“Son of a bitch!” Vincent spat retracting his arms from the open maw of an oven. The young scholar cradled an injured arm as he inspected his singed skin. A light pink line was beginning to form where his tanned arm had accidentally brushed the burning hot edges. He growled and slammed the hatch shut trapping the pie to its slow cooked demise. He glanced around the decrepit kitchen and its rusty stoves before honing in on the sink. He quickly wandered over and turned the knob, shoving his arm under the faucet. Nothing. He growled a string of obscenities as he looked around once more.

His blue eyes set upon the ice box across the room and scampered quickly over to it, stepping agilely over piles of lumber and metal as he crossed the room. He threw the door open and thrust his arm elbow deep into it. A small rune in the back seemed to suck the very heat out of the container and kept the whole thing cool. The scholar glanced inside and pulled out a frosty flask of green liquid. Grinning he sank his teeth into the cork and ripped it free, spitting it out onto the ground. He quickly brought it to his lips letting the fizzy citrus flavored drink flow over his tongue. He gulped it down eagerly whilst his other arm rested against the cold wall.

He took this time to observe his work. Over the past weeks he had taken a break from his almost constant studies to begin restoring the kitchen to its former glory. Rotted wooden counters had been torn out and replaced with smooth polished oak. Several rusted wood burning stoves had been polished to the best of his ability, and those that couldn’t be saved had been scrapped entirely. Aside from the still busted sinks and perhaps needing a fresh coat of paint on the walls the scholar felt incredibly proud of his work.

When the burning sensation was gone from his arm the scholar removed himself from it and went to sit down on a nearby stool while he waited for his dinner to finish cooking. He had made way too much food and was willing to share with anyone who poked their head in. Hanging out in the library or kitchen all the time could be terribly lonely business.