disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!
Pompeii
"Doesn't it seem kinda weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara wondered of noone in particular.
Zuko shook his head slightly, having a distinct feeling she hadn't been listening when he explained it to his girlfriend the other night, "I told you, my father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago." He reminded, being handed a towel from said firebender as she tossed one to Aang and proceeded to plonk down next to him on the old unused fountain. "And it'd be the last place anyone would look for us."
Mariko noted the slightly nostalgic light that flickered in his gaze before she slid her eyes closed and huffed, slugging him affectionately. "Lighten up, will you?"
"Don't tell me you learned how to punch like a boy from the guys." Zuko made a face at her, rubbing his arm.
"Nope, only from the best!" Toph chirped cheekily from her place lounging next to Katara on the covered walkway.
Zuko rolled his eyes, pinching his girlfriend's cheek only to have his hand be swatted away; he smirked playfully. "That explains a lot…"
Mariko pouted, sticking her tongue out. "Bite me, princeling." She grinned smugly at gaining a stifled laugh from Katara and a grin from Aang as he did his best to not laugh at his teacher's embarrassment.
"Damn it, Mariko!" Zuko barked in a flustered tone, his ears turning red.
"You guys aren't gonna believe this!" Sokka exclaimed as he and Suki barreled into the courtyard then, a long poster rolled up in said boy's grip.
"Gods, Suki, please tell me he found his intelligence… We spent months looking for it, but to no avail…" Mariko teased, earning a snorted laugh from Toph and she smiled innocently when Sokka sent her a death glare.
"Noo, actually… there's a play about us!" Sokka dismissed it with as much of his dignity as he could muster, a grin spreading across his face.
Suki chuckled at both the firebender's joke and her boyfriend's enthusiasm, chiming in, "We were just in town and we found this poster." She smiled as he unrolled the poster to showcase an illustrated portrait of Aang, Katara, and Sokka in fighting stances and an eyeshot of Zuko in the background, information regarding the play scrawled on the right corner of the poster.
Mariko pouted, "Aww, I wasn't in the poster? That's sexist!" She complained, folding her arms.
"What? How is that possible?" Katara asked in surprise as she, Aang, Toph and Mariko stepped forward to look at it better.
"Listen to this: 'The Boy in the Iceberg' is a new production from the critically-acclaimed Pu-Wong Tim, who scowered the globe gathering information on the Avatar. From the icy South Pole, to the heart of Ba Sing Se, whose sources include pirates, singing nomads, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly-knowledgeable merchant of cabbage." Sokka recited.
Suki added, "Brought to you by the Ember Island Players."
Twin groans of annoyance came from the firebender couple; Zuko rolled his eyes, "My mother used to take us to see them; they butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons' every year."; Mariko pinched the bridge of her nose, "Dad had them perform a skit for my mother's birthday one year and they were God-awful."
"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to go see a play written about ourselves?" Katara asked, looking at her brother.
He pouted, "A day at the theater? Come on! This is the wacky, time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!" He turned a big cheesy grin to the trio of firebenders.
Aang sweatdropped, Zuko rolled his eyes, and Mariko arched a dubious brow.
Mariko lifted a brow when Aang was cut off from sitting next to Katara, noting the flustered expression ghosting his features; she began to say for Zuko to scoot over so he could sit between her and the waterbender.
"Just sit next to me; what's the big deal?" Zuko urged patiently.
Aang stumbled over his words for another moment before he complied reluctantly and plonked down at the end of the bench.
Mariko elbowed her boyfriend, seeing the look he shot that said 'what?' and she shook her head, sighing, returning the look that said 'never mind'.
"Why're we sitting in the nosebleed section? My feet can't see a thing from up here!" Toph griped on her far right.
Katara rolled her eyes, assuring, "Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening."
The curtains were drawn up soon, gesturing the show was going to begin.
"…And hope is all we have!" Actress-Katara, a woman that seemed to redefine the actual girl's 'motherly' sense, hunched over the makeshift boat's edge and began sobbing.
The actual Katara snorted and crossed her arms, "Well that's ridiculous; I don't sound like that!" She pretended she didn't hear stifled laughs coming from Sokka, Suki, Toph and Mariko.
Toph snickered and said, "Oh man, this writer's a genius!"
Mariko deadpanned when Actor-Aang came onto the scene, arching a brow at the apparent curves on the actor as she easily put two and two together and knew the actor wasn't an actor, but actually an actress. "…'here to spread joy and fun'?"
Aang balked at seeing the actor portraying him. "Wait, is that a woman playing me…?"
"Oh wait! Isn't that a plate of meat up there?"
"Where; where!?"
Actress-Aang giggled, "Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?"
The audience burst into laughter as Aang ranted, "I don't do that; that's not what I'm like! And I'm NOT a woman!" He seethed.
Both Mariko and Toph were doing their best to not crack up even though one was doing better than the other, the latter chortling, "Oh man, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes!" as the former giggled out, "I dunno, Aang…"
Zuko near-visibly perked up at seeing his uncle and himself (both portrayed) appear on stage.
"Prince Zuko, you must try this cake!" Actor-Iroh urged, and both firebenders deadpanned at noting he looked pudgier than the real Iroh looked.
Actor-Zuko scoffed and glared at him from keeping an eye glued to the spyglass at the bow of the ship, "I don't have time to stuff my face! I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!" He exclaimed.
"Well while you do that, maybe I'll recapture another slice!" Actor-Iroh remarked before stuffing his face with the cake in hand.
"You disgust me!" Actor-Zuko huffed.
The real Zuko crossed his arms, scoffing, "They make me look totally stiff and humorless!"
Katara smirked, "Actually, I think the actor's pretty spot-on."
"How could you say that!?" Zuko griped.
Mariko rolled her eyes, watching both actors having another squabble before the scene changed, nudging the prince gently, "You'll ruin your good looks if you get that huffy." She sang, looking up at him from under her brow and smirking.
Zuko grumbled and pouted, making her giggle, before he slid his arm around her and squeezed. "Bite me."
The play passed through a few scenes, most occurring before she joined the group, and she deadpanned when the pirate scene came on.
"I'll help you!" Actress-Mariko exclaimed loudly as she helped the trio get out from under a pile of pirates, and the real Mariko had to squint, noticing the cropped blouse and two katana strapped to her back, low-cut pants and ankle boots, her boots black but otherwise her outfit was Fire Nation red.
"What the hell! I don't look like that…" Mariko hissed between her teeth.
Zuko snorted amusedly, "I didn't know you were a belly-dancer when we left home." He teased, wincing when she delivered an especially-sharp smack to his chest with the back of her hand.
Mariko folded her arms tighter over her chest and huffed, watching as they rolled on to the scene where Aang was captured by Zhao and the Blue Spirit saved him.
"My hero!" Actress-Aang squealed, hopping from the pedestal where she was bound and hopping onto the overtly-large mask of the Blue Spirit.
Both Zuko and Aang shuddered at the implication and shared an uneasy look with each other; the prince refolded his arm around his girlfriend's back, scooting closer to her by an inch as the airbender seemed to scoot closer to the bench arm.
Mariko felt her face drain of color during the Jet incident, having the sudden urge to find this Pu-Wong Tim and zap the hell out of him for making her out to be so… unlike herself, watching Actor-Jet lifting both Actress-Katara and Actress-Mariko up on a rope.
"Don't worry, ladies, I'll wipe out that nasty town for you!" Actor-Jet proclaimed, causing a paper-wave of water to rush over a cardboard village.
Both actresses cooed over him, "Oh Jet, you're so baad…"
Toph guffawed, "Sword Girl, not you too!"
"Hell no." Zuko bit out with a tinge of venom, speaking before his girlfriend could, his jaw set; he squeezed on her back in a possessive manner, glaring at the stage.
Mariko ignored the blush and smiled slightly at his actions, settling into his shoulder. She blinked when they finally reached the incident at the North Pole, deadpanning during the teary goodbye between Actor-Sokka and Actress-Yue.
"You never told me you made out with the moon spirit…" Suki teased said boy behind them.
The real Sokka sounded like he was trying not to cry, "I-I'm trying to watch!"
Both fire- and waterbender shared a look and then shook their heads with a bemused smile.
::::::::dOb::::::::
"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." Zuko commented blandly.
All seven of the teenagers had decided to get a breath of air and stepped out onto one of the balconies of the theater's second floor, lounging around one exit's back-stairwell.
"Apparently the playwright thinks I tell bad jokes about meat all the time." Sokka agreed as he plonked down next to Suki on one step with a bag of jerky in a hand.
Suki smiled wryly at him, "Yeah, you tell jokes about plenty other things." She jibed, earning an 'I know!' from her boyfriend as he munched on his snack.
"At least your actor kinda looks like you; that woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!" Aang griped, placing his head in his hands from sitting on the last step.
Toph shrugged from leaning against the stairwell landing, "I dunno… You are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys." She giggled when he glared up at her.
"Zu's right, the intermission so far has my standing ovation." Mariko mused dryly, snagging a piece of jerky from Sokka and smiling lightly at him, munching.
"Relax, you guys; they're not accurate portrayals." Katara assured, gesturing flippantly, "It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving over-emotional speeches about hope all the time."
An awkward silence stepped in as the six teenagers clammed up faster than turtle-ducks.
Aang countered sarcastically, "Yeah, that's not you at all…"
Toph seemed to be the only cheery one about this, "Listen friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth." She said lightly.
Mariko was able to relax again as the play timeline shifted to their travels in the Earth Kingdom, passing by the time they first met Toph –whose portrayer was a 'really buff guy' that could see using a sonic wave he screamed out (which was really loud)—and somehow shifted to a scene where Zuko and Iroh split ways.
"Prince Zuko, it's time we had a talk… about your hair!" Actor-Iroh pointed at said prince's long brown locks.
Actor-Zuko tossed his hair back, "Maybe it's best if we… split up."
Zuko slouched slightly in his seat at the memory, and Mariko picked at a lock of his hair with a tilt of her head; he scowled at her. "What?"
"I like your hair." Mariko mused, meeting his scowl with a small smile, pulling back a smidge, taking his hand on reflex; his face softened slightly and he squeezed her hand, placing her hand on his knee as they both returned their attention to the play.
It was a few scenes later, the incident under Lake Laogai, where Actor-Jet was crudely crushed under a cardboard boulder where Zuko nudged her, asking, "Did Jet just… die?"
"I can't say for sure." Sokka mused aloud.
Mariko squeezed his knee. "Yeah he did." She murmured.
It was another scene or two later that the incident in the crystal caves was shown.
"Prince Zuko, don't choose your honor, choose me!" Actress-Mariko cooed, nuzzling up to the prince's portrayer.
Actor-Zuko glared at her, "Why should I? You've left me, you left me to join with the Avatar!"
"I don't care about that anymore; I just want you! Prince Zuko, my beautiful prince, please take me back!" Actress-Mariko begged, groveling at his knees.
Actor-Zuko regarded her and then seemed to sigh, lifting her up and landing a passionate kiss on her lips.
"Gods, tell me that's not how it happened…" Toph groaned. "Who'd have thunk Prince Casanova was such a sappy romantic?"
Both Mariko and Zuko turned a shade of cherry red before the older girl coughed, replying, "Not exactly…" It was bad enough the crystal caves incident reminded her about how she'd chased away and then turned her back on her friends, but the damn playwright just had to get that one detail so bloody accurate…
Zuko's hand left hers when the scene came up where he had to choose between Azula and Iroh.
"Choose treachery… it's more fun!" Actor-Iroh suggested jovially, winking at his nephew.
"No way!" Actress-Azula exclaimed when Actor-Zuko strode toward his uncle's side… only to knock him over and then return to her side.
Actor-Zuko pointed a finger at his fallen uncle, "You smell, Uncle, and I hate you for all time!"
Katara looked over at said prince, "You didn't actually say that, did you?"
"I might as well have." Zuko answered bitterly.
Mariko frowned and sighed, squeezing his knee gently and smiling warmly when he glanced at her.
The second intermission went as swimmingly as the first one did, and prior to that the scenes expounded on what Toph had previously told her of what the gang had undergone in their first few weeks prior to the eclipse. When the eclipse started in the play, however, things ended badly.
"Aang, you go find the Fire Lord! Mariko and I will hold her off!" Actor-Zuko declared, sending off the bald actress shortly after his father had fled the scene only minutes ago.
"You are no longer my brother; you are an enemy!" Actress-Azula cried, glaring at her brother.
"That may be, but I've come because the throne belongs to me; I am the rightful heir!" Actor-Zuko snapped.
Actress-Azula feigned a wicked grin, "We'll see."
It was a short display of firebending, Actress-Azula spouting cerulean ribbons at both Zuko and Mariko; Zuko dodged one particular blast but Mariko wasn't so lucky.
"Prince Zuko, I love you!" Actress-Mariko wailed before falling at the hand of her sister-in-law.
The real Mariko ignored the balking stares from her friends, but the prince could feel her hand slightly shake while still on his knee.
Spurred by the demise of his lover, Zuko attacked viciously only to be rendered on the defense. With a quick flick of the wrist, Azula sent a wall of fire to take him down.
"Honor!" Actor-Zuko bellowed as he sank down below the flames. Applause greeted the actress as she turned to bow to the audience.
The real Zuko stared at the scene with wide eyes.
"Over my dead body." Mariko bit out venomously.
"So! You have mastered all four elements?" Actor-Ozai drawled loudly when the next scene began, showing Aang in the Fire Lord's throne room.
"Yeah, and now you're going down!" Actress-Aang chirped with a bright grin.
"No, it is YOU who are going down!" The faux comet began flying slowly over the stage as he continued, "You see, you're already too late! The comet is already here… and I'm unstoppable!" Ozai cried.
Mariko glared at the show of bending and when Actor-Ozai sent a high wall of flames at Aang, she looked away as she wailed out 'No!', her jaw set.
::::::::dOb::::::::
"That… wasn't a good play."
"Completely horrid."
"I'll say."
"No kidding."
"Horrible."
"You said it."
"… But the effects were decent!"
A/N: yo, sorry for the prolonged update again. kinda been busy lately.. anywho, not much to put, though i don't think i covered this episode so well.. aheh.
hope y'like! (:
*"Pompeii" - Bastille