Ira took that to mean that Staas was implying that he was the best candidate for the task, and not simply the only viable option available to the other man. Though either way it was still pretty damn heartwarming, and he was animated with that sentiment as they went inside the building.
He followed suit and kicked off his shoes, depositing them in the empty cubby hole above Staas’. They padded into the classroom in their bare socks, and looking around Ira immediately felt like he was too tall – despite the fact that he wasn’t even quite six foot. The door and ceiling was more than high enough, of course, and there was an adult-sized desk at the back for the teacher, but almost everything else in the room was designed for little bodies to fit in and little hands to reach and hold. It didn’t help that most of the children were sitting or lying on the floor with their toys, too.
Within a couple of seconds there was Theo barreling towards them and as Staas scooped him up Ira knelt for the hug that Alida ran into him with, to avoid getting tackled around the legs and tripping. Which had almost happened a couple of times in the past, before he’d come to anticipate the force at which little kids could crash into a person’s knees. “Hi, Miss Alida.” He grinned, patting her head but gently as not to muss up her hair. “How’s my favorite pirate princess doing today?”