Water Lily in a Sea of Fire

Chapter 80: The Acclaimed Ember Island Players

A/N:  This chapter is the longest yet, but my family got involved in this one. Apologies in advance if it's painful to read, but it was definitely fun to write.

If it gets too tedious, boring, annoying, or all three, feel free to skip it. It doesn't add much more to the story than the original episode did, though I know there are a few references to it in the future—nothing that's necessary to the story.

Kudos to anyone who can identify all the sources (you'll understand what this means at some point), but some are pretty obscure and even old (but classic). It'll start with Actor Zuko's first line.

After receiving requests for who said what, I added comments with the info for any that weren't already identified.

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Early in the evening the Gaang left the beach house to walk to the theater. They chose to sit in the balcony far from the stage so as not to be recognized. Toph was sitting on the end with Katara on her left, Aang next to her, then Zuko, Chiara, and Izin, while Sokka and Suki sat behind them.

"Why are we in the nosebleed section?" asked Toph. "My feet can't see a thing from up here."

"Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening," Katara assured her.

They watched as the curtain on the stage rose to reveal a set of the South Pole seas while a full-figured Actress Katara and a tall, lanky Actor Sokka were rowing their boat. Katara was thrilled to see herself on stage, and Sokka leaned towards her excitedly pointing at themselves and then at the stage.

"Sokka, my only brother," said Actress Katara dramatically, "we constantly roam these icy South Pole seas, and yet never do we find anything fulfilling."

"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach," spewed Actor Sokka. "I'm starving!"

The audience was laughing, but Katara and Sokka looked at each other stunned by their portrayal on stage.

"Is food the only thing on your mind?" asked Actress Katara.

"Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth. I'm starving!"

The audience laughed again.

Sokka leaned forward over Katara's shoulder looking unamused. "This is pathetic. My jokes are way funnier than this."

Toph was laughing. "I think he's got you pegged."

"Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears," moaned Actress Katara. "Still, we cannot give up hope. For hope is all we have. And we must never relinquish it, even...even to our dying breath!" She leaned over the side of the canoe and began sobbing overdramatically.

Suki covered her mouth as she and Sokka were laughing.

"Well, that's just silly," said Katara, clearly annoyed. "I don't sound like that."

"Oh man, this writer's a genius," laughed Toph.

Suddenly, a light appeared above the stage where an iceberg could be seen with a silhouette of a boy behind it. The actors stood up in the canoe to get a closer look.

"It appears to be someone frozen in ice, perhaps for a hundred years," said Actress Katara.

"But who?" asked Actor Sokka. "Who is the boy in the iceberg?"

Aang was smiling as he leaned forward in expectation of his character who was about to make his appearance.

"Waterbend! Hi-yah!" said Actress Katara making a chopping motion towards the iceberg.