Chapter 2: The First Day

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or anything related to it.


Aang couldn't quite believe it as he found himself standing outside one of the most well-known movie studios in the country. It had been a week since the fateful audition where the director Iroh had given him the lead role without needing to audition anyone else. Needless to say, he had been rather shocked at this. It was a rare thing for actors to be given the news on the same day, let alone at the very end of the audition and without anyone else being given the chance to try for themselves.

And though he was glad to have finally gotten a real chance of being in the movies, he also couldn't help but be profoundly nervous as well. After all, this wasn't just some commercial gig that would be played on television for a month or two. This was the big time. The real deal. This movie could either launch his career or kill it, and knowing this, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety go through him as he looked ahead of him.

It certainly didn't help that there were people all over the area where he needed to be. Everyone from tourists to executives seemed to be milling about, making him wonder how he was even going to be able to find the director who had hired him in this sea of faces. Though he felt it safe to say that the director was likely inside the building, and decided that this would be his safest bet.

Taking a deep breath, the young actor was working up the courage to move when he heard a familiarly sweet voice behind him.

"Aang?"

Freezing in surprise as he wondered if it was who he thought it was, he turned his head and found his suspicions to be confirmed as he looked upon the beautiful girl he had auditioned with. Smiling at her, even if he couldn't help but feel a little nervous from seeing her, he replied. "Hey, Katara. What's up?"

Smiling back at him, she shrugged and laughed a little. "Well, I just got here and noticed that you seemed to be… a little lost."

Laughing at this, Aang nodded his agreement and looked back to the studio in front of him. "Yeah, you could say that. It's just…"

"There's so many people?" Katara helpfully supplied, making him look at her sharply as he wondered how she had known just what he was thinking. Giggling again, making his heartbeat pick up as he listened to her melodious laughter, she gave him a reassuring smile as she decided to answer his unspoken question. "I know because I'm thinking the same thing."

Being surprised to hear this, but also being quite relieved to know that he wasn't the only one, he let out a soft chuckle as he turned back to look ahead of them. "Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I knew what I was getting into when I auditioned, but I honestly never really thought I'd make it this far. And now, actually being here…" he told her honestly, making her smile at him as she found that she appreciated his honesty.

"If I'm being honest, I didn't think I would either," she confessed, making him look at her in surprise. "I thought I would just end up doing small commercials for the rest of my career." She laughed a little at herself. "If you can even call it that."

Finding that he couldn't believe that she doubted herself so much, he turned fully to look at her. "You're kidding, right?" Katara just shook her head simply, making him amazed that she truly didn't seem to believe in herself. "Katara, you were amazing during the audition."

Katara couldn't help but smile at this. "You really think so?" she asked hopefully, watching as he laughed in disbelief that she even had to ask.

"Of course!" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You were awesome then, and you're going to do great here. I know you will."

Feeling reassured by his faith in her and finding that she couldn't keep the smile off her face, she decided to respond. "Thanks, Aang. And I know you're going to do great, too."

"If you say so," he just laughed it off, making her smile grow as she saw how truly humble he was. It amazed her how little credit he gave himself. Especially compared to most of the jerks she had met while trying to make it. He was truly the most humble and kind person she had ever met.

Her heart beating quickly as she looked at him, she smiled and playfully nudged him. "Come on. We've both been putting it off long enough." Smiling in return, he nodded his agreement and followed her as they made their way inside, both of them gasping as they looked around the studio.

The inside appeared to be even bigger than the outside, and if there had been a lot of people on the outside, there were even more on the inside. Though this wasn't favorable for either of them, they both couldn't help but be amazed at everything that lay in front of them. Directly ahead of them lay everything from lights to food tables, being surrounded by a sea of faces.

Once again feeling themselves overwhelmed by this new atmosphere, they became surprised as they heard a familiarly jovial voice call out to them. "Miss Rivers! Mr. Windstrom!"

Following the direction the voice was coming from, they watched as the owner of the voice finally came into view, the crowd around him making sure to give him space as he and his nephew walked up to them. "It's very good to see you!" he greeted them pleasantly as he shook their hands, making them smile as they saw that he was genuinely happy to see them. "Nephew, don't be shy. Say hello to our new friends."

Sighing a little, Zuko looked up for a split second from his phone and droned out a quick "hello" before looking back down at his phone. Laughing at this, Iroh wrapped an arm around his newest leads and began leading them away. "Don't mind my nephew. He's not really the talking type."

"It's fine," Katara assured him with a laugh as she allowed him to lead the way, sharing a look of bewilderment with Aang due to Iroh's surprising kindness and lack of boundaries. "I wish my brother Sokka would be more like him sometimes."

Aang couldn't contain a grin as he heard her joke, and Iroh didn't bother to hold in his laughter as he found her honesty refreshing. "Ah, yes. I imagine so. I never got along very well with my brother when I was younger. Siblings can be quite complicated," he told them while leading the way through the crowd, shooting his nephew a grin as he slyly asked. "Isn't that right, my Nephew?"

Rolling his eyes, Zuko snorted a little and looked back at his phone as he appeared to be texting someone rather angrily. "Don't get me started, Uncle." Laughing jovially at this, Iroh finally stopped when the four reached a room with a label across the top that read: "Director's Office".

Finally letting go of the two actors, Iroh opened up the door and gestured for them to step in, an inviting smile on his face as he said. "Come in! Come in! Take a seat! We have much to discuss!" Doing as they were told, Aang and Katara took the two seats that were set up in front of a large, wooden desk with a computer on top of it. Despite the fact that Iroh was a big shot Hollywood director, the two couldn't help but be surprised as they looked around the room and noticed all of the unusual decorations that Iroh had given his office.

From what Aang had seen, most Hollywood directors who weren't from another country were fairly standard in how they kept their office space. But Iroh was different. The whole room was decked out with Japanese decorations. Some of which included teapots, kitchenware, a full length katana hanging up on the wall opposite to them, and even a full set of Samurai armor. Clearly, Iroh had a great interest in Japan, if his office was any indication.

Katara couldn't help but be impressed as she looked around, appreciating that Iroh didn't appear to be like any other director she had worked with before. If he was as unique as his office was, it would truly be an interesting experience working with him.

Letting out a relaxed sigh as Iroh took his seat in his big, comfy computer chair that appeared to be the only thing not of Japanese origin other than his computer, he noticed quickly as the two actors in front of him looked around at the room in wonder, making him smile as he saw how they appreciated the decor as well.

"Wow," Aang finally said after he had finished his survey of the room and looked back to Iroh. "This has to be the most unique director's office I've ever seen."

"Thank you, Mr. Windstrom," Iroh grinned as he enjoyed the compliment, taking a sweeping look over the room himself as Zuko sat down in a chair in the corner of the room. "You see, our family came to America from Japan, and I never want to forget where we came from. So I brought as many family heirlooms as I could with me and now some reside here and some at my home."

Katara smiled as she heard this, liking hearing that Iroh seemed to appreciate his home like she did. As much as she was glad to be where she was now, Antarctica would always have a place in her heart, even if she was rather glad that she didn't have to deal with the freezing temperatures anymore.

"I like it," she finally spoke as she took another look around the room, her eyes lingering a little on Aang for a few moments before she forced herself to look back to Iroh. "It reminds me a lot of what my Father did when we first moved here. My brother and I felt like we were in a different world, so he decorated our rooms with things that reminded us of home to help us get used to our new home."

"Your father sounds like a very smart and kind man," Iroh commented, making Katara smile as she nodded her agreement.

"He is. My people were very sad when he told them that we were leaving," she replied as she thought back to it. "He used to be the chief of our tribe."

"Fascinating," Iroh smiled as he noticed that she seemed to be warming up to him more. Even willingly offering a completely unnecessary detail of her life as they talked. If things went as he planned, by the time the movie was finished, the three would be great friends who he hopefully would be able to work with on other projects that he had in mind down the road. Looking at the young man in front of him, he then asked curiously. "You said that you are from Wyoming?"

"Yes, sir," Aang nodded in affirmation as he sat in perfect posture, making Iroh's eyebrow raise before he looked back over to Katara and noticed that she appeared to be doing the same.

Not liking this, he put on an easy smile and said. "Please, my friends. Relax. I know it is your first day, but there is no need for you to be so tense." His smile growing as an idea came to mind, he quickly dug out a small device from his desk and put it on top, plugging in the cord to the wall and turning it on before placing one of his rather expensive-looking tea kettles on the device. Being satisfied with this, he stood up and walked over to the nearby water cooler, grabbing a large cup and filling it to the brim before bringing it back over to the pot and pouring it in. With that taken care of, he quickly reached down into his desk and produced some tea mix, smiling excitedly as he found himself looking forward to enjoying some tea with his new friends.

"What you two need is some nice, calming Jasmine tea," he told them as he patiently watched the kettle warm up. After about several minutes of watching the kettle in silence, Iroh grinned as the kettle whistled and quickly picked it up, carefully pouring the heated water into his expensive-looking teapot and adding the needed ingredients before putting the lid back on. After another few minutes of allowing the tea to steep, he became satisfied by the wafting smell of the tea and knew that it was ready. Taking some nearby cups from the shelf behind him, he put them down on his desk and poured out the contents.

Aang and Katara shared another look of bewilderment, not having expected their conversation with their director to be put off for several minutes for the sake of tea, but looked back in time as Iroh offered them each a cup on a small plate. "Here, drink. This will help to settle your nerves." Sharing another look with each other, despite not knowing much about each other, the two seemed to come to an understanding and took the drinks, taking a sip of it before they seemed to instantly relax.

"Wow," Aang laughed as he took another sip of his drink and noticeably relaxed further, his posture no longer perfect as he eased himself into his chair. "This stuff really works."

"Yeah," Katara laughed in agreement as she took a bigger swig of hers, letting out a relaxed sigh as she put it back on her plate. "I haven't been this relaxed in a long time."

Iroh, grinning as he saw that they were finally loosening up, said. "Good. Tea works wonders for the mind and the body." Turning to look at his nephew, he then asked. "Nephew, would you like some?"

"No, thank you," Zuko replied distractedly, still engrossed in his phone as he tapped away at the screen. When he was met with no response, he looked up and saw the look his uncle was giving him and let out a sigh, knowing that his uncle wouldn't take 'no' for answer and dryly answered. "Yes, Uncle. I would love a cup of tea."

Aang and Katara couldn't help but snicker at the clear sarcasm in his voice, and Iroh smiled, being glad that the two didn't seem to mind that his nephew wasn't exactly the friendliest of people. "Well, if you insist," Iroh joked back before pouring out another cup of tea and giving it to his nephew who, upon seeing that Iroh wouldn't take his eyes off of him until he had some, sighed again before taking a sip. "Thank you, Nephew," Iroh told him gratefully before turning around back to the two actors who appeared to be much more relaxed than before. "So, do you two feel more at ease?" The two nodded, making him smile as he kicked back in his chair and took a sip of tea as well, letting out a relaxed sigh. "Very good. Now that you are relaxed, let's discuss what will happen over the time that we make this movie."

Sharing a look of confusion with each other, Aang and Katara looked at Iroh curiously as Katara asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, seeing as you two have never been in this big of a production before, I feel it would be a good idea to fill you in on the process," he explained, the looks of confusion etched on their faces being replaced with realization as they came to his understanding.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Aang sheepishly laughed as he rubbed his neck, making Katara smile as she watched him. She hadn't noticed this nervous habit of his before, but now that she had seen it, she found it remarkably adorable.

Iroh, having noticed this, smiled as he found himself looking forward to seeing how things would play out in the future and continued. "Well, to put it into simple terms, we will start you two off with familiarizing yourselves with the script, your characters, and the other characters. Once that's taken care of, we'll start working on scenes, and in Katara's case, something special I have in mind."

The two actors taking on a look of surprise as they heard this, Katara looked at Aang who appeared to be just as in the dark about it before looking back to Iroh and asking. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, this may be a silly idea," Iroh admitted sheepishly before taking another sip of his tea and pondering how to answer her. "But for this movie, I envisioned it opening with the female lead speaking in the background as a sort of means to explain how the world came to be so… apocalyptic. As if she was telling the story to someone else before the movie truly begins." He sighed a little, clearly not so convinced of the idea himself. "I know, it sounds quite silly, doesn't it?"

"Not at all," Aang disagreed immediately, catching Katara by surprise that he seemed to be completely unjealous that Katara would have a special part in the movie that he wouldn't. "For these kinds of movies, actually, I think it would be perfect. It would set the tone of the movie, and give a good description to the viewers without ruining the story for them."

Iroh, appearing to be pleased that Aang was in agreement with him, watched as Katara kept staring at Aang in surprise. Katara herself found that her mind had ground to a halt as she tried to process his words. This likely shouldn't have come as such a shock to her given how obviously humble and kind Aang was, but all of the actors she had worked with in the past, which admittedly weren't many due to her not having gotten a lot of work, had been selfish, stuck-up jerks who would do nearly anything to get more exposure. So much so that she had pretty much expected all other actors to be the same, but here Aang was proving this notion of hers to be wrong. If only for this one case.

"Well, I'm very glad that you agree, Mr. Windstrom," Iroh chuckled, being glad that he had chosen these two as he turned to look at Katara. "And what do you think, Miss Rivers?"

Still appearing to be in a state of shock, she finally seemed to realize that they were awaiting her answer before snapping herself out of it, a shy look on her face as she replied. "Well, I think it could be a good idea, but it doesn't have to be me who could do it. Aang's character could easily be the one who sets up the story in the beginning."

At this, Aang laughed, finding it amazing how little confidence she had in herself. "Don't be silly, Katara," he told her as he gave her a reassuring smile. "You'd be amazing doing it. With your pretty voice starting the movie, no one would want to leave."

Blushing as she heard this, Katara smiled a little and shyly asked. "You think my voice is pretty?"

Aang, realizing what he had just admitted and blushing furiously, laughed nervously and rubbed his neck again, making Katara smile endearingly at him as she watched him. "Uh…" Zuko, having looked up from his phone to watch the scene in front of him, couldn't contain a snicker as he smirked and enjoyed watching the show. If this was how they were going to be like the whole time during the movie making process, he was confident that he would never get bored.

Iroh, also having enjoyed this quite a bit, grinned and decided to help the poor young actor out. "He is right, Miss Rivers. Your lovely voice would draw all kinds of people to come see our movie. I believe that you are the right person for this task."

Katara, still looking unsure about this herself, looked again at Aang who gave her a reassuring smile, his confidence in her proudly displayed as she smiled back at him. Feeling better about this proposal now, she nodded her agreement and looked back to Iroh. "Okay. I'll do the intro."

"Fantastic!" Iroh exclaimed joyfully, taking a nearby notepad and scribbling something down before setting it back onto the desk. "With that settled, I will finish explaining the rest of the movie-making process. Once we have all the scenes recorded to our liking, we will allow our editing experts to make the necessary cuts that will be needed and get the movie ready for showtime. While this happens, we will be putting out a major ad campaign for the movie to draw in crowds. With you two being the leads of the movie, we will have you go on talk shows to spread awareness of it. And we may even do a long-used trick to attract people to our movie."

"And what's that?" Aang asked curiously, making Iroh smile as he found himself looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces from what he was about to say.

"In the film-making business, it is not uncommon for fellow actors to fall in love over the time spent on a project," Iroh began, making the two actors' eyes widen before glancing at each other with blushes tinging their cheeks before looking back to Iroh. Grinning as he saw this, he continued. "And market research indicates that people are more likely to go to a movie if there is some off-screen romance involved, so if you both are willing, we could have you two be a couple when you do your interviews."

Coughing as he breathed sharply in surprise as he heard this, Aang felt incredibly embarrassed as the other three in the room looked at him in shock, and in Iroh and Zuko's case, amusement as well. Katara herself wasn't sure what to take from this reaction, but fortunately for Aang, she didn't get to think about it for long before Iroh heartily laughed and asked. "Well, what do you think? Do you think you could manage it?"

Sharing another look with each other, the two laughed nervously with heavy blushes on their faces, and it was Katara who answered. "Well, I don't know… I've never had to act like I was in a relationship before."

"Me neither," Aang agreed, seeing as they both had only ever been in small scale commercials prior to this. Besides, they both knew that acting on a set and pretending to be a couple in the real world were two very different things. "I'm not sure if I'd be any good at it."

Grinning again, Iroh chuckled and gave them a reassuring smile. "Oh, I am sure that you two would make a very convincing couple," he told them, causing them to blush again as they looked away from each other, serving to only reinforce his suspicions as he smirked to his nephew. "What do you think, Nephew?"

Zuko, having put down his phone since Aang had unintentionally wheezed at the mere mention of being in a pretend relationship with Katara, smirked right back and replied. "Yeah, I could see it."

Being glad that his nephew was in agreement, he turned back to the two and gave them a joyful smile. "We are confident that you both are equal to the task. So, what do you say?" Watching as the two shared another look, the heavy blushes still lighting up their cheeks as they seemed to be having a telepathic communication, they seemed to reach in agreement and looked back to Iroh.

"Okay, we'll give it a shot," Katara answered with a smile, secretly being excited at this. Maybe just maybe with a little luck and time, she and Aang wouldn't have to pretend to be a couple when they went out to advertise for the movie.

"Excellent," Iroh grinned once more, being satisfied that the two had agreed to it. With what he had seen, they would truly make a convincing couple. That is if they didn't actually become a couple over the time they spent filming, that is. "With that settled, I would strongly suggest taking some time to get to know each other personally. The more that you two learn and become more comfortable around each other, the more convincing it will be, both on and off screen. Do you think you can handle that?"

Sharing another look, this time the two didn't blush, but instead shared a genuine smile. "I think we can manage that," Aang replied on both of their behalf, making Iroh smile as he looked at them.

"Very good." Looking at the time, he smiled as an idea came to mind, it turning into another smirk as he lightly suggested. "Why don't you get to know each other more right now? There is a nice cafe not too far from here where you can get some coffee and get to know each other."

"Right now?" Katara couldn't help but ask in surprise. "But shouldn't we be doing some filming or something?"

At this, Iroh chuckled, clearly being amused by this idea as he shook his head. "No, not on the first day. The first day is all about ironing out the details and making sure everyone is on board, and part of that means allowing the leads to become familiar with each other. Here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and took some money out, giving it to Aang as the young actor could only stare at the hundred dollar bill in surprise. "This should cover any expenses."

"With all due respect, sir, this is way too much," Aang politely argued as he attempted to give him the money back. "Even for California."

"Nonsense," Iroh waved him off as he gently smacked his hand away, though he was once again encouraged to see just how down to earth his newest stars really were. "Consider it a good investment into making this movie even better. Now, run along!" he smiled as he ushered them out. "The sooner you two become more familiar with one another, the sooner we can make a hit movie!" Finally getting them outside of his office, he gave them a goodbye wave and exclaimed. "Have fun!"

And with that, he shut the door, leaving the two outside of his office with looks of clear confusion on their faces. As clear as it was that Iroh was no ordinary director, they still couldn't help but be surprised by what had just happened.

After a few moments of just standing there in shock, Aang was the first one to snap out of it and laughed sheepishly, finding himself to be both nervous and excited to spend more time with Katara. "Well, I guess we should get going."

"I guess so," Katara couldn't help but laugh, finding that the whole situation was both confusing and amusing, and she had to admit that she was rather excited to get to know him more as well. "So, which cafe are we going to?"

"I have no idea," Aang confessed with a laugh as they began walking away. "He didn't say the name of it."

Katara grinned at him, finding that although Iroh's style of directing wasn't the most straightforward way she had ever seen, that at least she would be getting paid to drink coffee and talk to a rather interesting and attractive young man. "Well, I guess we'll figure it out. Come on," she chuckled as she grabbed his hand, making him blush as she began dragging him away.

Iroh and Zuko, who had sneakily watched them from behind the blinds that covered the window to Iroh's office, smirked at each other and finally backed away as the two disappeared out of sight. Zuko, knowing that his uncle was certainly an… interesting director, couldn't help but ask. "Uncle, why are you paying for them to have coffee and talk?"

"Like I told them, my Nephew," he answered him calmly as he retook his seat and took another sip of tea, letting out a relaxed sigh before continuing. "The best way to get a good performance out of two leads is to have them get to know each other."

"And if they get to know each other and find out that they don't like each other?" Zuko asked pessimistically.

"Then we will figure out another way," Iroh shrugged, a grin spreading on his face as he remembered the two actors' previous reactions to finding out about possibly being a pretend couple. "Besides, I very much doubt they will not like each other. Wouldn't you agree?"

Smirking again at this, Zuko rolled his eyes and sat back down as he resumed looking at his phone. "Whatever you say, Uncle." He stopped suddenly as a thought came to mind, remembering how Iroh had practically been teasing them the entire time. "You want them to get together, don't you?"

"Well, it would be a lot easier for them to be a couple during interviews if they were actually together, wouldn't it?" Iroh grinned, making Zuko roll his eyes again as he shook his head at his uncle.

"That's not the only reason, is it?"

Iroh couldn't hold back a wistful smile as he heard this, letting out a laugh as he shrugged in answer. "What can I say, Nephew? Young love is a beautiful thing."