A stone shifted, taking some weight off Mako's shoulder. He groaned as he tried to pull himself to a more comfortable position. He was underground as far as he could tell. The air felt thin, but enough to breathe, at least for a while. When the building collapsed, its foundations must have caved in too. Luckily, the stones hadn't crushed him when they fell. He had a little bit of space and managed to drag himself onto a nearby rock to sit.

"Damn it," a voice nearby was muffled with pain. Even turning to look for the source of the voice hurt. Rather than trying to twist his body any further than it wanted to go, Mako shuffled, pivoting on his seat until he faced an Earth Empire soldier, partially trapped under some rocks. His lower body disappeared into the rubble at the waist and his attempts to earthbend the rocks off him barely caused them to shudder. He glanced up and swore again, noticing Mako watching him. He tried to raise an arm to throw a punch, but collapsed again, clearly exhausted. "Looks like you've caught me," he said, his face twisting into an ugly grin, "is it everything you hoped it would be?"

Mako just shook his head. "What were you hoping to accomplish? Even if you'd managed to take us by surprise, that'd just cause dozens more police to come after you."

The soldier spat on the ground. "That's exactly what we were hoping. While they're all busy digging you out of an early grave, we could strike the heart of the city and free the Great Uniter." He broke into laughter, causing the rocks on top of him to shift.

Mako watched as his laughter crumpled into groans of pain as the rocks pressed down harder. "You were going to attack the city? How could a bunch of goons like you manage to do that?"

The soldier's voice grew strained, "If you think there's only a few of us, you've got a big surprise coming. All hail the Great Uniter!" With his last words, he swung his arm with all his might and the pile of stone collapsed downwards, burying him in the rock and rubble.

As the last rock settled and the silence closed in around him, Mako could make out a thin shaft of line coming from the corner. Despite his aching body, he pulled himself to his feet, vision blurring from standing too quickly, and staggered over to the light. There was a tiny hole, high in the ceiling, far too small to pull himself out through, even if had the strength to do so. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder, he reached up and pushed his hand through, feeling the wind on his fingertips as they cleared the rubble.

"There's still someone down there! Quick, over here!" the voices sounded like they were coming from a million miles away. "Whoever is down there, step back as far as you can. We'll have you out as fast as we can." The voices were fuzzy, Mako's head hazy as he dropped his hand and stumbled backwards. "Watch out we're coming down." Walls were tilting, body heavy. Rocks grumbling, shifting, sliding. More light, more light. Footsteps skittering down the rock, sergeant they said, who's sergeant? Call a healer, get him into the air. Quick before he falls. Blurry, heavy, dizzy, falling, black.

Korra stood in the hallway of the courthouse, alone. Noriko had accepted her refusal to take Kuvira's bending away. Yet Korra couldn't shake a cloud of gloom hanging over her. "Korra! There you are!" she turned at the familiar voice, seeing Asami wave as she jogged over.

"Hey Asami, you're still here," Korra said, voice weary.

"Yeah, I heard that you'd been called in to speak to the Chief Justice, so I thought I'd wait and surprise you when you were done."

"Oh."

Asami's smile faltered. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing," Korra said quickly, trying to paste a smile onto her face.

Asami raised an eyebrow. "If you insist. Come on, let's go sit outside. The breeze is so nice right now." She took Korra by the hand and gently pulled her towards the door.

They sat on the steps at the side of the courthouse, away from the protestors, who had slowly been allowed to return. A gentle breeze rustled Korra's hair as she stretched her arms out over her head, letting one arm settle across Asami's shoulders. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the fresh air and each other's presence. After some time, Asami spoke up, "What did Noriko want to talk to you about?"

Korra sighed. "She wanted me to take Kuvira's bending away," she saw Asami's eyes widened and continued, "I told her I wouldn't." Asami didn't reply and Korra glanced over, her brow furrowing. "Don't tell me you think I'm making a mistake too!"

"No, I don't think that at all!"

"Be honest, you think it's a mistake. No matter what I do, someone's there to tell me I'm doing the wrong thing." Her voice continued to climb as she went on.

"I don't think that at all," Asami said.

"If it isn't Noriko, it's Raiko. If it isn't Raiko, it's the protestors. If it's not them, it's my parents. Now you too. Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" As she finished shouting, she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms.

Asami gently put a hand on Korra's back. "Hey Korra, this isn't just about the trial, is it?" Korra didn't raise her head but Asami did see it bob up and down slightly. She rubbed Korra's back for a few seconds before Korra lifted her head, and she could see that Korra's eyes had welled up slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's just been tough lately. I felt like things were going to get better when we defeated Kuvira but now it feels like things are just as bad as they've ever been."

"So, in other words, like when you beat Amon, or Unalaq, or Zaheer?" Korra responded with the face of a sad polar puppy. "Sorry, I shouldn't make fun of you like that. But just think, you've saved us from so many people and bad things have still happened afterwards."

"Toph said the same thing," Korra said, grumpily.

"But that doesn't mean you made the wrong decision, just think of how bad things would be if you'd just given up and let Amon get what he wanted, or your uncle, or Zaheer, or Kuvira."

Korra leaned back, uncrossing her arms, and letting her legs stretch out. "You're probably right."

Asami smiled. "I know you know it's right and I get that it's difficult to remind yourself of that when everyone's busy second-guessing your decisions. But just remember, it wasn't Raiko who saved the city from Kuvira." As she paused, her smile turned into a cheeky grin, "Even if he'd like everyone to think it was."

The edges of Korra's mouth turned upwards. "He does have a lot to say for himself, doesn't he?"

"He certainly does," Asami said, smiling back. They paused for a moment, sharing the private joke until Korra glanced over her shoulder. "I know you still have things to do. Go do what you have to do, I'll be at the workshop all night tonight."

Korra let out a breath of relief and gave Asami a quick kiss. "You're the best. I'll come as soon as I can." As she stood up and dashed back into the courthouse, she nearly missed Asami's sigh behind her. Yet when she turned to say something, to stay a moment longer, Asami had already gotten up and started walking away.

The guards seemed even grumpier than the last time he came to see Kuvira. He had his belongings thoroughly searched, the older guard seeming to enjoy pushing him around while do so, before motioning for him go through the door with a jerk of his head.

Inside, Kuvira sat, straight-backed and expressionless as ever. "You didn't need to do that at the trial Baatar."

He didn't reply right away, silently pulling out the chair opposite his once fiancée and sitting down. "You may think I didn't, but I did. After all that's happened with us, with my family, I did."

"I see." She looked down at the table. "I suppose I should thank you."

"You don't need to," Baatar said. Kuvira gave no response. "I went to speak with my mother last night," he started.

"Well that's very nice for you," Kuvira's voice was neutral, but as she glanced up Baatar could see the tension hardening the edges of her face.

Baatar grimaced. "I went to talk about the possibility of an amnesty of some sort for the Earth Empire army."

"I'm sure Suyin will be able to help some of the soldiers. Better that they avoid prison if possible."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, Baatar lacing and unlacing his fingers under the table. Kuvira wouldn't meet his eyes. He sighed and looked down at the table. "We're going to have to talk about it eventually Kuvira."

Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with anger. "What do you want me to say? That I regret firing the laser on you? It hurt, pulling the trigger to fire, but I did what I had to do for the Earth Empire. It was my choice and I would not take it back. That's what it meant to be in my place. That's what it meant to marry the Great Uniter. You were never going to have your nice quiet life and you were a fool if you thought that's what our lives would ever be!" She slammed her hands down on the table and rose to her feet.

Surprising even himself, Baatar rose to his feet and shouted back. "Can you even hear yourself? It's all Earth Empire this, Great Uniter that. It's like you barely even exist. Is there an ounce of Kuvira left in you or are you just going to keep hiding behind all these titles?"

Kuvira's eyes widened. "How dare you say I'm hiding! I'm the one taking responsibility for everything the Earth Empire did while you go hide behind your mother's skirts."

"To hell with the Earth Empire! You keep talking about your duty and your responsibilities, but you have buried yourself so deep in your duty that you don't have to take any responsibility for Kuvira's decisions. We had a life together, Kuvira and I. Are you still there or is it just the Great Uniter?" His voice took on a cruel edge as he nearly spat out the last two words.

"I made my choices," Kuvira said, and both could hear a tremble that had come into her words, "I had to do my duty to my people, so they would never be alone again. How could you ever understand?"

"I've tried to understand, but you haven't tried at all!" They glared at each other and suddenly, all the energy flew from Baatar's body and he slumped back down into the chair. "I've tried and tried." His body felt heavy and he could barely lift his eyes to meet Kuvira's gaze.

"Baatar." Kuvira's voice had grown quiet.

"It doesn't matter," he said, and reached into his pocket. His hand came back out, fist closed around something. He placed his fist on the table, palm facing down, fingers still closed around whatever he was holding. His fingers slowly uncurled, but his palm still covered the small object. "Just think about this, maybe it still means something to you." His hand slipped away, revealing a wooden ring. It was hastily and poorly carved, but it was clearly meant to look like an Earth Kingdom engagement ring. Without another word, he stood, turned, and walked out the door.

Kuvira pulled out her chair and lowered herself into the seat, one hand on the back and one hand on the table for support. She reached out, fingers gently touching the edge of the ring. As her fingers closed around the ring and drew it back towards her, her eyes drifted to the door, where Baatar had left the room and left her. Her hand opened and she looked more closely at the ring. It was indeed an Earth Kingdom engagement ring and if she really squinted, it vaguely looked like her engagement ring, the one Baatar had given her, his own intricate design of interlocking rings. Unlike the original, made of metal meteorite, this one did not have a trace of metal or rock. Also unlike the original, the sloppy carving suggested that Baatar had not only designed this one, but made it himself by hand.

Her mouth curved into a frown. She reached up with her free hand to brush away a tear pooling at her eye. She held the ring in her fingertips and slowly turned it over and over, thinking back to the day she reached the original. Even if she rarely wore it in public, she had kept it close through her whole campaign. She found herself idly wondering whether anyone had gone through the personal belongings she had left behind and found it.

There was a sudden sound at the door and she hurriedly tucked the ring into her pocket, smoothing her face to its usual steel. Korra walked through the door with a serious look on her face. "To what do I owe the pleasure Avatar?"

"Noriko asked if I would take your bending away," Korra said, pulling the chair out further from where Baatar had left it, but stayed standing behind it.

"What?" Kuvira's voice dropped into a hiss and her eyes narrowed at Korra. "Did you just come here to gloat Avatar?"

"No!" Korra's voice betrayed a moment of surprise, yet her face remained grim, "I came to tell you that I refused to take your bending away. I thought you should know that they wanted me to do it though."

Kuvira took a breath and forced each muscle to relax, pushing the strain out through her neck, out her shoulders, down her arms, to the tips of her fingernails. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her bending to feel for earth and metal around her. Without looking, she knew that Korra had brought a lump of meteorite with her once again, she felt the metal beyond this holding cell, and the earth in the foundations further away. In an instant, she could pull something to her, earth, metal, whatever she could use as a weapon. She let her breath go and the feeling slipped away. She opened her eyes. "Good, I am grateful you saved my life before Avatar, but if you ever came to take my bending away, I'd make you to kill me first."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Korra nodded, "I understand."

"Is that all you came to tell me?" Kuvira could feel the tension leaving her body even if she wasn't yet comfortable.

"Well, I guess so," Korra said. She pulled out the meteorite and set it on the table. "I brought you some metal again."

Kuvira reached out and felt the metal jump to her hand, writhing around her arm like a weasel snake. "Again, I should thank you Avatar."

They sat in silence for a moment, both watching the metal curl around Kuvira's arm, up and across her shoulders and down the other side. Korra hesitantly broke the silence, keeping her eyes on the flowing metal. "Kuvira, have you ever made a mistake in a relationship and didn't know how to fix it?"

She received a short, bitter laugh in return. "Avatar, I think I've made little else but mistakes in my relationships, so why ask me?"

"I know Baatar still comes to talk to you, and I saw what he did in court today."

"You give me too much credit Avatar. It has mostly been Baatar making amends for my mistakes." She met Korra's gaze, "I fear I have been little other than the source of trouble." Korra dropped her eyes. Kuvira kept going, surprised to find her own voice gentle, "but you're not me. Your relationships can go differently than mine. Spirits know they can't go worse," she added wryly. She held up the metal, now moulded into a perfect, smooth sphere, "You're a kind person Avatar Korra. After all the trouble I've caused you, you treat me almost like a friend. Anybody would understand if you wanted me locked away, never to be seen again, but you've brought me metal to bend and refused to take my bending away, even though that undoubtedly makes my sentence much harder to construct."

"You almost sound like Asami," Korra said with a soft chuckle. "She keeps telling me I'm doing the right thing, but–"

"Then you should listen to her," Kuvira cut in. "To give some credit to my enemies, Miss Asami Sato seems to be rather clever."

"I know that!" Korra said indignantly, then looked down, "The problem is that I feel like I'm hurting her by making her deal with all my problems in addition to all her own."

Kuvira shrugged. "I suspect she knew that dating the Avatar would involve some trouble." She paused and crossed her arms, looking off to the side. "If you're really concerned that you've hurt her," she said, "then you should show her you care." Korra didn't respond immediately, but Kuvira could see that she was lost in thought, so she prodded a little more, "Tell me Avatar, have you had a relationship go awry?" Still no response. Kuvira shrugged. "You can't avoid hurting people sometimes, but you'll have to choose to deal with it however you deal with problems or walk away, there really aren't any other options."

"I don't know," Korra said, "but thanks."

"Anytime," Kuvira said, her familiar mocking tone creeping back into her voice. She spread her arms wide, "as you can see, I have a busy schedule, but I can always fit in time for therapy with my favourite Avatar." Korra opened her mouth to respond and Kuvira quickly added, "Although I suppose you are the only Avatar I know, so there's not much competition. From the stories I've heard, Avatar Aang was never as much of a worrywart as you seem to be."

"Hey!"

"Here," Kuvira said, floating the metal over to Korra and letting it settle into a mound on the table in front of her, "you should be going. You have better places to be than keeping me company."

She took the metal offered and bent it into a bracelet around her arm. Still somewhat occupied by her thoughts, she nodded and got up, leaving Kuvira alone in the cell.

Once Korra had left and she heard the wooden bar sealing the room clonk shut, she pulled the wooden ring back out of her pocket. She held it up to her eyes, elbows resting on the table, turning it over and over. "Show her you care. Just listen to me go on like some village fortune teller, can't say I've ever been any good at that," she mumbled, "Baatar, why can't you just hate me? It'd be so much easier for you that way."

Still the ring turned over, and over, and over again.