Silas blinked at the name of the tea. Orange Jasmine... The boxes of tea were neatly organized into long prisms that stacked together, so he searched for a moment and then pulled one out from the bottom that matched the name. As he inspected it more closely, turned it in his hand, the rest of the long rectangular prisms neatly slid down a space.

The smell of the tea box in his hand was unfamiliar but sweet. With his free hand he lifted his favorite box of green tea off the top of the stacks and then placed both on the counter. As he began to fill the counter kettle with water, he tilted his head slightly when Arael spoke. "It came last-minute." Silas then set the kettle back on the stand and hit the power button. He paused, uneasy about how to respond to the next question. Slowly, he moved to fill the two metal cages with their respective tea leaves. Once there was nothing else to do but wait he took a seat in the chair from the previous day and faced Arael.

"It kept me busy—I could definitely use a nap..." He shifted automatically in his chair. He wanted to bring up his friend, to get it over with in a sense. He also didn't want to ramble about something that he knew time would heal. Uncomfortably, he drew in a breath. "This morning I was thinking about the person I ran into yesterday." He continued slowly. "He was't well. But I didn't stay with him, and now he's one of them. It helps to stay busy, but whenever I have time it eats at me." He had failed to recognize the severity of Jason's illness. Silas had failed to save him, and the guilt upset his apetite. He glanced toward the kettle, unsure of whether to reconsider the tea.