Hey y'all! I'm typing this with a sickkk Great Uniter manicure. Check out my Tumblr to see it if you haven't already! If there are typos, forgive me- I typed this all in one shot when I was very tired. Now: first, all my guest reviewers get some love, especially that one person who leaves the super long and thoughtful reviews but DOESN'T PICK A SCREEN NAME (pls pick a screenname, friend). Second, since a few people have asked, the chapter titles are indeed song lyrics. I listed which are which in a review, and I'll list the song and artist at the end of each chapter from here on out. Third (say it with me), onward!


The physical world was a dramatic change of scene after a month spent on vacation, but Korra was excited to be back. "Wow," she said to Asami, steadying her as they picked their way through the dense growth of vines. "This place sounds like a construction site."

"That's because it is," Asami said with a rueful grin. "I partnered up with Varrick to rebuild and expand downtown, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Korra mused. "Which is why you went on vacation for a month as soon as you started rebuilding?"

"Something like that."

The two girls walked on in companionable silence, surveying the progress that had been made during their absence. "What was it like working with Baatar Junior?" Korra asked hesitantly. "I can imagine it'd be really difficult, with your dad and all..."

"It was, at first," Asami said. "I think he felt even worse about the whole thing than I did, though. It's not like I was working with Kuvira, you know?" Her tone was light, but it was obvious to Korra that she was downplaying things.

"Is he at least doing his job properly?" Korra asked, angling for a change of subject. "After making that giant mecha-suit, if he's doing anything even the tiniest bit suspicious, I'm going to kick-"

"Relax, Korra," Asami said, brightening. "He's actually done really well, all things considered. I think he would've been great to work with, before their whole military campaign."

"Well that's great," Korra said. She paused, noticing the new roadways in progress, and ran ahead to investigate. "Asami! Look at this."

Asami followed more carefully, picking her way through the vines, stopping as she reached Korra and tipping her head back. "Whoa."

The tour route was no longer cut off by an impenetrable wall of knotted vines. Strategic cuts and steel cables had shaped them into a lattice, with a sloping roof of vines stretching indefinitely down the original trail. A generator was artfully ensconced among the vines, with an intricate network of fine wires connecting it to the vines held safe inside a glass tube. A lever was in the down position. Korra jogged over to it as soon as she noticed. "Hey, what if we just-"

"Korra, don't touch that!" Asami shouted, but Korra's hands were already on the lever, and as she flipped it up she stepped back, shrugging.

"Nothing happened."

"That could've been explosive!" Asami reproached her.

"Or it's a switch. Look," Korra said, gesturing to the canopy of vines above them.

Lights had been screwed into little metal fixtures drilled into the vines, invisible in the dark of the overhang. Now, with the generator running, a cool purple light filled the orbs, and the girls stared in amazement at the canopy of little lights overhead. The slope of the vines was uneven, by turns a high and low ceiling, and the bulbs were arranged in a fractal pattern, ending with a configuration similar to a chandelier at the center. A larger glass sphere hung suspended by a metal cable, with a circle of tiny bulbs around it and other bulbs wiring out from the power source. As they ventured deeper into the vine cave, the only source of light came from the little beacons, luminous with an ethereal and haunting purple light that evoked the sense of an otherworldly realm.

"Amazing," Asami said. "It's like they've brought a little piece of the spirit world into the heart of Republic City."

"You didn't ask Baatar Junior to do this?" Korra said, looking at her in surprise.

"No," Asami admitted. "He'd mentioned the idea, and I told him to work with it while I was away.. I was expecting a blueprint on my desk, not a new tourist attraction."

"Wow." They wandered through the rest of the construction site, taking in the view of newly paved roads petering out to rubble and tall metal skeletons where buildings once stood. "What's that?" Korra asked, pointing to a large site of broken ground.

"That's where the new city hall will go," Asami said. "He's responsible for the blueprint, and we're supplying the manpower. Varrick is working more with the technological sector, and with re-establishing the train lines." Asami smiled. "It's starting to look like home, again."

Korra frowned. "You assigned him to design the city hall?"

"Yes, why?" Asami raised her eyebrows. "Do you think he'll try to mess it up?"

"No," Korra said slowly, "but isn't that also where the tribunal will be held? The one for his trial?"

"Oh." Asami frowned, embarrassment flitting over her face as she wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah, that does seem insensitive, now that you've pointed it out... maybe I'll reassign him to something else."

"I mean I'm sure it's fine," Korra said hurriedly. "If he didn't say anything about it he probably doesn't care."

"He doesn't talk, though," Asami said, newly preoccupied. "Or at least he didn't before I left, things might have changed by now. He would check in, get straight to work, and check out, usually an hour or two late. I didn't try to chat at first, but I felt bad after a while and would try to say hello, and he was always quick to get out and back to work." She grimaced. "He's not doing so hot, in other words."

"When I visited Kuvira before we left, she wasn't doing too well either," Korra admitted. "I almost couldn't believe it was the same person who had kicked my butt back in Zaofu... she looked completely miserable."

"Well, she did a lot of bad things," Asami pointed out, her tone harsh, "and she ended up paying for them. That's enough to make someone like her miserable, and that by itself is generous, if you ask me."

Korra crossed her arms, beginning to pace. "I don't think she was miserable about getting caught. Remember, she turned herself in."

"Why does it matter? It's over now," Asami said. "I'd rather not talk about Kuvira... besides, we both ought to go home and shower after the trip."

"It's not over," Korra said thoughtfully. "It's really not over til the trial. But yeah, I'll see you later- I promised Tenzin that I'd call him as soon as we got back, and my parents are probably at Air Temple Island right now to visit."

"Come with me to the office," Asami suggested. "You can use the phone."

They reached the office in the Future Industries tower with little incident, though Asami let out a little wail when she saw the stack of unread mail waiting for her on the desk. "Looks like someone has a lot of catching up to do," Korra laughed, hand over the mouthpiece while the line rang. "I don't envy your life right now- Oh! Hello? Tenzin?"

"Korra? You're back. We've all missed you so much." Tenzin's voice was cloaked by a bit of static, but she could easily tell that he was happy to hear of her return. "Did you have a good trip?"

"It was amazing!" she said excitedly. "We visited the tree of time, and had tea with General Iroh's namesake, the dragon of the west, and then-"

"Tell me all about it once you're home tonight," Tenzin said. "Your parents will want to hear about it, too."

"You mean they're already there?" Korra said happily. "Great! I'll be home soon, Tenzin. Are the kids there?"

"Yes, everyone's waiting for your return." There was an awkward pause on the line, and Korra watched Asami sort through her mail. "Korra, I have a bit of interesting news for you as well," Tenzin added awkwardly. "Baatar Junior's lawyer called me last week, and he requested an audience with you."

"Already?" Korra frowned. "I've never given a statement for a trial before.."

"You're just a witness in this case," Tenzin said reassuringly. "It's perfectly simple, and all you'll have to do is answer his questions honestly. It shouldn't be too complicated, but your father and I will be there just in case he tries to pull anything. I asked Lin what she knows about the lawyer, and she didn't seem too pleased when she talked about him."

"Okay," Korra said. "I guess we can set up an interview date whenever... I have another two months in the republic before I'm slated to fly out and deal with the Earth Kingdom situation anyway." She sighed. "Wu's rule hasn't been nearly as smooth as Raiko envisioned, huh?"

"I'm afraid not," Tenzin said. "There are still plenty of Earth Empire loyalists. Wu isn't even in the capital right now, since Ba Sing Se still claims to be loyal to Kuvira. Omashu is the effective capital of the nation, and Raiko's hand-picked ministers aren't helping Wu's push for a democratic republic..." His voice sounded tense, and Korra scowled at the mention of Raiko.

"I'm sick of his political games," she said. "Now that Kuvira's power grab is over, he really needs to learn when to back off."

"Korra? Is something wrong?" Asami had left her desk and was standing behind her, looking a bit concerned. "You're crushing the phone-"

"Not now, Asami," Korra muttered, waving her away. "We'll talk about it later, I guess," she told Tenzin. "I'll be over soon, and don't worry- the avatar is back," she said, smiling as she returned the receiver to the hook.

o0o

Baatar lay facedown on the bed, fully dressed and his glasses on the floor from having just missed the nightstand, his arms out at his sides. Working himself to physical and mental exhaustion had always been his coping mechanism when upset, having no other means of powering down his brain. His blueprints for the city hall were completed, and construction was due to start two months ahead of schedule. His private project of wiring the vines of the tour route into a miniature starlit spirit grove was nearly complete, with laying a tiled floor as the final touch. The more mind-numbing work of reconstructing daily buildings, overseeing the engineers tasked with the new roads, and rebuilding the train tracks couldn't fall by the wayside as he threw himself into the more creative endeavors, either. Meetings with Lin grew sparse, though he still stopped by to say hello as often as he could, and Keisai's work kept him occupied during the evenings as well. Sometimes he'd take Opal out to dinner on the odd weekend, and Lin would join them on occasion. They were strange little family dinners, but Opal said they seemed to make him a bit more like his old self, and so he allowed them to continue.

He fell into bed each night too exhausted to lie awake, wasting thoughts on the trial and on her. Ever since his third visit, he had not been able to shake her image from his mind. Baatar remembered the way her voice had cracked when he'd yelled at her, and how her thumb had gone to her ring as a comfort from the dead wood that surrounded her. He could still feel her desperate fingers on his arm, clinging to his sleeve when he had tried to leave without a promise of another visit. When he couldn't see her face, it wasn't too unbelievable that she had fired solely for the good of the empire. Now, seeing her only filled him with doubt. He had once been so sure of his ability to read her, flattering himself that he knew her better than anyone else in the world, but now? Now he stayed away. He told Keisai it was because he was still finding it hard to forgive. In reality, it was easier to forgive her when he didn't have to face her. A mixture of hurt, anger, and love despite it all choked his words when he thought of her, much less stood in her presence, and avoiding it all was simply easier.

Empty mugs and teacups stained with rings of coffee and tea littered his desk, shredded and crumpled papers overflowed from the trash can, and the usually immaculate apartment was starting to fall prey to the clutter and mess that accompanies a lack of time and sleep. Keisai had noted the gradual difference, drily warning Baatar that he wouldn't explain a sudden death to Kuvira or Lin. Baatar had told him to go to hell.

"Baatar? Open this door," accompanied by an obnoxious banging on the knocker jolted him from his attempts to sleep, and Baatar growled into the pillow as he heaved himself up and sat in a daze, already half in a dream about dim lights against the purple sky at dusk in Zaofu, with Kuvira dancing for him in a private performance for the first time under the tiled pavilion.

"Go away," he snapped, loud enough for Keisai to hear, and massaged his temple. "I'm not in the mood."

"It's super important, man," the lawyer called indignantly, ceasing the din and saying something impossible to hear clearly to somebody else.

"I don't care," he said, falling backwards onto the mattress. "I deserve a nap."

"If you don't let me in, I'll be forced to let myself in, Baatar," Keisai said in a warning tone. "Are you okay with that?"

"Fine," Baatar retorted. "If you melt the locks or blast the door in, the fees for the damages are coming out of your paycheck." He closed his eyes in satisfaction, knowing the man wouldn't resort to such rash measures, only to open them with surprise when he heard the locks click and the sound of feet marching into the room. He blinked in disbelief as he saw Keisai and Lin bent over him. Keisai looked amused. Lin looked a bit concerned, but mostly annoyed. "Since when did you both get along?"

"Since our interests aligned," Keisai said evenly, offering his hand. Baatar grasped it in his own, and allowed the lawyer to pull him to a sitting position. "Listen, I know you're exhausted. I'll make it up to you, though-"

"How? By giving me a few hours of your sleep?" Baatar stood, walking to the bathroom vanity and leaning his weight against it before he splashed water on his face.

Lin hovered in the doorway, her expression displeased and worried, and she heaved a sigh. "Listen kid, I know you're trying to keep yourself busy, but drowning yourself in work doesn't make the thoughts go away. Believe me, I've tried."

Baatar combed his hair into place, mirroring her pose. "I'm listening."

"Staying busy won't get Kuvira out of your mind," Lin said. "Sure, you won't think about her as much as you would if you were sitting on your butt all day, but she'll be on the back burner indefinitely. You'll think you're over her, and then you'll see her again for some legal visit-" Baatar noticed the subtle scorn in her voice at the word- "and you'll feel like you're back to square one again. It's unfair, the whole damn thing, and killing yourself with work isn't the best remedy."

"When does it improve?" he asked at last. Keisai shook his head slowly, crossing the room and patting his shoulder bracingly.

"When you allow it to," Lin said, her voice gentle. "When you decide to move on, it all gets easier from there."

Baatar fixed his gaze on the window. Even from his apartment, he could see the beam of light from the new spirit portal against the darkened background of the late evening sky. "And if I decide to not move on?"

Lin clapped him on the shoulder. "There's plenty of time. Don't hurry into a decision."

He looked at her gratefully, and for a moment, with her face relaxed and open and her eyebrows upturned in concern, he saw Su. "Thank you, Aunt Lin."

"Yeah, I'm not going to give you a hug or anything," she said evenly, withdrawing her hand. "Now, are you going to tell him what you dragged me here for?" she asked Keisai.

"I got us an interview with the avatar," Keisai said triumphantly. "If you aren't feeling up to it, you can sit it out, but it's going to be great. Chief Beifong will be there for moral support if you decide to go," he wheedled, nudging Baatar.

"Fine," Baatar said. "How will you make it up to me?"

Keisai smiled, the mischief in his eyes borderline frightening. "Oh, you'll see."

The airbending master Tenzin was more than hospitable, greeting Baatar and Keisai politely, though not nearly as warmly as he greeted Lin. Korra was quick to say hello, looking curiously at the both of them after introductions were made. Dinner proceeded without incident, though the older son punctuated the meal with farts that Baatar strongly suspected were deliberate. "Tenzin, your home is exquisite," Kaisai said, glancing around once they were seated at the table. "I had the pleasure of meeting your father when I was very young, did you know?"

"I didn't," Tenzin said, surprised. "How did you manage that?"

"I'm good friends with General Iroh, from the United Forces," Keisai said easily. "He and I have known each other since childhood, really. I must have been the same age as little Rohan here," he said, smiling at the boy.

Korra exchanged looks with her teacher. "How did you meet Aang?"

"I was at tea with Iroh and our parents," he said. "Lord Zuko came through, and next thing I knew I had met the avatar. I hardly expected it to happen again in my lifetime, and now here I am sitting across from you, Avatar Korra." He inclined his head, raising his glass to her. "It truly is an honor."

Korra smiled. "Well, thanks. I guess we'd better cut to the chase for this meeting," she said. "Do we need to go to a separate room, or...?"

"Right this way," Tenzin said, leading them to his study and shutting the door. "If I need to sign a nondisclosure agreement then I will, but I'm not going anywhere while you question Korra."

Keisai raised his hands. "Fine by me. This will be quick and painless, Korra."

"It'd better be," she said, crossing her arms. "So, what do you need to know?"

Keisai glanced around, looking to Tenzin for approval before he took a seat. "Just about everything you've seen pertaining to Baatar."

Baatar raised his eyebrows, glancing at the lawyer. "This will be a short interview, then."

Korra nodded, watching as the lawyer started up the dictaphone. "Well... yeah, what he said. The first I saw of him on the day of the invasion was when Tenzin, Bumi, and myself took him as a prisoner. "

Keisai leaned in, his eyes bright, and Baatar knew the what the next question would be before it was asked. "Yeah, let's discuss that. Stealth team of airbenders?"

"More or less," Korra said. "I got us in, and we regrouped in the Future Industries warehouse."

"Any restraints?" Keisai prodded. "This guy can pack a punch when you make jokes about his lady, so I'm guessing somebody had to hold him back." He nudged Baatar with his knee. "I still have a bruise, man, thanks. Looked like I was in a bar fight for a while.

Korra laughed, at ease. "Yeah, we tied him in his seat. I believe you, his attitude changed completely when we mentioned Kuvira."

"How so?" Keisai's eyes flitted over to Tenzin, standing behind Korra in the shadows with his arms folded over his chest. "By the way, Baatar tells me you can really lift, Avatar Korra."

"Did he? I'm touched," she teased, expression smarmy. "We didn't harm him. To get him to tell us how to disable the colossus, we threatened to take him as a prisoner of the resistance. It worked, and he sang like a bird-"

"Lies," Baatar said, crossing his arms. "I asked Kuvira to call off the annexation of the United Republic."

"Right," Korra said, snapping her fingers in his direction. "Sorry. But it didn't work, and Kuvira fired after his call, and after that.." Korra shrugged. "Well, there isn't much to tell. He told us how to disable the power supply of the colossus, so that was helpful."

Keisai nodded. "And that's all?"

Korra paused, thinking. "I don't think I left anything out. Don't you have a question about-"

"No angry growling?" Keisai teased, nudging Baatar again and winking at Korra, earning a laugh from her and a scowl from Tenzin.

"Well, maybe some," she admitted, "but I don't think that's very important to the case, right?"

"You never know," Keisai replied. "Baatar, why don't you and Korra give Tenzin and myself the room... I need him to sign a nondisclosure agreement."

Baatar and Korra returned to the main area, where Lin was waiting. "That took less time than I'd expected, considering how much that lawyer runs his mouth," she said. "Good to see you again, kid."

"Good to see you too, Lin," Korra said. She turned to Baatar. "Listen, I know this is probably really difficult for you, but I mean it when I say I hope you get a fair trial. You were way off base with that... that spirit weapon-"

"I'm more than aware," he said softly.

"-but you and Kuvira did a lot of good, too. I'm not sure that I could have stabilized the country the way you both did in that time," Korra admitted. "I promise you, I won't let all the good you've done slip away if I can help it. I'm sorry the responsibility fell to the both of you."

Baatar felt pleasantly surprised, exchanging looks with Lin. "That... means a great deal to me. Thank you, Avatar."

"Call me Korra," she said. "We're basically on a first-name basis now, anway."

"I do need to thank you for something else," Baatar said, glancing at the door to Tenzin's study as Keisai led the way out, his calculating smile back in place as he waved. "Thank you for saving her life."

Korra appeared taken aback, but she nodded. "It was no trouble."

"Baatar, thanks for being a good sport," the lawyer said, pulling on his coat. "Still tired? If you are, we can push our bar crawl to some other night. My treat." He took Korra's hand in his, mischief still in his eyes, raising it to his lips. "Avatar Korra, it has been a true pleasure. Perhaps I'll see you again." Korra laughed, giving her assent.

"Some other time," Baatar said, unamused. "For now, I'm going to bed. No disturbances."

o0o

Kuvira had been stretching, readying herself for her first bit of dance practice in months when the guard announced her visitor.

"Kuvira?"

She paused, her face heating as she turned around. "It's you." She sat in the chair opposite Baatar, bringing her feet up to the seat and holding her knees to her chest. "How was the interview with Korra? Keisai didn't say much to me... apparently he's meeting with her again to discuss my case next week."

"I think it's his strategy to only tell us what's necessary," Baatar replied. "He was telling me about a massive tax evasion scheme by various Fire Nation generals he worked on. 'Every person knew their part, and each part was incomplete,'" he said, mimicking the lawyer's animated way of speaking. "'I'm the mastermind, so naturally I'm the only one allowed to know how it all fits together. Even your expression can betray you in the courtroom!' Something like that," he said with a shrug. Kuvira actually laughed aloud, and he found himself returning her smile even though it saddened him. He couldn't recall the last time she had laughed, really laughed, not even before her incarceration. "When did you meet him?"

"Yesterday," Kuvira said. "I told him about the guards, and he's informed the warden. Don't do that again," she added, the laughter still in her voice. "Impressions never were your strong suit."

"All right," Baatar said, casting around for another topic. "When did you start dancing again?"

Kuvira made a face. "Pick a different question. I haven't started again, yet. I haven't really been able to."

"Korra said something that might raise your spirits," he said, snapping his fingers as he remembered. "She's going to be in Omashu in a couple of months, working with Wu and his cabinet to ease the transition of power in the nation. She's promised to uphold the stability we brought to the empire to the best of her ability."

"That's good to hear," she said. "Did she see the progress you made on the tour route, when she returned from the spirit world?"

"She did," Baatar said, frowning. "I wish I could show you more than a sketch... the lights are installed, and all that's left is the floor. I'm basing the design off the pavilion in Zaofu.."

"The metal one?"

"No, the tile." Their conversation awkwardly trailed off as it seemed wont to do of late, but Kuvira had resigned herself to it by now and settled for reading a paper in silence (pointedly ignoring the gossip columns), content to be alone in a room with him again. There was something comforting about sitting opposite Baatar at the table, her with the news and him with a square of engineering paper, sketching to fill the time. If not for their location and the palpable tension in the room, they could have been in their train car or tent, on the road or in camp during the reunification process. "Oh, and Korra said you can expect a visit before her departure," he added after some time, breaking the silence.

She grimaced; the thought or mention of Korra's kindness was enough to stir her feelings of guilt. "Avatar Korra has done more than enough," she said, drumming her fingers on the table. "She will always have my gratitude."

"She'll always have mine as well," Baatar said, patting her shoulder as he stood to leave.

Kuvira looked from his hand, still lingering at her arm, up to his face. "Naturally. She saved your life, too."

"Not for that reason," he said. After the door closed behind him, Kuvira rolled the ring between her fingers a moment longer before she flowed through the warm-up postures, able to dance for the first time in months.


A/N: Okay couple of things. 1. For my sisters reading this, don't give me flack about the cheese in the ending, you know it gave you feels. DON'T FIGHT THE FEELS! 2. A lot of reviewers have been giving Baatar shit about the last chapter. I love and appreciate you guys, but seriously? Homeboy had his ass nuked by his EX-FIANCE (idc if he still refers to her in present tense. They aren't wedding planning for a reason). If I were in his shoes, I'd probably be a lot harsher before the reconciliation phase. I know we all want them to jump each others' bones, but jeez, let's keep it realistic, shall we? I think she got off pretty easy, especially with this chapter. Bae is lucky Junior is so head over heels. Oh, and today's song is "A Drop in the Ocean" by Ron Pope, but I prefer the Javier Colon version.

Lemme hear your theories! And I'm curious to see what y'all thought of Keisai's interview with Korra... ;)

Love you all!