Prior Rings

Chapter 29: Tori - Visiting

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! It's been a long, crazy week, and I really appreciate your support. (And by the way, to anyone who was wondering from the A/N in the last chapter - both the cat and the keyboard are fine now.)

Chapter 29: Tori – Visiting

I wonder if it will ever feel routine to visit my brother. After so many years of thinking he was dead, I doubt it. Still, it's become its own type of normal to stop by the Kaizen faction after most city council meetings – at least, after the ones that don't run for six hours due to Evelyn being a pain in the rear. Like last week's.

She was in full form again today, insisting that if Dauntless can't find a way to accommodate our aging members, we should fund a second faction for them so they don't keep draining her factionless resources. As my own age creeps up, I can't entirely deny she has a point, but it's certainly not her business how we handle our own.

The arguments play through my head as I walk the streets toward George's place, and they certainly don't improve my mood. It's difficult not to growl at Four when I enter the Kaizen gathering room. I'd never be stuck working with his mother if he hadn't convinced us to ally with her to get rid of Jeanine.

But the anger dies when I see Tris sitting next to him. Her presence reminds me of why Four did what he did – I've never seen anyone as desperate as he was while she was in Erudite. And really, it's a damned good thing he cared that much, or the whole city would have been lost to NUSA. It took the two of them together to stop that army.

So, I nod at them in greeting before pulling my brother into a tight hug. Amar gives me a quick embrace, too. Sometimes, my old friend does that, and sometimes I think my Dauntless appearance is too much for him, even a year and a half after his brain injury.

"Are you joining us for dinner?" George asks as he sits back down and gestures for me to take a seat next to him. "Or will this be a short visit?"

The comment surprises me, and I glance at my watch before realizing that the meeting took more than four hours. They must be getting ready to eat here, though not quite yet, since not everyone has arrived. So far, it's just George, Amar, Four, Tris, and Shauna. All of them former Dauntless members.

"Sure, I'll join you, if that's okay."

From the other couch, Tris says, "That's fine. We made plenty of food." She glances at Four, and I realize who "we" is. I always forget that they take turns with that type of chore in this faction – I'm so used to the size of Dauntless, and to having dedicated staff and meals that never run out. Watching them here reminds me of why Evelyn makes some of the arguments she does. Not everyone has as much as my faction.

"Thank you," I tell Tris, giving her a small smile. In some ways, it feels like I've known her forever, even though it's been less than two years. I guess I still feel a connection to all the Divergents I tested, and she was the most Divergent of them all.

Once in a while, I wonder how different things would be today if I hadn't been the one to give her that aptitude test. If it hadn't been me, it would have been Elena, the tester from Erudite. She had a habit of "encouraging" people to switch from Abnegation, and of manipulating the test to accomplish that. It's possible she would have gotten Tris to go to Erudite the same way she did with Caleb. But it's equally possible she would have seen Tris' Divergence and reported it. And then Tris wouldn't have survived much past that day.

"How was the council meeting?" George asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"Rotten," I answer, letting my eyes move to Four. "Your mother is still a pain, you know."