Fight 65: Play Down
In the courtyard of the Fire Lord's beach house on Ember Island, Zuko, Chenlian and Aang were practicing firebending. The men were shirtless. Katara was spectating from the shade. Toph was lying down next to her. When the sequence was over, it was time for a break. Aang massaged his shoulders while Zuko stretched and went to sit on the edge of the derelict fountain. The waterbender found it weird that they were hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house. The Fire Nation prince reassured her. His father hadn't come here for a long time, since their family was actually happy. This was the last place anyone would think to look for them.
"You guys are not going to believe this. There's a play about us." Sokka came over with Suki, who had also donned a Fire Nation disguise. The couple had been in town and found a poster that the boy unveiled and showed. His sister voiced her surprise, prompting him to read the poster's content. "Listen to this. 'The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se, his sources including singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.'"
"'Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players.'" Suki read the last line.
"Ugh. My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered 'Love Amongst The Dragons' every year." Zuko slumped down with quite the disgusted look on his face. Katara wasn't sure it was a good idea for them to attend a play about themselves .
"Come on, a day at the theatre ? This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing." He grinned widely.
"You should give up. That play won't be pleasant to watch for some of us, and it won't end well." Chenlian bluntly advised against it.
"Aww, don't be so pessimistic! This is definitely gonna be fun! Aren't you guys curious to see yourselves on stage?!" It was useless. Sokka's hype could not be dampened. The others heaved a defeated sigh, not nearly as excited as him...
And so, this night, the Gaang went into a private viewing box on the second floor facing the stage. Toph and Katara took their seats on the front row with Aang almost pouncing to sit on Katara's other side as if to say he won't give that position to anyone else. The waterbender looked at him cluelessly as the two couples settled on the row behind them. Chenlian was smirking amusedly. Toph complained that her feet couldn't see a thing from up here.
"Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening." Katara smartly replied as the lights dimmed in the theatre, signaling the impeding start of the show.
The curtain was drawn up to reveal a canoe prop surrounded by moving set decorations of water. The backdrop was a crude painting of icebergs. The Katara and Sokka actors were rowing the canoe. Although the siblings were both equally excited, the boy was more expressive as he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and rapidly pointed back and forth between the stage and himself repeatedly while making noises. However, their excitement soon turned to shock and disappointment as they watched their stage selves more closely and listened to their rendition.
"Sokka, my only brother. We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas and yet never do we find anything fulfilling." The actress was taller, and much plumper than the real one, with too much blush on her cheeks. Her clothing was a little revealing too.
"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!" The one playing Sokka was bonier and buck-toothed, and the 'wolf-tail' had become an over-sized ponytail bun, making him look even dumber than the original. The audience laughed heartily.
"Is food the only thing on your mind?"
"Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth. I'm starving." His wisecracks resulted in more laughter from the spectators. Sokka called him pathetic and complained to his sister that HIS jokes were way funnier. Toph laughed though, believing that this actor really got him pegged.
"Everyday, the World awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears. Still, we cannot give up hope... For hope is all we have and we must never relinquish it. Even... even to our dying breath." The female thespian performed oh so melodramatically, pretending to cry. Katara was unamused by the 'silly' acting. She didn't sound like that. Her brother, Suki and Toph were giggling, and the earthbender even praised the writer as a genius. Light illuminated the stage and the actress daintily stood up. An iceberg prop had moved over with a light blue circle on top and a human silhouette behind it. "It appears to be someone frozen in ice. Perhaps for a hundred years."
"But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?"
Aang grabbed the railings of the viewing box in anticipation. Zuko looked bored. Chenlian yawned. Her boyfriend pulled her to him and made her rest against so she could sleep more comfortably if she wanted to. She wasn't going to sleep but it was still cozy and warm against him she wasn't going to move now. The duo on stage climbed onto the iceberg prop.
"Waterbend, hai-ya!" The plump lady made a chopping motion and the circle cracked and split. A bald girl in airbender clothing appeared in a puff of smoke. She posed and winked. Aang was totally repulsed. "Who are you, frozen boy?"
"I'm the Avatar, silly. Here to spread joy and fun." She giggled and whirled on one leg. The real avatar could hardly believe that it was really a woman playing him. Suddenly, what looked more like a Chinese Guardian Lion (notably those from New Year) than a flying bison popped up behind them and circled round the prop while making gruff animal noises. The three dancers controlling the costume were wearing shaggy pants to show that Appa had six legs.
"An airbender. My heart is so full of hope that it's making me tearbend." The actress playing the waterbender dropped to her knees and hugged the other woman's leg, producing sobbing sounds. 'Sokka' mirrored her movements, saying that his stomach was so empty that it was making him tearbend. He needed meat.
"But wait. Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?" Female Aang knelt down, placed an arm around the man's shoulder and pointed to the ceiling above the crowd, prompting the foodie on stage to look around asking 'Where? Where?'. "Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?" She laughed uncontrollably, crossing her legs. The spectators sniggered too.
"I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And... I'm not a woman!" The visibly irritated monk exploded.
"Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes." Toph cackled again.
"Aang, I heard all about how you pranked Sokka by pretending there was a snake in his sleeping bag... and weren't you more interested in riding various animals across the world than your sacred mission as the Avatar?" Chenlian innocently reminded the 112-year-old child who once more slumped onto the railing.
It was Zuko's and Iroh's turn to enter the stage... on a Fire Navy ship. The Zuko actor was poised near the front of the ship, looking through a telescope... his scar on the wrong side. The Iroh impersonator offered the prince a piece of cake. Indeed, he was holding a whole cake on a plate with one slice missing.
"I don't have time to stuff my face. I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!"
"Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice." Or so the older man said, while literally stuffing his face with the cake like an animal.
"You sicken me." The other performer commented. Zuko complained about how they had made him totally stiff and humorless, but Katara thought that actor was pretty spot on. Of course, Chenlian completely agreed.
"How could you say that?!" The scarred man in the box exclaimed.
"Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages."
"How could you say that?!' The one with the fake scar on stage yelled back with the exact same words and tone. Having their point proven, the two women grinned smugly at Zuko who then slouched with a defeated expression.
Next was the Southern Air Temple. Womanly Aang tip-toed towards a bush from which a white tail was sticking out. She reached in and took a plushie vaguely resembling the Avatar's pet, that she called a 'flying rabbit monkey' and named Momo while giggling. She also attempted ventriloquism, making the puppet say 'Hi everyone, I love you.' Quite the lame attempt as the corner of her mouth was obviously moving. Still, that, too, tickled everyone's funny bone, and thoroughly annoyed Aang who rubbed his temple with two fingers to ease his growing headache and anger.
After that was the meeting with the Kyoshi Warriors, though there was only Suki on the scene, and Sokka, wearing the same uniform, and sticking out his rear, asking if this dress made his butt look fat. More cheer erupted in the audience. The Suki in the box clamped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter and turned towards her boyfriend who was looking at her with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks and the dejected expression of a puppy.
The scene became chaotic for the enactment of the happenings at Omashu. The female Avatar was crouching to avoid swinging rocks, Sokka was running away from someone in a... rabbit stuffed suit rather than a Flopsie suit. The person playing Bumi was also wearing a suit to portray the elderly's incredibly ripped physique as well as a headpiece imitating the king's hairstyle and a fake beard and declaiming his lines in rhymes before laughing hysterically, standing atop a tower. Katara, trapped by green crystal-like props, was doing the stereotypical and over-the-top damsel in distress act, causing the real one to stick out her tongue in disgust.
As for the visit to the Fire Temple on the Winter Solstice, it was to get advice from Roku on how to defeat the Fire Lord. They should ask Fire Nation people about their own weaknesses, and the only one they could ask was Avatar's Aang's previous incarnation, Avatar Roku, who was originally from the Fire Nation. And at the Fire Temple, they found Actress Chenlian, behaving like a queen, having the Fire Sages kneeling to her and serving her. Her bun was bigger, and stuck with ten hairpins. Her appearance was average but her makeup and expression made her look like a villainess. However, when Aang came in, she suddenly hugged him... her... saying she had been waiting for him forever; before kneeling and offering that they defeat the evil Fire Lord together. But Aang and the siblings didn't believe her immediately. They didn't even know her.
"Oh, of course. My name is Chenlian, and I am a firebender." She lowered her gaze and then, her eyes wet with tears, started her sob-... life story. "I come from a prominent noble and military family but one day we were suddenly accused of plotting a rebellion by people jealous of our power and standing! My family was sentenced to exile and I was captured and tortured! Even though we've always been loyal, isn't that too horrible?! Look, here's proof!" She opened her top and showed her fake scar. "That's why I want revenge... I mean that's why I want to help YOU defeat the Fire Lord and restore peace and balance to the world." She begged, prompting a group hug where everyone cried for the poor, poor, poor Chenlian. And like this, the Avatar and siblings were convinced... even though the Chenlian in the play obviously intended to use them to get her revenge without dirtying her hands too much.
"...Am I THAT two-faced and manipulative?" The real Chenlian sat up properly and tilted her head in curiosity. She didn't sound angry or hurt in the slightest.
"It's your ability to touch and grasp people's hearts that's a bit tricky." Zuko euphemized with a conflicted expression, having been both inspired and hurt by that ability of hers more than anyone. There was no denying she had a way to get people to do what she wanted, and that she needed to be able to garner sympathy in order to survive.
"I really don't think I have that much grasp on others, though. If I had, I would have stopped some people from doing stupid things more often than that." The perplexed female firebender raised an eyebrow.
Then stage Zuko appeared with soldiers and tried capturing everyone. A battle ensued, with Zuko and Chenlian fighting. The prince shouted at the red-haired girl. How had she escaped?! What was she doing here?! To which she responded that she had sided with the avatar.
"You traitorous wretch!" He tried to punch her but she caught his fist. As he made to grab her, their hands met and fingers entwined.
"How can you be so cruel now, even though you liked me so much back then. But I still like you. You want the throne, right? Then you should side with us too."
"What?!" While he was confused, she pecked his lips. Befuddled to paralysis, he let Chenlian destroy everything with firebending and escape with the Avatar and Water Tribe people.
Strangely enough, during the pirates incident, there was no Zuko or Fire Nation soldiers. The Avatar, Chenlian, and the siblings just stole the scroll and escaped while the pirates were fighting each other for an unknown reason. And when Sokka asked why Katara had to steal that waterbending scroll, she replied in her usual overly dramatic way that it gave her so much hope...
Then came the Avatar's capture and subsequent confinement at the Pohuai stronghold. There was no Zhao, Chenlian, or even a Dragon Empress. It must have been bad that a protagonist like the Dragon Empress sided with the enemy so they chose to keep it under wraps. The Dragon Empress being one of the protagonists of 'Love amongst the Dragons'. Zuko was often made to play the Dark Water Spirit while Azula got to be the Dragon Emperor whenever they reenacted the play as children. Anyway, it was Zuko and his men who had captured Aang. And the Blue Spirit was a totally random character... the "scourge of the Fire Nation here to save the Avatar." By the way, the mask covered his whole body and looked a lot more stupid than the real one, sticking out its tongue and all. The scourge waved his broadswords around and the soldiers fell. Zuko ineptly tried to fight it but was driven away.
"My hero." Female Aang jumped off the platform to sit on top of the mask and the two made their exit like this. In the box, Aang and Zuko glanced at each other, very grossed out. Chenlian stifled a laughter.
The next background showed the treetop hideout of the Freedom Fighters. Katara and Jet were on a tiny platform suspended by a rope. Jet had a rose in his mouth instead of straw, and his hair was much, much wilder and shaggier. She was sobbing again.
"Don't cry, baby. Jet will wipe out that nasty town for you." He pulled her closer to him, pointed at the stage and tipped her chin up. Men clad in black came running and pulling a large, blue sheet of cloth symbolizing water flooding the town. The platform was raised.
"Oh Jet, you're so bad." She replied sensually with an evil smirk, leaning against him. The waterbender held her head in embarrassment and looked around, clearly searching for a place to hide, with made Toph giggle.
The Great Divide, the biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom, was skipped with a mere "Meh. Let's keep flying."
Finally, it was the North Pole. Sokka begged Yue (who was wearing an exaggerated white wig and a pink dress) not to go as she was the only woman who had ever taken his mind off of food. They were sharing a noisy kiss when he gagged and rudely asked if she had pickled fish for dinner.
"Goodbye, Sokka. I have important Moon duties to take care of. And yes, I did have pickled fish." The crescent Moon prop she was sitting on slowly got pulled up, tearing them apart. The train of her skirt was a shocking few feet long. Despite the comical and not-so-flattering portrayal, the genuine Water Tribe Warrior was still absorbed by the play. His chin resting on his clasped hands, his lips quivering and his blue eyes watering, rather than the play, he seemed to be absorbed by his sweet yet painful memories.
"You never told me you made out with the Moon Spirit." Suki giggled.
"Shh. I'm trying to watch." Her boyfriend silenced her with a finger on her mouth. She glared at him, crossed her arms, and sharply turned her head the other way and closed her eyes. Unmindful of her feelings and annoyance, he freely let his tears fall, his gaze not leaving the scene for a single second. Soon, small Fire Nations boats were dragged across the stage, well, just cut out and painted planks, the size of baby toys. They were kicked and smashed by actress Aang under a large Ocean Spirit costume. A tiny human silhouette was drawn in a circle in the middle of the costume. She was also holding and swinging around a doll looking like an angry Zhao. Chenlian was held horizontally by two ropes, drapped in a dragon disguise, and made to circle over the scene while she threw large ribbons and balls painted with a flame pattern. Animal cries and howls were heard as a background noise.
"The Avatar is back to save the day! Yay!" Aang stomped and kicked around, totally thrashing the fleet until she comically fell under the weight of her disguise to simulate the Ocean Spirit leaving the Avatar's body and the huge fish form disappearing back into the water. However, it was not over...
Zuko and Iroh were on a raft of tied trunks, leaving the South Pole as defeated generals, but then, Chenlian jumped onto the raft from an iceberg prop.
"Mind if I come with you guys?" She offered a smile.
"How dare you?!" However, before Zuko could attack her, the girl hugged him.
"I thought you needed comfort after your defeat. As long as I'm with him, you can never defeat the Avatar, because I am strong. There are other ways for you to have the throne, Zuko. Because I am strong, I can make you stronger too, I can give you everything you ever wanted... Are you sure you don't need my help?" She seduced him like the Devil itself tempting a poor soul. Of course, aside from Zuko, the spectators had no way of knowing that Azula had tempted her brother in quite similar terms in Ba Sing Se, which made him frown. As a response, the prince hugged her back, tilted her chin upwards, and after staring into her eyes for a time, kissed her lips. The curtain was lowered, signaling the intermission, and the audience erupted in applause and cheers... quite unlike the Gaang members who reacted with various expressions of bewilderment and displeasure.
The group was on a flight of steps opening onto a balcony. Some members were sitting down on the stairs(Katara, Suki, and Aang), and others (Zuko and Toph) were leaning against the railing. Chenlian was sitting on the railing next to Zuko who had an arm around her waist. Sokka pulled a curtain and joined them.
"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." The prince commented.
"Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time." Sokka sat next to his girlfriend and took a piece of the meat jerky he had just bought.
"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics." The amused Kyoshi Warrior replied.
" I know!" He angrily took another bite.
"At least this Sokka actor kinda looks like you. That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!" Aang complained from his place near the foot of the stairs, holding his head. Toph wasn't so sure about that though. He was more in touch with his feminine side than most guys after all. The monk stood up and growled at her, ready to pounce.
"Relax, Aang." Katara was at the top of stairs. "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time." As sure of herself as she sounded, everyone else looked at her skeptically. "What?" She cluelessly shrugged after noticing their gaze. However, the others were kind enough not to point her lack of self-awareness. Still, she had managed to calm her friend.
"Yeah. That's not you at all." The monk sat back down.
"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." Toph was enjoying herself the most since she could poke fun at everyone.
"But Chenlian, aren't YOU hurt or angry? They turned you into such a wicked woman..."
"No, since it's not entirely false. I HAD to become cunning. Besides, everyone has some flaws. Of course we do too. It's natural so there's no need to get angry or hurt."
"Still..."
"It was only expected that they'd put the accent on our flaws and make light of our lives and feelings by turning us into such jokes. After all, we're not the heroes of this play. We're the antagonists whose role is to ultimately be soundly def-." As she started spoiling, Sokka pushed food into her mouth, effectively silencing her.
"No spoiler allowed." He glared at her. The girl nodded, silently chewed, and swallowed the jerky.
They returned to the box for the start of Part Two that took place in the Earth Kingdom. The background was a pretty town. Actress Aang took a look around above the audience (hung by a rope and fake mini glider in hand) to search for an earthbending teacher.
"This is it! This must be where I come in!" The blind girl was quite excited, unlike the bored Sokka, expressionless Chenlian, worried Katara, and Zuko who was studying the program while hiding his face. The womanly avatar returned to her companions having failed to find a master. "Here it comes!" The Beifong daughter clenched her fists in anticipation. Suddenly, a rock prop was lifted from its underside by an incredibly tall and ripped man with dark skin with the same clothes and hairstyle as their Toph.
"You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground." The man hurled the prop over the trio's heads. Most members of the Avatar's party guffawed. Curious because of their reaction, Zuko peered over the parchment... that he dropped in shock. Only the blind girl was leaning over the railing, tilting her head and trying to make out what her character was like. "My name's Toph because it sounds like 'tough'." He flexed his muscles. "And that's just what I am."
"Wait a minute..." The real Toph turned her head to the side, straining her ear and picking it to clear it. "I sound like... a guy?! A really beefy guy!" She smiled.
"Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?" Katara attempted to give her a taste of her own medicine.
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have cast it any other way! At least it's not a flying bald lady." She was grinning ear to ear and laughing happily. Her words aggravated both the waterbender whose teasing had miserably failed, and the airbender who had been cast as a flying bald lady. As the earthbending master's introduction continued, it appeared that the method for seeing despite being blind had changed too. Her seismic sense had become sonic waves from his mouth, kind of like echolocation.
The backdrop next depicted a garden with blooming trees. Petals were falling. Iroh was sitting at a table, sipping his tea.
"I'm going to pick flowers and make you a flower crown." Actress Chenlian hugged the prince, kissed his cheek, and left. Zuko crossed his arms and started grumbling. It had been one year since his banishment. When could he finally go back home?! So he was pondering whether it should be alright to sell at least Chenlian out now, or if he should use her to get closer to the Avatar and bag them both together. Iroh replied that would be a waste.
"Care for her, and she will protect you, bloom prettily just for you." The old man advised. But then, another woman came over.
"Azula! My sister. What are you doing here?!" Actor Zuko reacted with a startle.
"I came to deliver a message from father. He regrets your banishment and wants you home. Pack your things and come."
"Home..." The young man was obviously tempted. "But it can't be, I haven't captured the Avatar yet... Or Chenlian..."
"I understand that it can be hard for you to believe. But I'm not a messenger. I'm a busy princess. You have one hour to think it over. Then I'll take you back." Azula exited the stage only for Chenlian to come back in from the other side.
"Here, for you." The red-haired actress was about to place the flower crown on Zuko's head when he slapped her hands away. The ornament flew and fell to the ground.
"I don't need it! And I don't need you anymore! My sister came and told me my father needs me! He'll return my birthright to me and give me the real crown!"
"And you believed her like an idiot? Ozai hates you and Iroh. He sees you as weaklings and failures!" She put her fists on her hips.
"She's my sister! And he's my father! And you, you are a traitor who tries to beguile me and use me as a tool for your revenge! Everything bad that's happened to me is all your fault!" He pointed accusingly at her.
"So you seriously think they will welcome you back without me or the Avatar? Are you that much of an idiot?" She did not deny the accusations.
"Yes, they will, and I will show you!" Actor Zuko declared. The scene changed just slightly. A prop representing the bow of a Fire Navy ship was brought on a side and the bowsprit pivoted, forming a gangplank. Azula and a bunch of soldiers came out while Chenlian was hiding behind a tree prop, watching. The two men in the middle walked towards Azula. The soldiers surrounded them.
"Good of you to come and surrender peacefully. Everyone, let's take the prisoners home!" The princess raised an arm.
"You lied to me!" Her brother raged.
"I didn't lie. Father does regret banishing you. That was far too merciful a punishment for the likes of you. And he really wants you both home... so he can lock you failures up so you can no longer embarrass him!" The woman spat out as Zuko and Iroh fought against the soldiers. It was then Chenlian joined the fray and saved the two royal males. She quickly defeated most soldiers and fought Azula. The stage Chenlian was strong too, as expected of a main antagonist.
"You can't defeat us alone, Azula." She bragged.
"...You're right. So I will go gather allies." Azula disappeared in a puff of smoke. She had given them the slip. The three 'traitors' also left.
"... Although that wasn't quite it, this seems to be the most faithful rendition so far..." The true Chenlian commented, impressed.
"Really? Wait, does that mean Zuko was really THAT horrible to you?" Katara suspiciously glared back at the uncomfortable prince who averted his eyes.
"Well..." Zuko shrank on his seat, unable to deny the truth. He had been ill at ease since the scene started and only grew more miserable as it went on.
"Maybe I forgave you too soon after all. And Chenlian, you two actually started dating later, right? How could you accept him despite that?
"Who knows." The female firebender smiled, seemingly in a good mood for some reason. She liked listening to Katara's lectures after all. It made her feel all warm, like she was being scolded by a loving big sister.
"Geez, you're really too compassionate for your own good. Zuko, do you have any idea how blessed and fortunate you are to have such a long-suffering, wonderful girlfriend? After everything you did, you don't call her dedicated, but saintly."
"I know. I don't deserve her yet. But I will really treasure her." He pulled Chenlian closer to him and tightened his grip on her. Meantime, Azula had gone to Omashu, and Mai and Ty Lee had knelt before her when she had told them to follow her.
Well, that was Zuko's resolve now. On the stage though, the story had not reached that point. As for the reason of Actor Zuko splitting up from Iroh and Chenlian, it seemed he was tired of his girlfriend's faithlessness (as she would smile and wink at boys) and his uncle's lazyness while the two had found his new hairstyle (the long-haired wig) too much. Next thing, the princess was cornered in the village ruins by the Avatar's party, her brother and uncle, and Chenlian (Mai and Ty Lee had been swept out of the stage by a water current/blue sheet carried by men in black)...
"You caught me." Azula raised her hands in surrender. She was an old woman with pink torso armor and heavy makeup. "Wait. What's that ?! I think it's your honor."
"Where?" Starting with Zuko, all the other actors looked in the indicated direction, like toddlers tricked by a slightly older child. Meantime, she escaped by a door in the ruins prop. When the others looked back and found her gone, they reacted like dumb babies before a magic trick, wondering how she could have escaped.
After that, Azula was standing on the Drill that was digging into Ba Sing Se's outer wall. Female Aang was standing on the unsteady wall and throwing rocks at her. However, despite this being a battle scene, the audience was quickly growing bored. By the time the Gaang were facing a brainwashed (and gone downright crazy) Jet under Lake Laogai, the spectators were dozing off, if not already fast asleep. Equipped with moving eyes glasses, he was flailing his hooks at them repeating "Must. Serve. Earth King! Must... Destroy!" He slid on his knees on the ground. Hooks had replaced his hands, like a pirate's prothesis. The Avatar and Katara were horrified by his current state. He grabbed his head as if having a fit. A rock prop floated down towards the stage. Actor Jet crawled on his knees to ensure that he was underneath when it landed. Since it was covering only the upper part of his body, he brought his legs inside too.
"Did Jet just... die?" The actual Fire Nation prince pondered.
"You know, it was really unclear." Sokka answered.
Then Katara, Chenlian, and Zuko were caught and detained in the Crystal Catacombs. The women hugged, glad the other was safe (even if they were captured). When they pulled away, the waterbender complimented her female friend on having landed such an attractive man. She was jealous.
"What are you saying when you landed one of the most powerful benders? Aren't you going out with Aang?" Chenlian replied, prompting the real Aang to nod in the box.
"Aang? Why, he's like a little brother to me. I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way." The plump tanned lady laughed. Upon those words, the genuine Avatar looked saddened as his eyes turned towards the object of his affection sitting next to him. Unable to bear it, the boy rose up in anger.
"Oh, you're getting up? Can you get me some fire flakes?" Sokka requested to him in a whisper, casually wrapping his arm around Suki's shoulders as she rested against him. "Oh!" As he remembered something, he withdrew his arm (much to his girlfriend's annoyance). "And fire gummies!" He yelled back at Aang in a low voice before once more draping his arm around her shoulders. She glared at him, still irritated.
On the stage, Zuko was standing between a Fire Nation flag and an Earth Kingdom flag... between his sister and uncle... making dramatic gestures of utter confusion and deep thought. Azula called him to choose between his nation or a life of treachery. Iroh – while drinking tea – advised him to choose treachery as it was more fun and did a thumb up. The prince went to his uncle, to Azula's shock, only to roughly shove him down and join his sister's side.
"I hate you, Uncle! You smell and I hate you for all time!" He pointed an accusing finger at the elderly. As the 'royal siblings' walked offstage, the Earth Kingdom banner fell atop Iroh. Katara was covering her mouth in shock.
"You didn't really say that, did you?" She turned to Zuko for confirmation.
"...I might as well have." He avoided her gaze once more. Chenlian said nothing and had a blank expression, but that was why Zuko was all the more concerned about her and what feelings she was hiding.
Mai and Ty Lee fought the Earth Kingdom soldiers in the palace. Mai's outfit was mostly accurate but she had a passive smiley as her belt buckle, her hair buns were exaggeratedly large with a knife in each of them, and her bangs completely covered her eyes. She took a knife from her hair and thrust it out. A black clad stagehand carried it across the stage to hit the back of an actor Earth Kingdom soldier's shirt and he got pulled back by a wire to show that the impact of the knife had thrown him backwards. The Earth King appeared to be nothing but a literal puppet sitting on Bosco's lap, and Bosco was sitting on the throne. It looked like the two's costumes were sewn together. Actress Ty Lee too was much bigger in size than the actual one with heavy make up. Her fierce, nasty jabs had changed a lot too. She kissed the tips of her fingers and lightly tapped her opponent's shoulder. He froze up, stuck his tongue out and fell down as if struck by some kind of spell. Mai joined her in the center stage in a finishing pose. The audience applauded.
Suddenly, the avatar appeared from behind the throne and somersaulted, landing in front of them. Chenlian followed and started fighting Mai and Ty Lee. When girl Aang said "Avatar State, yip yip.", the lights grew dim and her arrow glowed in the dark. She closed her eyes. Her eyelids had phosphorescent paint on them too, simulating the real Avatar's glowing eyes. A rope was secured behind her and she was lifted in the air. The hem of Mai's sleeves and Ty Lee's skirt were glowing as well. And so did Chenlian's arm bracers and collar. The scene was engulfed in smoke. As Mai and Ty Lee retreated, Azula jumped out of the smoke and into the air. Various parts of her armor were gleaming.
"Not if my lightning can help it!" She threw a light blue ribbon that actress Aang caught and brought to her chest. She screamed, pretending to go into spasms before fainting. The two got lowered onto the stage.
"NO!" Chenlian yelled and attacked Azula.
"My sister!" Zuko suddenly ran over and attacked Chenlian from behind, throwing a balled red cloth that hit her back. She collapsed at Azula's feet. The prince ran to his sibling and asked if she was alright.
"Yes, I am fine thanks to you. You saved me, brother." She placed a hand on his shoulder. Mai and Ty Lee ran to them. The four hid the fallen bodies and posed. "Chenlian the Traitor and the Avatar are no more!" While this declaration was met with huge cheers and much clapping from the audience, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were more... disgruntled, annoyed. Zuko hid his eyes with his left hand, unable to keep watching his shameful past. On the other hand, Chenlian's expression was completely inscrutable as she stood up. Her lover caught her hand.
"Chenlian..." He gazed up at her with wet eyes, looking quite like a terrified puppy.
"What is it?" She smiled.
"No... nothing..." He stood up too and tightly hugged her. Her eyes had been like glass beads, not revealing anything. And while her smile was not the chilly one from not that long ago, it held no warmth either. So he held her strongly with his trembling arms. Whenever she doubted him, he would hold her. But it was also to reassure himself, that she was still there, with him... and that she was still warm, not cold like the day he had gone to ascertain her death. That was in the past. But the past was not completely gone.
Author's note: I had work, and then FF got those annoying glitches so updates got delayed. I decided to split the Ember Island Players episode in two since I added things, though these things are mostly in the second part of the episode.
Next chapter: 'Fight 66: Feelings Unveiled'