Everyone got busy with finals approaching. Their first year at the Academy was coming to an end, and soon they were looking into planning what they would wear for the end of year ball as well as talking about what things they wanted to do during the festival. The festival was mostly made up of events that the professors or students ran, with booths and food places set up by businesses that supported the Academy and wanted to get more business for next year.
Their group enjoyed food, took part in some games, watched movies, and had fun. It was one of the lightest times Kageo could think of during their time at the school other than the night before the solstice break. There was something looming over their heads, though, as the school year ended. There was danger on the horizon, and they couldn't tell when it would come for them.
If Kageo could do anything about making sure he was the only one directly in the path of harm, he would do it. Of course, he also knew that if Walt could do something about making sure Kageo wasn't the only one shouldering the danger, he would, so they were working against each other in that particular goal. While Walt could tell that annoyed Kageo, they didn't argue about it either. Walt was an adult and Kageo couldn't keep him out of it if the man himself didn't want to be. Especially after everything his father had done to him.
Once again the families had provided the wardrobe for the students, ostensibly to allow them to focus on exams and graduation prep. Fortunately for Walt, the current fashion had swung back around to something a little more modern, so his outfit consisted of a hunter green three-piece suit with his personal emblem embroidered in white on the breast of the vest and jacket. He had a brilliant white button shirt for under the vest and a bow tie and pocket square that was green and white plaid to match his suit.
Kageo had gone for a three-piece suit himself, but left the jacket off since it was getting warmer now. The pants and button up shirt were black while his tie and vest were a deep jewel toned green. It took him out of his normal colors but he wanted to do something different for the end of the year and Adiran had thought it smart. He added a pair of glasses that were in a black and green color for the frame to match. He rolled up the sleeves of the shirt neatly so some of his tattoos showed.
When Walt saw him fully dressed, he was very glad they were in their room. He immediately stepped close to Kageo and growled provocatively in his ear before kissing him on the neck. Kageo grinned at that and put his arms around Walt's neck, pulling him down into a full kiss that they broke soon after so as to actually make it to the ball.
They met the others out in the courtyard. Yami wore a backless gown of navy blue with sparkles all over it, to match Elliot who was wearing a suit with a blue and gold vest and deep blue tie. It matched the colors of the Cabot crest and Yami even wore his Cabot pin on the breast of her gown.
Stella was in a tea length gown of white lace, with a higher neckline that sat just at her collarbone and small cap-sleeves of chiffon. There were gold suns embroidered on the dress, and she had sun pins all through her golden curls. Her date - the Sullivan boy, though Walt was doing everything in his power to never learn the man's first name - wore black pants, a white button up shirt, and a white vest with gold suns on it as well, to match her.
Walt gave the Sullivan boy the most imperceptible of nods before ignoring him entirely for the rest of the evening. He smiled warmly at his sister and complimented her outfit, then gave Yami and Elliot the same treatment. They all took a bunch of photos together before heading off to the ballroom.
When they got there, they heard someone call out Kageo and Yami's names, and then Rinne came running over to throw her arms around her siblings. She was wearing a red and black Japanese style silk dress with her hair up in a bun. She stopped and looked at the rest of their group, her eyes getting big when she saw Stella.
"Wow! You look like a princess!" Rinne cried.
Walt stood up taller and brushed imaginary lint from the lapel of his jacket. "Why, thank you! I like to think I clean up nice," he responded warmly before winking at Rinne and laughing at his own joke.
Rinne giggled at him and looked between him and Stella. "I guess that makes you the Prince since you're obviously her brother!"
"Actually," Walt said conspiratorially, "she's my sister. I was here first."
This earned him a dirty look from Stella before she responded, "Only by two years, jerk."
Rinne giggled again at that, making it clear that she liked the two of them. She was busy telling the two Whitmore siblings how she wanted to go to the Academy when she was older as well when Adiran and Lilith joined them.
"Careful, she will talk your ear off all night if you give her the chance," Lilith told Walt and Stella, earning a proud grin from Rinne.
Walt tried not to show just how distracted he was by the different heart-cords the Blackwoods exhibited. He knew about them because Kageo had described them, but seeing them in person made him consider how similar it was to what his parents had going on. Kageo was also trying to ignore it, though it was bothering him again. Luckily, Rinne did a good job of keeping his guardians busy.
The two of them were still thinking about that when the Whitmores arrived. Wilhelm and Deirdre showed up on the opposite side as the Blackwoods, with the two families facing each other. This was the first time Kageo had ever seen them right next to each other in the same room, and the tension was thick. Walt felt the tension as well, but Kageo could feel the gray feeling he got along the bond when Walt was working with his powers. He could still feel their bond, barely, but he could no longer see it. Worse, there had been a spike of alarm prior to Walt shutting his emotions down.
Adiran cleared his throat and gave a bow of his head. "Lord and Lady Whitmore."
Everyone paused to acknowledge the most powerful duo in all of Æstrunia, many of them waiting to see what would happen. Wilhelm coolly acknowledged Adiran with a small return nod while Dierdre stood quietly next to her husband. She was acting the part of a perfect lady of the realm, smiling and keeping silent, though there was a telltale tightness to the muscles around her eyes that let Walt and Stella know that they had been arguing again prior to this event.
Kageo had been looking between Adiran and Wilhelm's faces, as this was the first time they had acknowledged each other in over a decade and he wasn't sure how it was going to go. He let his eyes fall slightly, trying to figure out some way to ease the tensions when he noticed the line between the two families. He turned to look in the direction where Wilhelm's bond was, and let his eyes follow it the rest of the way, right to his own aunt - Lilith.
It felt like the air had been knocked right out of him and he could barely breathe. He took a surprised step back, getting the attention of everyone around him by accident. When he noticed they were looking at him, he coughed, shaking his head slightly before he said, "I need a drink," in a strained voice and turned to go find one.
