[h3]Djeld[/h3]

The tea's flavors were well-imbued after a few minutes of steeping. Taking it off of the heat, he prepared several wooden cups; they insulated the heat well, and he thought that the smell of the pine made the drinks taste better. That, and they were the only cups he had in the first place.

Well, that was fine.

As he began doling out cups of tea, Djeld heard Elana ask about the type of tea. He took a whiff: incredibly earthy, mild citrus notes, and a slightly refreshing quality to it. His tension rose as he remembered the details.

During his travels, he learned that most teas actually used the same type of leaves; the difference came from how it was processed. In this case, it was a 'dark' tea, fermented over several months. It has a more rounded, but stronger flavor than the others, and supposedly has several health benefits. That one in particular was mixed with blood orange and mushroom, highlighting the natural flavors and adding complexity to the sweetness. He paired it with eucalyptus honey, which has a refreshing aftertaste. He would have liked to have used linden instead, but--

Djeld realized that he'd gotten a bit too excited.

They probably weren't interested in all those details anyways, so he simply smiled and said, [color=598527]"It's a fermented tea mix,"[/color] before serving the tea, warning them that it was hot.

As he was doing this, he noticed a swordsman sitting meditatively outside the circle. Although he didn't seem interested, Djeld quietly left to place a cup next to the stranger before returning to the fire. It was cold over there, after all. He should at least drink something warm.