"Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara asks the next day.
We had flown through the night to reach the Fire Nation undetected. The rest of the group donned their disguises from their bags, and they helped Suki and me steal some drying from the neighbors. They kind of remind me of the Aladdin movie—tiny tops and billowy pants, with lots of jewelry.
"I told you," Zuko wipes the sweat from his forehead with a scowl, "my father hasn't come here since my family was actually happy. That was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us." He and Aang had just finished another grueling practice session, giving me a stunning view of his chiseled muscles.
"You guys are not going to believe this," Sokka runs in with Suki on his heels. "There's a play about us!"
"We were just in town, and we found this poster!" Suki adds as Sokka opens his roll of paper. On it is a crude drawing of Katara, Aang, and Sokka, with the dates and times of the performances.
Toph laughs, "What's on it? You know, because I can't see?"
"What?" I ask.
"How is that possible?" Katara questions.
"Listen to this," Sokka dramatically clears his throat. "'The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed play write, Bu Won Tin, who scoured the globe gathering information about the Avatar, from the icy south pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."
"Performed by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players," Suki finishes.
We're all silent for a moment.
"A merchant of cabbage?" I finally ask.
"Don't really know the story there," Aang scratches his head.
"Ugh, the Ember Island Players," Zuko groans. "My mother used to take me to see them. They butchered Love Among the Dragons every year."
"Sokka," Katara asks, "do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?"
"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!"
"I don't know, guys," I say. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" Sokka speaks for everyone.