Those who work for the government are often easily categorized under “Arseholes.” They are often old and bitter of youth, which fuels the passion to be impatient with those who may not know what the hell is going on within two minutes of meeting them.

Yes, I speak of those who grace the Secretary of the State. Volatile creatures. They can be quelled- though this is no guarantee- by addressing them respectfully as “ma’am” or “sir” so they tone it down a few notches. Some are too hardened by their experience working there. If one is not careful, they can ruin one’s entire day with their rude disposition.

Poo on them!

It’s all about stroking the ego with people who work with government in any way, shape, or form. This includes the military though you have to assess the situation thoroughly otherwise you may be stepping on someone’s toes.

Yes, women in the military are known to be vicious and mean. It’s not always easy being a female amongst some of those wangs that run around in there.

In other news, I have a ficlet I’ve written a while ago. It’s assessing the relationship between one of my original characters Riley Caradoc- an American military agent with an English broad he tangles up with undercover. w00t. That’s right, ENGLISH BROAD.

Err, anyways, its one of the few Riley/Tara things I have written. I’m also working on a couple Britney/Hayden and Britney/Riley blurbs. They’re rather pointless unless you know and care for the characters ^-^ Since you don’t know their backstories reading this probably will just end up confusing you, but feel free to take a look if you’re interested.

TITLE: Broken Fairytales
AUTHOR: Stacey Fisher
RATING: G
FANDOM: Harry Potter- AU & OC
PAIRING: Riley Caradoc/Tara Costigan
SUMMARY: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This work contains relationships, situations, and quotes developed in an RPG setting. The characters belong to their respective creators, which will be cited at the end of the fic.
NOTES: If you don’t know the characters, their back-history, or the situation they’re put it this may be confusing since this is just a small branch of a story from a rather large one. It’s been a while since I’ve gone back to “Story writing” than from “RP story writing” which means I’m still learning how to get rid of the useless garbage that often comes from writing that way in RPGs. So it won’t be my best work, but it’s good practice.
The story doesn’t have any real plot or smut, but it helped me get into Tara Costigan’s head- which I’ve been having trouble doing for some reason. It’s more of a practice fic than anything else.

BROKEN FAIRYTALES


The white vest clung to her body nearly soaked through from sweat. It was so hot out that the air in front of you shivered constantly and the world seemed bleached out from the sun. There wasn’t a soul outside of the cabins that dotted the area around the lake. People were exhausting themselves using cooling spells as they draped lifelessly over the bunks. Most people dozed or stared off into space, listening to the sound of cicada’s chattering in dry grass outside their window.
Tara Costigan swept her hand across her forward, pushing her plastered honeysuckle colored hair from her forehead. She was wearing the least amount of clothing as she could stand, which consisted of a shirt she stole from Riley and a pair of extremely short shorts from her friend Natalya. She had questioned them as soon as the curly haired girl had yanked them from her belongings, holding them out to Tara in a careless manner. They were a pale pink color- a shock in itself seeing as Natalya hated the color pink- and looked more along the lines of underwear than shorts. Natalya was short tempered in a normal state of mind, but with the unforgiving heat and the forced separation between her and Draco it was even worse.
She’s put them on without complaint and while it wasn’t much relief it was much better than the clothes she owned, which were rather conservative compared to the outfits she had seen since arriving at the camp. Latifah, who went absolutely ga-ga over Tara’s borrowed shorts, interrupted the idea of resting and just waiting out the sun peacefully in her bunk. Within minutes, Frankie had descended upon the fashion-crazed girl and there was an all out shouting match by the time Tara was able to slip out of the cabin.
It was like walking into an oven and while inside of the cabin hadn’t been much cooler, it was enough to almost make her walk back in and endure the fighting. That was until she heard Natalya’s voice bellow over the shouting, which spurred her forward.
About halfway across the lawn that separated the boy’s cabins from the girls she regretted not slipping on a pair of shoes. The grass wilted in the heat, but it did not listen the pinpricks that grazed the soft soles of her feet. She quickened her pace; spotting the cabin closest to the forest that surrounded the secluded camp.
By the time she reached the porch of the cabin, she was thoroughly miserable. While the girls were no amateurs with charms, she knew Draco was especially talented when it came to spells that increased comfort. She hesitated a moment, listening for voices. When she heard none she stepped closer to the screen door and rapped lightly beside it. The inner door was closed so she couldn’t see who was inside, but the sound of footsteps approaching the door made her edge away. The wooden door swung open and she saw Draco’s fair face peer at her through the wire mesh of the screen door. He looked surprised to see her, but his mouth twitched into a rare smile as he pushed open the door.
“Tara, what are you doing here?” Draco asked stepping to the side to allow her to walk in.
Tara was relieved to find out that her suspicions were correct, for as soon as she stepped into the threshold of the cabin she was washed with cool air. She paused a moment to sigh in relief and push her sweaty hair from her face.
“Nice to see you, too,” Tara said, scooting away from the doors so Draco could close them. He didn’t respond, but she knew he was pleased to see her. When he turned back to her she took in his appearance. She had never seen Draco in shorts before and was slightly surprised to find him wearing the boxers Britney and she had gifted him during Christmas the year before. He was wearing a vest like hers and had a gauze bandage wrapped around his left inner arm. Her eyes lingered there and she suppressed a sad frown. Draco took the Dark Mark not long after Christmas. She had never had the guts, too, and she had a feeling the only reason he took it was for her. She was under the Malfoy’s protection, a negotiation Draco had made with his father. He’d never admit it, however, if she ever confronted him about the reason he took the mark.
Draco didn’t seem to notice where she was looking and he tilted his head at her, intense silver eyes sweeping over her form. She swallowed hard, looking away from him. Draco was an attractive young man and anyone who said otherwise was clearly lying to himself or herself. He had an old fashioned look to him, probably from being bred from such an ancient, aristocratic family. Clear-cut features and striking eyes, sometimes he was still able to get her heartbeat a little faster.
Stop thinking silly thoughts! Tara scolded herself mentally. We’re just friends, remember? He has Nat and I have Riley. The thought of Riley brought her eyes back to his. Draco was smirking in a familiar manner that immediately put her on edge. Here it comes.
“You look terrible,” Draco said, his eyes glinting with rare amusement. Tara looked at him speechless for a moment, before raising her chin defiantly.
“Well you would too if you actually allowed yourself to experience the real temperature of the day!” Tara said indignantly, but allowed a small smile to flicker across her face to reassure Draco that she knew it was all fun and games. She knew she didn’t look a pretty sight, her shirt clinging to her oddly, and her hair askew. While she was cool now she knew when he first saw her she had to have been looking soaked in sweat. “Is this air your handiwork?”
“Actually, this is comfort from Riley,” Draco admitted, “Apparently they have some sort of spell in America that hasn’t quite made it here yet. It bloody well should if we keep getting this sort of weather. He’s had the spell activated for nearly the entire morning with no need to renew it.”
“Where is Riley?” Tara asked tentatively, gouging Draco for a reaction to her words. He didn’t seem suspicious at all. He gestured carelessly towards the back end of the cabin.
“Back there on his bunk. The rest of the people in the cabin went over to Zabini’s. The spell wasn’t done until after they left to encourage the idea that this place wouldn’t be very comfortable.”
Tara nodded slightly, understanding why Draco would want the rest of his cabin mates away from him. Most of them were a mix of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, which meant he had to walk on eggshells to avoid putting himself in a worse situation than he already was. So far there hadn’t been any real big blow-ups, but Tara wasn’t too sure how much longer that would last.
Draco was already walking back towards where he had pointed and Tara followed after a moment. She was slightly disappointed that Draco intended to stick around. Not that she really expected him to go outside…but somewhere else. She really wanted alone time with Riley.
True to his word, Riley was laying on his bunk, hands behind his head with his eyes closed. He too was in a state of undress, even more so than Draco. He was shirtless, but not shortless. She tried to suppress the blush she could feel creeping up her neck. His eyes didn’t open at their approach.
Draco fell into a bunk a few feet away and closed his eyes as well. Tara didn’t bother to hide her frown now.
“Brilliant, I come to visit you all and everyone goes to sleep,” she complained, but not too loudly. As much as she tried not to, her eyes were lingering on the Scottish boy whose eyes cracked open at the sound of her voice.
“Feel free to do so yourself,” Draco called from his bed, not moving to look at her. Tara was glad because she knew she was beet red- and not from the heat either. Riley was looking at her drowsily and he shifted, gesturing with one hand that she should come join him on the bed.
“I’ll- uh- do… that,” She said to placate Draco and felt her stomach drop at Riley’s amused grin. She wished she hadn’t said anything at all. Draco seemed to accept her words since he didn’t respond or really move.
Hesitantly, she edged toward the bunk Riley lay on. It was a double one, the bunk on top unoccupied by the looks of it. She made as if she were going to crawl up on it only to be stopped by a pair of hands tugging her quietly down to the bed. He shifted, allowing her to lie next to him.
“Oh, you meant next to you,” Tara whispered, teasing. The bed was warm from him laying in it. He hadn’t removed his hands from her waist and she could tell she was lying pretty stiffly.
“You alright?” Riley asked. His voice was quiet, but throaty from sleep. Tara tried not to shiver when he rested his chin on the top of her head, hesitantly placing her hand on his arm. You know, just to return the physical touch.
“Yes, yes,” Tara said quickly. She grimaced, trying to keep her throat from closing up. She hated it when she squeaked out answers to him. It happened all the time when he got close to her. “I mean… Britney is fine. Natalya is fine. There’s no fighting or anything. Well, there is fighting, but we’re not fighting. They girls in the cabin were fighting when I left. It wasn’t about me though. It was about my shorts. Natalya’s shorts, really, but I was wearing them and-“ Tara stopped herself realizing she was babbling. Draco shifted in the bed, causing her to tense. When he didn’t look back at them she relaxed slightly.
Only to stiffen once more when she felt Riley’s fingers sliding along the waistband of her shorts. Natalya’s shorts. Whatever.
“They’re pink,”
“Yeah, I was slightly surprised, too,” Tara swallowed, wondering why he wasn’t stopping doing what it was he was doing. Her hand tightened slightly on his arm and he stopped, resting his hand back on the side of her hip. She felt his chest rumble slightly with suppressed laughter. She turned to bury her face I the pillow, only to find herself staring at his neck. Flustered, she sat there for a moment, watching the steady pulse at the base of his throat. He was wearing his dog tags, which glinted in the dim light of the cabin. She reached up between them to touch their metal surface, hands tracing the carved letters.
“You laughing at me?” she asked softly. She felt him shift and knew he was looking at her. She didn’t look at him. It was too dangerous.
“A little,” he admitted and she turned so she was on her back again. She looked resolutely upwards, focusing on the twisted mattress wiring above him. These bunks really were unattractive. “Are you upset?”
“A little,” Tara said after a moment. She heard him chuckle as discreetly as possible. She shifted a little and looked over at him. She focused on his chin. He hadn’t shaved that day. There was dark stubble that swept up his chins and the sides of his cheeks. Some looked like burnished gold from her angle. It was tempting to reach out and touch his face, but she didn’t let herself.
“Are you mad at me?” Tara asked after a moment trying not to turn away. She felt terribly embarrassed for asking the question. She felt her face heating up again. “I mean, I understand if you are, I just want-“
“Tara,” he interrupted and she immediately snapped her mouth shut. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“Well,” she started and then stopped. Her throat closed up again. Damn. “Well,” she tried again and failed.
He was moving again, shifting himself so he was leaning up on one elbow, being careful not to hover over her. That had been a disaster the last time he’d done that. She’d ended up elbowing him the chest and then freaked out and nearly gave him a black eye. She wasn’t good with close proximities. Especially when it came with boys. Especially if the boy is one she liked. Really liked.
“Well?” he prompted.
“It’s just that… uh…” this was definitely a place she didn’t want to go to right then. She regretted bringing it up. Tara knew it was too late to go back though. She had his full attention and she could feel his eyes boring into hers. He seemed slightly riled by the question which surprised- and didn’t surprise- her. “You know. Everyone- we’ve never- you seem to be… uh,” if Riley’s neck hadn’t been in the way she’d have her face buried so deep in that pillow. Oh how she longed she could do just that.
“I’m not mad, I’d never be mad at you for not doing something you don’t want to do,” Riley said and he touched her face. He didn’t move her; it was just a light touch. His fingers were warm to the touch and she reacted by looking up at him, finally meeting his eyes. They were still the green that reminded her of those deep forests scattered in Scotland. They were slightly droopy with sleep and there were little dark crescents that came with the lack of sleep. She wondered what he had been doing to make himself so tired.
“I know,” Tara said even though she hadn’t known and was glad to know now. She didn’t know what to do or think anymore, especially with Riley. He was so new and exciting to her that he sent what little sense she felt she had right out the window.
He settled himself back down on the bed, his head resting just above hers. He was holding her lightly now and his green eyes were closed. Tara swallowed hard and giving into the temptation, brushed her hand across his cheek. It was like running her hand over sandpaper and his eyes flickered open for a moment to watch, before he closed them again. She curled her hand around the back of his hand, her fingers entwining in the soft curls at the nape of his neck. She was glad he could sleep next to her, that he could close his eyes while knowing she was still awake. Riley didn’t tell much of his past or experiences, but she knew that trust to him was a hard earned thing. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest when he pulled her closer with one hand before draping it across her side in a manner that made her feel giddy for some reason.
Tara hadn’t been tired before, but laying there I the cool cabin next to Riley’s warm body, she felt her eyes droop. Before she fell asleep, she bowed her head and nestled it beneath his chin, keeping her hand tangled in his hair. She might risk getting caught by Draco, but even that risk seemed worth it as she drifted to sleep in the arms of the man she loved.

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Credits:

Tara Costigan’s character by themainoffice/Michelle