Hey, you again!? [Alastair, Inanna]

"Oh, it means something similar to a tight-knit squad. Like we would work well together if we were a crack team."

Alastair elaborated on his term with what he thought might make matters clearer but could well only further confuse the girl. He was not exactly on the top of his game when conversing with children, polite certainly but he was not so forward-thinking as to restrict his vocabulary to that which they might better comprehend. There was a little ways to go before he might consider fatherhood anyway.

"I think it might be better if I were calling the shots. It is my kitchen after all. You can be the boss and I can be the head chef? Is that a fair compromise?"

A response had barely formulated on Alastair's lips before he felt the sudden shift of weight as Inanna tried to fling herself over his head. Or, at least, that was how it initially felt to the man beneath her. Instinctively, his hands rose up to affirm their grip upon her and stop things from going too far whilst he tipped his head back a little to gaze up at the mischievous child.

"Very well, you can be the head chef. Just be sure to listen to what I have to say, I am the boss now. So sit up properly, I cannot see anything like this."

They were closing in on his apartment at least, the close proximity of city living once again coming to Alastair's aid as his neck was beginning to ache. Another quick stint and he would be able to get her down from his shoulders, then it would just be a matter of explaining all this to Reida whenever she eventually came over. Perhaps it was insensitive of him, but he could not deny that there was a curiosity within him about how she might react to Inanna being there. He had promised to help her overcome her demons, and this was definitely a little step in that direction.

"We are nearly there, just down this next street."

“Apologies, Miss, but if I cannot see where I am going then I need to make sure that you are secure.”

His hands did slowly retreat as Inanna eventually relented, resting on her shins again once all was back to normal. If one could call any part of this fiasco ‘normal’. The faint traces of a smile did crack across his features as she mentioned being ticklish though, a break from his stoically neutral tone.

It was not long at all, just as Alastair had forewarned, before the pair found themselves before the towering block of flats within which he lived. Thumbing through the entrance code for the door at rapid fire speed, he finally dropped down to his knees to let Inanna climb off his back before holding the door open for her.

“My apartment is pretty high up, so we shall take the elevator. And remember to take off your shoes once we are inside.”

He did begin to chaperone her towards one of the building’s elevators, hoping that she was too distracted by all the new things to cause much of a fuss.

It was amusing that she considered that his feet might smell. What had he done to cultivate such a poor opinion of his personal hygiene? He shook his head politely, declining her suggestion with as much candour as he could manage, whilst thumbing the button for his floor into the elevator.

"There will only be pleasant baking smells, of that I can assure you."

That she was not dumbstruck by the building was hardly a surprise, given that Inanna consistently managed to subvert his expectations, but at least he was giving her enough of what she wanted that she was being civil. That was how you handled children, right? You placated them and hoped that was enough.

Arriving, eventually, at his floor, Alastair continued to steer her in the right direction before finally opening the door and ushering her inside.

"The kitchen is straight ahead, in the main room, and do not forget your shoes."

Tidying away hastily the shoes that she had so haphazardly discarded, Alastair was still quick to follow in pursuit. He did not have a child-sized apron, naturally, so hopefully she was not expecting such a luxury. The best he could do was pick the smallest one he had and try to fold it up a bit.

"Alright, just hold still for a moment and we can try to get this one on you properly."

Setting what ingredients he had brought down upon the counter, he began to manoeuvre a chair into position for his aide whilst also pulling a pair of plain beige aprons from their hangers and trying to get to Inanna before she had opened every single cupboard. Doing his best to shut the ones that they were not going to need in any capacity, he did also start picking out some of the utensils too.

"So. Where are we starting, Miss Chef?"