Editing Crucible:Bear's Den (section)

== The Pub ==

The Bear’s Den is cozy, loud, and welcoming in the way only an old New York pub can be. The floors creak, the booths are scarred, the bar has been polished by decades of elbows, and the lighting is dim enough to be forgiving. The walls are packed with photographs, framed newspaper pages, signed gloves, broken gadgets, old posters, alien drink labels, hero team pennants, and several items that have never been convincingly identified.

The regular crowd is a mixture of locals and legends. Students from nearby neighborhoods share space with off-duty firefighters, retired heroes, working journalists, minor celebrities, neighborhood eccentrics, and the occasional masked figure who sits in the back with the collar up and pays in cash. The staff are accustomed to unusual customers. They know when to ask questions, when not to ask questions, and when to quietly move the furniture away from the windows.

Kodiak’s ownership gives the place a certain reputation for rough warmth. The Bear’s Den is friendly, but not delicate. Patrons are expected to behave themselves. Anyone who starts trouble in Kodiak’s bar is either very brave, very drunk, or very poorly informed.