Martin Silverwood
It took a while before the girl uncurled herself from her "shell". The girl and Martin looked each other up and down, curious as to who the other was and what they looked like. The girl looked very strange; her clothing definitely wasn't from Akhar. She wore a loose, purple top, black trousers that ended before her knees, no socks and a rather flimsy pair of sandals. Her sandals were made of an odd material, the likes of which Martin had never seen before. Her face seemed normal enough, but her hair looked dyed and her eyes were a deep shade of crimson. Where could she be from? What if she wasn't even from Taakeira?
She spoke soon after she had unravelled herself, in her strange, rhotic accent.
"Kalistos? Where's that?"
Martin looked at her incredulously; how could she not know where Kalistos was? By the sound of it, she probably didn't know what it was, either. Perhaps she was joking. Yes, that was it, she was trying to calm her nerves by joking to herself.
"I think I could ask you the same question. What are you doing by the roadside, crying to yourself like a scared child who's lost her mother? It isn't safe, you could get attacked and robbed; you're obviously an easy target."
The girl jumped back as he spoke and stared at him in fear, much like a trapped beast does when it is surrounded by hunters. He half expected her to spring up and run from him in terror, but she stayed still, sat down and shaking in fright. She answered him though, her voice hoarse and quiet.
"I'm lost, I don't know why I'm here."
Martin was half inclined to scoff at her, nobody just wakes up by the roadside without any memory. Not with their belongings, at least. However, he realised that she was serious. A sudden wave of pity engulfed him, this poor girl didn't have a clue where she was or what was going on.
Martin noticed that she seemed to be staring at his sword, that seemed to be the cause of her fear. So, he stood up, reached over his shoulder and drew his sword. He considered brandishing it to tease the girl, but brushed the thought aside and felt ashamed that he'd ever considered getting a laugh out of such a vulnerable target. He raised the sword, causing the sunlight to glint weakly off the worn blade, then drove it into the ground. It wasn't a particularly good sword, the blade was rather dull and starting to rust, and the leather was beginning to come off the hilt. It looked more appropriate for beating someone to death with that stabbing or slashing.
Martin walked over to the girl, leaving his sword behind him, so that she could be sure he wasn't going to kill her with it. However, he no intention of just leaving it in the ground; he needed something to defend himself with. If he managed to earn a bit more money, perhaps he could buy himself a new sword; one that sparkled like ice and could sever flesh neatly and with a single swipe. Martin held out his hand to the girl, so that she could pull herself up from the ground. She couldn't sit there all day.
"I suppose you weren't joking when you asked about Kalistos." Martin smiled down at her, "Kalistos is one of the largest and most important cities in the whole of Taakeira. It's ten minutes or so up the road, on foot. If you really are lost, you should probably head to Kalistos. I can take you there, if you want. I'm Martin, by the way. What about you? Do you at least know who you are?"