A/N: This is for my bingo card table again. The prompt this time was "the tortured, gleaming city." And, after thinking for a while, I went with this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Warnings: Slight season three spoilers- up until the episode with Hama. Slightly thriller-ish.

The Possessed Troupe
By: Nuit Songeur

"'The Puppeteer Troupe.' I wonder what that is," On Ji read aloud, her finger running across the new poster tacked to the kiosk.

"Says here that they're a traveling theatrical group. They're premiering here tomorrow night!" exclaimed a boy excitedly, clapping his hands together. On Ji glanced at him and read on.

"The production is called The Gleaming City," On Ji muttered to herself. "Apparently it's a silent play and the patroness has commissioned the local orchestra to provide the play music." On Ji chewed on her lower lip, examining the poster's picture. The actors' faces were painted to look like wooden puppets and even had strings tied to their arms for effect.

In light of the full moon, Patroness and Director Hama will proudly present this season's production.

Hama? That was an unusual name. On Ji never heard of it before…

On Ji had seen plays before, particularly those of the Ember Island players. Honestly, On Ji never cared for them. The forced lines and the patched-up special effects never entertained her. Perhaps this troupe would be different.

She went home that night and told her parents about the upcoming performance at dinner.

"Sounds interesting," her mother said, some rice halfway to her lips.

"It would be a good experience for you to watch something like this," agreed her father. "We'll come too." On Ji sighed and continued eating. It was not the reaction she had wanted. For some reason, the play gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

The next night, On Ji dressed in her best Fire Nation robes since her mother had said it was to be a formal event.

"Have you ever heard of the patroness? Hama?" On Ji asked her mother as she was tying her sash.

"Hmm… Can't say I have," she said absently. "I've heard from several of the ladies that she's one of those new theater owners. Word has it that her troupe is pretty talented, judging by what they're saying in neighboring cities."

"I guess," was all On Ji responded.

There was a long line awaiting outside the booth to purchase their tickets. On Ji peered around a very fat woman to see that they were about ten feet away from the head of the line. She sighed and impatiently stuffed her hands in her sleeves. She really didn't want to see a play tonight; especially since it made her nervous the more she thought about the advertising poster.

"Ah, the Sha Long family," said the man once they had reached the front of the line. "You get exclusive tickets to the Lord's Box."

The Lord's Box turned out to be a platform of seats that overlooked the main stage. On Ji peered over the edge, grateful that she wasn't afraid of heights.

When the play started, the conducter tapped his music stand with his baton and the torches in the theater were either extinguished or dimmed, leaving the opening in the theater's ceiling to provide the main light from the full moon. On Ji stared at it for a moment before the music started playing.

As she had suspected, not a single actor or actress spoke any line, and the sole source of sound came from the orchestra seated in front of the stage. They wore face paint to make them look like puppets and, like the posted suggested, they had strings tied around their wrists. It was an interesting idea, On Ji had to credit Hama for that.

As for the play itself, On Ji found herself to be rather confused. Judging from the costumes and the backdrops, she would have guessed it to have taken place at a Water Tribe city with a magnificent palace. Perhaps the North Pole. The main character was a young woman who enjoyed the day-to-day activities of her simple life. But, despite the position of her mouth, her eyes looked wide, fearful, and did not at all match with her set expression.

The woman was a Waterbender who fell in love with a hunter. But, before they married, there was a raid conducted by the Fire Nation and the woman was captured.

By this point, On Ji glanced down at her program. The emblazed title read The Gleaming City. But, this too, On Ji did not understand. Her eyes traveled down to the subtitle: The Fire Nations makes gleaming cities.

A very pro-war idea. Her parents would have liked that. On Ji looked up and continued to watch the play.

The Waterbender girl was locked away in a cage for many years until her spirit was finally broken. When that happened, she was allowed to go into the outside world as a slave to a noble family, part of her assimilation process. Through her years of slavery, the woman witnessed the greatness of the Fire Nation. In her wonder and amazement, she one day strayed too close to a statue of the Fire Lord she wasn't allowed to touch. A nearby patrolling officer spotted her and immediately dealt her punishment.

She was dragged out to the middle of the street by her hair and thrown roughly on the hard stones of the pavement. A jeering crowd began to surround her, and in a matter of minutes, she was stoned to death. On Ji gasped and cringed away from the scene while everyone in the auditorium cheered with an immense raucous. A banner was brought to the front of the stage that read, The gleaming city has been purged of its filth. The Fire Nation conquers all. A standing ovation followed.

Again, despite the loud claps and cheers, the eyes of the actors were wide and did not reflect the scene's or the crowd's mood.

After everyone had left the theater, On Ji managed to slip away from her parents and surreptitiously make her way backstage. She wanted to speak to the actors.

She came upon a door that was slightly ajar, and On Ji slipped through it, pressing her back against the wall. The room was dark, perhaps a long hallway. She saw a small light seeping into the corridor from behind a closed door. Silently, she crept up to it and listened closely. She could only hear the jangling of some wooden toggles and the incoherent ramblings of someone unmistakably old. Perhaps the patroness. On Ji shied away from it and continued down the hall.

In the darkness, she did not see where the floor dropped down, and so she stumbled down a few steps and hit what appeared to be a hard-packed dirt floor. She got to her feet, dusting off her robe, and mentally hoped that it hadn't gotten dirty. Her mother would have killed her.

"Who's there?" said a frightened voice. On Ji spun around to the source and strained her eyes against the darkness.

"Um… My name's On Ji, and I saw the performance earlier—"

"It's a girl," breathed another voice from the far side of the room, relieved.

"What's a girl doing here?" came another voice.

"Little ones are often curious." Yet, another voice. Soon, there was a chorus of soft whispers from all around the room. On Ji didn't know who to turn to. Finally, one voice shushed the others and addressed her.

"Listen, On Ji," he said. "You need to leave. This is no place for someone like you."

"What do you mean?" On Ji turned to this voice and felt around, trying to get closer.

"The supposed Patroness—"

"Hama?"

"Yes. She's a witch. She controls us and our bodies. We're trapped here, forced to act against our will. You need to leave before she catches you too."

"A witch?" she said, her voice caught in her throat. On Ji's hands brushed against something cold and hard. Metal?

Chains.

On Ji ran.

There you are! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!

-NuitSongeur