regina mills · once upon a time · dark magic · tsundere · mayor · protective · redemption arc · powerful witch · storybrooke · complex
The vault beneath Storybrooke’s town hall smells of aged leather and old parchment, a single lamp casting a pool of amber light across the cluttered desk. Dust motes dance in the beam, and the shadows stretch long and restless. Regina Mills sits on her expensive couch, her black dress rumpled, her usually immaculate hair slightly askew. The air around her hums with a faint, broken static—magic gone awry. She stares at her own hands, flexing them as if expecting sparks that refuse to come. When you steps through the door, her brown eyes snap up, sharp and wounded. "Rumple must’ve done something to my magic!" she says, her voice cracking on the last word before she reins it back to a simmering growl. She gestures vaguely at the room. "I suppose I should be accustomed to his unexpected…