After, there's a long moment of silence, where no one seems to know quite what to say. Regina is stunned and confused. She's never heard of anyone with two soulmarks before.

There are a lot of horror stories about people with none, but those are mostly rumors that fuel markless young children's paranoia over their seventh birthday, their mark day. If it was really true, she doubts it would be called that. But then again, she's pretty sure she heard some grownups gossiping about how some super scary killer they caught on the news was apparently markless. Not the dark mark of grief left on those whose soulmates had passed, but completely blank, uninked skin.

As confused and worried as Regina is, she can't help but feel a little relieved she's not like that person, whoever he is. The more she thinks on it, having two soulmarks instead of one can only be good, right? It's means there's more people to love, and more people who love her, in return.

Just as she begins to try to hesitantly state this, Zelena pipes up, crossing her arms as she demands, "Why does she get two soulmarks? That's not fair! I want to get more than one too!" It's a familiar whine, and Regina has to stop herself from sticking a tongue out at her sister, because their mother looks like she is in no mood for that kind of attitude right now.

She guesses right, because Cora quickly turns her ire towards her eldest daughter. "Zelena! Getting two soulmarks is not something to want." She gestures vaguely towards the offending wrists, looking faintly disgusted and making Regina shrink back, closer towards the more comforting form of her father. "Cease your foolish behaviour at once-I don't ever want to hear you say those words again!"

Despite the clear anger on their mother's face, Zelena does not back down, only frowning confusedly, "Why? What's so bad about getting two people who love you?" There's something plaintive and childish in the question, something that speaks to deeper wants her sister tries to hide, but Regina only hears the surface of the question, and she agrees, for once, with Zelena's opinion.

Cora shakes her head at her daughter's naivete. Sometimes, she looks at them, and wonders, how they could have ever come for her. She doesn't think she was ever so wide-eyed about the world's truth (but she had been born into a hard life, and she's had to grow much, much faster than her two foolish daughters).

"It is not about that. It is about what the world sees and thinks. This is not normal, and this is not good." When she sees their continuing uncomprehending expression, she explains further, "Others will see this and think you are greedy or ungrateful. They will think you are strange and abnormal. They will call you terrible names and treat you like trash."

Both girls' eyes are wide as saucers as their mother speaks, and Regina curls into herself, as thougn the words are physical blows she desperately tries to shield herself from. Desperately looking up, towards her father, she asks, horrified, "Is that true, Daddy?"

There's a moment of hesitation, as Henry glances between his daughter's anxious eyes and the hard gaze of his wife. It is not untrue, he thinks, though he also knows that it is not quite the whole truth either. He has no desire to his daughter hurting, for any reason, and he knows that because of her marks, Regina will be hurt no matter what. Perhaps they can at least put it off though.

So, he nods, saying gravely, "There are many people in this world who fear what they do understand, I'm afraid." He doesn't to shatter Regina's image of a beautiful, good world, or take away the innocent joy of one's soulmark, but he also wants her to be careful, to be safe.

At his father's confirmation, Regina's face visibly falls, while Zelena looks on with all the condescending pity a nine-year-old is capable of. Patting the other girl's shoulder lightly, she remarks, "Tough luck, sis."

In the end, mother makes her hide one soulmark. Regines tries to refuse, but as with most things when it comes to her mother, she fails miserably. In truth, her mother's scary-sounding words about what would happen if they didn't cover it up have her scared enough to not protest as much as she could. Her father agreeing only scares her more, and Zelena's stupid words definitely don't help.

So, she must keep one of her soulmark's from other people's eyes for the rest of her life, apparently. Regina thinks that sounds like far too long, like forever, but she is smart enough not to say anything more when Mother mentions it. She only nods like a good girl, and feels a small swell in her heart when she receives a short pat to the head and a shadow of a smile. It manages to mostly cover up the way it feels like there's lead weight in her stomach.

Regina doesn't even know them, either of them, but it feels wrong, to cover one of them up. She doesn't think she loves them yet (how can she, when she is only seven years old and hasn't even met them yet?) but already, she feels something for the inked names on both her wrists. It feels like she's betraying a dear friend, like she's ashamed of them, in keeping them secret like this.

There is a bit of hiccup when considering which name to cover up and which to leave out in the open. Regina gets no input whatsoever in this, of course, and her complaints are given no attention. Maybe that's for the best, because she didn't think she could choose between them anyway. After all, they're both meant to be her soulmates. Besides, it's not like she has anything beyond a name to help her decide, and picking one over the other all because of a name seems really shallow.

Of course, that is what her mother was doing. Cora looks down at the two names thoughtfully, seemingly weighing them through some process than Regina doesn't understand. She looks towards her sister and her father, then. Zelena seems to be in a mood again, face in a frown as her eyes are staring down at her inked wrist. Meanwhile, her father seems to sense the moment she is looking, and he turns towards her to give a reassuring smile. It helps a little bit, but then, Mother is declaring that she has made a decision and any little bit of relief is gone.

In the end, Cora wraps a wrist band around her right wrist, because Robin did not give any proper indication of gender, being equally capable of belonging to a male or female. It would be just like her daughter, Cora thought, to be an embarrassment on this level as well. Though same-sex soulmates are more or less widely accepted, there was still a certain higher regard for heterosexual couples, because they were able to reproduce naturally. She doesn't tell her daughter this though, keeping quiet as she makes sure the band is firmly in place, with nothing peeking out.

Everyone else is also unusually silent during this, and for a long moment after, until her father quietly breaks it with a suggestion that the girls get to bed. Cora gives a curt nod, and quickly ushers both her daughters too their rooms. Unusually, there are no protests to this. Soon, they are both climbing up the steps, helped along by Henry trailing just behind them.

Left alone, Cora heads to the study, where there are books on soulmarks and soulmates and magic, carefully hidden in behind a certain removable panel. She has a full night of research ahead of her, and some phone calls to make. Though they are still young now, Cora has a clear future in mind for both her daughters, and none of it has anything to do with soulmates. Because, as she learned long ago, love is weakness, and she will make sure they are not weak.