and i hope it gets to you on some pacific wind

[madehervows]

Who: Regina Mills & Michonne
Where: Michonne's room
When: June 14th
Rating: PG for discussions of death, likely.
Summary: Michonne's isolating herself again, Regina's had enough.
The Story:

[It doesn't exactly take Regina long to notice the absence of Michonne in her life. When they're neighbours and at this point, BFFs, it's pretty noticeable when Michonne isn't around on some level. She'd worry that she'd been sent home permanently, if not for the fact she hears her, sometimes.

But days turn into a week, into two and Regina is worried.

She could just teleport in, but she won't. That would be rude. Instead, she knocks and waits.]

Comments

[thesamurai]

[ Look, she's trying. This is the first day she hasn't opened a bottle of booze and has pushed herself to not drink anything that isn't water and to eat. So that has to count for something. Still, it's not enough to hide the circles that are dark under her eyes, and the fact that they're visible really says something.

At the knock, Michonne runs through the short list of people it might be and decides she's fine seeing any of them, so she answers, face to face with Regina. Then, she just wordlessly steps aside.

All the furniture is new. Every single piece of it. ]

Need a cup of sugar?

[madehervows]

[Regina might be worried, but that's not going to stop her from examining the state of Michonne's room as she enters. The furniture is obvious, and as she has an almost scathing remark on the tip of her tongue, the other discrepancy clicks.

The room is smaller. Say, for one person instead of two.

Regina swallows down her remark and turns to Michonne.]

... Are you okay?

[thesamurai]

[ If this were any other person - anyone - Michonne would just nod and follow up with 'what do you need?' because she doesn't want anyone to feel obligated to check on her. But it's Regina, and she can't bring herself to lie, even by omission.

Besides, her silences gives a pretty big answer.

Sitting down on her couch, she leans over and clasps her hands in front of her, jaw squaring as she gets ready to say the words out loud. ]

Andrea left. For good.

[ She pauses for a second, because the only other people who know this are Dean, Clementine, and whoever that guy was with her; Michonne never stopped to get a name. ]

I died. Turned into a walker. Clementine, she's..younger than Henry. She found me, put me down.

[madehervows]

[The silence tells Regina everything she needs to know. At least, about Michonne's current state. She joins Michonne on the couch, giving her space but staying close enough to reach out if she needs to.]

I'm sorry.

[It's quiet, filling the silence before Michonne continues.

When she does, Regina's gut drops because no. She knows Michonne has died once already, at Zelena's hand no less, but this... And a child not only finding her, but putting her down?]

What -- [She swallows, almost afraid to ask.] What happened?

[thesamurai]

Something stupid.

[ Michonne takes a deep breath, letting it out as she looks down at the floor and wets her lips. ]

Before the blizzard, I was out. Didn't want a roommate, just wanted to be alone. It was cold but it was clear, so I camped out. Overnight, things got real fucked, real fast.

[ She honestly can't believe she froze to death, it's such bullshit. ]

[madehervows]

[For a brief second, Regina can feel her mom voice about to come out. But Michonne feels bad enough and she isn't Henry.]

If I'd known -- [She cuts herself off. They both know looking for Michonne in a blizzard would have been a terrible idea, but she would have.] I'm sorry.

[There's not a lot she can say, considering the circumstances.]

I was going to ask if you wanted a drink, but I think you've -- understandably -- had enough of those. [A beat.] I can go, if you want to be alone. But maybe we could --

[GOD THIS IS WEIRD SHE ISN'T THE ONE WHO SUGGESTS THESE THINGS. THIS IS SNOW'S DEPARTMENT.]

We could watch a few movies and think about anything but what happened?

[thesamurai]

[ YOU'RE DOING SO GOOD, SWEETIE. ]

Loneliness is a choice, right? I need to...get back into things. See people. Watch whatever movies meet your standards. Which I'm so damn curious about now, that I'll even pop popcorn.

[ Regina's right, though - no booze for a while. ]

[madehervows]

[SHE'S TRYING...

Michonne's question strikes a chord with her, for so many reasons.]

It is. [She looks away.] The easy choice, but not necessarily the right one. I should know.

[But enough about that.]

Well, now I feel like I'm going to be judged.

[thesamurai]

I walked around blending in with the dead for months. Probably not the best choice. It was easy, though.

[ Yes, yes, moving on. ]

I'm not gonna judge you, you could turn me into an animal or something.

[madehervows]

... Do you ever feel clean now?

[Yeah her mind went there.]

Sorry.

[She's quick to laugh, because.]

I could, but that was never really my style. But alright, alright. Let me think for a moment.

[thesamurai]

Honestly?

[ Michonne looks over at Regina, raising an eyebrow. ]

Every time I've left and come back, I take a shower for a couple hours. That smell is...hard to get out. Death likes to stick around.

[ But ANYWAY. ]

You strike me as an 'anything but romantic comedies' type.

[madehervows]

[It does, especially when you murder entire villages and leave their corpses in a ditch. Wisely, Regina doesn't say that.

She does get an idea, though.]

One good thing about Wonderland, I suppose. Easy access to everything you need to get rid of the smell.

[A beat.]

Romantic comedies and Disney.

[thesamurai]

[ For some reason, that comment delights Michonne, and she laughs, shaking her head a little. ]

Yeah, if I were you, I'd have a real damn bone to pick with Disney. Somehow got the bare bones of the story right but screwed up the rest. Guess the truth wouldn't have made a fun theme park.

[madehervows]

[Regina gives a little smile because victory.]

The truth rarely does. The idea that heroes and villains are people instead of ideas tends not to sit well with people, I think.

[thesamurai]

Fuck those people.

[ Truly. ]

I see villainous shit every day and trust me when I say the the things you've done don't hold a candle. The man who beat the shit out of a pregnant woman's husband until his eyes came out of his head is a real person. Not an idea on paper of an asshole. A real, functioning piece of shit out in the world. So.

[ Whoops, she got serious and angry about home again, so she pauses, and in the ensuing silence: ]

Caddyshack. We're watching Caddyshack.

[madehervows]

[Regina honestly just wants to laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh but she doesn't. She isn't Charming, she actually has tact. Instead, she gives a silent nod because they were supposed to be avoiding talks like this.

She's grateful for the abrupt change and decision.]

Alright. You set it up, I'll get some snacks.

[thesamurai]

[ She doesn't know why she picked this dumb, old, pretty white guy movie. But there's something about having watched it as a kid, safe, tucked against her dad, and it popped into her head as a choice of comfort. She gets the movie out of the closet though, getting everything set up before looking at Regina. Her face is a little softer, trying to let go of whatever she was feeling before she came over. ]

Thank you. For doing this. Watching a stupid movie. Just being here.

[ Michonne doesn't get sentimental or...mushy much. But she wants Regina to know she means it, that this is important. It's something neither one of them gets enough of back home, probably. ]

[madehervows]

[Regina pops a massive bag of popcorn and gets them a variety of drinks -- non-alcoholic, because she's sticking to that and joins Michonne back on the couch.]

There's nowhere I'd rather be.

[Unless there's a Henry emergency but THERE ISN'T.]