South Coast, the Northeast Dead Country. The man, wearing a head scarf and covering the lower part of his face, entered a big tavern.
A 16-year-old girl approached him with an apron around her waist.
"Hi," she greeted. "Can I help you?"
The man looked at the girl further. He said, "It's quite crowded tonight. Last time I was here it wasn't this crowded."
The girl smiled and bowed. "That's because there are some riders who stop by this area," she whispered.
"Ahh, the riders." The man nodded.
He looked around and found several people whose clothing indicated that they were riders.
Then his gaze fell on a woman behind the counter, he snorted softly, smiling behind the scarf covering his mouth.
"Is she your mother?"
The girl glanced in the same direction. "Yeah. You know my mom?"
"Not really," he replied. "All right. I'll have a plate of bacon and a cup of redbrew."
"That's all?"
The man nodded.
