The curtains reopened, in the pavilion of the palace. Actor Irah and Actor Hakoda were lying down, side by side, staring at the non-existent sky.
"My dad used to tell me about how all the stars in the sky are great creatures of long ago." Actor Hakoda said. "They show the designs of them all…the giant Wolf that died to make the Earth, and his blood which made the waters; the creatures that taught us bending; and the Scorpion-Slayer that freed us from terror."
Actor Irah laughed a little. "My dad would probably tell me that was a bunch of Water Tribe hooey. He says that all the stars are the greatest firebenders and Fire Lords ever. He says my namesake, my great-uncle Iroh, is the brightest and biggest of them all."
"So, which story do you think is right?" Actor Hakoda asked her. She was silent for a while, pondering that. "I don't know." She said. "But it is a big sky. Maybe there's room for both wolves and firebenders."
"Maybe."
The two stayed silent for a while, then Actor Irah broke it. "I hate that Dad thinks we can just stay behind, while those demons plan to ravage the world." She gritted her teeth. "It just…burns me up in side. No pun intended." She added quickly.
"What kinds of monsters do you think are out there?" Actor Hakoda asked.
"Oh, all sorts, really." Actor Irah shrugged casually. "Maybe shadow-stealers, maybe boggarts, maybe swamp creatures…"
"Dragons?" Actor Hakoda asked, and Actor Irah looked very offended.
"No!" she said very loudly. "Dragons are proud, powerful creatures, it's true, but not evil. They are sacred to the Fire Nation, along with the phoenix."
"The bird that dies in fire, then is reborn from the ashes?" Actor Hakoda asked.
She nodded. "They used to be around a few hundred years ago, the Fire Lord's emblem, but they vanished. They apparently had healing tears, and were notable for their loyalty to the Fire Lord."
"Irah," Actor Hakoda said hesitantly. "I've been wondering for some time: how does firebending work?"
Actor Irah paused, gathering her thoughts into words. "Fire, at its core, is all about passion. Not love or hate, but drive and emotion. Fire at its most passionate is yellow, but most firebenders can only do orange and yellow because they aren't that passionate. Though, of course, there are two subsections."
"What?"
"Blue fire is about killing and being cold-blooded. It is a great deal more controlled than normal fire, and most firebenders can't do it. They have to have a killing intent. White fire is about protection, and is more controlled and more difficult as well."
"Can you do them?" Actor Hakoda asked, and Actor Irah shook her head. "I've never tried blue fire, although people have volunteered to teach me, and I can't do white fire yet."
The two once again lapsed into silence, and Actor Hakoda finally burst out and said "Look Irah, you and me both know we're going to sneak on the ship! Why don't we just give it a while longer, so that we can fake that the other one had to persuade us to do it?"
She laughed out loud, but said "Okay." The two sat for a while longer, than ran offstage as the curtains closed.
AN: Some of the firebending info comes from Ogro's fabulous story Distorted Reality, while the phoenix meaning comes from me (there had to be a reason why Ozai called himself the Phoenix King; also it'll be important later). Sorry for the wait in updates, and for the shorter chapter! (It's slightly because FF has been making it so I can't edit this story in particular, which is unbelievably aggravating) But here's a poll for making up.
Mai will sing a duet next chapter, but you decide whether or not it'll be with:
Ning
Zuko
Irah
Katara
Thanks!