[i]A splendid light, but his kindness keeps him bound.[/i] Carver furrowed his brow, confused. He was opening his mouth to reply to the girl when a tall man in a scarf stumbled over his feet and fell to the floor in front of him.

"Apologies, friend!" Carver said, kneeling down to help the half-elf rise to his feet. "I didn't see you approach. Are you injured?" These words were meant to assuage the man's obvious fright at the sight of him - Carver hated being seen as scary, but sadly it sometimes came with the territory of wearing armor.

The paladin looked back to the girl, who seemed faint and dizzy in the sun. Perhaps that was why the things she said made so little sense - was the heat getting to her? He placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Milady, you don't look well. Perhaps you'd like to sit down in the shade?" He smiled back down at the scrawny gnome, still staring at the assembled figures wordlessly. "Come too, little one. We'll see what we can do about getting you something to eat."