Their supplies had dwindled so they had to move to another island. Zuko suggested they move to Ember Island, and he knew just the place where they could go and stay unnoticed.

Everybody looked around the beautiful and spacious villa up the mountain overlooking the island. "Say, who owns this place?" Suki asked as she stared at the ornate carvings on the walls and railings.

"My family does."

Everybody turned their heads to look at Zuko. "You mean we are in the Fire Lord's summer house?!"

"Kind of." He shrugged. "My family hasn't come here for almost a decade. The last time we were here was when we were actually a happy family."

They took their luggage off of Appa and settled into the rooms. Suki and Sokka volunteered to go into the market to gather supplies. Chiyo, Katara and Toph unpacked and explored the rest of the house, while Zuko and Aang resumed their training in the yard.

"I think these might fit you." Katara held up a red, cropped-top and a matching knee-length skirt, showing them to Chiyo.

She shook head. "I'm sorry, I can't wear that. An apprentice entertainer can't show much skin publicly, except during public performances and bathing."

"What does an entertainer do anyway? Well, of course, except entertain..." She asked as she rummaged through the closet for more suitable clothing.

"My mentor told me that we are artists, and we are art itself. We provide songs to the sad, dances to the weary, poems to the lovelorn... but mostly, we provide comfort to each of our sisters. Our troupe is like our family, and my mentor..." She sighed deeply. "She was the mother I never had."

"Wow..." Katara had stopped to listen to Chiyo, awed by her story. "Do you still dance and sing?"

"I did, but ever since I lost my memories, I must have gone rusty." She laughed and looked at Toph. "Don't say another word about me being an old geezer, please."

"Hey! I was just saying it in my mind!"

"Chiyo, how about this one?" Out of the closet, Katara pulled out a red, loose, long-sleeved, tunic. At the base of the neckline, a single red jewel was sewn into the fabric. "You could wear it with the pants we saw a while ago."

Zuko began to teach Aang more advanced firebending forms. The student grew more and more confident as he slowly began to understand the ways of firebending. Their flames grew larger, their stances stronger, their movements faster.

After they had finished three sets of training routines, they bowed to each other and rested by the dry fountain in the middle of the yard. "You two could use these." Chiyo handed them both a cool towel each. "Katara used waterbending to cool them. It's so amazing!"

Aang placed the towel on his head, sighing happily. Zuko wiped his across his face, then his neck and bare chest, savouring the fresh, cool feeling. "Thank you."

"I want to re-learn the firebending stances... Sifu Zuko." She smiled as she sat down next to him.

"You remembered that?" He laughed and raised his hand, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Of course I did! You wanted to teach me firebending even if we both know I can't!"

"It's payback. You wanted to teach me how to dance, and we both know I can't either." Zuko gazed into her eyes, thankful that her memories are slowly coming back. "Come on, we can try again." He got up and pulled her to the center of the yard.

They faced each other and bowed deeply, then they started performing the basic movements and techniques. The other sat back and watched the pair, amazed that Chiyo can keep up with Zuko despite being a non-bender.

The most surprised one was Toph. "The old geezer is so light-footed, almost as much as Twinkle Toes." She remarked as she tried to get a feel of her movement through the ground beneath her feet. "She's fast too!"

As they were performing the routine, Sokka and Suki had come back from the market. "You guys are not gonna believe this!" Sokka unfurled a poster to show the rest of them. "There's a play about us!"

"We were just in town and we found this poster!"

"What? How is that possible?"

Sokka cleared his throat. "Listen to this:

The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from famed playwright Puan Tin who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole, all the way to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.

Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players.

Everyone stared at the poster, then turned to Zuko and Chiyo as they both groaned in disgust. "My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!"

"And Puan Tin isn't exactly famed for good reasons. We call him and the Ember Island Players the jokes of the entertainment industry." She stared at poster intently. "But if he could get his work performed at the Great Hall, my guess would be that a lot of money and favours were involved."

"Or maybe he got better at writing!" Sokka defended, really wanting to watch the play.

"Sokka," His sister looked at him, still intrigued. "Do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?"

Glad that she was showing some interest, he waved the poster around to everyone else. "Come on! A day at the theatre? This is the kind of wacky, time-wasting nonsense I've—I mean, we have been missing!"

"But we are out of money from buying our food supplies." Suki showed them the empty satchel of coins. "I really am curious how the play's gonna turn out."

Chiyo looked at their disappointed faces. Even Toph and Aang seemed to be looking forward to seeing the play. "Do you really, really, want to see this play?"

"Yeah!"

That evening, they went to the Great Hall located in the town proper of Ember Island. A surprising amount of people were clamouring to get inside the theatre, and they went with the flow of the crowd.

A couple of buff, looking men stood at the entrance. "Tickets?"

Chiyo rolled up her sleeve and showed them the amber resin ring on her forefinger.

"So what if you have a fancy ring? No tickets, no entry."

She scowled at the guards. "Call Jian Zhang. Now."

One of the men couldn't explain how or why he felt the urge to leave his post, but he did, and returned with a thin, lanky man, wearing glasses that were too big for his face. "What is all this about?"

"This girl wants to see the play without a ticket." The guard pointed at Chiyo.

The man named Jian Zhang adjusted his glasses to look at her, and his eyes grew so wide they nearly popped out of their sockets. "C-ch-ch-"

"I was wondering if me and my friends can watch Puan Tin's play," She tucked her hair behind her ear, discretely showing him the ring. "But your friends won't let us in..."

Jian Zhang took out a scroll from his robes and repeatedly whacked the guards on their heads. "You idiots! You knuckleheads! Can't you see she is of the Salinja Troupe?! Let them in! Give them the best seats in the house!"

"B-but Sir, the booths are reserved for—"

"I DON'T CARE!" He shouted and whacked them again. "Step aside, fools!" His face, red with rage, turned to smiles the instant he looked at Chiyo. "Shall I lead the way, my Lady?"

Chiyo gave him a charming smile in return and bowed. "I am honoured to have the owner of the Great Hall personally escort us."

"The honour is all mine." He led them inside and up a flight of stairs to the balcony that hosted a private viewing area. Once they were settled in, he bowed out and left.

They sat down in the comfortable, cushioned seats, Toph, Katara and Aang up front, Zuko, Chiyo, Suki and Sokka at the back. "You didn't tell us you were a bigshot, Chiyo!" Sokka gushed as he inspected the ring. "Who knew this little thingamabob of yours is as good as gold!"

"It's the trademark ring of elite entertainers from my troupe. I was the first apprentice to receive the ring, as only full-fledged entertainers can wear them."

"Then how come you have one?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zuko answered for her, casually wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and pulling her closer. "She's the most beautiful and talented performer in all of the Fire Nation."

Sokka replied with one word. "Oogiessss~"

Chiyo silently thanked the dimming lights that hid her blush as the play started.

The first act was all about two teenagers from the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka and Katara, finding the Avatar who was frozen inside an iceberg. The actress who played Katara "waterbended" the Avatar out of the ice and freed him and his bison.

Sokka was livid at his actor's lame jokes. "This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this!"

Even Katara wasn't amused with her actresses corny, dramatic speeches, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I do not sound like that!"

But Aang was the angriest of them all. "You guys have it easy! A woman is playing me!"

Toph laughed as she laid back casually in her seat. "Well I think they all got you pegged! The writer is clearly a genius!"

After the actors had left, a small warship was wheeled onto the stage, carrying a small, stout man and an angry-looking teenager with a long, flowing ponytail on top of his bald cap.

"They make me look totally stiff and humourless!" Zuko complained.

"Who is that?" Chiyo pointed to the stout actor.

"That would be Uncle Iroh." He sighed deeply. "You know him, Chiyo. He once helped you when you fell ill after a performance."

"Oh..." She nodded and resumed watching. "Is this what happened during your banishment? You looking for the Avatar and trying to capture them?"

He rested his head on top of hers. "Yes. In order to restore my honor, my title, and birthright, I must capture the Avatar and bring him back to my father. I was at exile for three years."

An actress portraying Suki in Kyoshi Island was also in the play, as well as King Bumi of Omashu, the merchant pirates they met and fought, and Commander Zhao.

There was a particular scene where he had caught the Avatar and had him tied up. The actor cheered loudly. "The Avatar is mine! Wait, who's that?!"

Another actor wearing a large mask appeared, carrying dual broadswords made out of foil. "I am the Blue Spirit! Scourge of the Fire Nation! Here to save the Avatar!"

"That mask..." Chiyo stared at it intently.

"That's actually Zuko. He kind of saved me from being captured by Commander Zhao." Aang explained to Chiyo. "He wore that mask so he won't be discovered."

Zuko drew indistinct patterns on Chiyo's sleeved arm as he watched the play. "Don't you recognize that mask, Chiyo?"

"I-It does look familiar..." Her face was scrunched up as she tried to place the blue mask in her memory.

He couldn't resist it. He poked the tip of her nose with a finger and chuckled. "You look so cute when you do that."

"Hmmmph!" She rubbed her nose and looked back at the play.

More of their adventures where portrayed in the play. They met Jet and his Freedom Fighters, crossed the Great Divide, went to the North Pole and met Yue, who loved pickled fish became the Moon Spirit.

Sokka had tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. "You never told me you made out with the Moon Spirit!" Suki teased him, but all she received was a finger to her lips, shushing her up.

"I-I'm trying to watch..."

The first act came to a finish as the fleet of Fire Nation Navy was gleefully destroyed by the actress wearing Aang's "Avatar State" costume.

The lights came on for an intermission, giving actors time to change and for the audience to rest and buy some food and refreshments.

"So far, the intermission is the best part of the play."

Sokka agreed. "Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes all the time!"

"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics, too!"

"I know!"

Aang rested his head on top of his folded arms. "At least the Sokka actor looks like you. That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!"

"I don't know. You are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys."

"Relax, Aang." Katara said. "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time!" They were silent as they looked up at her. "What?"

"Listen, friends," Toph leaned against the wooden banister of the staircase. "It's obvious that the playwright did his research! I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up on that stage is the truth!"

"Actually, they have Zuko's scar on the wrong side of the actor's face—"

"Didn't see that. Sorry."