The air stinks.
Probably, most people would find this smell pleasant, but it makes Regina want to vomit. It's the flowers, she decides, the candid perfume of violets and lilacs. She slams the car's door close and walks towards the school, the smell stronger at every step. Now she can feel… clouds. The scent of clouds in a fresh mornings. Honey. And… trees. Pines, she decides. Like a forest.
This is going to be a long day.
Of fucking course, they have already found her. Those idiotic, stupid philanthropists, always meddling in her businesses. She wonders whom is it that they've sent today. If it's Gabriel again – that insufferable girl that goes by Mary Margaret on Earth – she's going to flip. She can't bear another school year with her, oh, she is going to make her explode in a mess of feathered wings at some point.
Her phone rings just as she's approaching the administrative office, and she answers without looking at the ID.
"Yes?"
"Regina, dear, are you at the school already?"
"Yes, Mother," she sighs. "Just got here."
"Oh, so you noticed, I suppose?"
"That they've sent one of them again? Hard to miss."
"I'm sorry, darling, your sister just told me they were already coming. But of course, we should have expected it. It's completely normal, right? So, who is it? Gabriel? Michael?"
"I don't know yet," Regina says, "but I hope they're not too powerful. I really want a smooth year, you know. And Michael can, in all honesty, kiss my ass, because his perfect chiseled chin won't save him."
"I know," her mother answers. "Have a good day, dear, don't be late tonight."
"Bye, Mother," she only says, and hangs up.
A really long day.
.:.
"Oh, Mr Locksley, you are a godsend!" Mrs Smith tells him, taking the papers from his hands. "I really couldn't find them and they were right here!"
"I do what I can, Mrs Smith," he says, flashing her a smile.
"Oh, please, call me Johanna," she chirps. "So, here's your schedule for the week, it's still temporary, but it should stay the same."
"Thank you," he answers, taking it. "It looks fine to me."
Johanna smiles, and she turns, muttering something like Wait, let me find the lists of the students.
In that moment, a wave of perfume hits his nostrils, and he widens his eyes. She's here.
She tastes like roses, above all. Roses in their full bloom, right before they start to rotten. Then, he feels the lust. Luxuria, in latin, it's one of the seven sins. Not many of them smell like it, but the ones who do… oh. It must be one of the most powerful, he knows it. He feels the sea, in her scent – the humans say it's the smell of a woman after she's made love. Then, a perfume – this one is of human facture, it could be Chanel or something amongst the lines of it.
And… an aftertaste of ash and fire. Of course.
The door slams open. Robin turns, and… she's beautiful.
Plus, she's looking at him with murder in her eyes.
"Arariel," she hisses.
"Astaroth," he bows his head. "It's nice to meet you, at last."
Mrs Smith – Johanna – turns back, and thankfully she has missed the exchange. "Ah, Miss Mills," she smiles at the woman. "May I introduce you to Mr Locksley? The new Lit teacher. This is Regina Mills," she says, "she teaches Physics."
Regina looks at him, narrowing her eyes. She offers him her hand, shakes it. "And will Paradise Lost be in the program this year, Mr Locksley?"
"Oh, I haven't thought of it, milady," he smiles, mocking her. "You gave me a nice idea."
"I'm sure of it," she says. "It was wonderful meeting you, but alas, I need to go and find my class."
"See you later," he can't resist, and winks at her. She shakes her head, bids goodbye to Johanna, and exits. Robin knows this was only to meet him – to find out who he was – and he can't say he's displeased. She's powerful, maybe more than he is, but it will be a nice challenge.
If she's here to make chaos, he'll make sure she doesn't.
.:.
Jerk, Regina thinks, jerk and insufferable idiot. Her first class is in another building, so she fastens her pace, rage filling her heart. She'd give anything, right now, to just widen her wings and go away. She should tell Mother about the identity of her rival, she should start finding troubled souls in the school, but her thoughts are completely occupied by that moron.
She teaches here since years, and her competition has always been… tolerable. Apart from Gabriel – Mary Margaret – the others have been weak, so she's been free to act. She's even been a little mellow, at times, when she was tired. It's just, eternity is a very long time when you're alone.
And she's done with love, with all that bullshit, she's done with everything that isn't the despair of human souls.
She is good at her job. She overcame all the pain from her past, but of course they continue to send her a new pain in the ass every year. It's part of our suffering, Lucifer has told her once.
Regina opens the door of her new classroom – a bunch of fifteen-year-olds, bored and already so done with this shit. That, she can understand.
"Alright, people," she says, and there's absolute silence in an instant. May the malign powers be blessed. "I want discipline here, you'll better learn this from day one. Discipline, punctuality, and don't ever forget, you're not here to have fun. You're here to suffer your way through high school, so don't think you will enjoy a single moment. Open your books, we will start immediately."
Because those who don't have that much power, they create disasters and go around the world to create new wars and such.
She is more cruel. She will make these kids' lives a living hell.
.:.
He brings her coffee.
It's quite easy to find her office, even if it's lost somewhere in the Science Department. He knocks, hearing that voice saying "Come in," and pushes the door. When she sees him, her expression changes from neutral to disgusted.
"I should have guessed it was you, from the smell."
"Oh?" he smiles, closing the door behind him. "And what do I smell like?"
"Forest, soap and everything pure and clean," she snorts. "What do you want, Arariel?"
"I think we should stick to regular names here. It's Robin," he says, and goes to sit in front of her, slides her the coffee. "Here you go. Black as night, and hot as hell."
"Fuck you." Regina sips her coffee, then places it on her desk. "You have no idea of what hell is like."
"Are you always this angry?" he asks, curious, tilting his head.
"Its fire is hidden, while its taste is manifest, but its smoke becomes visible in the end," she quotes. "So, yes. You wouldn't like to know how much, trust me."
"Maybe not," he offers. "Are you planning a lot of trouble for this year, milady?"
"Spare me the courtesies, I'd never tell you my plans."
Robin looks at her, paying attention, but he sees… well, the usual rage in a devil's soul. And… maybe something else. It takes some time, to read them, and since the Deal of Peace he hasn't seen much of his competition. He was in another division, lately, not on Earth, and apparently she's more equipped to work here than he is. He'll have to report, later this evening, and he should find something to say. But he knows he won't say much.
"I'll just have to figure your plans out by myself then," he smiles at her, and lifts up from his chair. "See you around, Regina."
He hears her sigh as he closes the door.
This is going to be an interesting school year. A very interesting one.