With time, Zaofu had become a sort of hub for many refugees. They established communication with the Air Nomads, and many of them passed through. Opal would be there for at least a day every month. A couple weeks after the Red Lotus was defeated, Tenzin and President Raiko had asked Suyin to unite the Earth Kingdom, with their help. She refused. At first Wei was as confused by his mother's choice as everyone else. Though, as time passed, he came to understand her motives. As did the rest of the family, except for two.
Wei didn't remember much from the night Kuvira and Bataar Jr decided to leave. He remembered the argument, the screaming.
He remembered the vicious shouting match his father and oldest brother got into.
He remembered his mother trying to be gentle at first and then, when pushed to the end of her rope, threatening banishment.
He remembered Kuvira's unwavering determination and the dangerous glint in her eyes, one he had never seen before.
He remembered Opal, who had gained confidence during her time with the air nomads, firmly standing up to Kuvira.
He remembered Huan storming out of the room after a particularly nasty comment from Baatar Jr.
At some point Wing and him got involved and the argument got even worse.
They all screamed at each other untill they were hoarse.
The airship left and no one was there to see it off other than Su. When she came back, she cried into Baatar Sr's arms.
With Kuvira gone, the twins quickly assumed her position as co-captains of what was left of the guard. Despite their depleted resources, Zaofu was still relatively easy to defend, plus with the influx of refugees there were plenty of young people willing to defend their new home, like they couldn't their old ones. Wei and Wing took turns training those volunteers, as they took turns in everything. Despite there being two of them, they still often found themselves thoroughly overwhelmed.
Baatar Sr had lost much of his inspiration and motivation with the loss of his oldest son and most important business partner. He would pretend he was fine, but it was easy to see that it was just a front for his wife's benefit.
Suyin stubbornly kept going as if nothing had happened. She worked with the refugees, managed the city and kept up with organising her dance troupe's practice sessions. Only rarely would that determined mask slip. Sometimes, Wei would walk into a room to see her, curled in on herself, lost in thought. He would simply sit with her in silence, until she felt better. His mother's humour would get better significantly once every two months, when Lin would come to stay for a couple days. The two sisters were steadily working towards fixing their relationship. Lin seemed more relaxed than she was when Wei first met her. She even would spend time with her niece and nephews. She would show the twins combat techniques utilised by Republic City police officers and help them improve their work with cables. She could be surprisingly fun to be around.
Huan began teaching the children of refugees how to paint and sculpt. Despite his protests, he seemed to enjoy it and took great pride in showing off his students' best works. Some of his own art became quite popular in Republic City.
Opal would be in and out of Zaofu, travelling with other Air Nomads to bring supplies and assistance where they could in the anarchy-stricken Earth Kingdom. Despite danger becoming a part of her daily life, Wei had never seen her as happy as she was now. She said she enjoyed the freedom, being able to travel the world was something she always wanted to do, after all.
Bolin would sometimes visit, hoping to catch Opal on her rare breaks in travel, with differing degrees of success. Even when he happened to miss her he would still stay for a couple of days. On those occasions the twins and him would spend a lot of time together.
Bolin still hadn't gotten the hang of metalbending and there wasn't ever time for extensive lessons. Wei did however, stubbornly insist on at least teaching Bolin the basics of seismic sense. He wouldn't be detecting lies any time soon, but he could at least traverse an obstacle course blindfolded and not fall over every five seconds.
Wei'd had ample time to get over, what he had decided to be, the silly and childish crush he had on Bolin. When, they spent time together, he tried to keep his feelings strictly platonic. He valued Bolin's friendship, after all. The guy was sweet, charming, and infinitely fun to talk to. The two earthbenders spoke of many things. About their families, about pro-bending, about the sorry state of the Earth Kingdom. About everything and nothing, really. They would talk about their problems and find relief or solace in the other. Wei would agonise over his family's sorrow after Kuvira's departure. Bolin would worry about Korra, her recovery and the fact that she barely ever answered his letters.
Wei had also, by some cruel twist of fate, become the person Bolin came to for advice on his relationship with Opal. He could laugh at the irony, at the very least. Sometimes he felt a dull pain in his chest when he'd see the two together, but he pushed it down, and did his best to enjoy his sister and friend's joy. He wouldn't jeopardize it for the world, stubbornly scrubbing away at any semblances of envy he felt whenever he watched them, Bolin's muscular arms practically engulfing her small frame when he kissed her. They're perfect for each other, Wei would tell himself, digging his nails into his palms. Both too soft and too kind for the world, both so deserving of the happiness they provided one another.
He would be a truly awful friend and brother to rip that happiness apart for his own, selfish reasons.
A couple months passed in that simple rhythm. The flow of refugees had lessened. Wei heard of Kuvira's success in stabilising Ba Sing Se and he couldn't help but be happy for her and Baatar Jr.
A week after that, he was heading towards the guardhouse when he heard Opal and Bolin arguing. She sounded extremely upset and Wei couldn't help but stop to listen. - You're going to help her?! After everything she's done to my family?!- Opal sounded near tears.
- Opal, you know it's not like that...- Bolin said softly. He tried to hug her but she swatted his hands away.
- Don't touch me! I can't even look at you right now.- she made to storm off, noticing Wei.
- Opal, what happened?- he tried to sound neutral, pointedly not looking at Bolin.
- Why don't you ask him? I want to be alone.- she spat, motioning towards her boyfriend. She quickly walked away, leaving the two boys alone.
- What happened?- Wei repeated his question, this time towards Bolin. When the lavabender hesitated, he felt himself overflow with worry. It wasn't uncommon for Opal and Bolin to have little quarrels every now and then, but this seemed much more serious.
Bolin himself also looked close to tears. The poor guy didn't really have the stomach for arguments. He shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. - I, umm, got a job offer... from Kuvira. And I accepted.- Bolin almost whispered, looking down at the ground.
Wei's first instinct was to yell, to try and change Bolin's mind. But Opal had already tried that, apparently, and failed. Plus, the young man before him seemed so on edge, so worried about what he would say, that Wei couldn't bring himself to argue. - Why?- he asked, instead.
Bolin looked up at him. - Because I want to help.- he said earnestly. - Opal's constantly talking about her travels to help different villages and even Zaofu is full of refugees. Mako's doing policeman stuff, Asami's helping rebuild Republic City and Korra...- Bolin's voice shook. Wei gently squeezed his shoulder and he continued. - It just feels like I'm not doing anything important. Like I'm not helping. And so many people are suffering right now...- he wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve. Wei guided them both to sit on a nearby bench. His head was swimming. He felt like he should be angry, but he just... couldn't. He'd had enough of arguments the night Kuvira left. Bolin gave him an unsure little look. - You're not mad?- he asked carefully.
Wei sighed. - I don't know.- he answered honestly. - I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're worried about. I don't even know if im still angry at Kuvira and Baatar Jr. I don't approve of them and their army, but they're doing what they think is right. And if you want to join them, who am I to stop you? Just... just be careful, alright? -
Bolin hugged him. - thank you.- he whispered and Wei was once again painfully reminded of the fact that his feelings for Bolin were still as strong as ever. His heart beat so hard he was surprised the other man didn't hear it. When Bolin pulled back, his face fell. - Do you think Opal will ever forgive me?-
Wei gave him a reassuring pat on the back. - Opal and Kuvira's relationship was very strained, long before she ever met you and it definitely hasn't gotten any better recently.- Bolin's shoulders slumped and Wei tried to reassure him.- But her feelings about Kuvira aren't her feelings about you. She loves you, and even though she might be angry now, she'll come to understand your reasons, I'm sure.-
- Thanks...- Bolin gave him a small smile. -You're a really good friend.- Wei was glad he was sitting down, because his knees rapidly became weaker than they had ever felt before. He realised his hand was still resting on the small of Bolin's back and quickly put it back in his lap.
Perhaps it was best to change the subject.
- Hey, I'm supposed to train some new guards. Do you want to come with me?-
Bolin's smile widened and it felt like sunlight after a storm. - Really? -
- Yeah, maybe you can wow them with lavabending or stuff.-
- I'd love to come.-
Sometimes, Bolin wondered if joining Kuvira was worth it. The arguments with Opal and Mako. The constant scuffles with bandits. The unpleasant, almost clinical cleanliness and order of the train. Kuvira's coldness and Baatar Jr's arrogance. Throughout most his time as part of the army, Bolin felt lonely and lost, following Varrick and Zhu Li around like a lost puppy.
But whenever he was able to save a life, whenever he helped unload supplies to feed the starving, Bolin knew it was worth it.
Occasionally Kuvira's forces would clash with the air nomads. Sometimes, on those occasions Bolin was lucky enough to see Opal. He did his best to enjoy the time they spent together, before they would be once again separated for Spirits know how long. They argued a lot these days, as well.
Since Bolin had joined the army, he hadn't been able to visit Zaofu nearly as often as he would wish. He mainly kept in touch with Opal via letters, though with them both travelling, he would sometimes go weeks without a response. He'd also began writing with Wei. He couldn't remember which of them wrote the first letter, but he was happy it was written. Those two, besides the odd letter from Mako or Asami became his main pen pals.
Bolin was always excited when mail was delivered to the train. The letters from Opal, he greedily ripped the envelopes of open and immediately read through. She would write about her adventures with the other air nomads and he missed her, oh, so greatly. She would always end her letters with a plea for him to desert Kuvira and he pointedly pretended those paragraphs did not exist not even attempting to address them when he wrote her back.
The letters from Wei he would discreetly hide in his room until it was nighttime. Then, curled up in bed with a faint light on, he would carefully unfold them and read through with anticipation. Wei's sweeping handwriting would tell him about all the current events of Zaofu and the Beifong family, as if Bolin really were there. Wei would ask how he was doing and give advice if Bolin had asked for it in a previous letter. Wei would also sometimes voice his concerns about Kuvira, and Bolin did his best to skim over those parts of the letter as well. He wasn't ready for that conversation, even if it was just ink on paper.
When he would finish reading the letters, Bolin would meticulously fold and store them in the same drawer he kept Wei's necklace and several other mementos from home. He wasn't sure why he had brought the necklace with him, he had long since given up on learning to metalbend. But it had become some sort of good luck charm for him. Sometimes, at night, or when he was very stressed about something, he would take the necklace out of its drawer and glide his fingers over its smooth, cool surface, finding the bits of earth embedded deep inside it. He would almost feel Wei's hands guiding his own along, and he could hear his voice. Bolin had, at this point, practically memorised every single speck of earth inside the necklace. He never tried to bend them, though. Perhaps because he had truly given up on learning metalbending, or maybe he just feared he would irreparably damage Wei's necklace. Bolin sometimes wondered if he should give it back, but never really brought himself to even mention it in his letters to Wei.
Bolin would be happy to spend time in Zaofu, even if Opal wasn't home. He got to spend time with Wei. They would spar, talk and sometimes just spend quiet time together. The twins had proven themselves as excellent captains of guard. And Bolin would sometimes quietly think to himself that Wei looked rather dashing in his armour.
The times Bolin spent in Zaofu always seemed to be over too quickly.
Kuvira's next target was the state of Yi and ,as the train stopped in the small village, Bolin was once again met with hungry and frightened faces. He was excited to start giving out supplies. After Kuvira struck a deal with the govenor.
-Bolin!- a familiar voice called. He turned to see Kai and Opal trotting towards him.
-Kai!- the teen jumped into his arms. They both laughed. -Wow, you are a lot heavier than you used to be.- he put the airbender down.- You're really growing up.-
Kai looked him up and down and frowned -What's up with your new hair? You look like a stiff.-
Bolin tried to plead his new hairstyle's case. -Hey, Kuvira says it makes me look intelligent and professional.- He omitted the fact that Mako and Varrick essentially said the same thing as Kai. Zhu Li didn't care to comment. Wei had laughed a little, but simply asked if Bolin liked it. Bolin decided to not style his hair when he visited Zaofu.
Someone ruffled his hair and he met Opal's soft green eyes. -Don't believe everything she says.- his girlfriend was smiling, but there was an unpleasant edge to her tone, that made Bolin worry they were headed towards another argument.
He quickly changed the subject -Opal, I can't believe you're here too!- he pulled her into a big ol' hug. -I missed you so much.-
-I missed you too.- Opal said quietly after a while.
He heard footsteps behind him and both airbenders scowled. Baatar Jr and Kuvira had come to say hello. Bolin felt his heart drop and he prepared for another verbal fight. -Look who it is. It's good to see you again, little sister.- Baatar Jr drawled and Opal bristled. Kuvira gave Kai a small nod before turning to her adopted sister.
-What a wonderful surprise. A happy reunion for my favorite couple.-
- How's Mom doing?- Baatar Jr asked, seeming sincere and geniuinely curious. Bolin thought that was a good sign. Opal did not.
- Like you care.- she scoffed.- She still hasn't forgiven you.-
-You know, for someone who claims to be so enlightened, Mom can really hold a grudge.- her brother shot back.
Opal stared daggers at him. -I guess when her son betrays her ...-
Both siblings looked inches away form leaping at each other's throats. Bolin wondered if he should say something, but thankfully Kuvira was the one to intervene.
- Please, Opal, we're not here to bicker with you about something that happened three years ago.- Bolin remembered how fresh the betrayal was in the Beifongs' minds and he wondered if Kuvira knew how much she meant to her adopted family. -We're here to help this town, just like you.-
Opal glowered at her adoptive sister -I've heard how you help towns.- she spat - By conquering them.-
Kuvira sighed. -I know the rumors about me can be pretty nasty, but I am giving everyone in this nation a better future. And with Bolin's help,- Bolin wanted to yell 'don't bring me into this!', but he held his tongue. -and my fiancé's ideas, we're laying the ground work for the people to achieve their own greatness.-
Opal's jaw went slack - Your fiancé?- she choked out, looking between Kuvira and Baatar Jr.
-You haven't heard?- the Great Uniter asked nonchalantly-Your brother and I are getting married.-
Bolin really thought the happy couple would have at least notified their family of the engagement.
He tried to somehow alleviate the tension. -Isn't that great, sweetie?- Opal ignored him, as Kuvira put a calming hand on her shoulder. Bolin tried to not notice how the airbender flinched away, how Kai took a cautious step backwards.
-I know things got heated with your family when Baatar and I left Zaofu,- Kuvira once again tried to assuage Opal's anger. -but don't you think it's time to forgive and forget?-
Bolin remembered his visits in Zaofu, Baatar Sr and Su's sadness when they asked him about their son and Kuvira. He remembered the conversations he would have about her with Wei, how the metalbender sometimes let slip how the splintering of their family had affected them all in its own right. He remembered the worry in his usually bright green eyes.
A new voice joined the conversation. -What are you doing here?- an old man, who Bolin assumed to be the governor eyed the soldiers through narrowed eyes. Kuvira turned to him and spoke with that commanding voice she used to get what she wanted.
- Hello, governor. I was wondering if you and I could talk privately.- the man nodded, almost reluctantly and he disappeared into the train along with Kuvira and Baatar Jr.
With the two having left, Bolin and the airbenders stood next to each other in an awkward silence. Opal was still giving the train wagon Kuvira was in the evil eye. Beside her, Kai stared at his feet. Bolin cleared his throat and turned to his girlfriend. After all, there was no reason they couldn't have a simple conversation, right?
- So, how's your family? - he asked and Opal looked at him, expression impassive.
- Ok, I guess. Mom's still sad about...- she shot the train another dirty look.- Dad has started designing again, so that's good. Huan's art is getting featured in a lot of art galleries in Republic City. He's worried he's becoming 'mainstream'.- she giggled wistfully. Bolin chuckled as well. Wei had mentioned something about that in his latest letter. Opal continued, playing with the many straps of her uniform. - The twins... well, they're on guard duty most of the time. I sometimes barely see them.- she mumbled, smile dying. -Kuvira's driven bandits out of many states and plenty of them moved to Gaoling. Wing and Wei have their hands full making sure the city and it's surrounding villages stay safe.- back was her anger.
In the back of his mind Bolin saw Wei like he had last seen him. Worn down by the responsibilities and constantly on the way to do something. Train guards, plan patrols or scout out a supposed bandit camp. The twins, despite there being two of them were spread thin, scrambling to fulfil their many duties. One time, Bolin had offered to help out. Wing asked if he was spying for Kuvira and it hadn't exactly sounded like a joke. Wei had kept his eyes on the ground and said nothing.
- If your family accepted Kuvira's help, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation.- he didn't mean for it to sound as hostile as it did. Opal's indignation was palpable as she opened her mouth to say something scathing and Bolin probably deserved it.
Thankfully, the train's doors slid open and the govenor stormed down the ramp and into one of the homes, slamming the door. Kuvira watched him leave, expression unreadable. -It's time to go.- the Great Uniter announced to her men matter-of-factly -We're not wanted here.-
Bolin's heart sank to his stomach. He hated it when this happened. However, he still asked: -What happened?-
Kuvira didn't seem half as upset as he was. -It appears we can't make a deal right now.- she explained cooly, turning to go back into the train.
-Wait!- it was Kai who voiced what Bolin wanted to say. Kuvira looked at the boy over her shoulder. -Aren't you guys going to stick around and help?-
-Here's the contract. We'll wait at the border for one day.- Kuvira gave the ultimatum she often did, and Bolin could only hope the state of Yi would come around like the others had.- You get the governor to sign it, and you'll have all the help you need. - she walked inside the train, leaving Kai dumbstruck, looking over the piece of paper.
Bolin felt awful doing this, but if Kuvira said they couldn't do anything, they probably couldn't do anything. - I guess- he swallowed, throat drier than a desert - ... I got to go.-
Opal turned to him, frantic. -Don't!- she was begging and Bolin's heart broke.- Please, you can't turn your back on these people!-
-I'm not!- he put a hand over his chest. -I wanna help, but if the Governor wants us gone, there's... - he took a breath and repeated the mantra he told himself whenever the army was turned away. -... there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry. - he tried to hug her, to comfort her in some way, but she pushed him back with a surprising amount of force. -Hey ... Opal, please.- he was the one begging now.
His plea did nothing to soften Opal's anger, though, as she looked at him coldly -Leave, if that's what you're going to do. - she snapped, turning away from him, crossing her arms. Bolin'd had enough arguments with her to know when the discussion was over. He was left to trudge back towards the train. He walked past Kai, who turned his head away as if in shame.
Bolin's heart weighed heavily in his chest that evening. He sat in his bed, tracing lines along Wei's necklace, and realised with a great degree of sadness, that he had forgotten what Wei's voice sounded like.
He wondered, once again, if it was all worth it.
In the morning, news came that the governor of Yi had signed the contract. The town prepared for a small celebration of handing its leadership over to Kuvira. It was purely symbolic, she assured. Meanwhile, soldiers were already headed to set up patrols around the area. Bolin was in charge of food distribution. The grateful smiles on gaunt, hungry faces made all these trials and tribulations worth it. Bolin kept giving out supplies as Kuvira addressed the crowd, giving a speech he had heard many times before. -The State of Yi is now under the full protection of my army. - she finished, turning to quietly speek to the govenor.
As the crowd cheered, many of them clutching packages of food as if the boxes were made of gold, the old man stepped forward. -I pledge my loyalty to you, oh Great Uniter.- the govenor spoke, firmly looking at the ground. Bolin thought he heard a hint of anger in his voice.
The crowd cheered louder. Amongst the joyful Earth Kingdom citizens it was easy to notice Opal's crimson clothes. And her glum expression. She was looking at Kuvira's banner, glassy eyed and pursing her lips. Bolin smiled and waved at her. He thought mabye she would like to hand out out food with him. She did enjoy helping people. But she turned away from him, despondent, eyes downcast.
Bolin's eyes watered. Though kept distributing the supplies, his mind wandered. He'd been trying to bridge the gap that had formed between him and Opal since the day he told her about Kuvira's offer. But every time he saw her, he felt like they just kept growing apart.
At some point Kai and Opal left without saying goodbye, the only indication of their departure being the distant silhouette of their air bison against the setting sun. After Kuvira's speech and the supplies having been given out, people started slowly returning to their homes until the streets were all but empty.
As Bolin turned in for the night, he heard Kuvira quietly talking to the govenor, the older man angrily hissing something. She gave Bolin a small nod as he walked past her, before berating the govenor. Something about the iron ore Yi was rich in.
That night, Bolin was restless. He tossed and turned in bed and when he realised he wouldn't sleep, he turned the light on, grabbed a pen and sheet of paper and began writing. A letter to Wei. For some reason, Bolin felt like the young Beifong would understand or at least not judge him for his thoughts. He poured his dilemmas onto the paper, he wrote about Kuvira and Opal, about the people of Yi, about everything he worried about. Maybe he cried a little while writing.
He wasn't sure if he'd send that letter.
When he finished writing, he fell asleep in his bed, clutching the necklace that had inexplicably found its way into his hands. He dremt he was a meteorite, molten hot and hurtling through space, on a crash course towards earth.