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The first thing that Ezra noticed about the well dressed young woman in his saloon was the way she dealt the cards she held in her hands, as if she'd been doing it for a number of years. The fact that she was quite lovely wasn't lost on him either. And also, that somehow, she looked familiar to him, but he couldn't remember from where. But what puzzled him the most was that she was here, in Four Corners. He decided to watch her for a while, to see what would develop, if anything.

Lilith saw the attractive gambler out of the corner of her eye. She wondered if maybe he was the owner of the place, or just another itinerant opportunist, living by their luck with cards or dice, or simply by what they had in their heads. Either way, the way he was watching her made her slightly uncomfortable; as if she were an insect under a microscope. Still, though, he was quite nice looking. She turned her attention back to the three gentlemen at the table with her. "Jacks or better to open, minimum five dollars to raise." she said in a quiet but audible voice.

One of the men immediately folded; obviously he held no jacks. He sat back in his chair to watch the hand's progress. He was particularly interested in seeing if the woman's luck held, as it had for most of the afternoon. He just might take a more personal interest in her.

Lilith fanned her cards out to look at them. She had one jack, so she picked up a chip and carelessly tossed it towards the table's center. "Open for five." she said. She cast a glance around the table, her cocoa brown eyes looking at each of the others. She raised one eyebrow. "Well?" she questioned.

One of the men immediately tossed in a chip, but the other one, a short, squat fellow with eyes like a snake, hesitated. Immediately, Lilith's instincts were alerted and she covertly watched him. She could hear the card he had tucked up his left sleeve slide lower and lower. Finally he spoke. "I'll see that five, and I'll raise it another ten." he said, tossing two chips in. He looked up.

That was when Lilith looked him straight in the eye. "I think maybe you'd better fold, sir." she told him. "Because if you don't, I'll be forced to expose you for the cheater you are."

There was a collective gasp from the others surrounding the table, including Ezra. How did she know that for certain? The squat man wanted to know, too, for he suddenly reached across and grabbed hold of Lilith's wrist in a firm grip. She gasped in pain and surprise. "Please, don't do that!" she got out. "Let go!"

"Not until you take back what you just said." he snarled, his lip curling. "I ain't never cheated at cards before."

A southern drawl broke through the chaos. "At least, not until now." Ezra commented. "I suggest you release the young lady or I shall be forced to take more drastic measures." He stepped closer to the table, his green eyes cold with suppressed anger, his derringer suddenly appearing in his right hand and rather dangerously close to the squat man's head. "Let go-now." he hissed quietly.

Forced into the choice rather than having to make it, the squat man released Lilith's wrist. He gathered his money, and as he did, the card in his sleeve fell to the table-a Jack of Diamonds. To try and cover for his faux pas, he looked at Lilith accusingly. "You ain't gonna get away with this." he told her. "You'll get yours." He then turned his back on the gathering and hastily departed.

Ezra then turned to Lilith as the rest of the crowd dispersed. "Are you all right, my dear?" he asked. "Did he do you any injury?" Now that he was closer to her, the Southerner could see her face better, and was certain he knew her.

Lilith rubbed her bruised wrist gently. "No, he didn't." she answered. "Thank you for your concern." She looked at Ezra. "Perhaps I'd best be on my way, I-I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"Nonsense, my dear, you were no trouble; that card playing miscreant was the cause of whatever trouble there may have been." The gambler then smiled. "Rest assured, it will not happen again." He made a courtly bow. "Ezra P. Standish, at your service. I own this establishment. And you are...?" he inquired.

She felt it only polite to answer. "Lilith." she replied. "Lilith Regina Todd..." she almost added 'Johnson', but then stopped. That was a name she wished she'd never taken, for it had ruined her life. So, she stopped there.

Fortunately, Ezra did not hear the hesitation. Instead, he merely smiled and told her, "Well, Miss Todd, welcome to Four Corners." He made a mental promise to himself to definitely remember where he had seen her. Hopefully, she would stay longer.

Neither one of them paid any attention to the man who had folded first in the game. He watched them covertly, and decided to remain in town a little longer, and wait for his opportunity.