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"Watch your step," T'Challa instructed Everett as they entered his office, making sure he didn't trip over the step-down.
Nakia instinctively pulled Kya close before she saw Okoye ready to address their king.
"It is my understanding that we would keep him alive, then send him on his way. Now he gets a tour of the palace.
"Mr. Ross, this was my father's office," T'Challa addressed him before turning his gaze to the Dora general. "General Okoye, this is the most secure place to keep him while we deal with our visitor."
"And Kya and I will stay with him," Nakia reassured Okoye, not seeing Kya's quirked brow—questioning Nakia's right to volunteer her for babysitting the colonizer.
"Keep your patrols away," T'Challa instructed his general.
"Yes, my king," Okoye replied respectfully before narrowing her eyes at Everett.
As T'Challa, Shuri, and Okoye filed out of the room, Nakia patted Kya's shoulder and told her to sit down and read or do whatever on her beads. The awkward silence that ensued was inevitable, and Nakia just stood there and watched Everett set the blanket to the side before looking over the city from the office balcony.
"I've seen Gods fly....." Everett's voice cut through the silence, but Nakia barely paid attention to his words while she studied his body language, looking to see if there was anything that would make him tick.
"Do you think T'Challa would let me go after seeing all of this?" Everett asked, finally gaining Nakia's attention.
"I wouldn't," she replied while sauntering over to him. "But I'm not T'Challa."
They fell into a game of cat and mouse. He said something to get information, masking it as small talk, and she immediately shut him down. Nakia knew that tactic all too well and she wasn't going to let him use it on her.
"So you didn't want to go to the big meeting?" Everett broke the silence that fell between them for the second time.
"I'm not into politics. I rather be out there doing something about it instead of sitting in a room talking about it."
"Distastes for politics. You broke it off with him."
Nakia opened her mouth to scold him for prying into her personal business, but he cut her off.
"That was a guess, but I'm right, huh?"
Nakia scoffed. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You married?"
"Divorced. Just not ready to take this off yet." He held up his left hand in reference to the gold band on his ring finger.
"Hmm! Sentimental type."
"You could say that."
"Who'd of guessed?"
"Not me."
Nakia locked eyes with him, and his expression softened as if he warmed up to her. She wondered if he had, or if this was a ploy to get her to let her guard down.
Everett's gaze shifted from her and back down to his ring before turning towards the city again. "My wedding day, the happiest day of my life—next to the birth of my daughter. Such a great cake."
Nakia smiled a little at his words, admitting to herself that he was funny. "Tell me about her."
Everett locked eyes with her. "My wife?"
"Mhm," Nakia answered with a nod. "Why did you marry her?"
"Best friends since childhood. Everyone was sure the marriage would last."
"So, what happened?"
"One day we realized we wanted different things, and the partnership we once had vanished."
"Tsk!" Nakia released as her eyes found the city again. "Sounds familiar."
"You and T'Challa?"
"He wanted a wife who could stay here and be a queen for the people. I wanted to be out in the world actually helping."
"I can understand that," Everett said with a nod while turning towards the city.
"And your daughter?"
"Her name is Salina. The day she was born, she wouldn't stop smiling at me. Right now she's attending a Law School in Paris, but she wants to join the CIA like her old man."
Nakia smiled and looked at him. "I can tell you're proud of her. You glow when you talk about her."
"She's my pride and joy," Everett replied while locking eyes with her. "Do you have any children?"
"Can't. An accident on a mission ruined my chances of ever having children."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
She shrugged as if it was nothing. "Happens. But I raised the best child anyone could ever have. She's a bit hellion, but she's wonderful."
"Who?"
Nakia inclined her neck to point her eyes at Kya, who was currently sifting through the office bookcase.
Everett glanced at her then returned his eyes to Nakia. "Adopted?"
"Little sister. I've been her motherly figure since she was nine years old. It wasn't easy, especially those teenage years."
He chuckled. "I know all too well about those teenage years. Salina pulled a prank involving firecrackers. I've never seen so many angry neighbors in my entire life."
"Just last year, my omncinci blew up a science lab. By accident, of course." She smiled at her baby sister's antics as her eyes found Kya perched on T'Challa's desk, flipping through the book she found. "What would we do if those two ever meet?"
"Call the SWAT team," Everett joked, causing Nakia to giggle—something she hadn't done since dating T'Challa.
She felt a pair of eyes on her and she turned to her sister, who had a curious brow cocked at her. "What?"
Before Kya could answer, Nakia received an alert on her beads from Shuri and she pressed on them to see a message from Shuri that T'Challa accepted a challenge declared by the outsider.
"Can you excuse me for a moment?" She left him on the balcony and walked over to Kya, pulling her out of Everett's earshot. "Listen, I'm going out there and I need you to stay here with him."
Kya's eyes widened. "You're leaving me alone to babysit the colonizer?"
"Kya, please. I need you to do this for me."
Kya's eyes moved as if she was scanning Nakia for information. "What's going on?"
"I'll explain later, but for now, I need you to do this."
Kya nodded. "Okay, usisi."
"Thank you." Nakia gave her a hug and a kiss on her temple before leaving Kya and Everett alone in awkward silence.
