"KUVIRA!"
Nayuh's own scream jolted her awake and out of the terrible dream she'd just been having. It took a few frantic moments before she realized where she was, and she eased herself back down onto the bed with a groan.
Lusa had done a tremendous job healing her the day prior, but the residual effects of the accident were still lingering. Her head throbbed constantly and her newly healed right arm was still stuck in a sling, for at least the next few days. The bones might no longer be broken, but it was far from fully healed. The healing water had its limits, after all.
She and Korra had finally left the hospital around dinnertime the previous evening. Having to ride through the city again terrified her more than Nayuh cared to admit. And Korra's terrible driving skills didn't help either. But they'd made it back to the Sato mansion unscathed and had spent the rest of the evening curled up in front of a roaring fire, trying to do whatever they could to take their minds off of the fact that both of the women they loved were currently sitting in jail cells.
Both had been asleep on the couches near the fire when Asami had finally returned. She'd filled them in on what Lee, her attorney, had told her, but it wasn't much. Vira was going to remain in jail for the foreseeable future and no one, not even Lee, Asami said, had any idea what was going to happen next. Nayuh had gone to bed soon after, but sleep had been elusive.
Every time she'd finally fallen asleep, a nightmare would wake her back up again. Sometimes they were of the accident. Sometimes, like the one she'd just had, were of Vira drowning, crying out for Nayuh to help her. And every time Nayuh would try to reach for her, Vira would slip farther and farther from her grasp.
On instinct, Nayuh turned her head to the left. Every single morning for the last two years, doing that would've resulted in her seeing Vira lying next to her. But not this morning. This morning, that side of the bed–the one Vira always slept on–was empty. It was the first night in two years that they'd spent apart and Nayuh felt tears prick her eyes as the heaviness of that realization sank in.
She'd been trying to remain strong, for both herself and Vira, but she'd broken down last night after finally lying down in bed, alone. And now, waking up alone, brought a fresh wave of sadness. She choked back a sob and turned away from the empty side of the bed, feeling like it was mocking her.
I hope she's okay. The thought only made things worse and Nayuh gave in to the emotion trying to overwhelm her. She somehow managed to doze off again and when she woke, the pre-dawn light of the morning was starting to spill into the room. This time, she didn't roll over, knowing it was only going to be a half-empty bed that greeted her.
She watched the window instead, seeing the light behind it gradually grow brighter. It might be winter in Republic City, but to her, it felt more like late spring, and she'd left the window cracked open several inches during the night. She listened to the birds sing as they got their day started; then, knowing she wasn't going to go back to sleep, decided to get up and get hers started as well.
Showering and dressing were somewhat of an ordeal due to her arm, but she managed and finally eased her way out of her room, trying to be quiet in case Korra and Asami still weren't awake. Judging by the quietness that greeted her in the hall, they were sound asleep. But that didn't mean she was the only one awake in the house.
The sounds of activity grew louder as she made her way downstairs, and she realized that some of the house staff that Asami employed had already begun their day. Korra had confided in her that she still hadn't grown accustomed to having them around, but the house was so massive it took a veritable army of people to maintain it. And since the staff had been around for decades, some even before Asami was born, Asami had felt obligated to keep them on after her father died.
Nayuh was greeted with smiles and head nods as she wandered past the office, the living room, the sitting room, the formal dining room, the informal dining room, before finally arriving at her destination: the kitchen. She had every intention of making herself a cup of tea and possibly some breakfast, and she was just as surprised to see one of the cooks, as they were to see her.
"Miss Nayuh," the woman, whose name Nayuh couldn't remember for the life of her right now, said. "I wasn't expecting to see you this early. The Satos don't typically come down for another hour or so."
"Couldn't sleep," Nayuh replied, giving the woman a small and what she hoped was a warm smile. She felt exhausted–mentally, physically, and emotionally.
The woman returned her smile with a sympathetic one. "After everything that's happened, I'm not surprised." She gestured to the door that led into the informal dining room. "Why don't you go have a seat and I can bring you a cup of tea. Would you like something to eat as well?"
Nayuh's stomach rumbled slightly at the thought. She'd barely eaten dinner the night before and even though she didn't feel like eating, her body was trying to tell her she needed to. But she still didn't like the idea of someone waiting on her, like a servant or something.
"No, the tea is fine, thank you."
The woman frowned slightly and Nayuh could've sworn it was the same look her mother would give her when she knew Nayuh wasn't being entirely honest. If Nayuh had to guess, this woman also had children, because she was an expert at that look. It instantly made her feel guilty, much like her own mother did.
"It's no trouble at all, really," the woman said. "Go, sit, and I'll bring you some tea and breakfast."
It was more of a request now than a suggestion, and Nayuh nodded. "Thank you," she gratefully said. The woman smiled and inclined her head slightly, then busied herself around the massive stove.
Nayuh wandered into the informal dining room and took a seat at the table, seeing that someone had brought in the morning paper already. Part of her and Vira's morning routine was to read the paper while they ate, and Nayuh automatically reached for it now.
And froze. There, on the front page, was a massive, attention-grabbing headline: Great Uniter Returns! The headline continued, albeit in smaller words, but Nayuh wasn't concerned with what it said. Her entire focus was on the blown-up photograph that was underneath the headline, taking up quite a large amount of the front page.
It was Vira, shackled in chains, clearly injured, hunched over, and being led by two Republic City police officers into the city's jail. Nayuh couldn't see her face very well, as her hair was obscuring most of it. But what she could see, broke her heart. Never, in a million lifetimes, had she ever expected this to happen. And now that it was quite literally staring her in the face, she felt sick.
Sick and angry. Korra had told her that Mako had come for Vira as soon as she was out of the healing pool, but seeing the proof of that enraged her. She knew Vira well enough to know that she had to have been in a considerable amount of pain, just based on her posture alone. And spirits knew if she was receiving any sort of medical treatment in the jail. If she had to bet, Nayuh would easily place her money on the answer to that being no.
She had no idea how long she'd been staring at the picture when the cook entered, bringing tea and a bowl of steaming hot porridge with her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed when she realized what Nayuh was staring at. "Here, I can take that if you want. I hadn't realized Lam had brought the paper in already."
"It's alright," Nayuh quietly said. "I'd like to read it while I eat, if that's okay."
"Of course," the woman replied. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything else. Please don't hesitate to ask. I don't mind at all."
Nayuh looked up and forced a grateful smile on her face. "Thanks…" She trailed off, hoping the woman would get the hint and tell her her name again.
"Jaya," the woman replied, returning Nayuh's smile. She went back into the kitchen and Nayuh turned back to the paper, pulling the porridge and tea in front of her so she could eat and read.
Despite the attention-grabbing headline, the article itself didn't go into too much detail, other than that Kuvira Beifong, the former "Great Uniter" and ruler of the now-defunct Earth Empire wasn't actually dead, as the world had believed for the last few years. The author spent the majority of the article speculating on why she'd returned to Republic City, why she was dressed as though she was from the Southern Water Tribe, and why no one had known she was still alive.
The more Nayuh read, the angrier she got, and by the time Korra walked into the room with a wide yawn, she was fuming. Now fed and with far more energy than she should've had this early in the morning, Nayuh glared at Korra and threw the paper across the table at her.
"Any idea who's behind this?" she ground out.
Korra frowned as she picked the paper up, then her eyes went wide when she saw what Nayuh was talking about. "No, but I have a good guess."
"Mako tipped the newspaper off, didn't he?" Nayuh said. "That little–"
"Mako did what?" Asami asked, walking in and looking just as tired as Korra. Korra's reply was to hand her the paper.
"That asshole," Asami said, staring at the front page and finishing Nayuh's sentence for her. "As if we didn't have enough problems…now the entire city is going to be calling for her head."
"I'm willing to bet that was the entire point," Nayuh said. "The entire city turns against her and we really don't have a shot in hell at getting her out, do we?"
"It certainly doesn't make it any easier, no," Asami agreed. She sighed heavily and sat down across from Nayuh. "Lee is supposed to go see her this morning. Hopefully, he'll be able to give us some more answers later, as to what's going to happen."
"Do you really think he's going to give her the time of day now?" Nayuh skeptically asked. "Especially after he sees that." She pointed to the paper. "He doesn't sound like he's a huge fan of Vira, based on what you said last night."
"He's not, but he promised me he would," Asami replied. "And he's never broken a promise to me before."
"First time for everything," Nayuh muttered, still fuming. This entire situation was out of her control and she hated it. What she really wanted to do was go rampaging into the jail and free Vira herself. Then maybe head over to the police station and end Mako and this stupid, insufferable grudge he had against her girlfriend. She was quite sure Vira would have absolutely no issue with either one of those things either.
"We just have to be patient," Korra put in, trying to ease the tension in the room. She looked at Nayuh. "You and I will head to your healing appointment while Asami stays here. Hopefully, by the time we get back, Lee will either already be here, or won't be far behind us. Then we'll have a better idea of what's going on."
She gave Nayuh a sympathetic look. "I want to get her out as badly as you do." Nayuh highly doubted that was true, but she kept her opinion to herself. "But we have to do this the right way. Which means we need to be patient…as hard as that is."
Nayuh gave her a stiff nod, then pushed her chair back from the table. "I'm going for a walk."
"We'll leave in an hour for your appointment," Korra called after her as she headed for the door. Nayuh gave her a small wave of acknowledgement and left the room. She needed to get some air and try to clear her head.
She knew she was taking her frustration out on Korra and Asami, but she couldn't help it. She needed someone to blame for this mess, and they were the closest and easiest targets. Deep down, she knew the blame lay on all four of them, equally. But it hurt too badly to blame herself and she wasn't about to point any fingers at Vira.
She spent the hour she had meandering through the grounds, stopping only when she got to the rock garden. A light snow was falling and the sound of water lazily flowing over the rocks helped to soothe her. She sat by the edge of the small pond and played with the turtle ducks that were swimming in it, letting them take her mind off of everything. It was exactly what she needed and she felt far calmer and more like herself when she met up with Korra to go to her appointment.
The drive through the city was nerve-wracking, but not nearly as terrifying as it had been the night prior. It was almost as if Korra was purposefully trying to drive perfectly, so as not to spook her. Or upset her. Nayuh appreciated the effort, regardless of the reasons behind it.
Lusa was ready and waiting for her once they got to the hospital, and Korra decided to hang out in the room during the healing session. It took about two hours and left Nayuh feeling much, much better. Both physically and mentally. The three of them spent the entire time laughing, joking, and swapping stories about growing up in the South. Lusa and Korra also shared with Nayuh just how much of a culture shock Republic City had been when they'd arrived.
"I still can't believe that the day you got here, you outed yourself as the Avatar and managed to get arrested," Nayuh said, chuckling as they got in the satomobile to head back to the house.
"It wasn't one of my finer moments," Korra replied, chuckling as well. "I definitely had the 'punch first, ask questions later' kind of attitude."
Nayuh gave her a mockingly shocked look. "No…I don't believe that for a second." She smirked and Korra rolled her eyes before letting out a light laugh.
Nayuh's mood had improved considerably as the morning had gone on, but when they arrived back at the house and saw who was waiting for them with Asami in the living room, it darkened again. As happy as she was to see him, Nayuh immediately knew why Tenzin had stopped by.
"How are you doing?" he asked as he rose to his feet, once she and Korra entered the room. He immediately walked over to Nayuh and wrapped her in a hug.
It was a struggle to not start crying all over again. She and Tenzin might not be very close, but seeing any member of her family was exactly what she needed right now, since she couldn't see her parents and brothers.
"Okay, I guess," she replied, returning the hug. "I take it, you saw the paper this morning?"
"I did," he said, releasing her and stepping back. He reached into his robes and produced a piece of paper. "And I received this about an hour ago." He handed it to her and Nayuh opened it.
Her anger returned with a vengeance as she read over the official summons from the Office of the President of the United Republic. President Moon was requesting his presence at a meeting of each nation's leaders, set to be held in five days here in Republic City. The point of which was to discuss the recent re-capture of the former leader of the Earth Empire, and options for moving forward now that she was safely confined again.
"So, according to this," Nayuh ground out, through clenched teeth, "Vira is just going to sit in jail until the world leaders can decide what to do with her?"
Tenzin nodded. "That's what it sounds like. President Moon is in the middle of a re-election campaign and I'd bet all my yuans that she's going to try and play this to her advantage. My guess is, she wants to meet with all of the world leaders to assess who knew Kuvira was still alive, and who didn't. And then decide what to do about those who did."
"Like you." Nayuh's heart sank. "And Chief Tonraq. And Suyin." She looked at Korra, who gave her an equally distressed look. "Your dad was right about the fallout touching everyone, wasn't he?"
"Looks like it," Korra said with a dejected nod. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I should probably go call him again and let him know. I'm sure Zhu Li sent him a summons, too." She walked out of the living room, heading to the office to make the call.
Nayuh sighed and looked up at Tenzin. "I'm so sorry, Tenzin. We never meant to drag you or anyone else into this. We never should've come up here in the first place."
Tenzin's face softened slightly. "It's alright. I'm not as concerned for myself as I am for Tonraq and Suyin." He chuckled. "President Moon can't exactly fire us, though. I'm sure she'll try and flex her muscles in this meeting, but there's not much she can do other than point fingers."
"She might not be able to do anything, but I can guarantee that the Council won't be happy when they find out the Chief hid this from them," Nayuh said. "And same with the other governors in the Earth Republic. People are going to be angry that they were lied to."
Tenzin laid a calming hand on her shoulder. "And they have every right to be, but in the end, Kuvira was arrested here, in Republic City. Therefore, it'll be entirely up to President Moon to decide what she wants to do with her."
Nayuh wrinkled her nose. "I haven't even met the woman and I already hate her. She's not going to let Vira out. Not when she can use her to get re-elected."
"I've known Zhu Li for years," Asami said, from her perch on the couch. "And she can be strict, yes, but she will also listen to reason. She's not the type to play shady politics like that." She suddenly looked a little unsure of herself as Tenzin led Nayuh over to one of the couches and eased himself down next to her.
"Or," Asami amended, "she didn't use to be." She sighed. "Maybe these last four years in office have changed her. And I hate to say it but, she and Vira don't have the greatest history together."
"Well, neither did you, or Korra, or even you, Tenzin," Nayuh said. "And you've all come around."
"Because Kuvira has proven that she's capable of changing...to us," Tenzin gently said. "Each of us has seen it with our own eyes. In the President's mind, Kuvira is still the same Kuvira she knew years ago. Not the one we know now."
"Then we have to convince her that Vira has changed," Nayuh firmly said. "We have to make her see it." She sighed, her resolve breaking a little. "Somehow."
Tenzin gave her a small smile. "And that's exactly what we're going to do. Unfortunately, we really can't do anything until this meeting happens. After that, we'll have a better idea of what the President wants to do."
"I don't know if I can sit around and wait that long," Nayuh said. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs to her.
"You've always been strong, just like your mother," Tenzin said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You're going to get through this. And so will Kuvira."
"Tenzin's right," Asami said, her voice holding more confidence than Nayuh felt. "You and Korra have been Vira's biggest advocates since day one. And you've both managed to grow Vira's circle of support in the last few years. She's not going to do this alone. She has a lot of people willing to fight for her now."
Nayuh looked between Asami and Tenzin, who nodded slightly in support of what Asami had said. "I hope you're right. Because she's going to need as many people fighting for her as she can get."
As if on cue, Korra wandered back into the room. "Just talked to my dad. He hasn't gotten the summons yet, but he knows it's coming now. The two absent Councilors will be back sometime tomorrow evening and he's hoping to convene the Council for an emergency meeting the following day. He said he wants to have some sort of firm answer as to the South's status on whether Vira is welcome or not, by the time he comes up here for the meeting."
She took a seat next to Asami. "And I told him about the newspaper article. I'm hoping the papers down there don't pick up on it, but…" She trailed off with a defeated shrug. She didn't need to finish her sentence. It was almost a given now that the entire world was going to find out.
Nayuh sighed. "I should probably call my mom, then. She needs to hear it from me, before she reads about it in the paper." She got up and was walking out of the room when Lee came in. He looked surprised to see Tenzin but gave him a slight nod in greeting. Tenzin returned it, then Lee turned to Asami.
"Well, I did as you asked," he said. His tone was neutral and his face was impassive.
"And…?" Asami prompted him.
"And there are some details I need to verify with you and Korra," he said, "but overall, I think I believe her…as much as it pains me to say that."
Everyone in the room, save for Tenzin, let out a collective breath. Lee turned to Nayuh. "Are you Nayuh?" Nayuh nodded and Lee handed her a folded-up piece of paper. "Kuvira wanted you to have this."
Nayuh took the piece of paper from him, heart thudding against her chest. She was vaguely aware of Lee telling Korra he had a note for her as well, as she slowly unfolded the piece of paper in her hand. Seeing Vira's handwriting almost caused a fresh wave of tears, but she held them back as she read what Vira had written to her.
The Fire Nation is red,
The Water Tribes are blue,
No matter what happens,
Know that I'll always love you.
Then, in smaller characters, "I know I'm a day early, but happy anniversary babe. I love you."
There was no holding back the tears now and Nayuh let them fall as she read and re-read the note again and again. She remembered, was all she could think as she stood there, quietly crying.
It had become a thing they did over the last two years, writing each other silly notes or poems and slipping them inside lunches, or little gifts, surprising each other at random with them. The fact that, even though she was sitting in a jail cell, Vira had taken the time to write her one for their anniversary, meant everything to Nayuh.
"Can I go see her?" Nayuh blurted out, realizing too late that she interrupted the conversation Lee was having with Korra and Asami.
Lee glanced at Korra, who gave him a subtle nod. Nayuh could see the pained look on her face and her heart sank before Lee could even get the words out.
"No…I'm sorry. They're not allowing her to have any visitors besides myself and a healer. And I had to fight to get them to allow the healer."
"Well, I'm a healer," Nayuh retorted, "and have been Vira's healer for a while now. So you can tell that other healer that they aren't needed anymore."
Lee looked uncomfortable, but he held Nayuh's angry gaze. "I have no issue with that, but your name, along with Korra's and Asami's and several others, is on a list, specifically barring you access to her. The President herself ordered it…there's nothing I can do to change it. I'm sorry."
Nayuh heard Korra quietly curse and could've sworn the Avatar threw Mako's name in there with it. Of course, it was Mako. It all led back to him. Somehow, he'd managed to get himself into the President's inner circle and had her ear. Which meant that both of them were going to stonewall her and Korra and Asami, at every turn.
Nayuh stood there, fuming. She looked down at the note in her hand and forced herself to try and calm down. She couldn't go see Vira. Fine. It sucked and it broke her heart even more than it already was, but maybe they could salvage this. She finally looked back up at Lee again.
"If I give you a note to give to her, will you?"
Lee pursed his lips slightly, probably not happy with being what amounted to a postman between the two of them. Too bad, Nayuh bitterly thought. He finally nodded. "Yes, I will."
"Thank you. I'll be right back." She walked out of the room, heading straight for the office. Her phone call to her mother could wait. She grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pencil and sat down behind the massive desk, thinking. It usually took her days to come up with something cute and funny and meaningful, so trying to think while she was upset and stressed wasn't easy.
Finally, she was able to jot something down. She read it over a few times, to make sure it sounded good (and didn't convey how hard of a time she was having with everything), before folding it up and walking back to the living room. She marched over to Lee and held it out to him.
"I'll make sure she gets it the next time I see her," Lee said, taking the note from her and sticking it into his briefcase.
"I would really appreciate it," Nayuh replied, fixing him with an intense look, hoping he got the hint that she wasn't someone who was easily deceived. He held the look for a few moments, before nodding slightly.
Not entirely satisfied, but knowing that was all the reassurance she was going to get, Nayuh turned to go again. "Need to call my mom," she muttered, seeing everyone's confused looks. And be alone for a while, she added to herself.
She'd just stepped back into the hall when she saw Lin striding down the corridor towards her. The former police chief looked surprised to see Nayuh, but then her face softened into sympathy. Which was weird, considering she was the one who'd lost her job because of what Nayuh, Korra, Asami, and Vira did.
"Lin…I, uh, didn't expect to see you," Nayuh managed to get out. "I'm sorry about…you know."
Shockingly, Lin gave her a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it. I was planning on retiring soon anyway. Sure, I don't get my pension now, but I saved up enough that it doesn't really matter." She clasped Nayuh on her good shoulder. "I'm not mad at any of you."
She chuckled. "Okay, I was a little upset at first, but I know Kuvira wouldn't have come here if there wasn't a good reason behind it. What happened was a very unfortunate accident." She looked around, behind Nayuh. "Are Korra and Asami here?"
Nayuh nodded, then pointed behind her, to the living room. "Yeah, they're in there, with Tenzin and the lawyer."
"Tenzin?" Lin said, surprised. Then she nodded. "Ah…he must've seen the newspaper this morning."
"That, and he got a summons from President Moon," Nayuh said. Lin opened her mouth to ask another question, but Nayuh cut her off. "I really need to go call my mom, I'm sorry. They can fill you in though."
Lin shut her mouth and nodded. "Alright. Hang in there, kid…Kuvira is tough. And from what I can tell, so are you. You'll both make it through this."
Nayuh gave her a weak smile, then resumed her trek back to the office while Lin went into the living room. Everyone kept trying to reassure her, but she just couldn't share their confidence. In her mind, there was absolutely no way they were going to win this. Vira was going to remain imprisoned, likely for the rest of her life.
Which meant Nayuh was going to be left with a choice. Either uproot her life in the South and move to Republic City, so she could be closer to Vira, and hopefully maintain some semblance of a relationship. Or return to the South and try to move on with her life, without the most important part of it.
Suyin arrived, via the train, around eight in the morning. It was the day after she'd received the news from Tonraq, but instead of heading straight to Korra and Asami's house, there were a few stops she needed to make.
The first was to her sister's place. Lin was extremely surprised to see her but invited her in any way. Over breakfast, they shared what they knew about the accident and the arrest. Patching up their relationship had been one of the best decisions either of them had made, and it showed now. Su could tell her surprise visit had cheered Lin up, at least a little.
And some of Lin's fighting spirit came back, once Su told her where she was headed next. "Let me come with you," Lin said. "I have a few things I need to say to Zhu Li, now that I don't work for her anymore."
Suyin shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I need to appeal to her softer side, not piss her off even more than she already is."
Lin sat back and crossed her arms, but didn't argue. Her brashness was legendary and she knew it. "Fine. But, as much as I'm sort of enjoying my early retirement, I feel like I need to help. I hate sitting back and doing nothing. Even if Kuvira and I have never really seen eye to eye, I can at least admit that she doesn't belong in jail anymore."
"You could always head over to Korra and Asami's and see if they or Nayuh need anything. Nayuh especially. I'm sure she's not taking this very well."
"I don't know how I'd be of any help to her," Lin grumbled. "I barely know her." Then, seeing Su's slightly exasperated look, added, "But I guess I can see if they need anything. Beats sitting around here, staring at the walls all day, I suppose."
"That's the spirit," Su said, giving her a small smile. "And as soon as I'm done at Zhu Li's office, I'll head over there as well."
She helped Lin clean up, then each went their separate ways once they were outside. She managed to snag a taxi and rehearsed what she was going to say during the twenty-minute ride across town to City Hall, where the President's office was.
Once she was out of the cab she took a deep breath, then strode up the stairs and into the building, ignoring everyone as she marched straight to Zhu Li's office. Bolin was sitting outside the closed door, at his desk, and looked very startled when he saw her approaching.
"Oh, hi Su, I, uh, I mean, we weren't expecting you," he stammered, on the verge of rambling as he quickly got up and tried to cut her off. "Although Opal told me what happened, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but uh–"
"Bolin…" Su started, trying to keep her voice calm and patient, "... move out of my way. I need to talk to the President."
Bolin, whose hands were held up in front of him, gave her a nervous look and glanced over his shoulder at the closed door. "If you want to make an appointment, I'm sure she'd be willing to see you as soon as she can–"
"No, Bolin," Su said, "I need to see her now. I know you're just doing your job, but this can't wait."
Bolin swallowed nervously, but before he could get another word out, Su pushed past him and opened the door. Two men were seated in the chairs across the desk from Zhu Li, and all three of them gave Su a very surprised look.
"Madam President, I'm so sorry," Bolin said, rushing in after Su. "I tried to stop her but–"
Zhu Li held up her hand and forced a smile onto her face as she looked at Su. "It's alright Bolin. Su's an old friend." Bolin looked between the two women, then decided that was his cue to leave. He bowed slightly and hurried out the door, shutting it behind him.
"I'm surprised to see you so soon," Zhu Li said, her tone amicable. "The summons only just went out yesterday, and the meeting isn't for another five days."
Summons? Meeting? Questions for another time. Su gave Zhu Li a hard look. "You know why I'm here."
Zhu Li nodded. "I do." Then she looked at the men sitting in front of her. "Gentleman, if you'll excuse us for a moment. This won't take long." She got to her feet and the two men did the same. "If you'll just wait outside, I'll have Bolin grab some refreshments for you." She ushered them out, and once the door was shut, rounded on Su.
"Those are two of my biggest donors, so this had better be important Su," she said angrily. She walked around her desk again and took a seat.
Su took one as well, across from her. "As I said, you know why I'm here."
"And you should know that I have no intention of letting her out," Zhu Li retorted. There was an acidity to her tone that Su hadn't ever heard from her before. "Were you ever planning on telling anyone that she was alive? I mean, honestly Su. What was the endgame here?"
Su sighed. "There wasn't an endgame. The circumstances that led to Kuvira's supposed death weren't planned. That's why I'm here. I want to tell you the whole story, so maybe you'll understand why I decided to keep this from everyone."
"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Zhu Li replied.
"No, I don't," Su said. "You deserve to know the truth. And I owe Kuvira that much. None of this is her fault. The blame is entirely mine. As you'll see, if you'll let me explain."
Zhu Li motioned with her hand, indicating that Su should continue. "Just make it quick," she said. "I don't want to keep those two waiting very long."
Su nodded, forcing down the nasty remark she'd had on the tip of her tongue. She really has changed, she thought. Then she told Zhu Li everything that had happened on the night that Kuvira supposedly died. Su also made it clear that it had been her decision, and hers alone, to force Kuvira to stay in the South. To force everyone to keep it a secret.
"It was all for her safety," Su said. "People had already tried to kill her once, and almost succeeded. I couldn't let that happen again. It was my job to protect her after she was put on house arrest. And I failed. Letting the world believe she was dead was far safer than the alternative."
Zhu Li's posture had softened slightly, but she still shook her head. "I see where you're coming from, and while I'm not a mother myself, I can't fault you for doing what you thought was best for one of your own. Even if it was seriously misguided."
"I'm prepared to go to jail in her place," Su offered. "I'm the one who should be in there, not her. She's not a threat to anyone anymore, Zhu Li…I swear to you, she's not. You can ask Korra or Tonraq and even Asami…she's changed. Truly, she has."
Zhu Li's face hardened slightly. "Oh, I will be talking to them, don't worry. Since you're up here and not in Zaofu, you won't be getting the summons I sent out. So I'll just tell you now. I've called a meeting of all the world leaders, to include each governor in the Earth Republic and the Avatar. The meeting is in five days, and trust me: all of you who've kept this a secret for the last few years will have to answer to your peers as to why.
"In the meantime," she continued, standing up and coming around her desk, "Kuvira will remain in jail, where she belongs."
Su stared at her, wondering how her friend could've become so cold-hearted and not open to reason. "You won't even consider releasing her, at least temporarily, until you figure out what to do with her? Or let me take her place?"
Zhu Li shook her head and motioned to the door, her silent indication their impromptu meeting was now over. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm in the middle of a re-election campaign. A heated one, at that. If I release one of Republic City's most notorious criminals immediately after arresting her, I'll be seen as weak. A pushover, someone who caves to the whims of her friends, and not the needs of her people." She crossed her arms. "I can't let that happen. I'm sorry."
"No, you're not," Su spat out, standing as well and striding to the door. She paused and turned back to Zhu Li. "Have you forgotten that I was also the one who kept your and Varrick's presence in Zaofu a secret? Because I sure haven't. You were wanted criminals in Republic City…I could've easily turned you in, but I chose not to. You want to know why?"
Zhu Li bristled but Su didn't wait for her to respond before pushing on. "Because neither one of you was a threat. Just like Kuvira isn't. You're just too stubborn to see it." She scoffed. "You're doing the same thing she did…letting the power of your position go to your head."
"I'm doing what's best for my people," Zhu Li coldly replied. "You, of all people, should know what that's like."
"I do," Su agreed. "And for better or for worse, Kuvira is one of my people. More than that, she's family. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to ensure her safety. And being locked up here? That's not safe for her."
"I'll see you at the meeting, Su," Zhu Li said and Su knew the conversation was over. "Try not to do anything rash in the meantime. I'd hate to see you or anyone else sharing a cell next to her."
Su swallowed the angry retort she had and marched out of the office, ignoring Bolin and the two donors completely. I'll apologize to him later, she thought as she made her way back down the stairs and out of the building.
She hailed another cab and climbed in with a dejected sigh. "The Sato residence," she told the driver, who grunted his acknowledgment.
She'd been hoping to deliver some good news, but any hope of that was now dashed. And as the cab wound its way through the city, Su tried to mentally prepare herself for the very difficult conversation she was about to have.
