You guys have no idea how badly I wanted the kids to have a bonfire. Especially at the beach, which they are ever so conveniently at. Also kinda want to use this chapter to hint at something that will happen in the late fall/winter chapters, and to set up for something interesting in the next chapter.

Ya'll are gonna hate me so much by the end of these summer chapters. xD

Thank you for reading!

Invi had told them that they were not allowed to have alcohol at the bonfire. Safety reasons aside, no one even fathomed the idea; at 11, Ven was the youngest, and it was collectively agreed that they keep him 'innocent' for a long as possible. What Invi should have done was told them not to play their music so loud. Skuld knew a lot of bass heavy songs that probably made someone think that there was an earthquake nearby.

But the beat was infectious. All the kids were up and dancing at some point, even the shyer of the group joined in. Brain found it as the perfect opportunity to do some 'experiments,' if you will, because -despite the cozy, memorable atmosphere- something was not quite right. The young man made a point to dance with each of the girls when they decided to dance. It was more of an experiment to see who looked on; to better scope out where everyone's tension was coming from. Skuld had been his first 'target.' She preferred to dance close and loose. Of course he was still respectful; even if Skuld was his type, feeling her up while she was dancing was indescribably rude.

Then came Strelitzia. She was a very timid dancer and preferred to keep her distance. Brain had respected her space and made sure that she knew she had the lead. Lauriam had kept a close eye on the two. That was also understandable- he was her brother, after all. Perhaps Strelitzia refused to dance close because she knew her brother was watching? It was something Brain considered for all of a moment before taking notice on where Strelitzia kept her gaze. No, Strelitzia had an obvious crush on someone.

And that someone…?

Well...

Anora initially refused to dance with Brain. He totally got why though; it's not like he was very subtle on his opinions of her on the drive over. But she finally decided to humor him the fourth time he asked. And that was when he noticed a visible change in the atmosphere. Their first onlooker actually shocked him, considering that Anora was still keeping her distance at the time. When Anora was more comfortable with him, and the two were almost dancing hand in hand, they gained a second observer. Of course it was very interesting to witness, especially when Anora herself didn't seem to notice this.

So of course Brain decided to stir the pot. Someone had to push those three into some sort of position instead of a constant stalemate. They could thank him later.

He found his first opportunity when Anora had decided to dance with Skuld and Ventus during a particularly bubbly K-pop song. The 17 year old found a spot next to their Dandelion leader and tactfully decided to say quiet for awhile. It was always wise to observe your theories before making a conclusion. And, oh boy, was Ephemer bad at hiding how much he adored Anora.

"I hear if you take a picture, it'll last longer." Brain teased, giving Ephemer a small push just to make sure he had his attention.

"Ohuh?" came the confused answer before Ephemer looked at Brain. "What do you mean?"

Brain let out a small chuckle. "Oh, it's nothing if you don't see it." he claimed. "It's just that, for someone who wouldn't really stand out in a crowd, Anora sure is getting a lot of attention this summer. Which is even more odd considering the girl doesn't have much of a figure to stare at."
"Don't talk about her like that!" Ephemer snapped. "You don't know her!"

"Do you?" Brain immediately shot back.

Hearing this, Ephemer immediately recoiled. Brain gave him a hard look as he continued to study the younger boy's reaction. It wasn't quite what he had expected, but his suspicions were not completely denied either.

"I wonder," Brain mused as he reclined slightly in his seat, "How long will our Miss Anora stay single? She's pretty enough, I suppose, in a tomboy-ish, frugal kinda way. Haven't had a private chat with her yet, but she seems intelligent enough. Maybe next year, someone will just take her home for summer vacation. Wouldn't that be something?"

Brain took some amount of pride in watching the wheels turn in Ephemer's head. Ephemer continued to give Brain a hard look as he was trying to figure out what the older's game was. Too bad Brain didn't leave any clues.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you." Brain smirked, tipping his hat at Ephemer. "But I've been meaning to chat with Lauriam all night and now seems like the perfect time. See ya."

Ephemer said nothing as Brain helped himself up. The unreadable look on Ephemer's face illustrated that he was starting to digest what Brain had told him. Good. That was one pot stirred, now for the other.

Any tact Brain had toward Ephemer was completely tossed out the window for what he had prepared for Lauriam and Strelitzia.

"Do you mind if I sit with you two?" he asked them in a charming voice. The two siblings, who had been laughing over some joke, looked up at him with gentle smiles.

"I don't mind." Lauriam agreed, gesturing for Brain to take a seat next to him. Brain gave them a bright smile as he accepted to spot. He took a few moments to get comfortable before craning his head around Lauriam to look over at Strelitzia.

"So Miss Fleur," he said- his tone holding the tiniest bit of mocking, "I see you have a crush on someone."

Of all the reactions he expected, Strelitzia suddenly turning around to give Lauriam a hard whack on the arm was not one of them.

"You promised not the tell anyone." she hissed at her brother. Her voice was shaking, but not from anger. Fear, maybe?

Lauriam's eyebrows furrowed. "But I-"

"He didn't tell me." Brain cut in. "I figured it out on my own. You purposely avoided a certain someone on the bus, and you're doing so tonight as well. I'd almost say you've got some kind of beef with her had it not been for the way you..."

Brain had trailed off because he had noticed the increasingly dark glare Lauriam was giving him. Lauriam gave him a reprimanding sigh before turning to Strelitzia.

"I told you someone would notice." he informed her. "You need to talk to her Strelitzia."

Strelitzia opened her mouth to give a very loud argument, but in remembering that Brain was with them, she immediate shut it again. The girl then shrank a little before mumbling, "I can't. You know that."

"If it's any consideration," Brain noted as he casually placed his elbows in his lap, "I don't think she's shown any interest in anyone yet. A mysterious one, that pink haired girl. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to spend some alone time with her; a stroll along the boardwalk, for example. Something light- something she won't realize is a date until you both look back on it later."

Brain purposely tried not to look at the siblings, knowing that Lauriam was giving him an incredibly dark glare at the moment. He would have liked to see Strelitzia's expression, though. He wondered if he could see the wheels turning in Strelitzia's mind as she thought over the suggestion, just like with Ephemer.

"I could try that." Strelitzia admitted in a small voice. "Just a little walk would be nice."

"Atta girl." Brain encourage with a wide grin. Lauriam was still silent, his expression unreadable.

Strelitzia did not get up right away, though. Her fingers drummed against her seat and she nervously bit her lower lip in thought. Finally coming to her conclusion, Strelitzia pushed herself off her seat with gusto. "I've got this!" she declared before turning to Brain and Lauriam. "Just a walk," she said to them, "Nothing more. Thank you Brain."

"Any time madam." the 17 year old grinned as he tipped his fedora to her. Strelitzia grinned before making her way over to Anora. Brain gave himself a boastful half smile; that worked out a lot easier than he had planned. Maybe Strelitzia just needed someone other than her brother to push her to do the thing she feared? Either way, this summer just got a whole lot more interesting, and Lauriam was not amused.

"I know what you're trying to do." Lauriam said to Brain, but with his eyes trained to his sister. "And I'll have you know, I do not appreciate it."

Brain gave a small snort. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them for you."

His eyes still trained to Strelitzia, Lauriam let out a hardened sigh. "That's what I'm afraid of." he admitted. Lauriam let out another sigh before turning to Brain. "What do you have to gain from this?"

"Me?" Brain questioned, feigning surprise. "Why would I want to gain anything? I'm just tired of a constant stalemate between our grand leader, your sister, and that pink haired mute; nothing more."

Lauriam looked the younger Dandelion up and down with suspicious. In a cold, still voice, he finally said, "Jealousy comes in many forms. Watch yourself, or else you'll get roped along too."