That morning, Jim headed into town on his Outrider, a black stallion who aided him in duties as a marshal. The horse, a fantastic beast, wore it's own set of armor and had a marshal's star similar to his owner's around his neck. The Outrider was known for his speed and Jim wouldn't have a word said against it.
Jim wore a wide black hat with a star, which made him feel a little bit important, but mainly it helped keep the sun out of his eyes. His uniform was black and neat, although the gold buttons down the front had lost a lot of their shine over he years. He'd cut his beard short recently, not having loved the upkeep of it being long.
He rode up to Joey Ray's Diner, it had been a bar in the past, but had since been converted into a diner complete with attractive waitresses on roller skates. Joey Ray had told Jim that it made three times the profit it had done as a bar. So, although Jim missed spending his evenings there with a whiskey, he understood Joey Ray's reasons. Joey Ray was of course not opposed to the occasional lock-in where some of the local men would enjoy drinking and a game of cards.
Jim dismounted and tied up his horse outside. He entered into the brightly colored diner and headed straight for the counter where Joey Ray was serving. "Mornin'," Jim said as he removed his hat and placed it on the counter before taking a seat on one of the high stools.
"You look like crap," Joey Ray remarked with a smile. "Rough night?" he knew Jim had a fondness for spending the night with a bottle of Scotty Bolger's Old No. 8 Whiskey.
"Thanks," Jim replied dully, used to Joey Ray's casual behavior towards him. "I'll have a large coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich to take out," he ordered. "Extra bacon."
"Oh, now I know it was a rough night," he laughed. Jim only ever ordered a large coffee and extra bacon when he'd been drinking.
"Actually," Jim smirked. "I had the best dream last night," he stopped himself from spilling the details in case Joey Ray thought he was crazy. "Woke up tired and hungry though."
Joey Ray didn't want to delve into the realm of 'too much information' when it came to Jim's dreams and busied himself making Jim's coffee and passing his order to the chef.
Jim turned around on his stool to admire the waitresses. They all knew him, he would visit the diner at least once a day for one of his meals. However, today, a new girl caught his eye as she skated by.
She had tiny blue shorts on and a matching low cut vest that clung to her every curve. Her blonde hair was in two high pig tails and one had a large blue butterfly clip on them. She had her deep green eyes locked on him. Moments later the skater had ploughed into a table, dropping the contents of her tray all over the floor.
Jim chuckled. He still had it.
"Nova!" Joey Ray called to the girl. "Be more careful!"
The girl looked at him shyly as she picked herself off the floor and nodded to him to show that she'd heard. Another waitress came over to make sure she was alright and helped her tidy up the dropped tray.
Jim turned to Joey Ray. "New girl?"
Joey Ray nodded. "Started yesterday. Strange one," he added, "very quiet about where she came from."
"Oh?" Jim questioned, wondering if he'd have to keep an eye on her. Strictly as a marshal of course.
"Think she's harmless," Joey Ray added. He knew Jim's eager mind questioned strangers all in the name of keeping the place safe. "Probably running away from an ex or something."
"Why do you say that?" Jim asked. He couldn't really imagine anyone running to Mar Sara. Running away from Mar Sara was different, but to it? He could talk he guessed; he'd come here as a criminal seeking a new life and had gotten exactly that. But a young woman? He guessed it was plausible.
"She's jumpy," Joey Ray surmised. "Like she's scared of someone or looking for someone."
"Want me to have a word?" Jim asked, if she was running from someone he could keep an eye out if they came to town looking for her.
Joey Ray shook his head casually, "I might be reading too much into things. I'll tell you if I find out more," he winked at Jim.
Jim would have given the new girl some more thought but he was distracted by a chime from the kitchen and a bag with his sandwich appeared on top of the cooking unit. Joey Ray passed it to Jim and he left, having put his breakfast on his ever growing tab.