regina mills has a poisoned heart (poisonedheart) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2018-08-23 16:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | harvey specter, regina mills / evil queen (au) |
WHO: Regina Mills & Harvey Specter
WHERE: Tumbleweed, TX: Once Upon a Pie
WHEN: August 23rd, 2018
WHAT: Flirting and coffee.
WARNINGS: None
STATUS: Complete
As always, Regina was the first one in that morning at the bakery, ready to start baking items fresh for the day. Breads, bagels, donuts, and muffins...it helped that she had a bit of magic to help with the stirring and lifting and moving as she whipped about the room, putting in the work of three people all on her own. She adored this time of day, loving that she could just shut off her brain and work, doing something she loved with no interruptions. She had come in when the morning was still dark and by the time she was done, ready for the day's beginnings to bring her new customers, the sun was just starting to peek out over the town. She smiled at it, still covered in flour and a light sweat, before flipping the store sign over to "OPEN." After one more look at the sun, she turned and headed for the coffee pots, starting the first brews of the day. It wouldn't be long before her first customers trickled in. Usually she covered the very early morning herself, but it wouldn't be long before one of her employees or family members came in right before the morning rush. Tumbleweed would soon be up and ready for work and she was happy to find that she was gathering a dedicated customer base, as she now had regulars. Puttering around, getting the store ready for the day, she almost forgot to clean up after herself until she caught her appearance in one of the mirrors that decorated the walls of Once Upon a Pie. With a flick of her wrist, she was engulfed in a cloud of purple magic and when it dissipated, she was fresh and in a new set of clothes. Winking at herself, she turned when she heard the tinkle of the bell that hung over the front door, indicating her first customer of the day had arrived. "Welcome to Once Upon a Pie where everything is delicious and the apple pie is to die for," she said, while her smile went from its Customer Service Smile to a more playful one when she saw who it was: Mr. Handsome Lawyer, who didn’t know how to stop flirting. “Finally come to try my pie?” There was nothing like the homegrown businesses that sold coffee and pastries, much like the carts Harvey frequented back home. He’d stop in a Starbucks for a caffeine fix, sure, but the places owned by a person and not a corporation tended to feel more at home, a reminder of where he came from. That and the product usually outperformed the bigger competition, made with an attention and care usually lost in the race for profit. Once Upon a Pie also had excellent customer service that he enjoyed seeing on the regular. Regina made it clear he wouldn’t win her over that easily from day one but still enticed him with a free coffee while he tried to make sense of the world he’d just fallen into. Her wit was matched with a very attractive look and mind and, well, Harvey was more than a little intrigued. “When you promise a thrill like that, who am I to turn it down?” Harvey replied as he approached, grinning from ear to ear. “If it’s as good as promised, then I can die a very happy man.” She laughed, as she set about getting a coffee ready for Harvey. He had actually been in here before, though not so early and usually while on the run to a meeting or a client. The brief bits of witticism exchanged didn’t tell much of a story, only that they were both quick with their minds and tongues, and she honestly didn’t know much about him, other than that he was a lawyer. “You better hope for your sake that I like you enough, so that maybe you’ll live to try my cobbler next,” she joked, coming around and offering him the coffee with a small smile. “You’re in here early for once. Trying to beat the morning rush? Or do you have an early morning meeting today?” She remembered when her life had been full of mayoral duties and obligations, that early mornings were on par with her schedule. And while she stayed consistent in being an early rider, this change of pace in work types was nice. It gave her a chance to breathe and enjoy her work, when most of her life had been full of bureaucracy and violence. “If you didn’t like me, you wouldn’t hint that there’s not only the possibility of surviving the apple, but another chance to tempt death beyond,” Harvey replied as he accepted the coffee. The warmth that radiated from the cup reminded him of so many mornings spent at coffee carts, warming his hands on cold Manhattan days. Texas couldn’t claim those temperatures, at least not that he’d heard of, but old habits died hard. Taking a sip gave him a moment to lean against the counter comfortably, savoring the first kick of caffeine about to hit his system. “A little of the former.” More often than not, his mornings consisted of waiting his turn among her regulars, usually only time for a quick conversation, witty sparring, before he had to get to work and she had to move on to the next person or to another task that needed completion. This early, it gave him a little more time to actually talk to her. “I don’t need to be in until later so I thought I’d beat your regulars, enjoy the quiet and quaint shop ambiance I’ve heard so much about in these small towns, strike up a conversation with the proprietor. Already I have some great recommendations on what to try.” She was a little amused and almost completely sure he was full of shit, that he hadn’t come out here this early in the morning just to chat her up. Because while her pies and baked goods were good...well, actually, no, on second thought, she could see him coming around to flirt with her and try her baking. “So then, Mr. Lawyer, what’s it going to be for you, today? Conversation with a side of pie? Or are we going to do a freshly made bagel?” Regina asked, as she leaned back against the counter, one perfectly threaded eyebrow raised. “I woke up feeling adventurous this morning and since you mentioned your pie that’s so delicious it might be deadly, I think I’m going to go with that conversation and pie. See if it’s actually as good as you say it is.” Harvey got the impression that Regina wasn’t easily impressed, not even close, so the chance to turn the tables wasn’t one to pass up. Some people were all talk, no action, but Regina - Regina could walk the talk. His talent for reading people didn’t even hesitate when it came to that. Now the rest of her, a lot still remained a mystery, one he was intrigued by. Smirking, Regina shook her head as she went to grab a plate, fork, and, of course, the slice of pie that was in question. “You’ll be eating your words along with that pie in about a minute. Take a seat, I’ll bring it out to you in a minute,” she called over her shoulder as she worked. There were high tops, booths, and tables all throughout the little bakery, for people that chose to consume their purchases at the store. The free wi-fi tended to bring in the younger crowd, but it was still early enough in the morning that there would still be a few uninterrupted minutes for them to talk. And flirt, it looked like. It wasn’t long before Regina was bringing the pie to where Harvey was sitting. Since it was still just them, she took a seat across from him as she pushed the plate to him. “Alright, Mr. Lawyer, let’s see what you have to say now.” The only response from Harvey was a wide grin. While she went to get the pie, he found a booth, the one that was farthest from the door as he could manage while being close to the counter. Booths tended to be the right kind of spot for quiet conversations and flirting, almost a little more closed off from the world than a table. As the plate slid across to him, he picked up a fork and cut off a piece, making sure it had a nice balance of crust and filling to properly gauge the taste. The moment it entered his mouth, his eyes closed. Damn, that was good. Warm apple, spices, buttery crust, it all mixed together in deliciousness. As much as he could play it off, continue the teasing banter between them, something like that pie deserved genuine compliment. “My grandmother,” he started after swallowing, taking his time in cutting off another piece with his fork, “she was magical in the kitchen. My brother and I were convinced there was nothing she couldn’t make and what she did...I’d swear she could make an innocent man plead guilty just for a taste of her baking, she was that good. What I just had a bite of? That is there.” He lifted his hand in the air to indicate the high quality of the pie. “On its own merits, this is weekend getaway full of sex sinfully good,” he added, motioning to the plate. Her eyes softened just a smidge as he spoke of his grandmother, of the fond memory he had of her baking and the feelings it evoked. Family was everything, that was the pillar holding up her life these days. So she understood the absolute warmth and love infused in those few brief words he had spoken about his grandmother and her cooking. Those were feelings every person deserves to feel and she was touched that her baking called back to those feelings, the sentiment, for him. She was going to offer some sort of thanks, maybe tell him how beautiful that comparison was, when he ruined it by adding exactly what kind of weekend getaway it reminded him of, on the opposite end from the grandmotherly baking he spoke of. Rolling her eyes, she threw a napkin at him. “Had to ruin it, didn’t you?” She asked with a laugh, leaning back into the cushion of the booth. “You would have gotten further talking about your grandmother.” The napkin toss caught him by surprise. Harvey snatched at the napkin at the same time he dropped the fork, forgetting momentarily that he had two hands to use. “Ruin it? I shared something intimate, which isn’t something I usually do,” he stated as he picked up the fork again. Another piece of pie, another slow savoring. “I meant what I said though. Food is...well, it has some meaning in my family. My grandmother was of the school of thought that if it didn’t invoke something in you, it was done wrong,” he continued, cheek slightly puffed out as he spoke. He took a moment to frame his thought, finishing chewing and swallowing. Sitting back in his seat, he regarded her. “You directed me towards the pie, which means it's something you’re proud of. This isn’t bulk bought crust or apple filling, all of it’s made by hand, right?” he murmured, tilting his head. “The work put into it, the recipe, the ingredients, it’s there in this pie. It makes me want more because it tastes so damn good, each bite feels good. At the same time, there’s a little hint of something else there that just feels...a little sinful.” He nodded once. “It’s a memorable mix.” “I still think you’re full of shit,” Regina explained, but her smile wa still firmly there - genuine and playful, not sarcastic like it usually was. “But I’ll still take it. I made my pies each morning by hand. No magic in them, at all. I’m proud of my work with them. It’s nothing like what I’m normally used to doing, you know?” Mayor, Lawyer, Outlaw, Evil Queen...she had memories of so many different lives lived, but in none of them, had she been a baker. At least, not until now. “So, Harvey,” finally using his name at last, “Have you always been a lawyer? Or did you have another life before that part of your life?” “As any good attorney worth their retainer fee is,” Harvey replied good-naturedly, unable to stop the growing smile. Regina was making him work for every inch and he was enjoying every moment of that challenge. She reminded him a little of Jessica in that way, not falling for the very bullshit she easily called him out on. “For something that you’re not normally used to doing, it’s making me wonder if there’s something out there that you can’t do. Absolutely serious, one of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted. The work shines through,” he added, moving away from the teasing for a moment to give her a genuine compliment. There was something about the homemade baking, no pretense approach that gave it something special and knowing the pride she took in it, well, it made sense. He leaned forward, arm resting on the table as he went to work finishing the piece of pie before him. “Well, I tried to be, but they have this rule about infants not being able to take the bar. It’s pretty ageist if you ask me but it did force me to get out and see the world a little more before I made my decision.” Harvey gave her a playful wink before he continued. “Just your standard childhood. Grew up in Brooklyn, my father was a musician, a pain in the ass little brother. Almost played college ball but I destroyed my shoulder.” His awareness of the show made him a little more forthcoming, out there for anyone to see for themselves. Not everything was worth the mention though. “Caught the eye of a partner while I worked in the mailroom at a law firm, she convinced the rest of them that I was worth the investment, and here I am.” Setting down the fork on the plate, he pushed it to one side, gaze steady on Regina. “What about you, Master Chef? What’s your story?” There was the slightest, most minuscule of a hint of a red flush across Regina’s cheekbones as she took the compliment. She didn't try to call it an empty compliment at that point because it sounded like the slick lawyer in front of her was being genuine. Instead she coughed to hide her moment of girlishness and moved on quickly to something else - his questions of her past. “I didn't grow up in a world that you would find typical. There was no Brooklyn or baseball for me like there was for you,” she explained, before gesturing to around them. “You've heard about the Evil Queen from fairy tales, right? That's me. Regina Mills, former enemy of Snow White. Hence, the theme of this place.” There were moments, actions in another person that caused a reaction and the cough, the attempt at covering, brought a wider smile. He ducked his head briefly, almost as if glancing at the plate in front of him to make sure the pie was all gone (it was, he knew it was), before he looked back up at her. Since his arrival in Tumbleweed, Harvey slowly grew used to the idea that there was far, far more out there than he’d grown used to in his forty some years. Adaption was part and parcel of getting on with his life if he wasn’t heading back to his in New York anytime soon, which also meant accepting fictional was real, very real. That included stories he knew of, movies he’d seen, though maybe not as he knew them from the screen or pages. The surprised expression was brief, a raise of the eyebrows, before Harvey tilted his head in acknowledgement. The theme hadn’t crossed his mind before but now that she mentioned it...yeah, he could definitely see it. “So we’re talking castles, knights, that whole thing?” he asked, brow furrowing thoughtfully. “Former. Does that mean you and Snow White came to a truce?” Regina wrinkled her nose, trying to think of the best way to explain what went on with her and Snow. “Snow White’s family now,” she finally decided on. “Sometimes you like your family, sometimes you don’t, but they’re an important part of your life and they’re not going anywhere. But yes, I’m talking the apple, the castle, the mirror mirror on the wall...that was my life, isAlmost.</i> Not enough to ask.” The brains that worked at the military installation in town probably wouldn’t give an answer dumbed down enough for him to understand anyway. He knew a lot but rocket science was not one of those things. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He genuinely would. Their flirting and then small conversation hadn’t even touched on what lay beneath Regina’s surface and Harvey was fascinated. That also wasn’t going to be his last slice of pie. She certainly hadn’t oversold herself there. Rising from his seat as well, Harvey took his plate to the counter, coffee in hand. As he started to head for the door, he hesitated and stepped back. “Any chance you’re free Friday night for a drink?” Looking up from where she was already preparing the drinks for her regulars that were starting to come in, Regina looked obviously surprised by Harvey. She had expected the flirting. She had not expected at what sounded like being asked out. She hadn’t had a real date in a long time. Hadn’t felt like going on one since Robin… Hesitating for only a second longer, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Emma’s in her head told her ‘Go for it! Say yes!’ Nodding, she grinned. “I’d like that. Yes. Send me the details later?” Her surprised expression left him a little caught off guard himself, but her agreement gave him the nudge to recover. He nodded once. “Yeah, I can do that.” The network made it easy enough to get in contact with any of the Displaced so leaving a number wouldn’t be necessary. “I’m looking forward to it.” |