I Am

Two

"So, these beads. They mean I don't have to carry that pesky phone around with me now huh?"

Shuri rolled her eyes, glancing up from what she was working on to see Harper spinning from side to side on her chair and inspecting the band of beads still wrapped around her wrist "No they do not," she said with a huff "Why are you so determined to get rid of it?"

"One of these things got me into a bit of trouble when Bucky and I were on the run," Harper said with a shrug of her shoulders "People were able to track us when we didn't want or need them to."

"Well no one knows you have this one so suck it up," Shuri said with a roll of her eyes, turning back to whatever it was she was working on. There was a frown of concentration on her face as she leaned over the desk she was standing in front of, a bleep from her own beads catching her attention "Ah! Come on!"

Harper frowned, not wanting to move from the curled up position she had found comfort in on one of Shuri's lab chairs "Why what's going on?"

"T'Challa and Nakia are back!"

T'Challa had been busy ever since Steve had left and Harper had taken residence in Wakanda. He was getting ready for the crowning ceremony while, at the same time, trying to locate and bring in Nakia, a woman Shuri was more than willing to smirk about to Harper about, from a mission.

"You'll love her!" had been the exclamation "My brother does anyway," the addition had been said with a wriggle of her eyebrows.

"You go ahead," Harper said, her attention still on the beads around her wrist "I'll catch them later."

Shuri rolled her eyes and let out a huff "You're coming," she insisted, grabbing hold of Harper's hand and tugging her up onto her feet "We need to know if he froze."

Harper let out a laugh as she allowed herself to be led out of the lab and into the fresh Wakandan air "You go," she said, pulling her hand from Shuri's and ushering her over to where her mother was waiting "I'll be right here."

She watched as Shuri hesitated slightly, sending her a nod and a smile of encouragement "Go," she insisted, watching as the younger girl crossed over and was greeted by her mother.

She leaned against the wall of the building, folding her arms over her chest and watching as an RTF slowly came in to land. The ramp slowly lowered to reveal T'Challa, General Okoye and a third person Harper didn't recognise but assumed to be Nakia.

Her head bowed, her beautiful face filled with sorrow, as she approached Ramonda and Shuri "Queen Mother...Princess. My comfort for your loss."

As Ramonda, as she insisted Harper call her, nodded and accepted the words Harper kept her eyes on Shuri's back. Her shoulders were tense and her chin raised, she was keeping the grief in as usual.

"Take her to the River Province to prepare her for the ceremony," the General said to one of the members of the Dora Milaje, Ayo Harper was sure she was called, standing to the side of Ramonda and Shuri. With a nod of her head Ayo sent a small smile to Nakia as the two of them turned to walk together.

Shuri's shoulders relaxed slightly and her head tilted to one side "Did he freeze?"

A smile stretched across the General's face "Like an antelope in the headlights."

Shuri let out a laugh, turning to send Harper a look, before her brother caught her attention once more.

"Are you finished?" he asked as the General slammed her spear into the ground and the rest of the Dora followed her away "So surprised my little sister came to see me off before our big day."