A/N: Hey everyone, so this is another fic based on a wonderful prompt. It is based on what we know of Regina's season 7 character Roni and I hope you all enjoy it. It is just a short chapter to start with, just to set the scene and see if you guys like it, so please let me know of any feedback as I would greatly appreciate it.
Roni sat at a table by the window in Fariytales, a small café just down the street from the bar she worked at. She regularly frequented the café for breakfast, especially if it was a nice day and she was walking into work. For a Thursday night, the bar had been spectacularly busy and the mess she had left behind awaited her that morning. She had a lot of cleaning to do before opening up again for the lunch trade.
She was proud of her little bar, The Mills, although why she had called it that she had no idea. People often asked her when they visited the city, but her answer was always a shrug and an awkward shake of her head that told them she had no idea why at all. A lot of her life seemed to be that way these days, things being vaguely familiar to her with no real explanation as to why.
It was a nice day outside, and business people were on their way to work rushing through the street to make sure they didn't miss their train, or to hail a taxi. Some of them just walked, and many of them popped into the café to grab a morning coffee on their way into the office. God knew they needed it, and Roni suspected they did also. Something inside her connected with them, empathising with the need to combat the stress and pressure of an office with shots of caffeine to keep them sane. Why though, she didn't know, it was as if she had done the very same thing herself in a previous life, yet she couldn't remember.
Roni had been a bar maid as long as she could remember. Working behind the bar in her own establishment, serving customers and providing a hub for the community of lesbians in the area. She loved her job and had always dressed accordingly in her jeans, tank tops and leather jacket. It suited her edgy look and personality and it was how she felt most comfortable. Still something inside her longed to dress in heels, tight skirts and pantsuits, like those on their way to the office, but she didn't know why or what it was. It made her feel as if she was going mad, as it happened all the time and was completely unexplainable. After all, she liked her life as it was so she didn't know why she felt as if something she had known, and considered home was missing.
"One bear claw, and a cocoa with cinnamon" announced the waitress, as she approached Roni's table.
She glanced up at the young blonde woman as she placed the small plate with the pastry, and the mug of cocoa down on the table in front of her. The young woman smiled at her, bright and bubbly as she was and asked if she could get her anything else, to which Roni refused. She had all she needed.
"Thank you" she smiled again at the waitress.
She seemed to be hanging around at Roni's table, as if she was waiting for something more and Roni felt terrible about it. She wished she could converse with the attractive young lady but she always seemed to lose her tongue, and her nerve; despite her serving almost every time she went in to the café.
"Emma" the young, petite blonde gently prompted.
Roni smiled at hearing her name. That was right, it was Emma and how she could forget she had no idea. Nor did the young woman, she didn't think her name was particularly difficult to remember, still Roni managed to just fin. Why exactly she didn't know either, but she put it down to the brunette perhaps having some sort of metal relapse that caused her memory loss or something. So she simply smiled sweetly.
"You enjoy that Roni" she said kindly, with a warm bright smile as she returned to serving other waiting customers.
Roni smiled and watched her for a moment as she headed over to a young man's table and started taking his order. He looked very smart and handsome, and when he caught Roni looking at them he smiled at her and she quickly looked away. She liked the waitress, she reminded her of someone but of who Roni wasn't exactly sure. When she tried too hard to think about it her memories of her past it just seemed to become more of a blur.
She glanced down at the sickly sweet pastry before her and grimaced. Roni absolutely despised bear claws, yet she always ate one, every day for her breakfast. She picked it up and took a bite, the taste of the almond paste and raisins making her want to gag as she bit into the flaky pastry. It crumbled, sending small flakes all over the table, plate and tumbling down Roni's black tank top. She took another bite, and then placed the pasty down to reach for the cocoa and take a sip. It was sweet and sugary and not something she liked either, but the cream and cinnamon on top made it just bearable enough. Why she ordered such a combination though she had no idea as it was a positively disgusting match.
It took her a while but then it always did, but she consumed the whole of the sweet treat and the cocoa. With cream and crumbs on her lips, she reached for a napkin and wiped them away, cleaning herself up and getting ready to leave. As she rose from her seat a flash of yellow passed the window, and her heart skipped a beat as she looked up only to be relieved to see it was just a taxi. Roni grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair and slipped it on. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a couple of crumpled dollars from her pocket and dropped them down onto the table by way of a tip.
Roni kept her head down as she made her way through the tables and chairs towards the door. She didn't want to have an awkward goodbye with waitress as she had done a few mornings before, so she slipped away and out the door. She stepped out of the café onto the busy side walk and squinted as she gazed up the street, blinded by the bright sunshine of the beautiful warm day.
She had a good feeling, and although she was going to be busy cleaning the bar for most of the day, she was ready for the distraction and to feel normal for a while. Like someone who had a purpose and everything together, rather than feeling like a woman living a false life. Roni was determined though, she was going to figure out if she was actually crazy or not, once and for all, no matter how long it took her to do so.