[open post]

Between Shen Qingqiu lurking somewhere in the mansion, the still-raw sting of Claudius' betrayal, and his preoccupying discussion with Nina, Luo Binghe has much to think about. He would like to spend more time in the kitchen. It is the one place he finds himself able to put his hands to a task, rather than aimlessly wandering, learning nothing useful about their lavish prison. Yet he would prefer solitude when he cooks, and the kitchen seems to be occupied nearly all the time. He steals there in the early morning, when hopefully much of the manor's residents will be asleep, and contemplates the store of ingredients. Perhaps Nina would like some dragon's beard candy. He locates the sugar and gets to work.