Juliet hadn't figured out how to get close to Ira or any of her protagonists yet in order to give them their mission but she became incredibly confused while watching them. There were two things she noticed that weren't supposed to be happening.
Ciara was paying an awful lot of attention to what Ira was doing far too soon in the story…and he was doing something completely out of character! Why on earth was he chasing after Sarabeth and giving her gifts like someone wooing a girl? She wasn't even his love interest! Those two had always butted heads.
Ira had actively disliked Sarabeth at the beginning of Down in Flames because they had been lab partners for years and she was always causing him trouble. The only reason he asked her to join their group was because he was a practical person and he knew her skills with poisons and explosives would be useful. Otherwise he never would have dared.
