“Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold,” Keera stated repeatedly in a voice that almost didn’t sound like her
own; it was a bit more high-pitched than usual, but that was probably because of the fact
that she was shivering out in the cold evening air. She pulled her leather vest closer to her,
but it didn’t help much; its deep pockets were good for hiding things, and its leather was a
beautiful black, but it did nothing to keep her warm. She wrapped her arms around her mid-
section as she walked down the poorly lit street, her huge combat boots thudding noisily
against the bricks that made up the road.
The Leaky Cauldron was like Keera’s home for as long as she was in London; she spent as
much time there as most people did their house, and she started to feel homesick whenever
she was away for too long. Part of the reason she had first visited there was because of a
poker game that she had been told about, a game that she had won. It had been an easy win
though, and had brought her little money, but Keera supposed that was why she had come
back; it had helped boost her confidence after a major loss. Now it was a tradition to visit the
Leaky Cauldron often… which meant everyday Keera wasn’t busy.
A small bell jingled when Keera pushed open the front door of the Leaky Cauldron and warm
air washed over her pleasantly. She exhaled and nodded, it was good to be out of the cold.
A dim fire was burning in the small fireplace on the other side of the place, covered in soot
as usual. Keera pulled the red gloves she was wearing off of her hands one finger at a time
& shoved them in her pockets before walking over to her table. She frowned when she saw
that a group of drunkin men were currently occupying it; everyone there knew that that was
her table, and most of the time, nobody would sit there unless they knew her, for they feared
that she was too ‘crazy’ to keep her temper. Yeah, well, they were right.
Keera was at her table in a few seconds, taking four or five long strides. She wrapped her
long fingers around the back of one of their throats and pulled him upwards, causing him to
yelp out of surprise. He stood up when she pulled him up out of the chair by his throat, and
glared at her, curling his upper lip in a rather threatening manner. Keera took the front of his
cloak in her hands and moved her face inches from his, “You’re in my chair,” she whispered
in a eerily calm voice. He was quiet for a moment, but only a short moment, and then he star-
ted laughing drunkenly, “You’re a feisty one. How about you come sit on my lap and watch
me win this here game of poker,” he told her, but it sounded more like an order than anything.
Keera laughed bitterly and let go of his jacket, sitting down in the seat he had been sitting in
moments prior. She looked up at him and waved, smirking. His friends obviously found it
amusing that she had outsmarted him.
“Deal me in,” Keera ordered flatly, resting her arms on the table; she figured the best way to
get these men away from her table was to beat them just as she had years ago. She wasn’t
very surprised they didn’t remember her; they smelled so strongly of alcohol that she could ta-
ste it on her tongue. “I hope you three have improved, or else this will be no fun at all,” she
mocked dryly; she wasn’t in the best of moods, and it was clear in every way.
by 
