all friendship comes with a price | reginaaa (:

[Oswin Oswald]

All right, so maybe wandering off in the middle of the forest on the outskirts of Storybrooke wasn't the best idea in the world. But, Oswin had needed something to do while the Doctor performed a bit of maintenance on the TARDIS, and exploring the forest seemed like the only thing to do at the time. Besides, if she got lost (which would never happen because Oswin Oswald didn't get lost), all she'd need to do was radio the Doctor from the communicator around her wrist.

It was...oddly peaceful and even a little normal to just go walking in the woods. Oswin usually shunned any normality these days, but it was sort of nice to relax a little after her adventures with the Doctor. There would be so many more to come, too...but, for now, Oswin was perfectly content with just talking a walk. Strange how quiet these woods were...especially considering what lay in the town beyond them. Had anyone even realized that this town existed? Surely, there had to be some official record...or had the curse taken care of that?

Well, magic could do quite a few things, Oswin decided, having seen it for herself on occasion. She much preferred her world of technology, but it had been rather interesting to see honest-to-goodness magic at work. How many people got to see that in their lives, after all? Oswin had seen more in the past two months than most people ever would, magic included.

A rustling noise nearby suddenly caught her attention, and Oswin turned around to find the source. No one. She frowned, peering a little closer at the brush. "Hello? Someone there?" Strange...well, then again, she did suppose it was a forest. It was probably just an animal that got a little too curious and scampered off once she turned. However, as she turned to walk away, Oswin heard it again, coming from a little way away. Well. Her curiosity wasn't going to let this go unchecked, and ignoring the niggling feeling of foreboding in the back of her head, Oswin pressed on.

She continued through the woods, the rustling leading her down a path nearby, back towards the town. Too curious to really think about what might happen if she found the source, Oswin followed until finally, she emerged from the woods in what looked like someone's yard. A large apple tree grew in the center, and a large house rose beyond that. Oswin knew this place...this was Regina's house. Had she led her here for some reason?

"Regina?" Oswin called, curious as to why she'd been taken here of all places.

"Regin-aaaaaaah!" Her call suddenly turned into a shout of surprise as something flashed in front of her eyes, engulfing her in a bright light. Blinded, Oswin stumbled backward, catching a glimpse of someone retreating into the bushes before the light completely consumed her.

Had anyone heard her cry, they certainly wouldn't find what they were expecting outside.

[Regina Mills]

Though staying indoors was most likely the best thing for her right now, Regina wasn't sure how much longer she could manage it without going insane. She'd already cleaned the large and now entirely too empty house until it was spotless, rearranged the furniture several times, spent countless hours out tending to her apple tree and garden, baked more apple turnovers and other various sweets than were ever realistically going to be consumed - anything to keep her mind off of Henry, and to distract herself from the nagging temptation of opening up her mother's book again.

Recently, however, she was running out of things to keep herself busy with, and her thoughts were beginning to stray dangerously. That afternoon, she'd very nearly given in. Literally - she'd been sitting on the sofa, delicately tracing the bindings of the book with her fingers, already feeling the power that drew her to it...when a familiar voice called from outside. Regina straightened her posture, her brow furrowing a little as she stilled and listened attentively. That had sounded very much like Oswin - but why would Oswin be calling her from the back yard? If she'd dropped by for a visit, surely she would have used the front door. Before Regina got to wonder about it any further, however, Oswin's voice rang out again - and this time it broke off midway in a shout. That had absolutely not sounded good and, scowling slightly, Regina quickly set aside the book and stalked quickly towards the back door. It wasn't incredibly uncommon for her to have trespassers, people who still wanted vengeance against their former queen, but if they'd stooped to attacking Oswin just because she'd happened to be there? Well, this time Regina wasn't going to be quite so forgiving of them.

As she stormed out of her home, she'd prepared herself for whatever commotion on behalf of Storybrooke's angrier residents that she'd need to deal with - but she most certainly hadn't prepared herself for the sight that greeted her. Oswin, it transpired, was nowhere to be seen. Instead her gaze landed on a creature unlike any Regina had seen before - one she was fairly certain was not native to Storybrooke. A mechanical, robotic, downright dangerous looking thing, more like an elaborately built weapon than anything. "What on earth...?" she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she took a cautious step towards it. There was no telling what this...being was capable of - but the fact was, a moment ago she'd heard Oswin scream, and this creature could very well be the cause.

"Where is Oswin? Have you done something to her?" Regina asked sharply as she advanced a little further, her tone cold and formidable...though she had know way of knowing for sure that this robotic sort of thing would even understand her. She most certainly wasn't in the mood for games, and if it turned out that this creature was in fact responsible for the disappearance of the other woman, then it wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Regina Mills. Oh no - it'd very soon be dealing with the Evil Queen, and she wouldn't bother making any attempts to hold back.

[Oswin Oswald]

As the light slowly faded away, Oswin blinked. Or, she tried to, at least. There was something wrong with her vision, she noticed. It was blurred slightly and just a little distorted, almost as if she were seeing everything from a screen, instead of viewing it first-hand.

Her gaze raised up to the door as it opened and Regina strode out, clearly angry. Was something wrong? She must have heard Oswin scream and was coming out to deal with whatever it was. Though...why she was still angry when Oswin was perfectly unharmed (apart from the fact that she couldn't blink...that was a bit odd) was a mystery to her.

"RE-GIN-A."

Had she had the means too, Oswin would have clapped her hands over her mouth. No. No. Her mechanical voice mangled a cry of horror as she rolled backwards, away from Regina. She barely heard what Regina said afterwards, but as she strode down, Oswin raised her...her gaze. No. Not her eyestalk. Never her eyestalk, she couldn't...but, she was. No! No, she was human.

Wait...oh, god, Regina didn't know her. Oswin rolled...walked backwards just a little, looking up at her. "RE-GIN-A. DON'T YOU KNOW ME? IT'S OS-WIN." This had to be some sick, horrifying dream. She'd had similar ones, but none of them felt so real. No. No, she must have fallen asleep outside the TARDIS and dreamed her walk through the woods and dreamed this because there was no possible way she could have become a Dalek now. The conversion had taken weeks to complete, it couldn't take place in a matter of seconds!

But...Regina. It hurt to see the woman she considered her friend glaring at her with such hatred. Almost like...almost like the Doctor had in the Asylum, when he'd found out what she'd truly become. Oswin felt sick just remembering it and seeing that anger reflected in Regina's eyes...oh, god it was real.

"NO." Emotion was unable to be conveyed with a Dalek's voice, but there was a note of horror that could be detected in Oswin's. "RE-GIN-A, IT'S ME. I PRO-MISE. PLEASE...HELP." Surely, her magic could do something?

[Regina Mills]

Regina froze, eyes narrowed in anger and suspicion, when the...whatever it was called her by her name. It shouldn't have known her name. Unless - had someone sent it after her? Had Oswin merely been unfortunate enough to get in the way? She lingered for a moment, still plainly hostile but now uncertain as well. But the moment of hesitation was enough to distract her until the robotic creature spoke again - and this time, Regina's expression switched from one of cold anger to clear, blatant shock. She blinked several times, wondering whether she'd misheard or whether perhaps this was all some magic-induced haze...she'd been experiencing a few of those lately, oddly enough, though she supposed using magic again after twenty-eight years simply took some adjustment.

What would this thing have to gain from claiming to be Oswin? Regina regarded it suspiciously, uncertain of how to immediately respond. There was absolutely no way it could be her...was there? No, it had to be some sort of trick, and she wasn't going to display any sort of vulnerability by falling for it. She growled slightly, taking another step forward even as the mechanical being rolled backwards a little - why hadn't it attacked her yet? What was it waiting for? Surely it didn't really expect her to believe...

The next time it spoke, however, Regina was hit by another wave of hesitation just as she'd begun to convince herself of how ridiculous all of this was. It was asking for her help. She was probably imagining that fear-stricken tone, anthropomorphizing ... but...what if it was true? Storybrooke, of all places, was hardly somewhere where one could rightly claim that anything was impossible. What if magic had done this? Regina couldn't understand why someone would target Oswin, and why they would choose to turn her into this - she would have guessed that perhaps it had been unintentional, perhaps someone had simply overlooked the warning that all magic came with a price, but...Oswin had been attacked right outside Regina's house. Nothing was making any particular amount of sense right now, and she wasn't sure what to believe.

"...Oswin?" she tried tentatively at last, carefully studying it - her - as if expecting to be able to read any signs of deception. It was, as predicted, impossible to interpret any emotion by just staring. But if this really was Oswin, if something had happened, then Regina couldn't really begin to imagine the terror and confusion she must be feeling. The thought stirred something that the former queen most certainly wasn't used to feeling: apprehension and concern, and not on her own behalf. Not wanting to get ahead of herself, however, Regina furrowed her brow. She was still unable to tear her gaze away from Oswin...or what Oswin had become...but her expression had gradually become less hostile and more uneasy. It was another moment before she managed to speak next, unable to suppress the bewilderment that edged her tone. "...What...what happened to you...?"

[Oswin Oswald]

Oswin's relief was only displayed outwardly by her eyestalk dropping for a moment. Regina knew it was her...and maybe she would have someway to get her out of this nightmare. Had she a human heart, it would have been pounding in terror. What if this was permanent? She'd already escaped being a Dalek forever once, who was to say she'd escape again? What would the Doctor say, if he saw her like this? Where her adventures over? Oswin couldn't bear to see him look at her like his other self had...it would hurt too much. And then, what? She'd be left behind, never to see another new place again, forever trapped as a Dalek. Tears might have pricked at her eyes, had she eyes that actually had tear ducts.

"I DON'T KNOW. THERE WAS A LIGHT AND THEN. THIS." Her outward voice might have sounded calm and unemotional, but had Regina been able to hear Oswin's human voice, any number of emotions would have been evident. Fear. Sadness. Anxiety. Most pure horror at what she had become again. Could she even stay close to Regina without exterminating her? "SOME-ONE WAS THERE." She swiveled around to look at the brush where she'd seen someone disappear just moments ago. How she was staying calm and sane right now was a mystery. Or, maybe it just appeared that way. On the inside, Oswin's mind was a mass of thoughts, mostly concerns about what was going to happen now.

"RE-GIN-A. PLEASE. YOU WILL HELP ME?" Oh god, she couldn't bear to keep hearing her voice sounding like that. That voice that haunted her nightmares and even some of her waking moments...now come to life due to whatever it is that happened to her. Strong as she was, Oswin was feeling the distinct urge to curl up and cry, to recreate that world in her head where everything was okay and she was perfectly human. Unfortunately, a Dalek curling up and crying would probably be a rather ridiculous sight and she didn't really want to subject Regina to that. Actually, Oswin wasn't even sure that was possible....

No, no. That didn't matter now. Unfortunately, something else did, and that was informing Regina of what she knew. "THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAP-PENED TO ME, RE-GIN-A." This was the worst way to tell this story. Oswin hated telling it at all, but it needed to be said. "IT DID NOT HAP-PEN IN THIS WAY. AND THIS COULD NOT HAVE HAP-PENED IN THE SAME WAY, IT TOOK LON-GER." Ugh, not having her normal voice was starting to get irritating as well as horrifying. Oswin missed being able to explain things quickly, it would have made all of this so much easier. Being stuck speaking like this forever...well, perhaps it wasn't as horrifying as other things that would change, but still...

[Regina Mills]

A light...? Regina furrowed her brow, trying to think what this could mean. It did sound like magic, from what she'd heard thus far, but the fact was...there were only a handful of magic-users in Storybrooke who were skilled enough to do something like this. She could obviously rule herself out, and she doubted Mr. Gold - as much mischief as he was capable of causing - would go out of his way to do something like this for no particular reason when he had plenty of other things to worry about right now. That left the Blue Fairy - Regina's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought; Blue had been a woman she'd never trusted, but again the motive wasn't there - and...and Cora.

Regina paled a little at the thought. Could...Cora have done this? As far as she knew, Oswin had never done anything to incur her mother's wrath, but if Cora had ever caught wind of them...of them being friends...well, Regina knew far better than anyone what her mother tended to do to the people her daughter cared about. She tried to fight off the horror that was slowly rising within her. If this was her fault, if Oswin was suffering because of her...

Well, she could think about that later. Right now she needed to focus. Attempting to clear her thoughts, she stared down at...Oswin with as calm an expression as she could manage, trying to appear as though she was confident in her own ability to fix this. "Of course I'll help you. If magic's done this, then - then we can fix it. It's going to be alright." Regina tried to reassure her, even as her own mind raced. If Cora was behind this, could it be fixed? As powerful as her own magic was, her mother's was all that and more. Any curse could be broken, if one had the power to break it, but the problem was that Regina wasn't sure that she did.

And then it occurred to her: her mother's book. She'd been fighting not to use it, but - if it held the spell that had been used on Oswin, then it would also have the one they'd need to reverse this. Yes, that could work. It would have to, because Regina wasn't sure what else she could do if it didn't. Before she could voice the idea and rush off to retrieve it, however, Oswin spoke again, her next words making Regina freeze where she was. ..This had happened to her before? If it had taken considerably longer the first time, then it most likely hadn't been magic then. Curses like these tended to be quick and sudden. But then, how had it happened? This was hardly what anyone would consider a common occurrence, after all, but...then again, in Oswin's travels, there was no telling what sorts of things she'd gone up against.

Despite her unease, she knew that whatever Oswin was feeling must be considerably worse. These memories weren't the sort that were pleasant to trigger, Regina realized - but the more information she had, the better the chance of fixing this was. "When was this?" she asked quietly, though her words carried a certain sense of urgency. "How did it happen the first time?" And more importantly, how had Cora known about it? Though perhaps she didn't have to - there were spells that could have accomplished this sort of thing without having to know, spells that brought the victim's worst fears to life, spells that sought out what would make them the most unhappy and brought that unhappiness to reality. She tensed a little at the thought. "Oswin, I think I know what happened here - and I think I know how to fix it, but I'm going to have to leave you alone for a moment while I go and get the...materials I need. It'll only take a couple of seconds, and then I'll be back. Alright?" She wanted to make sure Oswin understood and agreed before actually going to get Cora's book - something told Regina she was in no state to be left alone for very long right now.

[Oswin Oswald]

Regina's show of false confidence wasn't too convincing for Oswin, mostly because she'd put on that act multiple times in a more light-hearted setting. But, it was just a bit reassuring to know she wouldn't be alone in trying to solve this, that perhaps this could be solved at all. Confronting the Doctor like this...Oswin didn't even want to think about it right now, much less experience it. Before, he hadn't just been full of hatred...he'd been afraid too. Afraid of what looked like one of the creatures that had destroyed his entire race. No...Oswin couldn't see him and he couldn't see her. Not like this. She'd stay here if it meant not having him looking at her like that again.

Wishing she could shut her eyes to block out the memories, Oswin instead looked up at Regina. "BE-FORE. BE-FORE I CAME TO THIS PLACE. BE-FORE I TRAVELED WITH THE DOC-TOR." The mystery of how she'd come here in the first place hadn't been one for long. Oswin had fallen through some sort of rift, a portal to another world that apparently held a sort of ability to change people, for when she'd arrived here, she'd been human. The Doctor hadn't been able to provide answers for that, but really, at the time, Oswin hadn't been in a position to question it anyway. She still wasn't, if it came right down to it. But...perhaps that did have something to do with this?

No, the transformation had been strictly magical. Something to do with dimensional rifts and such would have been picked up by the TARDIS, wouldn't it? "A CON-VER-SION." Oswin responded, still mentally cringing at that voice. If she never heard it again, it would be too soon. "WHAT I AM...REAL ONES. THEY CON-VER-TED ME FOR MY MIND. THEY NEED-ED GEN-IUS." And from what she remembered (more and more now, though her dreams), it had been one of the most painful experiences a person could go through, being hooked up to wires and machines and feeling the humanity slowly slipping away...Her outer casing shook ever so slightly as she shuddered. No, no. Thoughts like that wouldn't do anything now.

"RIGHT. YES. GO, I WILL STAY HERE." Oswin was just the tiniest bit glad that her voice, terrfying as it was, didn't display emotion. Had it been able to, Regina might have heard everything Oswin was feeling, and that....well, no one wanted to hear someone they were close to in such pain. As soon as Regina was out of sight, Oswin rolled back slightly into the woods, perhaps hiding herself away just a little. The residents of Storybrooke were likely to question seeing a Dalek in the backyard of the Evil Queen. Oswin wasn't a fool, she knew that she could be mistaken for a weapon, and Regina didn't deserve any trouble on her account. Her eyestalk dropped, and for just a little while, Oswin allowed herself to wallow in her misery.

Dalek voice boxes weren't built for crying, but there had to be a first time for everything.

[Regina Mills]

Now wasn't the time to stop and contemplate what Oswin was telling her - there would be plenty of time for that later, once they fixed this. Even so, there was a moment's pause in which she took the information in. There were...more of these things. They'd converted her. And now, likely because of Cora, Oswin was reliving that nightmare. Regina wasn't sure she'd be able to bring herself to tell her who had done this, and why. She should have known this would happen - as long as she was present, her mother would always find a way to destroy every positive relationship in her life. Regardless of whether or not Oswin would hate her when she found out, however, Regina knew she couldn't allow this to go on for any longer. There had to be a way to make it right.

With a brief nod, she quickly turned and headed back into the house, making straight for the living room where she'd left the book on the sofa. Snatching it up again, she turned on her heel and hurried back outside. She paused for a moment when she didn't immediately spot Oswin, tensing slightly until she realized that she'd moved back into the woods a bit. Regina didn't need to ask why; it was doubtful that the other residents of Storybrooke were going to react positively if they saw her. The guilt she was attempting to suppress increased a little. Oswin shouldn't have had to hide while she was in Storybrooke.

Regina headed over to her without a word, kneeling down close beside her in a silent attempt to be reassuring - she was sure she hadn't helped matters much with her negative reaction when she'd first spotted Oswin like this, and wanted to make up for it now. "I'm sure there's something in this spellbook that can help you." she commented distractedly, flipping through its pages. It was probably better to leave out the part about the book having originally belonged to the person Regina suspected was responsible for all of this. The book was full of rituals and incantations of all sorts, some of which Regina had long since forgotten how to read - or perhaps they were only legible in the Enchanted Forest. She flipped past them, until the reached some of the quicker, nastier little curses.

"Oswin, I know it must have all happened very quickly - but were you able to make anything out about the person who did this to you?" Regina asked carefully as she continued to search, trying to keep her tone steady - as if she didn't already have suspicions about who had done this.

[Oswin Oswald]

As soon as the door opened, Oswin cut off the tears threatening to completely overcome her. Now, now, no time for crying now. She could do that later, if none of this worked. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, but Oswin wasn't really feeling much hope at the moment. Still, at least she had Regina for now. She couldn't imagine having to go and ask the Doctor for help. Why would he help a Dalek?

No.

No, she was human. Oswin's eyestalk raised a little higher at that thought. A Dalek would care what the Doctor thought of it, a Dalek wouldn't be asking a friend for help, Daleks didn't have friends. A Dalek would want to stay what it was. Trundling forwards a little once Regina stepped closer, Oswin couldn't help but be appreciative of her sitting so close. To know that there was someone who wasn't afraid of her like this (though, maybe she would be, if she knew what Daleks did) was comforting. Really, all she expected in this form was hatred and fear from the people she'd allowed into her life.

"NOT MUCH. THEY STAYED ON-LY LONG E-NOUGH TO DO THIS. "

[/i] Oswin wracked her mind for any details. The flash of light, and then..."DARK. THEIR CLOTHES WERE VERY DARK."[/i] She had caught a glimpse of black cloth before the light had consumed her, and it most likely wasn't due to the contrast. "I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE." Unfortunately. Had she not been so disoriented, she might have remembered more clearly, but...well. It had been just a bit difficult. It hadn't been someone she recognized...just how many people in Storybrooke could manipulate magic anyway? Oswin knew the place was a veritable gold mine of magic in general, but there were very few that were actually able to wield it.

Never mind that, though. They could figure that out when they'd tried the spells Regina was looking for. Lowering her eyestalk, Oswin looked over the woman's shoulder, watching the pages flip by. One the outside, it was somewhat unremarkable, just a small, black book. It was inside that was interesting. Diagrams and illustration passed by, as well as what had to be spells, written in an archaic, unfamiliar language. Could one of these possibly help to reverse this? Oswin still wasn't even sure it could be reversed. It had taken an entire dimensional rift to do it last time. But, then again, last time hadn't been influenced by magic.
[/size][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Regina Mills]

Dark clothing. Her mother's wardrobe, much like Regina's own when she had been queen, consisted of mainly dark clothing. But there was still no solid proof, and she still almost wanted to cling to the belief that Cora hadn't been involved. Not only would it have made her feel a little better, but it would make her much more confident in dealing with whoever had done this. She would have taken the opportunity to bring the Blue Fairy down a peg or two with pleasure - and she could at least allowed herself to allow herself to get angry at Mr. Gold. But Cora? Truth be told, Regina couldn't bring herself to feel much more than fear when it came to her mother - fear and helplessness. If Cora had done this, then Regina wasn't sure what she could do to keep it from happening again.

So she focused on what she could do: try and fix this. She fell silent for a moment as she continued to search the book, flipping page after page until she found what she was looking for. Pausing for a moment, she grimaced and scanned over the page that held detailed instructions on performing a curse that would read a person's innermost fears and give them some sort of corporeal form. There was no reason why such a curse wouldn't be capable of something like this, if one of Oswin's greatest fears was becoming like this again - and knowing what she'd been through, it wasn't difficult to see why it would be. The curse, despite its complexity, didn't seem to require very much preparation to cast. There wasn't even a verbal incantation, which would have explained why Oswin hadn't heard anything. ...Yes, this could very well be the culprit.

"This curse," she murmured, brow furrowed as she traced the letters of the inscribed instructions. "It targets a person's worst fears. Brings nightmares to life." Her tone hardened slightly. Of course Cora would have been well-practiced in using a spell like this. Even Regina herself had never tried it before. If this was what had been used, then being turned into...whatever she was now must have affected Oswin even more horribly than Regina had realized. She ground her teeth together silently, trying not to allow it to faze her - but the fact was, it already had. Perhaps this was why she'd gotten so weak. The Evil Queen never would have allowed herself to get distracted over things like a bond she shared with a friend, or the love she felt for her son. And not-so-coincidentally, the Evil Queen would have stood a far better chance against Cora.

Eyes narrowing, Regina tried to ignore the thoughts that always seemed to darken her whenever anything resembling real emotion worked its way past the walls she kept up. "I think it's probably the best explanation for what happened to you - it wouldn't require her knowing about your past." In her distracted state, she hadn't even registered the use of the word 'her' - but a moment later, when she realized what she'd said, she froze. Perhaps it had gone unnoticed. Quickly, Regina continued, "There is a spell to reverse it. I...I think I should be able to manage it."

[Oswin Oswald]

Oswin did wish that she could provide more information, but all she really knew was where the person had been when she'd stepped out of the woods. The light had all but blinded her. Perhaps if she told Regina what had happened? "I WAS LED HERE. SOME-THING IN THE WOODS. SOME-ONE WAN-TED ME TO BE HERE." She didn't add that she'd thought it was Regina once she'd seen where she was being led. Curiosity had indeed killed the cat, or at least gotten it turned into a Dalek. Though she certainly wouldn't say that out loud, Oswin wasn't sure which option was worse, being dead or being trapped in this form, whether by magic or technology.

As Regina paused on a page, Oswin repositioned herself to see it better, focusing her eyestalk on the letters. She couldn't understand most of it, even after briefly searching any databases she had access too (one very small good thing about this form, she supposed. not enough to make her like it). The language was unfamiliar to her, but the inked illustration of a person surrounded by a dark cloud was enough. Her casing vibrated briefly in her own version of a shudder. To think there were things out there that could do that to a person, that would search their minds and bring out the very worst, their fears and woes...anything that might have happened in the past...it was downright disturbing.

"HER?" Even in this state, Oswin wasn't one to let things slip past her unnoticed. Regina clearly had an inkling of who had cast the spell, and clearly, it wasn't something she wanted to discuss. For that reason, after that brief questioning, Oswin remained silent, listening to Regina explain the curse and that the counter-spell could most likely be managed. Briefly, she was relieved, but didn't let herself feel too much hope. After all, if it turned out to be more complicated than expected, Oswin didn't want her hopes to be crushed too badly. There was still a chance that she would be remaining in this form for quite a long time...and still a chance she would have to confront the Doctor like this.

"IS THERE AN-Y-THING I CAN DO?" she asked, trying to get her mind off of thoughts like that. After all, if there was a chance that she would remain like this, there was also a chance that the counter-spell would go just as planned, and Oswin would be human again within the hour. There was no point in being overly pessimistic, not when there was still even a glimmer of hope. Regina was a powerful magic user, one of the most powerful in Storybrooke, and for Oswin to doubt her abilities would be doing her a great disservice.

[Regina Mills]

A quiet, but sharp intake of breath was Regina's only response when Oswin mentioned someone having led her here. Someone had deliberately planned this out, lured Oswin into their trap, and struck at just the right moment - and not-so-coincidentally, that 'moment' happened to occur in a place where Regina was sure to come across all of this. This wasn't some sudden occurrence that had no purpose except to be cruel, this was very clearly a deliberate warning. And despite what she would have rather believed, she was left with very little doubt as to who had done this. And it hardly seemed likely that Cora would stop at this.

But if she was going to cast the reversal spell with any hope that it would actually work, she needed to be calm - as did Oswin. That in mind, Regina was fairly certain that now was not the best time to reveal everything she knew. Not that there would ever be a 'good time' to tell Oswin that she had a psychotic mother who used physical and psychological torture as a means of beating people into obedience, but it could least wait until Oswin was human again. Because she would be. Regina didn't really want to think about what failing to help her would mean right now. Not wanting to betray any hint of emotion she might not be completely successful in hiding, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the book when the use of the word 'her' didn't slip by unnoticed. "I'll explain everything, just as soon as we get you back to normal." she promised, acting as if Oswin getting 'back to normal' was a certainty.

For now, though, Regina was going to have to brace herself and go through with casting this counter-curse. Mr. Gold's mocking words about the spells in this book echoed in her mind - they certainly were 'rough on the system', as he'd said, and that was at the best of times. But now there was the additional problem of it being Cora's magic that she was trying to overcome here, and that was bound to take more than a little extra effort. Regardless, simply refusing to try wasn't an option. She drew a steadying breath before answering the last question. "Just try to stay calm. I know relaxing is a lot to ask of you right now, but the more you do, the better chance this has of working." And they'd need as many factors in their favor as possible. She knew that much.

Falling silent once more, she focused her full attention on the spell. Rising to her feet, Regina brushed her fingers against the pages again, this time much more deliberately - and in a backwards, sweeping motion from right to left, as if she were attempting to erase the words written there with her hand. The images on the page seemed to shimmer faintly, as if momentarily brought to life by her touch. She could feel the magic coursing through her, could feel its alluring, addictive power - but she could also feel that it was too much. Too much, and instead of the usual heady, empowering buzz, she felt a gradually building, wrenching pain. It was the strain of attempting to overcome her mother's magic, she knew - but she ground her teeth together, closed her eyes, and ignored it. The strength of the spell increased as she channeled her power into it, forcing herself to ignore the dizziness that threatened to overcome here as she turned to Oswin and cast the spell in another blinding flash of light.

It was enough to make her stumble backwards, swaying slightly as her energy was sapped from her, and blinking rapidly as her eyes readjusted. Trying to determine whether it had worked...

[Oswin Oswald]

Calm. All right, Oswin could...try to do calm. Closing her eye (for, there was only one now, beneath the Dalek casing), she mentally took a deep breath, trying to be somewhere else. It wasn't rebuilding her fantasy so much as revisiting memories this time. Oswin hadn't had that before, memories that were wonderful enough to keep her calm and grounded in reality. If she left now, she'd leave the Doctor behind, leave this life that had unfolded before her in the short span of two months. And if there was one thing Oswin didn't want to do, it was that. She'd die or remain a Dalek for the rest of her days before leaving the Doctor and losing both him and her chance to see the universe.

Her only fear is that he might leave her, if there wasn't a way to reverse the spell. But, that was no way to think now, she had to stay calm. Her eye closed once more. Right. Calm. Think. I am Oswin Oswald. I am not a Dalek, I am human. I am the Doctor's companion, I have been for two months. I will continue to be so after this. I will be human again... And repeat. Mantras were always a good way to go in trying to keep one's head. Well, unless said person went mad, but Oswin was not going mad. She simply needed reassurance, and had to give it to herself. Nothing bad there. This mess would be all solved in less than five minutes, Oswin told herself, and then she'd be right back off to the TARDIS. The Doctor didn't even need to know what had happened.

If Daleks could feel sick, Oswin was beginning to do so. There was an incessant tugging at something inside here, where her chest would have been, had she been human in body. The spell's effects were bound more tightly than anticipated to Oswin, and she cried out in pain at a particularly hard pull. Her mechanical voice mangled the scream, but it was clear that that was what it was. But, no matter. Oswin would endure any amount of pain if it meant she would be seeing the stars again. The pull intensified, and though Oswin attempted to keep herself from crying out again, her efforts weren't always successful. Finally, the tugging subsided and she dared to open her eye, only to be blinded by flash of bright white light.

It was a long time before it faded away. Oswin remained engulfed for at least a full minute, but it felt so much longer to her. Something was changing, she could feel it. And as the light finally began to fade into nothing, she rubbed her eyes....eyes! Two of them, and...and she'd rubbed them with a hand! Sitting up quickly from where she had been lying in the grass, Oswin looked herself over. Hands...attached to arms, attached to a body, her body! A relieved, breathy laugh broke free from her lips, but Oswin made no move to sit up. Instead, she looked over at Regina, who was closer than she'd though and smiled. "Thanks..." Her voice was hesitant, as though she'd been expecting something of the Dalek to linger behind. "That...might have gotten a bit messy without you here, yeah?"

Pretend like everything was all right. It was how she'd gotten by before.

[Regina Mills]

It seemed an eternity before the light finally began to fade, and in that time Regina mostly just focused on finding enough energy to remain on her own two feet. The anticipation of not knowing whether the spell had worked, however, wasn't making things much easier. If it hadn't, if something had gone wrong...Regina was still all too aware that 'all magic came with a price', but she was hoping the usual price of using one of the spells from this book would be all they'd have to deal with right now. Already, she could feel some of her own energy returning to her, enhanced by the heady aftereffects of the power coursing through her. It was a little difficult to focus properly as a result, but the dire nature of the situation was enough to keep her firmly concentrated as the light eventually faded away.

And there, unmistakably, was Oswin - Oswin the way she was supposed to be, human, with no remaining trace of the...whatever she'd just been, to be found. The spell had worked. Regina let out a tiny sigh of relief at the realization, but didn't let it prompt her to get ahead of herself. First things first, she needed to make sure that Oswin was alright - and if she was physically, then Regina imagined that she certainly wasn't emotionally. The now fully present, floating, almost-high that had replaced the exhaustion from moments ago, combined with the utter disbelief and exhilaration that came from knowing she'd finally beaten her mother at something, were sensations that were proving to be a little distracting - but Regina did her best to ignore them as she sat down in the grass next to Oswin once again.

She watched her carefully, frowning. Despite Oswin's surprisingly collected reaction, Regina suspected that there was much more to all of this than that. The desire to not appear outwardly shaken or vulnerable was something that the former queen understood all too well, however, and she didn't want to make this even more emotionally trying by pushing her - but at the same time, this wasn't exactly the kind of thing that it was wise not to talk about. She shook her head in response when Oswin thanked her, neither accustomed to nor comfortable with sincere expressions of gratitude. "It was no trouble," she replied almost hesitantly, feeling it was best not to go into all the trouble using magic actually was right now. "And there's no need to think about that now. I was here, and we did fix it."

Regina paused for a moment then, wondering how to proceed from here. She had no desire to jump right into the explanation, but the alternative - this comforting, reassuring, genuine friend thing, it wasn't something that Regina was very good at. She was accustomed to causing pain, not helping someone get through it, and the possibility that she'd do or say something wrong felt all too likely. But trying was better than nothing, Regina knew that much. The last thing Oswin needed was to feel that she was alone right now, so with another hesitant intake of breath, she spoke again. "I imagine it'd be silly to ask whether you're alright or not." she commented with a rather humorless smile. Of course Oswin wasn't alright, who would be in a situation like this? There was another brief pause, and then, "..Would you like to talk about it?"

[Oswin Oswald]

Resting her hand on her chest, Oswin shut her eyes for a moment, willing away the memory of the tugging sensation that had been just a moment ago. A shaky breath escaped her and her hand followed with the shuddering motion. Composing herself was proving harder than she'd thought, and she hated it. Even with what had happened to her, appearing this way, and in front of Regina no less, wasn't appealing in the slightest. She was Oswin Oswald, the Doctor's companion. Surely there had been something worse she'd faced in the past month or so, risking her life and adventuring. There had to be something out there in the vast, vast universe that was more frightening than a bit of black magic.

Unfortunately, Oswin was drawing a blank.

Though she knew how much it made her sound like a petulant child and how silly it was to rely on just one person, Oswin wanted the Doctor there. Not there to see what had just happened, but there right now to take her back to the TARDIS with reassurances that everything would be okay, that they could still travel together, no matter if she were human or Dalek or anything in between. It was silly and stupid and probably just the result of an over-tormented mind, but. Well. She couldn't really help her emotions at the moment. They were just a bit out of her control, and that was what was frightening. Oswin had to be strong, how else was she supposed to deal with everything that had happened to her?

More than anything, she was tired and that reflected in her tight smile in Regina's direction. "A bit, yeah." Her voice sounded weary too, though Oswin certainly didn't try to make it sound so. Wrapping her arms a little tighter around her knees, she tried to relax, tried to take comfort in the fact that she could wrap her arms around her knees. It would have been better if it were night time, Oswin reflected, glancing up at the sky above them. Better if she could look at the sky and attempt to name all the places she'd been too. There were too many to count, but the Doctor could point each and every one of them out. He knew the name of every star, and how to get there.

"Not much to say really," Oswin lowered her head into her arms. But, no. Of course, Regina would want answers to the hundreds of questions that had been bought up by this. A little more quietly, she continued. "That...what I was. It's called a Dalek. Most advanced warrior race in the universe, and...well. Dangerous." She hated talking about this, but at least it was Regina, someone who Oswin was at least familiar with. "A year back, I crashed on the surface of their asylum. Place where they keep all the mad ones. They caught me and..." Oswin hesitated. "Well. Suppose I already told you what happened." The pause between what she said next was heavy. "The Daleks...they killed the Doctor's people. His family. If it'd been stuck like I was...I wouldn't blame him if he couldn't see past the outside."