Yakko sighed, tapping his foot, and glanced over at Dot. She was frowning too, arms crossed.

"He's late," she muttered.

The eldest Warner sighed again.

"Yeah. I know this whole bending thing's been good for him, but the way he's been lately… it's like he thinks he has to do it. I mean, I think he's still blaming himself for everything, and…"

The sound of running footsteps interrupted him, and he turned to see Wakko rushing up, pulling on a formal blue jacket and struggling to fasten it.

"Sorry!" he panted. "Lost track of time!"

Yakko raised a brow, a smirk tugging at his face as he reached down and helped his brother fasten the last clasp.

"It's okay, you just missed a few minutes. Might've been some trouble if ya took longer… Gerald's getting flustered."

Wakko gave him a sheepish smile, but for just a second Yakko thought he saw a flash of annoyance. His concern grew; maybe it was about time they had another talk. But for now, he just gave Wakko a smile in return and ruffled his cap.

"So, ya ready?"

His brother drew himself up taller, doing his best to match his siblings' poise.

"Yep. Let's do it.

As soon as he said that, an anxious looking man came hurrying out of the ballroom entrance. His expression quickly grew relieved when he saw Wakko, but his voice was still fussy.

"I assume you're ready now, Your Graces?"

Yakko gave him an innocent looking smile.

"Sure thing, boss!"

He heard his siblings snicker, and he could tell Gerald was trying very hard not to roll his eyes.

"Very well."

The siblings moved toward the door, and as Gerald went ahead to announce them Yakko placed a hand on Wakko and Dot's shoulders, the same silent question in his eyes that he always sent them before something like this. Both of them smiled back at him and nodded, and their older brother gave each of their shoulders a gentle squeeze before all three drew themselves up in their best formal postures and stepped through the entranceway.

All eyes turned to them, and Yakko did his best to push down the slight sense of insecurity. It was getting better, but it still felt a little strange to be the center of attention after so many years spent on the margins. The finely dressed adults bowed and curtsied as the siblings passed, returning the reverence with smiles and nods. They tried to be nice to everyone; their time in the orphanage and on the streets had taught them to be anything but superficial. And all the lessons they sat through were paying off too… Yakko had been noticing that his siblings were becoming much more poised. Even Wakko, who seemed to have been having the most trouble, was looking less awkward and more confident.

Despite the slight reservations he was starting to feel about it, Yakko couldn't deny that learning how to use his abilities had undeniably played a role in improving both his brother's mood and his confidence. That didn't stop him from feeling some uneasiness, though. Wakko seemed to not only be growing more confident, but also more determined. Determined for what, Yakko wasn't sure… and that was what was making him uneasy. He was sure now that his brother still felt like that Salazar's invasion and their parents' deaths were his fault, and his determination stemmed from a desire to make up for it.

But what exactly was he willing to do to make up for it? More importantly, how much was he willing to risk doing that? Yakko had already seen him risk everything for them once before, and it had been the most terrifying experience of his life. The idea of losing either of his siblings was his worst fear, and he had come too close to seeing it happen for comfort. He had no desire to experience that again.

Of course, he knew Wakko felt the same way and would never want to put his siblings through that, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that wouldn't stop him from putting himself at risk to make things right. As far as Yakko and Dot were concerned, he had nothing he needed to make right, but whether he believed that Yakko was becoming less and less convinced.

I've gotta talk to him, the eldest brother decided. And he wasn't going to let him brush it off this time.

Dot had apparently reached the same conclusion, as she revealed later during a dance with her oldest brother. She had already had one with Wakko, who was now nowhere to be seen.

"You're gonna talk to him, right?"

She kept her voice low, so no one else would hear.

"Yeah," Yakko replied, his voice just as quiet. "Where is he, anyway?"

Dot shrugged, looking a little concerned.

"Haven't seen him since we danced."

Yakko sighed, but he supposed it wasn't anything unusual. Wakko had dealt with things alone most of his life… it would take more than a few months to change that. When the dance ended and the applause tapered off, Yakko and Dot took the opportunity to go look for their brother in his usual spot.

Sure enough, they found him on the balcony standing by the railing. Figuring he had just gone out there for some alone time, Yakko headed toward him with Dot close beside. But before he could say anything, his brother held out his hand. Much to Yakko's surprise, a small flame appeared in it as Wakko gazed at it with intense concentration. The eldest Warner's astonishment was quickly replaced with alarm.

"Wakko!"

The middle sibling jumped, and much to his siblings' alarm the flame flared even larger. On instinct, Yakko pulled Dot back. But fortunately the flame simply went out as Wakko's head snapped around, his eyes widening in surprise.

"What're you guys doing out here?"

Yakko's alarm was quickly replaced with exasperation, along with a sharp stab of fear. That worry that had been niggling at him, that Wakko was on the way to doing something reckless, returned at full force. Crossing his arms, he glared at his brother.

"We might ask you the same thing."

Wakko looked even more surprised at his older brother's stern tone.

"I just…"

"Just what?" Yakko demanded, making sure to keep his voice low. "What exactly made you think it was a good time to be messing around with this?"

The surprise on Wakko's face changed to an annoyance that came very close to anger. It was clear in his voice, even though he kept it low as well.

"I'm not messing around!"

Yakko narrowed his eyes.

"Really? Sure looks like it to me."

Wakko's look now turned to an unmistakable anger that surprised both his siblings; the middle sibling was rarely so quick to anger.

"Well, it would, wouldn't it?" he growled. Yakko's frown deepened.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Wakko glared back at him, opening his mouth to reply. But before he could Dot stepped forward, moving between her brothers.

"Guys, this isn't exactly a good time for this," she said, giving them each a stern look.

Yakko took a deep breath, calming himself down.

"She's right." He gave Wakko a firm look. "But we're not done talking about this."

The middle sibling matched his severe expression with one of his own but sighed and gave a sullen nod.

"Fine," he muttered. Yakko glanced over his shoulder.

"We better get back. We'll talk more after this is over."

Wakko looked like he wanted to protest, but only nodded again. Dot glanced between the two again.

"And you two should probably not look like you're about to bite each other's heads off," she said, her voice just as stern. Yakko sighed, giving his sister a half smile.

"Sure thing, sis."

It looked like it was taking a lot of effort, but Wakko's angry look faded too.

"Scout's honor," he said, raising his right hand.

Dot still looked doubtful but nodded. As they headed back inside, Yakko felt a small sense of regret. As much as he'd wanted to discuss this situation, the last thing he wanted was to get started on such bad terms.

It'll work out, though. We'll get this talked out and it'll be fine.

But still, there was a feeling he just couldn't shake… the bad feeling that this wasn't going to go as well as he was hoping.