A Work of Art
Hello again, I come with the newest chapter of this story. I appreciate everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story, it's sweet. Excuse any grammar errors, I wrote this at work and my boss has been circling my computer to see if i'm actually working. Only so much editing you can do, haha! Hope you enjoy!
Discliamer: I don't own any ATLAB
Zhen waited anxiously outside the theater with her eyes glued to the ground so as to not make any eye contact with the other villagers. It had been many years since she'd been to the theater, let alone done anything involving the Hira'a acting troupe; she'd gone out of her way to avoid them, and there she was standing there like a fool. And she was attending with the Avatar no less, surely people would notice. She was beginning to regret accepting Aang's invitation. With sweaty palms, she smoothed out her skirt and let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She knew she could handle this, she just needed to relax. Honestly, how bad can seeing a play be? You're overreacting.
"Zhen!"
She whipped her head around in time to see Aang running towards her while frantically waving a tattooed arm. Much to her chagrin, she felt her cheeks warm up and was sure they'd become an embarrassing shade of red. The Avatar's outburst had drawn plenty of attention.
"Hi Aang." She choked out.
His head tilted slightly to the side. "Are you okay? You look a little sick."
"I'm fine, where is Nu Wa?" she replied with a shake of her head.
"I don't know actually, this is where she said to meet right?"
She nodded.
"Well I guess we'll just wait for her then, how was your day Zhen?"
She shrugged. "It was fine, same old thing. You?"
"I had a good day, I enjoyed tea with some older women downstairs and they even tried showing me how to play Pai Sho. Katara and Sokka were pretty good at it, I was a mess. I got to take out Appa too."
"Appa?"
"My flying bison."
"Oh."
They stared at one another for what felt like minutes but were only seconds before looking away.
"So where are your friends?" she asked, trying to strike up another conversation.
"Sokka's leg was starting to bug him so Katara decided she stay behind just in case something was actually wrong. It's too bad though, she was really looking forward to seeing the play."
"That is too bad."
A pregnant silence fell over the pair and Zhen began to twiddle her thumbs while Aang whistled to himself, awkwardly looking the other way. She was beginning to realize how poor her social skills were. The spirits showed mercy on them, just as Zhen was to start up with fruitless small talk, Nu Wa appeared as energetic as ever. She immediately latched onto Aang's leg in an energetic hug, a large grin on her face the entire time.
"I'm so excited, you came!" Nu Wa yelled.
Aang ruffled her dark hair. "Of course I came, but where are your parents? I thought we were seeing the play with them too."
She shook her head. "They said they would stay home because you and I are on a date."
"Oh really? Well I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend with me then," he chuckled, "Do you know who this is?"
He gestured to Zhen to which the little girl shook her head.
"She lives in the village, she makes really pretty vases and jars." he explained.
"Oh wait I do know you," she exclaimed, "I've heard my mom and dad talk about you before, they said your family-"
Panicked, Zhen cut in and effectively derailing the conversation, "Why don't we head inside, wouldn't want to get bad seats because we decided to stay outside and chat."
Aang couldn't help shooting her a concerned look before nodding in agreement. Together they entered the theater with seating not being an issue, the Avatar was given the best seats in the house for him as well as his small entourage. Zhen wiggled around in her seat until she was comfortable while Aang talked to Nu Wa. It wasn't long until the lights went out in the auditorium and the play began. The moment the first actor walked out on stage, she felt a sharp pang in her chest.
That could have been me…
As a girl Zhen was heavily involved in the Hira'a acting troupe, she had a passion for the stage and loved having the attention on her. Being able to become a whole different person invigorated her and she couldn't get enough of it. When she wasn't doing chores at home or in the shop, she'd be doing anything she could at the theater be it fixing a costume or running lines with her fellow acting lovers. She'd dreamed of becoming a famous actress one and tour all over the fire nation, but the dream stayed at that. A dream. As trouble began to brew in the family, she slowly began withdrawing from the troupe until finally she stopped showing up at all after one particular incident changed her life forever.
Her last show was Love Amongst the Dragons
Zhen watched the play with disdain lingering in her heart, mouthing the words to a line if she remembered it, and she sat as still as a statue in her seat with her eyes glued up front. She was unaware that Aang had noticed her change in demeanor, never acknowledging him when he'd look at her from the corner of his eyes.
When intermission was called, it was as if a spell had been lifted from her. Her body felt sore from being so stiff and she lifted her arms above her head causing her back to arch in a cat like fashion. She looked over and noticed Nu Wa had fallen asleep, her head resting against Aang's arm.
"What do you think of the play so far?" she asked after the auditorium cleared out.
"Are you okay Zhen?"
He noticed… of course he noticed. He's the Avatar.
She looked away. "It's not polite to answer a question with a question."
"The play is fine, but it's you I'm more concerned about. This whole time you've looked like someone hit you in the gut."
"I can promise you my gut is fine. I'm fine, you have nothing to worry about." She reassured him.
"Okay," he sighed, obviously disappointed with her lack of answers, "but if you ever need someone to talk to Zhen, I'm here. I feel like you haven't been yourself lately is all. I just want to make sure you're okay because you're my friend."
"That's very sweet of you Aang. I'll keep that in mind."
They stayed in their seats for the rest of intermission and it wasn't long until the show was up and running again. She made sure to relax so Aang would stop worrying, but she continued to critically analyze the play. When the Dragon Emperor finally kissed the Dragon Empress, Zhen unintentionally sucked in a sharp breath after noticing one tiny detail. Her eyes bulged and her fists tightened into tiny balls when she noticed the small scar on the Emperor's neck. She'd been the one to give it to him.
Him, of course it's him.
Her eyes prickled with tears which she tried to blink away but to no avail. She leaned in to whisper in Aang's ear.
"I'm sorry, I have to go."
Before he could ask any questions, she stood straight up, not caring if she blocked anyone's view, and left the auditorium. The muggy summer air felt thick and muggy, but she couldn't be inside anymore. She went around to the of the theater and leaned against the wall. Frustrated, she smacked her forehead.
"You're so stupid," she hissed, "you acted like a baby and caused a scene."
Her bottom lip quivered as tears slowly began their decent down her cheeks. She choked back a sob, she couldn't start bawling here. Never here.
"Zhen!"
Aang hurried towards her with a sleeping Nu Wa in her arms, panic written all over his face.
"Hey, why'd you just leave like that?!" he asked louder than he'd intended to.
She tried to look away before he could notice her puffy eyes and tear stained checks, but he'd already observed them. His face softened and he quieted down.
"Zhen…what's wrong?"
Her head dipped down, her hair creating a dark curtain to cover her face. She felt ugly. Ugly and pathetic. Certainly not how she wanted to be seen by the Avatar. It took her awhile to respond for fear of breaking down into a mess of tears, but when she finally got a hold of herself she answered him.
"The actor…the actor playing the Dragon Emperor used to be very close and important to me," she sighed, "His name is Huang and…and…he was my first love… but things started to get rough with my family and when I needed him most, he decided I was trash and not worth his time. He avoided me like the plague. Seeing him just brought things up that I never wanted to relive ever again." She explained.
Zhen pitifully chuckled. "You probably think I'm a mess."
Aang reached out and grasped her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"I would never think of you like that. I think you're a strong young lady and that you deserve a lot better. And you know what else I think?"
She shook her head.
"I think that guy is a real jerk and that you are way out of his league."
Zhen chuckled and wiped her eyes.
"Thank you Aang. And I'm sorry you had to leave the play." She mumbled.
"I chose to leave, so don't apologize okay?"
Although she did feel some guilt, she was mostly grateful for Aang. He'd been doing a lot to raise her spirits as of late. It was refreshing.
"Alright, well I'm going to head home," she started towards her house but stopped and faced him, "I promise I'll make this up to you."
"Why don't we meet up for tea tomorrow?" he suggested.
"That sounds great, it'll be my treat. I'll meet you at ten."
"That sounds perfect."
"Great…good night Aang."
He smiled. "Good night Zhen."
She offered him a small wave and continued home, forgetting about the man parading around on the stage and instead focus on the man who'd eased her most recent trouble. The Avatar truly was a deliverer of peace. She made the small trek to her house and kicked her shoes off the moment she was inside. After striking a match, she went to her bedroom lighting candles as she went until the walls were bathed in a calming light. She peeled off her clothes and exchanged them for comfortable silk sleepwear. She prepared herself for bed and with a few scrolls and a steaming cup of ginseng tea in hand, she settled onto the sofa for some nice night reading. The moon was high and bright in the sky by the time she'd finished reading, her tea losing its heat long ago. Zhen rolled up her scrolls and set them on an end table, she'd deal with the cup tomorrow. Her mouth opened wide with a yawn and she started to blow out all of the candles. As she was about to finish, a noisy knock came from her door. Slightly annoyed, she answered the door and instantly regretted it.
"What are you doing here?"
Huang stood there as proud as ever and she was afraid he could hear her heart beat while it thundered in her chest. Without waiting for permission, he barreled past her into the living room.
"You are not welcome here, please leave." She said, just barely maintaining a steady voice.
He approached her slowly until her nose was practically touching his chest, she felt like a small tree next to a fearsome mountain.
"Hello Zhen, I just wanted to have a quick word with you." He sneered.
Without warning, Huang's massive hand struck out against her cheek sending her onto the floor in a crumpled heap. Her head knocked against the floor, a loud ringing racking through her skull. When the feeling of shock passed she sat up, cradling her cheek which felt as if it'd been burnt with a hot coal. His triumphant gaze made her sick to her stomach.
"Now listen here you little witch, you have some nerve coming to my performance and ruining it by storming out. Don't think I didn't notice, you're lucky I didn't storm out there and strangle you because boy was I thinking about it. Now if I so much as see you near the theater, there will be consequences. Got it?" He explained in an eerily calm but equally menacing voice.
"Y-yes." She whimpered.
"Good, now have a good night."
He stepped over her towards the door, but stopped before actually leaving. He swiped at the stand by the door and her eyes widened when she realized what he'd done.
"NO!"
Before she could crawl over, the vase Huang had hit smashed into a hundred pieces on the floor. With trembling hands, she tried picking them up but they only slipped from her fingers. Nothing could stop the onslaught of tears and she let out an excruciating cry. The vase was made by her father and it was the last one she had from his collection. And it was destroyed.
"Oops." Huang said before walking out of the house.
Zhen's limbs went limp and she collapsed on the floor next to the broken pieces. All she could manage to do was weep before sleep finally released her from her pain, at least momentarily.
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