Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, if I did I would know what happened to the rest of book three.
Gilded Masks, Painted Lips and Stolen Love
A hunched figure sat in the corner of the ballroom just out of reach of the candlelight. He watched as the couples spun around on the highly polished floor. A hundred different emotions struck his senses each with a thousand different expressions, more than enough to raise his interest and his lust. He watched the faces carefully judging their beauty, their ability to convey the contents of their head and their heart to the world. So many to choose from, he licked the lips of the face he currently wore. One caught his attention the only one still covered by a gilded mask, the rest having been discarded by their owners at midnight. She sat perfectly still watching the dancers twirl around like brightly coloured spinning tops. Her gown was plain and white; her long black hair left to cascade down her shoulders, unlike the other ladies who wore intricately embroidered gowns and meticulously arranged hairstyles. The only colour was her painted lips and the fire lily in her hair. Both magnificent reds. His prey was picked.
A man came over to the lady and she took his hand walking out into the gardens, followed by the hunched figure in his dark cloak. The woman and the man spoke while watched from the tree above their heads. The woman still wore her mask but her painted lips were cast in a frown; it seemed her young man was leaving on an important task that would take him away for some time. He smiled at her and kissing her red lips made promises of returning, of remembering and of a happy future before leaving. The watcher was entranced by the deepening frown and desired to see the sadness he knew was painted on the rest of her face as well. Sliding from the tree he stood behind her and whispered in her ear. "Why so sad little one?" a voice like dripping honey and melted gold poured into her ears. She turned but no one stood behind her. A cold breeze tugged at her hair and dress causing her to shiver. She turned to rejoin the party but was stopped by the sweet voice again "Such beauty should not hide behind a gaudy mask, let me see your face" it was hypnotic, entrancing, a spell woven from the air. She raised her hand to the mask and undid the ribbon, letting it fall to the ground with a muffled thump. " let me see you smile, laugh, frown, cry, let me take that beautiful sadness written on your face and keep it forever in my collection, eternally preserved". A hundred different faces passed before her and then her own as she was left blank.
Koh the face stealer looked at the world through the eyes of the Avatar's love and smiled with stolen , painted lips.
An: Too dark? Should I do one from the Avatar's point of view, how he trapped Koh in the spirit world?