Theo tiredly wiped his eyes with the back of his, and brushed his loose hair back as he blinked rapidly. Leaning against the counter, a small smile of contentment appeared on his face. He had been up since four making food for his friends, and the mingling smells of baking bread, tomato sauce, and melting cheese filled the kitchen with a myriad of scents that clashed and melded with the sharp, artificial tang of cleaning product, creating a pleasant and eclectic sensation. The kitchen was sightly cramped and had two stove ovens, a few fryers, a couple rice cookers, multiple freezers, a flat top grill, and a large stone oven with a roaring fire. Theo had just finished cleaning the space, a task that was as labor intensive as the cooking.
"Least I can do something properly." Theo said softly as he a timer began beeping, signalling that Elizabeth's pizza was done. Grabbing a pair of oven mitts and a paddle, Theo stood in front of the open oven letting a blast of warm air blow over him. Gingerly lifting the pizza pan out of the oven, he placed the pie onto a cutting board on the counter with a soft clank. Opening a drawer, Theo began rummaging for a pizza cutter, finger carelessly running over the variety of sharp implements before finding it. Bringing the circular blade up, he efficiently sliced the pizza into sixteen slices
Turning back around, Theo shut off the oven. As he finished that task, another timer began ringing. Turning around quickly, Theo faced one of the stoves, which had a large pot situate on top of it. Turning off the stove, Theo and lifted the lid on the boiling pot and checked on the thick brown substance of beans, meats and vegetables. As the lid came off, the pungent smell of spices diffused into the air, hints of pepper, cumin, and cayenne tickling Theo's sinuses. Letting the chili con carne cool, Theo inhaled the strong smell before turning his attention away from the stove to the the second oven as the its timer began ringing.
Having kept the mitts on, he opened the stove revealing a sheet of a dozen fist sized disks dotted with multi colored specks. The golden cookies added another dynamic into the atmospere of the kitchen, spikes of warm sweetness counteracting the pungency of the chile and complementing the smokiness of the pizza.
"Three down, two to go." Theo mused as as he walked over to a fridge and pulled out a medium sized chocolate cake and the bag of frosting next to it. Closing the door with his foot, Theo placed the plated cake on the cutting board and began frosting the dark cake with an even darker chocolate frosting.
"Loki better damn like this, might be the last one for a while." Theo thought with a snort. Opening another drawer, Theo pulled out a rubber spatula and began smoothing out the frosting, spreading the dark brown substance over the cake.
"It's kinda sad how I'm so so used to spreading frosting over cakes," Theo mused,
"Had to make a lot of apologies in the beginning."Grinning sadly, Theo brought the cake container over and carefully transferred the cake over into it. Checking the his watch, Theo noted that it was nearly 11:00 PM, giving him plenty of time to get ready and drive over to the estate.
Going back the fridge, Theo pulled out a large mason jar of kimchi and placed it on the counter, his gift to Aiden. He then pulled a portable freezer and placed the sushi and the kimchi into it. Next came a thermos pot which was filled with the chili, which Theo doled efficiently.
Placing all the cooking tools into the large sink, Theo ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs into the second floor living space over the restaurant. He had already showered and brushed his teeth when he woke up, leaving changing the only remaining task. Stopping in his room, Theo began rummaging through his dresser for an outfit. Pulling out a black t-shirt proudly emblazoned with Iron Maiden and the image of a skeletal soldier carrying a Union Jack. The shirt hung loosely off his frame and was slightly weathered and splattered with specks of paint. Next was his pair of skinny jeans bound with a plain, brown, leather belt. Pulling on his socks, Theo stopped by the doorway to the stairwell that would lead back to the kitchen and grabbed his pair of ratty converses.
Shoes slung over his shoulders, Theo ran out of the store to his car, a red Jeep Wrangler and got in. Driving the car closer to the door, Theo once more gout out and began the process of transferring the dishes into his car. A pizza box, a large thermos pot, a small freezer, a cake container, and another platter but with cookies. Along with the food was Theo's suitcase, a large black box that was packed to near bursting. In the passenger seat was his backpack, a large black and grey bag that seemed to be packed fully.
Checking over his supplies a second time, Theo got back into the car and began the trip.
Theo pulled up to the large manor house a few hours later, having been caught in a bad traffic jam on the way over. Looking at the house, he remembered how his friend's wealth had been a sore point in the early days of their friendship. The flaunting of wealth still irked him some what, but he quickly quashed the feeling as he came to a stop.
Theo noted that he was seemingly the last one to arrive. Getting out of the Jeep, Theo began unloading his cargo. Struggling to carry his goods, he staggered up the the stairs and bumped into the doorbell with his back.