A monster in the big apple (open)

[naga]

Reports had come in all day, citizens seeing a massive serpent speeding through the shadows. One moment they see a monster, the next nothing. At first the NYPD thought nothing of it, but as more and more reports came in and they all reported the exact same thing the police decided it might warrant a look. They had went to the last location that the so called "monster" had been spotted at, a few blocks west of central park. When a single officer was sent to investigate, only to witness the massive creature slither through the shadows, only to disappear as fast as it had appeared. The officer called it in, making note that the beast was headed right for Central Park.

Five minutes later we come to the scene of ten squad cars, their sirens blaring as they take up strategic positions at the edge of the park. The headlights spotlighting the beast that the reports had described.

The creature was serpentine, sporting a pair of human-like arms, and massive. The reports hadn't been very accurate on the size, but now that they had a good look at the massive beast it was easily eighty feet long, maybe even bigger. It wasn't moving, simply staring down New York's finest with it's sharp yellow eyes.

One of the newer officers looked over to the captain. "Sir, it's not moving, what should we do?" The older man sighed, taking a drag from the stogie in his mouth. "We try to hold it here, wait for some bigger guns to show up and pray that thing aint hungry........"

The massive snake beast let out a low growl, lips contorting into a snarl as it spoke. "Leave, now..... Or your lives are forfeit...."

Most of the officers recoiled slightly, more from the fact that the thing spoke then the threat. "Last warning.... Leave..... NOW!" The beast roared out, the volume shaking the windows of nearby homes and cars. In blind panic and fear, the rookie took a pot shot at the massive beast. The bullet hit the creature in the side, only to ricochet off into the woods behind the monster. The massive snake monster let out a feral roar as it surged forwards at a speed that it's size should not have. The police began opening fire with everything they had, only for their small arms to bounce off the creatures thick hide like nothing. In mere seconds the creature was upon the one that had shot him, and before the young cop could even utter a sound his world was suddenly black. From the point of view of the other cops the massive snake creature had just swallowed the rookie whole.

The creature then slashed out with it's razor talons, carving massive gashes in the squad car in front of it. "Leave..... Or you all suffer his fate." the remaining police didn't need to be told twice. They didn't stand a chance against this thing, not without some serious hardware. In mere moments the cars were packed with police and gone in a blur. The beast slowly slithered back into the park, stopping by a bush, the very bush that the first shot had bounced off of it into. And from the bush emerged a small child, a girl. The small child looked over her shoulder, back into the bush, and back at the little hole in the dirt caused by the bullet that had almost hit her.

[Regina Mills]

Emma Swan's breaking...no, that wasn't the proper word, because the curse hadn't been entirely broken...fracturing of the curse had left Regina very few immediate options. Two, to be precise. She could stay in Storybrooke and wait for the inevitable angry mob that would soon be after her blood. Or, she could leave. Lay low for a bit. And plan her next move. With her magic returned to her, there was only one in Storybrooke who could rival her power - and that was Mr. Gold. Rumpelstiltskin, she supposed she should be calling him now. She'd deal with him later, if need be, but for now...well, she needed to do some thinking about what came next. Where did she go from here? She'd lost the curse she'd poured everything into - or at least a good part of it. She'd lost her chance at revenge. She'd lost Henry.

...Oh, Henry...

A wave of unrelenting sadness washed over her, and for an instant she believed it might be enough to knock her right off her feet. Such intense pain hadn't been experienced by the Evil Queen since...well, since a time she very much didn't wish to think about. Because her son - her ten year old son - was now living happily with the woman he considered his real mother. Alone in Central Park and far, far away from anyone worth keeping up appearances for, Regina allowed the pain to overcome her, only for a moment. She bowed her head and wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, forcing back tears. She'd cried enough already. She was done with that weakness.

Before she could brood on it any longer, however, an ear-splitting series of bangs rang out from somewhere nearby. Immediately the Queen tensed, bristling slightly. Gunshots. The last thing she needed to deal with right now. Sharply, she cast her gaze in the direction of the sound and...froze in place as she took in the scene before her.

Was this what the return of magic to the world meant? That creatures such as this were out freely roaming the streets, even outside of Storybrooke? Admittedly, Regina had never before encountered a being such as this serpentine creature, but what other explanation could there be? Tensely, she held her ground and watched the exchange between the serpent and the police force confronting it. The burst of rage on the serpent's part was nothing short of startling, and for a moment Regina - now well aware that she was more or less the only civilian that hadn't turned and fled at this point - could not understand what had provoked it. It was enough to make the rest of the cops retreat, at any rate - and for a moment she almost decided it would be better to leave the whole thing alone.

That was, until her mind was very abruptly changed by the sight of a young girl crawling out of a bush nearby.

Regina wasn't sure where the sudden rush of emotion from within her came from, or when she'd gotten so impulsive...but suddenly, before she could stop herself, she was darting out toward the pair. Perhaps losing Henry had rendered her unusually maternal and protective - but she didn't want to see this little girl get hurt.

"Don't hurt her!" she called out sharply to the serpent as she fearlessly stormed over to the pair, eyes darting between them warily.

[naga]

The little girl stared up at the massive beast, no fear or terror at all in her eyes. There was a sense of familiarity coming from her as she looked up at the serpent. The giant creature slowly reached downwards towards the little girl, until a sudden shout from the shadows caused both of them to tense up and look in the direction of the sound. The little girl was stock still, like a deer caught in the headlights, the serpent however was not stunned as such.

In a blur of motion almost to fast for the human eye to follow, the beast had slithered past the child and in front of her. The creatures coils obscuring the child from view. The monster locked it's sharp serpentine eyes on the woman approaching, letting out a loud hiss. "Leave this place human.... Or I'll kill you where you stand......" The massive snake-like creature didn't seem to be giving the woman before it the same chance as it had the police, it was tensing up and preparing to strike. The beast let out another hiss, and just as it was about to strike forth to end the woman before it. A sudden shout came from behind it.

"Daddy! STOP!"

The creature halted suddenly, it's head turning slightly to the right as the little girl from before climbed over the wall of snake flesh that had been in front of her. "She's not like them........" She said, her eyes on the massive beast, eyes that a child only had for a parent. The snake looked back at the woman, and then back to the small girl. It was hard to see, but a small smile formed on the scaled lips of the massive creature. It reached down with it's right hand, and rubbed the top of the child's head lightly with its index finger. "It seems human...... That my daughter thinks you are different from all the others....... You get to live.........."

[Regina Mills]

As the creature took up an unmistakably threatening stance before her and hissed out a threat, Regina stopped in her tracks. Her expression darkening as she realized the serpent's intent, she twitched a hand slightly - contemplating summoning up a fireball or two then and there, witnesses be damned - and all things considered, the confrontation probably would have turned very nasty in the next couple of seconds...had it not been for the young girl's sudden intervention. Blinking in surprise, Regina turned to stare at her. Had she just called the creature...'Daddy'?

Stunned into silence for a moment, she glanced between the pair. Far from wanting to hurt her, the serpent interacted with the girl with surprising care and tenderness...and suddenly it all made sense. The bullets raining dangerously close to the bush where the girl had been hiding, the way it had provoked such sudden rage in the creature. She knew all too well that were few forces in this world or any other which were quite as formidable as a parent protecting their child. And that was exactly what this entire incident had just been. Gradually, the mayor...queen...she wasn't even sure which to consider herself anymore, allowed herself to relax - if only slightly. Guarded curiosity replaced the sharpness in her expression, and she tilted her head slightly to one side as the creature spoke.

"...She's your daughter..." Regina repeated incredulously. "I thought..." That the little girl was in danger? That the serpent would turn on her next? She didn't think it tactful to finish that sentence, so instead she merely shook these thoughts away. Well. She supposed that the girl was far from needing protection now. It'd been foolish to get involved in the first place - yet a distinct sense of intrigue kept her from taking her leave. at least for the moment. Instead, she surveyed the serpentine creature for a beat or two longer - with wariness, but very little fear. Regina had encountered her fair share of fearsome beasts back in the Enchanted Forest. To her, this creature wasn't anywhere near as startling as he might have been to a normal civilian of this world - especially since he evidently possessed strong parental protectiveness that Regina understood all too well.

Composing herself, she replied in a much calmer and vaguely regal-sounding tone. "Forgive me. I assumed your child was in danger - I did not realize you were protecting her from it." Regina told him with a nod to his daughter, turning to survey the girl for a moment. "She hasn't been hurt, has she?" She could see no blood, and the girl seemed relatively content - so it appeared the bullets had thankfully missed her.

[naga]

The large serpent eyed the woman warily, she had approached him instead of fleeing like the others. Meaning she had some form of defending herself that he could not see. He listened as the woman spoke, pausing herself before she stuck her own foot in her mouth. He glanced back at his daughter, who for some reason had her eyes on the woman. Probably because this was the first time in months that she had been able to have the small chance of talking to someone other then him. "My daughter is quite fine yes, maybe a little shaken with that small round coming close to her head......." The large snake then let out a low growl, his head turning back to look at where the police had fled from.

"Daddy doesn't like guns......" The little girl spoke up, her eyes seemed to brighten a little bit as a small smile formed on her face. "My name's Rose, what's yours?" She hopped down from her fathers coils, now standing in front of her father. Rose then took a few steps forwards to the woman. There was something about the woman that Rose thought was familiar, she couldn't place it though.

The large serpent had turned his gaze back to the woman, more on the side of parental caution then outright hostility like it had been before Rose spoke up.

[Regina Mills]

A slight frown crossed her features as she realized how close the girl had come to getting hurt. Most likely the police had no idea they were firing on an innocent child - but she was fairly certain that would have been of little comfort had something terrible happened. Giving a faint, brief nod, she replied, "Their attack on the two of you was uncalled for. Although I doubt they'll be back any time soon." Regina punctuated the words with a slight smirk, glancing quickly back in the direction the police had run off. That was the problem with the native inhabitants of this world. They were too...close-minded. And they tended to react with automatic violence to anything they didn't - or couldn't - understand. One of the disadvantages of living in a world like this one and never really being exposed to anything, she supposed.

She could sense the serpent's wariness of her - so she kept her distance from the girl, only bending slightly to speak to her when she came closer of her own accord. While Regina usually held herself with undisguised assertiveness and perhaps just a hint of aggression, she allowed all that to slip from her demeanor now - replacing it instead with a practiced maternal warmth that was reserved only for situations like these...and would perhaps reassure the girl's father at least a little. "I'm Regina. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose." The Queen's voice was a tad softer now, and she gave Rose a slight smile before, in the next moment, abruptly averting her gaze. She was thinking of Henry again. And that meant she wasn't thinking about what her next move needed to be; what she needed to do to survive. She needed to focus, here - and perhaps this unusual pair would be just the distraction she needed from the events of the past.

Straightening up, Regina fixed the serpent with a wary stare once again. There were hundreds of questions she could have asked right in that instance - but she selected only one to voice carefully for now. "If I may ask, have the two of you been here in New York for very long? I can't imagine that this is the easiest place to go...unnoticed." she said, her gaze darting briefly out across the park toward the city beyond. How on earth had these two found themselves here, of all places?

[naga]

The snake was lost in thought, watching his daughter approach the now named Regina with such ease. It made him miss being human, being able to walk about with ease, to take his daughter wherever she wanted to go. To not be called a monster and shot at. It also made him think of her, the one he lost. The serpents eyes snapped open rapidly, a small shudder running through the massive creatures frame. He did not want to think about that, all that came from the mind wandering that path was anguish and rage.

Rose let out a small giggle "You have a nice name Regina, it fits you!" The little girl noticed how suddenly Regina had turned her eyes away. Something was bothering the nice older lady, but Rose wasn't nosy like that, if the lady wanted to talk about it she would on her own terms.

When Regina questioned how long they had been within the city, a small smirk crossed the reptiles lips. "Actually, we've been within the city limits for about a week now...... My body is very hard to spot in water." Rose turned quickly back to face her father. "I didn't like living on the island with the really big lady on it, so I asked if we could go someplace a little less wet....." The large serpent nodded. "I had hoped that my path to central park would have left me unnoticed, only drug dealers and the vagrant would have seen me...... You came in at the result of my path....."

"I thought police were supposed to protect people, but they screamed and shot at my daddy......" The little girl let out a small sigh as her eyes went downwards to the earth below. "They always do........"

[Regina Mills]

Her attention momentarily brought back to Rose when the girl commented on her name, Regina dipped her head in a slight, gracious nod of acknowledgment - unable to keep from smiling again, if only a little. Children had always had that effect on her...or most children had, anyway. The thought of her stepdaughter and the betrayal she'd been responsible for stirred an all too familiar darkness in Regina, spreading over her body like an icy chill. In a way, Rose almost reminded her of the young girl Snow White had been when they'd first met - but of course, there was no way Rose could be anywhere near as selfish and deceptive as Snow had been even at that age.

Distracted from her thoughts, she raised her eyebrows in surprise when the serpent mentioned that they'd managed to live in New York unnoticed for an entire week. Well, if they'd been hiding out on Liberty Island, with Rose's father keeping to the water most of the time, she supposed it did make some sense. Still...now the police knew they were here. And now there'd be trouble. Capable as the serpentine being might have been of disposing them, the stress and fright of constantly being hunted was one she doubted he'd put on Rose lightly. If he had a choice in the matter, that was.

With a quiet sigh as she contemplated this, Regina looked back to Rose with calm understanding. "They aren't bad people. They want to do good, but...sometimes, people are afraid of things they do not understand. And sometimes, fear causes people to make bad decisions." she explained levelly. Clearing her throat slightly, she lifted her gaze to Rose's father again. "Have you any place else to go? I don't mean to alarm you, but...there's a very good chance you haven't seen the last of the police now they know you're here." And more than the police, for that matter - if the situation became dire enough, Regina had heard of people in this world being desperate enough to call in the military. She paused for a moment, trying to think of a solution to their little problem should she need to offer one. ...With the magic having returned to Storybrooke, and everyone having regained their memories of the fairytale realms, Regina could imagine the serpent fitting right in. But surely that was foolish, to drag them all the way there? Especially when the enchanted town was in a...less than stable state right about now.

[naga]

The large serpent seemed distracted, lost in thoughts when Regina mentioned humans potential for fear. "Trust me, I know all to well what fear causes humans to do......." he spoke with a sigh, his mind traveling to memories he did not like to live, but nearly every day was reminded of.

"We used to live in a nice house, with mommy and daddy together......" Rose piked up, her eyes still on the ground as a small frown crawled over her face. "Then some mean people that didn't like daddy came...... They chased mommy away and burned our home down...."

"And now I do whatever it takes to get my daughter what she needs, no matter the cost to myself....." The large serpent man had calmed down quite so from before, now knowing that his daughter was safe. His upper body came down to the ground below him, laying down with his head only a few feet to the side of Rose. "As for living arrangements........" the snake seemed lost in thought.

"This is the seventh place we've tried to live in the past month......" Rose spoke up, sitting down on the grass below her. "I don't like having to move all the time, but I love daddy more then anything......." The little girl looked up at Regina as she continued. "I don't think you'd really understand too well...... Daddy's problem I mean...... Your just too nice of a lady."

[Regina Mills]

Regina stiffened slightly, a small frown returning as she glanced between the serpent man and his daughter. Between his grim statement about being familiar with what fear caused people to do, and Rose's story, it wasn't...too difficult to piece together what had happened. This family, small and broken as it was, had experienced some sort of tragedy that had torn them apart. She wasn't entirely sure what had happened to Rose's mother...but whatever it was, it hadn't been good. She was no longer with them, after all.

So the question was...what to do? Regina had never exactly been one to play the hero - or at least, she hadn't been for quite a long time. But family had always been a bit of a sore spot for her - and now more than ever, what with recent events. If she walked away from these two without at least offering them assistance, it would just end up being added to the list of things that seemed to haunt her so irritatingly lately. Graham's death. Allowing Gold to kidnap Katheryn. Accidentally poisoning Henry. When had guilt even become a thing for her? She'd never allowed to to get in the way before, but since she'd left Storybrooke she'd nearly thought about it as much as she did her still-unwavering anger toward Snow (and now, in addition, Emma). Perhaps simply doing the right thing here would make these feelings subside a little. In this particular case it wasn't as if she had anything to lose.

...Except for the fact that if Rose and her father did accept her offer, and did stay in Storybrooke even for a little while, it would not take them long to discover her true identity as the... 'Evil Queen'. Well. That would just make them two more people who turned on her. It couldn't really be helped - and she didn't intend to stick around Storybrooke long enough to see their reactions anyway. So, looking between them levelly, she spoke at last. "I understand. Better than you might think." Regina cast Rose a wry smile. It was ironic that the girl seemed to think she was nice. How long, she wondered, would that last? Returning her gaze to the serpent, she went on. "And I know I've yet to give you any reason to trust me. But I know of a place...where magic is fairly common. And the humans there have become fairly accustomed to creatures unlike themselves as a result. You and your daughter would be safe there, at least for awhile. You...wouldn't have to hide."

She blinked, then turned and offered Rose another smile - though this one was a tad more distant. "There are plenty of other children who live there. You might make some friends..." She wondered if Henry would like Rose. She was several years younger than he was, but he'd always been so friendly and inquisitive... A faint sigh escaped her and she turned her attention back to the pair, awaiting a response.

[naga]

At first he couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. This woman before them, was offering his daughter and himself a safe place to be. Someplace where his daughter could truly be a child like she was meant to be. Even if the large serpent didn't believe in magic, what with his background and what he had become. The way the world had been as of late spoke plenty of the possibilities of things out there that science would not be able to explain, leaving only magic to be the possible answer. But as his mind raced to accept it, it was halted by the one simple fact.

Himself.

He wasn't just a massive beast in appearance, he was one in most senses of the description. All of the past locations he had chosen for himself and his daughter Rose had not been picked lightly. There had been many factors in their choosing. Was it close enough to humans to get supplies, but far enough that he would not be spotted easily. Were there hiding spots for himself and his daughter. And most important, did the area have enough wildlife to sate his bodies ravenous appetite. All of his past choices had been coastal, within an hour of hard swimming at most he would be in rich waters and be able to sate his bodies need for food for a time. But if this place, this location that Regina spoke of would let his daughter be human. He would be indebted to the woman, the wonderful woman whom could give his daughter the life she deserved.

"This place that you speak of....... Where is it located?" The serpent spoke with slight curiosity. "So far, with what little you have spoken of this place it meets most, if not all of the requirements for my daughter...... However my needs, as little in number they are. Are rather quite...... Exuberant......" the snake trailed off, simply letting the mind of the listener fill in the blanks with the fact of his massive frame. However Rose was not one to leave blanks unfilled.

"Daddy needs to eat, a lot......." Rose explained with a small annoyed sigh. "One time he got really hungry inland, and the only food nearby was a big freezer building full of meat...... I think he ate it all......"

[Regina Mills]

This time, her faint smile was directed at the serpentine man - it was clear that her offer had gotten his attention. Calmly and clearly, she answered his initial question. "It is a small town off the coast of Maine. It's called Storybrooke." Upon mentioning the town's name, Regina glanced briefly to Rose again. She was unsure whether a girl whose life had been more dysfunctional than any young girl's should have would've had very much time to sit around having fairytales read to her - but if she was familiar with any of them, no doubt she'd quickly find Storybrooke interesting for reasons Regina had...neglected to mention. Not that she was going to stop and explain them here. While there was really little point in trying to keep the whole thing secret anymore, she realized that it still wasn't the best idea to start talking to people about your 'town full of real live fairytale characters'. "Oh, by the way, I hope you don't have any qualms about being neighbors with Cinderella." ...Yes, that would go over well, she was sure.

There were just some things one needed to see for themselves to believe. Not to mention the fact that even if they did believe her, the inevitable follow-up question would probably be something like 'So which character are you?'. So Regina kept silent. For now.

Listening carefully to the predicament that both the serpent and his daughter described, Regina arched an eyebrow slightly. Sounded like an easy enough fix. As long as he never ran into the town werewolf. Making a mental note to remember to tell him to avoid hunting on full moon nights should he decide to stay, she replied, "I don't think that will be a problem. We do have our fair share of wildlife - both in the ocean, and the woodland beyond the town." Hopefully that was what he'd been referring to, and he hadn't been intending to...dine on Storybrooke's inhabitants. Not that Regina particularly cared about most of them. Except for Henry. She got a sickening guilty feeling at the idea of being responsible for harming anyone that he cared about.

"If you'd like, you could visit for a day - to see for yourself whether it would meet your requirements." Regina offered after a moment, realizing that they might need some time to think on all of this. Her gaze rested on the still-unnamed serpent curiously for a moment, however. "...I don't believe I caught your name, by the way."

[naga]

The place was a small coastal town, so that meant plenty of places that he could disappear quickly if needed. And more importantly he would not have to worry about food too much. And with the possible supply of game it would be a more pleasant change of food. The large reptile was in thought for a moment after the offer of visiting for a day. The distance between New York and Maine was a good trek by land, easily a ten hour trip if you took all the main roads and stayed within the speed limits.

But he was by no means normal.

He could easily make the trip in four or six, via the ocean that Maine and New York shared. The serpents only real concern was how would the people there react. Even with Regina saying that the people of this small community was used to strange sights, he was still a massive creature. But he was still going to take the risk, still take the chance with this town.

For Rose.

His sharp yellow eyes came to focus on Regina. "" "To see this place....... A potential home for my daughter..... It would be an error on my part to not at least try......." The serpent slowly rose back up to his upright position, his head floating over ten feet above ground. "And thankfully getting to this town of yours will not be hard." Little Rose was just glowing, a large smile on her face. She'd be able to make friends! "Thank you Regina!" The serpent gazed at his happy daughter, before looking back at Regina. "I gave up my old name ever since I became this, I go by the name of Naga now."

[Regina Mills]

Regina gave a small, regal nod of acknowledgment as Naga introduced himself - also noting, with interest, that according to him he hadn't always been this way. Given that his daughter was human, she supposed that implied he'd once been the same. So...what had happened? A curse? No, Regina corrected herself, curses did not exist in this world. But then...what? Mentally, she shook these ponderings from her mind for the present. There'd be time to ask questions later, if Naga and Rose decided to stick around Storybrooke. Right now, she needed to maintain focus. A bit more warmth flickered through her gaze as Rose thanked her, though it didn't last long. She'd see if they were still thanking her when they realized they were dealing with a fairytale villain.

Clearing her throat slightly, she quirked her head at Naga's statement regarding getting to Storybrooke. "How do you intend to get there?" she asked, surveying him curiously. And then she remembered what he'd said before - about mostly keeping to the water. It...made relative sense - if Regina had to guess, she'd say Naga would be capable of swimming at some fairly impressive speeds when he wanted to. As for herself, well...there was that whole 'dark magic teleportation' thing. So time management wasn't really a problem here - however, there was something else that nagged at her. "Swim?" Voicing her guess after a moment's pause, Regina looked at Rose once again. Her expression could have been described as something close to hesitant, if the Evil Queen ever openly experienced hesitation.

"Will she be able to...?" Regina trailed off uncertainly, wondering how Rose had managed to accompany Naga on long trans-water journeys in the past. She'd clearly managed to do it before, evidenced by the extensive amount of traveling the pair seemed to do. Besides, if Naga had shown her anything, it was that he cared for his daughter above all else. He wouldn't risk a journey that would harm her in any way. Regina wasn't really sure where all this concern had come from all of the sudden. It was like she thought this sudden show of empathy on behalf of the child would make up for all the time she'd spent being distanced from her own. But it wouldn't. And deep down, Regina was fairly certain she knew that.

[naga]

The large frame of Naga was still as he let Regina's mind fill in the blanks of her own questions. Rose on the other hand, was still as happy as a small child could be at the prospect of friends, she was almost breaking into a little dance with how happy she was. Settling for jumpy about in joy, shouting out "friends" now and again. The large serpent simply gave a light chuckle at his daughters antics, although deep down he was saddened at how out of touch with the world he had made his daughter. That the very aspect of a chance of friendship would make her so happy.

However, when Regina voiced her concern over Rose being able to make the journey he let out another chuckle. It was then that the many tendrils that hung from the back and side of the large serpents head began to move about like tentacles. Instead of being a form of serpent-like head hair they were actually extensions of his being. "They're not just a fashion statement......." He left the hint in the air for Regina, she was a smart woman by what he had seen her put together thus far.

"Riding on daddy's head is like riding on a really big boat, but faster!" Rose piped up, finally coming down from her joy overload. "He's gone even faster then those really colorful boats that go around in circles like those cars on land!" Naga let out a little laugh at his daughters explanations. "I am indeed fast in the water Rose. And depending on how deep in the coast of Maine that this 'Storybrooke' is, I can make the trip in four to six hours."