Novelty is the Universal Cry [Dorian, Inanna]

Blinking in surprise at that outburst, Dorian simply studied her for a few moments before his smile grew a touch wider. She reminded him of himself when he'd been younger in the kitchen, insisting on more work even as he was being pushed beyond where he probably ought to have stopped. So he set down his own container, and opened up the heater again.

"Alright. I trust you, pick up what you think you can carry. Just remember that this is important. We can't afford to drop anything."

He'd always needed to remind himself of that when he was in the kitchen, that no matter how difficult something might have been, dropping it was quite genuinely not an option.

"Alright!"

She grinned as he acknowledged her abilities, once presented with the option to take more and take more she did! By the time she was done she had at least as much as Dorian and a big grin to match that told him that she was pretty proud.

"Promise I won't drop a bit of it at all, 'kay?"

Inanna said, waiting to follow his lead and make these deliveries.

Dorian was perfectly prepared to catch it if she turned out to need help, but it seemed like she had everything handled. That was good, but he'd still keep an eye on her as he picked up his own container.

"I believe you. You're pretty strong, aren't you?"

He supposed he should have expected that from a girl willing to just offer a helping hand, but Dorian hadn't quite met anyone like her in a long while now. It was a refreshing change of pace, really.

She might regret her choice to take as much as Dorian later, after all Inanna was smaller and less built than he was but she wasn't gonna give up easy! She'd do the best she could!

"I'm real strong, Dorian. You don't even know. I'm really strong like my mum and best friend but you wouldn't make trouble so nothing to worry about haha."

Inanna said while keeping pace behind him. Her eyes on his hair which she thought looked kinda pretty. The purple highlights really added to his look Inanna thought but she wasn't the best one to ask about looks since she was walking around in a plain baggy top and shorts, the whole attire looking a bit to big to fit her. Well, that's because she'd borrowed them.

"I can see that. I don't think most girls your age could hold onto that quite so easily, you know."

As the two of them walked, Dorian made sure to keep a pace that a young girl could keep up with, though certainly not so slow that it would interfere with their actual job. That was, after all, still his primary aim here, and he wasn't going to change that. Their first stop was to one of the emergency bunkers that was currently operating as a shelter for those whose homes had been destroyed in the attack, and he made sure everything was in order as he handed over his own container.

"You're right that I wouldn't make trouble, that wouldn't do as a member of the Vandenreich. Ah, but when I was younger, you should have seen what a scoundrel I was then."

He gave her a bit of a grin at that, not exactly expecting that she'd be terribly upset by such a thing. Besides, it was awkward to simply talk about adult things with a child.

"A scoundrel? You don't make me think of a scoundrel...You're a real cheeky guy you know that? Though I guess I can't be surprised, no one would guess that I ran away from home when I was a kid, hehe."

She was pretty bashful about something that she definitely shouldn't be taking pride in but Inanna was super glad that she'd ran away from home, she'd never have met Alex if she didn't run away from home.

Inanna did hope that the first stop was close, the weight would get lighter as they went but she did take a bit more than she was comfortable with to show off.

"No? It must be the clothes, then."

Dorian wasn't actually surprised to hear she'd run away from home in the slightest. She carried that sort of energy to her, the same personality that he'd seen in quite many of his friends as a young boy. Ah, in a way, she did certainly remind him of the one who'd roped him into that home in the first place. Certainly more kind, though.

"And what compelled such a friendly young girl to run away, hm? Just looking for a change of pace?"

They'd arrived at the first home, and Dorian took one of the dishes from Inanna's container to give to the family in question. The two had a rather brief little exchange in French, and then it was off again. No time for pleasantries, unfortunately.

"Um.."

She'd have put her fingers together awkwardly if she wasn't holding onto all this important food. She couldn't let down all the people that needed it, right? Inanna sure didn't think he'd ask her why she ran away from home and she felt a little shy to say it. It did sound pretty childish and petty, right?

"Yeah, that sounds good. Just a change of pace."

It did not come out as smooth as she wished it did. Thankfully he got involved talking some language she didn't know and a bit of her burden was taken. Thank goodness too since she was trying really hard to not look like she was having trouble.

"What about you, Dorian?"

"Me? Ah, well..."

Dorian wasn't exactly willing to tell her the truth of the matter, that he hadn't exactly run away so much as simply been abandoned on the street one day. Even Liltotto hadn't heard that particular story, though he realized he probably ought to share it with her at some point or another. He simply gave Inanna a small smile, one that was well-practiced and gave nothing away.

"Home didn't quite suit me anymore, so I found somewhere else that did. I'd never have learned to cook if I'd stayed there, so I think this was the right direction for my life to go."

Did he miss his parents? No, not especially. If they'd chosen to abandon him, that was their decision. He'd simply abandoned them in turn.

"Well, that makes sense. I'd have never met my best friend if I didn't run away. I wish I could cook though, I'm only good at cooking when I cook for people that I really care about."

She explained in a way that probably didn't make sense. Inanna just winged it and hoped that her feelings made the food taste good even though she knew that it was often incorrect or not done right. It did taste different to her mum's though like their pancakes. They made totally different pancakes she thought.

"Where to next, Dorian?"