring at me like one of your meals isn’t exactly what I meant when I asked you respect my choices.” It was said mostly in jest, a laugh rasping out from behind an easy smile as she took another drink. She was not a blushing maid any longer. She dressed with the intent to let others know just what it was they couldn’t have. It gave her pleasure to see eyes trailing after her, even if it was half in terrified revulsion for what she had been. No amount of moral superiority could change nature. Simply ask Charming.

“Don’t blame me for that. The curse doled out its own names. I simply cast it. Granted, most of them were a bit on the nose, I suppose there was a time I found it somewhat humorous. Though I will say, the charm wore off very quickly.” She took another drink, as if it could erase the memory of her first few years of the curse and the misery that had been her life. She was always quite happy to forget anything that came before Henry. “And as for GOLD… he may have softened some with his little wife, but with her out of his picture, I can only imagine how desperate he is going to be to have her back. I think we both already more than well acquainted with the sting of his treachery.”

A knowing smirk tinged her lips, while her gaze didn’t at all stray from the woman across from her. “Respecting your choices doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what’s put in front of me. You always were so nice to look at.” Pearly teeth act like punctuation for her remark, snide and yet utterly truthful. And though she may not feel that same affection she once did it doesn’t undo the pleasant packaging her old friend now sports. Though the haircut was decidedly unwarranted..

Letting her gaze fall to her drink, she swirled the glass in a slow circle, the liquid turning into a small whirlpool, stopped only to be brought to her lips for another long drink. Since her return she’d found a taste for harder beverages again, though Cruella still had her beat. After all, Maleficent was at least aware of her limits.

“Don’t tell me — he married that beauty he kept locked away for all those years. Something always seemed wrong about them, perhaps one too many spells to make the poor thing love him.” She laughed to herself, low and short. Laughter wasn’t the most natural thing anymore; far from it. Though if she weren’t careful it would almost be easy to forget just why that was. And that thought alone was enough to send a wave of angry nausea up her throat, sobering her expression as she tried to force it back down.

“That or he must have drugged her — what the hell did he put in this…” Passing off her discomfort with a pitiful excuse, she set her glass down on the small table just to the side of her chair, rising from it then and smoothing her hands down herself to right any wrinkles.

“Cruella will be out for hours, come take a drive with me.” Her intentions were friendly enough, though in reality she just wanted to avoid Rumpel’s impending return, and perhaps pull a little more…information from Regina as well.

✦

🔁️️️

#herroyaldarkness

#v;; canon

#t;;

#this needs a title

#whole lotta trouble