The next morning Zuko and Aang trained together as they did the same movements with powerful fire following. They both exhaled deeply when they finished the training, Boeing to each other in respect.
Zuko cracked his knuckles as he stretched his arms above his head walking towards the water fountain while Katara watched them and Toph laid on her back next to her.
"Isn't it kind of weird how were hiding from the fire lord in his own house?" Toph asked with her hands behind her head.
"I told you, my father hasn't come here since he's became fire lord, it was a long time ago, he even stopped sending servants to clean it about four years ago," Zuko wiped his neck and chest with a towel as he looked at the girls.
"You guys aren't going to believe this!" Sokka ran up to the others after he and Suki went downtown together.
"There's a play about us," he beamed brightly and showed them all a large poster.
"We were in town and saw this," Suki walked up behind him.
"How is that possible?" Katara asked as they joined Sokka curiously but Zuko stayed sitting at the fountain.
"The boy in the ice berg is a new production, the story of the avatar who scattered around the world from the icy South Pole to the heart of ba sing si, this includes singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage," Sokka read off the poster smiling interested.
"Brought to your by the ember island players," Suki finished.
"Ugh, my mother use to take us there to see them, they butchered the lovers of dragons every year," Zuko rolled his eyes.
"Okay theater kid, Sokka is it such a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara waved her friend off and looked at her brother.
"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the wacky time wasting nonsense I've been waiting for," Sokka beamed excitedly as he bounced a little on his toes.
"I'm putting my coins where they kill off Zuko at the end of ba sing si!" Toph raised her hand as Katara snapped at her.
"Man I hope so," Zuko mumbled to himself.
"Toph!" She defended.
"I'll bet mine they make Aang sing," Zuko smirked over at her.
——
They got tickets for a high booth in the back to keep out of sight but could still see the stage clearly.
Aang went to go sit next to Katara but Zuko beat him to it as he sat next to her without looking at Aang and played it cool.
"Hey uh I wanted to sit there," Aang said awkwardly as Zuko put his hood down.
"Just sit next to me, What's the big deal?" Zuko asked as Katara looked at them and brushed her hair behind her ear.
"It's just I wanted too... okay..." Aang gave up and sat next to him anyways.
"We should've switched with Sokka and suki," Katara whispered in his ear as Zuko smirked a little as Toph sat next to Katara. Her brother and his girlfriend sat in the second set of seats behind them as Sokka had his arm around suki.
"Why'd we have to sit so high up? My feet won't be able to see a thing," Toph pouted a little as she leaned back.
"Don't worry Toph, I'll tell your feet everything that happens," Katara told her as she hooked her pinky with zukos, hidden under his cloak as they touched hands. She smiled a little resisting to lean her head on his shoulder.
Finally the play began as the curtains pulled back to reveal the actor and actress that represented Katara and Sokka what seems to be in the South Pole, the two of them rowing through the waters. Sokka grabbed Kataras shoulder pointing back and forth excitedly.
"Sokka, my only brother, we constantly roam these icy South Pole seas and yet we never find anything fulfilling," stage Katara sighed dramatically with her hand on her forehead.
"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!" Stage Sokka yelled obnoxiously as the crowd laughed at the joke.
"Is food the only thing on your mind?" The actress asked.
"Well I'm trying to get it out of my mind, and into my mouth, I'm starving!" He cracked the joke again as Sokka looked at him in disbelief.
"This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this," Sokka leaned over Katara as she had her arms crossed a little.
"Ha I think he's got you pegged," Toph snorted as she enjoyed the terrible jokes that mocked him.
"Every day the world awaits a beckon 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!" Stage Katara bursted into tears as she fell against the boat covering her face.
Katara didn't look amused.
"Well that's just silly, I don't sound like that," Katara rolled her eyes as Suki, Sokka and Toph snickered at her, Suki and Sokka tried staying quiet. Even Zuko had a small smile at it.
"Oh man this writers a genius," Toph laughed putting her hands behind her head.
Suddenly there was a light behind the actors and a prop that resembled the ice burg and a figure inside.
"It appears there's a boy frozen in ice, maybe for a hundred years!" The stage Katara gasped turning around.
"But who? Who is the boy in the ice berg?" Fake Sokka questioned. Aang leaned forward getting excited to see how he would be in the play.
"Waterbend! High ya!" The actress faked the move and the ice berg cracked open with fog.
Only for a small woman to jump out with a wink and a pose looking like Aang.
"Who are you frozen boy?" Stage Katara asked in awe.
"I'm the avatar silly, here to spread joy and fun!" The avatar spun around with a giggle.
"Wait- is that a women playing me?" Aang blinked surprised.
Katara covered her mouth trying to hide her giggle as she felt Zuko struggling to keep his calm face as his shoulder shook a little, she elbowed him as he smiled more.
Suddenly there was a giant mascot to play appa as it roared running around the stage.
"An air bender! I'm so full of hope that it's making me tear bend!" The actress bowed on her knees and held the avatars leg sobbing again.
"My stomach is so empty it's making me tear bend!" The Sokka actor began to sob hugging stage Aangs leg.
Suddenly the mood changed while they brought out a new prop for the ship that held Zuko and iroh actors as the stage Zuko was standing at the end looking ahead.
"Prince Zuko you must try this cake," stage iroh started off with a deep voice.
"I don't have time to stuff my face! I must capture the avatar to regain my honor!" Stage Zuko declared loudly.
"Well while you do that maybe I'll capture another slice!" The fat man hummed happily eating the cake.
"You sicken me," stage Zuko scoffed.
"They totally make me look still and humorless," Zuko crossed his arms frowning.
"Actually I think that actor nailed it pretty spot on," Katara smiled at his smugly.
"How can you say that?" Zuko looked at her.
"Let's forget the avatar and get massages," stage iroh smiled as he waddled.
"How can you say that?!" Stage Zuko yelled.
Katara smiled satisfied as Zuko pouted a little.
The play continued on as the actors found some puppet in the bushes that represent momo as it could talk. Aang rolled his eyes at the female that played him.
After the air temple it went to kyoshi island where a girl was playing Suki and the actor of Sokka came out in a dress as well.
"Does this dress make my butt look fat?" Stage Sokka asked as Suki giggled covering her mouth looking at her boyfriend.
"Riddles and challenges must you face! If you are ever to leave this place!" The play went to omashu as stage Sokka was getting chased by a bunny, stage Aang was avoiding getting hit by a fake boulder and the Katara actress was in a crystal crying.
They went on to the pirates that they've met before as the gaang crawled out of a group of pirates who were fighting against each other now while they snuck away.
"Why'd your have to steal that water bending scroll?" The actor for Sokka asked.
"It just gave me so much hope!" The girl sobbed as Katara rolled her eyes frowning.
It went through the time when Aang was captured by zhao but instead it was Zuko that captured him, soon the blue spirit came in attacking, the avatar cooed calling him her hero as the blue spirit took her away to the next scene. Neither Aang or Zuko we're amused by it as they silently agreed to not talk about it.
They heard Kataras actress crying obnoxiously again as she held onto a rope holding her and a man that looked like jet smirked at her with a flower in his mouth.
"Don't cry baby! Jet will wipe out that nasty town for you!" Stage jet held her waist as they were close together while a fabric washed over the stage to look like a river and cover the town.
"Oh jet your so bad," stage Katara hummed leaning against him.
"You dated jet?" Zuko asked surprised.
"You know jet?" Katara blushes darkly looking at him while Toph was laughing.
"Shh watch the play," he changed the subject.
The play skipped over the great divide until they got to the northern water tribe, it was brief to the point where Sokka and yue kissed before she died, he begged her not to go before they kissed again.
"Wait did you have pickled fish for dinner?" Stage Sokka asked.
"Good bye Sokka, I have moonly duties to attend too," yue was pulled up by a moon prop while she 'floated' away.
"And yes, I did have pickled fish..." she whispered.
"I didn't know you dated the moon spirit," Suki giggled as Sokka had tears in his eyes.
"Shh," Zuko and Sokka shushed not looking at her.
The final scene had stage Aang destroying toy boats in a spirit costume saying he saved that day and fell over just as the first part of the play ended while the curtains fell and people cheered.
——
"So far this intermission is the best part of the play," Zuko stood against the wall as everyone sat on the stairs annoyed.
"Apparently the writer thinks I'm an idiot that tells bad jokes about meat all the time!" Sokka walked over to Suki holding a bag of jerky.
"Yea you make bad jokes about plenty of other topics," Suki smirked at him.
"I know!"
"At least the Sokka actor kind of looked like you, the woman playing the avatar doesn't resemble me at all!" Aang whined embarrassed.
"You do have sort of a feminine waist," Sokka looked at him as Aang sent him a glare.
"Relax Aang, they're not accurate portrayals," Katara sat at the top steps.
"I mean it's not like actually a preachy cry baby who can't resist giving over emotional speeches about hope all the time," she smiled at them.
Some mumbled disagreeing or some stayed silent.
"What?!"
"Yea that's not you at all," Aang shook his head sarcastically.
"Listen friends, the biggest thing is that the writer did his research, I know it must hurt but what your seeing up there is the truth," Toph told them smirking.
"And you owe me five copper pieces," she pointed at Zuko. He rolled his eyes and handed her five.
"What did you guys bet on?" Aang asked confused.
"Once the play started and I heard Katara cry hope three times in the first two minutes, I betted Zuko she'd say it over twenty times by intermission," Toph told them as Zuko shrugged agreeing.
"When I went to go get a drink?" Katara turned to Zuko slightly betrayed. He nodded.
"How many times did she say it?" Sokka asked curiously.
"Thirty two," Zuko smirked a little.