After mediation for Rosalind was put to rest and the case against the Sanctuary was won by their side, Regina requested a week off from work and got it, since things were relatively calm at the firm for the moment and she rarely asked for time off. But she felt like she needed it this time around, having back to back cases that required actual court appearances she had been having over the last couple of months.
The first thing she had done was book herself a suite at Galdin Quay after confirming with Henry a billion times that he would be okay being on his own for a few days. The second thing she had done was hop onto Tag! and find herself someone interesting to get lost in for a couple of days, rarely spending a day at her place for those few days.
Now, she was enjoying the last half of her vacation time with Rogue at the spa located at Galdin Quay, sipping on mimosas and pretending the drudgery of life wasn’t waiting for them once they left the resort.
“I honestly don’t know how we’re expected to leave this place willingly,” Regina explained, as she smiled widely at the handsome server, switching out her empty mimosa glass for a full one, as they lounged around in the indoor spa pool. Regina had chosen to wear the smallest bikini she could find, though others were in robes or more conservative suits.
Rogue snorted at the comment before taking a drink of her mimosa. It had been a nice break from the real world, a chance to relax and not have to think too hard about everything. She loved her daughter, she truly did, but four was a whirlwind of chaos. Different from the toddler stage with a lot more words that she could truly understand and actual conversations could be had, but the endless energy was another thing. Especially since naps were apparently not a thing any longer.
Why did kids hate naps? Rogue was certain she’d add one to every single day if it was at all possible. Alas.
She’d taken to wearing a green bikini, not quite as revealing as Regina’s but showing more skin than she had when she was younger. It was nice having the freedom to wear whatever and not worrying about sending anyone into a coma. Something she still didn’t ever take for granted, no matter how many years it’d been since she’d gotten control.
“I reckon its just supposed to make us keep on bookin’ new dates for this sorta thing. And thanks for the invite.” Rogue raised her glass in salute to the other woman.
“Well, good on them because I’ve already booked my next spa weekend already,” Regina said, laughing as she lifted her glass in Rogue’s direction and then took a swig of her drink. It went down smoother than it should have, a testament to how many she had already. “How is your superpowered toddler doing anyway? Any new abilities crop up?” She wouldn’t have been surprised. Anka Irene had an umbrella full of tricks. “And how’s that man of yours? Mr. Turtleneck? Happy the cooler weather is coming in, I’m assuming?” She probably would eventually get to know the man, but he was a lot quieter than she had initially expected someone like him to be.
It made her wonder what he might have brewing, given what Regina knew about comic books.
“Thankfully no new abilities have cropped up lately.” Having the ability to alter reality was a big enough one to tackle with a four year old. The rest of her daughter’s powers paled in comparison to that one and it was the trickiest one to teach control over. So far no one had disappeared and nothing besides the occasional metal toy suddenly being able to speak was happening though.
“And Erik’s doin’ fine. Busy with his work at the workshop Brigitte runs and utilizin’ his abilities over there.” No nefarious plotting was needed when they weren’t needing to hide who they were and what they could do like in Tumbleweed. “What about you? How’s that kid of yours?”
“Probably for the best. At this point, what can’t she do, right?” It’s how Regina felt about Henry’s potential, thankful that he was smart enough to not use his abilities as the Author. Well, most of the time. Sometimes life had a way of forcing your hand.
Sighing, she craned her neck from left to right. “He’s...a teenager. You’re going to love that phase, by the way. Some days I can talk to him, other days, he’s rolling his eyes so hard at me that they’re about to pop out of his head. But I’m sure it’s normal, it being a bit difficult at this stage in life, until he grows into his adulthood and I can stop feeling like I have to smother him all of the time.” Biting her lip, she added, “But I’d take those growing pains any day over trying to figure out whether I should be getting involved with men again.”
Rogue was in no rush for the teenage years, preschool was old enough for now. She knew how stubborn she’d been as a teenager and all the trouble she’d gotten up to. Though, technically, her mothers had wanted her to get into all of that trouble. Anka Irene wouldn’t have the same terroristic upbringing if she could help it. At least not if they remained in Vallo. Who knew what lay ahead if they ended up elsewhere.
But Rogue arched a brow at the last part that Regina had said. “They can be more work than their worth sometimes.” Until one managed to lasso themselves a good one. “But is there a man you’re wantin’ to get involved with? Somethin’ that’s more’n just a lil bit of fun?”
Given Thurvishar's low sex drive, there wasn't actually a lot of "just fun" behavior between them. Which is what had Regina messed up in the first place. If it had just been sex, she knew how to handle that. But it was more than that between them. There were...feelings. And a desire to make sure the other was okay. Not to mention how he has dragged her zombified ass back from Interitus at great risk to himself or how she made sure he was eating well and taking breaks so he couldn't overwork himself into an early grave.
But she said none of that, wasn't quite ready to get into the details. It's why whenever Bonnie or Caroline raised knowing eyebrows at her when the topic of Thurvishar came up, she ignored them and changed whatever subject they are on.
However, with Rogue who didn't have the same youthful optimism that the younger women in her life did or desire to push Regina toward what they saw was something that would make her happy, she felt a little more comfortable admitting the following; "Perhaps. But he plays his cards close to his chest and I don't know if I want to complete my disappointment in relationships with a trifecta." Not to mention she was a Black Widow: Every real relationship she had, ended with her partner's death.
Rogue was all too familiar with men who kept their cards close to their chests. It wasn’t always the easiest to figure out what to do with them, painful realities just a step away but so was the chance of blossoming possibilities. No matter what it was a lot of hard work though. Relationships never came easy, that was a fallacy of youth. Good ones required constant work and communication.
“You’re never really gonna know unless you try, but its all a balancin’ act and somethin’ only you can really answer, Regina. Askin’ and takin’ that step forward has a lot of pros and cons, but you already know that.” It didn’t even really come down to which list was longer, but how much of oneself anyone was willing to put forward.
Regina knew that Rogue was only speaking truthful words, but it didn't help clarify if this was something she wanted to push forward or not. But she knew, at the very least, she could maintain the status quo between them indefinitely, as long as Thurvishar did too.
"You're not wrong about any of that," Regina said with a sigh, before shifting on her lounger and fixing Rogue with a smirk. "But thankfully I'm in no rush to find out if I want to take that step yet. There's still a whole list of possibilities through Tag! I want to explore and he doesn't seem to mind that."
“Then I reckon you should enjoy those possibilities until one of you does wanna do more than what you are.” That moment might never happen, but there was little point in waiting around for it to occur if one of them wasn’t ready to take a step forward. At least in Rogue’s opinion.
“But also, our lives are pretty much what we decide to make of them here. And fear ain’t somethin’ that usually stops you from goin’ for what you want,” she pointed out. Fear was a healthy response, usually. Everyone was afraid of one thing or another, but letting it keep you from living life was where to became people’s downfall.
Regina had vowed never to put her life on hold for anyone ever again. The only exception was Henry, but he didn’t need her static and unchanging anymore. They were both doing a lot of changing and growing these days.
So she nodded, agreeing with Rogue’s approach. “Until something shifts, I’m happy with what I have right now. I’m fine with waiting to revisit this until then. Now…” she trailed off, spotting a waiter that had been giving her eyes for at least the last twenty minutes. Regina nodded at him, drawing Rogue’s attention that way. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go climb that man and then meet you at our next spa appointment.”
It was the best way to approach things sometimes. No point in shaking things up until one was ready to. Rogue raised her glass, not at all surprised by the request. “Treat yourself.” Wasn’t that the phrase? “I’ll meet you there.”
For now she was going to lay back and listen to her audiobook while continuing to drink her champagne.