"I don't know what you expect to get from Kuvira, Avatar, but don't think she's broken just because she's in prison." Baatar's words seemed stiff as he walked past Korra. Considering that Kuvira and Baatar's engagement collapsed when she accepted his potential death as collateral damage to kill Korra, their conversation was bound to have been uncomfortable. She let him go, not wanting to pry further with him.

Unlike with Baatar, the guards allowed Korra to enter the room without searching her, merely warning her to keep her wits about her when talking to Kuvira. Korra smiled and thanked them for the advice and their effort, drawing a blush from the younger guard and causing both to glow with pride.

The door slid closed behind her. Kuvira sat at the table, head resting in one hand as she massaged her temples with her thumb and middle finger. Without looking up, she started to speak, "Are you also here to remind me of my failings Avatar?"

"How'd you know it was me?" Korra's voice revealed as much amusement as surprise.

"I learned bending from Su, I may not be as good as a Beifong at using seismic sense, but I can pick some things up. Besides, you have a rather distinctive way of stomping around," she said, raising her head. Korra could see weariness creeping in at the corners of her eyes. "Sit," she said and gestured to the empty chair.

Korra sat down in the chair, feeling the weight of Kuvira's gaze on her. She met Kuvira's eyes calmly. "You refused to see me every time I tried to visit."

Kuvira nodded, her expression neutral. "I've seen no point in taking any guests. I wouldn't take it personally Avatar, I'm not just refusing to see you." Her voice took on a slight mocking tone with the last few words.

She wasn't going to give in to Kuvira's bait. "You know this trial isn't going to be easy for you, but I could help if you'd let me," she said, then added, "and I want your advice on something as well, so you wouldn't have to feel like you were getting my help out of pity," as she noticed a look of scorn forming on Kuvira's face.

"The great and powerful Avatar wants my help? What in spirits is the world coming to?" Kuvira said, leaning back in her chair, and crossing her arms over her chest.

For once, Korra could see a hint of interest peaking out from behind Kuvira's neutral mask. "There have already been attacks on Republic City from your soldiers trying to stop the negotiations and this trial. Is there anything we can do to at least try and keep the peace?"

To Korra's surprise, Kuvira smiled briefly and even chuckled softly before saying, "Have you considered letting me go free and having the United Republic rejoin the Earth Empire?" A few moments passed while Korra processed the comment. "That was a joke Avatar," Kuvira said, then her face turned serious, "Unfortunately, I cannot help you even if I tried. My soldiers believe in the idea of the Earth Empire; until you can replace that dream with another that offers the same hope and security, they will continue to fight."

"That's what we're trying to do! Couldn't you at least order a ceasefire while we negotiate? You have to trust that I want what's best for the world and that includes the Earth Kingdom."

Kuvira shook her head. "Avatar, I admire your optimism. But it wouldn't matter what I said, if I told them to stand down, they'd just believe you forced me to say it against my will." Korra opened her mouth to launch a retort, but Kuvira stopped her with a raised hand, "I recognize my soldiers stood down when we came back through the spirit portal. That's not the same. Any good general instructs her troops to accept a strategic retreat when facing too uncertain a situation. Nobody had ever created a new spirit portal, so what could be riskier than charging into that?" She laced her fingers together and Korra saw her brow furrow with thought. "You should know better than anyone Avatar, we are more than just people to those who follow us. We must play the part they give us, so I can no sooner cease being the Great Uniter in their eyes than you could cease being the Avatar. I apologize, but I cannot help you."

Korra's head fell forward onto her hands. Not only had Kuvira snatched away one hope of an easy peace, but she'd reminded her of the eternal stress lurking at the back of her mind: everyone expected the Avatar to solve the world's problems and blamed her when she couldn't solve them instantly. They passed a minute in silence before Korra looked up. Kuvira was still watching her, but not with a predator's eyes, just a mild curiosity. "There was one other reason I wanted to come see you," Korra said, reaching into her pocket to pull out a fragment of black metal and set it on the table.

Kuvira's eyes widened and she reached out with one hand, before realizing and snapping her arm back to her side. "That's–"

"Meteorite from Zaofu. I asked Suyin to send me some to help me practice my metalbending." She gently pushed it across the table. "I obviously can't let you keep it, but as long as I'm here, I don't see any harm in letting you do a little bending."

Kuvira slowly reached out, hand shaking as she extended her arm above the clump of metal. Korra watched the metal and was surprised to see it sit on the table, unmoving. She looked up and saw Kuvira looking at her, face clouded with confusion, hand hovering over the meteorite. "Why?"

"When I was recovering from being poisoned, it drove me crazy when I couldn't bend. I can't even imagine how the Red Lotus survived for years without bending. It must be the same for you."

Kuvira closed her eyes. Her hand steadied over the metal and Korra watched her slowly flex her fingers. Then her hand stiffened and the metal jumped from the table, forming a perfect star floating in the air. Her hand closed into a fist and the star melted into liquid, then another motion and the metal tightened into a perfect cube. A look of bliss crossed Kuvira's face and her voice was gentle as she spoke, "Thank you Avatar. I had almost forgotten what this felt like. You're right, it felt like I had lost a limb when they locked me away from the earth."

Korra smiled back at Kuvira, at last finding another way to connect with her that didn't involve getting blasted into the Spirit World. She watched Kuvira manipulate the meteorite into a pyramid, then casually broke the silence, "I saw Baatar came to visit you before me."

The edges of the pyramid wavered briefly, but she couldn't see any emotion on Kuvira's face. Kuvira kept her eyes locked on the hovering metal as she replied, "That's correct Avatar. But what business is that of yours?" She turned her head to look at Korra and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Despite having no trouble keeping her composure earlier, Korra felt a little heat rise to her cheeks. "Well, I was just wondering how things were between you and Baatar."

"Considering I nearly killed him while attempting to murder you just a few weeks before we were supposed to get married, things are clearly going great," Kuvira said, her voice filled with sarcasm, "and now he's free while I'm likely to remain in this cage for the rest of my life. So, you could say my dating life really has hit a new high." Korra was at a loss for words and tried to stammer her way through a reply, but Kuvira cut her off with a chuckle and a wave of her hand. "Avatar, you take the strangest things seriously. I'm sure your dating life is going a bit better than mine right now."

"I'm dating Asami," Korra blurted out, then paused, her eyes opening wide as she realized what she'd said.

There was a moment of silence. Then Kuvira broke out laughing; not the controlled chuckles that peppered her sly jokes, but open, carefree laughter. It was so out of character that Korra felt a new woman had taken Kuvira's seat across the table. The unrestrained glee wiped away all the strain and weariness clouding her face. To Korra's further embarrassment, without the mask of the Great Uniter, she realized that Kuvira was quite attractive. After a few more seconds, the gale of laughter quieted. "Avatar, you continue to find new ways to surprise me. You're dating Asami Sato, heiress to the Sato fortune, and the most feared businesswoman in Republic City," She leaned forward and rested her chin on one hand, grinning at Korra, "what other surprises are you hiding?"

Korra felt her cheeks warming and started to push back her chair from the table, "I should be going, I need to go plantbend my water, I mean, waterbend my plants, I mean, water my plants?"

Kuvira laughed again and mimed brushing a tear away from her eyes. "Sit down Avatar, you'd think someone who jumped in front of a spirit laser wouldn't get so nervous over a relationship. Even Baatar was less awkward on a date." Her face relaxed into a more serious, but still open expression, "I take it by your reaction that this isn't public knowledge then?"

Korra shook her head. "Our friends and family know, but nobody else."

"Good," Kuvira nodded, "your personal life shouldn't be anyone's business. People need to see you as the Avatar, not some lovesick fool." She paused and her lips twitched with the hint of a grin. "Even if you are some lovesick fool."

Korra's blush deepened, but she settled back into her chair. "But what about you and Baatar? Most people knew that you were a couple and you didn't keep it a secret that you were engaged."

The metal meteorite started flowing in a lazy double loop over the table. "It's true that Baatar and I did not explicitly hide our relationship once it had become serious, but that was quite some time after we'd gotten together. The only ones who knew early on were those who had been with us since Zaofu. I don't suppose you're planning to announce your engagement, are you Avatar?"

"What? No!" Yet again Korra found herself leaping out of her chair in surprise, "I mean we've only been together for a few months, and we just started talking about moving in together, but, why am I even telling you all this?" she stammered through her response.

Kuvira leaned back in her chair, one eyebrow raised. "If I had known you would be such a source of amusement Avatar, maybe I wouldn't have sent you away when you tried to see me before." A quick wave of her hand sent the meteorite, now shaped into a heart, floating over to Korra and into an orbit around her head. "You should really lighten up. If nothing else, you don't have to worry about me spreading the word." She stretched her arms out and gestured at the walls surrounding them. "As you can see, I don't have many people to gossip to these days."

Korra stifled a snort at the mental image of Kuvira, the fearsome Great Uniter, standing around gossiping about an acquaintance's love life. But then, she was struck by a strange absence. For all that Kuvira had needled her about her relationship and chuckled at her jumpy responses, she'd made no mention of her dating a woman. She seemed quite amused by the revelation that Korra was dating someone of Asami's social status, but unconcerned with the revelation that Korra was dating some of Asami's gender. She put her elbows on the table and leaned in slightly, studiously ignoring the metallic heart bobbing at the edge of her vision. "Hang on, you don't care that I'm dating a woman?"

The heart floated back over the middle of the table and transformed into a pair of interlocking rings. "Suyin Beifong is wrong about a lot of things, but she was right not to waste people's talents because of who they prefer to warm their bedsheets with." She paused, taking in Korra's inquisitive look and shrugged. "I admit that not everyone in the old Earth Kingdom would agree with that, but that's hardly the only poor decision those hidebound monarchs made in the name of tradition," she said, turning the last word into a curse.

After so many emotionally charged responses, Kuvira's basic lack of interest was refreshing. Of course, she appreciated friends that had so enthusiastically supported her relationship, but Korra felt some tension leave her shoulders at Kuvira responding with little difference than if Korra had blurted out that she was dating Mako. She was suddenly seized with a crazy idea. It made no sense to talk to Kuvira about her romantic worries, but she did make a good point that she wasn't about to go running around town telling tall tales about Korra's love life. "I have a weird question," she started, then paused. She took a breath and as Kuvira nodded slightly, "What would you think about me moving in with Asami?"

Kuvira just shrugged. "Why would I think it any of my business?"

"I'm not asking for your permission!" Korra's face grew a little heated once more and she noticed the shadow of a grin peeking out around Kuvira's smooth expression. Taking another breath to centre herself as Tenzin had once taught her, she continued more calmly, "It's just that there's not that many people who've dealt with a relationship when everything's so public. It'd feel weird asking Tenzin for advice about this, so I thought maybe I could ask you."

"This must be my punishment," Kuvira said with an exaggerated sigh, "giving love advice to the Avatar while stuck in a wooden box. But alright Avatar, if you're really interested in what I think, it would be fine for you to move in with Asami." As Korra's face brightened she held up a hand of caution. "However, you have to be ready to handle whatever problems come yourself. When everyone will be watching your relationship, especially one that breaks some taboos, you can't show any weakness. Your relationship will have to be twice as good as some Jin on the street. Once Baatar and I made our relationship public, we made absolutely sure nobody saw conflict between us."

"You don't think it's too soon to move in together?"

"Baatar and I left to quell a civil war together for our third date," Kuvira said with a chuckle, "I'm sure you two can manage sharing an apartment." She glanced over at the wall and quietly added, "It seems so long ago now." She trailed off, looking away from Korra.

Korra watched Kuvira's face soften. "Do you still love him?"

Kuvira's gaze snapped back to Korra, the hard mask of the Great Uniter settling over her features. But she didn't respond and Korra sat, watching and waiting, holding onto the compassion for the melancholy woman she briefly saw in Kuvira. A moment passed and then another, each waiting for the other to move, to say something. Then, a crack in Kuvira's hardened façade. She sighed and closed her eyes, head tilting down towards the table. "I appreciate that you didn't ask if I ever loved him. Most people prefer to start there." She looked up and saw a puzzled look on Korra's face, so she continued, "To pacify the rogue states, I needed an engineer and becoming a Beifong would have helped legitimize my rule to some of the more recalcitrant traditionalists. Many suspected that I was just using Baatar to further my ambitions."

This revelation put Korra off balance and she stumbled over her reply, "Oh, I didn't. I mean, I never thought that's why you and Baatar were together."

"Clearly, I've forgotten how sheltered your upbringing was Avatar. That was always the first question most people asked. It'll be the first question they ask about you and Asami as well. Those close to you might accept it for what it is, but to everyone else, your relationship will be a statement and never one so simple as wanting to be with someone." She paused to let Korra digest her words, steepling her fingers in front of her face. "To answer your question Avatar. I miss him," she said, briefly hesitating before the last two words, "I found his vision inspiring. He believed we could change the Earth Kingdom before anybody else." She glanced slightly downward and added quietly, "He believed in me." Meeting Korra's eyes again, she concluded. "So yes, I still love him."

"Maybe you should try and work things out between you then."

Kuvira didn't respond for a few moments. Then meteorite coalesced into a lump of metal, just as Korra had originally brought, and it floated down to land gently on the table in front of Korra. "You should probably be going," her voice was clipped, but not harsh, "I believe my lawyers will want to prepare for the next round of testimony."

Korra picked up the lump of metal, noting that the weight hadn't changed from when she brought it in. She pushed out her chair and walked to the door, putting one hand on the handle before turning to look back at Kuvira, still impassive at the table. "I know you may not want to hear this from me, but, thanks Kuvira."

"Whenever you're ready to let me go free Avatar, just let me know."

Walking back into the hallway, she found Bolin hadn't left, but had been joined by Opal. When she spotted Korra, she waved as Korra walked over. "Don't tell me you were talking with Kuvira."

Korra nodded and said, "I know you don't trust her after everything that happened, but she understands the Earth Empire better than anyone. If there's a chance she could help keep the peace, it's worth trying." Opal scowled, but after a few moments of thought, nodded slightly. Korra decided it was worth delicately adding, "And Baatar came to talk to her before I did."

Opal's eyes snapped back to Korra as her face darkened, "Why would he want to see her? She tried to kill him!" Her voice was harsh enough to make Bolin wince and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hasn't she done enough to our family?"

"She still loves Baatar and I think he probably still loves her too. I can't say I really understand it either, but it might be how they feel."

Bolin stepped slightly forward from Opal's side. "I know what they did was terrible. But they really did work well together. You didn't see them when we were trying to save the Earth Kingdom, but Baatar really did seem happy around her."

"It doesn't change what she did to us, to all of us." Opal said, but with less conviction than before. "Look, I have to go, I'll see you later Bolin," she said, planting a distracted kiss on his cheek. "See you later Korra." She turned and hurried towards the door, leaving Bolin and Korra behind.

"Do you think she'll come around?" Korra asked, glancing at Bolin.

He thought for a moment, then said in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "She's not wrong that Kuvira did so much to hurt her family and Opal's just like Su in that way, she loves her family above almost everything else."

"You two were able to work things out after you were working for Kuvira," she said, causing Bolin to wince.

"Yeah, but I don't know if that's the same. I feel like she wanted things to work between us, even when they were hard, I don't think she cares if she hates Kuvira."

They turned to look at the door where Opal had left. "If she and Baatar really love each other, she might not have a choice."

"Maybe," he said, not looking back at Korra.