"Welcome all, to the one and only tenth national showing of the Empire Island's very own theatrical group! Hurry up and find your seats now, no time for lollygagging, we have an absolutely extravagant show to put on for you all tonight."
The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere but nowhere at once, echoing over the cluster of people that were all hurrying to find their seats.
"As many of you know, our production stems from very humble origins. All the way back to Cabbages: The Musical. Again, no cabbages were harmed in the making of the musical, we assure you."
That part wasn't at all true, but rather than go through the civil issues again, the theatre group had agreed to include that ongoing disclaimer. Other notable titles that the theatre had put on in recent years included Our Hearts are Ice Caps, Let Us Melt and Of Bromance and Bending. Of course, none were as popular as the ensuing show, having been brought back into mainstream popularity by the new owner of the Empire Island Theatre Company, the one and only Iknik Blackstone Varrick.
Was it a bit unwise to have the play be put on after the rumours of what had occurred at the Boiling Rock? Perhaps, and that was certainly in the undercurrent of murmurs that were flying amongst the audience while the disembodied voice droned on, this time talking about some sort of advertisement for lotion? As the final stragglers found their seats, the voice fell to a hush, the lights dimming, and a spotlight being angled down at the center of the stage. Varrick himself came dashing onto the stage in that signature little run of his, a brilliant grin decorating his face. "Welcome, welcome!" he said cheerfully. "It is absolutely wonderful to be able to put this show on for you all a tenth time! What a milestone! I'm just glad that no one is tired of hearing about old mad Azula yet." Varrick said with a laugh that was echoed in waves by the audience.
All saved for one; a clearly young woman who had made herself a home in one of the topmost viewing boxes. She seemed to be a private person, as she wore a long yet fashionable trench coat, her long black hair elegantly cascading down to the middle of her back. Her makeup was quite heavy but it wasn't terribly done, if anything it just showed the hand of inexperience. And it was a bit vintage. Also adoring her features was a pair of complementary opera glasses.
Varrick went on a bit more about the history of the play, where they had started, where they had come from and so on, along with the occasional tangent wherein he expressed endless support for his wife Zhu Li. Okay, there were more than a few tangents, but things finally came to a head as he uttered the words that the audience had been craving since they had arrived.
"And in the role of the Mad Princess Azula, our leading lady tonight, Miss Yin Sang Yin!"
An eruption of applause followed, and the play began.
Act 1, Scene Three.
"How dare you spill syrup on the Fire Nation's Princess!?" "Azula" screeched at her servant. The stage had been set up for a breakfast set, where her costume having been thoroughly doused in what looked like actual syrup. "You will burn for this!" Throwing out her hand, streamers of brilliant blue that had been painstakingly shaped into flames were flung out, where the opposing actor fell to the stage's floor with a scream.
Act 1, Scene Six.
"I can't believe Father would get me such an insolent pet! It doesn't even listen to basic commands." "Azula" hissed as she watched the badgerfrog hop around on the stage. "Are you sure you're training it right?" "Ty Lee" questioned as she did cartwheels after the frog. "I mean I think it's pretty cute as it is." she added, sticking her tongue out at it as she ended up in front of it. A look of anger came across the lead's face, and she crossed her arms, the look fading into one of cool displeasure. "If you like it so much Ty Lee, why not stick around to join its fate?" she questioned, giving a dark smirk. The actress in question gave a visible gulp and was quick to scramble to a normal standing position as she scurried away. "That's what I thought." Clearing her throat, she gave a cool glare to the pet. "I have no use for useless things...let this serve as a reminder to the both of you as well." With that, a similar bout of streamers were thrown at the badgerfrog, who had to be retrieved by a stagehand, which allowed for a comical laugh from the audience.
Act 2, Scene Four.
"C'mon, you know I didn't mean it!" a young man pleaded as he scrambled across the floor backwards.
"You said that Mei's dress was far prettier than mine, and that you would rather be dancing than standing on the sidelines. And yet, here you are, grovelling at the feet of the princess. You have made your grave, it's time to burn in it." "Azula" said as she raised her hand.
"Wait babe, please!"
"It's Fire Princess Azula to you. For that, I don't think I'll leave anything of you behind for your family to bury." Once again, the streamers made an appearance; burning the supposed lover where he lay sobbing and mock screaming. The streamers cascading into the audience to much delight.
Act 3. Final Scene.
"What are we going to do?" an actress dressed in old traditional Water Tribe garments lamented. "We cannot defeat her! I am but a lowly water tribe girl, and you are so grievously wounded-" Holding each other up were renditions of both Zuko and Katara, who shared a worried look between them, while "Azula" was cackling like a madwoman.
"You fools, you thought that you stood a chance? You thought you could defeat me? Why, dear brother, it appears that you far stupider than you look! Do you really think that you and your new little girlfriend will be able to defeat me? Soon you both will be nothing but cinders at my feet, and I will be the one to lead our great nation into a new era of conquest! The world will know my name!" she hissed, before falling into another bout of maniacal cackles.
There was a moment of audible gasps from the audience, before "Zuko" steeled his resolve, standing a little taller. "Fear not! I may be at death's door, and you may be practically useless, but...we still have..." Zuko's words seemed laboured before turning and grabbing Katara's hands, the throes of an angelic choir starting to sound. "The power of LOVE! "
The music swelled, and with each passing note "Azula" stumbled backwards, chains moving to wrap around her, courtesy of the metalbenders behind the stage, pinning her to the floor.
"This is not the end! One day you will be kneeling at my feet brother! Nobody makes a fool out of Princess Azula and lives! " As she howled on, guards appeared on stage, picking her up and quite literally dragging her off stage while the audience roared their approval among thick rounds of applause, followed by a standing ovation.
The Stranger in the seating box however, had a much more subdued reaction. She was clapping, of course, but slowly. Methodically. The tight little smile that pulled on her face was also something that lacked mirth or joy, but rather held the promise of something else. Something...praetorial.
Yin had long since retired to her dressing room following the final bow, having changed down to the more basic elements of her costume for comfort. All across her dressing room were large bouquets of flowers, chocolates, plush animals, and other such articles meant to garner her favour. In the corner in a large basket was a towering stack of letters that she kept telling herself she would read eventually. Seated at her vanity mirror, there were a few more bouquets haphazardly stacked on the edges, with a full cast photo tucked in the corner of the frame in the mirror itself. Scrubbing at her face with a clean and somewhat damp cloth, a content yet exhausted sigh escaped the young woman.
It was then that the door swung open, though Yin didn't think anything of it. "Rockefeller, can you please tell everyone that I'm no longer accepting gifts at the moment? I'm afraid that at this point we're going to run out of space." the young actress said, a laugh decorating her words. She had no other reason to believe that the person who had just entered was anyone but her bodyguard. The man in question was a great earthbender, in both might and size. Easily dwarfing her at well over six feet, Rockefeller had enough muscles to put any 'professional' strong-man to shame. As Yin glanced in the mirror though, she saw that the individual wasn't her famously grump guard, but rather a woman that she had never seen before.
"Hello," the Stranger spoke, a soft yet cold smile pulling at her lips as she stared at the other, not yet moving.
Yin turned in her chair, taking in the full appearance of the woman. Despite her heavy makeup, she was actually quite beautiful. Her long black hair stabbed a pang of envy in the young actress. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Did my bodyguard let you in?" she asked, trying to sound pleasant, but behind her eyes there was already a complaint forming.
"Oh, there wasn't anyone out there." she replied, stepping forward as she let the door swing shut behind her.
As it did so, Yin caught sight of some sort of dust swirl in the draft. Black dust.
"I do hope that I'm not crossing any lines, I'm just such a huge fan of your work. I couldn't stand to pass up an opportunity to speak with you."
There was a sparkle in Yin's eyes, like a sweet spot had been hit. A sponge for praise, as per usual. So she instead chose to turn around in her chair so as to finish taking off her makeup, all the while grumbling about how unprofessional Rockefeller was. "Oh, well thank you. It's always nice to meet a fan." Yin responded, glancing back at the woman in the mirror, clearly become disinterested in the whole affair. Though that didn't seem to deter her guest.
"Your performance as Azula tonight was truly captivating," the Stranger spoke as she got closer, her head tilting to the side just so. "I was riveted. You really captured all the emotional complexities of the character."
"Well, thank you. The role was easy to step into. I've always believed that despite the craziness, Azula and I share a lot of base characteristics. You know, a little boy crazy, wanting to soak up the limelight, we've all been there. Splash on some fake outrage, and you've got yourself a picturesque mad princess," Yin chuckled.
There was the faintest dip in the Stranger's smile.
"Did you ever visit her? You've put in so much...time and research, surely you met Azula in real-life?"
The question prompted an actual laugh out of Yin. "Of course not! Her life is so well documented as is. What would I have to gain by visiting a bag of creepy old bones whose memory is probably all over the place," she said, slowly rising out of her sear. "Thank you for coming by, it was quite nice to talk about the role with a fan. I might have to host a proper meet and greet soon. You should come by, I'll give you an autograph free of charge. With how much attention this last show got, I won't be surprised if the royal family themselves came down to see it! I play the role so well that I'm sure the Fire Lord would believe that it was his actual sister up on the stage!" Yin said, pumping her fists a little. Her smile like the sun.
Two hands latched around her shoulders, pushing her back into the chair with little resistance. Yin barely having time to appear shocked before the Stranger's face was by her own, lips brushing against her ear, their voice dropping to that of a whisper.
"Allow me to fill in the gaps that your pitiful performance glossed over " she hissed. "I never had a badgerfrog. My first pet was actually my first boyfriend. You see, he was quite an insolent boy, and he spurned my declaration of love because he was afraid of me. Of course, he had every reason to be. I like to think he regretted his decision once I had him brought to me, bound in chains. Unfortunately, he was just as failure of a pet as he was a boy, he never learned any of the tricks I asked of him. So I did the sensible thing and had him put down."
Yin's blood chilled, not daring to utter a word as the Stranger continued on, her hands now alight with blue flames, licking hungrily at the actress's shoulders. T
"I never burned the servants that failed me, that would have been letting them off too easily. Instead, I made sure that they lost everything that was important to them. Their titles? Gone. Their homes? Gone. They were never again to be welcomed back into the Fire Nation. If they were lucky, I would let their families go with them. Though never in one piece."
Thick tears started to clog Yin's vision. A heavy sob is wrenched in her throat.
"Though, I do have to admit, there is one thing that you, a bumbling clown, managed to get right." The Stranger's smile widened. "Nobody makes a fool out of Princess Azula and lives. "
Blue and silver flames that coat Yin's skin. The mirror. The dozens of bouquets that surrounded it. All of it turning into black dust in a single, blinding moment.
Azula stalked out of the theatre with a spring in her step and a glint in her eye, not even pausing as a shrill scream sounded from within the depths of the theatre. If anything, the sound propelled her forward, weaving through corners and shadows like a cat.
"What a wonderful way to spend an evening," she chuckled to herself.
Only for that smile to contort as she double over in pain. Barely able to catch herself in the moment, reaching to grasp the nearby wall. Eyes wide. Voice caught in her throat. Gasping at nothing. Shadows and images flooding into her vision, but nothing tangible. Instead, three ghosts appeared before her. Flashes of faces she barely knew. Their expressions unreadable.
The Avatar; tall and well-built, dressed in that ridiculous Water Tribe garb. Spiritual spawn of the Air Nomad she had brought to near death. She deserved to watch her home melt and boil. A transcendent revenge.
The second; ivory skin, with a unique shade of purple hair. Darkness behind amethyst eyes. A crimson gemstone nestled dead centre in the middle of her forehead. Unknown words on unknown lips. A bird? Clip her wings and stuff her bloated body in a cage.
The third and final face. Another woman. A warrior. Impossibly tall. Unblinking. Radiant. A self-righteous light. Thinking herself beyond the flames. Strong enough to cleave through all. Truly detestable. Take her head with her own sword. Leave her body as a reminder for all to look upon in horror.
Breath found Azula's lungs, causing her to cry out as she collapsed, clutching at her chest. As if her body had forgotten how to live for the briefest of moments. Her senses returned, ignoring the dizziness, forcing herself to return to full height. Swallowing the night air. No one could see her falter. She was beyond such things.
"Who..." words failed her, but it didn't matter. Each of their faces had only flashed by for a second, but the second was long enough for Azula to commit them all to memory.
Had it been a trick of the light? Maybe her arm had seized up because her body wasn't used to being so young again. Yes, that was it. She just needed time to adjust. Nodding a little to herself, Azula straightened and dusted some remaining ash from her clothes. She didn't have time for this after all. Not for that brat of a new Avatar, not for the mysterious vision, not for the random splotches of pain. And certainly not for whatever 'consequences' might be awaiting her now that she had set a fire in that accursed theatre.
No, she had a family reunion to organize.
Her smile returned.