"Well, this is certainly a step up from Granny's. It's almost bigger than your place!"
Emma whispers as she follows Regina up the winding stairs to the attic room of a large house where several of the misfits brought over on Hyde's ship have taken up lodging.
"Not as nicely decorated, though."
Regina replies, inwardly damning the haughty old couple that owns the place for the number of stairs as her heels sink into the plush pile of the carpet that has started to come away from the foundation in areas, demanding a need to cling onto the bannister for safety.
"Oh, well, of course. Naturally, Your Highness."
The blonde chuckles, shaking her head.
"And it's not like you can talk anymore, dear. Your house isn't much smaller than mine. Need I remind you, you have a ballroom."
"Ah. Yeah. I keep forgetting that."
Emma admits, and the brunette glances over her shoulder to see if the younger woman is winding her up, before laughing softly when she deems the Sheriff's response entirely truthful.
"That old thing..."
She teases, wondering curiously just what Emma might have told Hook that had led to the pirate attempting to problem-solve where to put his things, when, so far as she is aware, half of the blonde's house remains all but empty. Deeming this to be a topic she'd be wise to leave well alone, at least for the time being, she simply picks a safer subject to taunt the younger woman with companionably.
"It may be a step up from Granny's, but I doubt Mr and Mrs Boot would have rented you a room here when you first came to town."
"I thought you said they only recently turned the place into an inn?"
"Regardless, my point stands. They might be a pair of old wraiths, but I can't say I'd blame them for being wary of a leather-clad felon sneaking around under their roof."
"Mm. Yeah. I did spend many a night at Granny's sneaking... And I'm not a felon, Regina."
"You were in jail. Twice."
"I'm not sure you drugging me really counts, and Phoenix was a misdemeanour charge."
Emma points out defensively, although when the darker woman mutters something about the chopping off of fingers and hands back in the Enchanted Forest, she supposes there may be certain facets of the law that haven't translated across realms, and she nibbles her lip as it would seem she's come off lightly compared to those committing petty crime under the Queen's rule.
"Still sneaky."
Regina hisses playfully to take the edge off of her goading, and the blonde rolls her eyes, before skirting close to the bannisters to avoid walking too closely past a large oil painting of the house's keepers.
"They do look like wraiths..."
She concedes, earning herself a cruel snicker before the Mayor slows her pace as they reach the door.
"Dr Jekyll?"
She calls, knocking lightly, and she takes a step back as footsteps sound from inside the attic.
"Yes?"
The doctor replies, opening the door and peeking out curiously, and he raises a brow upon recognising his visitors and steps hastily aside to let them in.
"Madame Mayor. Sheriff."
He greets them, sounding slightly flustered as he had not been expecting company.
"What can I do for you?"
"We need to talk to you concerning a decision we've made regarding Hyde."
Regina explains, watching as the doctor perches on the edge of his bed to look up at her uneasily.
"Hyde..."
The man repeats sorrowfully, his cheeks flaring with a dull blush of colour.
"Whatever he's done, I'm sincerely sorry. I'm afraid I don't have any real control over the man, odd as that might sound. I-"
"-Oh, we know."
Emma consoles him tersely, and Regina nods.
"That's why we've come here. Because we can't trust a man no longer tethered to his conscience."
"I wish I'd known how it would all turn out. This wasn't what I wanted... I don't even believe it's what he wanted."
Jekyll sighs unhappily, surprised when the women nod to show their understanding of a fact that must seem crazy to any but himself.
"We more or less figured on that being the case... We don't consider you a threat, as you rid yourself of the very possibility. We have come to consider Hyde thusly, however, and I'm afraid, as our unease over the situation grows, our hospitality wanes. We've come to the decision to send him home. We have the means to do so, but wanted to ask for your choice in the matter. Do you wish to join him, as one? Or do you wish to continue on your own path?"
Regina asks.
"I can't take him back!"
Jekyll recoils physically on the bed at the very idea, and the brunette thins her lips slightly in distaste but says nothing about the man's weakness.
"You can't change your mind about that, doctor. Once we send him home, we can't access your world again."
Emma speaks up, allowing Regina a moment, and Jekyll nods to show his understanding as he hisses fretfully
"Thank god, and good riddance!"
"In that case, what do you plan to do, moving forward?"
The blonde asks with a small frown, looking around the room at the heavy tomes the man has carried up the twisted stairs to pore over by the light of the ancient chandelier centring the ceiling.
"Are you asking me if I mean to stay?"
Jekyll replies, peering up at the Sheriff, and she offers him a small shrug that suggests he might be onto something.
Glancing uneasily at the Mayor, the doctor clears his throat before confiding earnestly
"It's not my intention to overstay any welcome, I assure you. While you have chosen to keep Hyde incarcerated, I've felt trapped here also, by mere design. I felt honour-bound to remain close by in case the man wearing my face caused any disruption or trouble for your town, having unwittingly allowed him to trespass in the first place. If you are to send him home, then, true, he may well cause further issue there, but I believe his manner without my input will soon enough land him back behind bars, and I suppose, short of dispatching him myself, that's the best I can hope for... I must admit, I feel somewhat of a coward, as I fear greatly what it would mean for myself if I were to put a more permanent end to Mr Hyde..."
Jekyll confides uncomfortably, watching as the women share a loaded look before the Mayor assures him diplomatically
"That's not an experiment we feel compelled to enforce upon you, but you must seriously consider the impact of your decision should you refuse to claim him. You may find yourself lacking in certain feelings and emotions, for instance, without that part of yourself that Mr Hyde once called home inside your head."
"I have no use for the feelings and emotions that monster was once a part of!"
Jekyll spits emphatically, watching nervously as the Sheriff appears to grow a little colder in her study of him, while the Mayor simply hitches her shoulders and muses cryptically
"Not all of us have the strength within us to hold both worlds in our hearts."
"I suppose not..."
He agrees uneasily, not quite sure what it is that she means, but content in accepting the two women thinking him a coward if that's what it takes to avoid any further interactions with the hideous creature born from his darker proclivities.
"Well then, Miss Swan's question stands. What do you mean to do now?"
Regina demands.
"Fix the ship. I believe I can do it if you allow me some time. I see no reason to go back to my land, but I've been looking through some of the books in your wonderful library, and it appears that there are others where science has taken new and exciting leaps, where my expertise might be of benefit to those without your most unusual abilities with magic... I admit, when I first set out on my travels, I thought that would be the answer to so many of life's ailments. Merging the two. Science and witchcraft. But I fear it is a dangerous concoction, and thus I am not the man to undertake the task."
The doctor reasons primly, earning himself a rather irritable frown from the brunette as she corrects him silkily
"We do not refer to our talents as 'witchcraft' in my land, doctor."
"Apparently not, and we've already suffered through a couple of guys who have had the balls to try melding the two. It hasn't worked out too well in the past... And, I still think I'd take a trip out of town if I needed surgery, rather than trust Dr Whale."
Emma chips in, muttering this last part to the brunette who nods in agreement with a smirk touching the corner of her mouth.
"Are you sure that's what you want? To move on alone, without your darker tendencies?"
The Mayor asks, and the doctor nods; relieved that it appears the others have no intention to force him to face his inner demons made flesh.
"Well then, we will provide you with not just the time to fix the ship, but aid. I believe we may be able to spare a few bodies if you point them in the right direction. In return, you must agree to take along any who wish to accompany you from the rabble accumulated by Hyde when he set forth on his doomed journey. We've been taking down names and details of those who entered our town on the ship and will share these with you accordingly."
"Of course."
Jekyll agrees readily, before adopting a cautious inflexion to his tone as he asks tentatively
"...When do you mean to do it? To banish my darker half?"
Glancing to her side to share a look with the blonde, Regina accepts the small nod Emma gives her as permission to make this decision, and she turns back to the doctor.
"Tomorrow. Noon."
"If you want to go and talk to him, we'll tell the staff at the hospital to expect you."
The Sheriff offers, and Jekyll shakes his head vehemently before digging blunt nails into sallow cheeks and choking out
"Please... I may not show... But..."
"We'll make sure access is granted if you do."
Regina assures knowingly, looking once more to her side to check that there's nothing more they mean to say, before bidding the doctor farewell.
"I will have someone come to speak to you about the ship."
She advises as she turns to take her leave with Emma at her heels.
"Thank you. That's kind."
Jekyll replies, walking them out to the door and locking it behind them.
"See?... Not such a terrible conversation after all."
Regina murmurs once out of earshot.
"No, that went well."
Emma agrees.
"Let's just hope the next one goes as smoothly."
The brunette sighs, leading them down and out of the grand house towards her car so that they may leave and prepare themselves to talk with Henry.