~Inconspicuous Note~
After getting nowhere in her attempts to coax Emma into magick lessons, Regina bid her farewell before turning to head to, presumably, her guest quarters.
Emma grabbed her elbow, a thought suddenly occurring to her.
Regina turned back, raising her eyebrows. "If you've heard any stories of me, you're a brazen child. Or incredibly stupid."
"You've changed since then." Emma let go. "So let's go with brazen."
Regina eyes her for a moment, wondering how the girl before her could be so completely different and yet so very much the same as the Emma Swan she knew in Storybrooke.
"Out with it." The former Queen finally spoke.
"What do you know about the Pirate?"
"Too much. And most of it is from a timeline that doesn't exist anymore."
Emma's mouth opened, her eyes closed, and she shook her head at a tilt. "What?!"
Regina sighed dramatically. "What I know to be accurate, is he's been known to be… quite violent. Swearing allegiance to whichever side benefits him best. He is a pirate after all. But there's a soft side to that rough exterior." She paused a moment, and it seemed as if she were thinking of a memory. "He's also very good with kids. It depends on who you listen to."
"How do I find accurate information from this timeline?"
"You could try asking Smee."
Smee. Right. "Thanks, Regina."
Regina leaned in with a smile that sent shivers through her. "Don't do anything I would do."
Emma nodded, wondering why she'd ever act like Regina, backing up slowly before turning and running right into what felt like a brick wall.
He stumbled back a bit, causing her to stumble with him. He caught her and steadied himself simultaneously, his arms locking around her waist.
She could drown in the depths of those perfect blue eyes. She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. The way he was looking at her made her weak in the knees.
"About bloody time."
She escaped his grasp and composed herself before taking a step back. "Purely accidental." Which would you regret more? She cleared her throat.
His face was serious for half a second, before turning back to his signature smirk, slightly biting his bottom lip before speaking. "If you wanted to see me again, there are better ways to go about it."
"There are better things for me to do with my time than intentionally bumping into you."
"No need to be shy, we both know you enjoyed that little tryst."
They stepped around each other, eyes never wavering.
"You overestimate your powers of seduction."
"No, I never overestimate that. I did, however, underestimate you, Princess. A mistake I shall not make again, you have my word."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're full of mistakes?"
"Mistakes make us wise."
"And if that's true, you're positively brimming with wisdom?"
"Absolutely." His face was purely sinful, in the best ways.
She had to blink rapidly to refocus herself. "Why did you agree to dance with a princess you hadn't even met?"
He smiled, that boyish charm overflowing. "I'm not in the habit of saying no to Queens."
"Have a lot of Queens say no to you, then?"
He gave her a pointed look. "A devilishly handsome gentleman, such as myself, doesn't kiss and tell." He winked, giving her a groan.
"That's disgusting."
He allowed his eyes to waver away. "Only because you're not a queen… yet." They snapped back to her gaze in that last word.
"Do you ever quit?"
He rubbed behind his ear, giving her a questioning look. "Have I passed you a note?"
She shook her head, sighing, backing away. "Only the one that says it's time for me to walk away and go to bed."
"I could walk you to your room."
"You could." She replied sarcastically, nodding slowly, gesturing with her hands in a way that mimicked a scale, before turning to walk away. She half expected him to join her, despite her sarcasm. She felt a stab of disappointment when he didn't. She only managed a peek at him as she was turning the corner.
That damn smirk would be the death of her.
