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[hr][color=00a99d][@HylianRose] | [@alexfangtalon] | [@Filthy Mudblood] | [@Joshua Tamashii] | [@mskennedy615] | [@Prints Avoid] | [@WindsOfFate] [/color][/center]
Something about the prank refused to sit well with Brandon, even after the others calmed down. Brandon was the sort of guy who nearly never showed negative emotions, and even his positive emotions seemed dampened or even forced at times. But right now, it was fairly obvious that he was seething. [color=00a99d]"I'll be right back,"[/color] he announced quietly as he left the room, still refusing to look at anyone. 

Brandon began walking back towards the garden, not really knowing the layout of the house enough to go anywhere else. Normally, this would be when Brandon would head to his room and either put on headphones and curl up with a book or boot up an MMO for some mindless grinding. Not knowing even [i]where[/i] his room was made the former an impossibility, and of course logging into a paid subscription would be more trouble than it was worth, even if he did have a few days left before he had planned to let his subscription lapse. The garden seemed an acceptable alternative, at least for now.

Never being a major fan of the outdoors, Brandon knew next to nothing about flowers, but he was able to appreciate beauty in almost any form from interior decorating to architecture to people, and of course, including flowers. He walked along in silence alongside the garden, trying to appreciate the amount of hard work Elizabeth must have invested. 

As he walked, he tried a mental exercise to attempt to pinpoint the source of his rage. Obviously, it was the prank, but he felt no ill-will towards the alleged prankster: Eva. He was never one to indulge in pranks himself, even completely harmless ones, but he knew Eva's personality was the sort that couldn't sit still long without some sort of thrill. Amelia's crying had really bothered him, and even though it may have not lasted long, it was troublesome to him. She deserved better, especially after the morning she had evidently experienced, but her day was just being made worse. Perhaps instead of those two issues, the reaction itself was at fault. Half the group had rushed to her aid like chivalrous knights, and the rest had turned on their friends much faster than Brandon could have predicted. But that way of thinking was flawed: maybe chivalry was flipped in this case. After all, Brandon was here to experience several firsts and to open up more. Maybe Amelia needed the same, but she should do so on her own terms.

All of these thoughts flew through Brandon's mind in a blur, and he had only been gone for a few moments. Perhaps he would walk the garden path a bit more. Maybe when he returned, everyone would have forgotten about the altercation. Fat luck, but Brandon had no better ideas. At least he had time to admire the view.