INT. ABBEY- DAY
Xing sat in meditation. A butterbee zigzagged past him, and a few nuns passed him with their bunches of flowers, ready to make into perfume. The senior-most stopped, a scroll in her hand.
The Avatar slowly left his meditative state.
"Yes, Mother?"
She held the scroll. "The Earth King has ordered you to leave us. This letter claims that the Fire Lord has agreed to grant your return, provided you live a quiet life away from the capital."
"I can hardly believe it," Xing got to his feet.
"Six months she gave the Sages in the capital your honors, and now she'll allow you to return. What game is she playing?"
"No," he mused. "She has punished me by giving Great Sage Mori my tasks, and now she expects me to simply be good."
"And will you be?"
"She of all people ought to know better."
The Mother Superior shook her head sadly, and Xing put his hand on her shoulder.
"I knew something like this would happen. But nevertheless, I shall miss you and your Sisters."
….
Bolin sat anxiously on one of the old set pieces as other members of the cast, crew, and office staff trickled in. He scratched his head. While he was pleased his hair was returning, it itched fiercely, making him wonder how Tenzin and Bumi stood their beards. Or how Rie got by with her wigs and turbans, for that matter.
"Are they going to tell us what's going on, or what?" The actor who played the Earth King among a few unnamed characters.
Bang!
Varrick threw open the doors (by new the crew knew enough not to stack things near them), making a great deal of noise, perhaps through personality.
"I hate when he does that," Bolin whispered.
Zhu-Li slowly followed her husband, shutting the door.
"We're saved!" Varrick bellowed. "We're saved! This mover will Varrick the world!"
"The Fire Nation has agreed to allow limited screenings of 'The Wind and the Flame,'" Zhu-Li half-sighed, half-said.
"A smaller audience," Varrick said. "So I can charge more for the film rentals, and theaters will charge more for their tickets! If it's a littler harder to see, and the wax-chewers probably won't see it. So the people who do see it, will feel special, not complain about the price, and think the mover is even better than my little Moonflower already made it! I couldn't have planned this better!"
"Are we supposed to clap?" One of the camera operators whispered.
"Anyway," Varrick continued, "Keep practicing your speeches! The premier is in two days, and it'll be a busy night! Tickets are already sold out for the show, not to mention the party after! You will all have fun!"
Startled by the abrupt shift in the eccentric's mood, everyone clapped or whooped, just to be on the safe side.
"Good talk, then," he made a shooing gesture at his employees and then put an arm around Zhu-Li, gave her a lovesick look, and kissed her on the chin. "Let's go back to the office. I think we need some tea."
Varrick still slammed the door on his way out, making everyone cringe again.
Bolin whispered to Rie, who was closest to him. "Is it just me, or has Zhu-Li gained weight?"
She hesitated for several long seconds, index finger half-raised, before speaking. "Just practice what you say if you get asked about the story's historical inspirations."