Thank you to the guests reviewers- wish I could thank you personally! S/o to the one that caught a typo in this chapter, thanks! Also if you haven't seen my drawing of Meilin, it's on the blog under "Art Stuff." Onward!
"Do we need to run through it again?" Keisai asked tiredly, throwing his pen onto the coffee table, "or are we good? "
"We're good," Baatar said, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. With the trial almost upon them, the lawyer had been working overtime as he put together his statements and planned out the order he would call the witnesses. His days apparently consisted of holing himself up in his office and building his case for hours at a time, and he seemed to emerge only to visit Kuvira or drill Baatar. After yet another session, Keisai finally had dubbed him 'passable,' and it was out of concern for the man that Baatar changed the subject in hopes of getting him to relax. His good humor had started to waver, and the stress was bringing out the Keisai's short temper that usually was under wraps. He snapped at the slightest provocation, became irate when Baatar or Lin proved unable to follow his flurries of thought, and then demanded silence in the room as he let his plans mature in the confines of his conniving brain. "So the prosecution is led by the attorney general?"
"Yes," Keisai said irritably. "But I've got a bad feeling about the incredibly hot woman who's assisting. Her name is Meilin Dai, and I have reason to believe she's going to handle the cross questioning-"
"I'm sorry, what?" Baatar said, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, she's really hot," Keisai said, tapping the pen against the table. "She probably hates her job, I bet she gets a lot of unwanted attention-"
"From you? I was talking about the cross questioning," Baatar said flatly. "But I'm glad to see you're checking out the prosecution. So long as you don't get written up for inappropriate conduct..."
"Hurtful," Keisai said petulantly. "You have no room to talk, since you apparently made a habit of creepily watching Kuvira practice since you both were kids."
Baatar nodded. "I deserved that. Back to the case- she's handling the cross examination on the stand? I recall my mother seemed to like her when she gave her deposition a while back, which worries me immensely."
Keisai looked perturbed, and Baatar suddenly felt ill at ease. It was the first time he'd seen the lawyer express any insecurity, and he realized for the first time how much Keisai's carefree vivacity had kept him calm despite the difficult nature of his case. "If Su liked her, then I need to talk to Kuvira right away. The date for getting evidence in is past, so I'm limited to what I've already got."
"What do you think my mother would have told her?" Baatar frowned. "There's not much to say beyond the testimony you received from her."
"I can think of a few good possibilities," Keisai said, massaging his temples. "Don't worry about it man, I'll deal with it. When do they dock?"
"In a half hour," Baatar said. "Would you like to come with me to pick them up? Opal's helping the evacuated families move into the new expansion downtown with the other airbenders, and Lin is busy..."
"Sure," Keisai said, putting the papers in order and returning them to his briefcase. "Sure... Damn it, I should have tracked down the sixteenth regiment, I could've gotten a statement!"
Baatar pulled the lawyer to his feet, leading him to the door. "You need to get out of the house."
"/You/ are the last person in the world that should be telling me that," Keisai said, releasing himself. "How long do you think this will take?"
"However long you want a break to last," Baatar said. "And naturally you're invited to dinner with everyone. I procured a bottle of fireball for you…"
The lawyer smiled, clasping his hand. "Fine, man. I can't say no, not when you've made such strides in your efforts to overcome your innate sense of dic-"
"Don't say it," Baatar warned.
Keisai grinned. "Let's go."
o0o
His family received them warmly, the twins fairly tackling him and Huan cracking a smile. There was little to say to his father, since they spoke frequently over the phone, but resulting silence was amicable. Su was cold to him but polite, and she laughed at Keisai's decidedly unprofessional commentary. The lawyer drove them to the hotel, and the twins peppered him with questions about his brush with the loyalists that resulted in his injury.
"Guys, for the last time, it wasn't a raid," Keisai said. "This shouldn't be that cool to you, you busted out of prison and helped take down your brother's mega-maid."
"That's not too unusual for a Beifong family fight," Wei said. "When Aunt Lin visited for the first time, she and Mom straight up dueled."
"Kuvira was practically family, anyway," Wing added. "This is the real stuff."
"Fair enough."
The twins were eager to see Opal, and after haphazardly unpacking they left to visit her and the other airbenders, promising to be back with her in time for dinner. Huan caught up with Baatar while their parents left to go meet Lin in the vestibule, later departing to go sketch out an idea while "the inspiration lay fresh and unsullied" in his mind.
"Junior," Baatar Sr. said upon their return, "I think you and your mother need to talk right now. Lin made arrangements for lunch, and I want to enjoy my food in peace."
"I can leave," Keisai said, packing up his papers and standing. "This is clearly a family matter-"
Baatar held up a hand. "It's all right, I'd actually like you to stay for a minute."
Keisai patted him on the back bracingly. "Make this one heartfelt, man." He leaned against the wall with Lin, his arms crossed.
"Mom," Baatar began, "You and Dad raised me better than this, and I'm sorry for letting you down. It was wrong for us to go behind your back, and it was wrong to take the security force and convince the wealthier citizens to join us. You deserved better." He looked at his father. "I wanted a chance to make a difference, away from Zaofu," he said. "I wanted to be someone more than 'Baatar's son.' And Kuvira gave me that chance," he said, his tone becoming gentle as he reminisced. "You can blame her for a lot of things- forty-nine different offenses, if you really want to count- but she offered me something no one else ever did." He looked at Su entreatingly. "I'm sorry for standing by when she humiliated you in front of Zaofu. I'm sorry for behaving like.."
"A piece of shit," Keisai said encouragingly. "We've been through this before, but keep going, you're not doing too badly."
"Thank you, Keisai," Baatar said flatly. "My behavior with you has been disgraceful for the past four years, and I don't have an excuse for it. I know you want me to say that Kuvira brainwashed me, but she didn't. Everything I did that I'm paying for was of my own accord. You really ought to be angrier with me, because she genuinely wanted to help our people and didn't care about the recognition. My interests were… a bit more selfish than that."
His father put a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate the honesty, Junior." Su was still silent.
"Do you know what I thought, the first time I saw the colossus move?" he said slowly, picturing the look of delight that had transformed Kuvira's face as she locked and aimed the weapon for the first time. "That was something I had created completely on my own. And then to see it being operated like clockwork... to see it in action... she called it a marvel of modern engineering," he said, looking at his mother. "That's something you've never told me, Mom."
"I've always praised you," Su said, upset. "I've always said how talented you are-"
"You've always praised me as an extension of Dad. 'So talented, just like his father. You're going to be an amazing architect sweetie, just like your dad. Baatar designs everything, and Junior engineers the projects,'" he said, the bitterness seeping back into his voice. "None of my proposals or ideas got any recognition, and now half of them are patented. She always encouraged me, and inspired me to develop as an innovator in my own right." Baatar swallowed, his throat thick. "We've done a lot for you to be angry at, but she never told me what to do or how to think. I'm just-" He glanced at Keisai, and cracked a smile- "a shitty son, I suppose."
"As your parent, I reserved the right to tell you what to do until you were an adult," his father pointed out, "but that day has long since passed. I understand where you're coming from."
Baatar nodded. "Thank you. Mom?" He looked at Su anxiously. "I know you're still upset with me for visiting Kuvira, but that has nothing to do with you and me."
"Except it has everything to do with it," Su said steadily. "Junior, she took you away from us-"
"I willingly left," Baatar said flatly. "And I've told you why, but I can see that you don't believe me capable of independent thought, no matter what I say." He grimaced. "Sorry... that was out of line again."
She shook her head. "No, Junior. It isn't that, and I'm sorry if I came off that way. But Kuvira..." Her expression soured. "If she hadn't turned you against us, you wouldn't have done everything you did-"
"I left with her because I wanted to help, get out of Zaofu, and be a scientist in my own right," he said. "Besides, you already knew we were seeing each other at that point, we were just further along than you knew." He paused, thinking. "Why don't you visit her?"
"I'll see her soon enough, at the stand," Su replied. "Why should I visit?"
"Because if she's sentenced to death, do you really want your last words to her to have been 'you're going to answer for everything that you've done'?"
For the first time since the mention of Kuvira, something stirred behind Su's eyes, and Baatar felt cautiously hopeful. His father put an arm around her. "I think Junior is right, dear. Remember, we built Zaofu because you believe in second chances."
"Kuvira came to Zaofu on her second chance," Su said, but her voice was less certain.
"We all know that isn't the same thing," Baatar said angrily. "She was eight years old, Mom-"
"Fine, I'll see her," Su said. "Come here," she added, extending her arm to him and hugging him tightly when he came closer. "I'm just so happy to have you back."
"I'm happy to be back," he said, good-naturedly suffering through the embrace. "I won't ask you to forgive me, just to give me a chance to make everything up to you."
"Well, this is nauseatingly touching," Keisai observed to Lin loudly. "I'm feeling so many emotions right now.. I suppose this means the pressure's on for the trial, eh?" he added, dropping his voice.
Lin clapped the lawyer on the shoulder. "Listen kid, I know this looks daunting, but if you still believe he's got a chance-"
"I do."
"-then you sure as hell can win this thing." Lin turned to face him. "So relax, I didn't arrange that trip home for you to come back a bigger bag of nerves."
Keisai smirked. "Want to help me unwind with an evening out?"
Lin shoved him in disgust. "I say one nice thing to you-"
"Chief, wait." Keisai held up his hands, smiling. "Thank you, that meant a lot to me."
Her eyes softened. "You don't need to thank me, kid. I figure you deserve to hear it more than you do."
o0o
"No need to thank me," Keisai said as he walked into the cell after a meeting with the prosecution, waving a folder in greeting. "Your official indictment has been finalized and released to the media, but I thought I'd let you see it before that."
Kuvira leapt to her feet. "Wonderful. Before you let me look, my guess is fifty different charges with a third skewed to sound like crimes against humanity." She crossed her arms over her chest, nodding at the file in Keisai's hands. "Well?"
"You were close," he said, sitting at the table and motioning for her to join him. "Forty-nine charges, of which seventeen are crimes against humanity, two crimes against peace, twelve illegal counts of pacification operations, the illegal reunification order, thirteen charges of first-degree murder, attempted homicide, two charges of breach of contract –that's odd, why two? and chemical weaponry usage on the battlefield." He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You are so very lucky to have me, and even then we still might be out of luck."
"I know," Kuvira said softly. "Believe me, I don't need to be reminded."
"Except you do," Keisai said as he regarded her with interest. "In fact, I think constant reminders are good for you. The same goes for your guy - you both wouldn't have screwed up nearly as badly as you did if someone had been there to incessantly nag. Next time you attempt any great uniting, give me a call." He smirked. "But only for political uniting, I have no interest in helping with the other kind you engaged in."
Kuvira rolled her eyes at the mention of Baatar. "The case, Keisai. Now, please."
"Yours, or his?" Keisai said, the twinkle back in his eye. "When you take the stand as a defendant, I want you to look as sweet and innocent as possible- I know, it's difficult. When you take the stand for him, I want you to be yourself." He frowned. "Well, a version of yourself that doesn't say 'Earth Empire' with less of a perennially-pissed-off fallback expression."
She smiled. "I'll do my best."
"When loverboy comes to visit, do not breathe a word of what we're about to discuss," Keisai said sharply. "And when you're called to the witness box, I expect you to do exactly as I say, because if you deviate from what I've planned, you jeopardize your own case, even if you help his."
Kuvira sighed. "Can you get on with it?"
The lawyer cracked his knuckles, causing little sparks to leap from his fingertips. "Damn it, I'm on edge. All right, let's get to it..."
Kuvira could always appreciate a fellow perfectionist, but Keisai's recent visits were proving to be exhausting. After each session, she felt in sore need of a mind-numbing activity to ease the whirlwind in her mind that his legal visits induced. If a few hours a day were enough for her to need a proverbial change of scene, she could only imagine the amount of effort the lawyer exerted on a daily basis. Kuvira was immensely impressed with the man's obsessive dedication to both cases, refusing anything short of perfection. "I need this to be immaculate," he had said in frustration more than once. "I can't be hindered by sub-par preparation when I'm already hindered by a load of shit beyond my control."
In many ways, Keisai's fixation on the trial as the court date loomed over them reminded her of Baatar. More than once, she thought of the seemingly permanent lines that marred his brow when devoted to a new project. "I can't do anything else until I finish this, Kuvira," he had said to her on multiple occasions. "The whole thing is complete in my mind... I just need to get it out and make sure the math works." She recalled his countless nights awake while she nodded off beside him, his grid paper and straightedge becoming their bedmates when inspiration struck him. During those periods of inspiration, Kuvira often woke up to see his glasses still on his face and ink stains on the sheets, his pages of calculations and sketches at the foot of the bed or on the floor. She had had her share of long nights, waking up to find that her armor had been removed and her hair undone, but she had always admired his ability to be sustained by the promise of realizing an engineering breakthrough. Sometimes, when Keisai's eyes sparked as he drilled her, she saw the same slavish devotion to the muse, and she missed Baatar all the more.
"You're tolerable," Keisai said bluntly. "I'd give you a pass. Try harder and for the love of all things holy, stop thinking about him. He'll be here soon enough."
Kuvira raised an eyebrow. "Bold accusation. My mind was entirely on the briefing."
"Sure," Keisai said as he stood. "See, if you want to convince the judges, you need to do better than that. Keep playing with the ring though, that's a nice touch." He paused, apparently having forgotten what he had wanted to say next, frowning to himself as he worked a detail out in his head.
She cleared her throat. "Next time?"
"I'll just call," he said, waving her question away. "Oh, I should give you a heads up, your mother-in-law will probably be visiting soon, she got here yesterday. How long was I here?"
"Nearly three hours," Kuvira said. "Suyin is here?"
"Baatar didn't tell you?" Keisai shrugged. "Well, maybe she won't visit today, then. I expected an interruption.. that woman's a firebrand."
"Baatar did tell me she made it onto your exclusive list," she said drily.
Keisai smiled fondly at the mention of his list. "Yeah, she did. Don't worry though, sweetheart- I made it clear to her that testimony damning you is as likely to harm Baatar's chances of acquittal." He paused at the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go calm my nerves by harassing Lin... remember what we talked about."
"Yes, the prosecutor is beautiful," Kuvira said with a sigh. "We get it."
"Not that," Keisai said, "but well played. You know what I'm talking about though, so don't screw this up or I'm sending you an invoice after all this is over." The door opened, and he stopped short of colliding with Suyin. "Well, this is awkward. You Beifongs have impeccable timing, you know that?" He looked back at her, his eyes sympathetic. "Do I need to stay?"
Kuvira stared at the woman in the doorway, feeling as though she were in a dream. "Take care, Keisai," she managed to say.
The lawyer glanced from Suyin to her, looking at once amused and concerned. "Delighted to see you, Su. Baatar's with Lin?"
"Yes," Suyin said evenly. "Were you on your way to join them?"
"I am," Keisai said, stepping around her and taking her hand in greeting. "I'll see you and the rest of your charming family over dinner if I wrap up early today."
"We're looking forward to it," Suyin said, her forced smile more likely the result of her location than her displeasure at the prospect of another dinner with the lawyer. "The twins are excited to see you again."
"Glad to hear I've got them conned," Keisai said appreciatively. "Well, I assume I won't be needed to break up a fight, since you both are mature, beautiful, intelligent young women," he said, winking at Suyin, "so I'll be going. Kuvira, I'll call you." The door shut behind him.
With Keisai gone, the two women regarded one another in a silence that dragged on for what felt like hours. Kuvira thought of multiple conversation openers, but ultimately rejected each one. There was little she could think of saying that wouldn't be thrown back in her face, and while she knew it to be well-deserved, she was reluctant to face those feelings of complete defeat and despondency that she endured the last time Suyin had spoken to her.
"You look awful," Suyin said at last, breaking the silence. Kuvira took it as her cue to sit, and she sank into one of the chairs, her legs suddenly weak.
"Prison does have that effect on a person," she said, managing a neutral tone as she ran a hand through her hair.
"You got off easy," Suyin said, still standing. "Your cell is nicer than I expected, even if it's completely wooden."
Kuvira instinctively began to say something about her rank or Lin's kindness, but the words died on her tongue; Suyin would more likely than not reprimand her own sister for showing compassion to the former Great Uniter. "Yes, I've been fortunate," she said, settling on a safe answer.
"Do you have anything to say?" Suyin demanded. "I didn't come here to make pleasantries."
"Why did you come at all?" Kuvira asked quietly. "I didn't expect to see you until Baatar's trial."
"It was his suggestion." The older woman crossed her arms. "I know about the visits. How can you live with yourself?"
"It isn't easy," she said. "Baatar has been very kind to me, more so than I deserve."
"And how do you intend to repay him?" Suyin said. "By breaking his heart again? By imprisoning his family, and deposing the governor of his hometown? By attempting to wipe him out?"
The words did not come as a shock to her, but they cut deeply all the same. "I can never repay him," she said after a moment. "I intend to try, though-"
"Please don't," Suyin said scathingly. "I think you've done enough."
"Su, I know you won't accept my apologies, but I truly am sorry for all the grief I caused you," she said, willing her voice to be steady. "And I want to make things right, in whatever way I can."
"You can start by staying away from my son," Suyin said, stiffly sitting opposite her.
"With all due respect, he's the one at liberty to pay people visits," Kuvira said. "I never once asked him to visit me, Su. I want him to move on as much as you do-"
"So then you never loved him!" Su burst out, sounding at once triumphant and stricken. "You never cared for him at all, he was just another person to use and to conquer, but this time you had the added bonus of turning my own son against me-"
"I love him," Kuvira snapped, standing abruptly. "This isn't about you, and it hasn't been for a long time. Say whatever you want about me and I'll take it quietly, I deserve it. But do not say that I didn't love Baatar, because I did. I still do, and I always will, even after he's long gone from my life."
"If you really loved him, you wouldn't have fired," Suyin said. Even months later, the words still stung.
"If our roles were reversed, I would have expected him to do the same for our people," she said. "I know now that I was wrong, but I still maintain that my own happiness is second to that of the citizens of the empire." She raised her eyes to Suyin's, watching her intently. "When we left Zaofu, I set him free. And I'm willing to do it again."
Something unfamiliar flickered over Suyin's face, but it was too fast for Kuvira to identify. "So you admit that you're to blame in all of this?"
"I'm to blame because I was the leader of the state," Kuvira replied, her words coming in a rush. "If you want me to say that your son was happy working on projects that left him uninspired and dissatisfied when he wanted a chance to prove himself and help our country, I'm afraid I can't tell you what you want to hear. Do you even know what he looks like when he's on the verge of a breakthrough?" Her expression softened. "Have you ever seen his face when he's just had another groundbreaking idea, or he's just figured out the mechanics behind something? Did you ever listen to him go on and on about fluid dynamics or heat and transfer, just to share in his excitement?" She paused, scrutinizing Suyin's face. "Innovation has always been his first love, but when he wasn't busy engineering a new piece of technology, he had as much to do with infrastructure and social reform as I did. I'm sorry if it's hard for you to accept."
Suyin was silent for a while. "My husband and I certainly were a bit presumptuous with Junior," she said after some time, "but I don't understand you, Kuvira. You always seemed so content... you were a happy child, and eager to learn and climb the ranks when you grew up-"
"I was a happy child?" she said incredulously. "My parents cast me out when I was eight years old, and you're telling me I was happy?"
"You were always so lively-"
"What did you expect?" Kuvira demanded. "Did I need to mope around in the corners and cry all the time? So, because I directed my energy to more productive ends, you never stopped to think that constantly seeing a happy family, always as an outsider looking in, might be upsetting to a child?"
"I effectively brought you up," Suyin protested, bewilderment on her face. "You were always so eager to learn-"
"Because I looked up to you," Kuvira said too loudly, her voice cracking in her frustrated disbelief. "I wanted my mother, but I had to settle for a metalbending teacher!" She slowly sat down again, her voice stiff. "I'm grateful to you for taking me in and fostering my talents, Su. I know I repaid you poorly in that respect. For that, I apologize, but I maintain that you should have stepped up when the country was falling to pieces around us. I understand now why you were hesitant, but I know you could have figured something out."
Suyin was silent again for a long moment, her voice soft when she finally spoke. "You were twenty-one, Kuvira. You should have known you were too inexperienced to handle things properly."
"That didn't stop you from making me captain of the guard," she pointed out. "That didn't stop me from stabilizing Ba Sing Se and filling a power vacuum. I was effectively orphaned at eight, so I had to grow up fast. You ran away from your own family, so I doubt you'll ever understand why I was so invested in ensuring other children wouldn't grow up without theirs."
"Fine, Kuvira," Suyin conceded, the anger creeping back into her voice, "but if you were trying to preserve families, did you really have to ruin the one that included you?"
"Don't say 'included,'" Kuvira said calmly. "I was never included, and I never really expected to be. But I was happy enough...I'll always remember our dance recitals fondly, and I was glad to have found a friend I could fully trust in Baatar." She leaned back in her seat. "I tried to make amends after my arrest, you know. I told him to be patient with you, and convinced him to apologize to you, and to overlook how unreasonable and stubborn you can be-" she held up her hand when Suyin began to protest, "because I know that you've sacrificed a lot for him, and that you have always been a loving mother to all of your children, even if you made him feel like his father's tool at times."
The older woman sighed, and Kuvira tried to quell the hope rising in her chest. "I want to trust you," Suyin said at last, "but I just can't."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Kuvira said quietly. "I would like to ask a favor of you, though. Please don't tell Baatar what I've said today."
Suyin arched a brow incredulously. "You expect me to believe you haven't told him?"
"Believe whatever you want, but don't tell him what I said," she repeated. "He's trying so hard to move on... and I've never been one to stand in the way of progress."
"He still-"
"We were planning on spending the rest of our lives together," Kuvira said in little more than a whisper, her hand unconsciously going to the ring. "Your son is an unpardonable romantic; I don't expect those feelings to completely go away in a year, even after all that I've done. I just want him to be happy now."
For a moment, Suyin looked as though she was about to say something, but instead she bit back her words and stood. "On that, I'll agree with you wholeheartedly," she said. "Your official charges have been released?"
"They should be in the evening issue of the paper," Kuvira said, nodding.
"I told you before, I hope you answer for everything that you've done," Suyin said. "Nothing more, but nothing less."
"Suyin-"
As the woman turned to leave, Kuvira thought she saw a tear, but she couldn't be sure. As the door closed behind Suyin Beifong, she idly brought a hand to her own face, surprised to see that her fingers came away wet.
o0o
Baatar paced in front of Lin's desk. "Should I go up there?"
"Relax," Keisai said, taking a handful of fireflakes from the bowl between him and Lin. "It's a wooden cell, they can't kill each other."
"Maybe I should be there for her," Baatar said, more to himself. "This is probably really difficult..."
"Is he talking about number three, or Kuvira?" Keisai asked Lin, dropping a few of the spicy crisps on his legal pad.
Lin pulled the bowl out of his reach. "I'm not going to answer any questions that reduce my sister to a ranking in your list."
"Sorry, chief." Keisai blew a smoke ring. "If you had kids of your own, you'd be number one."
Lin rolled her eyes. "I feel like I ended up with more than I asked for regardless."
"You both are insufferable," Baatar snapped. "Should I go upstairs?"
"Stay where you are," Lin commanded. "They needed to have this conversation four years ago, don't interfere-"
"Interfere with what?" Su asked, walking into the office. She took Baatar's hand in both of her own. "Don't look so worried, Junior, we just had a talk."
Baatar hugged her in greeting. "I'm going to go see her."
Su frowned. "You can't keep this up forever. Even Kuvira agreed with me that you need to move on."
He froze, his hand on the door. "What did she say, exactly?" Keisai sat up a bit straighter, slowly dragging the bowl of fire flakes closer.
"It doesn't matter," Su said, pausing before she answered. "She wants you to be happy-"
"I can't be happy if she's miserable," Baatar said, and he left the room, his feet taking him to his destination as if by their own will.
He knew his mother had not spoken with the intent of upsetting him, but Baatar climbed the stairs in a state of agitation, wondering if Su was deliberately misrepresenting Kuvira's words. Even though he had voiced his own doubts about her feelings to Lin, the last thing he wanted was confirmation of her detachment. He waited impatiently for her door to be unlocked, hurrying in to see her seated at the table, her fingers interlaced under her chin and her eyes wet. "Kuvira," he said, taking the seat next to hers. "What did she say?"
"Why do you always assume the worst?" she said, smiling at him in exasperation. "We just had a chat that was long overdue."
"What about?"
"None of your business," Kuvira said wryly, twisting her mouth. "Your mother isn't a vindictive bitch, she just knows how to hold a grudge. I'm afraid I deserve a lot of it."
"What's the matter with you?" Baatar snapped, seizing her by the shoulders. "Your trial isn't that far away, why are you giving up now?"
"Who's giving up?" Kuvira raised her eyebrows. "Who said anything about giving up?"
"Mom implied that you don't want me to visit anymore," Baatar said, his tone accusatory as his hands tightened. "What's going on?"
"Baatar, you're hurting me," Kuvira said firmly. "Let go."
He growled in frustration as he dropped his hands. "Answer the question."
"How can I ask you to visit?" she said. "I fired on the warehouse."
"I don't care anymore," he said incredulously. "We talked about it-"
"I caused you to be estranged from your family for the better part of four years," Kuvira continued, as if she hadn't heard.
"We're fine now, Mom and I are on good terms now that I've apologized properly-"
"I made you miserable," she said. "And now you're an international war criminal," she added thoughtfully. "How can I ask you anything?"
"Kuvira, I don't care," he said. "We shouldn't be having this conversation right now, neither of us have even been formally tried in court yet."
"What are you saying?" she asked, looking at him intently. "What conversation are we having?"
Her eyes bored into his, and as he experienced the familiar sensation of her seeing through his veiled references, reading his innermost thoughts from his eyes as only she could, Baatar considered asking her to try again. His eyes fell on the papers with the lawyer's handwriting, and he paused; neither of them were anywhere near acquittal. The timing couldn't be poorer. "Never mind," he said, mouth dry. "It's too soon to have it."
She nodded. "We can whenever you want."
"I won't stop visiting unless you want me to," he said gently. "I've missed seeing you smile, Kuvira. I.." He trailed off, unsure how to continue. "You've been so cold, lately. What can I do to help?"
"Just sit here," she said, dragging the chair so it was adjacent to hers. "Just sit with me for a while." He obliged, relaxing as she rested her head on his shoulder, her body turned towards him. He managed to get an arm around her, and they sat that way in silence until the guards informed him that Su was outside, ready to depart.
A/N: CHAPTER 16 IS F*CKBOY'S TRIAL. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Expect an exposé post-trial. ;) Guest reviewers, I want to reply to some of those reviews! Check my author page; I just made a public email for this purpose. If anyone spams me though.. *levels spirit weapon*
This chapter was a necessary evil. I'm feeling like Keisai right now, what with school and needing to write DA TRIAL. Stoked to read the reviews, they give me life! Happy weekend!
