Avatar: TLA (Reader Insert)

The Deserter

The group picked their masks and put them on. Katara wearing one with a headpiece and looks to be a woman with lots of makeup and (Y/N) wearing one that was black and green with a stern expression and a red mark surrounding the right side of the face, resembling a scar. The two notice how Sokka was wearing a blue mask that had a yellow mane with a wide smile while Aang had a red and yellow one with a solemn expression. The two share a look and nod their heads. (Y/N) removes the blue mask from Sokka to reveal a solemn expression and Katara removes the red mask on Aang to reveal a wide smile. The two switch and now Sokka wore the red mask while Aang wore the blue one.

The group walk on to see more of the festival. "Hey, there's some food." Aang points to a food stand. "Finally!" Sokka says as he runs over to it. "What do you have?" He asks the vendor. "Flaming fire flakes. Best in town." The man answers and offers a bag of said food. "I'll take 'em." Sokka says and quickly eats the flakes. He then screams as he is hit with the spice. He pulls up his mask to fan his mouth, "Oh, hot! Hot!" He exclaims. "Flaming fire flakes, hot. What do you know?" Katara sasses her brother as she crosses her arms. (Y/N) giggles silently at Sokka's misery. "Can I have some too?" She asks the man. Aang hears something and looks to find two kids running towards something. "Hey, look at this!"

The others walk over to find that it is a puppet show and the curtains open, making the audience cheer as a puppet of the Fire Lord is shown. (Y/N) eats her fire flakes and actually enjoys the spice as she and the others watch. "Don't worry, loyal citizens, no one can surprise the Fire Lord!" The puppeteer says, right as an Earth Kingdom puppet man appears behind the Fire Lord puppet with a boulder in his hand. The kids worry and call out to the puppet, but the Fire Lord puppet is shown breathing fire out of its mouth and setting the soldier ablaze. The people cheer while the group cringes then walk away from the show. "Propaganda. It draws in the crowd." (Y/N) states unenthusiastically as she eats the rest of her fire flakes.

"Aang, hold on. Where are going?" Katara says to Aang. "I don't know... but there's a big crowd, so it must be good." Aang replies as he and the others walk up to a stage were a large crowd of people stand before it. "Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution. Ow!" Sokka yelps and rubs the back of his head after (Y/N) smacked him. They make it to the stage and watch as a performer firebends balls of fire around him then collides them together as it goes out and birds appear, flying over the crowd. The people applaud at the sight and Aang has a wide smile as he lifts his mask up. "I gotta learn that trick." He says in an excited tone. (Y/N) places a hand on his shoulder, "Slow down there, bud." She tells him.

"Thank you! For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience." The performer says. "Ooh, ooh! Me! Me!" Aang puts down his mask and raises his arm up, waving it excitedly to get pick. "What do you think you're doing?" Sokka whispers to him. "I want to get a closer look." Aang says. "It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves." Katara tells Aang. "How about you, little lady?" The performer says to Katara. "Uh..." Katara backs away to decline. "Aw, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks." The performer says. The crowd cheers and one member pushes Katara towards the stage and the performer grabs her hand. (Y/N) sighs deeply, "Why must irony torture us so much?" She asks out loud. (I don't know. I really don't know.)

Katara looks back at them before she is pulled up onto the stage. "Aww, that could have been me." Aang complains, crossing his arms and most likely pouting. (Y/N) gets the feeling of someone watching her but ignores it to draw attention to herself and focus on Katara. The same man from the woods is in the crowd as he keeps an eye on them. "This next trick is called Taming the Dragon!" The performer states as he sets down a chair behind Katara. "You will be my captured princess." He says to Katara as he sits her down in the chair then ties her up with a red ribbon. He then steps forward and bends the fire from the torches to form a dragon. It flies towards Katara but flies above her, "Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" The perform acts as he forms a rope of fire to connect with the fire dragon.