Head Trauma Is Bad For You [Rhi-Rhiiii]

[Lielac]

Izzy didn't actually know where she was going. Or where she was. Or why she had a splitting headache that not even draining half her water bottle seemed to help. But she'd woken up at the bottom of a hole, and found her way out, and now she was heading for a tower that seemed important. Not that she knew why. She didn't know much of anything. It was actually kind of really annoying.

Something moved out of the corner of Izzy's eye. She turned to look, calling out, "Is anyone there?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Sitting atop his gelding, Blair, as he sidled along, Santiago didn't notice the girl at first. He had his nose in a map and a pencil in hand and was busily making notes. Alright, so the tower was here, which meant the next town should be less than a mile east of--

A voice rang out and both he and Blair's heads shot up, Blair with a mouthful of the fresh, green grass that the tower grew. Rolling the map up and shoving it back into the saddlebags, Santiago tucked the pencil behind his ear and took Blair's reins in one hand. There hadn't been another soul around for miles, but as he turned Blair around toward the sound, he saw her.

It was just some kid, looking a little dusty but not much worse for wear, but she had a pack on her that he found himself eying. His free hand went down to hover at his waist. Out here, there were really only two kinds of people, as far as he was concerned: predators and prey. Age didn't have much to do with anything; kids joined gangs all the time, and some groups even used them as decoys.

Which was why he gave a quick, cursory glance around the area, ears straining, before he answered proper. "Sure is, kid," he said, and gave her a quick hat tip. "What're you doing all the way out here?"

[Lielac]

It had just been a guy on a horse she'd seen, then, scruffy but kinda cute even with all those scars, and Izzy relaxed immediately. "I-- don't actually know," she said in reply to his question, running a hand through her hair, tugging at it, and generally messing it up more than it already was. "I think... maybe I got lost?" It was a question as much to herself as to the guy. "So I'm heading for that tower 'cause I, I think it's important. Is it?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"The tower?" Santiago nodded to it and raised an eyebrow. The question was so bizarre, and so genuine, that it disarmed him completely. This wasn't the lead up to any sort of setup he was familiar with.

"Are you even from here? Yeah, it's important! Where do you think the grass comes from, girl?"

[Lielac]

Izzy blinked at the guy's obvious confusion, but appreciated the explanation. "Oh, okay. I did think it was a bit weird when the grass started showing up out of nowhere... That'd explain why I thought I should go there."

She ran her other hand through the hair on the other side of her head. "And... I don't know if I am. I mean, if I'm from here. Everything's all weird and jumbled-up and my head hurts."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Santiago's eyes narrowed at her explanation, and he leaned a little on his horse to get a better look at the girl. Her head hurt, huh? Well, that could explain the apparently memory issues, and he could think of several reasons why a girl might be out here in the middle of nowhere, apparently injured. His eyes flicked to her head. No headband. No noticeable ports. But that didn't rule out the possibility of her being a mage, if she was brought in from the outside and hadn't yet been "assimilated".

Or she could just some poor robbery victim, mugged and left out here for dead.

Either way, didn't look like she had anything valuable on her.

Which, of course, didn't mean that she wasn't valuable.

"Boy, you sure got walloped one good," he mused aloud, and then shrugged and held out his hand. "Well, c'mon. You're not in any state to be meandering around these parts, if you can't even remember where you are. Do you at least know what planet you're on? Your name?"

[Lielac]

Izzy fidgeted as the guy looked at her, wondering what he was thinking. He was thinking, that was what narrow eyes and staring at people meant... probably. Her head still hurt!

Did he believe her? She really didn't know why he wouldn't, anyway, but he was thinking and looking at her and she couldn't tell what was going on inside his head. Which one of the jumbled pieces informed her was normal. For most people. Was she most people? That was a silly question--

She jumped when the guy finally said something, and refocused to pay attention to the rest of the universe. "I-- ah-- my name? Um, Izzy. My name's Izzy. And... and this is..." The red everywhere there wasn't grass meant something, she did know that if she really thought, and the something was that she was on-- "Edanith?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Hey, very good! Your brain's not all gone after all," he said with a teasing smile. "Name's Santiago, by the way, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Izzy. Sure am glad I could find you before shadier folks did. You have no idea how lucky you are."

And then, arching an eyebrow, Santiago motioned with the hand he was still holding out to her. "Now, you just gonna stare at it or are you gonna take it?" he asked, and added, "Unless you don't need help getting up here, in which case, that works, too!"