Thanks to KoalaTakingNotes for the awesome idea. I hope you enjoy this! - MM/
"Hypnotized. You've got me hypnotized.
All it took was one look in your eyes,
I'll do whatever you say.
Command me and I'll obey."
-Linda Jones
Ember Island always had a great entertainment district, especially in the summer. The fairs, sideshows, and travelling musicians that blew through the island were always different. Given the time of year, it didn't surprise Zuko one bit when Sokka came bursting into the courtyard of the abandoned family summer home carrying a flyer advertising the Ember Island Flaming Fun Fair.
Suki, soaking up the sunshine on the splintered stairs, wrinkled her nose. "First that awful play, and now this?"
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun," Sokka declared. With a wide grin, he began pointing out the various attractions. "They've got an oddities show, unusual animals, magic, and all kinds of food! Look, they've got this new thing called funnel cake. I don't know what that is, but it sounds delicious! I have to try it!"
The small group exchanged glances with each other.
"I don't know," Aang said cautiously. "We're supposed to by laying low, preparing for Sozin's comet…"
"We could all stand to have a little fun," Sokka tried. "There's even an arm-wresting contest with a big prize for the winner."
Toph immediately perked up. "Arm-wrestling, you say? I'm in."
Sokka grinned and leaned towards Katara. "And you've always loved magic."
"Yeah, when I was a kid." Katara rolled her eyes but let out a defeated sigh anyway. "I guess it might be fun to check out. Just for one night."
Suki lowered her eyes and gave Sokka a sultry look. "I'll go, but only if you treat me to one of those funnel cakes."
"Done!" Sokka turned his attention to the only two remaining nay-sayers, grinning expectantly.
Zuko sighed. "It can't be any worse than the play."
"All right, I'll go if everyone else is," Aang said reluctantly.
Joyously, Sokka tossed the flyer in the air and began a fast-paced walk towards the center of town.
Suki blinked and glanced at everyone else. "Oh. I guess he meant right now."
As the group walked quickly to catch up with Sokka, Katara hung towards the back with Zuko.
"Have you been to anything like this before?" she asked.
"My family went to similar events. You know, back when we were happy. Have you?"
Katara shook her head. "There was a man in my tribe who did magic as a hobby. He was always entertaining the kids. But that's the closest I've come to something like this."
"These kinds of fairs can attract all kinds of people. If you hate it, I can take you back," Zuko offered.
Katara smirked. "You don't seem to have much hope for this event."
"I never do," Zuko replied.
The town square was filled with brightly colored striped tents, outdoor stages, and food stalls all wafting enticing smells into the air. It was only early evening, but the festivities were well underway. A man on extremely tall stilts walked through the thickening crowd. A clown with a heavily painted face walked on his hands in front of a group of delighted children. Musicians played loud, joyous music. On one of the stages, a slender woman moved gracefully as she hung from suspended silks.
"This actually looks pretty fun," Aang commented as he looked around the crowd.
"Yeah, yeah, it's all great, but let's get to the most important thing: the food!" Sokka grabbed Suki's hand and began pulling her towards the line of food stalls but paused as a sign outside of the largest tent caught his eye.
Katara raised a brow. "What?"
Wordlessly, Sokka pointed at the sign with a dropped jaw.
Oddities Abound!
Featuring:
Ikki The Lizard Man
Yun Li The Bearded Lady
Lo The Snake Charmer
Ronan The Strongman
Odin The Sword Swallower
And many, many more!
"I have to see the Bearded Lady!" Sokka exclaimed, practically dragging Suki towards the entrance.
Katara rolled her eyes. "You want to see a woman with hair glued to her face that bad?"
"This is a fair. It has to be real!" Sokka proclaimed.
Katara turned to Suki. "Surely you can talk him out of this."
Sheepishly, Suki glanced towards the sign. "Actually, I kind of want to see the sword swallower…"
"That's my girl!" Without another word, Sokka pulled Suki into the tent and they disappeared behind the flap.
"I guess we lost them." Katara turned back to the remainder of the group and blinked. "Where's Toph?"
Zuko glanced behind him and jerked a thumb towards the Rumble and Tumble Wrestling Tent. "Three guesses."
"I guess it's just the three of us, then. Let's-." She paused as she realized someone else was missing. "And where did Aang run off to?"
They scanned the crowd. Locating the airbender was a difficult task with his disguise, but they finally spotted him sitting on the ground with a crowd of children, engrossed in a duel clown performance.
"I guess deep down he is still a kid," Katara snickered.
"Now is the perfect time to escape if you want to get out of here," Zuko pointed out.
Katara shook her head. "Let's stay a while. Sokka kind of has me wanting to try that funnel cake."
Zuko shrugged. "Then let's find it."
They let their noses lead the way. Amongst the food stalls, they assumed that the most crowded one was what they were looking for. A sweet scent wafted through the air thick with grease. Excited couples walked away from the stall carrying strange, knotted up pieces of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. The treat didn't look like anything special, but they got in line anyway.
"How long do you think your brother is going to spend in that tent?" Zuko asked as they waited.
"There's a Lizard Man. He'll be there for hours," Katara deadpanned.
"Suki is a brave woman."
"You can say that again," Katara agreed with a faint smirk.
Finally, they reached the front of the line. Zuko asked for one of the funnel cakes and Katara dug into her coin purse, scrounging up enough to pay for her half. Zuko held up his hand and shook his head when she offered the money to him. With a light blush, Katara put her money away and walked away from the stand with Zuko, who carried the warm treat.
With his free hand, Zuko tore off a piece of the cake and handed it to Katara. "You try first."
She took it and popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Zuko caught himself staring at the dusting of powered sugar on lips and quickly looked away, clearing his throat.
"How is it?"
"Pretty good," Katara said with a nod of approval. "I don't know if it's worth all of the excitement, but it is nice and sweet."
She tore off another piece and Zuko followed suit. They wondered the fairgrounds as they shared the snack. It was beginning to get dark, and tall torches were ignited to illuminate the festivities. When their snack was gone, Katara turned to tell Zuko she was ready to go back, but a booming voice stopped her before she could open her mouth.
"Come one, come all!" A man on a nearby stage beckoned to the gathering crowd. He wore a long, trailing black coat and white gloves. In his hand, he held a strange circle that spun with black and white stripes. "Come and witness the true power of hypnotism! Watch as I mold the mind to do my bidding."
Katara glanced at Zuko. "What do you think?"
"It's all a trick," Zuko said confidently.
"Only the most intelligent people will fall prey to hypnotism," the man continued. His loud, booming voice drew in a larger crowd. "If your mind is open, I can worm my way inside. Who wants to give it a try? Let's put on a good show!"
Murmured voices rippled through the crowd. A few hesitant hands went up into the air.
"Hmm…" The hypnotist tapped his chin as he surveyed the crowd. A wide grin spread over his handsome features and he pointed his strange circle into the crowd. "How about you, young lady?"
Katara blinked in surprise as the hypnotist locked eyes with her. She glanced at Zuko for help, but he only snickered.
"Go on. Put on a good show."
Katara scoffed and muttered, "Gee, thanks."
With a heavy sigh, she made her way up to the stage, shrinking under the gaze of the crowd. The hypnotist towered over her, and his lanky body moved swiftly was he pulled aside a curtain, revealing a simple chair.
"Have a seat, miss."
"Don't you want to know my name?" Katara asked as she lowered herself into the chair.
But he shook his head. "The less I know the better. Are you comfortable?"
"I suppose."
"Excellent." The hypnotist held his strange circle directly in front of her, so close that it was all she could see. "Now, focus on the disk. Keep your attention on nothing else. Clear your mind and watch as the stark colors swirl." As he spoke, he spun the disk and the black and white lines meshed into a blurry gray.
Katara tried to roll her eyes, but she became instantly transfixed on the spinning circle. She tried to pull her eyes away, but she was stuck, as if her whole body was suddenly encased in glue.
The hypnotist broke into a grin. "You must be getting sleepy, miss. I bet you've had a long day." Katara did not move. He continued speaking. "When I snap my fingers, you will fall into a deep slumber. From the moment I snap my fingers to the moment I snap them again; you will remember nothing."
He raised his arm in a grand gesture, held his hand high in the air, and snapped his fingers with a loud, resonating pop. Katara immediately dropped her head.
Zuko narrowed his eyes at the hypnotist. Something about it felt off. Katara was not one to be swayed so easily. He took a step forward, ready to jump into action if needed.
The hypnotist turned towards the audience. "As you can see, the young lady is deeply asleep. Don't worry now, she is perfectly safe in this state. I will start off with something simple to prove my legitimacy." He smirked. "Yes, I sense the doubters out there. Believe me, when this is over, you will all be believers."
He turned back to Katara. "You can count, young lady, can't you?"
Dreamily, Katara nodded very slowly in response.
"Very good. Did you know that there is no number between four and six? It's true! Now, my dear, please begin counting for me."
"One…two…" Katara's voice came out slow and slurred, and Zuko kept his hard eyes set on the hypnotist. "Three…four…six…seven…"
A rustle of mutterings came from the audience. There were a few brave enough to give a smattering of applause.
"That's enough, my dear," the hypnotist said, and Katara immediately stopped counting. "I can see many of you are still unconvinced. Not a problem, I am only getting warmed up. Watch as I remind you just how deeply asleep this young lady is."
He took Katara by the wrist and raised her arm high above her head. Zuko scowled at the way he touched her so casually. Once all eyes were on Katara's arm, the hypnotist let go and it fell back into her lap with a hard plop.
"Open your eyes for me, miss."
Slowly Katara's eyes opened, staring blankly into nothing.
"Take a look at the crowd."
Katara turned her head with an agonizing slowness. Her empty eyes stared out at the crowd.
"They hold weapons. They are all approaching to attack."
Katara was on her feet in an instant, battle stance at the ready. Her expression was suddenly sharp, ready to defend herself. Zuko's heart skipped a beat. If she were to waterbend as if she were in real battle, their cover would be blown. He couldn't risk that. He was beginning to think this act wasn't a trick after all. He approached the stage, ready to make this man call the whole thing off, but he began to chuckle, stopping Zuko in his tracks.
"Relax, relax. No one is coming for you. You are amongst friends. You just heard the most hilarious joke."
Right on cue, Katara began to laugh, loud and genuine. Some of the audience joined in with her laughter.
"Someone has insulted you," the hypnotist continued. "You want to insult them back."
"Go back to your cave, you filthy badgermole," Katara snarled, and the audience along with the hypnotist erupted into laughter.
"Oh, what an innocent one we have, here," the hypnotist snickered. "Believe me, I've heard things that would make your ears curl." He turned back to Katara, tapping a long finger to his chin in contemplation. "While we are on the topic of badgermoles, how about you become one?"
Zuko had had enough. He was not about to watch Katara humiliate herself any longer, whether she remembered it or not. He walked swiftly up the stage and slammed a fist down on the elevated floor. "She's had enough! Bring her back to normal."
The hypnotist looked down at Zuko with a bemused expression. "It seems this young man is not enjoying his lady's performance."
"She is not my lady," Zuko insisted through clenched teeth.
The hypnotist gave Zuko a long, knowing look before turning back to Katara, who had been standing placidly by the chair, staring into nothing.
"Have a seat, my dear. Get comfortable."
Slowly, Katara lowered herself back into the chair.
The hypnotist moved to stand before her once more. "Now, when I snap my fingers, you will have no memory of this. However, there is one, single thing you will recall." He cast a sly look at Zuko, who immediately felt his stomach drop. "When you awake, my dear, you will have overwhelming urge to give a kiss to the one you like the most. You will see no one else but this person until the kiss is complete."
"Don't you dare!" Zuko shouted, fists clenched and ready to start throwing flames.
The hypnotist smiled wickedly and raised his hand. "Good sir, it is already done."
He snapped his fingers and the sound resonated over the hushed crowd. They watched eagerly as Katara stiffened with a sharp inhale. She looked around, her face scrunched with confusion, until she caught sight of Zuko.
Suddenly, she was running at him with a speed so great that all Zuko could do was hold out his arms and catch her as she jumped down from the stage. She ran at him with such a force that he was almost knocked over, but he managed to hold his ground as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"K-Katara-." He started, but he was cut off by her lips pressing firmly against his. His face reddened as the people around them began to clap and cheer. The kiss lingered for what felt like an eternity.
She pulled away slowly and for a brief moment, Zuko had to fight the urge to go back in for another. Katara's eyes widened as she stepped back out of their embrace. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at the crowd in shock. "W-what happened? D-did I just…?" She blushed deeply and looked down at the ground.
The hypnotist squatted at the edge of the stage and simply smiled in response to the death glare Zuko was aiming towards him. "Remember, young man, I never told her to kiss you. I only persuaded her to kiss the one she liked the most." He winked and stood, stretching his arms out wide. "Now, who would like to go next?"
The crowd erupted with excited shouts of people volunteering their friends or significant others. It seemed everyone wanted to see someone else act like a complete fool.
With a scoff, Zuko took Katara by the wrist and led her away from the crowd. She kept her head down, her free hand covering her red face. He took her back behind the food stalls where there was more privacy.
He opened his mouth to speak, maybe to utter an apology, but she dragged her hand down her face and groaned loudly.
"I can't believe I did that in front of all those people!" she cried.
"You were persuaded. That man-."
"I knew what I was doing," Katara interrupted. She let out a slow breath and a new blush began to creep onto her cheeks. "Right then, I was fully aware of what I was doing. I don't know what happened on that stage, but I know that…that I…really wanted to do that."
"Because he told you to…." Zuko could not bring himself to meet her eyes.
Katara chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Zuko, I…I've been wanting to do that long before I ever got up on that stage."
Zuko blinked and stared at her with wide eyes. "W-what?"
Katara dropped her head to stare intently at the ground. "I shouldn't have said anything. Let's just forget all of that…"
Wordlessly, Zuko placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to look up at him. He leaned into her and caught her lips in a much more private kiss. He felt Katara relax against him as she draped her arms over his shoulders, and he moved his hands to her waist.
After a moment, he pulled back ever so slightly to say, "I've been wanting to do that for a while, too."
Katara smirked. "I think I'm ready to escape this place."
Zuko took her hand and nodded in the direction of the abandoned summer home. "Let's go."
"I certainly hope no one we know saw that awful performance," Katara smirked as they began walking. They laughed and joked about how grateful they were that everyone else was off doing their own thing during that disaster of a show.
Meanwhile, Sokka stood with Suki at the edge of the crowd the hypnotist had drawn, a forgotten half-eaten funnel cake in his hand. "D-Did anyone see what that guy made my sister do?!"
"Oh, we saw," Toph said as she proudly tugged at her arm-wrestling medal, the prize money jingling in her pocket. "It's about time if you ask me."
"He manipulated her," Aang, standing bedside Toph, seethed.
"Nope, that was completely genuine," Toph teased.
"I think I'll volunteer for you to go next," Suki joked, poking Sokka in the side.
"I don't need a hypnotist to tell me to kiss you," Sokka smirked and pulled her closer.
"No one wants to see that!" Toph chided. She reached out to jokingly cover Aang's eyes.
Aang swatted her arm away. "We should go back."
"Not a chance," Sokka draped an arm around Suki, turning his attention back to the hypnotist who had persuaded a young man to flap his arms and oink like a chickenpig.
Toph smirked. She could feel Katara and Zuko's footsteps fading in the distance. "Just enjoy the show, Twinkle Toes. They're going to do what they're going to do. They don't need a hypnotist to tell them anymore."