"You're the best!" He calls after her when she runs off, and goes back to fussing with his cooking.

As soon as she's back, he brightens visibly, almost looking a bit desperate. (Just how long had he been cooking?) he gladly takes the jar of paprika, and after opening it and taking a short moment to smell it, he puts a carefully-watched few shakes of it into the soup.

He's practically sweating as he finally lifts the spoon, only after he's thoroughly stirred it, to give it a taste...

...And right after he does, he stands up with a jolt, so quickly that he knocks over the stool he'd been perched on, looking thrilled.

"THAT'S IT!"