Sage chuckled slightly at the girl's Insistance to keep talking. "No, it's alright," he told the girl, a blush creeping on his face too. "I stay most nights...I can either clean all night or be in a room. I clean when I can, but I can't work forever, and rooms pay more so..." He trailed off with a shrug at that. What else did he need to say? If he wanted to eat, he had to work, and he couldn't just...wander around in the woods while he could be getting paid for laying in bed. Of course, the customer would have their fun first, but he'd still get some rest. And, hopefully, a tip. Normally, if he could satisfy people, the tip could warn him enough for a decent meal. He hated the job, but at least it paid well enough to keep his dad happy for the most part.

"May I ask something? How long have you been working there?" Claudia cocked her head and continued, "It doesn't seem like a...great place.". She looked away, she was so brain dead from today, she needed to sleep...honestly! Seeing the boy blush only made her do the same, why was she growing fond of him? He was nice, he seemed to understand her, and...he was quite handsome, she had to admit that. Claudia blushed more at her thought and looked away, sheepishly, she wasn't used to being talked to a lot, at home she was usually the one to stay quiet, just...listen. It was nice to be the one being talked to, not being left out.

Sage cocked his head as the girl ansked her questions, and his brows furrowed for a moment as he thought. "Man...a long time," he mused. "Maybe....five years? Course, I didn't work rooms when I was twelve, that started at fifteen..." He shrugged slightly and shifted into a more comfortable position. "My dad is always drunk, so I've had to be the adult since I could," he murmured. He didn't know why he was telling the girl these things, but she was...nice. she didn't judge him for his rank or work...and she was pretty. Though that shouldn't have anything to do with ..anything. but she was nice to talk to.

"Five years? Oh, you poor thing." Claudia looked seriously at Sage, five years...he had started when he was twelve! He could have been working with drunks, getting hurt, she shivered at the thought. And to add to this, his dad was an alcoholic...and she thought her parents were bad. Claudia moved a bit closer to Sage, "Im sorry this is...happening, I know how you must feel.". She laid her head on the tree behind her, Claudia looked over at him, and he was put into rooms when he was 15 years old, what the actually hell!

Sage was, admittedly, a bit surprised at the girl's reaction, and cocked his head slightly at the girl. Normally people didn't care, let alone call him a poor thing and mean it in a way that wasn't taunting or derogatory. His face softened slightly and he sighed. "You really don't know much about how the town works, huh?" He reached down to tug the collar of his shirt over to show the girl a brand under his left collar bone. "I'm not really considered worth much," he explained. "Rankings wise, people value a dog or horse more than me. I do what I have to. It sucks but....it's what I know. What I'm used to." He shrugged slightly and sighed, leaning into the girl slightly, very slightly, finding comfort in her warmth and soft touch. "I work, give dad the money, he stays as happy as he can, and passes out somewhere, and I can relax for a few minutes. It all works out."

"It does suck. You have to learn to live with that... it's absolutely horrible!" Claudia looked up at Sage with a saddened look on her face. What some kids had and have to grow up with is just traumatizing..."If you want my opinion, I would drop living with your dad, quit the job, and find a new one. I am probably going to do the same, as I quite plainly know, my family doesn't care for me. They wouldn't notice and if they did they wouldn't care if I was gone.". Claudia gave him a small smile before resting her head gently on his shoulder, maybe she was rushing it a bit, maybe she was getting soft, maybe she was just tired...but it somewhat felt right...It was a weird thing to think, they had only just met...

Sage shrugged slightly and sighed. "I would if I could, but...I have a younger sister I have to care for, and Dads good with her. I can't let them...well, her...starve just because I don't want to work at the tavern," he hummed. "I only got hired at the tavern because the owner can get away with paying me almost nothing. But something is better than nothing, considering the fact that if I get caught stealing, that's the end of the line, and if I'm gone Liz will starve." He shrugged and chuckled bitterly. "I don't have much of a choice," he admitted. He cocked his head slightly, and then nodded. "That's how my mom was," he told the girl. "She never really cared what happened." His mom was gone now....she'd been killed when he was really young, around five. He only remembered a bit about her. And most of that was watching her get killed ...it wasn't a particularly pleasant memory, and he still had nightmares about it, so he didn't like to dwell on it very much. He glanced down at the girl when she ressted her head on his shoulder, surprised at the touch but relaxing after just a moment. It was nice ...to have someone touch him in a way that was both gentle and caring ...not harsh or, well, fake..like in those rooms. So, he was content to sit there with the girl for as long as he could. This was nice...he hoped he'd see her again. He much preferred this to the tavern.

Claudia must have fallen asleep sometime because she opened her eyes to a blinding light, ugh, the sun. She sat up and looked around her, trying to remember what had happened the night before. Claudia paused when she saw Sage, she smiled at him and then got up, stretching. That tree wasn't the best thing to be sleeping on, it hurt your back and neck. Claudia sighed, "I don't think Im going to go back...to my family." she said that out loud and then quieted, noticing she didn't say it in her mind. She wasn't even sure she would miss them, after all, what had they done for her? She cursed under her breath when she looked over at her bag, well where she had last left it. It was gone...probably stolen by an animal the night before, it had all the food, clean water, and even her clothes...Well damn it, all my belongings gone.

Sage stilled when he noticed the girls breathing lengthen and chuckled to himself. She'd fallen asleep...well, he could stand to sleep for a bit too, he supposed. And that's exactly what he did. He woke up slightly before the girl, and looked over at her when she spoke. "That's up to you," he hummed. Then he looked up at the sun to gauge the time and sighed. "I'd better get going...I'll see you around?" The girl could always come stay in the tavern if she didn't want to live with her parents anymore... And if she kept a room maybe he could slip in at night and actually get some decent sleep. And get paid for it. Well, either way, he was sure he'd see the girl again. They'd enjoyed the night, so he certainly hoped she wanted to continue to talk with him.

Claudia nodded, "Yes, I would be glad to come over, see you at the Tavern sometime." she looked at him, her face getting a bit warm. Where was she going to go in the meantime though? She wasn't going back to her family, should she even call them her family though? A family was supposed to feel safe, they are supposed to make you laugh..."Um...Sage? Woul-would you think I would be able to come along with you? I mean, I don't really have anywhere to go..." Claudia looked away and sighed. "It's okay if not, Im just asking...".