"Oh! I'm sorry. I just needed a few moments to myself is all," Vanessa said as she turned her head away from Regina, but her eyes looked Regina up and down.
"What did you think of today's events and entertainment?" She made sure to put proper emphasis on the last word.
"I thought it was very fun," Regina said as she leaned in closer to Vanessa. "But, I'd rather be entertained with you." She took Vanessa by the chin and tilted her up, pulling her in for a kiss.
Vanessa passionately kissed Regina, but only for a few moments. She set her hands on Regina's shoulders and pushed herself off. "Alas, I am sorry."
I gestured for Lexi to zoom in closer to their faces.
"Oh? But fair maiden, what be the issue you find?" Regina said, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead.
"I must find my one true love there. Your kiss was lovely, but I am sorry. Your kiss was not hers." Vanessa said as she flicked her hair.
"Ah, if love is what you seek, then let me help you then!" Regina spun Vanessa around. "You say that she is here? Well, you simply cannot go around kissing the bachelorettes here." She put her arm around Vanessa. "But, fret not. I have a plan. You see..." She leaned in and whispered into Vanessa's ear.
I gestured for Lexi to pan to the right.
"I believe that may work!" Vanessa smiled. "Let us work without haste!" She took Regina by the hand and dragged her to the right.
"And CUT!" I shouted as I clapped. "That was great!"
"Hey, I told you that was a perfect flirting line set-up," Regina said, looking very proud of herself. I rolled my eyes, not quite wanting to admit that she was right. She planted another kiss on Vanessa's cheek, to which Vanessa giggled in response.
"Hey, come on now!" Vanessa said as she squirmed playfully in Regina's grasp. "You're gonna ruin my make-up again!"
"Oh alright!" Regina said as she released her grip on Vanessa. "But only because Maria will make me have to redo it again." She stuck her tongue out towards me before blowing me a kiss.
I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Everything was going so smoothly, it was like a dream. I wondered how much of this influence was the Ring. I hadn't been using it much and Regina did warn me that it would have a tendency to leak out magic, but as far as I was aware, everything was fine. As of today, it has been a month since I rewrote reality. As Regina had reassured me, Vanessa, Lexi, and Tae were completely fine adding in Danna and Summer into the polycule. It was only awkward for the first few days, as Summer was very protective over Danna; not that I could blame her for being hesitant to share her wife with others. But, after a bit, it was just like how things were before. I could see all of their smiles as they looked over the footage that we just shot.
"What's on your mind?" Regina asked as she came over, putting her arm around me and her hand on my boob. "I can see the gears turning."
"Just... thinking about how everything is," I said, smiling at the group. "I would have never imagined that I could have had this in my life."
"Yeah, the benefits of having near omnipotence on your finger kinda opens up a lot of options," Regina said with a smirk, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Looking to expand?"
I looked down at the ring, gently playing with it with my thumb. "I don't know. I'm just... really happy with what I have now." I turned over to Regina. "Is it wrong that I want to preserve this happiness forever?"
Regina chuckled. "Girl, you have no idea how many Ringmasters have said that to me." She gave a deep sigh, but then got more serious. "Look, I can't see the future. Even the Ring can't really even do that since the future is always changing. But from what I've learned, it's not about preserving, but enjoying and maximizing."
"Of course a hedonist like you would say that," I said, giving Regina a light little jab with my elbow. But, she didn't have her usual energy; she was more somber and gave a mixed expression like she was still judging how to feel. "Sorry. I sometimes forget what all you've been through. I don't ever mean to just make light of it."
"It's fine," Regina said, still somewhat lost in thought.
I frowned a little. It was discomforting to see Regina like this. I took a deep breath and waved my hand. All other sound and motion paused, except for me and Regina. Regina looked around, a bit confused.
"A time freeze?" she asked, looking over at the rest of the girls, all frozen in place.
"I didn't know how self-conscious you were about it if the others heard," I said, taking a seat on the floor. I patted the ground next to me for Regina to sit down, to which she did. "But, I want to hear what's on your mind."