aliana-winchester:

reginamills-yourqueen:

Regina walked at a quick pace, unfazed by the beauty of her office. It had been decorated as a sign of her mourning, so she never much wanted to look at it for very long. However, at Aliana’s compliment, she began scouring the room with new eyes. The two colors really did pop next to each other. How had she not noticed it before? She turned her head toward Aliana’s and smiled warmly. “Thank you, dear. I designed it myself,” she informed, her eyes following Aliana’s as they spotted her apple tree. “Those apples are cured to perfection, dear. I have been growing them myself almost my whole life. It’s a tree from childhood that I’ve brought with me everywhere I go. Don’t worry, dear. I like that about you. There’s a reason I hired you,” she complimented, winking at her. 

Aliana followed Regina outside to their vehicles. Both weren’t new, but they weren’t old either. She followed the mayor in her car to the end of town with the diner called Granny’s. From there, she looked around, she could walk to a number of places. This must be the downtown area of Storybrooke, she decided. She smiled at Regina as they both got out of their cars. “Diners are one of the social places of towns, I’ve learned,” she commented, looking up at the sign. “You can hear a lot of whispers and gossip in there, as well.”

Regina lead Aliana to their cars and strolled off at an easy pace. This was her town. She wasn’t going to speed, especially with an employee in tow. So, she took her time around each corner, hoping many of the citizens weren’t out and about. She hadn’t been on good terms with them since the Archie incident. So, as they arrived at Granny’s, Regina peaked around each corner, making sure the coast was clear. She knew that Ruby and Granny would be there, but she was okay with that. She just didn’t want a scene. However, as Aliana joined her outside of her car and spoke, Regina tensed even more. “Yes. I suppose,” she hesitated, her eyes slightly widening as she lead Aliana into Granny’s and slide into a booth. She hoped Aliana wouldn’t pick up any of the gossip centered around her here.