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Chapter 35
Get Zen
"I still can't believe this is actually happening," Ty Lee said nervously as the final touches of makeup were being applied to her face.
"Never been on stage before?" the makeup artist asked.
"Never one this big," Ty Lee admitted with an excited smile. "It just doesn't seem real!"
It was just over two weeks ago that Ella Rose and her associates had approached Ty Lee in Jiayi's diner. Never would she have thought that things would progress so quickly. At first the plan had been to do a recording of Ella's song and have it debut on the radio a month later. However, after hearing Ty Lee's initial performance in the recording booth, one of the men had suggested a different course of action. Her first attempt at the song had been so well done that the publishers began talking about debuting it as a live performance rather than a single. The only question at the time was whether or not Ty Lee could hold up in front of an audience and perform not only with her voice, but with her dancing.
To say that Ty Lee met the expectations of the choreographers would have been an understatement. In no time at all she was singing, dancing and laughing as though she had been doing so all her life. In hindsight Ty Lee realized that she should not have been surprised by this, because she had been singing, dancing and laughing all her life. Just not on such a large scale. With all of these new factors to consider, the release of the song was pushed up. To tonight.
Ty Lee was backstage at a concert preparing to perform live as the opening number before the main concert was to begin. It was so nerve wracking to hear so many voices cheering in anticipation. Nerve wracking and motivating, because she knew her friends were out there near the front of the crowd waiting to see her take flight.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here this evening," Ty Lee said as she paced in front of her friends at Jiayi's diner.
"Ty Lee, it's nine in the morning," Mai deadpanned as Toph let out a yawn.
"Yeah, why am I awake so early on a weekend?"
"Well, as you all know I'm supposed to be doing a recording in the not so far off future," Ty Lee began. "It turns out I'm not going to be recording it right away anymore. And the not so far off future also got a whole lot closer."
"How close is close? And what are you going to be doing if you're not recording the song?" Aang asked.
"I'm going to be performing it live!" Ty Lee squealed as she started to bounce in place. "I'm opening for a band's live performance in three days!"
"Isn't that rather sudden?" Azula asked. "Do you think you can manage that?"
"I can do it. I will do it! I'm gonna knock the socks off of everyone there! Sorry in advance about your socks." As Ty Lee said this, she pulled four tickets out of her bag and presented them to her friends. "I want you all to be there!"
"It's too bad it's in the middle of the week," Aang said. "Katara would love this."
"Yeah, Sugar Queen could use the break too," Toph added.
"It looks like your boyfriend has to pay for himself," Mai said to Azula.
"I'm sorry," Ty Lee pouted. "I was only allowed to give away four tickets and Daddy's already going to be backstage with Jiayi. I definitely wanted the four of you to be there."
"It's fine," Azula reassured her. "If he wants to come, he can buy his own ticket. Do you want me to ask Zuzu along too?"
"Isn't he going to be busy with his patrol?" Mai asked.
"No harm in offering an invitation," Azula said offhandedly.
Ty Lee beamed while everyone just gave Azula a look of surprise. It was nice to see Azula actively taking part in something. Even better was seeing her trying to get others involved as well. She had grown so much in the last few years, most notably in the last few weeks since the incident. It made Ty Lee so happy that she could not stop herself from throwing herself onto Azula with a tight hug.
"I love you so much!" she squealed with joy.
"Yes, yes," Azula replied as she pat Ty Lee's head. "I know."
"Dwight better be careful," Toph teased. "Looks like Ty Lee's got her own plans for you."
"Don't be jealous, Tophy!" Ty Lee said as she suddenly pounced from Azula to Toph. "I still love you too! And Aang and Mai! I love all of you so much! This is going to be so much fun!"
The atmosphere backstage was a controlled frenzy. Everyone was moving around and calling out to each other as the final preparations for the show were checked and double checked. Ty Lee stood as still as her nerves would allow her as one of the stage hands attached her microphone to her.
"You must be so nervous," he was saying, "getting ready to go out on that stage in front of all those people."
"More excited than anything," she smiled. "I'm pretty sure my dad is more nervous than I am. Have you seen him?"
"I think he said something about getting the two of you some water."
After a few more tweaks to the microphone's placement the stage hand left. For the first time through the preparations, Ty Lee was completely alone. She could hear the crowd getting more and more riled as show time drew nearer. All of those people were there to see her. They were there to hear her.
Well, not really me, she thought to herself. I'm just the opening performer. Still, that's an awful lot of people out there.
Ty Lee's suddenly found it harder to breath. It was as though the air around her was permeated with lead and it was starting to fill her lungs. She was not one to get nervous, but she could not remember a time that she was the center of so much attention. Even her highest level gymnastics meets never had such a loud and boisterous audience. It was more than a little intimidating when she realized she would be out in front of all those people by herself.
"You're okay, sweetie," came a soft voice.
Ty Lee did not take her eyes away from the stage she was about to walk out onto even as Jiayi wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I don't feel so good," she realized as she said it out loud.
"You're absolutely fine," Jiayi told her. "Do you know why?"
Ty Lee turned to Jiayi as her breathing started to level out.
"You're okay because you were born to do this," Jiayi smiled proudly. "All of those times you sang at the diner, all of those parties you sang at for your friends; this is no different."
"I think it's a little different," Ty Lee chuckled, her anxiety still not quite gone.
"It's exactly same," Jiayi argued softly. "You're going to go out there and sing your heart out for all of your friends, and you're going to have a wonderful time doing it. It's just like every other time you've done it. Remember who you're singing for and I promise you'll be fine."
Ty Lee closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she hugged Jiayi. Images of Toph, Azula and all of her friends flashed through her mind. She could see the diner's little karaoke machine sitting in the corner while her friends grouped together at a table too small for them. Azula and Mai were talking quietly with Dwight sitting near them. Aang and Tophy were clowning around with Sokka while Suki and Katara took a break from him at the counter with Zuko and his partner Haru. While it was true that not all of her friends would be present for her very first time on the big stage, she knew they were all cheering her on. Just like every other time she ever sang for them.
"I hope you're ready," one of the stage hands asked. "It's show time!"
Without a quick hug to Jiayi and a bright smile on her face, Ty Lee ran out onto the stage. Jiayi smiled and waved after her just as Kuzon returned with two bottles of water in hand.
"I did not even get to wish her good luck," he said, his disappointment with himself apparent.
"She won't need it, dear," Jiayi told him. "She'll be just fine."
The crowd's screams and cheers were deafening as the lights fell over the stage. The music began quietly at first and then surged louder than Ty Lee had ever heard in her life. An explosion of energy rushed through her as she grinned out at all of the faces in the crowd before she settled on a small group near the very front. Her friends, even Mai and Azula, cheered louder than anyone else.
"Are we ready to have some fun?" she screamed out to the crowd. The cheers redoubled in volume as Ty Lee began to sing.
There's a glimpse of golden in the moonlight
A sense of silver in the sun
Shifts and sighs define the changes
Before you know it, life's begun
The feeling was indescribable. There are moments in life that are so fleeting, so pure and true as to being simply what they are that words fall utterly short of reality no matter how heartfelt they are. For Ty Lee, this was one of those moments.
It's not a fight to finish
It's not a battle to be won
You've just got to get zen with it
Then you'll feel what you've become
Life is an ever changing cycle of events, she realized. No matter where, when or even how a person starts, there is no way of predicting where they will end up or how they will get there.
So tell me, friend, what's your story?
What's your universal truth?
Do you draw clouds in sunny weather?
Do you stick to your roots?
It's not a fight to finish
It's not a battle to be won
You've just got to get zen with it
Then you'll know what you've become
Aang and Toph met by the slimmest of chances when they were kids and were separated soon after. Who would have known that their chance meeting would end up leading to their getting married? Then there was Zuko and Azula who had lost so much so early. As standoffish and alone as they had made themselves, they were now reaching out more than ever to make connections to other people. Even Mai was openly showing her affection for her friends in her own way now.
Do you sit still in the breeze
Or sway like mountains in the wind?
Are your flowers harsh like fire?
Or do they dance the ocean's end?
It's not a fight to finish
It's not a battle to be won
You've just got to get zen with it . . .
You've just got to get zen with it . . .
The music softened again as the spotlight focused on Ty Lee. She smiled with all her heart out at the crowd and the friends she loved so dearly. The words came out without melody, spoken straight from her heart.
My friend, whatever you take from this ride called 'life'
The secret of strings or death metal rock
Remind the everlasting and the hopeful
To turn the key on nature's lock
You don't have to be perfect
You just have to let live, because,
When they ask, "Was it worth it?"
You should say, "Yeah . . .
"It really was"
The music faded into nothing as the cheers of the crowd roared louder. Ty Lee beamed as she continued to dance for another moment while she subtly wiped a tear from her eye. Even if she never made a big splash in the industry, even if this was the only time she got to perform in front of a crowd, this song would forever remain in her heart not just because she was the first to sing it, but because it was a song that she and her friends had lived.
"You were amazing!" Kuzon exclaimed as he and Jiayi wrapped Ty Lee in a tight hug.
"I think I'm going to explode!" Ty Lee said as she bounced in their arms. "That was the greatest thing ever!"
"I'm so proud of you, finally living your dream," Jiayi practically cried with joy.
"Excuse me," someone interrupted. "I'm sorry to bother you, but we have a small problem."
"What is it?" Kuzon asked.
"It seems the police are here. They say they have business with Ty Lee."
"That is a blatant abuse of power," Ty Lee grinned as Zuko and Haru stepped up behind the stagehand.
"I wasn't about to miss your performance," Zuko said. "Azula told me it was important to you that we be here if we could, so here we are. You were great by the way."
"Thanks, Zuko," she said as she hugged him. "I'm sorry Katara couldn't be here."
"Yeah, but I'm sure someone's recording this and planning to put it online. You'll hear from her sooner than you think, I'll bet." Zuko turned to his partner. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"
There was a tone in Zuko's voice that Ty Lee knew was reserved for teasing or mocking their friends. The face that Haru made only confirmed that he was being teased. He recovered quickly however as he cleared his throat into his hand before smiling hesitantly.
"I just wanted to say that I thought you were amazing," he said. From behind his back he produced a bouquet of pink flowers wrapped neatly with a ribbon and a small note that read "Congratulations" stuck between a few of the stems.
"That is so sweet!" Ty Lee gushed as she took the bouquet. She pushed herself up onto her tip toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Haru!"
The look on his face was pricelessly entertaining as he fumbled to say something in reply. Just as Ty Lee was wondering what would happen if she gave him a hug as well, Zuko started to usher his partner to the door.
"As much as we'd like to stay, we are on shift," he said. "Congrats, Ty Lee, and thanks for putting my partner in a catatonic state for the rest of the night."
Haru suddenly regained his composure and shrugged Zuko's hand off.
"Ha ha, Zuko," he said flatly. "I'm fine."
"I'll say," Ty Lee said cheekily and watched as Haru made that cute fumbling face again. She rushed over to Zuko and snagged a pen from his uniform before scribbling on the back of the card she had received. "Call me sometime?"
Before Haru could respond, Ty Lee placed the card in his hand and gave him another kiss on the cheek. She could barely contain her laughter as Zuko guided his partner back to the exit to return to work.
A/N: The song "Get Zen With It" was written by Ellarose C years ago for a competition that was always meant for this chapter. I'm sorry it took me so long to put this wonderful song into the series, but I hope that you're still reading to enjoy it.