"They are back, Mia." Sokka said slowly and Mia just woke up from her daydream. She saw the cattle boiling and roughly she stirred the soup. "Just in time for dinner, lucky them," Mia said grumpy. "You don't wanna hear what happened?" Sokka said while watching at the sky, Appa getting closer and closer. "No, I don't." Sokka sighed and walked away from Mia. Mia tasted the chicken soup and smiled. She handled her spoon over to Momo who was eating it as well. "Now it's definately a good soup." Mia laughed. She saw Katara and Zuko jumping off Appa's back and talking to Sokka and Aang. Zuko looked at Mia, and she quickly turned her back to him.
She felt Zuko's hand on her back and he kissed her on her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her neck and laid his head on hers. "I am sorry I yelled at you." He said. "Good, you should be," Mia replied and she took a deep breathe, "what did she do?" Zuko sat down next to Mia, looking to the ground. "We met him," Zuko shrugged, "she did not forgive him, not really... but she couldn't attack him. She just couldn't."
"I already expected that. Tho I hope he'd learned his lesson by meeting her..." Mia whispered and she smiled faintly. "What are we going to do now? We can't stay here." Zuko asked. "I have been thinking about that," Mia said and she looked at him, "maybe we could go to Ember Island? No one stays there, right?"
"No, but..." Zuko sighed, "it's very, very close to the capitol."
"That's good right? No one ever gets there, really. Not from your family," Mia said and she tasted the soup, "I remember that time I could come with you. We went to that horrid theater," Mia laughed, "I have never seen such horrible actors." Zuko laughed too and nodded in agreement. He grabbed Mia's hand and squeezed in it. "How are you, actually? I mean, how do you feel?" Zuko asked awkwardly. "I don't know," Mia sighed, "it's all a mess." She kissed Zuko and tapped him on the leg. "Tell them dinner is ready, and about Ember Island."
~
And so they did, the next day: off to Ember Island. It was funny to be there. Nothing had really changed. Of course, everything had changed, But only for this time it didn't feel that way. Zuko and Aang were practicing their Fire Bending, and it looked very good. Impressed Mia watched them while sipping her tea. She got pretty skinburned over the last few weeks, so she spend her days as much as she could in the shadow. Suki and Sokka Katara and Toph were sitting next to her, talking a bit. "Doesn't it seem kinda weird to be hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?"
"I told you, my father hasn't come here since the last time my family was actually happy," Zuko replied to Katara, "and that was a long time ago." Mia nodded in agreement. "You guys are not gonna believe this!" Sokka yelled when he and Suki ran up to them, "there is a play about us!" Suki nodded excitedly. "We were in town and we found this poster!" Sokka rolled it out, and everyone gathered around it. They saw Aang and Mia in the middle, with Katara and Sokka on the sides with Zuko in the background.
"How is that possible?" Katara asked.
Listen to this," Sokka said and he turned the poster around, "the boy in the Iceberg is a new production from a acclaimed play writer, who searched the globe gathering all kind of information about the avatar, from the icy South Pole, to the dusty Ba Sing Se. His sources includes singing nomades, pirates, prisoners of war and the surprisingly knowledgable merchant of cabbages." Mia giggled. "oh, the cabbage man..." She said grinning from ear to ear. "The boy in the Iceberg will be played by the Ember Island Players." Suki said. Mia's smile disappeared and she shook her head. Zuko groaned. "My mother used to take us there to see them... They butchered 'Love Amongst The Dragons' every year." Mia's mouth fell open. "I know right?!"
"Sokka is this really a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara asked.
"Of course! This is the best waste of time stuff we have been missing!"
~
That same evening, they went to town to see the play. The town was nice and crowdy and Mia was really curious if the play would be too. They all bought a ticket and attended to the theater. They sat down on the balcony, which gave a spectaculair on the stage. Mia sat down next to Zuko and Katara. "Why are we sitting inb the nose bleed section? My feet can't see a thing from up here!" Toph said.
"Don't worry Toph, I'll tell you what's happening." Katara said.
The play started, beginning with Mia, Katara and Sokka sitting in a boat at the South pole. Mia felt a hand on her shoulder, Sokka smiling brightly behind her. "Oh, Sokka my only brother! We only keep sailing through those icy rocks, on this icy sea... and yet, we never find anything... fullfilling!" Stage-Katara said. "All I want is a fullfiiling in my stomach, I am starving!" Stage-Sokka said and the whole theater burst in a laugh. "Sokka, is food the only thing that's on your mind?!" Staga-Mia said. "Well, I try to get it out of my mind and into my mouth, I am starving!" Sokka groaned. "This is ridiculous, my jokes are way funnier than that!"
"Every day, 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 ...," stage-Katara gave a loud cry, "even to our dying breath!" And she continued sobbing. Mia giggled silently. "That's just silly, I don't sound like that." Katara mumbled.
Cut to Stage-Katara still slumped over the side of the canoe, an iridescent light suddenly appears from above and she turns her head upward. A model iceberg can be seen, the vague shadow of a figure visible from behind. "It appears to be someone frozen in ice, perhaps for a hundred years!" Stage-Mia said. "But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?" Stage Sokka gasped.
"Waterbend, Hi-yah!" Stage-Katara said while performing a karate chop. The iceberg splits in half and from behind a figure jumped up.
Mia's jaw dropped so far on the ground it must have landed all the way up to Omashu. A person with a flesh colored-cap over her hair with the airbender tattoo on it, her face covered with an excessive amount of blush and her overall physiognomy and demeanor clearly displays that Aang was played by a female. "Who are you, frozen boy?" Stage-Katara asked. "I am the avatar, silly! Here to spread joy and fun!" The actress said with a high-pitched voice. Then, a kind of papier-maché bison strumbled over the stage, performing Appa. "An airbender! I am now so full of hope, it makes me... tearbend!" Stage-Katara said, while crying. My stomach is so empty, it makes me tearbend!" Stage-Sokka said. "I, Mia Li Feng, surrounded by these fools, makes me tearbend, too!" Stage-Mia said.
"Oh my... this is... I can't find the words." Mia said while shaking her head. Soon, stage-Zuko came up, with vibrant manes of hair, looking fab. "Oh, Zuko you must try this cake!" Stage-Iroh said. "No, I can't! I must find the Avatar to regain my honor!"
"Than I will find me, another slice!"
"You sicken me!'" Stage-Zuko said.
"I don't sound like that, I sound completely stupid and humorless." Zuko complained.
"Well dear, I think taht actor is pretty spot-on." Mia replied.
"Excuse me?!" Zuko replied indignantly.
"Come Zuko, let's forget the Avatar and have massages." Stage-Iroh said.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Stage-Zuko screamed back.
Zuko gave Mia a look and Mia giggled.
The play continued. They got passed when Aang got Momo and Mia Aoi, the escape from the pirates, meeting Jet, and Yue turning into the moon (where Sokka was sobbing loudly). The break of the play was after the Siege of the North. Mia was laughing so hard during the breaks her mouth and stomach hurt. "I can't help it, you guys are all looking so ridiculous!"
"I know! At least the Mia-actress looks like you, I am getting played by a bald lady!" Aang said.
"Relax, Aang," Katara said, " 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." Mia smiled. "Yeah, that's not you at all.""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 said.
The play continued. They were now in the Earth Kingdom.
"I flew all the way through the earthkingdom ,and not an earthbender to find!" Stage-Aang said.
"Here it comes..." Mia heard Toph saying. Stage-Toph entered the stage from a trapdoor beneath the rock prop and hold it above his head. "You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground!" Stage-Toph said when he threw the rock away.
Mia, Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Katara laughed loudly. Mia saw Zuko. Zuko looking up from a piece of paper, stunned. Mia looked at Toph who was still looking eager. "Who are you?" Stage-Mia asked. Stage-Toph stap on the ground. "My name's Toph," he said while flexing," because it sounds like tough, and that's just what I am!"
"Wait a minute," Toph said while she picked her ear with her pinky, "I sound like a guy. A really buff guy."
"believe it or not... you are." Mia said, still stunned. "Yes you are, it hurts doesn't it?" Katara asked Toph. "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have cast it any other way! At least it's not a flying bald lady!"
The play continued, as they met Azula, Zuko and Iroh splitting up, the drill, creepy and brainwashed Jet and finally: Stage-Katara and Stage-Zuko kissing in the crystal tunnels. It was all pretty lame, until they came up with the invasion.
Mia saw her stage self with stage-Maya, at the side of the firebenders and Zuko joining Team Avatar, "Well, I guess the play is over now, we are now in the present." Sokka said and he stood up. "Wait, it isn't over." Suki said and she pulled Sokka down.
"Maybe it is, unless.... this is the FUTURE!" He said mysteriously.
Stage-Mia faced stage-Zuko, fighting. They were just jumping around with orange pieces of paper, until 'flames' rose up from the ground and stage-Zuko got burned. "Honor!!" He screamed as he disappeared from the stage. The whole audience was cheering, while Mia was about to burst into tears, filled with terror. Finally, the fire Lord killed Aang and held a speech of "the world is mine", and the whole audience exploded with cheer when the lights on the stage went out.
"This was the worst play, ever." Zuko mumbled when they walked back to the Fire Lord's house.
"It was worrible, indeed." Aang said.
"Well, at least the effects were decent." Sokka said optimistic.
"Well, let's just go to bed and forget this stuff. The Fire Nation will get to know the truth soon enough..." Mia said quite worried