171 AG

Kuvira snapped awake. The sound of the knocking at her door had mixed into her dream. Her heart had been beating, hard and fast, pumping blood through her body. She had felt powerful. She had felt in control. What had she been doing?

She couldn't remember.

She pushed herself out of bed. The light pouring in from the opened blinds made her head pound. As she passed the mirror in her bedroom she noted that she had fallen asleep in her uniform. The knocking hadn't stopped. She narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"Alright. Alright!"

She pulled the door open. Yishu stood there with her hands on her hips.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"What—" Kuvira took a step backwards.

"Where have you been?" Yishu demanded, taking a step forwards as her sharp blue eyes took Kuvira in.

"…Sleeping."

"In uniform?"

Kuvira said nothing. Yishu suddenly looked amused.

"Did you forget what day it is?"

"Apparently."

"It's match day. I had to get you moved into the second bracket."

Kuvira turned her head to the side. "I don't feel like it." She was frowning, and to anyone else she would have looked very standoffish.

Yishu saw right through it.

"Denied. You're going. You owe me, Captain."

Kuvira gave up and let out a heavy sigh. She grabbed her things and followed Yishu out into the street.

"Sleeping past noon. That's not the Kuvira I know. Must have been a crazy party."

"Something like that."

Suyin's library had smelled like old books. The room itself was large and round. The walls were covered in bookcases, and there was a rolling ladder that led up to a second story. The curtains were drawn, and the candles had been hastily lit.

"Hold me closer."

"You're a lazy dancer." Kuvira murmured teasingly into Su's hair.

"Well, we can't both lead." Su replied tenderly.

"So out of the goodness of your heart you've given me the honor?"

Suyin's soft laughter touched Kuvira in all of the right places. She could feel the warmth of Su's body as the older woman pressed herself up against her.

"Have you talked to Opal lately?" Kuvira couldn't help but ask. Dangerous territory, but she had to know.

"No. Not lately. I've been busy." Su replied abruptly; uncomfortably.

She's been avoiding you. Kuvira thought the words in her head angrily. She wanted to pursue the conversation, but Su's face was so soft. Her hair smelled lovely. Her soft hands clutched at Kuvira's muscular shoulders. And just like that, Kuvira's anger dripped off of her, like water off of slanted steel.

Kuvira set herself down at the octagonal table like a warlord might sit at in a map room. Her clever eyes narrowed as she scanned the board. Across from her, Shin raised his head and placed his fist beneath it. She knew he was only pretending to look thoughtful. He was waiting for her to make the next move and nothing more.

She flicked her wrist meaningfully. A number of sculpted metal game pieces flew across the board. Only the most advanced players would be able to pick up on her methods. To most, her pieces seemed to be haphazardly dispersed across the board. Shin sat back and stared.

She had been an avid game player when she first moved to Zaofu. Trounce was the only game she continued to study, now that she had moved on to bigger and better things. She had been told she had a natural aptitude for it. She didn't disagree. Shin didn't seem like he would disagree either.

"Your move."

"I want you."

Su had pulled herself up to whisper the words into Kuvira's ear. She still whispered, even when they were alone. Her voice blew sharp electric sparks through Kuvira's mind, and she could think of nothing else than how Su's lips had felt as they brushed against her ear.

She wanted her, too.

The Captain's hands slid down the Matriarch's neck, and along her slim shoulders. She grasped on to her upper arms and held her steadily; possessively, as she tilted her head down to kiss her. Su's eyes fluttered shut, and she pressed herself even closer. When Su started to use her tongue Kuvira couldn't help herself. She moaned into the kiss, and her hands went down, rough and desperate against the fabric of Su's lavish robes.

Why can't want be enough?

After the match, Yishu took Kuvira out for dinner, but neither of them were that hungry, so dinner turned into drinks.

"Oh man, Shin's face at the end was classic! You destroyed him."

"Mm." Kuvira murmured. She was looking out the window. It was raining, and the glint of the rain in the sun against the metal hurt her eyes.

"Okay, I'm enjoying it way too much. I realize this." Yishu said idly as she took a big swig of her drink.

"It's fine. I haven't felt like myself lately."

"Maybe the purple light thing fucked with your head. I read something about that in the Daily."

Kuvira turned to look at her. "Don't read the Daily. It's trash."

Yishu shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "You want noodles?"

Kuvira shook her head. She had known Yishu for almost 10 years, but it didn't matter. She couldn't talk to her about that kind of thing. Opal's hesitant, fearful faced flashed before her mind. Her angry eyes. Stay away from us.

Kuvira couldn't blame her.

Maybe the purple light had done something. Everything seemed wrong. Different than before. Or maybe it had always been like this, and it really was she who had changed.

She couldn't tell what the truth was anymore.

All she could do was feel.

With their clothing off, the difference in their body types became more obvious. Kuvira was bigger, more muscular, and her curves were slight. Su was toned, but she was shorter and more petite. They both shared the tell-tale signs of a dancer's build, but Kuvira had grown into the role of a soldier, and Su had grown into the role of a mother.

Su pushed the Captain of the Guard down onto the lavish couch by the window of the darkened library. Kuvira enjoyed Su's rough side. She looked up at her, her eyes lidded and dark with need. Su straddled her, and then she leaned down to kiss her. Their kiss was less controlled this time, and Kuvira's hands roamed Su's naked body. She dragged her nails lightly up the older woman's back, and she could feel Su's body tense up above her.

"Mm..." Su murmured as she leaned back. She raised her hands above her head and pressed herself down against Kuvira. Kuvira lifted her hips up in turn. Su bit down lightly at the bottom of her lip as one of Kuvira's hands found her nipple between thumb and forefinger. Her other hand rose to Su's face, and Su took Kuvira's wrist in her own two hands and pulled her fingers closer. She kissed the dark-haired woman's knuckles, and then she ran her tongue along the tip of one finger before she pressed it between her lips. Kuvira shuddered.

"What?"

They were walking back to her place. It was already dark.

"I said, the Daily said Varrick is coming to Zaofu." Yishu was holding a copy of the Daily in her hand.

"Who?"

"Wow. Really?" Yishu stared at her.

Kuvira didn't look amused.

"You need to read the Daily. Seriously. You can't just read the Press. Broaden your horizons, or something. Zaofu isn't the only city in the world, y'know."

Kuvira's frown deepened.

"Anyway, that Varrick guy is a wanted criminal in Republic City, but he's coming to Zaofu to take refuge."

Kuvira laughed derisively. "He thinks Suyin will give him a pass, just like that?"

"She already has," Yishu said. Kuvira turned her head to stare at her.

Su's breath was hot against her inner thigh, and it was driving her wild. The older woman bit Kuvira's toned flesh lightly, and then she looked up at her. Her eyes had a depth Kuvira only saw when they were together like this. There was a playful knowing, a cleverness. She knew how much Kuvira wanted this, and she was relishing in it. Kuvira reached down, and her fingers stroked Su's hair.

Su moved her face closer, and Kuvira drew in a sharp breath when she felt Su's lips brush against her as she smiled. Then, she opened her mouth and kissed her. Soft, wet kisses right on her outer lips. Kuvira's body tensed up, and she let out a breathy sigh.

Su's tongue was clever. She knew Kuvira like the back of her hand, exactly what to do and where to go. The slow, rough circles she was making with her tongue were already too much, and Kuvira slammed her eyes shut. "Y-yes," she heard herself choke out the words, moaning them into the silence of the library. The party hadn't ended. There were people down the hall, probably wondering where their host had gone off to. Bataar would be asleep by now. And Opal. Well, Kuvira just hoped Opal wasn't sneaking around again.

She reached down, and the fingers that had been resting on Su's head tangled themselves into the older woman's silver hair. She guided her, moving her hips against Su's mouth. She was already there—trying her best to hold out.

She opened her eyes. Su was looking up at her. Her eyes said it all. She wanted Kuvira to come. Kuvira obeyed. How could she do otherwise? Her abs and her thighs tensed, and she jerked her hips as a guttural moan tore itself from her throat.

When Su had finished, Kuvira was still shivering with residual energy. She pushed herself up and pressed her back against the couch. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Su rose from her knees and sat in Kuvira's lap. Kuvira slowly rose her eyes up to look at her.

"…So I told him to fuck off," Yishu exclaimed defiantly as Kuvira opened the door to her apartment and walked inside.

"Brutal." Kuvira muttered.

Yishu stood in the doorway to Kuvira's apartment. She looked around. It was pristine. Minimally furnished. Tasteful, but to a fault. It almost looked like no one actually lived there.

Kuvira sat down heavily on the couch and put her arms across the back.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yishu said, sounding unsure.

Kuvira looked at her, nearly startled by the question.

"I'm fine," she said flatly.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you at rehearsal."

"Yeah."

Yishu hesitated in the threshold of the entrance way for a moment, but she eventually turned and shut the door behind her. Kuvira listened to the echo of her footsteps as she walked through the courtyard.

Don't make me leave.

That's what she had wanted to say, after they had finished. She sat against the couch, with Su's head resting on her shoulder. Su had a habit of dozing off afterwards, and usually she fell asleep somehow on top of Kuvira, so that the Captain had to keep very still to make sure she didn't wake her.

She knew what would happen, once Su woke up. She would put her uniform back on. She would leave through the side entrance, before the sun rose. She would take the rail car back to her compound. She would walk down the empty streets, alone. The thought of the bed at her apartment popped into her mind. That would be where she slept, if sleep came at all.

Kuvira kept very still, so as not to wake her.