[H] Floral Fire | Ripened Rose Pu-erh

[Aislinn]

Aislinn was in need of some ingredients for her teas. Or, rather, she wanted some new ingredients. It was a bit of both. While she had enough to spare with what she brought with her, Aislinn also needed to test out some of the ingredients she could gather now that she was stuck in this dreadful forest for the time being. Aislinn also doubted she'd be leaving anytime soon, what with war going on just about everywhere outside. A tea seller had no place in the world during wartimes, magical or not. She would need to cater to these magicians for now, with their potion tainted palates. Aislinn doubted any would appreciate her brews unless they were functional, thus she needed these new ingredients.

Around town there was word of a few things in the forest she could use. Dorcha Bergamot, a fruit Aislinn had worked with before to flavor her teas. At least, she had used a kind that didn't grow in the forest, and didn't have the magical properties these ones held. There were also Dragon's Breath Rose, a flower Aislinn was very interested in, not just for its properties but its unique flavor. And, to top it all off, sweet Crystal Hornet Honey. Aislinn wasn't much a fan of adding sweeteners to her teas, but it would be a good balance with these new ingredients, and would help her brews to exhibit magical properties.

Arriving at the forest that morning, Aislinn leaned against a tree, drinking a cup of tea as usual. For journeys, she brought her Gaiwan, as it was much more portable than a teapot. It was more functional for her magics as well, being so small, and she wouldn't need a separate cup to read what the leaves had to tell her. Of course, she brought a cup so she could enjoy some tea before her trip into the woods. She only had to wait for her escorts though. Hopefully they would arrive soon. Hopefully they would be more competent than she anticipated...

(Tag: Onork , Daja , Eldak)

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS

[Onork]

...and that is precisely when Onork arrived to crush those hopes, tripping on the first exposed root his foot could find. At least, that would have been the excuse, had the nearest tree been closer than five feet been away from him. Well, maybe there was a rock there that- nope, no rocks. Nothing there. Not even a small dip in the dirt. He had just tripped on nothing. The ground wasn't even wet, so Onork couldn't even say he had slipped. Darn.

Onork got to his feet and waved to his new friend. At least he hoped they were friends, unless she was having second thoughts already. Oh well, he had a whole trip through the forest to improve his performance. At least he was pretty sure he would improve. He just had to stick close to these people and he wouldn't get lost. Hey! He hadn't gotten lost on his way here! That was a good start.

"Hello!" Onork said. "I found the meeting place!"

[Eldak]

I SEE FIRE

♛ 226 ♛  Onork Daja Aislinn

That morning, Eldak had woken with a sense of anticipation. Teas were probably high on his list of favourites, and after offering to escort a tea brewer he was rather happy. Aislinn, that was her name right? had warned them that the tip might be dangerous. Fully aware of the dangers the forest might pose due to his nightly wanderings, the elf slung the bow and quiver over his shoulder and tucked his dagger into its sheath. And then he set off.

According to the instructions given, it wasn't too far off. Still, he didn't exactly have the best sense of direction, so he merely headed in the general direction, hoping to find someone to lead him there. Still vaguely new to Dorcha Hollow, he didn't know everyone, nor did he know his way around very well.

Luckily for the elvish assassin, he chanced upon a friendly stranger who directed him towards the forest. Upon reaching said destination, green eyes flitted over the small figure who seemed vaguely familiar, before sliding to a female who was sipping tea. 

"Hello~!" The elf strode towards them, the natural grace of his kind making his movements almost eerily cat-like, though an easy smile graced his features. His eyes continued to scan the surroundings for the remaining escort as he settled to lean against another tree not too far off.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Daja]

To say that Daja was excited was an understatement. Bouncing off the walls would be a better term. The weapon smith was fascinated with the concept of magic and even a 'routine' excursion like this was enough to send her into excited giggles.

Not that she knew much about tea. Sure she'd brewed it in the past, but Daja couldn't tell the difference between green and herbal tea (or why finding new ingredients was so important--other than magic). Still the chance to scout out the surrounding area, make new magic friends, and most importantly, get free (well mostly free) tea, was too great a temptation.

Sledgehammer draped across her shoulders, Daja tried to regulate her pace. No need to come running up like a complete dork. She was an adult woman, and she should at least try to appear a little cool (before she started freaking out in wonderment at her companions abilities). This meant she was the last one of their merry band to enter the clearing.

"Good morning! Sorry I'm a bit late," she grinned peering around at the group. The dark haired woman drinking tea was probably the business woman who hired them. She took a moment to appreciate Eldak's weapons (range weapons were good, but she couldn't help but wonder what he was planning to do with those daggers), before turning on the final member of the band. Her eyes narrowed, "Hey, wait. Didn't you explode?"

Well, technically a Onork exploded. Good luck explaining that one.

[Onork]

Oh boy! People! Onork liked people! And he recognized a few of them as his friends. Well, they were probably his friends. They had met once or twice. Or something. Maybe. At the very least, the one lady knew him, but Onork didn't remember exploding.

"Nope, I don't think I exploded recently," Onork said. "It might have happened while I wasn't paying attention, though. Sometimes I die before I even see me, so it's possible that I exploded. You're probably right. I don't pay much attention to these things."

Not bothering to give much needed context to that explanation, Onork looked over the entire group. This was a lot of people for picking flowers. Onork didn't know that flowers were dangerous. Maybe tea flowers ate people. That would explain why tea was sometimes expensive. Not many people could just wait for a future version of themselves to take one for the team.

"So what's the plan? How do we get the flowers without getting eaten?"

There was clearly something in the job description that Onork didn't understand.