Chapter 1: Important Auditions
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or anything related to it.
Everyone around him appeared to be engrossed in their scripts, preparing themselves for the roles that they would soon be auditioning for. It was a tough world to make a living in, being in showbusiness. Everyone wanted to be a star, and that meant that there was always stiff competition when there was a possibility for a role.
Because of this, Aang Windstrom found himself nervously reading over his script and memorizing what he could. He wanted to impress whoever was put in charge of going through the auditions, and he hoped by putting in the initiative by memorizing his lines, it would make the difference. Though he knew better than to get his hopes up. Chances of him actually getting it were slim, even with any advantages he might have over his competition.
Truthfully, he didn't want to be an actor because he wanted to be a star. In fact, he was not the type to want to stand out in a crowd. He very much liked his privacy, but ever since he was a kid, he had loved watching his favorite spy movies and had wanted to be an actor ever since.
Nor did he care for the money, though he certainly wouldn't complain if he never had to work at a fast food restaurant again. He just wanted to fulfill his dream of being in the movies, especially if he landed a part in a movie that was like the ones he had seen when he was younger. And from what he had read from the synopsis of the movie he was currently auditioning for, it was fairly close. The story centered on two main characters: a man and a woman who worked together to survive a catastrophic event that nearly wiped out the world.
It wasn't his ideal choice of a movie to star in, but he could see the potential in it and knew that he couldn't turn down any potential jobs just because it wasn't quite like the movies he had wanted to be in ever since he was young. Besides, if he managed to get this part and the movie did well, then he would gain enough credibility to do whatever roles he would like. If his first potential movie wasn't quite what he wanted it to be, then he would deal with it.
With a renewed determination to get this part, he took a deep breath and focused more intently on his lines. He had already memorized everything by now, and had quite some time ago truth be told, but he wanted to make sure that he really had it in his mind so he wouldn't have any doubts about what his lines were.
Just as he was about to make himself go over his lines in his head once again, the sound of the door opening took him by surprise, making him look up from his script as he saw what appeared to be a newcomer enter the room. If anyone else had noticed this sudden disturbance of the quiet in the room, they didn't show it. No one but him had even bothered to look up from their scripts when the latecomer had opened the door.
Finding himself curious, he watched as the young woman who was quietly closing the door behind her finally faced forward, making his eyes widen as he drank in her beauty. From head to toe, she was easily the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her caramel colored skin was complemented by her long, wavy chocolate hair. She wore an ocean blue shirt with a pair of light blue jeans, and tennis shoes to match her shirt. But the thing that captivated him the most about her was her eyes. Looking into them, he felt as if he was drowning in an endless ocean. Her eyes were two orbs of flawless sapphire.
Altogether, she was easily the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen, and he couldn't keep his jaw from dropping as he beheld her beauty. Fortunately for him, she didn't seem to notice this as she looked around the room, giving him enough time to close his mouth and look nervously back at his script while she searched for a seat.
Unfortunately for him, the only seat that was available to her was the one right next to him. Not that he minded being so close to such a beautiful woman, but he had to admit, he was nervous. She was beyond stunning, and he had no clue what he could even say to her. Not that he had to, he knew, but he very much wanted to, despite his nervousness.
Pretending not to notice as she walked over to him, she looked at him and cleared her throat. "Excuse me. Is this seat taken?" she asked politely, making Aang gulp a little as he knew that he would have to respond.
Taking a quick deep breath, he forced his jitters out and summoned all of the courage that he could muster before looking up from his script and meeting her eyes. "No, it's not," he laughed nervously as he gestured to it. "It's all yours."
Smiling in gratitude, the woman took her seat and replied. "Thank you."
"No problem," he whispered back to her, not wanting everyone to hear their conversation and not wanting it to end so soon. He very much doubted that anyone was paying attention, but the room had been so quiet, he was certain that a pin dropping could be heard. In fact, he found his current situation strongly reminiscent of a visit to the doctor's office.
"So," he began quietly as he tried to think of something, anything to keep their conversation going. "You're auditioning for this movie, too?"
Although he knew that this was a very dumb question, he became relieved as he heard the woman let out a giggle, and couldn't help but notice that her laughter was as beautiful as she was. Feeling the waves of warmth coming from this, he felt as if he was easing into a warm bath as her laughter rang in his ears. It reminded him of the chiming bells he had grown up listening to at his parents house when he was a kid.
"Yes, I am," she finally agreed once her giggles had settled down, not noticing just how much she already had him under her unwitting spell as he looked at her with his attention solely on her. "I'm auditioning for…" she trailed off as she looked at the script and found what she was looking for. "Sarah."
"Really?" Aang asked in surprise. It wasn't the fact that she was auditioning for one of the main characters that caught him by surprise, but the fact that there was even a possibility of him playing a love interest to a girl as beautiful as her. He even found himself surprised that he was being given the chance to talk to her as he was. "Wow. That's great." The woman took on a look of confusion, and noticing the slip in his thoughts, he blushed and hastily corrected. "I-I mean, that's cool. I'm auditioning for Mason."
The look of her confusion didn't go away for a few moments, but fortunately for him, she didn't seem to think anything of this and laughed again, making him smile as she continued through her quiet laughter. "Well, I would hope so. They're only auditioning for the leads today."
"Really?" Aang raised a brow, not having known this. Smirking, she pointed to his right and he followed her finger, his eyes widening as he saw a sign that read 'Lead role auditions only'. Shaking his head at himself for being stupid, he gave her a sheepish smile. "Oh. I did not know that."
Giggling again, she gave him a reassuring smile as she noticed the embarrassment on his face. "Well, you know now. Better late than never, right?" she joked with a grin, making him laugh as he nodded his agreement.
"Right," he agreed, being glad that she didn't seem to think that he was as much of an idiot as he felt he was at the moment. Forcing himself to focus and do his best not to make himself look even more stupid in front of her, he turned to her as he stuck a hand out to her. "I'm Aang by the way. Aang Windstrom."
Looking at the hand outstretched to her, she smiled and took it, shaking it as she finally took in his appearance. She had to admit, she liked what she saw. He was a handsome young man, with chiseled features and short, jet black hair. The obvious muscle he had could easily be seen through his clothing: A gray t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, along with a pair of orange sneakers. What she liked most about him, however, were his eyes. They were dark gray, as if she was peering into the depths of a storm. She had never seen anyone with gray eyes before, and she couldn't help but be a bit mesmerized by them.
Altogether, she couldn't deny that she found herself to be quite attracted to him. Not that she was going to voice these thoughts, of course, but she knew it to be true all the same. And he appeared to be kind and funny, something that she rather liked. Realizing that she hadn't reciprocated, she forced herself not to blush and smiled back at him as she said. "Nice to meet you, Aang. I'm Katara. Katara Rivers."
Katara. He liked her name. It really seemed to fit her. The name was almost as beautiful as she was. Realizing that this probably wouldn't be the best for him to say out loud, he forced this thought from his mind and replied. "It's nice to meet you too, Katara." Before either of them had the chance to continue their conversation, the sound of a different door opening caught their attention. Even the other people who hadn't noticed her walk in looked up with anticipation as an older man walked out of what they could only assume was the audition room.
"Good morning, everyone!" the old man jovially greeted them as he looked around the room, looking at all of the hopeful faces looking back at him. "Thank you all for coming. As I am sure you all know, today we are holding auditions for the lead roles of Brightest in the Dark. I am the director and producer in charge of this project. My name is Iroh." No one bothered to respond, knowing that this wasn't a classroom with a teacher. "Today, we are going to try something new for our auditions. Due to the film having two main characters instead of one, I would like to try having everyone pair up for their auditions. One young man and one young woman."
"Since I do not know any of you very well, I will allow you to pick for yourselves," Iroh continued as excited murmurs went throughout the room. Hearing this, Aang and Katara shared a quick look, the same thought going through both of their minds. Want to be my partner? "I will give you a moment to decide. Once you have found your partner, stand up so that I may know you are ready."
Knowing there was no time to lose, Aang decided to ignore his nervousness as he turned back to Katara, feeling like he was back in highschool again. "Katara, do you-"
"Yes," she answered him before he could finish his question, making him relieved both that she had agreed and that she hadn't made him finish the question. With that settled, the two quickly stood up, making Iroh smile as he saw that they were ready.
"Ah, excellent," he smiled as he gestured for them to follow him before looking at the rest of the room who were glaring daggers at them. "The rest of you pick your partners and make certain you are ready." With that, he turned around and walked back into the room.
As the two followed him, Katara quickly whispered to Aang, admittedly for more than just being kind. "Good luck."
"You too," he whispered back, making her smile a bit before the two finally walked into the room and jumped a little as the door closed behind them.
"Ah, thank you, nephew," Iroh spoke as he took his seat, making the two struggling actors look over to the other person in the room who had closed the door behind them as he took his place to Iroh's right. Gesturing to the young man at his side, he then continued. "This is my studio assistant and nephew, Zuko. He will be helping me conduct the interviews today."
"Nice to meet you," Aang politely waved to him, but the man did not bother to respond. Seeing the look of complete boredom on his face and guessing that he wasn't the kind of man for words, Aang decided not to hold it against him.
With that taken care of, Iroh then turned back to them. "While we are making introductions, why don't you young ones introduce yourselves?"
Sharing a look with her, Aang decided to be a gentleman and motioned for her to go first, making her smile quickly before she forced herself to focus. "I'm Katara. Katara Rivers," she answered as she handed him her resume.
"Good, good," Iroh murmured as he looked over the paper, seeming to like what he saw before setting it down and looking over to the other. "And you are?"
"Aang Windstrom, sir," he answered as well, making Iroh smile as he saw that they both were polite and well-mannered.
"Well, it is not every day that I get to meet genuinely kind actors," Iroh chuckled as he looked over Aang's as well, being satisfied with what he could see and setting it down next to the other one where Zuko promptly scooped them up and put them on his clipboard. "In this business, everyone seems to not care for such niceties."
Zuko snorted a little as he looked over their resumes, surprising the two actors as they watched him speak. "Tell me about it. Uncle, I don't know how much more I can take dealing with them."
At this, Iroh just smiled and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry, my nephew. If all goes well, perhaps we will have some nice actors to work with," he added with a meaningful look at the auditioners. Being encouraged by this, but not letting their hopes get up too much, they smiled kindly in reply as Iroh sat back in his chair and became more comfortable. "Now, if we are going to be working together on this project for months, I would like to know a little about each of you to know what I'm working with. Miss Rivers?"
Seeing that he was waiting expectantly for her to begin, she wasted no time and began. "Truth be told, sir, there's not much to tell. I grew up in Antarctica as a little girl, but came here when I was older to follow my dreams. My family came with me, and now we live here."
"Well, we are glad to have you here, Miss Rivers," Iroh kindly told her, making her give him a smile of thanks in return. "What is your family like?"
Being a little surprised at this due to her not thinking he would go this far into her personal life, she decided to just be honest and answer. "I have a father and a brother. They are a lot alike, in that they both love meat and bad jokes, but my father is much smarter than my brother. At least in my opinion."
Chuckling at this, Iroh nodded. "Of course, of course. I would be surprised to hear of siblings who were not at odds with each other," he said with a pointed look at Zuko, who just rolled his eyes and looked away. Looking back to Katara, he then asked curiously. "What about your mother? She did not come with you here?" Seeing the look of sadness on her face, he quickly apologized with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I may have allowed myself to get a little too personal with my-"
"No, sir, it's okay," Katara politely cut him off as she took a quick breath and looked back at him. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather not get into specifics, but my mother is no longer with us."
Iroh gave her a look of sympathy, but the look he noticed Aang give her was one of understanding and empathy. Judging from this, he could only assume that this young man had gone through something similar, just as he knew that his Nephew had gone through something similar as well.
"Of course. I am sorry for prying too far," he apologized earnestly, being relieved as she gave him a reassuring smile before turning to Aang. "And what about you, Mr. Windstrom?"
"Well, I definitely didn't come from Antarctica," he began with a laugh, hoping to ease the sadness in her eyes, being happy that her eyes seemed to brighten in mirth at this. "But I was born in Wyoming, and lived there until I was six years old. My parents…" he trailed off for a moment before continuing. "Died during a tornado that destroyed my hometown. I survived somehow and was adopted by my Guardian, Gyatso, who moved me out to California."
Again, Iroh felt bad for intruding, but he couldn't deny that he was glad to be able to see what affected them most. By seeing this, he could truly see what kind of people they were, and by that could tell whether he could work with them or not.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Windstrom," he offered after a moment of silence.
"It's fine, sir," he assured him as he straightened himself out from his sad posture. "My Guardian took great care of me, and even now he's like a father to me."
"Good. I am glad to hear it," Iroh sighed, knowing that their conversation had taken a heavy toll on them. Deciding that it would be best to just go to the next part of their interview, he continued. "Well, you two both seem to be very genuine and kind. That is a rarity in this business."
"Unfortunately," Zuko commented dryly, making Iroh laugh as he patted him on the back.
"Well, now that I have asked you my questions, I would like to see you two perform a scene for me, if you wouldn't mind?" Iroh asked politely.
"Of course not," they both agreed at the same time, sharing a look of surprise as they realized that they had thought and spoken in perfect sync.
Noticing this, but deciding against saying anything about it, Iroh gestured for them to face each other and the two did so, holding their scripts at the ready. Unfortunately for Aang, his nervousness and being so close to Katara had made him blank on all of his lines, so he knew that he would have to read from the script.
Once Iroh was satisfied with this, he grabbed his own copy of the script and flipped through it as he put on some reader glasses. "Very well. Due to the two main characters being each other's love interest, I would like you two to act out a scene for me so that I may see how your chemistry would be on the screen. Please turn to page thirty-six." The two actors did as they were told, sneaking quick glances at each other over their scripts as they felt themselves become nervous. They felt a mutual attraction, but neither knew if the other felt the same attraction or not.
Iroh, having noticed that there appeared to be a tension between them, found himself looking forward to seeing how they performed and laid back as he watched them. "My nephew will narrate to set the scene. Zuko, if you'd please?"
Sighing, but knowing that he would have to do it even if he said no, reluctantly got his script out and turned to the page before carelessly reading. "Mason, having-"
"Wait!" Iroh politely cut off, making Zuko sigh in frustration as he looked over to Uncle. "We must record this. Would you please turn the camera on, dear nephew?"
Forcing himself not to get more annoyed than he could help, Zuko swallowed his pride and walked over to the camera, pressing the red button before he continued. "Mason, having just survived a fight with a merciless gang, is wounded and decides to break into a medical facility in the hopes of patching his wounds. Enter Mason into a poorly lit room."
Seeing that it was his line, Aang did his best to act like he was wounded and held onto his gut, the pain on his face looking quite real as Iroh watched him with interest. "Hello?" he called out in a raggedy voice, making Katara surprised as she saw him dissolve into the role. "Is anyone here?"
"Footsteps can be heard, and Mason pulls out a knife as he prepares to defend himself. Suddenly, he hears a voice he doesn't expect call out to him. A silhouette can be seen from the other end of the room."
Katara, knowing that it was her turn, cleared her throat and put some emotion in her voice. "Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"
"Mason, knowing that his wounds wouldn't help him in a fight, decides to placate the stranger as he puts his hands in the air as a gesture of peace."
"I'm not here to fight you, whoever you are!" Aang pretended to placate her, impressing both her and Iroh with his acting prowess. "I've been wounded, and I'm only looking for medicine to heal myself. I didn't think that anyone would be here."
"Silence sweeps over the room, but a few moments later the silhouette walks out into the dim light, revealing a young woman with a gun in her hand pointed at Mason. There is a look of obvious distrust on the woman's face."
Katara, seeing that it was once again her turn, read her line out loud with as much distrust as she could muster. "How do I know you're not with the Rikers?"
"The Rikers?" Aang echoed in fake-confusion. "Who are they?"
"The woman laughs, a look of clear disbelief on her face as she keeps her gun trained on him."
"Oh, please. How stupid do you think I am?" Katara challenged convincingly after replicating the narrative, feeling a bit ridiculous with the finger gun she currently had pointed at her partner. "They're the gang that runs this town. You're telling me you don't know who they are?"
"I'm not from around here," Aang responded with a very real fear on his face, doing his best to make it seem as real as possible as he kept his hands up in the air. "I've been on the road ever since…"
"Understanding dawns on the woman, her gun lowering ever so slightly as she looks at him quizzically. Yet the look of evident distrust still remains."
Putting on a look to match the description, Katara read. "You really aren't from these parts, are you?" Aang shook his head, keeping his hands in the air as he struggled to read the script with his hands being above his head.
"A few moments of awkward silence pass between the two, but much to Mason's relief, the girl reluctantly lowers her gun the rest of the way. Her posture becomes more relaxed, if only slightly."
"If you were from around here, you wouldn't have stuck around," Katara read as she pretended to holster her gun. "So, you said you were wounded?"
"I was," Aang read aloud next as he emphasized a look of pain, holding onto his gut as he nodded. "A gang attacked me on my way through town. I just barely managed to get out alive."
"The woman laughs bitterly, shaking her head as she walks over to him, though she noticeably keeps her distance."
"Yeah, that's the Riker's alright," Katara muttered crossly, making Iroh pleased to see how real the two were making the scene appear to be. But, for him to know if they would be a good fit for his movie, he would need to see how their chemistry as love interests was to make a decision. "Where did they get you?"
Seeing the script, Aang's eyes widened as he saw that he was going to have to lift up his shirt. But, after looking at Iroh and seeing him give him an encouraging nod, he forced himself not to think about it and reluctantly pulled up his shirt, revealing his well built torso. Katara tried her best not to blush as she looked at it, but failed rather miserably and did her best to hide it behind her script as she continued.
"They really got you…" she murmured thoughtfully, tapping her finger on her chin as she looked around the room. Though she couldn't stop herself from sneaking another quick look at his toned abs. Forcing herself to focus, she went back to the script and pretended to rummage through something. "The Rikers took most of my father's medicine, but I might have enough left over here to help you."
"Having found what she was looking for, the woman grabs a bottle of cream, some wrags, and some stitches before making her way over to Mason and tending to his wound. As she finishes addressing his wound, Mason lets out a relieved sigh."
Feeling a little awkward, Aang let out the best relieved sigh he could, making Katara giggle as she saw that he had overexaggerated it just a touch. Iroh, seeing this and smiling, watched as Aang sheepishly continued.
"That feels much better." Putting on a look of gratitude, Aang then read. "Thank you. I don't think I would have survived otherwise."
"The woman finishes with her bandaging and stands up to meet his eyes, their faces close as they both feel themselves suddenly drawn to each other."
Both once again getting nervous from this, Katara pretended to get up from the floor and met his eyes, both of them finding that they had no problem acting out this part. Forgetting where they were for a few moments, the two continued looking at each other before hearing the expectant cough from Zuko, making them both blush as they looked back down to their scripts.
"I'm glad that I could help," Katara murmured, once again getting lost in his eyes as they looked at each other. "I'm Sarah."
"Mason," Aang breathlessly whispered, finding that the breathlessness he felt was not pretend as he looked into her sapphire gems. The two just kept looking at each other, forgetting all about what was going on as they found that they did not want to look away for anything.
Before either of them could think of doing anything else, Iroh then shouted. "And… cut! That was great!" Snapping the two out of their trance as they forced themselves to look away from each other and focus on Iroh, both having heavy blushes staining their cheeks.
"Well, that was… interesting," Zuko dryly remarked, having noticed the way they had been looking at each other was not acting. Turning to his uncle, he then asked. "Should I get the next auditions in, Uncle?"
"No need, my Nephew!" Iroh grinned as he looked at the two actors in front of him, taking them all by surprise as he stood up from his chair and opened the door.
"Attention everyone! I would like to thank you all for coming, but there will be no more auditions for the lead roles!" Many complaints could be heard from the other room, but if Iroh had noticed, he didn't show it as he closed the door and turned back to Aang and Katara. A bright smile on his face as he joyfully exclaimed.
"Welcome to the film business!"
