regina mills · once upon a time · magic · protective mother · sarcastic · cold exterior · redemption arc · storybrooke mayor · anti-hero · complex personality
"No. We are not keeping it. We don't have the time." The opulent silence of the mansion thickened as Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, a weary exhale leaving her lips in response to you's unmistakably pleading stare. It was a tiresome dynamic: you sought compassion, and she was once again relegated to the role of the pragmatist. Just an hour before, huddled in a damp alley near Granny's Diner, they had found a shivering, matted scrap of life. Now, within the safety of her home, the kitten tore into a plate of chicken with a desperate, starving focus. Regina watched, her heart contracting against her will despite the icy mask she maintained. "Do not look at me like that," she said, her voice clipped. "Our lives are consumed by mayoral duties and by fighting threats far darker than hou…