Larea gave the boy a sad smile. It was clear he never wanted to resort to thievery; he was now refusing her handout and asking to earn the money instead, despite seeming like he was on the verge of collapse. Seeing how young he was, it was perfectly reasonable to assume nobody in town wanted to hire him.. After all, Larea herself had gone through much the same trouble, many years ago. She too had considered stealing on occasion, when her stomach was empty or her eyelids heavy enough.<br/><br/>Interrupting her thoughts, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Larea jumped a bit as he made his presence known, though a sharp intake of breath was all she could manage to express her surprise as she turned around to face him. He was easily over six feet tall and covered in tattoos, a rather intimidating appearance in her opinion - though when he began to speak, it was strangely calming. A gentle giant, perhaps? Before long she relaxed and just listened as the two talked. She couldn't help but frown as the boy told his story, however brief it was; though she couldn't remember anything of her own family, just imagining what he must be feeling was heartbreaking.<br/><br/>By the end of it all, before the newcomer had a chance to respond, Larea stepped in and wrapped her arms around the boy, embracing him in a hug. Strangers or not, all she had wanted when she was in his shoes was someone to listen and care, and she was happy to offer that. She didn't hold the hug for too long, though, as an idea struck her; the tavern she was at before seemed to have no shortage of work! Maybe her time there would allow her to vouch for the boy, as well? It was worth a try. She backed away, resting her hands on the boy's shoulders for a moment as she gave him a reassuring smile, then turned around and started walking back into town, her stride purposeful. With a look over her shoulder to make sure he was following, she led him all the way back to the tavern she had worked at earlier, this time easily ignoring the stares of passersby. After they entered the establishment, she walked promptly up to the barkeep (who looked rather surprised to see her again) and threw an arm out to the side to present the boy. The barkeep stared at him for a few moments, eyebrow raised. "..That your son?"<br/><br/>Given her status as a conversationally-challenged individual, her only response was to turn bright red.