He he he... And now, for something completely different...
Heads up on things in this chapter -
A:Name = Actor
"italics" = Actor dialogue
(Thanks Shittyshitaki for the suggestion of how to write Actor Ryuu! And the review. And Sparkysparkbo0mman too.)
~ The Ember Island Players~
Act One
Ryuu POV
Aang managed to keep perfect timing with Zuko as the practiced in the coutyard of our new hideout - Ozai's beach house. How ironic really, hiding from your nemesis in thier own home. Toph lounged back on the steps while Katara and I watched the two shirtless boys. The Ember Island climate was beautiful - comfortably warm and blindingly sunny.
With a bow, practice was over. Zuko stretched his arms and grabbed a towel to wipe his forehead, which was beaded with sweat. I went to join him as he sat down on the dry fountain. With a relaxed sigh, he leant over and laying a feathery kiss on my lips as I sat down - I was caught of guard, so nearly fell backwards into the fountain.
"Hey, you two," Toph bellowed at the top of her lungs, "Stop the snogging!"
I turned beetroot red, "Toph!"
Zuko chuckled lightly and dabbled his chest free of sweat as Katara spoke up, "Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?"
He hung the towel from his hand, "I told you, my father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."
I blushed at him. He smirked back as my eyes snapped to look as his chest than back up to his eyes. He held back a laugh as I turned reder. I rolled my eyes as he went to kiss me again, but was interrupted by Sokka and Suki sprinting into the courtyard.
Sokka began gushing, "You're not gonna believe this! There's a play about us!"
He dramatically produced a poster as Suki nodded profusely, "We were just in town and we found this poster!"
"Hey, Water boy, weren't you supposed to be getting supplies-?" I started.
"Listen to this," Sokka turned the poster so he could read it, ignoring me; Everyone listened respectfully. As he finished reading, Suki read the last bit, "Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."
Beside me, Zuko moaned, "Ugh! My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!"
I giggled behind my hand, "How can you butcher that play? It's already nonsensical. "
Zuko shrugged happily, "I know right! "
Katara voiced a comment about how it probably wasn't wise to see a play about ourselves, her brother wafted the poster about keenly, "Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!"
I raised my brow as Aang nodded, "Sure. How bad can it be?"
...
Admission paid and seats taken, we slid into the two rows while the theatre hummed with life. Toph, then Katara, then Zuko and I slid into the front row - Aang pointed to where Zuko was sitting and pouted dejectedly.
"Hey, uh ... I wanted to sit there."
Zuko shrugged nonchalantly, "Sit next to Ryuu, it's just a seat."
Aang went to protest but gave up half-way, flopping down beside me.
"Hey," I hissed at Aang, "I'll swap you, if you want."
The Avatar shook his head slowly, "It's fine - you sit next to your boyfriend..."
I elbowed Zuko harshly in the ribs. He cast me a look as I whispered Aang's motive for sitting beside Katara. Zuko huffed: "He has loads of other opportunities to sit next to her. It's just a seat."
I rolled my eyes and pulled a 'you-utter-jerk' expression. Aang gave me a tiny thankful expression before tuning back stare at the stalls below us. Zuko tucked his arm around my shoulders and relaxed more as Toph propped her feet onto the wooden rail and complained.
"Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section? My feet can't see a thing from up here!"
Katara assured the Earthbender she would tell her what was going on. Suki and Sokka slid in the row behind us as the curtain began to pull skyward. Voices hushed and the play began:
A Watertribe boat on wheels surrounded by stage-hand operated waves skidded onto stage. A:Katara and A:Sokka were the first guys we saw.
"Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!"
A:Katara sighed dramatically. I clasped both hands over my mouth and stifled a giggle as all the play proceeded with the Watertribe siblings. I began shaking with laughter - so-much-so Zuko had to grip my shoulders to prevent me from making a scene. Sokka hissed a compliment about his character before Toph snorted, "I think he's got you pegged!"
A:Katara continued in an over emotional speech, "Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears! Still, we cannot give up hope! For hope, is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even ... even to our dying breath! "
Suki was also having a hard time trying to restrain a laugh as Katara started complaining about her character. Zuko was smirking at the siblings pain. An iceberg was wheeled onto stage with a cut-out figure behind it. A:Katara did some 'Waterbending ' (saying hi-yah) and the Berg split, releasing a overtly feminine Aang.
Next to me, the real Aang's eyes bugged at his actor. I buried my face into Zuko's chest - deing of laughter. Zuko stroked my back in an attempt to calm me. The play continued regardless.
"My heart is so full of hope, that it's making me tearbend! "
A:Sokka joined in the 'tearbending' with the actress as A:Aang gasped dramatically, "But wait! Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?"
Oh, this was the most hilarious thing I'd ever seen - apart from the time Zuko got drenched in tea, that was funny. Aang growled, "I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman! "
"Yeah," I nudged him comfortingly, "You're not."
Toph was lapping this up. Even Zuko was beginning to laugh. But then his face fell as the former props and characters glided off stage and was immediately replaced by a model Fire Nation ship with a stump Iroh and lanky Zuko, with his scar on the wrong side. I nestled my head on Zuko's chest and watched intently.
A:Iroh held up a cake, "Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!"
"I don't have time to stuff my face!" A:Zuko whinged ,"I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!"
A:Iroh began pretending to stuff his face with wooden cake.
A:Zuko snarled, "You sicken me!"
The real Zuko scoffed and ran a hand carefully through my hair, "They make me look totally stiff and humorless."
Katara and I met eyes and she commented that it was accurate. I chuckled as she gave me a 'I-know-right' expression. I smirked and nodded at the joke.
Zuko growled, "How could you say that?" at precisely the same time as A:Zuko. I giggled as Zuko huffed angrily. I sat up and placed a comforting kiss on his cheek - he squeezed the arm he had around my shoulders and calmed a bit.
The scenes flicked past: Finding Momo; Kyoshi Island (Suki and Sokka blushed at that); Omashu (I sighed longingly for my home city); then the Waterbending scroll. Zuko pressed his lips and hissed that I would be introduced anytime now.
As if by magic, a piece of wood rolled onto stage and span around, revealing my actress. I gasped because, for one, she was absolutely gorgeous, and two, her leg was obviously strapped up. Zuko gazed inbetween us - the actress and me - with a face of mixed feelings. Actress me lay back with a hand on her forehead, flimsy paper chains attacking her to the prop. Zuko's prop ship skidded in from stage left as A:me began to give a speech.
In her honeyed voice, the actress lay back, "Woe. I, lonely Ryuu, have been cast afloat for what seems like months now. Beautiful, attractive and delicate: who might save this fragile soul?"
A:Zuko lept off of his boat and threw some coloured ribbons to show Firebending, "Don't worry, sweet enchantress! I will save you!"
A:me sat up as A:Zuko swept her into his arms - bridal style, "Oh, you god, you!"
The scene passed on as I turned towards Zuko. He was gaping as broadly as me. Katara glanced over at us as we tried to form words into sentences:
"Wow," Katara chuckled, "Is that actually how you two met?"
Zuko screwed his nose up, "I seem to remember Ryuu dumped me in the sea..."
I mocked my actor by placing a hand to my forehead, "And I wasn't all, oh hunky Zuko either."
Zuko shrugged and hissed, "It would've been nice," under his breath. I pretended not to hear that. The play carried onto the Blue Spirit scene where, in that version of reality, Zuko had captured the Avatar. An oversized Blue Spirit mask leapt onstage and A:Aang leapt onto its head.
"My hero!"
Zuko and Aang exchanged glances over me. The lay skipped a few things but we got the joy of A:Katara flirting with Jet and A:Sokka and A:Yue in the North pole. Suki stated that she didn't know Sokka had 'Made-out' with the Moon spirit - Sokka hushed his girlfriend, earning a Humph. The next scene was A:Me wearing a seductive looking dress while A:Zuko saved me from Zhao. All I did was faint into his arms and occasionally say:
"Oh, My dreamboat!" or "Save me, you hot man."
Both Zuko and I were thoroughly embarrassed. Everyone was laughing at us. I buried my face into Zuko and he, in turn, hid his face into my shoulder. Spirits, this was so embarrassing... It changed to show A:Aang in a giant Koizilla outfit crushing tiny wee boats (the way I remembered it completely differed as it was indefinitely more terrifying ).
"The Avatar is back to save the day! Yay!" She cheeked before tripping up.
The curtain fell and we sat in horrified silence until the doors opened for the first intermission. Zuko grabbed my hand and looked as if he had just come from a War Zone. I licked my lips and shook my head to rid the memories of A:me being a lousy, no good gimmick.
Zuko sighed, "So far, this intermission is the best part of the play."
Everyone except Toph nodded. She cackled to herself. Sokka grabbed a box of Fire Flakes and began stuffing his face, "Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!"
Suki rolled her eyes with more than a hint of sarcasm. Everyone started complaining until Toph cut us off, "Listen friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the t-"
"No, it's not," I interrupted, "It's just micky taking! Aang's not a joking bald lady. Katara's not a cry-baby (if anything, she terrifies me). Sokka's not a one lining idiot and - I could go on. "
The guys looked over at me. Aang smiled slightly and agreed, "Thanks. And you're not a weak girl."
I beamed thankfully as Sokka offered me a Fire Flake, "At least someone doesn't think I'm stupid."
Suki scoffed, "You're not - just you can be a bit..."
"Thick headed?" I offered up. Suki nodded and repeated that. Katara crossed her arms and smirked, "Thick headed. Why didn't I think of that?"
We shared a laugh as Zuko raised his brow at me, "Am I not an obsessive maniac?"
Katara and I scoffed at the same time, "Not anymore..."
The Waterbending girl winked at me in agreement as she led the others in for the second act. Aang trudged in behind us, still sad about his character. As soon as we were sat, I nudged him slightly.
"You alright, Aang? "
He forced a simle up at me, "Yeah, I'm fine..."
The curtain lifted and we buckled in for another hour of torture.
