Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for your, many, many edits in this one. Sorry I made it hard on you. Love you!
I found a complete description of the play by the Ember Island Players online. I'm using that. I loved that episode, and I'm changing things based on my OC being there. This chapter takes place during the first half of the play, but be aware I'm really not claiming to have changed much. After all, the play would remain precisely the same. I still hope you enjoy this chapter with the changes that I feel highlight the difference with Akal messing with the timeline.
That evening they all entered the theater, and Toph was incredibly annoyed. She didn't want to be up on the balcony, but they all were anyway. She was scowling.
Zuko had his hood pulled up over his head. He didn't want to be recognized. His scar made that incredibly easy. Aang followed suit, wearing a hat to hide his Airbender tattoo.
Akal followed them and watched as his father made a point of sitting next to Katara and keeping Aang away from her. He smiled to himself. He liked how Zuko was acting, and on top of that, he noticed his mother blush. He loved seeing their love begin to bloom.
Aang pointed at the seat next to Katara, "Hey, uh ... I wanted to sit there." He said to Zuko.
Zuko pulled back his hood and looked at Aang, "Just sit next to me. What's the big deal?" He kept his face neutral. It was a big deal to him to sit in the dark by her, after all.
Aang replied, "I was just, I wanted to ... okay." Then he sat next to Zuko, dejected. He wanted to try to get the courage to hold Katara's hand during the play.
Akal smiled as he sat by Sokka as Suki sat on the other side behind the group in front.
Toph finally gave up quietly grumbling, and said, "Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section? My feet can't see a thing from up here!"
Katara smirked, "Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening."
The curtain rose to reveal actress Katara and actor Sokka rowing their boat along the South Pole seas.
Actress Katara sighed dramatically, "Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling!"
A very skinny actor Sokka replied, "All I want is a full feeling in my stomach! I'm starving!"
The whole audience laughed except for their group. Akal was horrified. This was what they thought of his mother?! Their future Fire Lady? No way.
Actress Katara looked at actor Sokka and seemed unimpressed, "Is food the only thing on your mind?"
Actor Sokka, "Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth! I'm starving!"
The audience was laughing again as Sokka fussed, "This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this!"
Toph was cracking up along with the audience. "I think he's got you pegged!" A tear leaked out as she belly laughed.
Actress Katara, "Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears! Still, we cannot give up hope! For hope," she faked cried, "is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even ... " sniffing, "even to our dying breath!" She pretended to weep then, leaning dramatically over the canoe.
Suki held her hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh, and Sokka looked over at Katara with a smile. Meanwhile, Toph and Zuko were enjoying the play. Akal sat back, watching them all interact as the audience reacted. He wasn't enjoying himself.
Crossing her arms in anger, Katara said, "Well, that's just silly. I don't sound like that."
Toph loved it, "Oh man! This writer's a genius!" She was having a hard time breathing from laughing so hard. She was getting a stitch in her side.
Akal watched the stage where a model iceberg appeared, and the vague shadow of a figure was visible from behind. The two actors stood up in the canoe.
Actress Katara announced dramatically, "It appears to be someone frozen in ice, perhaps for a hundred years."
Actor Sokka, "But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?"
Actress Katara yelled out, "Waterbend! Hi-yah!" As Aang looked expectantly from the nosebleed seats.
The silhouette disappears as the iceberg splits and out pops a very feminine Avatar. Actress Katara asked, "Who are you, frozen boy?"
Actress Aang laughs, "I'm the Avatar, silly, here to spread joy and fun!"
Aang was in a state of total shock, "Wait, is that a woman playing me?" He was horrified. Not only was he not sitting next to Katara, but she was also watching him being portrayed by a woman. He blushed crimson red.
A crude, costumed version of Appa suddenly burst up from behind the actors, and Appa swayed from side to side before leaping off the iceberg prop.
Actress Katara, "An Airbender! My heart is so full of hope," She drops to one knee emotionally and announces, "that it's making me Tearbend!" She pretends to weep dramatically.
Actor Sokka, "My stomach is so empty that it's making me Tearbend! I need meat!"
Actress Aang stooped down, put her arm around actor Sokka's shoulders, and pointed upward, "But wait! Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?"
Aang just groaned, and Sokka sank in his seat. As actor Sokka excitedly replied, "Ooh, where, where?"
Actress Aang, "Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?" She said, laughing, and hopped around.
An incredibly frustrated Aang said, "I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman!"
Akal and Toph laughed. Then she said, "Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes!"
Back on stage, a model Fire Nation ship prop glided onto the stage from the left; a man portraying Prince Zuko stood at the ship's bow, garbed in Zuko's outfit and peering through a telescope. The actor portraying Iroh stood at the helm of the vessel.
Zuko sank down in his seat, and Katara's heart went out to him. She knows he was about to live out his fears. To watch his nation disrespect him and laugh at the exiled prince. The one his father cast out. She looked around, and Toph whispered, "Go for it. I won't say a thing." Katara then took Zuko's hand and squeezed it in support then hid their joined hands in the folds of his cloak.
Zuko's stomach had clenched the moment he saw himself on stage. He wanted to hurl. Then suddenly, Katara was holding his hand and not letting go. His heart soared, and he wasn't so sick about what was happening anymore.
Actor Iroh said, "Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!" He held up a massive cake with a piece missing.
Actor Zuko looked through the telescope with his scar on the wrong eye and said, "I don't have time to stuff my face! I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!" He then clenched his fist.
Actor Iroh said, "Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice." Then proceeded to eat the rest of the cake.
Actor Zuko said disgustedly, "You sicken me!"
Katara looked at Zuko tenderly and squeezed Zuko's hand.
Zuko whispered to her, "They make me look totally stiff and humorless."
Katara mused, "You used to be like that. Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on for the time. You've changed, though, now."
Zuko gave her a tender look, "And how have I changed?" Katara's only response was to lace their fingers together and hold on a bit tighter.
Actor Iroh cut into their thoughts when he said, "Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages!"
Actor Zuko snarled, "How could you say that?!"
On stage, a background drawing of the Southern Air Temple appeared. Actress Aang was searching and found a tail behind a bush prop.
Actress Aang yelled out, "Hey, look, I think I found something!" She tiptoed to the bush, and actor Sokka scratched his head while actress Katara shrugged. Then actress Aang picked up the Momo prop, a rabbit-monkey puppet.
Actress Aang says, "It's a flying rabbit-monkey! I think I'll name him, Momo!" She then speaks for puppet Momo and says, "Hi everybody, I love you!"
Aang sank further in his chair, "Ugh."
An actress playing Suki appeared and was holding up two fans. She lifted them up, and then actor Sokka entered in the Kyoshi Warriors' uniform.
Actor Sokka leaned over and pointed to his backside, "Does this dress make my butt look fat?" Suki was rolling with laughter as Sokka blushed.
Akal bumped Sokka's shoulder and whispered, "Yeah, it does."
Now on stage was actor Bumi with an Omashu background. He said, laughing, "Riddles and challenges you must face if you are ever to leave this place!"
Actress Aang dodged a swaying rock while a goat gorilla chased actor Sokka across the stage, and actress Katara stood amidst a jennamite prop.
Actress Katara lifts up a piece of the jennamite prop, "Ugh! Oh!"
Katara gave a disgusted look and stuck out her tongue, and Zuko squeezed her hand in support. Back on stage, a pirate ship background appeared with the Team Avatar players in center stage. The pirates entered the stage from both sides holding weapons in the air, and attacked them. The Team Avatar players slipped away, with actress Katara holding a large scroll. They tiptoed off stage quickly.
Actor Sokka asks actress Katara, "Why did you have to steal that waterbending scroll?"
Actress Katara starts crying and replies, "It just gave me so much hope!"
Zuko bumped Katara with his shoulder as Katara's eyes narrowed. He whispered, "Don't let it get to you." Her scowl disappeared.
A stagehand held a sheet of metal back on stage, which he shook to make a sound effect. Actress Aang was tied to a platform guarded by six Fire Nation soldiers. Actor Zuko stood in front of the platform, and he said, "Wait, who's coming?"
Someone playing the Blue Spirit jumped on stage holding two swords and had a large mask. "I'm the Blue Spirit, the scourge of the Fire Nation, here to save the Avatar!"
Zuko was in shock. He was the Blue Spirit. This was so ridiculous.
The Blue Spirit walked across the stage waving his swords, and the guards fell down while actor Zuko ran around the platform and threw a red strip of paper to symbolize firebending. The Blue Spirit pointed a sword at actor Zuko who then ran away.
Actress Aang said, "My hero!" And then she jumped on top of the Blue Spirit's large mask, and it whisked her away."
Aang looked at Zuko and noticed that the scene didn't bother him like he thought it would. Of course, he didn't know that Katara and Zuko's fingers were laced together at that moment.
Actress Katara and actor Jet appeared on a small rope platform. Actress Katara cried, and actor Jet said, "Don't cry, baby! Jet will wipe out that nasty town for you!"
A large blue banner pulled by a stagehand dressed in black crossed the stage as actress Katara and actor Jet ascended on their platform.
Actress Katara "Oh Jet, you're so bad." Then they both exited the stage.
Zuko noticed Katara's palm was getting sweaty. He didn't mind. She was holding his hand, after all.
Suddenly, a large Appa prop arrived on stage, and there were mountains painted in the background.
Actress Aang gasped and said, "Look! It's the Great Divide! The biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom!"
Actor Sokka, "Eh, let's keep flying." The audience laughed as they continued to fly.
The stage changed as a stagehand dropped a bag of fake snow on stage in one spot. Actor Sokka and actress Yue are together at the Northern Water Tribe.
Actor Sokka says, "Don't go, Yue! You're the only woman who has taken my mind off of food!" He kissed Yue and started gagging, "Wait, did you have pickled fish for dinner?"
Actress Yue waved goodbye and said, "Goodbye, Sokka! I have important moon duties to take care of!" A wooden moon lifted her. "And yes, I did have pickled fish!"
Suki laughed, "Akal wasn't kidding. She did leave the planet."
Sokka placed a finger on Suki's lips, "Shhh!" He was tearing up, "I'm trying to watch!" All of a sudden, Suki stopped laughing and was pissed. She crossed her arms and glared at him.
Now on stage, miniature Fire Nation ships were being pulled across the stage by ropes and actress Aang, wearing a Koizilla costume, stomped on them while waving a doll of Zhao.
Actress Aang laughed, "The Avatar is back to save the day! Yay!" She then stomped three more miniature ships before tripping over her Koizilla costume and falling over.
Curtain dropped on the first half, and the audience cheered. Toph was the only one laughing.
Aang, "Ugh!" He sank in his seat and crossed his arms.
Akal noticed that Katara and Zuko quickly shifted their hands as the house lights came up. He was pleased to watch his parents grow closer. During intermission, he struggled to control his smiles. His parents stood close together talking to their friends.
