Please don't drive me blind [Tara]

Rejection. Brian was familiar with it, but it was not something to which he was entirely accustomed. Being a reasonably good-looking man with an outgoing, laid-back personality helped open a lot of doors for him. It was true that Brian had a relatively easy time in life, having little trouble surmounting the few obstacles set in front of him. Even his half-blood status was not much of a problem for him. He would probably never marry a pureblood because of it, but there were enough halfblood and Muggleborn witches in Britain to make it a non-issue for him in the long run. His blood status had no affect on his situation or job, which relied on his magical skill and intelligence, anyway. All things considered, Brian was privileged, and even if he did not always consciously acknowledge his privilege.

That morning, he had received an owl from Hadley. Curious, Brian had torn open the letter only to find a brief apology note from her. While she was flattered by his interest in her, she regretfully declined another meeting with him, giving some excuse that he could not now recall. It was the strangest rejection he had ever received, and he was honestly dumbfounded by it. Usually if a woman was not interested, she made it known from the start. She didn’t let him kiss her and arrange a future date, only to break it off before anything even started. It just proved to him that no matter how old he got and how many women he encountered, in the end they were all incredibly confusing.

With that thought it mind, Brian pushed open the door to The Goblin Hole, inhaling deeply of the scent that was familiar to most pubs. Prior to the whole business with Hadley, he had arranged to meet with Tara Kingsley that evening. He had arrived a bit early to get them a table. Dressed in dark blue jeans and a random t-shirt, Brian’s clothing choice that night was all about remaining comfortable. The weather was finally starting to warm up, with spring making itself felt at last. He had briefly considered wearing something a touch nicer for his meeting with Tara, but ultimately decided against it. It wouldn’t do for her to get suspicious or wonder at the sudden change in his attire.

Smiling at the barkeep, Brian ordered a pint of Wizard's Brew. It was not quite the same as a Guinness, but it would do for the time being. Few wizard pubs served Muggle alcohol, and The Goblin Hole was not one of them. He was too distracted to make small talk, so when his drink was ready, he took it with a nod of thanks. Making his way toward the back of the pub, he sat down at an empty table. The pub was crowded to a point, but not so crowded that they would have to yell to make themselves heard. 

Normally, Brian was not the type to brood. Still, he found himself staring at his drink in contemplation, occasionally taking a sip as he waited. The noise of conversation and laughter around him was soothing, and he found his spirits starting to lift. It was perfect timing, for at that moment he looked up and saw Tara approaching the table, drink already in hand. He stood, giving her a smile as he said, “Hey, Tara. Good to see you.” They hugged briefly, and as they broke apart, he caught the faint scent of her shampoo. Clearing his throat, he pulled out a chair for her, offering her a seat. “I see you already have your drink. Are you hungry? Would you like any food?” he asked. Brian was not particularly ravenous, but the smell of fried food wafting from the kitchen was tempting enough for him to want a snack to go with their drinks.

Black boots hit the ground of Diagon Alley as Tara Kingsley apparated just outside of the Goblin's Hole, her long brown hair settling about her shoulders as she got her bearings. Her long legs were sheathed in dark wash denim, a slate grey top layers over them a black leather jacket completed the outfit. Tara was always glad that her department at work was so obscure that no one gave a f*ck about what she wore.

She was running just a few minutes behind but as she entered the bar, she didn't spot her friend Brian. She turned on her heel and headed to the bar, a great big smile on her face as she saw her favorite goblin behind the counter. "Tazzy!" she called to him in greeting with a grin, which got even bigger when he glanced up from where he was pouring a drink to throw her an unamused look. She leaned against the bar just in front of him and chatted with him for a few moments as he got others their drinks. Btaz was gruff and never actually smiled, but Tara was sure they had a special bond. Sometimes she could swear that she could see a blush beneath his ruddy complexion. Her theory was only confirmed when he slid a glass to her without even asking for her order. He remembered her usual and she smiled widely at him in response. "You want those sweet potato fries too?" he asked her with barely a glance in her direction.

Tara nodded doggedly, saying, "they're my favorite. Thanks Tazzy. I could just kiss you." He sent her a glare and she grinned and then slid away from the bar before he could threaten to kick her out. She chuckled under her breath as she turned with her pint in her hand and glanced around before spotting a familiar head of dark hair near the back.

"Hey," she said in greeting as she wrapped her free arm around him in a brief hug. When she realized he was pulling out a seat for her, Tara rolled her eyes and pushed at his shoulder. "Sit your ass down, McShane." The grin on her face softened the demand, but she hooked her foot around the leg of the chair and sat herself down in the chair all by herself. She greedily drank at her pint, barely sating the thirst that had been dogging her all day. She could already feel that this wasn't going to be the only pint she had tonight.

Looking over at Brian, she nodded to Btaz behind the bar and said, "Tazzy already put it an order for the sweet potato fries. Did you want anything else?" She took another drink and brushed her hair over her shoulder as she set down her pint, her fingers playing about the handle. She looked him over and asked, "how's your week been? What's been going on?"

Brian was unsurprised when Tara declined his offer of help in seating. Of course, he knew she would. Tara had never been the kind of girl to flirt with or simper at the boys, fishing for compliments and favors. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips as he watched her matter-of-factly take her seat and begin gulping her drink like it was going out of style. Following her lead, he resumed his own seat, taking a large sip of his pint. Setting the glass down on the table, he eyed her across the table, still smiling. “Tough crowd,” he commented neutrally, relaxing back into his seat. “Sweet potato fries sound great,” he said with a wave of his hand. He was not a picky eater, nor was he even all that hungry, so whatever was good for her was fine with him.

“How's your week been? What's been going on?”

How was his week? Where to begin? It had been crazy, to say the least. On the day he lost his magic, he went to the first person he could think of, an old friend Rob Gilchrist. Hogsmeade was much too far from London to be reached by ordinary Muggle public transportation, and so he’d been left scrambling for accommodations. Luckily, Rob’s place was reachable by Muggle transport, and Brian had been able to stay there for the next three days until their magic returned. Both men were stuck cooling their heels, having literally nothing to do with themselves without magic, and thought it would be a fantastic idea to visit some of the many Muggle pubs in his neighborhood. “Well,” he began slowly, finishing the last of his pint. “After everyone lost their magic, I was stuck here in London. I stayed with Rob Gilchrist, and I’m not sure I’ve quite recovered yet,” he joked, only half-serious. “I think that was the first time since Hogwarts I was actually drunk for three days straight.”

At that point, Tara’s food order arrived at the table. “Can I get another pint?” he asked of the waitress, his gaze sliding over to Tara to see if she wanted a refill of her own drink. He would not order for her, knowing that she would probably be annoyed if he did. When their replacement drink orders were taken and the glasses cleared away, he continued with his story as Tara began to dig into the fries. “Err - anyway, on the day we lost our magic, I met a girl,” he confessed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Tara was his friend, but his feelings for her were complicated. Still, she had asked. It didn’t occur to him to skip over this part of the story.

“Her name was… is Hadley. We were supposed to go for a date, but I got an owl earlier from her calling it off,” he said, shaking his head and sounding surprised. Women. They were altogether too confusing for his liking. He conveniently left out the bit where he kissed Hadley, feeling too embarrassed to bring up that detail. It would take several more pints to pry that bit of information from him. Besides, he was not one to kiss and tell. “So the timing of this meeting couldn’t be better. You can help me drink my sorrows away,” he told her with a grin as their fresh drinks came. “Cheers,” he said, raising is glass to her in salute before taking a long draught of his second pint. The night was still young.

“You were stuck in London? Why didn’t you tell me. Could’ve crashed at my place,” Tara said as she thought back to that days when everyone’s magic had mysteriously dried up. It had made her uncomfortable, not knowing why it happened or when/if it would come back. Her and Max had had no way of cooking the food in their apartment and no muggle money to pay for anything at muggle restaurants so Tara had dragged Max down to a local muggle pub and engaged some guys in a pool bet. If they won (which they did), the guys would buy them dinner. It had worked well enough for that night and in afterthought, Tara had enjoyed the challenge of hunting for a way to get dinner, but she was in no way eager to play at being a muggle again. She liked d her magic, thank you very much.

She raised her glass to her lips, but stilled as the name of the Griffins keeper fell from his lips. “You know Gilchrist?” she asked him, a brow quirking with her qsuestion. She wasn’t really surprised that Gilchrist and Brian had spent their magicless days drunk though. Just then, the goblin waitress slid the sweet potato fries across the table and Tara wasn’t shy in reaching for the basket first and sliding it closer to her. Brian ordered another pint and seeing as hers was nearly empty, she held up one finger, signaling the goblin to wait one moment as she drank the last of her beer and then grinned and said, “I’ll take another too.”

The hesitation in his voice had Tara glancing up at him with a questioning gaze, a small grin playing about her lips. “A girl?” she repeated, her smile growing wider, listening attentively as he continued. “Drink your sorrows away?” she scoffed though it was softened with a smile. “Only after you tell me everything. I never knew you had this much trouble with your game, McShane,” she teased as she raised her pint to his and clinked it before taking a big swallow.

Tara set her glass down and nodded at him as she once again dug into the fries, nudging the basket toward him in an effort to share. “Go on, tell me about this Hadley girl. Why’d she call it off?”

When Tara asked why Brian didn’t try to stay with her when their magic was on the fritz, he was at a loss for words, which he neatly covered with a sip of his drink. It was a good thing he had long outgrown his awkwardness around girls and was no longer susceptible to blushing. Ignoring her question, he instead regaled her with the story of how he and Rob had visited multiple pubs in Muggle London. “I know Gilchrist. We’re old friends from Hogwarts,” he said with a casual half-shrug of his shoulders. Rob had been a mentor to Brian when he was a young student, encouraging and coaching him so that he gained enough skill to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his third year. By that time, Rob had finished school and was unable to be there in person to share in Brian’s triumph, but he knew that the older man was happy and proud all the same.

“I never knew you had this much trouble with your game, McShane,”

He had poured out his heart to her - okay, not really, but he had told her more than he’d told anyone about this whole affair so far - and this was the response he got? He set down his glass and made a face at her as he took a fry from the basket. “Low blow, Kingsley,” he said, regarding her as he chewed slowly on his snack. The dim lighting was flattering, giving her green eyes an attractive gleam that he had immediately noticed. Her words had a ring of truth to them, if he was honest with himself. Normally he didn’t have a problem with women. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, which was why he was so puzzled by the situation. Whenever he ended a relationship, no matter how brief, he at least always made sure to do it in person.

“Who says I have trouble with my game? Just one person’s uninformed opinion,” he teased her, leaning back in his seat. Brian was laughing outright now, unable to quell his amusement. If he thought about it, he would recognize how odd it was to be talking about his love life, or lack thereof, with the woman he’d been half in love with for the better part of ten years. Downing another gulp of his beer, he considered what he was going to say next. “I’m not sure what happened. She seemed keen at first, but obviously she wasn’t. Anyway, I already told you everything,” he told her, a touch of evasiveness in his answer as he avoided her eyes. Brian really didn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty details. The facts as he had presented them were embarrassing enough without him divulging any more information.

"Friends with Gilchrist and still a Bats fan?" she remarked with a quirk of her brow and a quick grin on her lips, Tara shook her head before lifting her pint up. The liquid was refreshing and just what she needed after a long day of work. "Don't know how you've survived this long.." she trailed off as she teased him. Her Griffins blood was showing and she wasn't ashamed of it. It was no secret that she didn't understand his predilection for an inferior quidditch team. She also wondered at when Gilchrist and Brian had become so close, but then again it wasn't as if she spent every moment at Hogwarts with him so she let it go.

"I'm just saying. Not my fault if you can't handle the truth," she told him a smile and then tossed in a sweet potato fry. She added in a careless shrug, but kept her eyes on him. She was feeling playful and the banter that came so easily for her with him was something she thrived on.

"Maybe she's playing hard to get, Bri," she offered and then rolled her eyes. It's not something Tara had ever felt the need to do or something that made sense to her, but she knew girls that seemed to think that was the way to go. "That or maybe she thought about you and didn't want to get involved with a guy that uses more hair product that her." She laughed as she nudged him with an elbow and picked a few more fries out of the basket. Tara was an unapologetic agitator and Brian always seemed to give her ammunition. "What's she like? Is she even your type?" Tara was fishing for information, curious as ever. She honestly didn't know what kind of girl he went after so of course she wanted to pull the inside info from him.

His 'I already told you everything' coupled with the fact that he avoided her eyes made her narrow her gaze at him and sit forward in her chair. "I don't believe you," Tara said after a moment as she brought her pint up slowly to her lips, still looking at him over the rim. "What aren't you telling me? Go on, spit it out."

Tara’s comment about the possibility that Hadley was playing hard to get caused him to roll his eyes along with Tara. Brian couldn’t deny that he had thought about that, but dismissed the idea almost immediately. From his brief interaction with Hadley, he couldn’t see her being the type of girl to play those kinds of games. Granted, he didn’t know her very well at all, but Brian considered himself a decent judge of character and he felt confident in his assessment of Hadley based on his first impression.

At Tara’s mention of his use of hair products, he gave her the evil eye from across the table. “If you had hair like this, you would be drowning in hair products, too,” he said, gesturing toward his rebellious hair. He could thank his mother for that particular physical trait, God love her. He just thanked whatever star he was born under that he was not born a girl. At least all he had to do was make himself look presentable. There were no expectations for his physical appearance beyond that. He didn’t know how women dealt with makeup and all the rest. It seemed like a pointless hassle that he was glad to be able to avoid.

“What aren't you telling me? Go on, spit it out.”

Brian always seemed to forget just how persistent Tara could be when she latched onto an idea. She was like a dog with a bone, refusing to give it up even as he tried to wrest it from her. The image that presented itself in his mind caused him to laugh aloud as he finished off his second pint. Brian had a high tolerance for teasing and did not mind being on the receiving end. He was willing to take a bit more from a woman than from a man, which was why he let Tara carry on for so long. Nevertheless, it was time for him to divert the conversation away from him and onto a neutral topic that did not involve his failed attempts at romance. “I said it once and I’ll say it again. I told you everything,” he told her, sticking to his original story.

Catching the eye of their goblin waitress, Brian signaled to her. It was time for another pint. “Another pint for myself and my friend, please,” he said as the waitress approached their table. He took the liberty of ordering for Tara this time, not caring if she got annoyed with his presumption. She deserved it after her relentless baiting. Turning back to her, he grinned, relishing her animosity. “Don’t look at me like that, Kingsley. Aren’t you thirsty from all those fries? I know I would be,” he teased, nodding toward the now half-empty basket that lay between them. He could give as good as he got, and sometimes Tara made it too easy for him.

She was waiting for it, waiting for it. And there it was! That glare from Brian had her laughing and cracking a wide grin, but she lifted her pint to hide her smile. She sipped and nodded patronizingly. "Oh yeah, I'm sure I would too. Definitely," she said. "I bet you use more Wonder Witch products than I do," she added and then laughed again. The beers were making her buzz and Tara was always more loose-lipped with a few pints in her.

Tara watched as he laughed and she narrowed her eyes at him, yet a smile was still about her lips. "What are you laughing about?" she asked with a pointed look. She shook her head at him a second later and pursed her lips. "Nope. Still don't believe you. You never were a good liar, not even back in school." She didn't know why she was prying so much, but now that she had started, she didn't want to give up that easily.

"No complaints here, McShane. You're paying for these ones," she said, wiggled her brows once at him and then lifted her pint. She shoved her glass against his, laughing as some of the amber liquid sloshed over the side, and then she brought the chilled glass to her lips. Damn, she needed this more than she thought. The tension from the work day just seemed to slide away and she leaned back in her chair as her fingers played about the handle. Suddenly, she sat up in her chair as an idea came to her and she looked at Brian with bright green eyes. "I have an idea," she said. And with Tara, that usually meant trouble.

"Let's play truth or dare. Or really my favorite, dare or dare." At this, she grinned and nodding excitedly. "You first," she decided and then pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling as she thought about her question. "Oh, I know. I dare you to... go and try to pick up that girl," she said as she pointed out a blonde witch at the bar with red lips and a set of lavender robes. It could happen, a small part of Tara's mind thought, even though she had no clue what Brian's type was. "Or.." she offered kindly, "you could tell me everything that happened with your little Hadley. It's up to you." Tara wiggled her brows, smiled devilishly at him and then stole a few more fries from the basket and chomped away happily.

Brian rolled his eyes at Tara as their fresh drinks were set in front of them, determined not to give in to her badgering. He shrugged at her mention that he would be paying for the next round. Of course he would pay. To him, that was a given. She clinked her glass against his rather roughly, and a bit of his drink splashed over the side and onto his hand. “Easy, Kingsley,” he laughed as he took a sip of his beer. He wiped his hand on his napkin as he watched her. This was the third pint for both of them, and judging by how silly she was starting to act, Tara was feeling it. Brian knew, being both Irish and a man, that he could drink her under the table. He also knew that in her stubbornness, she would attempt to keep up with him for as long as possible. Had she not been determined to tease the life of him, he may have felt a glimmer of guilt or pity for her. At that moment, he felt no remorse for what would be the likely outcome of their evening.

"Let's play truth or dare. Or really my favorite, dare or dare.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at her unexpected suggestion. “Don’t you -” he began, but was abruptly cut off by her forging on with her idea. Chancing a look at the blonde that Tara dared him to chat up, he smiled in amusement. She had at least correctly guessed his type, he thought as he appreciatively glanced her up and down. He tried to be as subtle as possible, and luck was with him, for the blonde witch’s face was turned slightly away from his, so she did not see his staring. If he hadn’t been with Tara, he might very well have attempted to to flirt with her. The fact remained, though, that he was not going to allow himself to be pushed around by Tara any more. He was going to have his say before they took this thing any further.

“Hold on,” he said as she finally finished speaking. He ignored the second part of her dare, shaking his head as he folded his arms together, resting them on the edge of the table and leaning toward her. She really needed to give this whole Hadley business a rest. “You didn’t let me choose whether I wanted truth or dare. Or… dare or dare, if that’s the game you want to play,” he said with a grin that matched hers. He was making this up as he went along, knowing that she might protest. He reached across the table and took one of the last fries from the basket. They would need more food soon. He wasn’t completely heartless and knew that Tara would need to eat to soften the effect of the alcohol she was drinking. “Since you broke the rules, I’m going first. Truth or dare?” he asked before taking a bite from his fry.

She laughed along with him as she flicked the beer off her hand and shrugged carelessly. A little split beer never hurt anyone. Although.. she should probably should be a little more careful so she didn't spill the whole pint. Tara wiggled her brows once as she took a long drag from the glass, the liquid warming a fire through her. Her whole body felt a little bit lighter and the tension that she had been holding in her shoulders seemed to float away. This was always when the real fun began.

Tara watched the dark-haired wizard across from her as he checked out the blonde she had mentioned and she nodded doggedly. yeah, she saw him checking her out. She totally wanted to see this go down and she grinned at the thought. It was going to be funny as hell if he couldn't pick this girl up, Tara thought. Her green eyes narrowed when he slowed her excitement and she leaned toward him, mirroring his actions.

She shook her head slightly but still smiled. He wasn't getting out of this so easy. So she shrugged and said, "fine. You can pic--" but he interrupted and she felt a slow grin growing on her face as one brow rose. He wanted to play? This was going to be interesting. "Alright then, McShane. There are no 'rules' but I'm not afraid to go first." She sent him an impish look and stole the last fries out of the basket with a triumphant smile.

"Dare, of course. And make it a good one," she added, purely to tease him a little bit more.

Tara’s selection of a dare was utterly unsurprising to Brian. She always had been a risk-taker, even back when they were students at Hogwarts. He had always been a little more cautious than her, but he, too, thrived on the thrill of the unknown. When it was his turn, he was sure she would stick it to him by repeating her earlier dare. Still, he was going to have his fun while he could, because once he dropped his dare on her, she might never speak to him again. “Hmm,” he said, leaning back in his seat as he looked at her, considering. “Don’t worry, Kingsley, I’ll make it good. You’ll love it,” he told her with a snicker. Oh, he doubted it, but he enjoyed pushing her buttons. He finished his fry and reached for another, only to see that the basket was empty, Tara having finished off the last of them.

Brian took a long draught of his pint, allowing the suspense to build. He relished keeping her on edge, wondering what the dare would be. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he finally straightened up and spoke, looking her straight in the eye the entire time. “I dare you to stand up and announce to the entire pub here that the Gravesend Griffins are the worst team in Quidditch and that the Ballycastle Bats are sure to win the league championship this year,” he said, struggling to keep a straight face. Suddenly, he wished he had a camera, if only to capture the look on her face. If she could only see herself… Although, somehow he knew that she would not appreciate the look on her face as much as he was right then. He grinned, relaxing back into his seat once more.

Tara smirked at him from behind her glass, her green eyes twinkling with curiosity and determination. She was a girl who liked to win. Even at silly games like Truth or Dare. And she wanted to win this too. She was intrigued to see if her friend could even come up with a good dare, though she was hedging her bets on not. Tara didn't think he was the creative sort. "Oh I'm not worried at all. Impress me," she taunted with a low laugh and then raised her glass for another sip. It was at that point in the night where all the beer was starting to affect her. She could feel it in the tingling on her lips and the release of tension she had held in her shoulders. She wasn't giving it up anytime soon though. Good beer, good company, and now all she needed was another round of those sweet potato fries.

She raised a finger in the air as she signaled to the goblin waitress and let out a low whistle. When the waitress threw her a glare, Tara simply pointed at the basket with a grin and the goblin stomped away. The witch could only assume that that was a 'yes.' Turning back to Brian, she tilted her head, her long brown hair flowing over her shoulder. "C'mon Brian," she said impatiently with a roll of her eyes. "Tick tock, tick tock."

When he finally sat up, she leaned forward across the table toward him, her eyes glittering brightly as she waited eagerly. I dare you to stand up and announce to the entire pub here that the Gravesend Griffins are the worst team in Quidditch and that the Ballycastle Bats are sure to win the league championship this year. "No. F*cking. Way," she gritted out, the intrigue in her eyes transforming in a flash to irritation. "You are the absolute worst at dares, McShane," she threw at him even though it was actually a pretty good dare. Didn't mean she liked it one bit, that asshat, but damn it was a good dare.

She crossed her arms in front of her and sat back in her chair petulantly as she glared at him from beneath low brows. Tara was struggling with it. She didn't back down from a dare, but she had Griffins running in her blood. She pressed her lips together in a straight line. She didn't want to say it. The mere thought of proclaiming something so ludicrous left a bad taste in her mouth. She wanted to dump her beer on Brian. And then get another beer and dump that on him too just to wipe that grin off his face. Suddenly, she stood, her chair scraping harshly against the floor and she pointed a finger right at her friend. "I am never bringing you to another game again," she promised darkly.

Tara turned and stepped up on to her chair, her mind made up. Thankfully, she only wobbled a little with all the alcohol she had had up to this point. She couldn't back down from a dare. Her pride and reputation were on the line. Plus this little interlude gave her a little more time to come up with something even more horrible for McShane to do during his dare. He wanted to play this game? She was the queen of dares so bring it on. She cleared her throat rather loudly and spread her arms wide to get everyone's attention. If she was going to do a dare, she was going to do it the right f*cking way.

"Hey! Listen up!" she said, pausing until the tables around her looked up at her curiously, quiet. "My dickhead of a friend here--" she smiled sarcastically at Brian here. "--wanted you all to know that the Griffins are the "worst" team in the league and that the Ballycastle Bats are "sure to win" the cup this year. That is all." Complete with air quotes and sarcasm in the right places, Tara completed his dare while still getting her point across. "Take that, McShane," she told him as she looked down at her with a bright, triumphant smile and stepped down from her chair. She stumbled as her boots hit the floor and nearly ended up falling on the floor, but caught herself on the edge of the table, sliding into her chair rather ungracefully.

She pushed her hair out of her eyes as she dragged her glass towards her and gulped down another swallow. "Alright, Bri. No getting out of it this time. Truth or Dare?" Tara grinned at him, no holds barred, that little bit of devil showing in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll make it good," she said, echoing his earlier words.

At Tara’s reaction to his dare, Brian laughed immoderately, feeling it rumble up through his belly before issuing from his lips. It was too perfect. His laughter began to subside as caught another look at her face, the glare telling him everything he needed to know. She obviously would just as soon punch him as follow through with the dare. She didn’t need to say anything for him to know this instinctively. Still, he found the whole thing absurdly funny, momentarily forgetting that she would probably come up with something equally good (or bad, depending on who you asked) for his dare.

As she stood, he watched her intently, shaking his head with a grin as she threatened to never again bring him to a Griffins game. Brian was reasonably sure that with enough wheedling and cajoling that he could convince her to change her mind. That is, if she even remembered her threat. The way she faltered as she climbed up onto her chair alerted him to the fact that perhaps she was getting close to the point where he would need to cut her off from drinking. He sat back up, readying himself in case she needed help getting back down.

“Hey! Listen up!”


Upon Tara’s command, the entire bar quieted as heads swiveled around to look at the young woman making a spectacle of herself by standing on her chair. Somebody wolf-whistled, eliciting a heavy frown from Brian, which Tara likely would not see from her vantage point so high above where he was seated. As he could not see the culprit, he made no move to get up and hex the offending wizard. He forgot his annoyance as his ears caught Tara’s insult and he rolled his eyes. Woman… he thought as she finished the pronouncement he’d dared her to make. There was an explosion of applause, hooting, and laughter as she stepped down from her chair. He half-stood from his seated position as she stumbled, but she apparently did not need his help, for she was able to resume her seat on her own. He sat back down, watching with an amused glint in her eyes as she flopped back into her chair. He noticed that they were getting a lot of looks from the other patrons, which Brian decided to ignore, instead focusing on his friend.

“Wonderful performance,” he said with an elaborate wave of his hand, congratulating her as he finished the last of his pint. “Inspiring,” he said with a slight inflection of sarcasm in his voice. There was a wry smile on his lips, communicating to her that he recognized her insult but chose not to bring it up. She was entitled to her petty slights, after all. He couldn’t help it that the Bats were superior to the Griffins in every way. At that moment, a fresh order of fries appeared on their table. He took one, munching on it in a self-satisfied sort of way, listening to her urging him to choose Truth or Dare. Hmmm… Brian was never one to back down from a dare, but he didn’t exactly like the idea of her repeating her earlier dare. Then again, Truth had its own pitfalls, as she was sure to bring up Hadley again. He rubbed his chin with the palm of his hand, feeling the roughness of his day-old stubble as it scratched him.

Shit. “Truth,” he said, signaling the waitress once more for a fresh round of drinks. If Tara was going to ask him about Hadley again, he would need another drink.

For the first time in her life, Tara had wanted to curtsy after giving her dare-required speech. The applause and hoots and hollers had her nearly bending at the knee, but as she fell back into her chair, the room spun at the edges and the disorientation of it distracted her. She covered by reaching for some more fries from the fresh basket that appeared at the table. "Thank you, thank you," she replied to Brian with a gracious nod of her head and a gentle shoulder shrug. "I was practically born to be on the stage," she told him, meeting sarcasm with sarcasm, smile for smile.

Tara leaned forward as she watched him decide between the choices, her green eyes alight with interest and curiosity and impatience. She wanted him to pick, now and she felt a need rising in her to get back at him. "Cmon, McShane, quit stalling," she taunted him, a grin pulling at her lips as she cradled her pint in her hand, her eyes tracking his hand as he rubbed his chin.

Truth.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned widely as she sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Truth? You asked for it," she told him with a shake of her head, her glossy locks falling about her shoulders. He should know better than to think she was going to take it easy on him. He should have just picked dare. But nonetheless, Tara gazed at him, her green eyes to his warm hazel as she thought about what to ask him.

As the goblin waitress arrived with beers and then left a few seconds later, Tara opened her mouth to ask her question, deciding on a whim of what to ask rather than any drawn out thought process. For some reason, critical thinking was beyond her at this point. "What's your perfect girl like? Is it this Hadley?" she asked with a tilt of her head as she looked at him. For as close friends as they were, Tara never really remembered Brian sharing too much about the girls he was into and now she couldn't help but wonder what his type even was. She raised her glass as she perked her brows in an obvious 'I'm waiting' kind of gesture and sipped at her beer.

Brian grinned as Tara threatened him. He had drank enough alcohol at that point to be past the point of caring about what she asked him. Somewhat arrogantly, he assumed that he was prepared for whatever question she threw at him. “I’m ready,” he told her confidently, taking a sip of the fresh pint the waitress had just set in front of him. If he had to tell her all about the situation with Hadley, then so be it. Tara would likely weasel the information out of him sooner or later. Better to get it over with now, especially when she was tipsy, borderline drunk. There was less of a chance she would remember all of the gory details than if they had discussed the topic while stone cold sober.

He found himself distracted by the way her hair settled about her shoulders as she tossed her head. Leaning back in his chair, Brian eyed her lazily from across the table, a feeling of complacency washing over him as their eyes met. Whatever she asked couldn’t be that bad, could it? He was in the middle of another sip when Tara asked her Truth question. It was unexpected and disconcerting. He choked on his drink, hastily swallowing in the midst of a coughing fit, his eyes watering.

“Hadley?” he asked before clearing his throat in attempt to return his voice to normal. “Definitely not,” he scoffed as he blinked away the tears that had formed in his eyes. “She’s cute, and blonde. I like blondes,” he told her with an impertinent grin, “but otherwise no. She’s too young, for one thing. Too…” he waved his hand, mentally groping for the right words. “Naive? Immature?” Now that he was closer to thirty than twenty, he appreciated a more experienced, worldly woman. As nice as she seemed, Hadley just wasn’t that.

Brian suddenly found himself wondering about Tara’s taste in men. He remembered the bloke she had dated in Hogwarts - Leifr - if only because the other wizard had gotten to Tara first. Brian had stepped back, not wanting to interfere with the relationship and inevitably ruin his friendship with Tara. That had been over ten years ago. They had never really talked about romantic partners with the other for reasons which were obvious to him but would be unknown to her. Still, she had asked him for Truth and he would give that to her, to the best of his ability. Although, he couldn’t very well answer her question with ‘you,’ now could he?

“I like a woman who knows her own mind. One who isn’t afraid to get dirty if necessary, who’s independent, smart, and of course, blonde,” he told her, ending his pronouncement by attempting to turn it into a joke. “Hair color is negotiable, though,” he said with a shrug. Reaching over, he took another fry in order to have something to do, for he felt a bit nervous in that moment. Brian knew he probably didn’t need to be worried, and he smiled again, looking back at her with mischief in his eyes. “Okay, Kingsley. Your turn again. Truth or dare?”