The Last Lieutenant

New Year's

The elf nods, but Audra doesn't wait for confirmation, just spins and moves to her closet, stripping down to her underwear and throwing on different clothes, ones that cling to her skin.  Dueling clothes.

"Get rid of these."  She shoves them into Vinnie's arms and she staggers under the weight.  "Burn them, throw them in the trash chute, I don't care.  Just make it disappear."

"Yes, miss."  Vinnie turns to leave and hesitates.  "Is there anything else I can do to help, Miss?"

Meaning, I know you have done a bad thing.  Meaning, I have cleaned up bodies before.  Meaning, if you want me to, there is a way for me to make this go away without anyone knowing.

Audra is tempted.  But involving Vinnie would mean her knowing about Fred and George, and there are other people that Vinnie must answer to other than Audra.  Scarier people, who would be very interested to know about her continued association with a band of blood traitors.

"No thanks, Vinnie."  She puts on her fingerless gloves that Fred had got her for Christmas two years ago and twirls her wand in her hand.  "This one I have to do on my own."

There is a line to get in, but Audra bypasses it and moves straight to the door, boots clomping on the cement.

People stare.  They whisper, they mutter, they snarl her name.  A group of boys that she once shared a plate of fries with after a fight spot her and cheer, already on their way to being a drunken mess, but it's only when she makes it to the door that the goblin at the table looks up.

"You're late."  He reaches out to take the gold from her and she flinches away from his touch just like she always does.  Audra doesn't mean to be prejudiced, but it just seems so often, there is something inherently filthy about creatures like him.  They fight dirty.  She thinks it's why they like her so much.  "We gave up hoping that you would show."

Not that she had agreed to come, but there's an unspoken hope throughout London with every fight club owner that theirs would be the one she chooses to duel in for the night, because when she comes to fight, the crowds double, which means double the money.  This one is her favorite, because the food is cheap and everyone knows her name.  She likes to hear people cheer for her.

"Don't look like that."  She taps him under the chin with her finger and he snarls.  "Don't you know you're my favorite?"

She's trying to be a flirt and doing a bad job.  She's also talking too loud, but that's alright.  She wants people to notice.  She wants to be seen.

"We've got some competition tonight."  He almost looks concerned, though she imagines that she's become quite an investment.  "Might not walk away from these so easy."

"That's what your afraid of?"  She strips her cloak off and hands it to the first pair of hands she can find, brushing past the doors and into the long hallway that leads down to the hit.  Sometimes, the best fight is the one that you don't think you can get out of.

There are three opponents.

Three people that come into the ring with grins on their faces and blood in their teeth, all of them out for blood, all of them wanting to be the one to take her crown and topple the throne.  The person who defeats Audra Stanton will have their name known around the world.

(Well, the part of the world that follows dueling.  And not even professional dueling.  Just dirty, hole in the wall, you might need a tetanus shot just from stepping into the ring kind of dueling.)